# CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!



## mevelandry

Welcome to the comparison thread!

Here is the story:

When I decided to start this thread, DH and I had sailed on the Disney Dream twice. Our first cruise was a 3 nights Bahamas Cruise and the second cruise was a 4 nights Bahamas Cruise.

In 2016, we picked a 4 nights Bahamian cruise (Freeport-Nassau-Sea Day) on the Carnival Victory. Embarkation date: October 9, 2016. Since then, we have been on three DCL cruises, four Carnival cruises and have three more coming (1 Carnival, 1 Royal Caribbean and 1 with Celebrity. We have postponed DCL cruises until the new ships arrives in 2021 and/or after.) 

This thread started with a cruise ship comparison... And slowly became the "official" thread for general information and getting to know the main differences between Carnival and Disney Cruise Line ships & experience. 

***IMPORTANT NOTE: this thread is meant to be a « safe zone » where people can discuss freely about the different cruise lines they enjoy or are curious about. It is not a place for keyboard wars... Thank you.***

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*WHY DID YOU CREATE THIS THREAD? *

We created this thread because...

...some of DCL past cruisers can't afford cruising with DCL anymore and wonder if they can enjoy a different cruise line after being spoiled by DCL...

...some people want to cruise more often but can't afford to do DCL cruises every time...

...some people want to experience something different.


*WHAT WILL I FIND ON THIS THREAD? *

-Reviews from (mostly) DCL cruisers who have tried both cruise lines. Most of those cruisers love(d) DCL too but cruise with Carnival in between DCL cruises. 

-A lot of information on the Carnival ships that we have sailed on with many pictures, advices, tips and recommendations. 

-Discussions regarding our upcoming cruises, pricing between the two cruise lines and information regarding itineraries. 


*CAN I WRITE A REVIEW ON THIS THREAD EVEN IF IT IS NOT POSITIVE? *

-Absolutely. As long as you have sailed on a Carnival ship (No, being docked next to a Carnival ship doesn't count! ). Please give us as many details as possible like the name of the ship, the year of the sailing, the length of the cruise and the itinerary would be very much appreciated and would give us a better idea of your experience.

*WHAT IS CARNIVAL'S POLICY WHEN IT COMES TO BOOKING SEPARATE CABINS FOR KIDS? *

On Carnival, as long as the kids are in a cabin very close from adults (the policy varies with the age of the kids), they can have their own cabin. However, kids under 12 cannot be in a verandah cabin:
https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2544/~/minor-guest-policy


*I HAVE HEARD THAT THE CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIPS ARE PARTY BOATS AND THAT THEY ARE LOADED WITH HARD PARTIERS... IS IT TRUE? WHY COMPARE IT TO DCL? THEY LOOK SO DIFFERENT! *

Experiences may vary. While some cruisers may have experienced tipsy/drunk crowds during shorter cruises, a lot of us have never encountered that type of behavior, even during short cruises.

It is common belief between Carnival cruisers that if you stick to longer itineraries and go to bed before midnight, your chances of experiencing a "quiet" cruise are extremely high.

While the cruise line is not 100% focussing on children like DCL, Carnival has been on their way to break free from their "party cruise" reputation for a few years now, focussing more and more on being family friendly. The new ships (Vista, Horizon, Panorama as well as upcoming Mardi Gras and Celebration) definitely reflect that new orientation while older ships have been upgraded to be consistent with that new orientation.

*I HAVE HEARD THAT THE CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIPS HAVE A TOPLESS DECK... IS IT TRUE? *

There was a time where the topless deck was a thing but it's been eliminated in 2007 when Carnival decided to take a "family friendly" turn.


*I HAVE HEARD THAT THE STAFF OF CARNIVAL IS RUDE ... IS IT TRUE? *

Quite the contrary. Most Carnival cruisers encounter friendly and helpful staff. We have noticed in the reviews that the experience with staff seem to be very similar to what DCL offers in the dining room when people pick a dining time on Carnival ships instead of Your Time Dining (where you can meet different servers every night).

*DO CRUISERS DO FISH EXTENDERS ON CARNIVAL?*

They do not... However, there is a new trend on Carnival: people hide rubber duckies (some of them are decorated and/or really original) on the ship so other passengers can find them. When you find one, you can either keep it or hide it somewhere else. It's fun! It's still unclear whether there are actual "groups" for that yet.


*CAN I DECORATE MY DOORS?*

Yes you can, as long as you follow the rules regarding decorations. Guests on Carnival do not decorate their doors as much as guests on DCL do but some of them are.


*I LOVE THAT DCL CRUISE SHIPS LOOKS BRAND NEW... WHICH CARNIVAL SHIP SHOULD I SAIL ON CARNIVAL IF I WANT A SHIP THAT LOOKS BRAND NEW? *

Carnival Vista, Horizon, Panorama, Mardi Gras and Celebration are either brand new or fairly recent and have all the bells and whistles.

Some of us would recommend to avoid the older ships, especially the Fantasy class (Ecstasy, Sensation, Elation and Paradise) because they are the oldest, their age is showing and there are not as many activities to do on board.


*DOES CARNIVAL HAVE ACCESS TO A PRIVATE ISLAND, LIKE DCL WITH CASTAWAY CAY?*

Yes, they do. They also have some ports that caters exclusively to cruisers. 

*HALF MOON CAY


*

Half Moon Cay is Carnival's own version of Castaway Cay. It is also located in the Bahamas. As of now, the island requires tendering but they announced in 2019 that they would add a dock at some point (TBD). Half Moon Cay is not separated in different sections like Castaway Cay. There are many excursions available but there are also a lot of free activities that are listed in the Fun Times/the Carnival Hub app.

They offer regular cabanas rental (good for 4 guests) and Two-story beach villas rental (good for 8 guests, includes a hot tub)... And a private oasis: 1,620 square foot grand cabana good for 12 guests, which also includes a hot tub, the package includes the services of a butler, a personal chef, a bartender, a cabana Steward, and a lifeguard plus food and beverages!)




HALF MOON CAY VS CASTAWAY CAY review and pictures by @mevelandry  (post #2754):

https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...ussion-and-comparison-thread.3540991/page-138


*PRINCESS CAYS


*

Take note that some of Carnival sailings also go to Princess Cays, also in the Bahamas which is mainly used by Princess (also part of Carnival Corp.)  Princess Cays has an "adult only" section called "Adults Sanctuary".

They have private cabanas (good for 4 guests) available for rental in the Adults Sanctuary, which has its own separate section (and beach!).

Review and pictures of Princess Cays (with a cabana):

https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...ussion-and-comparison-thread.3540991/page-178



In addition to *Half Moon Cay* & *Princess Cays*, Carnival has also developped three exclusive cruise ports: *Amber Cove* (Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic), *Grand Turk* (Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos) & *Mahogany Bay* (Roatan, Honduras).


*AMBER COVE*

Amber Cove is situated in Dominican Republic, near Puerto Plata. You can rent cabanas. While there are no beaches in the port, there is a pool with waterslides and a lazy river, shops, restaurants (take note that the food is NOT INCLUDED) and a zipline. Ocean cabanas, pool cabanas and hillside cabanas are also available for rental. ***Under construction***


*GRAND TURK

*

The Cruise Center is situated in Cockburn Town (on Grand Turk Island - Turks and Caicos). Grand Turk is famous for its Margaritaville, Flow Rider, a beach and huge pool. You can rent cabanas near the Margaritaville pools. Take note that the food at Margaritaville is NOT INCLUDED.

Grand Turk is getting mixed reviews. Some love it, some others like @mevelandry did not enjoy it as much as they thought they would, according to this mini-review here in post #2732: https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...ussion-and-comparison-thread.3540991/page-137).

PICTURES OF GRAND TURK (post #2757) by @mevelandry : https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...ussion-and-comparison-thread.3540991/page-138

That being said, it looks like things have changed since, that the beach is now cleaner and not cramped anymore. There is also a quiet beach on the « massage cabana » side.

When it comes to Margaritaville, if you hang out further away from the building (on the Flow Rider side), the sexy man/sexy dance contest is not visible from there because the little bridge covers this area. That side of the pool is a little bit more quiet.

***More to come: Margaritaville Cabana review in January 2023***


*MAHOGANY BAY*

Mahogany bay is located on the island of Roatan (Honduras). A short walk away (or a short flying chairs away) from the beach, you will find a free beach. You can get free chairs, or rent clam shells. There is also a private beach with very nice cabanas that can be rent. Mahogany Bay is a real paradise if you like snorkeling. Once you go past the shops, you can choose to get to the beach with the Flying Chairs ($). Those are really fun and not to be missed! 






*DOES CARNIVAL HAVE CONCIERGE CABINS? *

Carnival introduced its first concierge cabins in 2020 with the brand new Carnival Mardi Gras. The guests staying in Concierge cabins have access to a private area described as such: Located on the ship’s highest deck, Loft 19 is a brand new concept for Carnival Cruise Line – a secluded retreat modeled after the world’s finest resorts with full bar service, a private pool surrounded by sun loungers and spacious cabanas, available for rent. Cabanas are fully stocked with beverages, plush robes and chilled towels, fresh fruit, lunch delivery and dedicated concierge service. Carnival Excel suite guests will receive priority when reserving Loft 19 cabanas. Carnival Excel suites will also be found on brand new Carnival Celebration and Jubilee. 

While we do not have reviews or comparisons yet, we have compared the offers and pricing from DCL and Carnival when it comes to Concierge cabins here:  https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...ussion-and-comparison-thread.3540991/page-177


*DOES CARNIVAL HAVE CABINS THAT GIVES ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE DECKS OR SPECIAL EXPERIENCES?  *

CLOUD 9 SPA CABINS

Located near the Cloud 9 spa, the Cloud 9 Spa cabins gives you unlimited access to the Cloud 9 spa thermal suite, priority spa reservations, free fitness classes, discounts on spa treatments. There will be Elemis toiletries, spa-branded bathrobes and slippers in your cabin. The cabins' decor is different than the regular cabins. Cloud 9 Spa Cabins can be found on: Breeze, Celebration, Dream, Horizon, Magic, Mardi Gras, Panorama, Sunrise, Sunshine, Vista

HAVANA
Located near the aft of the ships, Havana cabins, Havana cabanas (cabins with a patio that borders the deck) and suites gives you exclusive access to the Havana Retreat, which includes a pool, 2 hot tubs, a towel booth, an outdoor bar, chairs, loungers, clam shell beds... and a breathtaking aft view! All occupants of the Havana cabins must be at least 12 years old. The cabins decor is themed (Cuba) and there will be special toiletries, bathrobes and slippers in your cabin. Havana cabins can be found on: Celebration, Horizon, Mardi Gras and Vista.


*IS CARNIVAL AS KID FRIENDLY AS DCL AND WHAT WOULD BE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO CRUISE LINES REGARDING ENTERTAINMENT DESTINED TO CHILDREN? *

Here are descriptions left on this thread by cruisers (some of them have cruised with DCL too, some did not):

@hdrolfe :  _"I have not cruised on Disney so perhaps not a true comparison, however I have cruised on Carnival and their kids program is great. It starts at age 2 (I don't think most start until 3?). The program is quite well structured, they have the kids broken into age groups and they do activities at a certain time. My son loved it because he likes to know what exactly he'll be doing. They have a parade and story time which was a lot of fun, and also of course the __Green Eggs and Ham breakfast__ ($5 per person). They also usually have a Build a Bear activity (for a fee) at least once. [...]"

@trvlgirlmq : "I also can't provide a comparison because we have only cruised Carnival. My kids went on their first cruise at ages 14, 8 and 7. We primarily have cruised the Dream and Vista class. They love all of the outside activities like the Ropes course, mini golf and now the SkyRide. They participated in the clubs only on our first cruise. They are not interested in meeting new friends although they do talk to other kids at the pools, etc. They prefer to be active and out in the sunshine instead of indoors with movies and games. The larger Carnival ships are perfect if you like to be really active. The crew is always amazing with kids and we have had nothing but good experiences."

@_we"reofftoneverland : "_I definitely say Carnival is an excellent cruise line for kids. The entire vibe is fun and kid friendly. There are activities going on everywhere that kids enjoy. The food is kid friendly and delicious. One of our kids ate at Guy's burgers every day. Lol. Fresh pizza open all night. Family friendly movies at night on deck with free popcorn and lots of seating. The decor is bright and cheery, the kids club is the best we have experienced at sea. Yes, DCL's kids clubs have more bells and whistles, but our kids preferred CCL's. We liked Carnival, but we are interested in trying all lines--- not the kids. They are sold._

_The kids club on Carnival is structured but flexible. We find DCL's clubs generally unstructured. Our kids liked DCL clubs but sometimes got bored. Other kids in general were different on CCL than on DCL, more down to earth, less (hate to make this generalization, but) spoiled. Our kids fit in better and made more friends at the Carnival kids club than on any of our Disney cruises. The counselors on Carnival are much more attentive and caring. The DCL counselors are more remote. On a couple of DCL cruises, we have seen a couple of male counslers who were very engaged in the clubs, usually leading more physical activities, but in general we find DCL counselors a bit more jaded, very nice, but not really into it. This is our experience only and may be different for others.

Obviously, CCL is superior for value. Just no contest. The food puts DCL to shame. The decor isn't as "cute" as Disney's but the kids don't seem to notice at all. Lol. The water park and pools are less crowded. The staff is on a par with DCL's. It is hard for us to consider DCL again. Over the next 2 years we have CCL, NCL, and RCL scheduled. We do WDW every year too, so we are huge Disney fans, but their cruise line needs to learn some from its competitors."_

*** More will be added soon ***

*MY KIDS LOVE CHARACTERS, DOES CARNIVAL HAVE CHARACTERS ON BOARD? *

They do! Each sailing has a Seuss-a-palooza parade and story time. For 5$/pp you can also participate to a very colorful Green Eggs and Ham breakfast where Cat-in-the-Hat, Sam-I-Am and Thing 1 and Thing 2 will stop by the tables to take pictures.

There is Elephant Towel Animal and Mr & Mrs Potato Head.

There are also scheduled photo sessions with those characters.


*IN ORDER TO KEEP OUR CRUISE AS FAMILY FRIENDLY ("À LA DCL") AS POSSIBLE, WHICH ACTIVITIES  SHOULD WE AVOID?*

- Stick to Comedy Shows PG and avoid Comedy Shows 18+ (clearly stated in the fun times and they usually happen later in the evening)

- The Quest (it's usually late at night so... Very easy to avoid!)

- The "Hairy Chest Contest" on the main deck is a contest where men sometimes do suggestive dances. It's the only 18+ activity that happens during the day, and it happens only once per cruise

- The Love and Marriage Show is not really hardcore but I would not recommend to conservative families because they ask contestant indiscreet questions.

Take note that the schedule for those activities are listed in the Fun Times/Carnival Hub app.


*WHICH FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENTS WOULD YOU RECOMMEND? *

-Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham Brunch ($) (5$/pp)

-Seuss-a-palooza Parade

-Seuss-a-palooza Story Time

-Hasbro The Game Show

-Trivia (Side Note: On some ships, this activity is happening on the promenade near the casino, while the casino is closed. While Trivia activities are not "children oriented", they are family friendly.)

-Hasbro's games

-Hasbro the Game Show

-Dive-in Movies (Side Note: the pop corn is free!)

-All the musical revues are family friendly

-Comedy Shows ("PG" show only)

Take note that the schedule for those activities are listed in the Fun Times.

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CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIPS REVIEWS

Here is a list of all the Carnival Cruise ships that we have compared with DCL's ships and some reviews:

*CARNIVAL BREEZE*

-Carnival Breeze review by @we"reofftoneverland starting on page 161:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...ussion-and-comparison-thread.3540991/page-161


*CARNIVAL CONQUEST*

-*Carnival Conquest by @belle032* : https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...parison-thread.3540991/page-134#post-59831045


*CARNIVAL ELATION*

-Carnival Elation vs DCL comparison by @diseverestfan: 
https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...parison-thread.3540991/page-141#post-59914179


*CARNIVAL LIBERTY*

-*Carnival Liberty (2018) by @tigerchic89*:
 https://www.disboards.com/threads/carnival-vs-dcl-the-comparison-thread.3540991/page-86

*-Carnival Liberty (2019) by @mevelandry :*

https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...ussion-and-comparison-thread.3540991/page-178


*CARNIVAL MAGIC*

***Take note that problems with the A/C in mid-ship cabins on Deck 7 (including cabin #7376) have been reported by @Ben E N *** 

*-Carnival Magic VS DCL (2018) - Mini-review by @ToyStory3 : *https://www.disboards.com/threads/carnival-vs-dcl-the-comparison-thread.3540991/page-111

*-Carnival Magic VS Disney Dream by @Ben E N : *
https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...ussion-and-comparison-thread.3540991/page-119

*-Carnival Magic (2019) by @BrookeMQ:*
https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...ussion-and-comparison-thread.3540991/page-182


*CARNIVAL MARDI GRAS*

-Review and pictures by @mevelandry :
https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...ussion-and-comparison-thread.3540991/page-306



*CARNIVAL VALOR*

-Review and pictures by @Monykalyn : https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...ussion-and-comparison-thread.3540991/page-138


*CARNIVAL VICTORY (NOW REIMAGINED AS CARNIVAL RADIANCE)*

-*Carnival Victory VS Disney Dream (2016) by @mevelandry :* From Post #1 to #44 (Pages 1 to 3) *Take note that the Carnival Victory went under major dry dock in January 2018 so the comparison of 2016 do not represent the Victory as it is right now. New review coming in April 2018. 

-*Carnival Victory VS Disney Wonder (2017) by @mevelandry * (page 40, comment #786): https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...mparison-thread.3540991/page-40#post-58230449

*-Carnival Victory review (2018) post-refurbishments by@mevelandry :*
https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...mparison-thread.3540991/page-93#post-59115820

*CARNIVAL SENSATION (RETIRED IN FEBRUARY 2022)*

-Carnival Sensation vs DCL by @mevelandry :

https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...ussion-and-comparison-thread.3540991/page-138


*CARNIVAL SUNSHINE

-Carnival Sunshine by* [B]@PrincessTrisha[/B] has made a review of the ship on this thread at page 27 (comment #538), pictures starting on page 28: 

https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...mparison-thread.3540991/page-27#post-57693528


*CARNIVAL VISTA

-Carnival Vista VS Disney Dream (2017) by @mevelandry : * (P.46 to 49 of this thread) starts at post #917 here:   https://www.disboards.com/threads/carnival-vs-dcl-the-comparison-thread.3540991/page-46

Pictures of the Carnival Vista (2017) can be found here:  *Starting at page 47 (from page 47 to page 49). *

https://www.disboards.com/threads/carnival-vs-dcl-the-comparison-thread.3540991/page-47

I would also invite you to take a look at the wonderful review that* Club Disney Chandler* has done in June 2016. The thread is now closed to comments but there are nice pictures and great informations about the ship:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/thoughts-on-the-new-carnival-vista.3521334/


*OTHER CARNIVAL CORPORATION COMPARISONS & REVIEWS  (HOLLAND AMERICA, PRINCESS, SEABOURN, P&O and CUNARD)*

*REGAL PRINCESS* -Review by @tidefan:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...parison-thread.3540991/page-167#post-60408459 


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*GENERAL INFORMATION



THE WEBSITE*

Carnival website is generally user friendly. Once you connect to your account, links for your planning (booking info, excursions, drink packages, internet plans, fun shops (gifts), specialty dining reservations, photography packages, cruise check list) are on the first page.


*THE BOOKING*

With Carnival you usually have to make a deposit of about 50% the total of the cruise before taxes and other fees. However, they run tons of promotions where you can sometimes book your cruise for as little as 49$/pp (promotions are usually announced on the first page of the Carnival Website) which is a nice way to secure your cabin a long time in advance.

You can save a lot of money on your Carnival cruise by booking "Early saver": while the deposit is non-refundable (and can't be changed...make sure your plans are pretty much set in stone), you end up paying less for your cruise and if the price of your cabin category gets lower as you are getting closer to your sail date, you can fill a form and get some money back in the form of OBC, or a cabin upgrade, which is quite nice.

For more info please see post #3 of this thread (by PrincessTrisha).


*THE BOARDING (embarkation)*

Port Canaveral tends to be busy but the terminal is very wide and there is little wait even though the lines seem to be long. Carnival has also just added a brand new cruise terminal that will welcome Mardi Gras. 

In Miami, the cruise terminal is also very wide and the process quite efficient! They may take your picture before your board the ship, but there is also a "No picture" line. 

Unlike DCL, they do not announce your family when you board the ship, which seems to make the boarding process faster. Once the boarding process starts, they call a new group with a (more or less) 1 minute delay between each group. Fast and efficient! 


*"FASTER TO THE FUN"* *OPTION *

Faster to the fun is an "upgrade" that you can buy (price per stateroom) that gives you:

- Priority Security, Check-in and Boarding with a dedicated security and check-in lane. You will board right after VIFP Diamond, Platinum and guests traveling in deluxe suite accommodations;

-Your stateroom will be ready when you board;

-FTTF luggage receive priority delivery (which is also a benefit for VIFP Diamond and Platinum guests);

-A dedicated phone extension and a dedicated line at Guest Services (which is also a benefit for VIFP Diamond and Platinum guests);

-Regarding dining reservations, FTTF guests will be cleared after VIFP Platinum guests. This benefit does not include specific time reservations for 'Your Time Dining'.
Note: VIFP Diamond guests and guests traveling in deluxe suite accommodations are guaranteed their dining in the Main Dining Room;

-Tender priority when the ship uses tendering;

-Disembarkation: you can pick early or late disembarkation time upon arrival to your homeport.


*THE CABINS*

Some people care about square footage, some don't... It seems like there are no real consensus whether DCL cabins are bigger or smaller than Carnival, so we'll stick to the obvious:

Carnival cabins may vary. I would invite you to do a little research as some oldest ships cabins have not been refurbished recently.

The best cabins (with the best decor) can be found on the new ships. Not as chic as DCL but very cute with a lot of storage space. They have a fridge and a flatscreen tv. The separate twin beds (which can be put together in order to form a queen bed) are really useful if you are travelling with friends or family members that are not your spouse. Some cabins are equipped with bunk beds. 

Carnival has recently introduced Family Harbor cabins and suites on their new ships (Celebration, Mardi Gras, Horizon and Vista). They have a super cute nautical decor and some of the cabins also have split bathrooms and separate sleeping quarter for the kids. Family Harbor cabins have access to the Family Harbor Lounge where there is a buffet. In the Family Harbor Lounge, they are hosting some activities daily and you'll find video games and board games.

Families staying in the Family Harbor cabins will receive 1 free night of Night Owls babysitting service at Camp Ocean (for kids that are 11 and under) and kids (11 and under) will eat free at most of the specialty dining restaurants, as long as they are accompanied by an adult. There’s also concierge service (in the lounge, from 3:00 to 5:00 PM) to help you with your plans.

Apparently, the only downside of those cabins is that they are situated on deck 2. So, unless you pick a cabin that are completely Forward, most of the cabins are right under the galley (between the aft elevator/stairs and the mid-ship elevator), the lobby or the dining rooms and guests staying in those cabins have reported hearing noises:

- @braysmommy had a bad experience in cabin 2429, which is situated right under the galley and very noisy. She complained to Guest Services: they moved her and her family in another cabin, gave her OBC and contacted her after the cabin change to make sure they were satisfied with their new cabin. 


*ITINERARIES*

These ports are visited by Carnival cruise ships: Icy Straight Point (AK), Juneau (AK), Ketchikan (AK), Seattle (WA), Sitka (AK), Skagway (AK), Victoria (Canada), Bimini (Bahamas), Freeport (Bahamas), Half Moon Cay (Bahamas), Key West (Bahamas), Nassau (Bahamas), Princess Cays (Bahamas), Bermuda, Halifax (Canada), Portland (ME), Saint John (Canada), Vancouver (Canada), Amber Cove (Dominican Republic), Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, Bonaire, Cartagena (Colombia), Charleston (SC), Colon (Panama Canal), Costa Maya (Mexico), Cozumel (Mexico), Curaçao, Dominica, Grand Cayman (Cayman Islands), Grand Turk (Turks and Caicos), Grenada, La Romana (Dominican Republic), Alesun (Norway), Athens (Greece), Barcelona (Spain), Belfast (Northern Ireland), Bergen (Norway), Catania (Sicily), Corfu (Greece), Cork (Ireland), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Funchal Madeira (Portugal), Gibraltar, Gothenburg (Sweden), Kotor (Montenegro), Le Havre (Paris, France), Lerwick (Shetland Islands), Lisbon (Portugal), Livorno (Dover, England), Malaga (Spain) Marseilles (Provence, France), Hilo (HI), Kauai (Nawiliwili, HI), Kona (HI), Honolulu (HI), Maui (HI), Cabo San Lucas (Mexico), Catalina Island (CA), Ensenada (Mexico), Huatulco (Mexico), Mazatlan (Mexico), Puerto Vallarta (Mexico).


*TRANSPORTATION


To and from Port Canaveral, Miami, Fort Lauderdale.*

You can book transportation through Carnival's website. Some packages offer different activities before you get to the airport.


*EXCURSIONS*

With Carnival, excursions may appears in their own time but we are usually able to book them as soon as we book. They have to be paid for right away. They are usually a little less expensive than DCL. 

Carnival tends to have a little more choices of excursions than Disney.

What I like about Carnival is that they sometimes offer deals (20% off) when you book a "bundle" (one excursion for each port of call) 24 hours after you booked or on Black Friday. 



*SPECIALTY DINING*

Most Carnival cruiseships offer at least a special steakhouse menu (for an extra fee) that you can order in the Dining Rooms, and the Chef's table (they start with appetizers and cocktails, you visit the galley and finish with a signature dinner). 

Dr. Seuss theme breakfast Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast has special decorations, a special menu and characters. 

Bigger and newer cruiseships also have:

-Cucina Del Capitano (italian restaurant, which reminds me of Palo).*

-Jiji Asian Kitchen (amazing asian restaurant!).*

-Bonsai Sushi or Bonsai Teppanyaki

-Farhenheit 555 (steakhouse), which offers you a free bottle of wine (or 50% off a better bottle from the wine list) if you book on the first night... 

...and more! 

*Both Cucina & Jiji offer a complimentary lunch menu, not to be missed. 



*THE DINING ROOMS*

Carnival ships have two very similar dining rooms and three seating options: Early Dining (6:00 PM), Late Dining (8:15 PM) and Your Time (anytime you want between 5:45 and 9:30). One of the two dining rooms is used for those who picked Your Time Dining.

Both dining rooms have windows.

If you want to keep the same server team every night, I recommend you pick Early or Late dining assignments, because with YTD, you could be seated in a different section every night.


*ROOM SERVICE *

On Carnival (as of mid-january 2019) room service offers some included items but charges for certain items (with a range from $2 to $6). No room service on debarkation morning but guests have the option of enjoying breakfast at the Lido deck restaurant, at Ocean Plaza (on newer ships) and in the dining room. Continental breakfast from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM remains complimentary. 


*THE FOOD COUNTERS*

On Carnival Ships, the buffet is called Lido. Around the Lido you will find many counters like:

-Pizza Pirate/Pizzeria Del Capitano (pizza 24/7)
-Carnival Deli (sandwiches)
-Comfort Kitchen (hot dogs, mac'n'cheese, meatloaf, apple pie...)
-Swirls (self-serve ice AND frozen yogourt).
-Ships who do not have Jiji Asian Kitchen usually have Chopsticks (Asian Food) or Mongolian Wok

On select Carnival ships you will also find:

-Guy Fieri's Guy's Burgers
-Guy Fieri's Pig and Anchor
-Big Chicken
-Blue Iguana Cantina
-Seafood Shack ($)



*CAFÉS*

On the Carnival Ships, there is a always a Café where you can find gourmet coffee, iced cappucinos, spiked coffees and a good selection of tea and different desserts, snacks, ice cream and gelatos. There is a fee for all those products but it's less expensive than what you'd pay on land. Tea and coffee go from $1.95 to $5.95 and desserts go from 1.25$ to 3.95$.


*CANDY SHOP*

Carnival has Cherry on Top candy shop. Some Cherry on Top also have ice cream and lovely outdoor seatings.


*SHOPS*

I cannot give much information about shops because I am not a shopper...

But overall, the souvenirs are much more affordable on Carnival (because you don't have the mouse on it). There are usually t-shirt from the port of call on sale. Also, there is usually a huge sale at the end of the cruise where souvenirs are even more affordable.

Also... Carnival sells Tortuga Rum Cakes. 


*SMOKING POLICY*

Carnival: _TOBACCO AND MARIJUANA SMOKING POLICY (U.S.)
Carnival Cruise Line is dedicated to the safety of all guests and crew. We want all our guests to have a safe, fun and memorable vacation. 

Smoking is a fire and safety hazard on a ship. Consequently, it is strictly limited to specific exterior deck areas and designated casino/night club spaces that can be monitored. All guests are expected to adhere to the following safety guidelines:_


_All staterooms and suite accommodations, including outside balconies, are NON-SMOKING. This policy applies to all forms of smoking, including but not limited to cigarettes, cigars, pipes, vaporizers, electronic cigarettes and marijuana._
_Carnival recognizes that some state and local governments in the U.S., and in the destinations we visit, might allow marijuana use. However, Carnival Cruise Line follows U.S. federal law, which strictly prohibits possession and use of recreational/medicinal marijuana and other illegal controlled substances._
_Any violation of this policy will result in a $500 charge, per violation, posted on the guest’s Sail & Sign® account and may also result in the disembarkation of all guests in the stateroom._
_Guests who are disembarked for violating our policy will be responsible for all financial charges and expenses to return home, and no refund of their unused cruise fare will be provided. Additionally, they may be prohibited from sailing with Carnival Cruise Line in the future._
_Source: Carnival.com_

In July 2021, Carnival has announced that they had removed bars from the Casino of Carnival Horizon and Vista to make sure that smokers do not hang out in the casino without playing and had made one half of each casino « non smoking ».

*BARS*

Most Carnival cruise ships have at least ten bars, including the Funship 2.0 Alchemy bar, Blue Iguana Tequila Bar, Red Frog Rum Bar and/or Red Frog Pub. 


*MAIN POOLS*

Carnival ships have 1 to 3 pools: 1 main pool + a quiet pool in the back of the ship that is sometimes adult only*). The Aft pools tend to be more quiet. The most recent cruise ships also have an exclusive area called Havana, that includes a pool and 2 hot tubs, which can only be used by Havana guests. 

Most cruise ships have a whole splash zone with Waterworks (with 2 to 3 water slides or thrill water slides).


*ADULT ONLY SECTION*

On the Carnival ships, the adult only section is called Serenity Deck. With the exception of the Carnival Sunshine and Mardi Gras, there are usually no pool on that deck but one or two large jacuzzis. While there is a lot of seats and loungers, most of them are under the sun. That is something that IMO, Carnival could do better: adding some more spaces with shade. They are usually on the top deck of the ship and provide great views. Some of the cruise ships's serenity deck also have a small buffet and different type of seats and loungers.


*THEATERS AND SHOWS*

On the Carnival ships, bigger productions are presented in the biggest lounge. Performers go from very good to amazing. Themes and budget will vary. Some productions are more impressive than others but there is usually at least one big production per sailing and they are not to be missed.

One of the highlights of Carnival cruises are certainly the comedy shows. Comedy shows are usually presented in the smaller lounge and there are comedy sets almost every night with two to three different comedians. They usually have a set that is classified "PG" and sets happening later in the evening that are classified 18+. If you are easily offended, you should avoid the 18+ shows. The 18+ shows are usually the most popular are always end up with guests standing in the back of the lounge.


*MOVIES*

On Carnival, the offer will vary. Some have IMAX movie theaters but there is a fee for the movies (pretty much the kind of prices you'll find on land) and the snacks.

However, they will present movies in a theater once in a while and/or, if there is a big screen near the main pool, they will present what they call "Dive-In Movies" every night (usually two to three movies per night) and you can watch movies in the pool or comfortably installed on one of the lounging chairs. The pop corn is FREE.  

For a few, some Carnival cruise ships also offer the Thrill theater, which is more or less a 4-D ride. You will sit in a 20 seats theater with 3D glasses for a 3 short films program (it lasts more or less 15 minutes total). Enjoy the ride! It is SO MUCH FUN!!!  


*MINI-GOLF*

There is a mini-golf on all Carnival cruise ships.


*OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES (SPORTS AND RECREATION)*

Carnival ships usually have a gym, ping pong tables, a basket court, a jogging track and shuffle board... The offer may vary depending on the ship you sail on. Most ships have much more activities available, like volley ball, dodge ball, rope course (called Sky Course), sky ride, pool tables, soccer pool, mini-bowling alleys, etc. Carnival Mardi Gras has a roller coaster. 


*CRUISE CASH/ON BOARD CREDIT*

You can add on board credit online with Carnival. You buy it as "Cruise Cash" or "Cruise Cash Bar" (only good for drinks you'll buy at a bar) or "Cruise Cash Photo" (that you can use to buy pictures taken aboard) and you receive a confirmation by e-mail right away. You have to use it all because there are no refunds officially no refund. 


*GIFTS*

With Carnival, you can order your gifts online. You receive a confirmation number by e-mail for your purchase. Carnival in-room decorations packages are a little more affordable than DCL’s. There are various options with Carnival. Carnival offers different decoration packages that may include cookies/a cake/a bottle of wine. 

Also, there are so much more choices of gifts and with the exception of flowers (which have very similar prices) and there is a lot of affordable choices. The Dr. Seuss packages are adorable! 



*EARLY CHECK-IN*

With Carnival, you can do your early check-in sometimes more than six months in advance. You will print all your documents. Those documents contain the health survey and the luggage tags (Yes, you have print to print those too!). They recently introduced an assigned port arrival time as well.


*FIRE DRILL*

A fire drill is a fire drill (aka boring). However, in 2021, they have introduced a "self-serve" fire drill. You will either watch a video on your app or in your cabin. When you are done watching the video, you will go straight to your station to check-in with a staff member. As an incentive for guests to participate to the fire drill earlier on boarding day, Carnival will not sell their guests more than two drinks for as long as they have not completed the fire drill.


*FINANCIAL GESTION*

Carnival sends you a bill on the last night the cruise but they also have automated machines where you can review and print your account anytime you want and you can consult your account on your tv in your cabin and on the Carnival Hub as well.


*TOWELS*

Carnival has towels in the room that you can bring to the pool or on land during port days. On some ship, you can borrow towels at the pool too. However, they will charge 22$ per towels that are not returned. Don't forget to bring your towels back! 


*INTERNET*

Carnival offers different packages including a very affordable (7$/day) Social Media plan that gives you the possibility to visit different social media pages like FB, instagram, etc. They also have a few computers that you can use. We have found the wifi to be a bit spotty at times but it works reasonably well. There are two other packages available: The Value Wi-Fi Plan (includes e-mail, news, sports, weather, banking and finance) and the Premium Plan which is faster and can even support videoconferences depending on the location.


*DISEMBARKATION DAY*

With Carnival, you can have breakfast in the dining room or at the Lido. The disembarkation time will depend on the deck you are staying at. You will receive a notice on the last night inviting you to disembark at a certain time. Your number will be called. There are designed areas where you can wait.

There is express check-out (usually happening in the Main Theater) but the first people to get off the ship will be those who bought the Faster to the Fun Option, the guests staying in suites, then the rest of the passengers.



PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION OR DETAILS YOU'D LIKE ME TO ADD.


----------



## houseofduck

mevelandry said:


> *THE WEBSITE *
> 
> I find the the Carnival website to be more user friendly than DCL's website.



It's interesting that you say that the Carnival website is friendlier.  My reaction to it was the opposite.  I didn't think it would be possible to find a site worse than Disney's, but I had a difficult time navigating Carnival's.

Maybe, it was because I was looking for something specific or because it was my first time on the Carnival site.  I have a relative getting married in Cozumel in the Spring.  We have a large family and I am entertaining the idea of taking a cruise instead of flying everyone there, getting accommodations, ...  Carnival has a few ships in port that day, so, I was looking for a specific cruise.  I knew the ships and the date they would be in Cozumel, but I didn't know the start dates for the cruise, origination port, length of cruise, or cruise type (Caribbean, Mexican...).  I did find the cruises eventually, but I found the interface a little cumbersome.

Looking forward to reading about your experiences in October!


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## PrincessTrisha

Just to clarify - Carnival cruise deposits are based on the number of cruise days.

2 days - deposit is $100 USD per person
3 days - deposit is $100 USD per person
4 days - deposit is $150 USD per person
5 days - deposit is $150 USD per person
6 days - deposit is $250 USD per person
7 days - deposit is $250 USD per person
8 days - deposit is $250 USD per person
9 days - deposit is $250 USD per person
10 days and longer - deposit is $400 USD per person

Alaska  - deposit is $400 USD per person
Europe  - deposit is $400 USD per person
Transatlantic  - deposit is $400 USD per person
Panama Canal  - deposit is $400 USD per person

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/481/~/deposit-and-final-payment-requirements


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## mevelandry

houseofduck said:


> It's interesting that you say that the Carnival website is friendlier.  My reaction to it was the opposite.  I didn't think it would be possible to find a site worse than Disney's, but I had a difficult time navigating Carnival's.
> 
> Maybe, it was because I was looking for something specific or because it was my first time on the Carnival site.  I have a relative getting married in Cozumel in the Spring.  We have a large family and I am entertaining the idea of taking a cruise instead of flying everyone there, getting accommodations, ...  Carnival has a few ships in port that day, so, I was looking for a specific cruise.  I knew the ships and the date they would be in Cozumel, but I didn't know the start dates for the cruise, origination port, length of cruise, or cruise type (Caribbean, Mexican...).  I did find the cruises eventually, but I found the interface a little cumbersome.
> 
> Looking forward to reading about your experiences in October!



I agree with you for the cruise search part.

... but when it comes to adding or changing stuff to an existing reservation, I like the way they did it.


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## Ofinn

I love the Carnival Website. NCL is ok. DCL and RCCL are horrible. The old DCL website was ok this  new one is just awful. I like that you can cancel a cruise online on Carnival. Money is back in the account in 2 days or less.


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## Club Disney Chandler

I would have to rank websites, best to worst:

Carnival
DCL 
NCL
RCCL - their has to be one of the worst ever!  Their old one was so much better. 

I look forward to reading more of this.


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## mevelandry

Breaking News: Sounds like we are boarding late due to staterooms refurbishment. I have seen the difference between the old cabins and the new ones. The refurbished cabins look very good (they are changing the red carpet for a blue one and the bathroom is completely refurbished). 

I think ours is not refurbished yet... But knowing they will work for at least four weeks before our cruise... Who knows... we might get lucky. *Fingers crossed*


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## Love2Cruz

I loved the Victory, it has an "under the sea" theme and she has a beautiful emerald green ceiling in the lobby.  The cafe is nice too with a nautical theme on the tables.  They have abstract "under the sea" art on the 5th deck near the casino (The Promenade) that is made with glass mosaic pieces. It's a beautiful ship,, will be even nicer after the refurb....too bad they're not adding all the 2.0 features.


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## mevelandry

Love2Cruz said:


> I loved the Victory, it has an "under the sea" theme and she has a beautiful emerald green ceiling in the lobby.  The cafe is nice too with a nautical theme on the tables.  They have abstract "under the sea" art on the 5th deck near the casino (The Promenade) that is made with glass mosaic pieces. It's a beautiful ship,, will be even nicer after the refurb....too bad they're not adding all the 2.0 features.



Yes, not gonna lie to you I would have loved that. Especially since we (originally) were supposed to sail the Sunshine to the Bermuda and had to change plans. I was absolutely sold on the Fun 2.0... 

But the truth is I won't know what I am missing. I hear mixed reviews about the ship (some say it's in good shape, others said it should be dry docked) I'm really anxious to see for myself.


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## Frozen2014

Great comparison so far....and good to see how they compare.

Btw...we did a Blue Lagoon excursion with our Royal cruise (beach day with lunch).  Lovely place.  Really peaceful waters, you get use of the standard beach floats...and you can rent other stuff plus the Aqua park.  It was also nice to walk over and see the Dolphins (we didn't participate but could watch another group).  The ferry ride over is nice too.

I've never been on Carnival but have been on Disney and Royal ships.  Carnival sounds similar to Royal wrt dining times/my time vs traditional, excursion booking, etc

Enjoy your upcoming cruise.


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## mevelandry

Frozen2014 said:


> Great comparison so far....and good to see how they compare.
> 
> Btw...we did a Blue Lagoon excursion with our Royal cruise (beach day with lunch).  Lovely place.  Really peaceful waters, you get use of the standard beach floats...and you can rent other stuff plus the Aqua park.  It was also nice to walk over and see the Dolphins (we didn't participate but could watch another group).  The ferry ride over is nice too.
> 
> I've never been on Carnival but have been on Disney and Royal ships.  Carnival sounds similar to Royal wrt dining times/my time vs traditional, excursion booking, etc
> 
> Enjoy your upcoming cruise.



Thank you. I can't wait to be able to give you more info (the real feel of it) and show pictures.

I plan on showing a realistic point of view. With Disney, at least on the Disney Dream, I have been used to a «looking brand new» cruiseship. From what I understand, I can't expect that from the Victory who is apparently showing her age from «a little» to «a lot» depending on the reviews.


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## mevelandry

I updated a few sections: Restaurants, Dining Rooms, Cafes... And started working on the Bar section too (not completed) and also added "Shops", "Candy Shops" and "Theater" and "Pools" sections (not completed).

Please let me know if there is another section you'd like. (Take note that since DH and I have no kids, we won't be able to review nursery, kids club and kids sections.)


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## mevelandry

Just updated the "Early Check-In" section as I just printed my documentation and luggage tags for our Carnival cruise.


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## mevelandry

Just added more info about the pools, the adult only sections, the mini-golf and cabins.


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## tinkerone

Following.  This thread is very interesting, thanks for doing it.


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## Krissynae

/We just cruised on the Victory 8/21/16-8/25/16 the same cruise it sounds like you are going on. The adult area is very nice. I was traveling with a toddler and my mother who is older. So was not able to escape to it very often. Made it there the night we left Nassau after the Latin party.  The kids pool is nice but we never saw it filled. I am not sure why. My little guy like the play place but the last night was not into it. I think he was done with the hold cruise thing. it got to be too much for him. We were room 8361 and it is a little tight.. The ship is older and is in need of an update. But truthfully you are not in there enough to car. We did dinner at the Atlantic dinning room. The night we made it there the food was AMAZING. I had a grilled chicken on Alfredo and it was so delish.. My mother had steak and it was PERFECT. The day at sea we did the Dr. Suess Breakfast and it was a blast.. My grumpy child only lasted a few minutes after we entered the room. 
here are the pictures https://c9114eone.shutterfly.com/ it is the second album..

On carnival gratuity is taken ahead of time while DCL they give you envelopes at the end.


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## mevelandry

Thanks for the review and pictures!  We will be on the samed deck. 

You can prepay DCL's gratuity in advance as well. We did it both times.


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## tlprice

I find it interesting that you said the excursions are less money on Carnival.  I looked up all 3 excursions I have booked for my upcoming DCL cruise on the Carnival site and they were all either more money or basically the same price.  On Carnival my daughter wouldn't be able to go on the Tranopy Adventure in Jamaica because theirs is only 12 and up.  I also looked at their (Carnival's) room decorations and see why they are cheaper.  They LOOK cheap.  Mostly streamers and cardboard cut-outs.


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## mevelandry

tlprice said:


> I find it interesting that you said the excursions are less money on Carnival.  I looked up all 3 excursions I have booked for my upcoming DCL cruise on the Carnival site and they were all either more money or basically the same price.  On Carnival my daughter wouldn't be able to go on the Tranopy Adventure in Jamaica because theirs is only 12 and up.  I also looked at their (Carnival's) room decorations and see why they are cheaper.  They LOOK cheap.  Mostly streamers and cardboard cut-outs.




About the excursions, not saying all of them are less expensive but those we were interested in, prices were similar but Carnival were few dollars less to begin with...

BUT, if you read the entire section, I mention that Carnival also offers deals on them. When I originally booked (although we changed plans afterwards), I saved 20% on my excursions (60$ less!)




As for the DCL vs Carnival decorations...

EDIT: Look for post #41 for pictures of the decorations. They did a good job.


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## tinkerone

Our RCCL cruise for November is offering 20% of excursions this weekend.  That really helps especially with a larger family.  I have never seen DCL offer that.


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## Ofinn

When I priced out excursions on carnival my 12 year old was still getting child prices so that makes it cheaper.


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## mevelandry

Holy Guacamole!

Just coming back from our cruise on the Victory... I've got so much to say about it and it is mostly good/excellent comments.

First of all, I want to insist on one thing:

- Good service is not exclusive to Disney. We have encountered so many helpful/polite/nice people on the Carnival Victory! We are actually shocked that Carnival gets bad reviews.

-We have found the food in the dining room (with the exception of the beef that I did not care for) on the Victory so much better than the dining room food on the Disney Dream. Food from the Lido just as good as Cabanas with the exception of breakfast (DCL still nails breakfast)...

And the food from the counters --pizza, chinese food, sandwiches-- was outstanding!

I will post some pictures soon and plan on adding some details to my first post.

I will give you a realistic review which means I will give you examples of the wear and tear (I believe this is temporary because they are currently refurbishing the ship).

To be continued...


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## Love2Cruz

mevelandry said:


> Holy Guacamole!
> 
> Just coming back from our cruise on the Victory... I've got so much to say about it and it is mostly good/excellent comments.
> 
> First of all, I want to insist on one thing:
> 
> - Good service is not exclusive to Disney. We have encountered so many helpful/polite/nice people on the Carnival Victory! We are actually shocked that Carnival gets bad reviews.
> 
> -We have found the food in the dining room (with the exception of the beef that I did not care for) on the Victory so much better than the dining room food on the Disney Dream. Food from the Lido just as good as Cabanas with the exception of breakfast (DCL still nails breakfast)...
> 
> And the food from the counters --pizza, chinese food, sandwiches-- was outstanding!
> 
> I will post some pictures soon and plan on adding some details to my first post.
> 
> I will give you a realistic review which means I will give you examples of the wear and tear (I believe this is temporary because they are currently refurbishing the ship).
> 
> To be continued...




I knew you would like it!  I agree with everything you said.  Now go try one of their newer ships!!


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## mevelandry

Love2Cruz said:


> I knew you would like it!  I agree with everything you said.  Now go try one of their newer ships!!



I would love to.

Not gonna lie: My husband liked Carnival so much that he wants me to cancel our Key West-Cozumel with Royal Caribbean (we have never tried it) and do Key West-Cozumel with Carnival instead!

We'll see. It will depend on the ship we would be sailing on.


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## mevelandry

Here are a few pictures from the ship. Some parts of it need a bit of TLC... I will post some pictures later to show examples. But remember that the ship is under "beautification" process.


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## Love2Cruz

mevelandry said:


> I would love to.
> 
> Not gonna lie: My husband liked Carnival so much that he wants me to cancel our Key West-Cozumel with Royal Caribbean (we have never tried it) and do Key West-Cozumel with Carnival instead!
> 
> We'll see. It will depend on the ship we would be sailing on.



I believe you said the Victory didn't have Guy's or the Blue Iguana's.....your next ship should definitely have those two, as well as the Red Frog pub!


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## Love2Cruz

I would go on the victory again, even though it's an older ship, it's one of my favorites.  Not sure next drydock with get the above mentioned eateries, but if they do and she stays in South Florida, I would sail her again, even on a shorter itinerary.


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## mevelandry




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## mevelandry




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## mevelandry

P


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## mevelandry

On the last picture you can actually see that the floors on the different decks are not the same. The lower deck is made of wood and needs care. The higher decks had new floor and looked pretty good.

EDIT: The old floor have been replaced since.


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## mevelandry

G  

Mini-Golf, Bingo, Chocolate Extravaganza event and amazing pizza from Pizza Pirate!


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## mevelandry

(I was obsessed with the chinese food from Chopsticks!!!)


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## mevelandry

Our stateroom was "old" (not renovated) but it's ongoing and I was told that they will be awesome!

I totally forgot to take pictures of the verandah. We thought the size of itit was excellent... Around 4 m2.



 

The bathroom are in serious need of TLC. Lots of rust. But there are in the process of being refurbished entirely and by 2017 it should be done.

EDIT: All rooms have been refurbished now and they are all blue and gold.


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## mevelandry

Love2Cruz said:


> I believe you said the Victory didn't have Guy's or the Blue Iguana's.....your next ship should definitely have those two, as well as the Red Frog pub!


They don't have it yet but we have been able to try some bites from the Taste Bar (Blue Iguana and Cucina del capitano) + the Red Frog PYOB. We loved the bites and the beer. Looking forward to try a FUN 2.0 cruiseship!


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## Love2Cruz

Great pics..reminds me of my trip many years ago.  I love their chocolate cake!  I normally cruise in March for my Bday and my family always gets me one.  They have it vanilla too but haven't tried it yet.\
Did you try their cakes in the coffee shop?  Inexpensive, but their strawberry cheesecake is to die for!  HUGE piece too, can share between 2-3 people.  And my DD likes their black & white shakes..


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## Love2Cruz

BTW...if you try a Conquest class ship (a bit larger than the Victory) before the Dream class ships or the Vista....I have to recommend the Carnival Liberty...she's also one of my favorite "older" ships....though she probably has the 2.0 upgrades.  Out of the Dream class, I have been on the Breeze and have Magic scheduled for next year...the Breeze is awesome too.  Trying the Vista in a few months, I hear she will be similar to the Breeze so looking forward to it.


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## mevelandry

Love2Cruz said:


> Great pics..reminds me of my trip many years ago.  I love their chocolate cake!  I normally cruise in March for my Bday and my family always gets me one.  They have it vanilla too but haven't tried it yet.\
> Did you try their cakes in the coffee shop?  Inexpensive, but their strawberry cheesecake is to die for!  HUGE piece too, can share between 2-3 people.  And my DD likes their black & white shakes..


 
Unfortunately I did not have the time to try it... Nor their chocolate molten cake! (I know!) But that was because I was so addicted to their dessert cheese plate. 

I told my husband that I wanted no more short cruises after our April 2017 cruise. 4 nights is now too short for me! XD


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## mevelandry

I will post more pictures once I get home and get full access to my wifi!


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## mevelandry

(Here are some of the other pictures of public spaces that I took...)

We loved the indian library room. They had the best board games! 

 

And the dining room was beautiful...


----------



## mevelandry

Earlier in the thread I have spoken about decorations I ordered. You can see part of it on a picture I posted yesterday but I wanted to show you more clearly.

They were very affordable and somebody suggested that they were going to be cheap and look cheap.

Well, we were very satisfied with it. They held perfectly.

And the cake tasted pretty good! (Better than the one we had ordered with DCL) And it was much more affordable. 

 


Also, the chocolates and strawberries we ordered with the Barefoot Champagne were delicious!


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## mevelandry

Now the cons:

The windows and port holes were not super clean. Seats (cushions) in the Lido were in need of a deep clean.

And the main pooldeck and parts of the cruiseship still has old wood floor with no varnish... Some furniture show a lot of wear and tear...

I just think that unlike DCL who will replace everything that has a scratch, Carnival  will replace one thing at the time when it's not good anymore.

The pools and hot tubs look old and the hot tubs could be renamed "luke warm tubs"... But we used them as pools since we like our pools heated.  

That being said, we have seen people working on the ship to clean it or fix it every day... It just needs a little bit more, in my opinion. 

But still, not a bad ship and all. Most rooms were in excellent shape.


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## ilovetexas

Thanks for the review!  I haven't been on the Victory but recommend you try one of the newer ships, too.  My husband wasn't a huge Carnival fan until we went on the Breeze.  Until then, he complained if we went on anything other than DCL or Celebrity.  Since the Breeze, we've been on Sunshine and have Vista booked - his requests!  DCL's ships are prettier than CCL's ships but the new CCL ships are very nice looking and offer great fun, food, etc.

Speaking of food, we've always said Remy (on the Fantasy) was the best meal we've ever had at sea.  That was until we did the Chef's Table on CCL Sunshine.  I HIGHLY recommend it!


----------



## mevelandry

ilovetexas said:


> Thanks for the review!  I haven't been on the Victory but recommend you try one of the newer ships, too.  My husband wasn't a huge Carnival fan until we went on the Breeze.  Until then, he complained if we went on anything other than DCL or Celebrity.  Since the Breeze, we've been on Sunshine and have Vista booked - his requests!  DCL's ships are prettier than CCL's ships but the new CCL ships are very nice looking and offer great fun, food, etc.
> 
> Speaking of food, we've always said Remy (on the Fantasy) was the best meal we've ever had at sea.  That was until we did the Chef's Table on CCL Sunshine.  I HIGHLY recommend it!



My husband's review about the Victory:

Comedy shows were great (he prefered that to all Disney entertainment), the music playing in public spaces was excellent, food was very good, drinks were amazing, he loved the casino (I, for myself, am not a fan of casinos but he is)... Room was perfect, nothing to complain about (and it wasn't renovated), he did not mind the old tv.

Not gonna lie to you: We could switch our next Disney cruise for Carnival and he would be perfectly fine with it.

I am excited with the idea of the cruise on the Wonder and so are his parents so we'll stick to our plan... But jumping ship is a big fat yes to him, especially since he had just as much fun (if not more!) for 50% less $$$.


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## mevelandry

ilovetexas said:


> Thanks for the review!  I haven't been on the Victory but recommend you try one of the newer ships, too.  My husband wasn't a huge Carnival fan until we went on the Breeze.  Until then, he complained if we went on anything other than DCL or Celebrity.  Since the Breeze, we've been on Sunshine and have Vista booked - his requests!  DCL's ships are prettier than CCL's ships but the new CCL ships are very nice looking and offer great fun, food, etc.
> 
> Speaking of food, we've always said Remy (on the Fantasy) was the best meal we've ever had at sea.  That was until we did the Chef's Table on CCL Sunshine.  I HIGHLY recommend it!



I would most likely try a big new ship like Breeze or Vista.


----------



## Ofinn

I think you would really like the Vista. The ship is designed so much better than the Dream or Fantasy. The amount of outdoor seating areas is crazy. You will have no trouble finding a quite spot or a loud one if thats what you want. The ship never feels crowded. There's  just so many places to go on the ship unlike the Dream where everyone is always in one area.. Best service weve ever had between the room steward and the dining room has been on this ship.


----------



## mevelandry

Is the Vista only doing European cruises right now? 

I'd love to try it on this side of the world.


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## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Is the Vista only doing European cruises right now?
> 
> I'd love to try it on this side of the world.


Her transatlantic is in 5 days, then she will make her way to her home port in Miami. We will be on her for 14 glorious nights starting 6/3/17!


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## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Her transatlantic is in 5 days, then she will make her way to her home port in Miami. We will be on her for 14 glorious nights starting 6/3/17!



I've always wondered how much a 14 nights cruise cost...


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## ilovetexas

mevelandry said:


> I've always wondered how much a 14 nights cruise cost...



The Vista is alternating six and eight day runs after she gets to Miami. They're doing a back to back if they're on for 14 days. That's what I've always wanted to do, a back to back!!  One day...


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## Club Disney Chandler

ilovetexas said:


> The Vista is alternating six and eight day runs after she gets to Miami. They're doing a back to back if they're on for 14 days. That's what I've always wanted to do, a back to back!!  One day...





mevelandry said:


> I've always wondered how much a 14 nights cruise cost...


Yep, that's what we're doing. 8 day Southern Caribbean followed by a 6 day Western Caribbean, 7 port days and 7 sea days. For 4 of us in 2 inside cabins, including pre-paid gratuity and trip insurance we paid just under $10,000. 

Our last cruise on DCL fantasy was a 7 day Western Caribbean in 2 insides in June 2014, we paid $7200, not including gratuity and that was with our 10% OBB discount.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Yep, that's what we're doing. 8 day Southern Caribbean followed by a 6 day Western Caribbean, 7 port days and 7 sea days. For 4 of us in 2 inside cabins, including pre-paid gratuity and trip insurance we paid just under $10,000.
> 
> Our last cruise on DCL fantasy was a 7 day Western Caribbean in 2 insides in June 2014, we paid $7200, not including gratuity and that was with our 10% OBB discount.



Wow... Exactly was I've been saying all along... You can do two cruises for the price of a DCL cruise.


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## Ofinn

mevelandry said:


> Wow... Exactly was I've been saying all along... You can do two cruises for the price of a DCL cruise.


2 cabins makes any cruise cost more. We are in one oceanview and the price for this 10 day cruise was 3k that includes gratuity. We paid 5300 for a verandah room on the Fantasy the first week of June in 2014. That was with a VGT rate.


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## mevelandry

Ofinn said:


> 2 cabins makes any cruise cost more. We are in one oceanview and the price for this 10 day cruise was 3k that includes gratuity. We paid 5300 for a verandah room on the Fantasy the first week of June in 2014. That was with a VGT rate.



But... That was in 2014. The prices has gotten up really bad since!


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## mevelandry

We booked a 3 nights to the Bahamas for April 2017: Inside room for 2, same itinerary (same type of room, same spot, without protection plan and transfers which are pretty similar).

Total cost...

With DCL:  1381.60$ (Which is our current reservation)

With Carnival: 695.00$


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## Ofinn

mevelandry said:


> But... That was in 2014. The prices has gotten up really bad since!


Oh yes I know. I was just pointing out that the cost of two cabins is much higher especially on carnival where the 3rd and 4th passenger cost practially nothing and on Ncl they are free. I could do a 14 day cruise on the vista for around 5 to 6k because we only need one cabin for the four of us. On dcl Im sure a b2b would be upwards of 12k.


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## mevelandry

Ofinn said:


> Oh yes I know. I was just pointing out that the cost of two cabins is much higher especially on carnival where the 3rd and 4th passenger cost practially nothing and on Ncl they are free. I could do a 14 day cruise on the vista for around 5 to 6k because we only need one cabin for the four of us. On dcl Im sure a b2b would be upwards of 12k.



Really? I did not know (I only travel with my husband only).


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Ofinn said:


> Oh yes I know. I was just pointing out that the cost of two cabins is much higher especially on carnival where the 3rd and 4th passenger cost practially nothing and on Ncl they are free. I could do a 14 day cruise on the vista for around 5 to 6k because we only need one cabin for the four of us. On dcl Im sure a b2b would be upwards of 12k.


This is so true!  I was pricing a cruise on the Carnival Valor the other day in the Captain Suite, fare for my wife and I was about $2200 each, adding in my kids was only another $300 for each of them, its crazy!


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## cmph

OK, Carnival folks who have me just about ready to book in celebration of our nearly-joint 40th b-days (DH is 10 days older than me)... what is the bed situation for 3rd and 4th passengers compared to DCL? My kids are tall. DD is about 5'6" but has a couple years to grow still. DS is almost 5ft, and he's, um, just barely 8. At some point I feel like I'm going to be picking vacations literally based upon how we will fit in the beds!! I don't want separate rooms for a few more years at least. @Ofinn it sounds like you are doing 4 in one cabin?


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## Club Disney Chandler

cmph said:


> OK, Carnival folks who have me just about ready to book in celebration of our nearly-joint 40th b-days (DH is 10 days older than me)... what is the bed situation for 3rd and 4th passengers compared to DCL? My kids are tall. DD is about 5'6" but has a couple years to grow still. DS is almost 5ft, and he's, um, just barely 8. At some point I feel like I'm going to be picking vacations literally based upon how we will fit in the beds!! I don't want separate rooms for a few more years at least. @Ofinn it sounds like you are doing 4 in one cabin?


Just like DCL, twin size sofa bed and twin size upper Pullman above. BTW, on some of the ships they have connecting rooms that are insides fir the kids connected to verandas for adults. We've been doing connecting rooms since our kids were 10 and 11, just leave connecting door open all night. Love having 2 bathrooms.


----------



## cmph

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Just like DCL, twin size sofa bed and twin size upper Pullman above. BTW, on some of the ships they have connecting rooms that are insides fir the kids connected to verandas for adults. We've been doing connecting rooms since our kids were 10 and 11, just leave connecting door open all night. Love having 2 bathrooms.


When I was a teenager, we only ever stayed in one inside, in the two pull-downs and two lower twins situation. I recently learned that my dad booked it to a bar for a nightly gin and tonic when my mom, my sister, and I got ready for dinner. Can't say I blame him! It was tight!  I don't really remember thinking those beds were too short for me, and I'm 5'10", but the types of beds are totally different now on various lines. we never had a couch-bed, that's for sure, much less the space to have a couch that turned into a bed, back when we sailed on Carnival, etc. in the 90s! Even with two rooms, my kids are different genders, so the older they get, the need for 2 separate beds will remain. The 11yo can barely tolerate sharing a bed with the 8yo right now, LOL!


----------



## Krissynae

We rode the Victory on August 2016. It was me, My mom and 2 y/o son.. We had the queen bed made into 2 twins and had a trundle bed brought in for Gavin because we thought he would roll of the couch.. he still rolled off the trundle but far less of a fall. We had a blast. My mother brought everything under the sun. we loved the pizza from the pizza pirate when it was hand made to order. OMG was that yummy and my son keeps asking for it.. We were in 8361. Gavin enjoyed the play place until the last night but i think he was over not being in routine. I was sad the kids pool was never filled so he never got to use it. glad you got to enjoy your cruise.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cmph said:


> When I was a teenager, we only ever stayed in one inside, in the two pull-downs and two lower twins situation. I recently learned that my dad booked it to a bar for a nightly gin and tonic when my mom, my sister, and I got ready for dinner. Can't say I blame him! It was tight!  I don't really remember thinking those beds were too short for me, and I'm 5'10", but the types of beds are totally different now on various lines. we never had a couch-bed, that's for sure, much less the space to have a couch that turned into a bed, back when we sailed on Carnival, etc. in the 90s! Even with two rooms, my kids are different genders, so the older they get, the need for 2 separate beds will remain. The 11yo can barely tolerate sharing a bed with the 8yo right now, LOL!


Unlike Disney, Carnival's regular bed separates into 2 twins, we have a boy and girl too, they love the Carnival set up.


----------



## mevelandry

Well my friends...

We liked our experience with Carnival so much that we decided to cancel our Key West-Cozumel 2017 with RCCL (please note that we haven't tried RCCL yet and don't know what we are missing) And do the KW-C on the Carnival Paradise instead!  (And we saved about 400$ CAN...Which covers our excursions!!!)

Since we haven't tried Fun 2.0 yet, we can't miss it.

I've seen pictures and videos of the Paradise. It has a bit more of the "classic" look than "Vegas" look, IMHO. I love what I have seen so far.

For 1$/pp /per day more than inside cabin, I've got two small portholes. Super cute!


----------



## cmph

mevelandry said:


> Well my friends...
> 
> We liked our experience with Carnival so much that we decided to cancel our Key West-Cozumel 2017 with RCCL (please note that we haben't tried RCCL yet and don't know what we are missing) And do the KW-C on the Carnival Paradise instead!


I'm glad you enjoyed your trip, so much so that you re-booked Carnival! Thanks for posting all of the information and details!


----------



## Love2Cruz

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Her transatlantic is in 5 days, then she will make her way to her home port in Miami. We will be on her for 14 glorious nights starting 6/3/17!


And I'll be boarding her after you on June 25th for the second time.


----------



## mevelandry

Stop it, you guys are all making me jealous! I'd cruise 4 times a year if I could afford it!


----------



## deanimal

Those pictures bring back so many memories! My first "grown up" trip was back in November 2001, right after I graduated from college, a seven day Western Caribbean on the Carnival Victory. I'd never done anything fancier than camping with my family or maybe an occasional stay in a budget hotel and I was like a little country mouse wandering around that ship with my mouth wide open. It looks like they've updated it quite a bit since then. I may have to check her our sometime!


----------



## mevelandry

deanimal said:


> Those pictures bring back so many memories! My first "grown up" trip was back in November 2001, right after I graduated from college, a seven day Western Caribbean on the Carnival Victory. I'd never done anything fancier than camping with my family or maybe an occasional stay in a budget hotel and I was like a little country mouse wandering around that ship with my mouth wide open. It looks like they've updated it quite a bit since then. I may have to check her our sometime!



They are currently renovating the cabins as well. Ours wasn't updated but those who are updated look very good!  It's a good ship with a great crew. Love her.


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## mevelandry

I just added a "Fire Drill", "Financial gestion" and a "transportation" section on the original post.


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> I just added a "Fire Drill", "Financial gestion" and a "transportation" section on the original post.



Just FYI, regarding MUSTER Drill, DCL's are not always inside. It depends on where your station is. There ARE stations on deck.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> Just FYI, regarding MUSTER Drill, DCL's are not always inside. It depends on where your station is. There ARE stations on deck.



Really? I guess I have been lucky. I'll add it on the review. Thank you.


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> Really? I guess I have been lucky. I'll add it on the review. Thank you.



Yep. I've had both. We were even *gasp* outside on our first when we were in Concierge. (Clearly I have no issue with being outside.)


----------



## mevelandry

I added your info to the first post (and gave you credit for the info).

I'm glad to confirm (if I didn't already, I'm writing on too many boards and threads LOL) that we enjoyed our experience with Carnival so much that we replaced our previous plans of a 2017 cruise with RCCL (that we were going to try for the first time) with another cruise with Carnival on the Paradise for a Key West-Cozumel 5 nights cruise.

Also, this time we have chosen to try the specialty dining event called The Chef's Table, which is apparently similar to Remy, except that you get a visit of the galley before the entrées.


----------



## mevelandry

Oh, and I updated the price for Remy who went from 75$/pp when we last tried it, to 95$/pp.


----------



## Love2Cruz

mevelandry said:


> Really? I guess I have been lucky. I'll add it on the review. Thank you.


Both my DCL musterdrills were outdoors.


----------



## mevelandry

Update: Apparently, the Carnival Victory's next dry dock will be happening 1/04/18 - 1/25/18.


----------



## dawngee

omg, we were on the victory last august 18-20 and if I know anything I will NEVER go on a Carnival cruise again.  The adult pool was packed.  Is it healthy for that many people to be in a pool at one time.  One of our group had a food allergy and we could not get a straight answer about whether there was "potato starch/flour" in the food.  the smoking on the ship in the casino area, awful and the room and ship needed something beyond an overhaul.  at 3a they did a loudspeaker call looking for someone, the next night they did another loudspeaker call at 3a.  I will stop but trust me, I could go on.  Worst experience EVER!


----------



## godde8ss

mevelandry said:


> I added your info to the first post (and gave you credit for the info).
> 
> I'm glad to confirm (if I didn't already, I'm writing on too many boards and threads LOL) that we enjoyed our experience with Carnival so much that we replaced our previous plans of a 2017 cruise with RCCL (that we were going to try for the first time) with another cruise with Carnival on the Paradise for a Key West-Cozumel 5 nights cruise.
> 
> Also, this time we have chosen to try the specialty dining event called The Chef's Table, which is apparently similar to Remy, except that you get a visit of the galley before the entrées.


I'm sad to hear this, as I think you would like RCCL WAY more than Carnival. Growing up in FLorida, I've cruised ALOT. We always consider Carnival line to be the booze cruise, cheap getaway thing. (haven't tried 2.0 but i'm scared to because of past experience). RCCL has always had nicer ships, better service, better food than carnival. I say give it try and find out what you are missing. I'm waiting for my kids to get older so we can go on a family RCCL cruise.


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## mevelandry

dawngee said:


> omg, we were on the victory last august 18-20 and if I know anything I will NEVER go on a Carnival cruise again.  The adult pool was packed.  Is it healthy for that many people to be in a pool at one time.  One of our group had a food allergy and we could not get a straight answer about whether there was "potato starch/flour" in the food.  the smoking on the ship in the casino area, awful and the room and ship needed something beyond an overhaul.  at 3a they did a loudspeaker call looking for someone, the next night they did another loudspeaker call at 3a.  I will stop but trust me, I could go on.  Worst experience EVER!



Yeah... 3 days during summer and spring break = booze cruise I was told. 

I've done 4 nights in October. It was very quiet. We had the adult pool for just the two of us at least once a day. That never happened on a DCL cruise where we can usually only swim early morning on Nassau day. 

I spent an hour or two in the casino once and the smell wasn't that bad. 

My husband is allergic to coconut but I guess it's a bit easier to avoid...


----------



## mevelandry

godde8ss said:


> I'm sad to hear this, as I think you would like RCCL WAY more than Carnival. Growing up in FLorida, I've cruised ALOT. We always consider Carnival line to be the booze cruise, cheap getaway thing. (haven't tried 2.0 but i'm scared to because of past experience). RCCL has always had nicer ships, better service, better food than carnival. I say give it try and find out what you are missing. I'm waiting for my kids to get older so we can go on a family RCCL cruise.


 We can't miss what we've never tried.  

RCCL is next in line and I definitely want to try it in 2018.   Norwegian is on my list too. I wish I could try all cruiselines this year but I would need more vacation and more budget.


----------



## cruiser21

We've only done the 7 days on the Breeze. I never found it to be a booze cruise. I have had some horrible experiences with their customer service call centers. The latest has me considering canceling my Vista cruise. I spent 2 hours on the phone and the issue was  never resolved. Basically I called to ask how much it would cost to take 2 people off my reservation because I was thinking about booking two rooms,  and the CSR did it without even confirming with me that I actually wanted to do it, and charged me a 250.00 dollar penalty. When I asked to talk to a supervisor she put me on hold for 30 minutes and then disconnected me. I called back and it happened again. I finally got someone that was able to reverse part of the damage, but like I said it was a 2 hour ordeal. They acted like they were doing me some sort of favor by giving me back the 250.00. It left a really bad taste in mouth. It's not the first time I've had issues with their phone reps. It's a shame because I really liked my Carnival cruises. I may cancel and use my 300.00 dollar credit to cruise on the Vista out of Galveston when the prices are better and I'm not so angry. It's interesting because every time I've had a bad experience I've gotten a survey the next day, and was able to explain the issue, but have never got a call.

One thing I will commend DCL on is their call centers. Everything has always been easy. Of course DCL doesn't have multiple promotions, different rates, and different penalties so that make it a little easier. I've never had a problem with NCL either.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> We've only done the 7 days on the Breeze. I never found it to be a booze cruise. I have had some horrible experiences with their customer service call centers. The latest has me considering canceling my Vista cruise. I spent 2 hours on the phone and the issue was  never resolved. Basically I called to ask how much it would cost to take 2 people off my reservation because I was thinking about booking two rooms,  and the CSR did it without even confirming with me that I actually wanted to do it, and charged me a 250.00 dollar penalty. When I asked to talk to a supervisor she put me on hold for 30 minutes and then disconnected me. I called back and it happened again. I finally got someone that was able to reverse part of the damage, but like I said it was a 2 hour ordeal. They acted like they were doing me some sort of favor by giving me back the 250.00. It left a really bad taste in mouth. It's not the first time I've had issues with their phone reps. It's a shame because I really liked my Carnival cruises. I may cancel and use my 300.00 dollar credit to cruise on the Vista out of Galveston when the prices are better and I'm not so angry. It's interesting because every time I've had a bad experience I've gotten a survey the next day, and was able to explain the issue, but have never got a call.
> 
> One thing I will commend DCL on is their call centers. Everything has always been easy. Of course DCL doesn't have multiple promotions, different rates, and different penalties so that make it a little easier. I've never had a problem with NCL either.



I have to say, I've always found them (Carnival and DCL) equal in efficiency but I've never had to make such a big change before so I cannot compare with you.

I heard nothing but excellent reviews about the Vista. I think you should not let one employee (over the phone so you will most likely never meet or even talk to that person ever again) ruin your joy to try their best cruiseship and have a nice trip.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I have to say, I've always found them (Carnival and DCL) equal in efficiency but I've never had to make such a big change before so I cannot compare with you.
> 
> I heard nothing but excellent reviews about the Vista. I think you should not let one employee (over the phone so you will most likely never meet or even talk to that person ever again) ruin your joy to try their best cruiseship and have a nice trip.


I wish it was one person unfortunately it was four people. I really didn't need to make a change I was just inquiring about one. Unfortunately the CSR made a change without my permission.  I think my big mistake was calling at night. Companies never seem to have their most competent, experienced people on at night. Honestly I'd be better off canceling and rebooking the Vista or Horizon in 2018-2019. Prices have come down a lot. I guess the newness has worn off.  I could cruise on the Horizon or Vista in 2018 for less then what I owe on this cruise.  One thing I'm certain of I will never book an early saver rate again. I will also use one of their PVP's which I've read is the way to go with Carnival.  It's hard not to lose confidence in a company when you have a bad experience with customer service. Especially a bad experience that cost you money.  I have some time to think about it and look at other options. In the interim I have a WDW trip coming up in a couple of months.

Just to add my cruise experience on the Breeze was just fine. No complaints at all.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I could cruise on the Horizon or Vista in 2018 for less then what I owe on this cruise.



In that case... 

I think you would lose only 50$/pp for rebooking when you book another cruise. If it's less expensive than the one you booked originally, you won't even feel it.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I wish it was one person unfortunately it was four people. I really didn't need to make a change I was just inquiring about one. Unfortunately the CSR made a change without my permission.  I think my big mistake was calling at night. Companies never seem to have their most competent, experienced people on at night. Honestly I'd be better off canceling and rebooking the Vista or Horizon in 2018-2019. Prices have come down a lot. I guess the newness has worn off.  I could cruise on the Horizon or Vista in 2018 for less then what I owe on this cruise.  One thing I'm certain of I will never book an early saver rate again. I will also use one of their PVP's which I've read is the way to go with Carnival.  It's hard not to lose confidence in a company when you have a bad experience with customer service. Especially a bad experience that cost you money.  I have some time to think about it and look at other options. In the interim I have a WDW trip coming up in a couple of months.
> 
> Just to add my cruise experience on the Breeze was just fine. No complaints at all.



Oh and what is PVP?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Oh and what is PVP?


Personal Vacation Planner, they're CSR's assigned directly to you. We have one that we have direct phone number and email so he books all our Carnival cruises for us. Just makes for an easier experience because I always deal with the same person.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cruiser21 said:


> I wish it was one person unfortunately it was four people. I really didn't need to make a change I was just inquiring about one. Unfortunately the CSR made a change without my permission.  I think my big mistake was calling at night. Companies never seem to have their most competent, experienced people on at night. Honestly I'd be better off canceling and rebooking the Vista or Horizon in 2018-2019. Prices have come down a lot. I guess the newness has worn off.  I could cruise on the Horizon or Vista in 2018 for less then what I owe on this cruise.  One thing I'm certain of I will never book an early saver rate again. I will also use one of their PVP's which I've read is the way to go with Carnival.  It's hard not to lose confidence in a company when you have a bad experience with customer service. Especially a bad experience that cost you money.  I have some time to think about it and look at other options. In the interim I have a WDW trip coming up in a couple of months.
> 
> Just to add my cruise experience on the Breeze was just fine. No complaints at all.


We loved the Vista last year and have a B2B coming up in June. We were planning on booking Horizon for 2018 but the summer itineraries didn't really appeal to us, we were really hoping for Northern Europe. There is so much to do on those 2 ships.


----------



## cruiser21

I thought I would follow up with you all. Carnival came through and came through in a big way. It wasn't easy and I spent 2 hours on the phone today and that is no exaggeration. We were originally planning a back to back Fantasy/ Vista cruises in Sept. Since I was able to book a room on the Panama cruise in April which has to paid off Dec 8 and were also going to WDW this May.  I wanted to downgrade to a 6 day Vista/4 day Dream or we may skip the Dream and go to Universal. Long story short I needed to save some money on our September Vacation to put towards Panama. Changing the Disney cruise took 5 minutes. Carnival OMG. I first booked the new 6 day cruise on the phone. I got a sweet little old lady with a southern accent that was slower than molasses. It took 30 minutes she put me on hold for 30 minutes only to come back and tell me that she needed to transfer me to another dept. I waited 10 minutes hung up went for a jog came back poured a glass of wine and started over.

I finally got "that" agent you know the kind that work at Disney. She was awesome. She couldn't cancel my old reservation because of the credit given for the agents screw up 2 nights ago only a supervisor could do it. The supervisor couldn't solve the problem an hour into the call (and well into my second glass of wine)she escalated it to a higher dept. Long story short I was able to get Family Harbor room for 1600 hundred dollars. They transferred the 700.00 hundred dollars I paid, waived all penalties and I am now booked with refundable deposit. I will never book with an early saver rate again. If a mistake gets made you can see what a nightmare it is too fix .

In all fairness to the early saver rates the agent did say she had never seen anything like this. I went from owing 2500 on a 8 day cruise to 900.00 on a 6 day. I paid the 500.00 dollar refundable deposit so I am almost paid in full. The rates on the Vista have seemed to come down on every cruise except the one I had originally booked. I'm very happy with the outcome, but I would never want to repeat the 5+ hours on the phone it took to resolve it. Now I'm on my third glass of wine.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Glad it worked out for you!


----------



## mevelandry

UPDATE: I just added a section about the Internet service.


----------



## tinkerone

Just wanted to share; I just booked a b2b on RCL's newest ship, The Symphony, for Nov. 2018.  It will be her second and third sailing in the Caribbean.  Called DCL last week and requested my holder deposit back, I just can't justify the cost at this point in our life.  Probably try one of the new ships but till then...... 
I certainly have come a long way from ''only DCL for me''.  Very happy I spread my wings.


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## mevelandry

So lucky! 

I'm currently booked on the Carnival Paradise for a Key West-Cozumel cruise next fall (the ship has some problems so our plans could change. If we do, we would have to book another Carnival ship because I would have a credit to use)...

... but I'm checking the Oasis of the seas right now... OMG, It looks amazing (It's so big that I would absolutely book a verandah on this one because I would need to feel the "ocean" around us.) ... I have tears in my eyes just watching videos. The Anthem of the Seas looks awesome too. 

I may be wrong but I think I'll be a Royal Caribbean girl. I find their ships absolutely breathtaking and they look so much fun!!!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

tinkerone said:


> Just wanted to share; I just booked a b2b on RCL's newest ship, The Symphony, for Nov. 2018.  It will be her second and third sailing in the Caribbean.  Called DCL last week and requested my holder deposit back, I just can't justify the cost at this point in our life.  Probably try one of the new ships but till then......
> I certainly have come a long way from ''only DCL for me''.  Very happy I spread my wings.


I think Symphony will be our first Royal cruise as well. We have 3 Carnival, (Vista, Vista, Horizon) and 2 Disney (Magic, Wonder) booked between now and June 2018, but will take an 11 month break then do Symphony for my 50th Birthday in 2019. We really like being able to book connecting cabins for us and our kids on Royal and Carnival, we can't do that on Disney anymore.


----------



## cruiser21

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think Symphony will be our first Royal cruise as well. We have 3 Carnival, (Vista, Vista, Horizon) and 2 Disney (Magic, Wonder) booked between now and June 2018, but will take an 11 month break then do Symphony for my 50th Birthday in 2019. We really like being able to book connecting cabins for us and our kids on Royal and Carnival, we can't do that on Disney anymore.


Did you find a Baltic cruise to do? I'm curious about the Horizon. I haven't really looked at the itinerary's. Is the Horizon sailing anyplace new? Are there going to be any differences between the Horizon and Vista that you know of? Were sailing on the Vista this Fall.


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## cruiser21

tinkerone said:


> Just wanted to share; I just booked a b2b on RCL's newest ship, The Symphony, for Nov. 2018.  It will be her second and third sailing in the Caribbean.  Called DCL last week and requested my holder deposit back, I just can't justify the cost at this point in our life.  Probably try one of the new ships but till then......
> I certainly have come a long way from ''only DCL for me''.  Very happy I spread my wings.


What ports? I can afford DCL most of the time. I just can't find anything that jumps out at me and says book me. I love the EBTA itinerary, but moving the clock forward everyday...not sure about that. I like the British Isles cruise in Sept, but 7 days seem so short for such a long flight. I'm waiting to see the WBTA..could that be the one? I've done the Med, and I've done Norway. Would love a Baltic, but out of price range on DCL. NCL... maybe? I can't go to Europe July or August. It needs to be May, June or September, and so far nothing is really exciting me for 2018.
I hope you write a review on the Symphony. It looks pretty amazing.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cruiser21 said:


> Did you find a Baltic cruise to do? I'm curious about the Horizon. I haven't really looked at the itinerary's. Is the Horizon sailing anyplace new? Are there going to be any differences between the Horizon and Vista that you know of? Were sailing on the Vista this Fall.


No Baltic for us unfortunately. We're doing a Disney Alaska cruise then flying to NYC to spend a couple days there, then doing Horizon to Bermuda. It's only a 4 night cruise. The only other itinerary she's doing is an 8 night Bahamian from NYC, but that's what we're doing on the Disney Magic this fall. Our son graduates next year and he really wants Alaska so that's what we're doing. 

Now we wait for the new Carnival mega ship to launch in 2020 and hope she does Baltic that summer.  The new class is being built in Finland so we're hoping she does. That's the year our daughter graduates and she wants Baltic really bad. 

I haven't heard of any changes between Vista and Horizon yet. I was actually a little surprised by Horizon prices however. We're paying the same price for our 4 night Bermuda on Horizon as we did for our 8 night Mediterranean on Vista, exact same room category.


----------



## cruiser21

Club Disney Chandler said:


> No Baltic for us unfortunately. We're doing a Disney Alaska cruise then flying to NYC to spend a couple days there, then doing Horizon to Bermuda. It's only a 4 night cruise. The only other itinerary she's doing is an 8 night Bahamian from NYC, but that's what we're doing on the Disney Magic this fall. Our son graduates next year and he really wants Alaska so that's what we're doing.
> 
> Now we wait for the new Carnival mega ship to launch in 2020 and hope she does Baltic that summer.  The new class is being built in Finland so we're hoping she does. That's the year our daughter graduates and she wants Baltic really bad.
> 
> I haven't heard of any changes between Vista and Horizon yet. I was actually a little surprised by Horizon prices however. We're paying the same price for our 4 night Bermuda on Horizon as we did for our 8 night Mediterranean on Vista, exact same room category.


That's quite an adventure Vancouver to New York. I had booked the NCL Bliss in Alaska. Amazing ship their building just for Alaska. The only problem is it leaves from Seattle so the port days are shorter then I'd like. Since it's a new ship it's also priced pretty high. Not Disney high, but high for NCL. I am considering the Alaska cruise in May on the Wonder if I can't find anything else. I'm still waiting to see the WBTA on DCL.
 I didn't know the Horizon was sailing to Bermuda. I'll have to check it out.


----------



## luvavacation

My family has sailed on NCL (2x), Carnival (4x), and Disney (11x).  Each cruise line will appeal more to some, not so much to others, depending on what you are looking for.  My family prefers excellent service, distinct differences between adult and family entertainment, and a feeling of safety (amongst other things), but we really just want to get away sometimes so not every cruise has all that we wish for.  But they all rock me to sleep at night!

I tend to worry, and no matter where we are, I always have an escape in the back of my mind for any calamity.  Therefore, a cruise line that gives me a good sense of safety from the beginning gets to the top of my list right away.  Of the three lines we have sailed, DCL is at the top for sense of safety.

The lifeboat drills on Carnival and NCL were a joke.  Neither our Carnival nor NCL cruises had lifeboat drills where I felt the crew really cared about keeping us informed and alive.  On my last Carnival, the crew leading the lifeboat drills weren't even checking people in, just telling you to go take a seat, and then looking at things on their cell phones instead of leading the drills. Neither of my NCL cruises had any semblance of order, and my last one on the Getaway, the crew just gave up because no one would quiet down, so the crew walked off to a corner of the room. On DCL, nothing happens until every room is checked in and everyone is quiet.  I know it is up to me to get my family to safety, but I sure do feel better about safety if the crew gives the impression of being prepared!

This all makes me wonder how the lifeboat drills and sense of safety are on RCCL and Celebrity?  What about MSC?  I will enjoy a cruise, no matter the cruise line, because I am on vacation and on the ocean, but will another line take the lifeboat drill as seriously as DCL does?  For me, that is what is very important when I choose my next cruise.


----------



## Dug720

All lines take it seriously. But Fathom took it the most seriously I have seen - you took your life vest and were to wear something warm and take a small bag with any necessary medications TO THE DRILL. Muster stations were in the lounge or the dining room depending on if you were forward or aft. At the end of the drill, you put on your vest and it was checked as you left (which eliminated the dragging ties as they made sure they were fastened.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

Club Disney Chandler said:


> No Baltic for us unfortunately. We're doing a Disney Alaska cruise then flying to NYC to spend a couple days there, then doing Horizon to Bermuda. It's only a 4 night cruise. The only other itinerary she's doing is an 8 night Bahamian from NYC, but that's what we're doing on the Disney Magic this fall. Our son graduates next year and he really wants Alaska so that's what we're doing.
> 
> Now we wait for the new Carnival mega ship to launch in 2020 and hope she does Baltic that summer.  The new class is being built in Finland so we're hoping she does. That's the year our daughter graduates and she wants Baltic really bad.
> 
> I haven't heard of any changes between Vista and Horizon yet. I was actually a little surprised by Horizon prices however. We're paying the same price for our 4 night Bermuda on Horizon as we did for our 8 night Mediterranean on Vista, exact same room category.



New York (or even Bayonne) tend to be much more expensive to sail out of than either Florida or Europe. And Bermuda tends to be a bit higher on the per day cost for those cruises as well. And to top it off, a 4 night relatively unique cruise on Carnival's brand new ship - they know when they can up the price and that is certainly one of them.

I think once the Horizon moves to Miami, you'll see prices equalize a little and it will be more in line with the Vista.

Carnival probably won't announce the differences (or new stuff) for the Horizon until much closer to it's official launch date. Carnival is the cruising king of social media. They know how to work the crowd and give just enough teasers to keep people interested over a very long period of time.


----------



## mevelandry

luvavacation said:


> The lifeboat drills on Carnival and NCL were a joke.  Neither our Carnival nor NCL cruises had lifeboat drills where I felt the crew really cared about keeping us informed and alive.  On my last Carnival, the crew leading the lifeboat drills weren't even checking people in, just telling you to go take a seat, and then looking at things on their cell phones instead of leading the drills. Neither of my NCL cruises had any semblance of order, and my last one on the Getaway, the crew just gave up because no one would quiet down, so the crew walked off to a corner of the room. On DCL, nothing happens until every room is checked in and everyone is quiet.  I know it is up to me to get my family to safety, but I sure do feel better about safety if the crew gives the impression of being prepared!



When I sailed the Carnival Victory in October 2016, they all scanned our cards to make sure that everyone attended. We have received exactly the same information as what we have received on the Disney Dream.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> All lines take it seriously. But Fathom took it the most seriously I have seen - you took your life vest and were to wear something warm and take a small bag with any necessary medications TO THE DRILL. Muster stations were in the lounge or the dining room depending on if you were forward or aft. At the end of the drill, you put on your vest and it was checked as you left (which eliminated the dragging ties as they made sure they were fastened.



I love that.


----------



## luvavacation

Kudos to Fathom on the lifeboat drill!   I know it's a pain in the neck and everyone just wants to get on with their vacation, but safety at sea is important.  Sure, no one wants to carry around the lifejacket (and even though Disney doesn't require you to bring the lifejacket anymore, we still take them out and make sure we have enough for everyone in the room), but knowing how to put one on and where to go is still preferable to just winging it if there were an emergency, at least in my opinion.

Now I am going to check out Fathom!


----------



## Dug720

luvavacation said:


> Kudos to Fathom on the lifeboat drill!   I know it's a pain in the neck and everyone just wants to get on with their vacation, but safety at sea is important.  Sure, no one wants to carry around the lifejacket (and even though Disney doesn't require you to bring the lifejacket anymore, we still take them out and make sure we have enough for everyone in the room), but knowing how to put one on and where to go is still preferable to just winging it if there were an emergency, at least in my opinion.
> 
> Now I am going to check out Fathom!



Do it before May 28. That is their last sailing.


----------



## MyDisWorld

Wow, really good thread. Really love the discussion and the difference among the cruise lines.

I have been on Cunard, Norwegian, Carnival and Disney. After being on Disney, the others really didn't compare on many levels. But, depending on your expectation for the price you are paying, there is a level of "tolerance" for everyone. 

There definitely is the exception on both sides of the fence. There have been people that had a bad experience on DCL. I would hope this is the exception, and not the norm. On the other side, I have read far more reviews of people having a Bad experience on Carnival. Just based on my research, a great experience on a Carnival Ship is more the exception than the Norm. Keep in mind also, if you have saving 30-40% between DCL and "other", people can tolerate more, and may tend to be more forgiving. And that's OK. Based on my experience, and several of our Friends who love Carnival, they are never great. There has been something on every cruise that was lacking.

I pay a LOT more to sail on a Disney Ship, but I have a much higher level of expectation from them. I would not have the same expectation from a Cruise Line that I paid 40-50% Less.

As a side note.......Our group of friends just came back from a 5 day on the Carnival Sensation (we couldn't go this trip), and after hearing about it, I am thankful we couldn't go. It was an absolute nightmare of a Cruise. It was so bad, all 4 couples contacted Carnival Corporate to Complain.

That being said, while we already have our Next Disney Cruise booked, I however am looking forward to experiencing the new Carnival Vista.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

MyDisWorld said:


> Wow, really good thread. Really love the discussion and the difference among the cruise lines.
> 
> I have been on Cunard, Norwegian, Carnival and Disney. After being on Disney, the others really didn't compare on many levels. But, depending on your expectation for the price you are paying, there is a level of "tolerance" for everyone.
> 
> There definitely is the exception on both sides of the fence. There have been people that had a bad experience on DCL. I would hope this is the exception, and not the norm. On the other side, I have read far more reviews of people having a Bad experience on Carnival. Just based on my research, a great experience on a Carnival Ship is more the exception than the Norm. Keep in mind also, if you have saving 30-40% between DCL and "other", people can tolerate more, and may tend to be more forgiving. And that's OK. Based on my experience, and several of our Friends who love Carnival, they are never great. There has been something on every cruise that was lacking.
> 
> I pay a LOT more to sail on a Disney Ship, but I have a much higher level of expectation from them. I would not have the same expectation from a Cruise Line that I paid 40-50% Less.
> 
> As a side note.......Our group of friends just came back from a 5 day on the Carnival Sensation (we couldn't go this trip), and after hearing about it, I am thankful we couldn't go. I was an absolute nightmare of a Cruise. It was so bad, all 4 couples contacted Carnival Corporate to Complain.
> 
> That being said, while we already have our Next Disney Cruise booked, I however am looking forward to experiencing the new Carnival Vista.



My only really bad service experience was on Disney (my 2 back to back Dream cruises so 2 cruises out of 6). I've had consistently good service on Carnival (78 days at sea on them).

Some of it may be expectations; I don't necessarily see it as lower expectations, just different.

On Carnival I don't expect our assistant server to cut up my mother's food or to have magic tricks at the table or have our drinks of choice waiting for us when we arrive at dinner. On DCL, I do (all happened on our first DCL cruise). And more often than not, I've been let down. They have not maintained the same level of service we experienced on the first DCL cruise.

On the flip side, I don't really want or need any of that stuff. I'm happy with friendly service who get my order correct, deliver my food hot and make great recommendations and steer me away from not so good dishes (or bring me a back up "just in case").

While some may see it as lower expectations, I see it as the difference between getting what I want and need versus a bunch of extras that while nice, don't make or break a trip for me.


----------



## tinkerone

cruiser21 said:


> What ports? I can afford DCL most of the time. I just can't find anything that jumps out at me and says book me. I love the EBTA itinerary, but moving the clock forward everyday...not sure about that. I like the British Isles cruise in Sept, but 7 days seem so short for such a long flight. I'm waiting to see the WBTA..could that be the one? I've done the Med, and I've done Norway. Would love a Baltic, but out of price range on DCL. NCL... maybe? I can't go to Europe July or August. It needs to be May, June or September, and so far nothing is really exciting me for 2018.
> I hope you write a review on the Symphony. It looks pretty amazing.


We will be sailing to Philipsburg, St. Thomas/Charlotte Amalie and  Nassau on the first leg.  Roatan Honduras, Costa Maya, Cozumel and Nassau on the second leg.  Similar to most Caribbean sailings.  We will probable stay on the ship in a lot of ports but its a new ship so lots to explore and do.  I think they even have a puzzle room.


----------



## mevelandry

MyDisWorld said:


> Wow, really good thread. Really love the discussion and the difference among the cruise lines.
> 
> I have been on Cunard, Norwegian, Carnival and Disney. After being on Disney, the others really didn't compare on many levels. But, depending on your expectation for the price you are paying, there is a level of "tolerance" for everyone.
> 
> There definitely is the exception on both sides of the fence. There have been people that had a bad experience on DCL. I would hope this is the exception, and not the norm. On the other side, I have read far more reviews of people having a Bad experience on Carnival. Just based on my research, a great experience on a Carnival Ship is more the exception than the Norm. Keep in mind also, if you have saving 30-40% between DCL and "other", people can tolerate more, and may tend to be more forgiving. And that's OK. Based on my experience, and several of our Friends who love Carnival, they are never great. There has been something on every cruise that was lacking.
> 
> I pay a LOT more to sail on a Disney Ship, but I have a much higher level of expectation from them. I would not have the same expectation from a Cruise Line that I paid 40-50% Less.
> 
> As a side note.......Our group of friends just came back from a 5 day on the Carnival Sensation (we couldn't go this trip), and after hearing about it, I am thankful we couldn't go. I was an absolute nightmare of a Cruise. It was so bad, all 4 couples contacted Carnival Corporate to Complain.
> 
> That being said, while we already have our Next Disney Cruise booked, I however am looking forward to experiencing the new Carnival Vista.



Can't disagree with what you say about the difference of expectations. That is why I created this thread originally. I love DCL and wanted to show what Carnival had to offer for a cheaper price in case somebody wanted to try something cheaper (or just couldn't afford to cruise with DCL anymore since the rates are not getting lower). 

I, for myself, can say I had very high expectations going on the cruise with Carnival...

I have high standards. I'm very picky when it comes to look, cleanliness, food and entertainment. And I have to say that I was extremely satisfied with the cleanliness, the food and the entertainment on Carnival (I love musical revues and 18+ comedy).

Now about the look... I prefer the "classy and classic" look (wood) and I like when the ship looks brand new. I have found that the Victory met about... let's say 70% of that criteria. Half of the exterior left me unimpressed. The other half (with the exception of the Vegas look which is ok but not my favorite) was good. I did put a few notes on my comment card about the look of the ship. The Victory is also undergoing dry dock soon. 

I am on different groups on FB about Carnival and the reviews are usually good. Lots of honest and satisfied customers there. (I'm sorry about your friends having a bad experience. That sucks. I know the new ships have better reviews than the old ones.) 

I have no intentions of sticking to a cruise line or another in the future. I really want to try different ships and cruise lines. I'm really open minded.


----------



## MyDisWorld

PrincessTrisha said:


> While some may see it as lower expectations, I see it as the difference between getting what I want and need versus a bunch of extras that while nice, don't make or break a trip for me.



I agree. No need to pay Disney Prices if another Cruise Line can fit your needs at a lower Price Point. There is a reason Carnival is the largest Cruise Line. 

My experience, as well as that of our close friends, Carnival is VERY inconsistent in many areas. I personally don't have high expectations, but I can say Disney is far more consistent. But they need to be at the price they command for their Cruises.


----------



## tinkerone

MyDisWorld said:


> Wow, really good thread. Really love the discussion and the difference among the cruise lines.
> 
> I have been on Cunard, Norwegian, Carnival and Disney. After being on Disney, the others really didn't compare on many levels. But, depending on your expectation for the price you are paying, there is a level of "tolerance" for everyone.
> 
> There definitely is the exception on both sides of the fence. There have been people that had a bad experience on DCL. I would hope this is the exception, and not the norm. On the other side, I have read far more reviews of people having a Bad experience on Carnival. Just based on my research, a great experience on a Carnival Ship is more the exception than the Norm. Keep in mind also, if you have saving 30-40% between DCL and "other", people can tolerate more, and may tend to be more forgiving. And that's OK. Based on my experience, and several of our Friends who love Carnival, they are never great. There has been something on every cruise that was lacking.
> 
> I pay a LOT more to sail on a Disney Ship, but I have a much higher level of expectation from them. I would not have the same expectation from a Cruise Line that I paid 40-50% Less.
> 
> As a side note.......Our group of friends just came back from a 5 day on the Carnival Sensation (we couldn't go this trip), and after hearing about it, I am thankful we couldn't go. It was an absolute nightmare of a Cruise. It was so bad, all 4 couples contacted Carnival Corporate to Complain.
> 
> That being said, while we already have our Next Disney Cruise booked, I however am looking forward to experiencing the new Carnival Vista.


Speaking for myself, I have found that the service on DCL has declined over the past few years which makes it hard to justify that 40-50% more.  I can honestly say that the service we received on our Oasis sailing last November was every bit as good as the service we received on our last 4 DCL sailings.  There was no difference at all.  On the sailing I mentioned in my post above we are paying $6120 Cnd for two weeks, which works out to about $4573 US.  It is a balcony room on a new ship.  DCL does not have their Nov/Dec 2018 sailings listed yet however I would bet that their balcony rooms will be at least the same if not more.  To me, getting the same service and getting 14 days instead of 7, well, that's a no brainer. 
DCL used to be worth the money to us but that changed about the same time their service changed.  We have expanded to RCCL and happy we have.  Now I just need to get past the safe feeling they give me and try other cruise lines as well.  It would really suck to go on vacation and have it go wrong however that is the attitude that kept me from expanding in the first place.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> My only really bad service experience was on Disney (my 2 back to back Dream cruises so 2 cruises out of 6). I've had consistently good service on Carnival (78 days at sea on them).
> 
> Some of it may be expectations; I don't necessarily see it as lower expectations, just different.
> 
> On Carnival I don't expect our assistant server to cut up my mother's food or to have magic tricks at the table or have our drinks of choice waiting for us when we arrive at dinner. On DCL, I do (all happened on our first DCL cruise). And more often than not, I've been let down. They have not maintained the same level of service we experienced on the first DCL cruise.
> 
> On the flip side, I don't really want or need any of that stuff. I'm happy with friendly service who get my order correct, deliver my food hot and make great recommendations and steer me away from not so good dishes (or bring me a back up "just in case").
> 
> While some may see it as lower expectations, I see it as the difference between getting what I want and need versus a bunch of extras that while nice, don't make or break a trip for me.



Never have we ever received our "drinks of choice" on our DCL cruise. And no magic tricks either. (Our waiter on our first DCL cruise was NOT nice at all.)  ... I'm jealous now. LOL


----------



## MyDisWorld

tinkerone said:


> Speaking for myself, I have found that the service on DCL has declined over the past few years which makes it hard to justify that 40-50% more. I can honestly say that the service we received on our Oasis sailing last November was every bit as good as the service we received on our last 4 DCL sailings. There was no difference at all. On the sailing I mentioned in my post above we are paying $6120 Cnd for two weeks, which works out to about $4573 US. It is a balcony room on a new ship. DCL does not have their Nov/Dec 2018 sailings listed yet however I would bet that their balcony rooms will be at least the same if not more. To me, getting the same service and getting 14 days instead of 7, well, that's a no brainer.
> DCL used to be worth the money to us but that changed about the same time their service changed. We have expanded to RCCL and happy we have. Now I just need to get past the safe feeling they give me and try other cruise lines as well. It would really suck to go on vacation and have it go wrong however that is the attitude that kept me from expanding in the first place.



14 days for the price of 7 on DCL!, I would definitely have to say, I would need to really think long and hard before booking with Disney.

I have not sailed on RCCL, but they are definitely on my list of possibilities for the future. As you stated, I have heard very good things from past Disney Cruisers regarding RCCL. Especially since our Son is getting older, and won't want to visit any of the Kids/Teen clubs any more.  MSC also has a new ship coming to Florida, which will sail out of Miami. It looks really nice, just don't know about their service. The boat is Bigger than Disney and anything Carnival Has, but not as big as the Oasis Class on RCCL. They are said to be positioning their pricing between Carnival and Royal Caribbean. So, it sounds Promising....

Competition is only increasing, and with (2) new ships from Disney coming online in the coming years, we may see their pricing come down as they have more staterooms that need to be filled. As we all know, Competition is good for the Consumer.




mevelandry said:


> Never have we ever received our "drinks of choice" on our DCL cruise. And no magic tricks either. (Our waiter on our first DCL cruise was NOT nice at all.) ... I'm jealous now. LOL



Me Neither! LOL!   Guess I need to raise my expectations a bit higher next Cruise........


----------



## Chrissy-Mickey

I'm very much enjoying this thread; thanks everyone for sharing. I'm looking at cruising this summer with a different cruise line (love DCL and have a Disney Wonder cruise booked Feb 2018, but can't pay DCL summer prices). Currently the Carnival Breeze is on top of my list due to it being a pretty new ship, interesting itinerary, and within my budget. Reading your reviews helps with my expectations and making that final decision.

Side note: during my search for summer cruises, I learned that there aren't many cruises from Florida during the summer months. Surprising. Even the Carnival Breeze sails from Galveston, TX.


----------



## MyDisWorld

Chrissy-Mickey said:


> I'm very much enjoying this thread; thanks everyone for sharing. I'm looking at cruising this summer with a different cruise line (love DCL and have a Disney Wonder cruise booked Feb 2018, but can't pay DCL summer prices). Currently the Carnival Breeze is on top of my list due to it being a pretty new ship, interesting itinerary, and within my budget. Reading your reviews helps with my expectations and making that final decision.
> 
> Side note: during my search for summer cruises, I learned that there aren't many cruises from Florida during the summer months. Surprising. Even the Carnival Breeze sails from Galveston, TX.



I think you'll be fine on any of the newer Carnival Ships. The Carnival Breeze is the same size as the Disney Dream Class Ships, and it has all the Fun Ship 2.0 features. Should be a great Cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

Chrissy-Mickey said:


> I'm very much enjoying this thread; thanks everyone for sharing. I'm looking at cruising this summer with a different cruise line (love DCL and have a Disney Wonder cruise booked Feb 2018, but can't pay DCL summer prices). Currently the Carnival Breeze is on top of my list due to it being a pretty new ship, interesting itinerary, and within my budget. Reading your reviews helps with my expectations and making that final decision.



Thank you! It's been a pleasure to work on this review.

I find that complete and honest reviews and watching tours on youtube is also very helpful when it comes to cruising as it gives a bit more of the real feel of the ships. When you know what to expect, it's easier to compensate.

Ex: I knew our cabin would most likely be old. So I ordered decorations to cheer it up a bit. Turns out, we liked our "old room" more than we thought. We were quite comfortable in it and ended up liking it almost as much as our Dream room. They refurb the cabins since. They look better now. I like the new colors better.


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## perditax

Thanks for this thread.


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## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> Never have we ever received our "drinks of choice" on our DCL cruise. And no magic tricks either. (Our waiter on our first DCL cruise was NOT nice at all.)  ... I'm jealous now. LOL



Our drink of choice though is diet coke. My point was they were already sitting on the table waiting for us on night 2 and every night after that. No waiting.

No other servers have been able to achieve that since 2010. On other DCL cruises, our server had my mom's hot tea ready each night for her but my dad and I had to order our diet cokes each time.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

PrincessTrisha said:


> Our drink of choice though is diet coke. My point was they were already sitting on the table waiting for us on night 2 and every night after that. No waiting.
> 
> No other servers have been able to achieve that since 2010. On other DCL cruises, our server had my mom's hot tea ready each night for her but my dad and I had to order our diet cokes each time.


On each of our four previous Disney cruises we've always had our our drinks waiting for us starting in the second night. This includes a glass of Pinot Grigio for me. I thought that was SOP on DCL.


----------



## mevelandry

BREAKING NEWS: After many bad reviews, my husband and I decided that we are not confident enough that the Carnival Paradise will meet our expectations. We could be wrong but we just don't trust her right now. 

So I cancelled.

Clean slate when it comes to our fall cruise. I can book Carnival, RCCL, Princess or Norwegian... No ship nor itinerary decided yet.

This is so exciting!!!!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> BREAKING NEWS: After many bad reviews, my husband and I decided that we are not confident enough that the Carnival Paradise will meet our expectations. We could be wrong but we just don't trust her right now.
> 
> So I cancelled.
> 
> Clean slate when it comes to our fall cruise. I can book Carnival, RCCL, Princess or Norwegian... No ship nor itinerary decided yet.
> 
> This is so exciting!!!!



You should book the Carnival Magic - November 11-18th 2017 (but then I'm biased because that's the cruise I have booked).


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> You should book the Carnival Magic - November 11-18th 2017 (but then I'm biased because that's the cruise I have booked).



I'll be checking all our options. 

There's the Vista and the Conquest too. 

So many choices!!!


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> BREAKING NEWS: After many bad reviews, my husband and I decided that we are not confident enough that the Carnival Paradise will meet our expectations. We could be wrong but we just don't trust her right now.
> 
> So I cancelled.
> 
> Clean slate when it comes to our fall cruise. I can book Carnival, RCCL, Princess or Norwegian... No ship nor itinerary decided yet.
> 
> This is so exciting!!!!


Why don't you try Carnivals new ship.


----------



## MyDisWorld

mevelandry said:


> I'll be checking all our options.
> 
> There's the Vista and the Conquest too.
> 
> So many choices



If you would like to stick with Carnival, you cannot go wrong with the Vista. This is a great new Ship. 130,000 gross Tons, same size as the Disney Dream & Fantasy. Has all the Fun Ship 2.0 features, and the Havana Suites are excellent if it's just you and your Husband.

If you like BIG Boats, I would recommend the RCCL Harmony of the Sea's. It weighs in at 220,000 Gross Tons, almost 50% larger than the largest ships Carnival and Disney have. There are plenty of Youtube video's to see if it is something you'd like. It is a massive ship, but there is so much to do onboard.

In my opinion, RCCL is a slight step up from Carnival, but still affordable. But, Carnival has really stepped up their game with the Vista, and the soon to be launched, Horizon.

Please, Let us know what you decide to go with......


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> You should book the Carnival Magic - November 11-18th 2017 (but then I'm biased because that's the cruise I have booked).



I'm looking at the Magic right now. It looks great!


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Why don't you try Carnivals new ship.



That's what I am looking at right now. Taking a peak at the Vista, Magic, Breeze and Conquest.


----------



## mevelandry

Ok, it's now between the Magic and the Vista.

I think at this point it's going to be a question of budget and itinerary!

Vista: Miami-Ochos Rios-Grand Cayman-Cozumel-Miami

Magic: Port Canaveral-Cozumel-Costa Maya-Mahogany Bay-Belize-Port Canaveral

I don't care much for Ochos Rios, Mahogany Bay and Belize...

EDIT: DH is asking me to wait until we come back from our DCL cruise before booking anything else. Argh.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Ok, it's now between the Magic and the Vista.
> 
> I think at this point it's going to be a question of budget and itinerary!
> 
> Vista: Miami-Ochos Rios-Grand Cayman-Cozumel-Miami
> 
> Magic: Port Canaveral-Cozumel-Costa Maya-Mahogany Bay-Belize-Port Canaveral
> 
> I don't care much for Ochos Rios, Mahogany Bay and Belize...
> 
> EDIT: DH is asking me to wait until we come back from our DCL cruise before booking anything else. Argh.



You may have already read my trip report on the Vista but if not here it is. It's more on the ship itself not the Mediterranean cruise. If you don't like the Vista's Western route, she's also doing an 8 night Southern Caribbean (Grand Turk, Aruba, DR and Curaçao), on opposite weeks!!  We're doing that this June. 
https://www.disboards.com/threads/thoughts-on-the-new-carnival-vista.3521334/


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> You may have already read my trip report on the Vista but if not here it is. It's more on the ship itself not the Mediterranean cruise. If you don't like the Vista's Western route, she's also doing an 8 night Southern Caribbean (Grand Turk, Aruba, DR and Curaçao), on opposite weeks!!  We're doing that this June.
> https://www.disboards.com/threads/thoughts-on-the-new-carnival-vista.3521334/



I have. I probably commented on it too. It's awesome. 

Not sure which route we would take yet. I had my heart set on a "Save the turtles" excursion in Cozumel that I am quite sad I had to cancel... That is why I was kinda looking for Cozumel in the itinerary but since we are not booked yet, I have a lot of time to make a choice and read about each destination.


----------



## mevelandry

UPDATE: I convinced my husband since there was a "half-deposit" promo... 

 

OMG!!!!!


----------



## MyDisWorld

mevelandry said:


> UPDATE: I convinced my husband since there was a "half-deposit" promo...



Congratulations!  You will Love that ship!


----------



## cruiser21

MyDisWorld said:


> Congratulations!  You will Love that ship!


Which ship is it?


----------



## MyDisWorld

cruiser21 said:


> Which ship is it?



She booked on the Carnival Vista. The is one of the best ships (IMHO) in the Carnival Fleet. Vista is on our short list of ships for future cruises.


----------



## cruiser21

MyDisWorld said:


> She booked on the Carnival Vista. The is one of the best ships (IMHO) in the Carnival Fleet. Vista is on our short list of ships for future cruises.


We are booked on that ship in October. I  couldn't tell by reservation confirmation what ship it was.


----------



## MyDisWorld

cruiser21 said:


> We are booked on that ship in October.



Awesome! You will both need to report back with your thoughts about the ship.


----------



## mevelandry

MyDisWorld said:


> Congratulations!  You will Love that ship!



I know! That ship had everything we have loved from the Victory and even more!


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> We are booked on that ship in October. I  couldn't tell by reservation confirmation what ship it was.



Which itinerary?


----------



## mevelandry

MyDisWorld said:


> Awesome! You will both need to report back with your thoughts about the ship.



You can count on it!


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Which itinerary?


The 8 day Oct 21. I am tempted to switch to the 6 day Oct 28 and get a Havana Cabana. I haven't been to the ports on the 8 day, but we've been to the Caribbean so many times all the islands just seem repetitive to me at this point. I'm kind of looking for a different cruise experience and one of those Cabanas would fit the bill. They aren't cheap by any means, but still less then an inside room on the Fantasy.


----------



## MyDisWorld

cruiser21 said:


> I am tempted to switch to the 6 day Oct 28 and get a Havana Cabana



The Havana Suites are really nice. The Cabana area is like having your own private deck area on the ship. It's like a balcony, but not. You also have exclusive access to the Havana Pool and deck area during the day, so your not competing with the rest of the ship for the pool and/or deck chairs. This is off limits to kids and only for Havana Suite guests during the day. You also have access to the Havana Bar, right by the Havana pool. It opens up to other guests in the evening, but during sea days, your not fighting the masses for a deck chair if you want to sit by the pool and not in your Cabana.

That being said......8 days are always better than 6....


----------



## mevelandry

By the way... That 6 nights Western Caribbean cruise cost us 500$ USD less than the 3 nights cruise to the Bahamas on the Wonder.


----------



## cruiser21

MyDisWorld said:


> The Havana Suites are really nice. The Cabana area is like having your own private deck area on the ship. It's like a balcony, but not. You also have exclusive access to the Havana Pool and deck area during the day, so your not competing with the rest of the ship for the pool and/or deck chairs. This is off limits to kids and only for Havana Suite guests during the day. You also have access to the Havana Bar, right by the Havana pool. It opens up to other guests in the evening, but during sea days, your not fighting the masses for a deck chair if you want to sit by the pool and not in your Cabana.
> 
> That being said......8 days are always better than 6....


I can't find a 8 day cruise with one available. Our first 8 cruises on DCL we had  verandas, Our last 6 have been oceanviews , and the next ones an inside. I can't downgrade anymore unless I become a stowaway. We did have a balcony on our Breeze and Getaway cruises. I really enjoy a balcony.  We've done so many cruises I want to try something different. Sometime in the next couple of years I want to try the Haven. My son wants to go back on the Fantasy..,but the prices are so much higher than what we paid in 2013 and 2014... not sure I can justify it if I can get a suite on another cruiseline for the cost of an inside on the Fantasy. We will be back on DCL next year for a TA.
I know the Havana area is 12 and up. Is the pool just for adults?


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> By the way... That 6 nights Western Caribbean cruise cost us 500$ USD less than the 3 nights cruise to the Bahamas on the Wonder.


The 6 nights in a Havana suite is only 1k more then my 4 night Dream in an inside room.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> The 6 nights in a Havana suite is only 1k more then my 4 night Dream in an inside room.



Havana is some kind of Concierge/Club Level?


----------



## MyDisWorld

cruiser21 said:


> I know the Havana area is 12 and up. Is the pool just for adults?



Yes. You must be 12 or older to be in a Havana Suite, and in the Havana Pool area.


----------



## MyDisWorld

cruiser21 said:


> The 6 nights in a Havana suite is only 1k more then my 4 night Dream in an inside room



Yeah, I am still puzzled to this day how DCL charges so much for an Inside stateroom.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Havana is some kind of Concierge/Club Level?


No mostly just access to your own pool area


----------



## mevelandry

Aquadame decided to close comments for the Carnival Vista thread and told me to ask my question here:

Regarding the Vista (or any Funship 2.0)... Have you tried specialty dining like Cucina del Capitano and Jiji? (I requested a booking). Also, I'm not sure if I want to pay 35$/pp for the Steakhouse... Is it really worth it?

Also I would love to know more about Guy's Burger, the new Pork & BBQ place and Blue Iguana. 

I wonder if Pizzaria del capitano is as good as Pizza Pirate from the Victory... We were obsessed with it and ate pizza every night. 

Thanks in advance


----------



## cruiser21

MyDisWorld said:


> Yes. You must be 12 or older to be in a Havana Suite, and in the Havana Pool area.


I don't consider my 12 year old an adult, but I get what your saying.


MyDisWorld said:


> Yeah, I am still puzzled to this day how DCL charges so much for an Inside stateroom.


I guess new people will continue to pay. I've cruised DCL since 2008 so I've seen the prices rise a lot. I haven't cruised Carnival or NCL that long so I'm not sure about them. I'm assuming prices have risen, but I doubt at the same % DCL has.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Aquadame decided to close comments for the Carnival Vista thread and told me to ask my question here:
> 
> Regarding the Vista (or any Funship 2.0)... Have you tried specialty dining like Cucina del Capitano and Jiji? (I requested a booking). Also, I'm not sure if I want to pay 35$/pp for the Steakhouse... Is it really worth it?
> 
> Also I would love to know more about Guy's Burger, the new Pork & BBQ place and Blue Iguana.
> 
> I wonder if Pizzaria del capitano is as good as Pizza Pirate from the Victory... We were obsessed with it and ate pizza every night.
> 
> Thanks in advance


Guys burgers is very good. They have a topping bar with all kinds of goodies. I'm from AZ so I'm used to good Mexican food. Blue Iguana is delicious  I guess it's similar to chipotle. Again they have a really good salsa bar. The Pizza is wood fired. They make it fresh  and have 5 or 6 different types to choose from.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Aquadame decided to close comments for the Carnival Vista thread and told me to ask my question here:
> 
> Regarding the Vista (or any Funship 2.0)... Have you tried specialty dining like Cucina del Capitano and Jiji? (I requested a booking). Also, I'm not sure if I want to pay 35$/pp for the Steakhouse... Is it really worth it?
> 
> Also I would love to know more about Guy's Burger, the new Pork & BBQ place and Blue Iguana.
> 
> I wonder if Pizzaria del capitano is as good as Pizza Pirate from the Victory... We were obsessed with it and ate pizza every night.
> 
> Thanks in advance


We did Cucina for lunch when there is no extra cost and freaking loved it!  Several different pastas with different sauces and tons of add ins. My favorite was the bow tie pasta with clam sauce, then I added shrimp, chicken, spinach, grape tomatoes and fresh graded Parmesan, it was awesome. JiJi's for lunch is also no charge and it was meh, but I've read for dinner it's excellent. I'm not a sushi person but my Aunts loved Bonzai Sushi on board. 

For the steakhouse; if you book a reservation the first night they'll give you a complimentary bottle of house wine. Also, if you don't want to fully upgrade to the steakhouse, you can purchase one of the steaks while dining in the MDR for about $20, (I think it's $20).

I loved Guy's and Blue Iguana, (AZ guy here too), especially the breakfast burritos. As a pizza restaurant owner, I loved the pizza on the Vista. Pig and Anchor had not opened yet when we were on her but will be trying it out this June. I'll be sure to post here how it was.

I really think the food choices are much better on Carnival than DCL and their desserts are way better. I did miss all the awesome fresh fruit on carnival that DCL has.


----------



## mevelandry

We prefered the food (in general and dining room) on Carnival too. The only food we really enjoyed on DCL is Palo and Remy, Cabanas and one of the sandwiches you can get need the pool (Dream) which is Bacon Tomato Brie.

Good tip for the steak house. But is the house wine good?


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> Aquadame decided to close comments for the Carnival Vista thread and told me to ask my question here:
> 
> Regarding the Vista (or any Funship 2.0)... Have you tried specialty dining like Cucina del Capitano and Jiji? (I requested a booking). Also, I'm not sure if I want to pay 35$/pp for the Steakhouse... Is it really worth it?
> 
> Also I would love to know more about Guy's Burger, the new Pork & BBQ place and Blue Iguana.
> 
> I wonder if Pizzaria del capitano is as good as Pizza Pirate from the Victory... We were obsessed with it and ate pizza every night.
> 
> Thanks in advance



I'm going on the Sunshine at the end of May and will be dining in both Cucina and JiJi's for dinner. I'll make sure I let you know how they were.

The steakhouse is awesome. From the amuse bouche - to your appetizer, soup and salad - a fantastic steak (or to die for lamb) topped off with dessert you'll be too full to eat but will still make every effort to stuff some in - it's well worth the $35 price tag and still stands out for us as our top pick for specialty dining on any cruise line (we've never done Remy but did Palo for brunch). That being said, the dining room is great and with the 2 other specialty restaurants being only $15 each - it's easy to skip the steakhouse and still enjoy lots of great meals.

Blue Iguana serves both breakfast and lunch. Breakfast burritos are excellent along with arepas (and they also have huervo rancheros). Lunch they have both soft tacos and burritos - the star really is the salsa and topping bar. They have a jicama and watermelon slaw that is fantastic - crisp and tasty, plus a fresh black bean and corn salsa that goes well with everything. They also have a slew of hot sauces for those who like things on the spicy side.

Guy's burgers are greasy but oh so tasty! They also have a great toppings bar with fried mushrooms, fried onions, bacon bits, and then the regular stuff (tomatoes, pickles, onions, lettuce, etc). They also have a chipotle mayo which goes very well with the fries (I always say I could put that stuff on cardboard and it would make the cardboard taste good - I really love it). The Ringer is a great burger - the bourbon BBQ sauce fantastic. Of course, if you're looking for something awesome but very, very, messy - the Chili Maximus fits the bill. I highly recommend a fork to go with that burger and to tuck your napkin into your shirt. Fries normally come seasoned but if you prefer yours plain - just ask and wait for a new batch.

The pizza is the same menu so I would expect it to be basically the same as on the Victory. The only difference is that the Vista has so many more options - I would recommend leaving the pizza for those times the other places aren't open (like late night or mid morning when you don't want breakfast but lunch isn't yet on the menu).


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> We prefered the food (in general and dining room) on Carnival too. The only food we really enjoyed on DCL is Palo and Remy, Cabanas and one of the sandwiches you can get need the pool (Dream) which is Bacon Tomato Brie.
> 
> Good tip for the steak house. But is the house wine good?



The house wine is okay. If you don't want that free bottle though - on the first night you could instead order any other bottle of wine for 50% off.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> I'm going on the Sunshine at the end of May and will be dining in both Cucina and JiJi's for dinner. I'll make sure I let you know how they were.
> 
> The steakhouse is awesome. From the amuse bouche - to your appetizer, soup and salad - a fantastic steak (or to die for lamb) topped off with dessert you'll be too full to eat but will still make every effort to stuff some in - it's well worth the $35 price tag and still stands out for us as our top pick for specialty dining on any cruise line (we've never done Remy but did Palo for brunch). That being said, the dining room is great and with the 2 other specialty restaurants being only $15 each - it's easy to skip the steakhouse and still enjoy lots of great meals.
> 
> Blue Iguana serves both breakfast and lunch. Breakfast burritos are excellent along with arepas (and they also have huervo rancheros). Lunch they have both soft tacos and burritos - the star really is the salsa and topping bar. They have a jicama and watermelon slaw that is fantastic - crisp and tasty, plus a fresh black bean and corn salsa that goes well with everything. They also have a slew of hot sauces for those who like things on the spicy side.
> 
> Guy's burgers are greasy but oh so tasty! They also have a great toppings bar with fried mushrooms, fried onions, bacon bits, and then the regular stuff (tomatoes, pickles, onions, lettuce, etc). They also have a chipotle mayo which goes very well with the fries (I always say I could put that stuff on cardboard and it would make the cardboard taste good - I really love it). The Ringer is a great burger - the bourbon BBQ sauce fantastic. Of course, if you're looking for something awesome but very, very, messy - the Chili Maximus fits the bill. I highly recommend a fork to go with that burger and to tuck your napkin into your shirt. Fries normally come seasoned but if you prefer yours plain - just ask and wait for a new batch.
> 
> The pizza is the same menu so I would expect it to be basically the same as on the Victory. The only difference is that the Vista has so many more options - I would recommend leaving the pizza for those times the other places aren't open (like late night or mid morning when you don't want breakfast but lunch isn't yet on the menu).



Thanks for your review... I'm drooling. 

DH and I had our little routine on the Victory: eating pizza late at night after a comedy show.   I'm sure we'll do it again on the Vista.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> The house wine is okay. If you don't want that free bottle though - on the first night you could instead order any other bottle of wine for 50% off.



That one is good to know! Thanks!


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> The house wine is okay. If you don't want that free bottle though - on the first night you could instead order any other bottle of wine for 50% off.



Thank you! 

I conviced my husband to book the Steakhouse and the booking confirmed my reservation and they confirmed the promotion on the wine as well.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We did Cucina for lunch when there is no extra cost and freaking loved it!  Several different pastas with different sauces and tons of add ins. My favorite was the bow tie pasta with clam sauce, then I added shrimp, chicken, spinach, grape tomatoes and fresh graded Parmesan, it was awesome. JiJi's for lunch is also no charge and it was meh, but I've read for dinner it's excellent. I'm not a sushi person but my Aunts loved Bonzai Sushi on board.
> 
> For the steakhouse; if you book a reservation the first night they'll give you a complimentary bottle of house wine. Also, if you don't want to fully upgrade to the steakhouse, you can purchase one of the steaks while dining in the MDR for about $20, (I think it's $20).
> 
> I loved Guy's and Blue Iguana, (AZ guy here too), especially the breakfast burritos. As a pizza restaurant owner, I loved the pizza on the Vista. Pig and Anchor had not opened yet when we were on her but will be trying it out this June. I'll be sure to post here how it was.
> 
> I really think the food choices are much better on Carnival than DCL and their desserts are way better. I did miss all the awesome fresh fruit on carnival that DCL has.



Thank you for the tips and the info about the steakhouse! (It was correct, they still give a bottle of wine house).


----------



## cruiser21

I was wrong its the Havana balcony that's available in October. I did find a 8 night cruise with Havana Cabanas available( actually 6 of them)It's the week before Christmas. Awkward time to travel so close to the holidays,  but I'm going to think about it.


----------



## cruiser21

Well for all the negativity Carnival gets on this board I will say it's slim pickings on the Vista this Fall. I have pretty much ruled out the Havana Cabana. It's too close to Christmas and more then I wanted to spend this Fall. I'm trying to be good. We are booked in a inside Family harbor room 8 day Southern cruise in October. I knew when I  booked this room I probably wouldn't keep it. I've been checking daily for an oceanview to open up. I think with a lot of people booking with the non refundable deposit this may not happen.

  I guess  I'm fussy. I don't like inside rooms. I don't like the 1k plus up charge for a balcony, but I would pay 2k+ more if it was something remarkable like a Havana Cabana or suite in the NCL Haven. My happy place is really an oceanview. In terms of price, size and natural light it can't be beat. There is only one cruise this Fall on the Vista that has an Oceanview family harbor room available . There are regular oceanviews available on deck 1.. meh  Really only one cruise and one room left. It's an eastern Caribbean in Nov. I put a hold on it.  I have until Monday to decide. All of the 8 day Southerns were almost completely sold out, and some had only 1 or 2 balcony rooms left.
I guess were not the only ones excited about this ship.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Well for all the negativity Carnival gets on this board I will say it's slim pickings on the Vista this Fall. I have pretty much ruled out the Havana Cabana. It's too close to Christmas and more then I wanted to spend this Fall. I'm trying to be good. We are booked in a inside Family harbor room 8 day Southern cruise in October. I knew when I  booked this room I probably wouldn't keep it. I've been checking daily for an oceanview to open up. I think with a lot of people booking with the non refundable deposit this may not happen.
> 
> I guess  I'm fussy. I don't like inside rooms. I don't like the 1k plus up charge for a balcony, but I would pay 2k+ more if it was something remarkable like a Havana Cabana or suite in the NCL Haven. My happy place is really an oceanview. In terms of price, size and natural light it can't be beat. There is only one cruise this Fall on the Vista that has an Oceanview family harbor room available . There are regular oceanviews available on deck 1.. meh  Really only one cruise and one room left. It's an eastern Caribbean in Nov. I put a hold on it.  I have until Monday to decide. All of the 8 day Southerns were almost completely sold out, and some had only 1 or 2 balcony rooms left.
> I guess were not the only ones excited about this ship.



Keep looking every day! When I put the hold, I had a interesting room (cheap price) and then, when I decided to book... I cheated: instead of completing the hold, I did it again and found an interesting room at a better price! (50$ less!). So I booked the new room and let the hold expire! (I wish there was a way to cancel a hold right away!) 

I know what you mean: DH and I have always had a verandah and for the first time, on our upcoming DCL cruise, we are trying an inside room. We'll see how we handle it. If we find that we need an OV or verandah, I will try to secure a room ASAP.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Keep looking every day! When I put the hold, I had a interesting room (cheap price) and then, when I decided to book... I cheated: instead of completing the hold, I did it again and found an interesting room at a better price! (50$ less!). So I booked the new room and let the hold expire! (I wish there was a way to cancel a hold right away!)
> 
> I know what you mean: DH and I have always had a verandah and for the first time, on our upcoming DCL cruise, we are trying an inside room. We'll see how we handle it. If we find that we need an OV or verandah, I will try to secure a room ASAP.


You can cancel a hold online on carnival. Just hit view details. There will be a button on the bottom that says is there a penalty for canceling this cruise. Click on that and then there's a cancel button. Carnival is the only cruise line I know that lets you cancel on line.
 I really don't like the insides on carnival because there's no couch. I also don't like not having natural light. At least the Dream class has the magic porthole. My kids had an inside on the Magic it seemed very dreary. If it's a port intensive cruise like Europe, and it's what I can afford I'll book an inside, but it's not my first choice.


----------



## cruiser21

I am going to keep checking. I really want to do the Southern, and I prefer not to go the week before Christmas. I can't believe how sold out these Southern Caribbean cruises are. It's still 6+ months until Fall.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I am going to keep checking. I really want to do the Southern, and I prefer not to go the week before Christmas. I can't believe how sold out these Southern Caribbean cruises are. It's still 6+ months until Fall.



Crazy! The Vista is very popular!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cruiser21 said:


> I am going to keep checking. I really want to do the Southern, and I prefer not to go the week before Christmas. I can't believe how sold out these Southern Caribbean cruises are. It's still 6+ months until Fall.


You might want to call them. When we decided to turn our 8 night into a B2B the rooms we had on the first cruise did not show up as available on the second cruise.  But when I called them they said they were available so we're in the same cabins now. 

The same thing happened when I tried to book Horizon for 2018, cabins we wanted weren't available online but we're when I called. It's really weird.


----------



## Chrissy-Mickey

MyDisWorld said:


> I think you'll be fine on any of the newer Carnival Ships. The Carnival Breeze is the same size as the Disney Dream Class Ships, and it has all the Fun Ship 2.0 features. Should be a great Cruise.



We booked our Summer cruise on the Carnival Breeze today. 7 days, stopping in Belize; very excited! Will report back on how it was.


----------



## cruiser21

Chrissy-Mickey said:


> We booked our Summer cruise on the Carnival Breeze today. 7 days, stopping in Belize; very excited! Will report back on how it was.


Enjoy, that's an itinerary I would like to do. I'm glad the Vista is moving to Galveston, and will be doing that itinerary. We've cruised on the Wonder out of Galveston 2 times. It's an easy flight from Phoenix and I really love the Galveston Island. We  stay at the Hilton on the Sea Wall. I actually like cruising out of Galveston  more than cruising out of Miami. The Breeze is a great ship. Have fun.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Crazy! The Vista is very popular!


Yes it is. I think getting an Ocean view or cove balcony in the Family Harbor area on the 8 day southern would be like winning the lottery at this point. The Dec 2 cruise has balcony rooms on deck 6 next to  Circle C which would be very convenient for keeping track of my 13 year old. Of course the Dec 16 has the Havana Cabana which would be  my dream stateroom on a ship. We have cruised the second week of Dec the last 3 years. I love Christmas and everything it stands for. The Christmas decorations on the ship are great. It just makes getting ready for Christmas at home a challenge. Last year we got the tree up, but never got it decorated. We come back from vacation, immediately go back to work, we blink and it's Christmas. I was trying to avoid cruising in December this year, but it's almost a family tradition at this point. When  my kids think of Christmas they'll think of cruising, a half decorated tree, and luggage and laundry piled up in the house.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

cruiser21 said:


> You can cancel a hold online on carnival. Just hit view details. There will be a button on the bottom that says is there a penalty for canceling this cruise. Click on that and then there's a cancel button. Carnival is the only cruise line I know that lets you cancel on line.
> I really don't like the insides on carnival because there's no couch. I also don't like not having natural light. At least the Dream class has the magic porthole. My kids had an inside on the Magic it seemed very dreary. If it's a port intensive cruise like Europe, and it's what I can afford I'll book an inside, but it's not my first choice.



Have you checked for a porthole cabin on Carnival? They are classified as interiors but have 2 regular portholes (and a couch!). Stayed in one on the Carnival Dream and it was possibly my favourite cabin ever. They are forward on decks 1 and 2, 220 sq feet, they are the same size and set up as an oceanview - they just have the two small round windows instead of one large square one.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Yes it is. I think getting an Ocean view or cove balcony in the Family Harbor area on the 8 day southern would be like winning the lottery at this point. The Dec 2 cruise has balcony rooms on deck 6 next to  Circle C which would be very convenient for keeping track of my 13 year old. Of course the Dec 16 has the Havana Cabana which would be  my dream stateroom on a ship. We have cruised the second week of Dec the last 3 years. I love Christmas and everything it stands for. The Christmas decorations on the ship are great. It just makes getting ready for Christmas at home a challenge. Last year we got the tree up, but never got it decorated. We come back from vacation, immediately go back to work, we blink and it's Christmas. I was trying to avoid cruising in December this year, but it's almost a family tradition at this point. When  my kids think of Christmas they'll think of cruising, a half decorated tree, and luggage and laundry piled up in the house.



You could always decorate the house and prepare and freeze some food in advance?


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> You could always decorate the house and prepare and freeze some food in advance?


I so wish I was that person. I also have a job that requires working holidays and a very sick mother with not too many holidays left. I've really been waiting to see how much we owe in taxes this  year. My dh likes to wait until April 14th to do  the taxes. I got him to do it today. He's said quote " It will be easy this year I didint do a lot of stock trades. It should take me 2 hours tops. 9 hours later, 50 F- bombs, and multiple blow ups at the kids and me. I'm seriously tip-toeing  around the house.
I know your probably asking why he doesn't just pay someone to do it. I've been asking that same  question for 22 years.
Like cruising at Christmas, tax time in my house is another tradition. My kids hide under their beds.
Much to our surprise were  looking good this year. We hardly owe anything.
Now if I could only get that Havana Cabana.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I so wish I was that person. I also have a job that requires working holidays and a very sick mother with not too many holidays left. I've really been waiting to see how much we owe in taxes this  year. My dh likes to wait until April 14th to do  the taxes. I got him to do it today. He's said quote " It will be easy this year I didint do a lot of stock trades. It should take me 2 hours tops. 9 hours later, 50 F- bombs, and multiple blow ups at the kids and me. I'm seriously tip-toeing  around the house.
> I know your probably asking why he doesn't just pay someone to do it. I've been asking that same  question for 22 years.
> Like cruising at Christmas, tax time in my house is another tradition. My kids hide under their beds.
> Much to our surprise were  looking good this year. We hardly owe anything.
> Now if I could only get that Havana Cabana.



We always pay someone to do our taxes. I understand NOTHING about it.


----------



## cruiser21

Back to my Fall cruise drama. Not being able to get a room I really liked on the Vista has left me a little frustrated. We've cruised on DCL the last 5 years in the Fall. All cruises booked last minute with GT rates. Lots of rooms left. I was booked then cancelled because I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do. I was thinking I could wait until this Summer to decide. I booked an inside room ocean harbor a couple of weeks ago, but  I don't really want this.  This 8 day southern cruise has sold so well there's literally only a few rooms to choose from. I was tempted to book the Fantasy. I decided to consult my fussiest son. His choice Vista 8 day. He wants to see Curacao. He has a friend that he met on some other cruise that lives there. They've kept in touch for a couple of years.
I guess Im going to book a balcony. It will still come in less then a inside on the Fantasy. A little more then I wanted to spend. I was really hoping to book a family harbor deluxe ocean view. I will be checking availabilty everyday to see if someone cancels.

To anyone that's considering Carnival that's reading this. I don't book the early saver with then non refundable deposits. Since I've cruised carnival before I can get a past cruiser rate that's about 20.00 more per person then the early saver rate and it's fully refundable. I just thought I'd throw that out there for anyone that is like me that changes their mind a lot. Carnivals early saver and reduced deposits are not like DCL. You can't change dates or downgrade. If you book with a reduced deposit and want to upgrade you now pay the full deposit, and it's non refundable. It's not very clear on the Carnival's site. I learned the hard way so I thought I would point it out to anyone considering Carnival. Not to worry though there are always rates that have refundable deposits. They're a little more, but if your're used to paying DCL prices it won't faze you.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Back to my Fall cruise drama. Not being able to get a room I really liked on the Vista has left me a little frustrated. We've cruised on DCL the last 5 years in the Fall. All cruises booked last minute with GT rates. Lots of rooms left. I was booked then cancelled because I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do. I was thinking I could wait until this Summer to decide. I booked an inside room ocean harbor a couple of weeks ago, but  I don't really want this.  This 8 day southern cruise has sold so well there's literally only a few rooms to choose from. I was tempted to book the Fantasy. I decided to consult my fussiest son. His choice Vista 8 day. He wants to see Curacao. He has a friend that he met on some other cruise that lives there. They've kept in touch for a couple of years.
> I guess Im going to book a balcony. It will still come in less then a inside on the Fantasy. A little more then I wanted to spend. I was really hoping to book a family harbor deluxe ocean view. I will be checking availabilty everyday to see if someone cancels.
> 
> To anyone that's considering Carnival that's reading this. I don't book the early saver with then non refundable deposits. Since I've cruised carnival before I can get a past cruiser rate that's about 20.00 more per person then the early saver rate and it's fully refundable. I just thought I'd throw that out there for anyone that is like me that changes their mind a lot. Carnivals early saver and reduced deposits are not like DCL. You can't change dates or downgrade. If you book with a reduced deposit and want to upgrade you now pay the full deposit, and it's non refundable. It's not very clear on the Carnival's site. I learned the hard way so I thought I would point it out to anyone considering Carnival. Not to worry though there are always rates that have refundable deposits. They're a little more, but if your're used to paying DCL prices it won't faze you.



Good to know. I booked early saver 2 times (2 different trips), changed plans two times and this time I got lucky because I had not put my husband's name in the booking (it was still TBA) so I got only 50$ fee instead of 100$ fee. So, yeah... for a 20$ difference, it's worth taking the "refundable" option instead of Early saver.


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## cruiser21

One benefit of the early saver is to prevent against price drops. If booking one of Carnival's older ships I could see it paying off. I don't see the Vista dropping in price sailing out of Miami. I read on CC there were price drops on the European sailings. Since Carnival has been offering all these reduced deposits sales with the early saver rates availability has been decreasing pretty rapidly. If reduced deposits move sales I wonder why cruise lines don't do it more often.
To anyone not familiar with Carnival the early saver is the first rate to pop up if you click more options the other rates show up.


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## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Good to know. I booked early saver 2 times (2 different trips), changed plans two times and this time I got lucky because I had not put my husband's name in the booking (it was still TBA) so I got only 50$ fee instead of 100$ fee. So, yeah... for a 20$ difference, it's worth taking the "refundable" option instead of Early saver.


We booked our first 3 Vista cruises with ES but when we booked our Horizon cruise for next summer, I did Past Guest rate and it was only $8/person more. It's a much better option.


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## mevelandry

EDIT: I just changed the title of the thread for "Carnival vs DCL: the ultimate comparison thread" ... because I plan on doing the same exercise with the Carnival Vista and I don't see the need to create a new thread for it.

And I just realized that I forgot to talk about disembarkation so I started a new section!


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## mevelandry

APPEAL TO ALL

I'm currently updating the thread in order to welcome other people to add their own reviews/comparisons with other Carnival cruiseships.

BUT... I call dibs!!!! on the Vista comparison if you don't mind.   (Although I did mention the link to the (now closed to comments) excellent review from @Club Disney Chandler ...because it was awesome.)

You can use my "template" (see post #1) to start a comparison if you'd like and then add as many pictures as possible from the "compared" ship. When you're done, I will add it to the list of "comparisons" on post #1 and put the infos so people will know which page of the thread to look for... Do not worry, if you do a comparison, you will get all due credit. I will put your name on the post #1 beside the name of the cruiseship.

I think it will be useful to clearly name each ship before each pictures, though.

Any volunteers?


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## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> BUT... I call dibs!!!! on the Vista comparison if you don't mind.  (Although I did mention the link to the (now closed to comments) excellent review from @Club Disney Chandler ...because it was awesome.)


Thanks, I had a great time writing it and have a new respect for all who write cruise trip reports, they take a long time.


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## cruiser21

I booked the 8 day Eastern. I got the family  harbor deluxe oceanview. The last one of this stateroom type on any cruise this Summer or Fall. Not the itinerary I wanted, but you can't have everthing. The ports are fantastic..... I've just been to three of them. I'll keep checking the Southerns for cancellations.  I've got a ton of airline points so I'm not worried about airfare if I change dates.  The ocean view harbors seem like the best value. 200.00 more than an inside family harbor and 800.00 less then a balcony, and you get the lounge. We always book Oceanviews on DCl. It's kind of the happy medium for us. I'm really looking forward to walking down the hall to get coffee in the morning. Obviously a lot of people agree with me because getting one of these rooms is tough. I was looking at cruises this Spring and noticed many cruises were sold out in this category. My next cruise on the Vista or the Horizon I swear I'm getting the Havana Cabana. It's on my bucket list.


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## MyDisWorld

cruiser21 said:


> My next cruise on the Vista or the Horizon I swear I'm getting the Havana Cabana



Me too! Not sure when yet, but it has to be a Havana Suite.


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## Club Disney Chandler

MyDisWorld said:


> Me too! Not sure when yet, but it has to be a Havana Suite.


We booked a 4 night Bermuda cruise on Horizon for June 2018, I was actually able to score a Havana Cabana Suite for the cruise, I was so excited..........................Then my wife made me check into the price of 2 connecting insides and it was about $1200 cheaper so I had to release the suite, I was so bummed!

We started cruising DCL in 2011 with connecting insides for the 4 of us, we were able to do that until 2014.  Now on DCL, we have to share 1 cabin but on CCL we still book 2. We're doing the Wonder in Alaska the week before the Bermuda cruise and spending a few days in NYC before the Bermuda cruise starts. She figured she'd be at her tipping point of sharing a bathroom with 2 teens for 11 nights and would need her own space. 

But man, I really want that Havana Cabana Suite!  Can you imagine how much those would go for on DCL?


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## mevelandry

When you all cruise on the Horizon, make sure to write down a complete report and post it here.


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## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> But man, I really want that Havana Cabana Suite!  Can you imagine how much those would go for on DCL?



One million dollars (with the voice of Dr. Evil).


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## cruiser21

A family harbor ocean view popped up this morning on the Oct 21 8 day southern. I snagged it. It's one of the larger aft corner rooms.  Perseverance pays off I've been checking several times a day. Now do I cancel my old cruise or do I call Carnival and have them transfer the deposit over. I'll probably try the later. Hopefully I don't get "that agent". Everything is simple when you get a good CSR and everything is complicated when you don't. This sailing is close to being sold out and it's still considerably less then the Fantasy. 1200 less for 2 people and 2200 less for 4 people when comparing deck 2 ocean views the same week. I wonder what the price was a year ago. I know the Fantasy is still close to opening day prices. 


MyDisWorld said:


> Me too! Not sure when yet, but it has to be a Havana Suite.


They have some available in Dec. I was tempted.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> A family harbor ocean view popped up this morning on the Oct 21 8 day southern. I snagged it. It's one of the larger aft corner rooms.  Perseverance pays off I've been checking several times a day. Now do I cancel my old cruise or do I call Carnival and have them transfer the deposit over. I'll probably try the later. Hopefully I don't get "that agent". Everything is simple when you get a good CSR and everything is complicated when you don't. This sailing is close to being sold out and it's still considerably less then the Fantasy. 1200 less for 2 people and 2200 less for 4 people when comparing deck 2 ocean views the same week. I wonder what the price was a year ago. I know the Fantasy is still close to opening day prices.
> 
> They have some available in Dec. I was tempted.



You can cancel online and have your deposit transferred online.


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## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> You can cancel online and have your deposit transferred online.


How do transfer the deposit online.

I have to say this room has a really bizarre layout. It's a corner room so the beds are by the window. The couch faces the window and the tv is above the couch. Interesting way to watch TV. It also has a bunch of weird angles. It has a window and a couch which are my must have's. I also have access to the lounge so I'll take it.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> How do transfer the deposit online.
> 
> I have to say this room has a really bizarre layout. It's a corner room so the beds are by the window. The couch faces the window and the tv is above the couch. Interesting way to watch TV. It also has a bunch of weird angles. It has a window and a couch which are my must have's. I also have access to the lounge so I'll take it.



When you cancel, you receive a confirmation letter (by e-mail) who is telling you about the fees you'll have to pay to rebook. On that letter, there is a link. When you click, it brings you to a form you have to fill with the info from your cancelled cruise and your new booking. You send it and it will take a few days (usually less than a week) before your credit is applied on your new cruise.

I have never received an e-mail that confirmed that my transfer was happening but always saw my balance reduced within a few days.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> When you cancel, you receive a confirmation letter (by e-mail) who is telling you about the fees you'll have to pay to rebook. On that letter, there is a link. When you click, it brings you to a form you have to fill with the info from your cancelled cruise and your new booking. You send it and it will take a few days (usually less than a week) before your credit is applied on your new cruise.
> 
> I have never received an e-mail that confirmed that my transfer was happening but always saw my balance reduced within a few days.


I have to pay the deposit by tomorrow or I'll lose the room. I think your talking about the cruise credit from a cancelled cruise.  I do have some cruise credit on Carnival that I need to transfer. That is very helpful I'll look for that link.


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## mevelandry

Here we are, about to cruise on the Disney Wonder (next week). It may sound strange but I am experiencing the same kind of stress I've experienced before I got to try Carnival (and in the end, ending up loving it very much).

I'm scared I won't like the food as much as I liked the Carnival Victory's food. It was SO GOOD!!! XD


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Here we are, about to cruise on the Disney Wonder (next week). It may sound strange but I am experiencing the same kind of stress I've experienced before I got to try Carnival (and in the end, ending up loving it very much).
> 
> I'm scared I won't like the food as much as I liked the Carnival Victory's food. It was SO GOOD!!! XD


Tiana's place is a lot of fun. I've had some of my best cruises on the Wonder. I don't think you'll be disappointed.


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## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> One million dollars (with the voice of Dr. Evil).



And your little finger aside your mouth


----------



## godde8ss

mevelandry said:


> BREAKING NEWS: After many bad reviews, my husband and I decided that we are not confident enough that the Carnival Paradise will meet our expectations. We could be wrong but we just don't trust her right now.
> 
> So I cancelled.
> 
> Clean slate when it comes to our fall cruise. I can book Carnival, RCCL, Princess or Norwegian... No ship nor itinerary decided yet.
> 
> This is so exciting!!!!


You probably made a good choice. I sailed Carnival Paradise in 2013, and, well, it was enough to say I will not be doing Carnival again for quite sometime. The only thing that may sway me are the new, larger ships and positive reviews of them. The best time I had was on excursions. I have never had a bad experience on RCCL and Celebrity was nice as well.


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## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Tiana's place is a lot of fun. I've had some of my best cruises on the Wonder. I don't think you'll be disappointed.



I'm so excited for Tiana's!!! The entertainment during dinner sounds amazing!


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## mevelandry

godde8ss said:


> You probably made a good choice. I sailed Carnival Paradise in 2013, and, well, it was enough to say I will not be doing Carnival again for quite sometime. The only thing that may sway me are the new, larger ships and positive reviews of them. The best time I had was on excursions. I have never had a bad experience on RCCL and Celebrity was nice as well.



I booked the Vista instead. I'm much more confident in this one! Also, it's a Funship 2.0 ... I really wanted to try one of them!


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## cruiser21

There are many Carnival ships I wouldn't try. Same goes for NCL and Royal. I like the newer ships. Disney does a good job of maintaining the Magic and Wonder, but the Magic does have some plumbing issues.


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## PrincessTrisha

cruiser21 said:


> There are many Carnival ships I wouldn't try. Same goes for NCL and Royal. I like the newer ships. Disney does a good job of maintaining the Magic and Wonder, but the Magic does have some plumbing issues.



I won't sail on a Fantasy class ship on Carnival (their oldest), it's more for accessibility for my mother but still. I prefer the Spirit class (your should check out the Miracle out of Tampa starting next year) or above. We're cruising on the Sunshine in May, the Carnival Magic in November and the Carnival Pride in January.

Not a big fan of Royal but if I had to cruise them again, I'd prefer a Voyager class ship (medium sized); the Freedom class was nice too but so much we didn't use as we're not sporty people.


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## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> There are many Carnival ships I wouldn't try. Same goes for NCL and Royal. I like the newer ships. Disney does a good job of maintaining the Magic and Wonder, but the Magic does have some plumbing issues.



Plumbing issues are never good.  When we boarded our Carnival ship in 2013, our room toilet would not flush.  We called maintenance and they accessed the panel in the hall.  They left us a note that we had flushed items that clogged the toilet! Hello, we just boarded -- maybe you might want to blame the previous passengers since the toilet wouldn't flush first try.  UGH


----------



## RedSox68

PrincessTrisha said:


> I won't sail on a Fantasy class ship on Carnival (their oldest), it's more for accessibility for my mother but still. I prefer the Spirit class (your should check out the Miracle out of Tampa starting next year) or above. We're cruising on the Sunshine in May, the Carnival Magic in November and the Carnival Pride in January.
> 
> Not a big fan of Royal but if I had to cruise them again, I'd prefer a Voyager class ship (medium sized); the Freedom class was nice too but so much we didn't use as we're not sporty people.



So the Sunshine is a newer ship?  That's the one we're taking in September for the NE/Canada cruise.  We did the Carnival Glory and loved it.


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## Club Disney Chandler

RedSox68 said:


> So the Sunshine is a newer ship?  That's the one we're taking in September for the NE/Canada cruise.  We did the Carnival Glory and loved it.


Yes and no. She started out in 1996 as the Carnival Destiny, but she had a complete overhaul and refit in 2013 and became the Carnival Sunshine. She has all the Funship 2.0 options and most seem to really enjoy her.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

PrincessTrisha said:


> I won't sail on a Fantasy class ship on Carnival (their oldest), it's more for accessibility for my mother but still. I prefer the Spirit class (your should check out the Miracle out of Tampa starting next year) or above. We're cruising on the Sunshine in May, the Carnival Magic in November and the Carnival Pride in January.
> 
> Not a big fan of Royal but if I had to cruise them again, I'd prefer a Voyager class ship (medium sized); the Freedom class was nice too but so much we didn't use as we're not sporty people.


I want to try one of the Spirit Class ships so bad but I can't talk my wife into it. Can you help me sell them to her?  What makes them so great?


----------



## cruiser21

I wish Carnival kept a ship in Europe. I would really love to have a less expensive option in Europe. I don't need a fancy pants ship on a port intensive cruise. We've cruised on the Magic twice in Europe. The Magic is great ship, but there is nothing about it the warrants the huge price tag. The Horizon's itinerary's doesn't excite me since we've been to the Med.


----------



## cruiser21

RedSox68 said:


> Plumbing issues are never good.  When we boarded our Carnival ship in 2013, our room toilet would not flush.  We called maintenance and they accessed the panel in the hall.  They left us a note that we had flushed items that clogged the toilet! Hello, we just boarded -- maybe you might want to blame the previous passengers since the toilet wouldn't flush first try.  UGH


I was talking to an officer about it and he said it's always been an issue on the Magic. The can't really fix it since it's a infrastructure problem and not cosmetic.  The maintenance team does a good job of running around fixing toilets. I've seen a few toilets overflow out into the hallway on deck 2..gross. We've only had to call maintenance a couple of times because our toilet wouldn't flush. Luckily nothing over flowed. I believe the problem is mostly on deck 2. I have heard complaints of sewage smell in concierge area. I've never been up there so I don't know.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Plumbing issues are never good.  When we boarded our Carnival ship in 2013, our room toilet would not flush.  We called maintenance and they accessed the panel in the hall.  They left us a note that we had flushed items that clogged the toilet! Hello, we just boarded -- maybe you might want to blame the previous passengers since the toilet wouldn't flush first try.  UGH



Wow... :/


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## PrincessTrisha

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I want to try one of the Spirit Class ships so bad but I can't talk my wife into it. Can you help me sell them to her?  What makes them so great?



You can go right through each deck (no galley in the way where you run into a dead end);
Dining room is 2 levels at the back of the ship - great views from those rear windows and a very open feeling to the whole thing;
Mid ship pool has a retractable roof for inclement weather;
Dive in Movie Screen is placed lower so it's easier to see and it's located under the retractable roof;
They have a great Adult Serenity area at the back of the ship including both a hot tub and an adult only pool;
2 family friendly pools;
Upgraded waterworks area including the Green monster slide (where the floor drops out and you go whoosh!);
The Carnival Pride has all of the 2.0 bells and whistles including the Red Frog Pub, the Alchemy bar, Guy's, Blue Iguana, etc;
The buffet area has one of the best set ups - individual pods so no waiting in long lines;
Great passenger to space ratio (one of the best I've felt on any ship);
Great service since there's also a great crew to passenger ratio.

They are a small ship with a big ship feel.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

RedSox68 said:


> So the Sunshine is a newer ship?  That's the one we're taking in September for the NE/Canada cruise.  We did the Carnival Glory and loved it.





Club Disney Chandler said:


> Yes and no. She started out in 1996 as the Carnival Destiny, but she had a complete overhaul and refit in 2013 and became the Carnival Sunshine. She has all the Funship 2.0 options and most seem to really enjoy her.



When the Destiny was scraped down to it's hull and redone as the Sunshine, they added some new cabins (along with a bunch of upgrades); due to the timing, these cabins were built far more accessible than anything on the earlier ships. We were able to snag an aft cabin for 3 (where the 3rd bed is a couch) with a fully accessible washroom and roll in shower on deck 5 (the same deck where a lot of the action takes place). While I'm not crazy about staying that far aft, I do love the look of the cabin and the overall location.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

PrincessTrisha said:


> You can go right through each deck (no galley in the way where you run into a dead end);
> Dining room is 2 levels at the back of the ship - great views from those rear windows and a very open feeling to the whole thing;
> Mid ship pool has a retractable roof for inclement weather;
> Dive in Movie Screen is placed lower so it's easier to see and it's located under the retractable roof;
> They have a great Adult Serenity area at the back of the ship including both a hot tub and an adult only pool;
> 2 family friendly pools;
> Upgraded waterworks area including the Green monster slide (where the floor drops out and you go whoosh!);
> The Carnival Pride has all of the 2.0 bells and whistles including the Red Frog Pub, the Alchemy bar, Guy's, Blue Iguana, etc;
> The buffet area has one of the best set ups - individual pods so no waiting in long lines;
> Great passenger to space ratio (one of the best I've felt on any ship);
> Great service since there's also a great crew to passenger ratio.
> 
> They are a small ship with a big ship feel.


Thanks that helps a lot. I would either do the Miracle or whichever ship is replacing her in Long Beach. It's only a 6 hour drive from AZ so no airfare.


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## mevelandry

Hey... I've been thinking about it. I haven't sailed with NCL but we could use an NCL comparison thread like this one.


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## cruiser21

The NCL Bliss will be doing some Mexican riviera cruises next year. It aligns very well with Fall breaks. I really want to try that ship. 
Maybe I'll have to reconsider Carnivals older ship after reading above post.


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## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> The NCL Bliss will be doing some Mexican riviera cruises next year. It aligns very well with Fall breaks. I really want to try that ship.
> Maybe I'll have to reconsider Carnivals older ship after reading above post.



After seeing a video of the Bliss, I would go for it before any old Carnival ship!


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> After seeing a video of the Bliss, I would go for it before any old Carnival ship!


It does look nice doesn't it. Way too many ships I want to try. I don't know why the Royal ships never appeal to me. I cruised Royal years ago pre kids and it was just ok. I couldn't even tell you what ship it was. I didn't do another cruise for years and that was DCL. DCL is what got me to like cruising. We decided to give Carnival and NCL a try, and I liked them both. My youngest did not like the kids club on NCL, but my oldest loved the teen club. I've been waiting until my youngest turns 13 to give NCL another go. I booked the Baltic cruise on the Breakaway next year. Honestly I'm pretty undecided. I'm waiting to see what the WBTA is on DCL. If it's something spectacular at a great price that could change everything. I had booked the Bliss in ALaska, but the port days are so short. I was so enamored by the ship I didn't look at the itinerary when I booked.  I think we would leave Juneau at 1pm.  I really want to try that ship. I would love to do it out of LA. I'm waiting on DCL to release Fall 2018 before I decide anything.
I really like the 50pp refundable deposits NCL offers. It's nice to book a cruise without having to put hundreds or thousands down on it.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> It does look nice doesn't it. Way too many ships I want to try. I don't know why the Royal ships never appeal to me. I cruised Royal years ago pre kids and it was just ok. I couldn't even tell you what ship it was. I didn't do another cruise for years and that was DCL. DCL is what got me to like cruising. We decided to give Carnival and NCL a try, and I liked them both. My youngest did not like the kids club on NCL, but my oldest loved the teen club. I've been waiting until my youngest turns 13 to give NCL another go. I booked the Baltic cruise on the Breakaway next year. Honestly I'm pretty undecided. I'm waiting to see what the WBTA is on DCL. If it's something spectacular at a great price that could change everything. I had booked the Bliss in ALaska, but the port days are so short. I was so enamored by the ship I didn't look at the itinerary when I booked.  I think we would leave Juneau at 1pm.  I really want to try that ship. I would love to do it out of LA. I'm waiting on DCL to release Fall 2018 before I decide anything.
> *I really like the 50pp refundable deposits NCL offers. It's nice to book a cruise without having to put hundreds or thousands down on it*.



I agree with that.  It is hard for a lot of people to shell out $500 plus to hold a reservation on Disney.  Many other cruiselines offer reduced deposits and it is an attractive feature.


----------



## KashasMom

Thanks for sharing this. I get SO tired of Disney fanatics putting down other cruise lines especially Carnival. I find that many of them have never even tried another line.


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## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> I agree with that.  It is hard for a lot of people to shell out $500 plus to hold a reservation on Disney.  Many other cruiselines offer reduced deposits and it is an attractive feature.



I agree with that statement. When I book with Carnival, I tend to pay my whole half of the trip (it's just DH and I and we pay everything 50-50%) right away. Something I cannot do with DCL.


----------



## KashasMom

cruiser21 said:


> It does look nice doesn't it. Way too many ships I want to try. I don't know why the Royal ships never appeal to me. I cruised Royal years ago pre kids and it was just ok. I couldn't even tell you what ship it was. I didn't do another cruise for years and that was DCL. DCL is what got me to like cruising. We decided to give Carnival and NCL a try, and I liked them both. My youngest did not like the kids club on NCL, but my oldest loved the teen club. I've been waiting until my youngest turns 13 to give NCL another go. I booked the Baltic cruise on the Breakaway next year. Honestly I'm pretty undecided. I'm waiting to see what the WBTA is on DCL. If it's something spectacular at a great price that could change everything. I had booked the Bliss in ALaska, but the port days are so short. I was so enamored by the ship I didn't look at the itinerary when I booked.  I think we would leave Juneau at 1pm.  I really want to try that ship. I would love to do it out of LA. I'm waiting on DCL to release Fall 2018 before I decide anything.
> I really like the 50pp refundable deposits NCL offers. It's nice to book a cruise without having to put hundreds or thousands down on it.



We've done the big NCL's - Epic, Breakaway, and Getaway and the big RCI's - Oasis and Allure. Two of the most important things for us (as a family) - pools and shows - were so much better on RCI. I would definitely recommend giving one of the RCI Oasis ships a try - especially with teens.


----------



## RedSox68

KashasMom said:


> Thanks for sharing this. I get SO tired of Disney fanatics putting down other cruise lines especially Carnival. I find that many of them have never even tried another line.



True -- they are only going by what they have heard or seen in ads or other's trip reports and find them horrible.  There are some loyal DCL cruisers who simply cannot fathom risking their money on another cruise line and if it makes them happy, they should do it.  But you're right, if others are finding it more financially attractive to branch out, we should also be allowed to do the same.


----------



## mevelandry

KashasMom said:


> Thanks for sharing this. I get SO tired of Disney fanatics putting down other cruise lines especially Carnival. I find that many of them have never even tried another line.



But I can relate to that. I remember that I felt very cocky during our first DCL cruise (which was our first cruise ever), comparing with other ships in Nassau and I was all "_Our ship looks so much better than the other ships. We're sailing on the best ship!_ ".

Then on the second DCL cruise I thought: "_Hey, this one looks pretty good. And it's less expensive to be on this one than ours. Maybe we should give it a try_" (It was a RCCL ship, I think... Not sure which one.) ...

Now that I have sailed on the Carnival Victory, I actually feel bad that I was so snotty about non-DCL cruise lines. While I was blinded by the older appearance of some of the non-DCL ships, we were missing out the great service, good food and fun experience that we got to experience on the Victory. What a shame.

I'm much more open minded now. I feel like we have so many (attractive) options offered to us... And it won't break the bank! It's quite a relief.

(When I think about it, there was a similar competition between WDW and Universal Orlando. According to some WDW fans, Universal is dirty, the food is not good, the CM are rude, the organization is not good, the Universal Hotels not as good as WDW, etc. I went and I found that it was quite the opposite. While we love the Disney bubble, we find the Universal parks has the best rides, the Harry Potter immersion unbelievable --I was emotional during the Forbidden Journey ride... The CM were nice and we now have favorite restaurants in Universal. And the hotels are GREAT!!)


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> But I can relate to that. I remember that I felt very cocky during our first DCL cruise (which was our first cruise ever), *comparing with other ships in Nassau and I was all "Our ship looks so much better than the other ships. We're sailing on the best ship! ".*
> 
> Then on the second DCL cruise I thought: "_Hey, this one looks pretty good. And it's less expensive to be on this one than ours. Maybe we should give it a try_" (It was a RCCL ship, I think... Not sure which one.) ...
> 
> Now that I have sailed on the Carnival Victory, I actually feel bad that I was so snotty about non-DCL cruise lines. While I was blinded by the older appearance of some of the non-DCL ships, we were missing out the great service, good food and fun experience that we got to experience on the Victory. What a shame.
> 
> I'm much more open minded now. I feel like we have so many (attractive) options offered to us... And it won't break the bank! It's quite a relief.
> 
> (When I think about it, there was a similar competition between WDW and Universal Orlando. According to some WDW fans, Universal is dirty, the food is not good, the CM are rude, the organization is not good, the Universal Hotels not as good as WDW, etc. I went and I found that it was quite the opposite. While we love the Disney bubble, we find the Universal parks has the best rides, the Harry Potter immersion unbelievable --I was emotional during the Forbidden Journey ride... The CM were nice and we now have favorite restaurants in Universal. And the hotels are GREAT!!)



Too funny -- we did that in every port for our first four cruises -- no other ship looked better than Disney's.  I still think Disney has some of the classiest ships in the market, but not worth the price.  Even when we are in port on another ship and see the Disney ship, it always looks better.  Some of the cruise line ships are so boxy and white and undefined.  I will give NCL kudos for the paintings on their ships' bows -- it sets them apart.


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## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Too funny -- we did that in every port for our first four cruises -- no other ship looked better than Disney's.



Meanwhile, we can only judge by the exterior of the ships... Some ship look pretty good from the inside and aren't perfect on the outside (Victory among them). I saw videos from The Sea Cruisers on youtube of the Royal Princess. My jaw dropped. 

I remember seeing the NCL Breakway in NYC and the NCL Sky in Nassau. Gorgeous.  (And the Bliss looks awesome!). I looooove their designs, if not more than DCL. It's all a matter of taste.


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## cruiser21

KashasMom said:


> We've done the big NCL's - Epic, Breakaway, and Getaway and the big RCI's - Oasis and Allure. Two of the most important things for us (as a family) - pools and shows - were so much better on RCI. I would definitely recommend giving one of the RCI Oasis ships a try - especially with teens.


I think we would like the RCI ships. It's the ports that are just so blah....like the  DCL ports. I know most of the islands in the Caribbean look alike, but I still like going somewhere new. If I'm going to sail on a Cozumel/Jamaica or St Thomas/ St Martin cruise it's going to have to be in a Havana Cabana, Haven, Royal suite or some kind of experience that makes it new and exciting. Don't get me wrong those ports are fantastic, and were fun the first time and second we did them, but I like new things.


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## cruiser21

RedSox68 said:


> Too funny -- we did that in every port for our first four cruises -- no other ship looked better than Disney's.  I still think Disney has some of the classiest ships in the market, but not worth the price.  Even when we are in port on another ship and see the Disney ship, it always looks better.  Some of the cruise line ships are so boxy and white and undefined.  I will give NCL kudos for the paintings on their ships' bows -- it sets them apart.


I think the navy blue paint on DCL looks great. It hides any rust. I've noticed the white ships like Royal and Carnival show more stains and rust. It's like having white carpet, impossible to keep looking nice. I have wood floors, and tile. I don't want anything in my house that's hard to keep up.


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## KashasMom

cruiser21 said:


> I think we would like the RCI ships. It's the ports that are just so blah....like the  DCL ports. I know most of the islands in the Caribbean look alike, but I still like going somewhere new. If I'm going to sail on a Cozumel/Jamaica or St Thomas/ St Martin cruise it's going to have to be in a Havana Cabana, Haven, Royal suite or some kind of experience that makes it new and exciting. Don't get me wrong those ports are fantastic, and were fun the first time and second we did them, but I like new things.



I completely agree about the ports. I really dislike the Eastern itinerary although my least favorite is the Bahamas from NYC. We've had some really great excursions on our Western cruises. The other side is that if you stay on board on RCI there is a lot of pool space....something that has me concerned about our Dream cruise. See you are going in May - what are you doing in Nassau?


----------



## cruiser21

KashasMom said:


> I completely agree about the ports. I really dislike the Eastern itinerary although my least favorite is the Bahamas from NYC. We've had some really great excursions on our Western cruises. The other side is that if you stay on board on RCI there is a lot of pool space....something that has me concerned about our Dream cruise. See you are going in May - what are you doing in Nassau?


I booked the Dream because we're going to WDW for 8 days. Absolutely doing nothing in Nassau. It's my least favorite port. After our Carnival Vista cruise I'm not sure when we'll go back to the Caribbean. I've got my sights on Europe, Australia and Alaska. When we cruise in Australia. I will definitely cruise on Royal. I think that's a couple of years away. Cruises in Australia are relatively cheap. It's just the long flights, time off work and airfare. My oldest son is the only one interested in going so it may be his graduation present. Just him and I.


----------



## mevelandry

In Nasssau, I noticed there are only three excursions who get good reviews : Atlantis, Balmoral Island and Blue Lagoon (which I have tried and with the exception that we had to walk through the town for a few minutes before to re-enter the secured zone at the end of the excursion, I loved very much!!!).


----------



## KashasMom

cruiser21 said:


> I booked the Dream because we're going to WDW for 8 days. Absolutely doing nothing in Nassau. It's my least favorite port. After our Carnival Vista cruise I'm not sure when we'll go back to the Caribbean. I've got my sights on Europe, Australia and Alaska. When we cruise in Australia. I will definitely cruise on Royal. I think that's a couple of years away. Cruises in Australia are relatively cheap. It's just the long flights, time off work and airfare. My oldest son is the only one interested in going so it may be his graduation present. Just him and I.



I'm not sure if we'll get a day pass for a pool somewhere or stay on board in Nassau. I'm concerned that the Disney pool will be packed. It's also annoying to have to get out of the pool every 15 minutes or whatever it is.

I'm thinking of going back to Alaska in 2019. Australia would be great but the months they cruise wouldn't work for us on a school schedule.

Some of the best vacations I've had have been solo trips with my kids!


----------



## KashasMom

mevelandry said:


> In Nasssau, I noticed there are only three excursions who get good reviews : Atlantis, Balmoral Island and Blue Lagoon (which I have tried and with the exception that we had to walk through the town for a few minutes before to re-enter the secured zone at the end of the excursion, I loved very much!!!).



We've always had a good time in Nassau (Frommer's walking tour, Blue Lagoon, and a couple of times day passes at the Hilton). I was just hoping that since we're only on the Dream 2 full days that we could stay on board but I think it will be crowded. Guess we'll just wait and see what activities they'll have during the day and then decide.


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## cruiser21

We've gone to Cabbage beach a few times, walked around Atlantis and walked around town. Australia is tricky with kids. I guess Christmas or Spring break would be the only option. It would probably still involve missing a week of school, but well worth it my opinion. I do like doing things one on one with my kids. They like it too. As they get older they have different interests. My husband doesn't get as much time off as me, and he doesn't care if I take them each on a trip.


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## RedSox68

We loved our excursion to Atlantis and the aquarium.  What a gorgeous resort and we were allowed to walk the grounds and see the different pools of sea life.


----------



## mevelandry

Side note: I need to vent... I just quit a Disney cruising group on FB because I was tired of reading bad comments about Carnival (especially from people who have never sailed on any of their ships) and self-congratulatory comments from people who seem very proud to pay the premium/being able to afford the DCL cruises...

I love DCL and I am very excited to cruise with them later this week ... BUT ... Going on a vacation --no matter which line you sail with-- is a priviledge and I'm having a hard time with snobs.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Side note: I need to vent... I just quit a Disney cruising group on FB because I was tired of reading bad comments about Carnival (especially from people who have never sailed on any of their ships) and self-congratulatory comments from people who seem very proud to pay the premium/being able to afford the DCL cruises...
> 
> I love DCL and I am very excited to cruise with them later this week ... BUT ... Going on a vacation --no matter which line you sail with-- is a priviledge and I'm having a hard time with snobs.


I try to take it all with a grain of salt. It seems like the biggest Disney fans cruise once every two years and do it exclusively for the Mickey experience.  The cruisers that are really interested in seeing new ports and exploring new continents tend to be open to all options. Some of the biggest Disney loyalists on this board(from what I know about them)  I'm almost certain couldn't afford a 15k European cruise either.  I think some people need to criticize other cruiselines as a way to justify to themselves spending the extra money on DCL. I think if your truly comfortable with yourself and your choices you wouldn't have to do that.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> I try to take it all with a grain of salt. It seems like the biggest Disney fans cruise once every two years and do it exclusively for the Mickey experience.  The cruisers that are really interested in seeing new ports and exploring new continents tend to be open to all options. Some of the biggest Disney loyalists on this board(from what I know about them)  I'm almost certain couldn't afford a 15k European cruise either.  I think some people need to criticize other cruiselines as a way to justify to themselves spending the extra money on DCL. I think if your truly comfortable with yourself and your choices you wouldn't have to do that.



Very well put.  I agree with mevelandry's comment, too.  No need to suffer through a site that makes you feel bad about how you plan your vacations.  When we started on DCL we could only afford a vacation every two years or so.  Now as I get older, I want to vacation at least every year, if not twice a year (I have too much left to see and do LOL).  Unfortunately, Disney doesn't allow me to do that.


----------



## cruiser21

RedSox68 said:


> Very well put.  I agree with mevelandry's comment, too.  No need to suffer through a site that makes you feel bad about how you plan your vacations.  When we started on DCL we could only afford a vacation every two years or so.  Now as I get older, I want to vacation at least every year, if not twice a year (I have too much left to see and do LOL).  Unfortunately, Disney doesn't allow me to do that.


Dcl was a lot more affordable when we started cruising.. I'd love to brag that my income has doubled to keep up with the "Disney inflation" unfortunately it hasn't. My dh has made some money in the stock market during the bull run we've had, but that's in our IRA so not touchable. Markets go up and down so I never get too excited, especially after the 2009 housing explosion. We live in AZ and it was ugly.
It's funny on Cruise Critic I've had to defend DCL because a lot of people think your absolutely insane for paying DCL prices. My advice for Mevelandty would be to hang out on the Carnival boards you're never going to convince most DCL loyalist that there are comparable options for less money.


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## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> Dcl was a lot more affordable when we started cruising.. I'd love to brag that my income has doubled to keep up with the "Disney inflation" unfortunately it hasn't. My dh has made some money in the stock market during the bull run we've had, but that's in our IRA so not touchable. Markets go up and down so I never get too excited, especially after the 2009 housing explosion. We live in AZ and it was ugly.
> It's funny on Cruise Critic I've had to defend DCL because a lot of people think your absolutely insane for paying DCL prices. My advice for Mevelandty would be to hang out on the Carnival boards you're never going to convince most DCL loyalist that there are comparable options for less money.



Yes, I have found that the people on the CC boards can get just as defensive as they do on here.


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## trvlgirlmq

Well, after saying we wouldn't cruise Vista again we went ahead and booked for 2018.  We really wanted to return to Europe but my mom wants to semi-retire when she is 70 so doesn't want to spend as much on travel right now.  So, we will plan a big Europe trip when my DS graduates HS in 2021!!  I still want to try Royal Caribbean too and I had almost everyone on board but was then out-voted.


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## cruiser21

RedSox68 said:


> Yes, I have found that the people on the CC boards can get just as defensive as they do on here.


When people on cc tell me I'm insane for paying DCL prices it doesn't bother me. I actually don't disagree with them.  I know when I book a DCL cruise I'm overpaying. I don't try to justify it... or maybe I do by telling myself it's ok to be a little crazy once in a while. Lol


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## PrincessTrisha

cruiser21 said:


> When people on cc tell me I'm insane for paying DCL prices it doesn't bother me. I actually don't disagree with them.  I know when I book a DCL cruise I'm overpaying. I don't try to justify it... or maybe I do by telling myself it's ok to be a little crazy once in a while. Lol



This is so true. I keep trying to "justify" what I'm spending on my November DCL trip by ensuring that I've included every possible expensive on Carnival (which we're sailing the following week) including stuff we probably won't end up paying for (I have included the steakhouse on Carnival - we enjoy the MDR on Carnival so I just can't see going there) and of course our gambling money (possible that we won't spend it all or that we could come home with some).

Eventually I just had to give up and say - "it costs what it costs and you're paying it so shut up and feel good about it or you're not going to enjoy yourself." (and yes, I frequently have to yell at myself to spend money on myself).

We'll have a great time on the Disney Fantasy, and then we'll have a great time on the Carnival Magic.


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## RedSox68

PrincessTrisha said:


> This is so true. I keep trying to "justify" what I'm spending on my November DCL trip by ensuring that I've included every possible expensive on Carnival (which we're sailing the following week) including stuff we probably won't end up paying for (I have included the steakhouse on Carnival - we enjoy the MDR on Carnival so I just can't see going there) and of course our gambling money (possible that we won't spend it all or that we could come home with some).
> 
> Eventually I just had to give up and say - "it costs what it costs and you're paying it so shut up and feel good about it or you're not going to enjoy yourself." (and yes, I frequently have to yell at myself to spend money on myself).
> 
> We'll have a great time on the Disney Fantasy, and then we'll have a great time on the Carnival Magic.



Yeah, don't ever let anyone on any board beat you up because they think you were stupid to pay DCL prices.  They don't know you or your family's likes or dislikes, your financial situation nor the joy DCL gives you.  It's not up to them and maybe they are just bitter that they can't sail on DCL.  I have touted and compared on many threads here the DCL prices vs.. other lines, but that was for information purposes and to share our experiences.  I would never judge anyone who still want to sail on Disney.

Have a splendid time and enjoy every single minute.  When we sail on other cruise lines, unless the specialty dining is a promo deal, we don't spend extra for it as the MDR and other free dining choices around the ship are enough for us.  Have a great trip!


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## cruiser21

PrincessTrisha said:


> This is so true. I keep trying to "justify" what I'm spending on my November DCL trip by ensuring that I've included every possible expensive on Carnival (which we're sailing the following week) including stuff we probably won't end up paying for (I have included the steakhouse on Carnival - we enjoy the MDR on Carnival so I just can't see going there) and of course our gambling money (possible that we won't spend it all or that we could come home with some).
> 
> Eventually I just had to give up and say - "it costs what it costs and you're paying it so shut up and feel good about it or you're not going to enjoy yourself." (and yes, I frequently have to yell at myself to spend money on myself).
> 
> We'll have a great time on the Disney Fantasy, and then we'll have a great time on the Carnival Magic.





RedSox68 said:


> Yeah, don't ever let anyone on any board beat you up because they think you were stupid to pay DCL prices.  They don't know you or your family's likes or dislikes, your financial situation nor the joy DCL gives you.  It's not up to them and maybe they are just bitter that they can't sail on DCL.  I have touted and compared on many threads here the DCL prices vs.. other lines, but that was for information purposes and to share our experiences.  I would never judge anyone who still want to sail on Disney.
> 
> Have a splendid time and enjoy every single minute.  When we sail on other cruise lines, unless the specialty dining is a promo deal, we don't spend extra for it as the MDR and other free dining choices around the ship are enough for us.  Have a great trip!



Sailing on DCL because you love it is one thing. Sailing on DCL because you think it's superior to other cruiselines...none of which you tried..is another thing. I see that a lot on here. The line between facts and opinion also seems to get muddled. I've seen people post factual things that are wrong. You correct them and they tell you they have a right to their opinion. HuH?

Hey at least you're sailing on DCL in Nov and not July. Have a great trip. I'll be back on DCL next Fall. Not sure on what cruise yet .


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## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> Sailing on DCL because you love it is one thing. *Sailing on DCL because you think it's superior to other cruiselines...none of which you tried..is another thing*. I see that a lot on here. The line between facts and opinion also seems to get muddled. I've seen people post factual things that are wrong. You correct them and they tell you they have a right to their opinion. HuH?
> 
> Hey at least you're sailing on DCL in Nov and not July. Have a great trip. I'll be back on DCL next Fall. Not sure on what cruise yet .



Actually that's a very good point.  No one should be dissing someone for doing non-Disney cruises if they've never done a non-Disney cruise anyway.


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## mevelandry

Hi! 

I'm back from my cruise on the Disney Wonder. 

Our DCL shuttle from the resort had a mechanical problem, another shuttle picked us up and we ended up arriving at 2 pm (lost about 35 minutes). 

We had to skip Nassau because someone from another ship fell over board. 

Let's just say some parts of the ship are not in a very good shape... I did not find it to be in a much better shape (especially the exterior sections that were not refurbished, like the Quiet Cove) than the Carnival Victory. Also, we've had sewer smell for parts of the cruise. 

Not a fan of the layout. Also it felt tight and very crowded unlike the Dream and the Carnival Victory. 

That being said, we received great service and all dining rooms were outstanding. Tiana's was awesome. 

I have found the food from the dining room much better than the Disney Dream and equal to the Victory. 

And Castaway Cay was awesome. 

I met every characters and princesses I wanted to meet. I'm overdosed with Disney now. I need a break. LOL


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## hanscarlet

what deck were you on? we had a stinky sewer smell towards the closet on deck 8 back in 2015.... was hoping that would have gone away after the refurbishment


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## mevelandry

hanscarlet said:


> what deck were you on? we had a stinky sewer smell towards the closet on deck 8 back in 2015.... was hoping that would have gone away after the refurbishment



Deck 7. Yesterday night we could smell it near the theater and this morning in the bathroom (and a little in the cabin). It felt like we were hanging out in a "busy" restroom. LOL


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## hanscarlet

yuck... I can't wait to see their new ships.... I hope they aren't a gagillion $$ to sail on them


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## mevelandry

I'm still shocked by how bad the Quiet Cove looked on the Wonder. With the exception of the floor which was not perfect but that bad, the Carnival Victory's main pool (which I thought didn't look good) looked better. 

I miss the Disney Dream Quiet Cove and the Siren's pool & Serenity deck from the Carnival Victory.


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## cyclenut

I do like this thread.  I've written elsewhere about our experience with Carnival Breeze as compared to Disney generally and Wonder specifically.  I have to say that I found much of your experience to align with ours, except the dining. 

Our main dining room experience on the Breeze was disappointing at best.  I've had better food on Carnival's short cruises, so I know they can do better, but not on my sailing.  The food was lukewarm and mostly tasteless.  The ice cream served with the molten chocolate cake was melted and refrozen now with ice crystals.  The service was poor, I had to get up and retrieve a pitcher to refill my own water.  Nobody even noticed.  They were that inattentive.  

The buffets were a different story.  They were great on the Breeze.  I also much preferred the Breeze breakfast.  Blue Iguana's breakfast burrito.  Nice.  DCL hash browns looked like they had been fried once and then reheated in the fryer a second time.  Crunchy and greasy.  I still can't get over why DCL puts out frozen Krispy Kreme donuts.  They are horrible.  People must like them, but I can't figure out why.  There were good things to eat on DCL, but I didn't find anything on the Breeze that was quite as bad as those hash browns and the baked goods tasted fresh, not from the freezer.

We stayed in a Jr. Suite on the Breeze and didn't care for the layout of the room compared to Disney.  It was bigger for sure, but the space was not friendly.  The Wonder has a sliding door to the balcony where the Breeze had a swinging door.  Sliding door is superior when room is scarce, as it is on a ship.

Entertainment on DCL is far superior in almost every way.  The comedy clubs on Carnival were marginal.  We went to the late night and all they could do was cuss up a storm, as though that made every joke funny.  I don't mind a few cuss words thrown around, but this was excessive and while I wasn't offended, it simply wasn't funny.  The same guy earlier in the day was pretty good so we went back for the late show and were not impressed.  The stage shows were big and glamorous, but the talent just doesn't match Disney.  Every person on the stage in a Disney show is a true triple threat.  Some of the carnival dancers couldn't even stay in their turns and timing was off throughout the show.  Not to mention that the dancers didn't sing and the singers didn't dance (at least not well).

Service on Carnival was somewhat average.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.  They did a lot of quirky things. Service staff was asking me to move out of their way a lot.  Minor I know but on Disney I'd sometimes catch myself pausing in a walkway only to notice a Disney CM standing there waiting for me to move, silent.  I'd almost rather they say something as I don't intend to be rude, but on Carnival it was as if they were on a mission and needed you to get out of their way.

Carnival also pushes the alcohol a LOT more.  Order a beer and they try and talk you into buying a bucket.  Order a drink and they try and bring you two.  I even had a waiter set drinks down on our table they know we didn't ask for to try and get us to buy them.  Seriously happened.  On the Breeze this past September.  

Don't get me wrong here, we'll sail Carnival again and found the Breeze to be just fine and in some ways better, but it does not compare to Disney, unless you factor in price and are willing to make a few sacrifices for the lower price.  You do NOT get the same product at a lower price.

Our Breeze cruise out of Galveston was about $2500 for two in the Jr. Suite for seven days.  Our Disney was about $3500 on the Wonder out of Galveston for seven days.  The Breeze was in September 2016 and the Wonder in January of 2017.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I'm still shocked by how bad the Quiet Cove looked on the Wonder. With the exception of the floor which was not perfect but that bad, the Carnival Victory's main pool (which I thought didn't look good) looked better.
> 
> I miss the Disney Dream Quiet Cove and the Siren's pool & Serenity deck from the Carnival Victory.


The one thing I really didn't like about the Wonder, compared to Dream class ships, was the white walls in the cabin hallways. The wood veneer is so much prettier on the Dream and Fantasy. I also thought the size and shape of the midship elevator's was a total joke, those were crazy small, it's a good thing for us we rarely use them. 

Overall, I still really enjoy DCL but am so happy we tried Carnival as well. We're going on the Magic this fall out of NYC and can hardly wait for it. It will complete our Grand Slam and then we can patiently wait for the new ships. I know it won't happen but I really hope DCL ports a ship year round on the west coast, doing Alaska in the summer and cruises out of Long Beach the rest of the year.


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## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> I do like this thread.  I've written elsewhere about our experience with Carnival Breeze as compared to Disney generally and Wonder specifically.  I have to say that I found much of your experience to align with ours, except the dining.
> 
> Our main dining room experience on the Breeze was disappointing at best.  I've had better food on Carnival's short cruises, so I know they can do better, but not on my sailing.  The food was lukewarm and mostly tasteless.  The ice cream served with the molten chocolate cake was melted and refrozen now with ice crystals.  The service was poor, I had to get up and retrieve a pitcher to refill my own water.  Nobody even noticed.  They were that inattentive.
> 
> The buffets were a different story.  They were great on the Breeze.  I also much preferred the Breeze breakfast.  Blue Iguana's breakfast burrito.  Nice.  DCL hash browns looked like they had been fried once and then reheated in the fryer a second time.  Crunchy and greasy.  I still can't get over why DCL puts out frozen Krispy Kreme donuts.  They are horrible.  People must like them, but I can't figure out why.  There were good things to eat on DCL, but I didn't find anything on the Breeze that was quite as bad as those hash browns and the baked goods tasted fresh, not from the freezer.
> 
> We stayed in a Jr. Suite on the Breeze and didn't care for the layout of the room compared to Disney.  It was bigger for sure, but the space was not friendly.  The Wonder has a sliding door to the balcony where the Breeze had a swinging door.  Sliding door is superior when room is scarce, as it is on a ship.
> 
> Entertainment on DCL is far superior in almost every way.  The comedy clubs on Carnival were marginal.  We went to the late night and all they could do was cuss up a storm, as though that made every joke funny.  I don't mind a few cuss words thrown around, but this was excessive and while I wasn't offended, it simply wasn't funny.  The same guy earlier in the day was pretty good so we went back for the late show and were not impressed.  The stage shows were big and glamorous, but the talent just doesn't match Disney.  Every person on the stage in a Disney show is a true triple threat.  Some of the carnival dancers couldn't even stay in their turns and timing was off throughout the show.  Not to mention that the dancers didn't sing and the singers didn't dance (at least not well).
> 
> Service on Carnival was somewhat average.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.  They did a lot of quirky things. Service staff was asking me to move out of their way a lot.  Minor I know but on Disney I'd sometimes catch myself pausing in a walkway only to notice a Disney CM standing there waiting for me to move, silent.  I'd almost rather they say something as I don't intend to be rude, but on Carnival it was as if they were on a mission and needed you to get out of their way.
> 
> Carnival also pushes the alcohol a LOT more.  Order a beer and they try and talk you into buying a bucket.  Order a drink and they try and bring you two.  I even had a waiter set drinks down on our table they know we didn't ask for to try and get us to buy them.  Seriously happened.  On the Breeze this past September.
> 
> Don't get me wrong here, we'll sail Carnival again and found the Breeze to be just fine and in some ways better, but it does not compare to Disney, unless you factor in price and are willing to make a few sacrifices for the lower price.  You do NOT get the same product at a lower price.
> 
> Our Breeze cruise out of Galveston was about $2500 for two in the Jr. Suite for seven days.  Our Disney was about $3500 on the Wonder out of Galveston for seven days.  The Breeze was in September 2016 and the Wonder in January of 2017.



I guess it depends on the ship. We can easily compare the Victory with the Wonder... The entertainment was different but we appreciated both for different reasons.   The Victory has great crew and great food.


----------



## elvispursley

Thanks to all for the reviews. This has me seriously thinking that I may cancel our DCL and change to a different cruise line all together. I've been hemming all together about the cruise we booked (southern caribbean Jan. 2018 on Wonder) after only having sailed on the Dream class ships. I'm worried that my kids ( DS 13 and DS 11 who hate the kids clubs anyway) won't have enough to keep themselves busy. I realize that this is a port-intensive cruise, but it is also an _expensive _cruise airfare-wise (Seattle to San Juan for 5 is $$). Plus, my oldest would really love to go back to WDW at Halloween for MNSSHP and to Universal (which we all LOVED)! I've been waiting for the Fall 2018 itineraries to be released to make my decision. Have never honestly ever considered a Carnival ship...ever! But would be willing to try the Vista or the Horizon ships. Do the Family Harbor rooms have a balcony option??


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

elvispursley said:


> Thanks to all for the reviews. This has me seriously thinking that I may cancel our DCL and change to a different cruise line all together. I've been hemming all together about the cruise we booked (southern caribbean Jan. 2018 on Wonder) after only having sailed on the Dream class ships. I'm worried that my kids ( DS 13 and DS 11 who hate the kids clubs anyway) won't have enough to keep themselves busy. I realize that this is a port-intensive cruise, but it is also an _expensive _cruise airfare-wise (Seattle to San Juan for 5 is $$). Plus, my oldest would really love to go back to WDW at Halloween for MNSSHP and to Universal (which we all LOVED)! I've been waiting for the Fall 2018 itineraries to be released to make my decision. Have never honestly ever considered a Carnival ship...ever! But would be willing to try the Vista or the Horizon ships. Do the Family Harbor rooms have a balcony option??


The family Harbor area is on deck 2 so they are called cove balconies. People seem to love them because they are so close to the water and the view is completely unobstructed. They aren't as open as a regular balcony room because they have "storm doors" for really choppy seas that carnival will close when the weather gets super bad. The family Harbor suites sleep 5 and have a full bathroom with toilet, shower and sink plus a half bath with sink and tub/shower.


----------



## phinz

Another difference: The Carnival adult pool isn't an adult pool anymore. Carnival has announced that the aft pools will be all ages now.


----------



## cyclenut

mevelandry said:


> I guess it depends on the ship. We can easily compare the Victory with the Wonder... The entertainment was different but we appreciated both for different reasons.   The Victory has great crew and great food.



I've been on three Carnival ships and the entertainment has been OK at best.  Food is so subjective I will never argue about what is best with anyone.  I was just pointing out that it is not a fair statement to suggest that Carnival food is better.  You may have experienced better on your sailing, which is great.  However, folks should be cautious as the experience is inconsistent across ships.  

That isn't to say my DCL experience was always grand either.  Our last sailing on the Wonder I did have to send a couple of dishes back because they were simply prepared wrong.  Visibly different preparation for the same dish at the same table.


----------



## mevelandry

No no of course. We all have different tastes. 

DH and I loved the entertainment on Carnival. The comedy shows are the type of humor we like. DH dislikes the DCL shows... I love them but I love the Carnival Victory just as much.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I'm still shocked by how bad the Quiet Cove looked on the Wonder. With the exception of the floor which was not perfect but that bad, the Carnival Victory's main pool (which I thought didn't look good) looked better.
> 
> I miss the Disney Dream Quiet Cove and the Siren's pool & Serenity deck from the Carnival Victory.


The Magic looks even worse on the pool deck. I've noticed the wet vacs in the hallways and the sewage smell on the Magic, but not on the Wonder yet.  My favorite thing on the Classics is the promenade lounge before dinner. I also like the adult bar area better then the Dream class. The bathrooms in the adult area on the Fantasy are a work of art though.  I'm excited to go back on the Dream. It's been 3 years since I've been on one of the Classics.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cruiser21 said:


> The Magic looks even worse on the pool deck. I've noticed the wet vacs in the hallways and the sewage smell on the Magic, but not on the Wonder yet.  My favorite thing on the Classics is the promenade lounge before dinner. I also like the adult bar area better then the Dream class. The bathrooms in the adult area on the Fantasy are a work of art though.  I'm excited to go back on the Dream. It's been 3 years since I've been on one of the Classics.


I took a bunch of pictures of those bathrooms and kept showing them to everyone when I got home. People look at you really strange when you say look at the bathroom pictures I have, LOL. 

This is actually my favorite cruiseship bathroom. This is the urinal on Voyager of the Seas. It's a waterfall that is always running and you have an amazing view of the sea while relieving yourself.


----------



## RedSox68

phinz said:


> Another difference: The Carnival adult pool isn't an adult pool anymore. Carnival has announced that the aft pools will be all ages now.



UGH -- that stinks!


----------



## cruiser21

phinz said:


> Another difference: The Carnival adult pool isn't an adult pool anymore. Carnival has announced that the aft pools will be all ages now.


They still have the serenity area for adults.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> They still have the serenity area for adults.



Oh okay -- good to know.  But on Carnival don't you have to pay a premium for that area (in other words -- it's not included free)?  Or maybe they changed that.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> UGH -- that stinks!





phinz said:


> Another difference: The Carnival adult pool isn't an adult pool anymore. Carnival has announced that the aft pools will be all ages now.



No!!! That sucks! I like kids but I don't like swimming with kids... They keep splashing everyone around them.


----------



## cruiser21

RedSox68 said:


> Oh okay -- good to know.  But on Carnival don't you have to pay a premium for that area (in other words -- it's not included free)?  Or maybe they changed that.


No it's free. I can't remember,  but I don't think there's a pool. The aft pool area on Carnival is not adult only. Kids aren't supposed to go in the pools, but they can hang out there.   I don't swim on cruises, but I do use the adult hot tubs.   I have a pool in my backyard so swimming in a tiny pool with 50 other people has just never been that appealing.
 It seems like cruises are marketing themselves more to family's, and the ships they are building seem to reflect that. I do think every ship should have a space for adults. Even those of us that vacation with kids like some quite time.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> They still have the serenity area for adults.



With no pool. Just overcrowded jacuzzis. 



RedSox68 said:


> Oh okay -- good to know.  But on Carnival don't you have to pay a premium for that area (in other words -- it's not included free)?  Or maybe they changed that.



No, it's included. It's havana you have to pay for.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

Just another reason to try a Spirit class ship (like the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore); the Serenity area includes both a hot tub and a pool (adults only).


----------



## mevelandry

I "slept on it" and I am ready to take a 5 years break from DCL now.

I liked the Golden Mickey and Dreams and Frozen but I'm not the biggest fan of the DCL shows. I think I'm jumping sides now (my husband was already on the other side). I guess I need something a little more "adult oriented" for a while...

My MIL wanted to meet all characters so I have this "been there, done that" feeling with the Mouse. 

And maybe Carnival ruined DCL for me a little. LOL

We've had the "Yes but we had something better/similar/almost just as good on Carnival for 50% less" thought way too many times during that cruise.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I "slept on it" and I am ready to take a 5 years break from DCL now.
> 
> I liked the Golden Mickey and Dreams and Frozen but I'm not the biggest fan of the DCL shows. I think I'm jumping sides now (my husband was already on the other side). I guess I need something a little more "adult oriented" for a while...
> 
> My MIL wanted to meet all characters so I have this "been there, done that" feeling with the Mouse.
> 
> And maybe Carnival ruined DCL for me a little. LOL
> 
> We've had the "Yes but we had something better/similar/almost just as good on Carnival for 50% less" thought way too many times during that cruise.


I totally get what you're saying. I want to experience new things and adventures, whether it's a new ship or destination. With all the new ships coming out in the next few years I won't be loyal to any certain cruise line, I'm trying them all!


----------



## RedSox68

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I totally get what you're saying. I want to experience new things and adventures, whether it's a new ship or destination. With all the new ships coming out in the next few years I won't be loyal to any certain cruise line, I'm trying them all!



That's how I feel -- I want to sail at least once on each cruise line.  Still have to do Celebrity and RCCL, and then there are the European lines.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

RedSox68 said:


> That's how I feel -- I want to sail at least once on each cruise line.  Still have to do Celebrity and RCCL, and then there are the European lines.


Have you seen the new MSC Seaside? She'll be sailing from Miami, holy cow!!


----------



## RedSox68

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Have you seen the new MSC Seaside? She'll be sailing from Miami, holy cow!!



NO -- I will now have to add that to my list.  For some reason I thought the MSC line was overseas.  Thanks.


----------



## kaseyC

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Have you seen the new MSC Seaside? She'll be sailing from Miami, holy cow!!



It looks amazing. It's purposely built for the U.S. market.  I'm very excited to sail it.  We have had it booked for Spring Break 2018 for over a year and a few months ago we booked the the 12/23 inaugural 7 night Caribbean sailing which also happens to be a Christmas cruise.  The prices were fantastic.  They have concierge "ship with in a ship" concept called the Yacht Club that has it's own lounge, sundeck, pool and restaurants.   We have two YC suites booked for our family of 5.  The price difference between MSC and Disney is mind blowing for 7 night holiday cruises for the same week.  Our two YC suites are less than one ocean view family cabin on the Fantasy. 

@RedSox68 MSC is an Italian cruise line which has only had one ship the Divina home ported in the US.  They are trying to expand their US market with the Seaside.  This will be our first experience with them.  We enjoy cruising and during Christmas our goal is to be anywhere warmer than IL.  So unless, the ship runs out of food, drinks or sinks we will probably be happy.  lol


----------



## phinz

I'm interested to hear what the horns for the Seaside play. MSC is known for their musical horns.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I "slept on it" and I am ready to take a 5 years break from DCL now.
> 
> I liked the Golden Mickey and Dreams and Frozen but I'm not the biggest fan of the DCL shows. I think I'm jumping sides now (my husband was already on the other side). I guess I need something a little more "adult oriented" for a while...
> 
> My MIL wanted to meet all characters so I have this "been there, done that" feeling with the Mouse.
> 
> And maybe Carnival ruined DCL for me a little. LOL
> 
> We've had the "Yes but we had something better/similar/almost just as good on Carnival for 50% less" thought way too many times during that cruise.


My Carnival Vista cruise in Oct only has a handful of rooms left. The Fantasy the same week has lots of rooms left. If you look at cruisefish most cruises this Fall on the Fantasy are still very close to opening day prices. I hope the competition in Florida will bring down the Fantasy prices. 

 The last time we sailed on her was in 2014, and we got a pretty good VGT rate. I'm hoping to sail on her again next Fall.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> My Carnival Vista cruise in Oct only has a handful of rooms left. The Fantasy the same week has lots of rooms left. If you look at cruisefish most cruises this Fall on the Fantasy are still very close to opening day prices. I hope the competition in Florida will bring down the Fantasy prices.
> 
> The last time we sailed on her was in 2014, and we got a pretty good VGT rate. I'm hoping to sail on her again next Fall.



If I remember correctly, we are sailing on the Vista just a few days apart, right?


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I totally get what you're saying. I want to experience new things and adventures, whether it's a new ship or destination. With all the new ships coming out in the next few years I won't be loyal to any certain cruise line, I'm trying them all!



I am so sold on the Anthem and the Oasis of the seas, and the Breakaway... I definitely want to try RCCL and Norwegian in 2018.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> If I remember correctly, we are sailing on the Vista just a few days apart, right?


Oct 21


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Oct 21



Right after us! We're October 15, coming back on the 21th!


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Right after us! We're October 15, coming back on the 21th!


I just found out my oldest niece is getting married the weekend after we get back. An Ocean harbor ocean view opened up Aug 20 on the 6 night. I put it on hold. I'm thinking about changing. It's an out of town wedding I really don't want to miss. It's a really good super saver rate  a lot less then the 8 night October cruise. I'm thinking if I like the Vista I can always try the Southern next Spring. One thing I've noticed about Carnival is the prices are really stable. If you want a specific room like Havana or Ocean Harbor you better book early because they book fast. Booking early saves you having to check the website 10 times a day for a cancellation, but it doesn't really save you a lot of money. Unlike DCL where it's either book super early or hope for a good GT rate.
Even though I've been to all the ports I've never done any excursions. On DCL the cruise was always expensive enough. Carnival has better excursions then DCL. The amazing race in Cozumel looks really fun. My son would love it. I was momentarily worried about the August heat, and then I remembered I live in Arizona. It will actually be cooler in the Caribbean then it will be at home.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I just found out my oldest niece is getting married the weekend after we get back. An Ocean harbor ocean view opened up Aug 20 on the 6 night. I put it on hold. I'm thinking about changing. It's an out of town wedding I really don't want to miss. It's a really good super saver rate  a lot less then the 8 night October cruise. I'm thinking if I like the Vista I can always try the Southern next Spring. One thing I've noticed about Carnival is the prices are really stable. If you want a specific room like Havana or Ocean Harbor you better book early because they book fast. Booking early saves you having to check the website 10 times a day for a cancellation, but it doesn't really save you a lot of money. Unlike DCL where it's either book super early or hope for a good GT rate.
> Even though I've been to all the ports I've never done any excursions. On DCL the cruise was always expensive enough. Carnival has better excursions then DCL. The amazing race in Cozumel looks really fun. My son would love it. I was momentarily worried about the August heat, and then I remembered I live in Arizona. It will actually be cooler in the Caribbean then it will be at home.



If you decide to go in August, I would love to read your review!


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> If you decide to go in August, I would love to read your review!


I will do that. A lot  depends on what happens next month. If I get bit by the Disney bug and decide to upgrade to annual passes I'll want to go to the food and wine festival in September. That would mean pushing my cruise back to December. It's been almost 5 years since I've been to WDW. I used to absolutely love it. I'm not sure how I'll feel about it now. We've done so much traveling over the last 5 years WDW might be very ho-hum.  My son is super excited, but he's almost 13. He could get there and be like meh..I'd rather be cruising or he could want to go back..who knows?

The one thing I don't like is the cost of the resorts, and how scarce discounts are. Before I would even consider upgrading I would make sure I could book a bounce back at a resort I like. Annual passes don't seem like the deal they used to be. You almost have to take three trips to break even. Anyway, I should have it all figured out by mid-May.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I will do that. A lot  depends on what happens next month. If I get bit by the Disney bug and decide to upgrade to annual passes I'll want to go to the food and wine festival in September. That would mean pushing my cruise back to December. It's been almost 5 years since I've been to WDW. I used to absolutely love it. I'm not sure how I'll feel about it now. We've done so much traveling over the last 5 years WDW might be very ho-hum.  My son is super excited, but he's almost 13. He could get there and be like meh..I'd rather be cruising or he could want to go back..who knows?
> 
> The one thing I don't like is the cost of the resorts, and how scarce discounts are. Before I would even consider upgrading I would make sure I could book a bounce back at a resort I like. Annual passes don't seem like the deal they used to be. You almost have to take three trips to break even. Anyway, I should have it all figured out by mid-May.



The price of the resorts definitely went up but they are well taken care of. 

We stayed at CBR and the rooms that were refurbished in 2015 still look brand new. But the resort is undergoing major refurbishments starting in May...


----------



## mevelandry

Now that My DCL cruise is done, I've started working on my Carnival Vista Cruise. 

There are thousands of pictures on CC... Boy that ship look gorgeous! We are so excited! 

I already booked Jiji, Cucina Del Capitano and the Steakhouse. 

I booked a very basic inside room. Debating whether I should book a Family Harbour room or not. (It's not much more expensive) We have no kids, is this section more noisy? The rooms are so pretty! 

Havana room sounds awesome but that would cost us more than 5000$ CND... Not gonna happen unless we win the lottery.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> Now that My DCL cruise is done, I've started working on my Carnival Vista Cruise.
> 
> There are thousands of pictures on CC... Boy that ship look gorgeous! We are so excited!
> 
> I already booked Jiji, Cucina Del Capitano and the Steakhouse.
> 
> I booked a very basic inside room. Debating whether I should book a Family Harbour room or not. (It's not much more expensive) We have no kids, is this section more noisy? The rooms are so pretty!
> 
> Havana room sounds awesome but that would cost us more than 5000$ CND... Not gonna happen unless we win the lottery.



Have you checked the price of an oceanview? They are bigger than the inside cabins and they have a couch.

My other suggestion would be a Port Hole cabin - they are classed as an inside but have 2 small port hole windows and are the same size as the ocean view (220 sq feet).

I'm sure the family harbour cabins are very nice; my question is - would you use those amenities (like the breakfast area, snacks, hangout area with other families)?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Now that My DCL cruise is done, I've started working on my Carnival Vista Cruise.
> 
> There are thousands of pictures on CC... Boy that ship look gorgeous! We are so excited!
> 
> I already booked Jiji, Cucina Del Capitano and the Steakhouse.
> 
> I booked a very basic inside room. Debating whether I should book a Family Harbour room or not. (It's not much more expensive) We have no kids, is this section more noisy? The rooms are so pretty!
> 
> Havana room sounds awesome but that would cost us more than 5000$ CND... Not gonna happen unless we win the lottery.



Most of the FH rooms are under the galley and MDR so there has been noise reported.  I think the decor is great but would never book one for the noise issues.  I really want to try a Havana room and there is 1 inside left on my sailing but I have also read that there are noise issues from the Havana Bar at night with the band and loud music playing until 1 AM.  I guess they are out too   We are in a basic inside on Deck 7 this time.  We did a balcony on Deck 8 last year and the balcony door slammers were the worst we have ever encountered.  We just can't deal with it anymore and so will lose our precious outside space for the quiet.


----------



## RedSox68

trvlgirlmq said:


> Most of the FH rooms are under the galley and MDR so there has been noise reported.  I think the decor is great but would never book one for the noise issues.  I really want to try a Havana room and there is 1 inside left on my sailing but I have also read that there are noise issues from the Havana Bar at night with the band and loud music playing until 1 AM.  I guess they are out too   We are in a basic inside on Deck 7 this time.  We did a balcony on Deck 8 last year and the balcony door slammers were the worst we have ever encountered.  We just can't deal with it anymore and so will lose our precious outside space for the quiet.



I will never understand the design crew that puts the higher end suites and rooms under restaurants, pools, gym, etc.  We got upgraded on our Princess cruise in 2015 from a verandah room to a mini-suite and thought that was fantastic -- until we discovered that we were under one of the restaurants.  We were assured that they close at 10 p.m. and there should be no problems.  What they realize is that they wheel carts through that restaurant all night to set up other areas -- all night!  By the third day we couldn't stand it and called -- and they simply re-routed them to take a different path and after that is was very peaceful.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Now that My DCL cruise is done, I've started working on my Carnival Vista Cruise.
> 
> There are thousands of pictures on CC... Boy that ship look gorgeous! We are so excited!
> 
> I already booked Jiji, Cucina Del Capitano and the Steakhouse.
> 
> I booked a very basic inside room. Debating whether I should book a Family Harbour room or not. (It's not much more expensive) We have no kids, is this section more noisy? The rooms are so pretty!
> 
> Havana room sounds awesome but that would cost us more than 5000$ CND... Not gonna happen unless we win the lottery.


The insides are fine for 2 people, I wish there was a little more closet space though.

We are staying in some of the oversized square interior rooms in June. They are the same price as regular interiors but have a better layout. Also, the non-connecting cabins have a couch in them. They're the 10 cabins down the center


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Most of the FH rooms are under the galley and MDR so there has been noise reported.  I think the decor is great but would never book one for the noise issues.  I really want to try a Havana room and there is 1 inside left on my sailing but I have also read that there are noise issues from the Havana Bar at night with the band and loud music playing until 1 AM.  I guess they are out too   We are in a basic inside on Deck 7 this time.  We did a balcony on Deck 8 last year and the balcony door slammers were the worst we have ever encountered.  We just can't deal with it anymore and so will lose our precious outside space for the quiet.



The more I think about it, the more I want to keep my inside room.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> The insides are fine for 2 people, I wish there was a little more closet space though.
> 
> We are staying in some of the oversized square interior rooms in June. They are the same price as regular interiors but have a better layout. Also, the non-connecting cabins have a couch in them. They're the 10 cabins down the center
> View attachment 231262



We currently have 8205. It's right behind the Bridge... 

My guess is we don't really need a couch because my husband always lies on the bed to watch tv anyway. Out of 4 cruises, I don't think we sat on a couch once. We used them for our luggage. LOL


----------



## mevelandry

Alright guys, I'm super excited. I upgraded after all... I just realized that there was Cloud 9 Spa Rooms that gives you full access to the spa amenities (jacuzzi, saunas, perfumed showers, warm chairs, etc.) ... I'm obsessed with spas so it was the obvious choice!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Alright guys, I'm super excited. I upgraded after all... I just realized that there was Cloud 9 Spa Rooms that gives you full access to the spa amenities (jacuzzi, saunas, perfumed showers, warm chairs, etc.) ... I'm obsessed with spas so it was the obvious choice!


Good call, if we didn't cruise with the kids I'd be all over those rooms. The spa was nice on Vista.


----------



## elvispursley

trvlgirlmq said:


> Most of the FH rooms are under the galley and MDR so there has been noise reported.


Wow! Glad to know this! I'm considering possibly canceling our Jan. 2018 south. caribbean cruise and I really liked these rooms. Will have to look at booking connecting 2 balcony rooms if we do.


----------



## cruiser21

PrincessTrisha said:


> Just another reason to try a Spirit class ship (like the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore); the Serenity area includes both a hot tub and a pool (adults only).


As long as you're Aft and not mid- ship you should be fine. At least that is my understanding from the research I've done. It's mostly the suites that I've read negative things about noise. Those rooms are expensive too. Anytime you book a room on Deck 2 (DCL included) you should be careful about location. The room reviews on this board are very helpful. I'm not sure if Cruise critic has room reviews like that.


----------



## mevelandry

I know the mid-ship rooms are popular and sometimes more expensive but I despise them. The halls are so noisy. I prefer staying closer to aft or forward. Less people and at this point most realize that there are only rooms around and are more quiet.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> I know the mid-ship rooms are popular and sometimes more expensive but I despise them. The halls are so noisy. I prefer staying closer to aft or forward. Less people and at this point most realize that there are only rooms around and are more quiet.



We have come to prefer aft over any other section.  It is much quieter, and often closer to the buffet.  I tried forward only once, and that was the only time I ever got seasick.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

RedSox68 said:


> We have come to prefer aft over any other section.  It is much quieter, and often *closer to the buffet*.  I tried forward only once, and that was the only time I ever got seasick.



We booked close to the aft stairs this time for this reason!  Closer to breakfast


----------



## RedSox68

trvlgirlmq said:


> We booked close to the aft stairs this time for this reason!  Closer to breakfast



A valuable tip we learned -- if you are booking aft on the newer ships, it can be a very long and boring walk back to your room if you are boarding forward at a port and take the elevator to your floor.  Instead, take the elevator to guest services and walk back to the aft elevators -- there is more to look at and nice views out the windows as you pass and it goes quicker


----------



## cruiser21

I love deck 2 on the classics. Oceanview rooms from 2012- 2022 is my favorite area to be in. It's close to aft stairways. Under the promenade lounge so no noise. Also close to laundry room. Of course a balcony is always nice, but I usually prefer to save the money.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I love deck 2 on the classics. Oceanview rooms from 2012- 2022 is my favorite area to be in. It's close to aft stairways. Under the promenade lounge so no noise. Also close to laundry room. Of course a balcony is always nice, but I usually prefer to save the money.



For our first three cruises, DH and I always had balcony. Then , we realized that we spent about 20 min/day on it. We tried an inside room last week on the Disney Wonder. I was scared I would hate it... 

Surprise!!! I was very confortable in it and found out that deck 4 and outside seating at Cabanas did the job. The price difference was enough to compensate for the booking of a cabana on Serenity Bay!


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> For our first three cruises, DH and I always had balcony. Then , we realized that we spent about 20 min/day on it. We tried an inside room last week on the Disney Wonder. I was scared I would hate it...
> 
> Surprise!!! I was very confortable in it and found out that deck 4 and outside seating at Cabanas did the job. The price difference was enough to compensate for the booking of a cabana on Serenity Bay!


I agree. I'm still going to splurge on a Havana Cabana some day. Maybe when the Vista moves to Galveston, and the prices come down.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> For our first three cruises, DH and I always had balcony. Then , we realized that we spent about 20 min/day on it. We tried an inside room last week on the Disney Wonder. I was scared I would hate it...
> 
> Surprise!!! I was very confortable in it and found out that deck 4 and outside seating at Cabanas did the job. The price difference was enough to compensate for the booking of a cabana on Serenity Bay!



I envy people that can make this work.  I have to have window and light or I get seasick.  I'd love to save the money though as the insides can be very reasonable.  Although I noted on some cruises that on the new ships with the virtual porthole, some of the insides were more expensive than the oceanviews (depending on the itinerary)  LOL


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> I envy people that can make this work.  I have to have window and light or I get seasick.  I'd love to save the money though as the insides can be very reasonable.  Although I noted on some cruises that on the new ships with the virtual porthole, some of the insides were more expensive than the oceanviews (depending on the itinerary)  LOL



I always bring sea sickness meds and Gravol Ginger. Last week we have been fine with just the Ginger.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> I always bring sea sickness meds and Gravol Ginger. Last week we have been fine with just the Ginger.



For me it's also about having the light and windows, too.  My office has no windows where I work and I crave those views on our cruise.  It's our special treat since we don't drink or gamble (on other lines).  Maybe the virtual porthole would work for me and trick me into thinking I'm getting natural light  LOL


----------



## mevelandry

A serious discussion just happened. DH doesn't want to sail with DCL ever again. He just realized that the Spa Room was giving full access to the spa amenities to him as well (he thought it was just going to be for me! LOL)... 

Also, he says he's sick of the Mouse.  

I guess I get the green light to book any other cruise line, now.


----------



## elvispursley

Maybe he'll have a change of heart when the new ships start sailing?


----------



## mevelandry

I doubt it but I guess we'll find out in 5 years.


----------



## cruiser21

My husband is easy. He does whatever I say. LOL.
 Last week his company awarded him two round trip business class tickets to London. Since we have no one to watch our kids for me to go. He and my oldest son have decided to do something this year. I think they've settled on the Oktoberfest in Munich during fall break and then maybe Austria. My  plans may change yet again.  It will just be me and my youngest son sailing this Fall. I have to say pricing out cruises for two people has been a very enjoyable experience for me. I was just looking at the DCL Alaska cruise in September....hmm not a bad price. The WBTA has had some rooms open up. Not sure I can swing tickets to Barcelona though.   I may put my Vista cruise off until March and take advantage of cruising DCL since now I'm only paying for two.   I hate to go to the boring Caribbean while there off partying it up in Germany.  Yes, I'm a little jealous... Ha Ha. No seriously it's a great opportunity for them to spend some time together. I'm looking forward to my trips with my youngest son. There's something very special about spending one on one time with your kid.
 If I could just figure out what I want to do. I think I may have set a record for changing my mind.  It's weird to think in 5 years they will both be adults. Time goes so fast.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cruiser21 said:


> My husband is easy. He does whatever I say. LOL.
> Last week his company awarded him two round trip business class tickets to London. Since we have no one to watch our kids for me to go. He and my oldest son have decided to do something this year. I think they've settled on the Oktoberfest in Munich during fall break and then maybe Austria. My  plans may change yet again.  It will just be me and my youngest son sailing this Fall. I have to say pricing out cruises for two people has been a very enjoyable experience for me. I was just looking at the DCL Alaska cruise in September....hmm not a bad price. The WBTA has had some rooms open up. Not sure I can swing tickets to Barcelona though.   I may put my Vista cruise off until March and take advantage of cruising DCL since now I'm only paying for two.   I hate to go to the boring Caribbean while there off partying it up in Germany.  Yes, I'm a little jealous... Ha Ha. No seriously it's a great opportunity for them to spend some time together. I'm looking forward to my trips with my youngest son. There's something very special about spending one on one time with your kid.
> If I could just figure out what I want to do. I think I may have set a record for changing my mind.  It's weird to think in 5 years they will both be adults. Time goes so fast.


I think it's really cool you get the one on one time with your kids. My oldest graduates next year then my youngest is 2 years later, I can't believe it, the time had flown by.


----------



## mevelandry

I'll have to update my decoration comparison:

Carnival just updated their decorations package. I should say "upgraded" as there is a defitive change in style/colors, they added a decorative towel to all decoration packages. Unfortunately, the prices definitely went up. Now they all start at 40$ (They used to start at 15$). 

I feel like Carnival is slowly stepping up its game here and there with the new ships, the havana sections, upgraded gifts, etc. 

Like they are trying to appeal more to a "more fortunate crowd"?


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I'll have to update my decoration comparison:
> 
> Carnival just updated their decorations package. I should say "upgraded" as there is a defitive change in style/colors, they added a decorative towel to all decoration packages. Unfortunately, the prices definitely went up. Now they all start at 40$ (They used to start at 15$).
> 
> I feel like Carnival is slowly stepping up its game here and there with the new ships, the havana sections, upgraded gifts, etc.
> 
> Like they are trying to appeal more to a "more fortunate crowd"?


I have found Their  8 day Vista Caribbean cruises less then DCL, but more than NCL and Royals new ships. The Horizon prices are pretty high for Carnival.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I have found Their  8 day Vista Caribbean cruises less then DCL, but more than NCL and Royals new ships. The Horizon prices are pretty high for Carnival.



Interesting. Definitely sounds like they are trying to reposition themselves.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Interesting. Definitely sounds like they are trying to reposition themselves.


Most southerns leave out of San Juan. It's a good itinerary plus it's 8 days. It seems to be selling very well. I've done a southern on DCL and carnivals ports are completely different.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Most southerns leave out of San Juan. It's a good itinerary plus it's 8 days. It seems to be selling very well. I've done a southern on DCL and carnivals ports are completely different.



I meant repositioning regarding their reputation. (I should have been more precise). They have a reputation of being the "affordable booze cruise line". I have a feeling they want to be more "family oriented-middle class".

But repositioning cruises definitely sounds great and so does your itinerary. I almost booked the same cruise but I've always wanted to do Mexico and/or Key West first. Unfortunately Key West wasn't a possibility with the Vista but Cozumel was...

I wanna try Bermuda, Grand Turk and Tortola someday. Alaska. Greek Isles. British Isles.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Interesting. Definitely sounds like they are trying to reposition themselves.


I think they are. It's really funny to read the cruise critic reviews of the Vista, the die hard carnival fans do not like Vista. A lot of them don't like the decor, they prefer the gaudy look of a lot of the older ships.  I think the new Carnival is really going after the family market who can't quite afford Disney or who doesn't want to pay the DCL prices anymore. 

There was a post the other day there trying to garner support for CCL to change one of their ships to adults only so they didn't have to deal with kids on board.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think they are. It's really funny to read the cruise critic reviews of the Vista, the die hard carnival fans do not like Vista. A lot of them don't like the decor, they prefer the gaudy look of a lot of the older ships.  I think the new Carnival is really going after the family market who can't quite afford Disney or who doesn't want to pay the DCL prices anymore.
> 
> There was a post the other day there trying to garner support for CCL to change one of their ships to adults only so they didn't have to deal with kids on board.



I like the look of the Vista, it is more "épuré".

DH and I mostly spend time in adult sections and adult restaurants but an adult only ship sounds a bit extreme to me.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I meant repositioning regarding their reputation. (I should have been more precise). They have a reputation of being the "affordable booze cruise line". I have a feeling they want to be more "family oriented-middle class".
> 
> But repositioning cruises definitely sounds great and so does your itinerary. I almost booked the same cruise but I've always wanted to do Mexico and/or Key West first. Unfortunately Key West wasn't a possibility with the Vista but Cozumel was...
> 
> I wanna try Bermuda, Grand Turk and Tortola someday. Alaska. Greek Isles. British Isles.


I knew what you meant. I guess I was trying to say I don't think the Vista and Horizon are cheap. I think because of their unique itinerary's they will attract a different crowd.


Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think they are. It's really funny to read the cruise critic reviews of the Vista, the die hard carnival fans do not like Vista. A lot of them don't like the decor, they prefer the gaudy look of a lot of the older ships.  I think the new Carnival is really going after the family market who can't quite afford Disney or who doesn't want to pay the DCL prices anymore.
> 
> There was a post the other day there trying to garner support for CCL to change one of their ships to adults only so they didn't have to deal with kids on board.


My Co worker won't cruise Carnival because there are too many kids.  I love kids, and I love seeing happy families.  My favorite thing on DCL is drinking a martini before dinner, and watching all the kids dance in the promenade lounge. Especially the little girls in the princess costumes. I won't go near the kiddy pool though. I can't imagine the amount of urine in that thing.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I knew what you meant. I guess I was trying to say I don't think the Vista and Horizon are cheap. I think because of their unique itinerary's they will attract a different crowd.
> 
> My Co worker won't cruise Carnival because there are too many kids.  I love kids, and I love seeing happy families.  My favorite thing on DCL is drinking a martini before dinner, and watching all the kids dance in the promenade lounge. Especially the little girls in the princess costumes. I won't go near the kiddy pool though. I can't imagine the amount of urine in that thing.



I think longer cruises don't attract the "booze cruisers". The alcohol package is expensive for three days, can't imagine how much it would cost for 6 to 8 nights! 

Little princesses... I had tears in my eyes watching the princesses interaction with the kids at the Princess Gathering.


----------



## mevelandry

Here are exemples of the decoration packages I was talking about yesterday. They now seem more decorative and "adult". Now they all include a towel and a 5X7 frame. Very pretty!


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> I think longer cruises don't attract the "booze cruisers". The alcohol package is expensive for three days, can't imagine how much it would cost for 6 to 8 nights!
> 
> Little princesses... I had tears in my eyes watching the princesses interaction with the kids at the Princess Gathering.



Well, I know there was a party of 10 who I shared a van to the port with last Sunday in Miami who were all going on the Splendor for a 7-night and they spent the drive to the port videoing each other about what they were going to do on board...
"Drink"
"Drink"
"Drink. And tan. And Drink"
"Drink"
"Drink. Casino. Drink."
"Drink."
"Read. No, you know I'm kidding. Drink."
"Drink and tan. And drink."
"Drink."
"Drink. Drink in the casino. Drink."

So it is NOT just the short cruises.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> Well, I know there was a party of 10 who I shared a van to the port with last Sunday in Miami who were all going on the Splendor for a 7-night and they spent the drive to the port videoing each other about what they were going to do on board...
> "Drink"
> "Drink"
> "Drink. And tan. And Drink"
> "Drink"
> "Drink. Casino. Drink."
> "Drink."
> "Read. No, you know I'm kidding. Drink."
> "Drink and tan. And drink."
> "Drink."
> "Drink. Drink in the casino. Drink."
> 
> So it is NOT just the short cruises.



I know people who don't need cruises to get drunk every day. So... Yeah. There will always be some exceptions.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> A serious discussion just happened. DH doesn't want to sail with DCL ever again. He just realized that the Spa Room was giving full access to the spa amenities to him as well (he thought it was just going to be for me! LOL)...
> 
> Also, he says he's sick of the Mouse.
> 
> I guess I get the green light to book any other cruise line, now.



Oh, he'll probably come around in the future -- but congrats on being able to branch out


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I actually thought the decor of Vista was too austere except the staterooms which I loved.  I don't like Farcus and don't like the older ships but love Breeze and think that decor is cruise-like without being over the top gaudy.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Oh, he'll probably come around in the future -- but congrats on being able to branch out



I think it's going to take a while... He's really into Non-DCL cruise lines since we've been on the Victory. 

I showed him pictures of the Vista and the Anthem and Oasis of the Seas and he definitely wants to go that way.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I actually thought the decor of Vista was too austere except the staterooms which I loved.  I don't like Farcus and don't like the older ships but love Breeze and think that decor is cruise-like without being over the top gaudy.



Which parts did you find austere ? 

Love the cabins!


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I know people who don't need cruises to get drunk every day. So... Yeah. There will always be some exceptions.


Yes and there are people who sail DCL who drink, drink and drink.  It's a vacation after all and that's what some people like to do. Some people can drink all day and not get drunk. It's depends on how much you eat and space out your drinks.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Which parts did you find austere ?
> 
> Love the cabins!



I wasn't a fan of the new "atrium" with the LED thing.  Those 3 levels were just so bland.  I also didn't care for the Horizons dining room set up.  It was very choppy and some areas were closed off and felt claustrophobic to me.  Pretty much the rest of the ship (minus new Havana area) is just like the Dream Class ships.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I wasn't a fan of the new "atrium" with the LED thing.  Those 3 levels were just so bland.  I also didn't care for the Horizons dining room set up.  It was very choppy and some areas were closed off and felt claustrophobic to me.  Pretty much the rest of the ship (minus new Havana area) is just like the Dream Class ships.



I've never been on a Dream class ship.  Can't wait to see how it feels to be on the Vista!

I like the atrium on pictures.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I've never been on a Dream class ship.  Can't wait to see how it feels to be on the Vista!
> 
> I like the atrium on pictures.


The atrium is nice but it seems very small in person compared to the pictures. I expected it to be much larger.


----------



## Dug720

Club Disney Chandler said:


> The atrium is nice but it seems very small in person compared to the pictures. I expected it to be much larger.



Pretty much everything looks bigger in pictures/film. The actual Mission Control for NASA is downright tiny.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I've never been on a Dream class ship.  Can't wait to see how it feels to be on the Vista!
> 
> I like the atrium on pictures.


Your going to love the food options on the Dream class. Other then price the only complaint I have about DCL is the food. The MDR  food is decent on DCL, but more dining options would be nice.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> Your going to love the food options on the Dream class. Other then price the only complaint I have about DCL is the food. The MDR  food is decent on DCL, but more dining options would be nice.



It would be great if on the new ships, Disney changed it up and offered a free specialty restaurant as a non-MDR dining option -- like an Asian theme or a steakhouse.


----------



## cruiser21

RedSox68 said:


> It would be great if on the new ships, Disney changed it up and offered a free specialty restaurant as a non-MDR dining option -- like an Asian theme or a steakhouse.


A couple casual restaurants that are open to all ages. Mexican and Asian would be my pick.
Are you still on the WBTA?


----------



## GrumpyGoat

mevelandry said:


> Here is the story:
> 
> DH and I sailed on the Disney Dream twice. Our first cruise was a 3 nights Bahamas Cruise and the second cruise was a 4 nights Bahamas Cruise.
> 
> In 2016, we picked a 4 nights Bahamian cruise (Freeport-Nassau-Sea Day) on the Carnival Victory. Embarkation date: October 9, 2016.
> 
> I chose to do this thread in order to compare the two different cruise lines, because the itinerary was very similar and it was departing from Port Canaveral as well, just like the Disney Dream (and sometimes Disney Magic & Disney Wonder).
> 
> Since I am going to try the Carnival Vista in October 2017 and that others have tried a certain number of Carnival cruiseships, this thread is now the "official" thread for comparisons between Carnival and Disney Cruise Line.
> 
> 
> Here is the list (to be updated) for all the Carnival Cruiseships compared with DCL's ships:
> 
> -*Carnival Victory:* From Post #1 to #44 (Page 1 to 3)
> 
> -*Carnival Vista:* (My comparison review@mevelandry is COMING IN OCTOBER 2017. Until then, I invite you to take a look at the wonder review that* Club Disney Chandler* has done in June 2016. The thread is now closed to comments but there are nice pictures and great informations about the ship:
> 
> https://www.disboards.com/threads/thoughts-on-the-new-carnival-vista.3521334/
> 
> <snipped for brevity>



There are things you didn't compare, such ans the number of outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness have occurred on the line and how many fires the line has had aboard their ships.  Carnival comes in behind Disney in both categories and other cruise lines are even worse.  There is no reason for mass illness aboard cruise ships.  The US Navy can send an aircraft carrier with a crew of 6000 on a seven month deployment with lots of sea time, and a number of foreign port calls and you never hear about an outbreak on the ship.



luvavacation said:


> My family has sailed on NCL (2x), Carnival (4x), and Disney (11x).  Each cruise line will appeal more to some, not so much to others, depending on what you are looking for.  My family prefers excellent service, distinct differences between adult and family entertainment, and a feeling of safety (amongst other things), but we really just want to get away sometimes so not every cruise has all that we wish for.  But they all rock me to sleep at night!
> 
> I tend to worry, and no matter where we are, I always have an escape in the back of my mind for any calamity.  Therefore, a cruise line that gives me a good sense of safety from the beginning gets to the top of my list right away.  Of the three lines we have sailed, DCL is at the top for sense of safety.
> 
> The lifeboat drills on Carnival and NCL were a joke.  Neither our Carnival nor NCL cruises had lifeboat drills where I felt the crew really cared about keeping us informed and alive.  On my last Carnival, the crew leading the lifeboat drills weren't even checking people in, just telling you to go take a seat, and then looking at things on their cell phones instead of leading the drills. Neither of my NCL cruises had any semblance of order, and my last one on the Getaway, the crew just gave up because no one would quiet down, so the crew walked off to a corner of the room. On DCL, nothing happens until every room is checked in and everyone is quiet.  I know it is up to me to get my family to safety, but I sure do feel better about safety if the crew gives the impression of being prepared!
> 
> This all makes me wonder how the lifeboat drills and sense of safety are on RCCL and Celebrity?  What about MSC?  I will enjoy a cruise, no matter the cruise line, because I am on vacation and on the ocean, but will another line take the lifeboat drill as seriously as DCL does?  For me, that is what is very important when I choose my next cruise.



The drills are required by the US Coast Guard and it sounds like some ships are going through the motions just to keep the Coast Guard off their backs.  I consider the drills on the Disney ships to be a minor inconvenience.



cruiser21 said:


> I try to take it all with a grain of salt. It seems like the biggest Disney fans cruise once every two years and do it exclusively for the Mickey experience.  The cruisers that are really interested in seeing new ports and exploring new continents tend to be open to all options. Some of the biggest Disney loyalists on this board(from what I know about them)  I'm almost certain couldn't afford a 15k European cruise either.  I think some people need to criticize other cruiselines as a way to justify to themselves spending the extra money on DCL. I think if your truly comfortable with yourself and your choices you wouldn't have to do that.



My wife and I have four active reservations on DCL in the next 12 months (two in September of this year and two in April of next year, culminating in a westbound Panama Canal.) We are averaging one cruise a year.



cruiser21 said:


> Dcl was a lot more affordable when we started cruising.. I'd love to brag that my income has doubled to keep up with the "Disney inflation" unfortunately it hasn't. My dh has made some money in the stock market during the bull run we've had, but that's in our IRA so not touchable. Markets go up and down so I never get too excited, especially after the 2009 housing explosion. We live in AZ and it was ugly.
> It's funny on Cruise Critic I've had to defend DCL because a lot of people think your absolutely insane for paying DCL prices. My advice for Mevelandty would be to hang out on the Carnival boards you're never going to convince most DCL loyalist that there are comparable options for less money.



You really can't compare Carnival and Disney based on price because it's an entirely different type of experience.  It's like trying to compare Walt Disney World or Disneyland to Universal Studios or Six Flags.


----------



## cruiser21

GrumpyGoat said:


> There are things you didn't compare, such ans the number of outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness have occurred on the line and how many fires the line has had aboard their ships.  Carnival comes in behind Disney in both categories and other cruise lines are even worse.  There is no reason for mass illness aboard cruise ships.  The US Navy can send an aircraft carrier with a crew of 6000 on a seven month deployment with lots of sea time, and a number of foreign port calls and you never hear about an outbreak on the ship.
> 
> 
> 
> The drills are required by the US Coast Guard and it sounds like some ships are going through the motions just to keep the Coast Guard off their backs.  I consider the drills on the Disney ships to be a minor inconvenience.
> 
> 
> 
> My wife and I have four active reservations on DCL in the next 12 months (two in September of this year and two in April of next year, culminating in a westbound Panama Canal.) We are averaging one cruise a year.
> 
> There's always an exception. I've done 4 cruises in one year. I don't consider that normal.
> 
> You really can't compare Carnival and Disney based on price because it's an entirely different type of experience.  It's like trying to compare Walt Disney World or Disneyland to Universal Studios or Six Flags.


I can compare anything I want. I consider a cruise ship a floating resort. If I can compare Hilton and Hyatt. I can compare DCL and Carnival.
Have you ever cruised on Carnival?


----------



## mevelandry

GrumpyGoat said:


> There are things you didn't compare, such ans the number of outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness have occurred on the line and how many fires the line has had aboard their ships.  Carnival comes in behind Disney in both categories and other cruise lines are even worse.  There is no reason for mass illness aboard cruise ships.  The US Navy can send an aircraft carrier with a crew of 6000 on a seven month deployment with lots of sea time, and a number of foreign port calls and you never hear about an outbreak on the ship.
> 
> 
> 
> The drills are required by the US Coast Guard and it sounds like some ships are going through the motions just to keep the Coast Guard off their backs.  I consider the drills on the Disney ships to be a minor inconvenience.
> 
> 
> 
> My wife and I have four active reservations on DCL in the next 12 months (two in September of this year and two in April of next year, culminating in a westbound Panama Canal.) We are averaging one cruise a year.
> 
> 
> 
> You really can't compare Carnival and Disney based on price because it's an entirely different type of experience.  It's like trying to compare Walt Disney World or Disneyland to Universal Studios or Six Flags.



I compare Disney World and Universal all the time, because they are theme parks. I compare theme parks with theme parks and cruiseships with cruiseships. 

I can only compare from my experience and I never experienced an outbreak on any cruise... If it happens, I will talk about it.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I compare Disney World and Universal all the time, because they are theme parks. I compare theme parks with theme parks and cruiseships with cruiseships.
> 
> I can only compare from my experience and I never experienced an outbreak on any cruise... If it happens, I will talk about it.


Hopefully you can keep this a friendly thread without too many people popping on here to bash Carnival. I like coming here to discuss my cruise plans on DCL and Carnival.


----------



## mevelandry

GrumpyGoat said:


> There are things you didn't compare, such ans the number of outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness have occurred on the line and how many fires the line has had aboard their ships.  Carnival comes in behind Disney in both categories and other cruise lines are even worse.  There is no reason for mass illness aboard cruise ships.  The US Navy can send an aircraft carrier with a crew of 6000 on a seven month deployment with lots of sea time, and a number of foreign port calls and you never hear about an outbreak on the ship.
> 
> 
> 
> The drills are required by the US Coast Guard and it sounds like some ships are going through the motions just to keep the Coast Guard off their backs.  I consider the drills on the Disney ships to be a minor inconvenience.
> 
> 
> 
> My wife and I have four active reservations on DCL in the next 12 months (two in September of this year and two in April of next year, culminating in a westbound Panama Canal.) We are averaging one cruise a year.
> 
> 
> 
> You really can't compare Carnival and Disney based on price because it's an entirely different type of experience.  It's like trying to compare Walt Disney World or Disneyland to Universal Studios or Six Flags.



I feel like I have to mention that this thread have been created in order to compare experience with DCL vs Carnival and talk about our various cruise plans (including with Carnival): 

If you have sailed with Carnival, you are more than welcome to post reviews (good or bad). 

If you didn't, you should understand that we are all aware of past incidents. There is no need to remind us. 

We are trying to keep this thread as friendly as possible.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Hopefully you can keep this a friendly thread without too many people popping on here to bash Carnival. I like coming here to discuss my cruise plans on DCL and Carnival.



Doing my best. 

I appreciate honest reviews (with pros and cons). It has to be a real review though, not just a monologue on why you would never sail on X cruise line that you have never sailed on. 

One thing that always surprise me on the FB Vista group is how someone can write a very negative review (with not much proof to back up their story --show me the dirty hallways!--)  and then someone who was on the same cruise will write a great review. Sometimes it feels like they were on a totally different ship!


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> Doing my best.
> 
> I appreciate honest reviews (with pros and cons). It has to be a real review though, not just a monologue on why you would never sail on X cruise line that you have never sailed on.
> 
> One thing that always surprise me on the FB Vista group is how someone can write a very negative review (with not much proof to back up their story --show me the dirty hallways!--)  and then someone who was on the same cruise will write a great review. Sometimes it feels like they were on a totally different ship!



But that happens here too. Look at the split of people who say they have had "plumbing issues" (with no pictures to back it up - and really how do you photograph a smell??) on the Classics and pretty much the same number who have never had them.

People experience things differently and no one ever "knows EXACTLY how someone feels" EVER because we all bring our own background and we all have unique experiences.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

GrumpyGoat said:


> There are things you didn't compare, such ans the number of outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness have occurred on the line and how many fires the line has had aboard their ships.  Carnival comes in behind Disney in both categories and other cruise lines are even worse.  There is no reason for mass illness aboard cruise ships.  The US Navy can send an aircraft carrier with a crew of 6000 on a seven month deployment with lots of sea time, and a number of foreign port calls and you never hear about an outbreak on the ship.



Let's clear this misconception up.

In 2016 DCL and Carnival both had 1 (one!) outbreak of gastrointestinal illness confirmed by the CDC (both Norovirus). Except DCL has 1 on 4 ships, Carnival had 1 on 25 ships.

Neither cruiseline had a CDC confirmed case of gastrointestinal illness in 2015, 2014, or 2013. Carnival had 1 in 2012.

So in the past 5 years of sailing, Carnival - with a fleet of 25 ships - had 2 CDC confirmed cases of gastrointestinal illness.
DCL - with a fleet of 4 ships - had 1 CDC confirmed case of gastrointestinal illness.

Hmmm, who has the better record?


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> But that happens here too. Look at the split of people who say they have had "plumbing issues" (with no pictures to back it up - and really how do you photograph a smell??) on the Classics and pretty much the same number who have never had them.
> 
> People experience things differently and no one ever "knows EXACTLY how someone feels" EVER because we all bring our own background and we all have unique experiences.



I know you cannot prove everything with pictures but when you say something look outdated, or dangerous, or some place  overcrowded, it is doable.


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> I know you cannot prove everything with pictures but when you say something look outdated, or dangerous, or some place  overcrowded, it is doable.



Still, those things are subjective. Some people are hyper-cautious (to the point of not really living IMHO) and things that typical people do not see as "dangerous" they do. Ditto "overcrowded" - someone who is claustrophobic will see areas differently.

Also not everyone WANTS to be a photojournalist and walks around with a camera and WANTS to document every little tiny thing. To me, that is just looking for things to critique and not living and enjoying vacation. (Yes, I took a picture of the carpet pulling away on the step on the Adonia, but that was only after if had been that way for 2 days and they decided to "fix" it with a 2-inch piece of packing tape. Not the first time I saw it. And I wasn't poking around under things - it was visible right when you walked up the stairs.)

Just saying again that different people see things differently. You will find that on ANY kind of review site.

I can 100% guarantee there are people on the same Adonia sailing I was on last week who absolutely adored everything about the ship. While I love fathom and what it stands for and wants to do, I am thrilled that that ship is going back to P&O and hope that when they get fathom2.0 up and running they either use a different ship or make it 100% theirs and don't keep the P&O crew or at least methods. Those differences don't mean that one group or person is wrong and one is right. Each of us has our own experiences and that colors how we see things.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Doing my best.
> 
> I appreciate honest reviews (with pros and cons). It has to be a real review though, not just a monologue on why you would never sail on X cruise line that you have never sailed on.
> 
> One thing that always surprise me on the FB Vista group is how someone can write a very negative review (with not much proof to back up their story --show me the dirty hallways!--)  and then someone who was on the same cruise will write a great review. Sometimes it feels like they were on a totally different ship!


I look for reviews that are balanced. I also know a lot of people are fussier then me. As long as the ship doesn't sink I'm going to have a good time.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> I look for reviews that are balanced. I also know a lot of people are fussier then me. As long as the ship doesn't sink I'm going to have a good time.



Agreed.  There are some pretty salty reviews on many cruise boards and I have learned not to panic when you read the first negative one.  I also realized when I started to weigh the reviews and the stuff they complained "ruined" their cruise (like a random rust spot, a piece of worn carpet, a small bathroom or not enough room storage, or one rude crew member), that these are not things that would cause me problems or disappointment!  I do think that some people just post to complain -- and they would also be the ones not to post a positive review.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> Those differences don't mean that one group or person is wrong and one is right. Each of us has our own experiences and that colors how we see things.



While I do not disagree with that statement, I still think it is nice when people document with pictures when they do reviews. This way, each and everyone of us can set their expectations lower or higher according to what we saw. This is why I love reviews and vlogs so much.

I know it helped me a lot when I boarded the Victory as I was expecting some wear and tear. In the end, the ship exceeded my expectations.

Also, as of now, based on reviews and complaints read on FB in the Vista group, I'm expecting to feed on water only because the food is too bad, live in a dump, not having access to any pool ever, not being able to view any of the (bad) musical shows and (bad) comedy shows, not having a seat in an overpriced movie theater , all that with the most horrible and non-existent staff ever.

I have a feeling that I am going to enjoy that cruise.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> While I do not disagree with that statement, I still think it is nice when people document with pictures when they do reviews. This way, each and everyone of us can set their expectations lower or higher according to what we saw. This is why I love reviews and vlogs so much.
> 
> I know it helped me a lot when I boarded the Victory as I was expecting some wear and tear. In the end, the ship exceeded my expectations.
> 
> Also, as of now, based on reviews and complaints read on FB in the Vista group, I'm expecting to feed on water only because the food is too bad, live in a dump, not having access to any pool ever, not being able to view any of the (bad) musical shows and (bad) comedy shows, not having a seat in an overpriced movie theater , all that with the most horrible and non-existent staff ever.
> 
> I have a feeling that I am going to enjoy that cruise.



You should leave that group!  I will agree with not being able to see well in the poorly designed theatre and comedy club but the rest just, no.  I'm not a fan of the American Table menu and often just had appetizers for my meal but later we would go to the buffet and get some dessert.  It would be difficult to starve on a cruise


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> You should leave that group!  I will agree with not being able to see well in the poorly designed theatre and comedy club but the rest just, no.  I'm not a fan of the American Table menu and often just had appetizers for my meal but later we would go to the buffet and get some dessert.  It would be difficult to starve on a cruise



I'm actually thinking about leaving the FB group. I know all lot of people did, recently (tired of all the negativity). 

We booked all three specialty restaurants and if the Pizza Pirate, Blue Iguana, Pigs and Anchor and Guy's Burgers are as good as they seem to be... I doubt we will eat in the dining room a lot.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> I'm actually thinking about leaving the FB group. I know all lot of people did, recently (tired of all the negativity).
> 
> We booked all three specialty restaurants and if the Pizza Pirate, Blue Iguana, Pigs and Anchor and Guy's Burgers are as good as they seem to be... I doubt we will eat in the dining room a lot.



We once belonged to a group like that and once we sailed with them, we were done.  A lot of drunkenness, cussing, complaining, in-group fighting and unhappiness and that is NOT why I take vacations.  

We absolutely loved the Blue Iguana and Guy's Burgers.  Everything was very fresh and made to order.  We are sailing on Carnival again and I understand they now offer breakfast burritos at Blue Iguana, so am really looking forward to trying that too.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

My son eats the breakfast burrito every morning! We always have Guy's a couple of times too. None of us is super picky and lots of times for lunch we just make big salads. The BBQ was not added until after our cruise so I can't say if it's good. Looking forward to trying it though.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> We once belonged to a group like that and once we sailed with them, we were done.  A lot of drunkenness, cussing, complaining, in-group fighting and unhappiness and that is NOT why I take vacations.
> 
> We absolutely loved the Blue Iguana and Guy's Burgers.  Everything was very fresh and made to order.  We are sailing on Carnival again and I understand they now offer breakfast burritos at Blue Iguana, so am really looking forward to trying that too.



Thankfully, it's a general cruising group of 31 000 members and not people we have to spend a vacation with! 

I never subscribe to "roll call groups" because DH and I are too shy to meet with strangers. 

There are enough good reviews to convince us that we're going to have a good time. I'm not really worried. No trip is going to be absolutely perfect. As long as there's the sea, free food and free ice cream, we'll be fine!


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Thankfully, it's a general cruising group of 31 000 members and not people we have to spend a vacation with!
> 
> I never subscribe to "roll call groups" because DH and I are too shy to meet with strangers.
> 
> There are enough good reviews to convince us that we're going to have a good time. I'm not really worried. No trip is going to be absolutely perfect. As long as there's the sea, free food and free ice cream, we'll be fine!



Wonderful travel attitude.  You'll have a great time!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

This was posted today of the new Carnival Horizon coming out next year, this is their water slide area completely themed to Dr. Seuss. It's identical to the Vista's but themed better. I think it looks really fun, the Vista slides were awesome and the blue slide was crazy fast!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> This was posted today of the new Carnival Horizon coming out next year, this is their water slide area completely themed to Dr. Seuss. It's identical to the Vista's but themed better. I think it looks really fun, the Vista slides were awesome and the blue slide was crazy fast!
> View attachment 232437



It's GORGEOUS. 

I started watching videos from the Vista. I think the Vista is going to be my favorite ship (out of DCL Wonder & Dream and Carnival Victory). 

Now I'm starting to think about how good the Horizon is going to look. 

What is going to be her itinerary?


----------



## PrincessTrisha

I'm cancelling my upcoming Disney cruise. I was trying - really trying - to be okay with the price. But I'm not.

I was on the Princess cruise site yesterday and ended up finding an awesome deal on a 10 night partial Panama Canal transit (new locks) in November 2017. It's less in Canadian funds for the 10 night cruise than the DCL was in US funds for the 7 night cruise - and the kicker? It's a Window Suite. So no balcony (two large windows) but all of the Princess Suite amenities.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> It's GORGEOUS.
> 
> I started watching videos from the Vista. I think the Vista is going to be my favorite ship (out of DCL Wonder & Dream and Carnival Victory).
> 
> Now I'm starting to think about how good the Horizon is going to look.
> 
> What is going to be her itinerary?



The Vista will be moving to Galveston and the Horizon will be taking over the place of the Vista (so it should be about the same itineraries).


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> I'm cancelling my upcoming Disney cruise. I was trying - really trying - to be okay with the price. But I'm not.
> 
> I was on the Princess cruise site yesterday and ended up finding an awesome deal on a 10 night partial Panama Canal transit (new locks) in November 2017. It's less in Canadian funds for the 10 night cruise than the DCL was in US funds for the 7 night cruise - and the kicker? It's a Window Suite. So no balcony (two large windows) but all of the Princess Suite amenities.



I think you made the right choice. I don't know how much is the price difference but sometimes you can pay a whole extra vacation for your family if you go for the less expensive option.


----------



## mevelandry

Alright. I don't know what was in our cereals this morning but DH and I came up with a crazy idea.

We are on going on vacation this summer... we planned to stay in New York for two days and then spend the rest of our week off at home.

Then arrives the crazy idea: "_Hey, what if we could score a last minute deal on a Bermuda cruise departing from New York for that week_?"...

I check the dates for a Bermuda cruise on the Norwegian Breakaway... It fits.

So, we just created the "Bermuda Challenge": the goal is saving as much money as possible for the upcoming weeks and then, one week before our vacation, check the deals to see if we can afford the Bermuda cruise. 

If not... Well, we'll have a great week-end in NYC and a lot of on board credit for our Vista cruise.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Alright. I don't know what was in our cereals this morning but DH and I came up with a crazy idea.
> 
> We are on going on vacation this summer... we planned to stay in New York for two days and then spend the rest of our week off at home.
> 
> Then arrives the crazy idea: "_Hey, what if we could score a last minute deal on a Bermuda cruise departing from New York for that week_?"...
> 
> I check the dates for a Bermuda cruise on the Norwegian Breakaway... It fits.
> 
> So, we just created the "Bermuda Challenge": the goal is saving as much money as possible for the upcoming weeks and then, one week before our vacation, check the deals to see if we can afford the Bermuda cruise.
> 
> If not... Well, we'll have a great week-end in NYC and a lot of on board credit for our Vista cruise.



We loved the Breakaway and they offered the most time in Bermuda compared to other lines.  Hope you get to go -- it was a fantastic island.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> We loved the Breakaway and they offered the most time in Bermuda compared to other lines.  Hope you get to go -- it was a fantastic island.



Fun story... I've had a Bermuda cruise booked last year. I had to change our plans (and went for the Carnival Victory cruise instead -- in the end, no regrets, it was a great cruise who opened our eyes to other options-- because a friend was getting married. 

At some point, a few weeks before the wedding, our friendship ended... but it was too late to return to our original plans!

I've been dying to see the Bermuda for the last two years! It looks fantastic!


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Fun story... I've had a Bermuda cruise booked last year. I had to change our plans (and went for the Carnival Victory cruise instead -- in the end, no regrets, it was a great cruise who opened our eyes to other options-- because a friend was getting married.
> 
> At some point, a few weeks before the wedding, our friendship ended... but it was too late to return to our original plans!
> 
> I've been dying to see the Bermuda for the last two years! It looks fantastic!



I have dreamed of going to Bermuda since I was a child -- used to keep pictures of it in a scrapbook.  It was just a gorgeous place, friendly people, good food and nice transportation.  We plan on going back to wrap up the stuff we didn't get to see, but it was a perfect vacation.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> I have dreamed of going to Bermuda since I was a child -- used to keep pictures of it in a scrapbook.  It was just a gorgeous place, friendly people, good food and nice transportation.  We plan on going back to wrap up the stuff we didn't get to see, but it was a perfect vacation.



Apparently, it is quite safe too... ?


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Apparently, it is quite safe too... ?



I never felt unsafe and many people stayed out all night since we were docked for two nights.  We saw many passengers returning at 1 and 2 a.m.  We never felt unsafe and we travelled into some lonely areas looking for forts and historic sites and didn't worry.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> Alright. I don't know what was in our cereals this morning but DH and I came up with a crazy idea.
> 
> We are on going on vacation this summer... we planned to stay in New York for two days and then spend the rest of our week off at home.
> 
> Then arrives the crazy idea: "_Hey, what if we could score a last minute deal on a Bermuda cruise departing from New York for that week_?"...
> 
> I check the dates for a Bermuda cruise on the Norwegian Breakaway... It fits.
> 
> So, we just created the "Bermuda Challenge": the goal is saving as much money as possible for the upcoming weeks and then, one week before our vacation, check the deals to see if we can afford the Bermuda cruise.
> 
> If not... Well, we'll have a great week-end in NYC and a lot of on board credit for our Vista cruise.



You should also check out the Celebrity Summit (leaves from Bayonne NJ - just across the harbour). It does the Bermuda run throughout the summer. It's a lovely ship.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

OMG guys, my family is seriously thinking about taking the $500 loss and booking the new MSC Seaside.  That ship looks phenomenal!!  We can book the combined east/west Caribbean itinerary for the same price as our 8 day Vista cruise! That is a 14 day cruise. How crazy is that?


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> I think you made the right choice. I don't know how much is the price difference but sometimes you can pay a whole extra vacation for your family if you go for the less expensive option.



Yes - the 10 day Princess cruise is around $4500 Canadian (for 3 people) and the DCL 7 night cruise was around $4700 US. We're also keeping our Carnival cruise on the Magic (November 11-18) as the cost is very good and then we'll hop onto the Caribbean Princess on November 20th. Even with adding in gambling money, we're still ahead of the game on this one.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

trvlgirlmq said:


> OMG guys, my family is seriously thinking about taking the $500 loss and booking the new MSC Seaside.  That ship looks phenomenal!!  We can book the combined east/west Caribbean itinerary for the same price as our 8 day Vista cruise! That is a 14 day cruise. How crazy is that?



Unless you're past final payment, you shouldn't be losing $500 by cancelling your Carnival cruise (unless you're a family of 10). Even with early saver rates,  you lost $50 per person to administrative fees and the rest of your deposit is held for you to use within the next 2 years.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> You should also check out the Celebrity Summit (leaves from Bayonne NJ - just across the harbour). It does the Bermuda run throughout the summer. It's a lovely ship.



It looks great but so far it seems that at this date, it's a signature event and it's much more expensive than the Breakaway. 

But I'll look for it if the Breakaway ends up being sold out or too expensive for sure.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> Yes - the 10 day Princess cruise is around $4500 Canadian (for 3 people) and the DCL 7 night cruise was around $4700 US. We're also keeping our Carnival cruise on the Magic (November 11-18) as the cost is very good and then we'll hop onto the Caribbean Princess on November 20th. Even with adding in gambling money, we're still ahead of the game on this one.



Huh, yeah. You can definitely book a whole extra vacation for the price difference!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

PrincessTrisha said:


> Unless you're past final payment, you shouldn't be losing $500 by cancelling your Carnival cruise (unless you're a family of 10). Even with early saver rates,  you lost $50 per person to administrative fees and the rest of your deposit is held for you to use within the next 2 years.



Yes, but we can only vacation once a year and 2019 was not going to be a cruise year so it would be a total loss.  If I remember you have to cruise within 24 months of cancelling so even if I waited until right before final payment in 2018 that puts us to Spring 2020 and the timing wouldn't work to book something else with Carnival. Even if I add the $500 to the budget we still come out much better on cost for a 14 day versus 8 day vacation.


----------



## RedSox68

trvlgirlmq said:


> Yes, but we can only vacation once a year and 2019 was not going to be a cruise year so it would be a total loss.  If I remember you have to cruise within 24 months of cancelling so even if I waited until right before final payment in 2018 that puts us to Spring 2020 and the timing wouldn't work to book something else with Carnival. Even if I add the $500 to the budget we still come out much better on cost for a 14 day versus 8 day vacation.



I must be missing something, but I still can't comprehend why you are losing $500.  If final payment isn't until 2018, you have plenty of time to cancel


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> I must be missing something, but I still can't comprehend why you are losing $500.  If final payment isn't until 2018, you have plenty of time to cancel



If you cancel and you get a credit, you have to use your credit within 24 months, otherwise, you lose it.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> If you cancel and you get a credit, you have to use your credit within 24 months, otherwise, you lose it.



Exactly,  I can cancel and they will hold the money but we will not be able to afford a second vacation in 2018 or 2019.  Now something could go wrong with our plans for 2019 and then we might choose to cruise on Carnival but it would be a big IF.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Exactly,  I can cancel and they will hold the money but we will not be able to afford a second vacation in 2018 or 2019.  Now something could go wrong with our plans for 2019 and then we might choose to cruise on Carnival but it would be a big IF.



I would take a leap of faith and hope for the best. With 500$, you can pretty much pay 100% of a 3 or 4 nights cruise to the Bahamas. That is something I would do if it could prevent me from losing 500$.


----------



## cruiser21

Just remember it's 24 months from the day you cancel so wait until the PIF date to cancel.


----------



## keishashadow

mevelandry said:


> I think you made the right choice. I don't know how much is the price difference but sometimes you can pay a whole extra vacation for your family if you go for the less expensive option.



I find closer to 2-1/2 CCL (military rate) vs DCL (don't quality for their military rate) price. 



PrincessTrisha said:


> You should also check out the Celebrity Summit (leaves from Bayonne NJ - just across the harbour). It does the Bermuda run throughout the summer. It's a lovely ship.



Loved our sweet sixteen balcony on the Summit, southern itinerary out of San Juan. Older crowd but food was good, booze was free and TA tossed in gratuities!


----------



## mevelandry

I subscribed to the price drop e-mails on CC for Bermuda from NYC on the Breakaway.

Now I'm watching. The best prices usually happen 7 days before the cruise... I've made a step by step plan so we can move forward very fast if/when the price is right, to make sure I don't miss a thing.

I've printed a fact sheet about the ship. The fact that I booked A Bermuda cruise (then cancelled) before helps because I have kept my itinerary and worst case scenario, we will have two whole sea days at the beginning of the cruise to figure out how things work. Lol

Don't want to get too excited because there is always a chance that the ship sell out before we are confortable with the price.

*Finger crossed*


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> If you cancel and you get a credit, you have to use your credit within 24 months, otherwise, you lose it.



Thanks.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> Just remember it's 24 months from the day you cancel so wait until the PIF date to cancel.



But if they cancelled after PIF, wouldn't the credit be a lot more than $500 -- unless that cruise was just that cheap


----------



## trvlgirlmq

RedSox68 said:


> But if they cancelled after PIF, wouldn't the credit be a lot more than $500 -- unless that cruise was just that cheap



We booked the Early Saver rate with a reduced deposit.  The Early Saver program allows for changes to the cruise date/ship for a $50 administrative fee per person that they take from your already paid deposit.  If I were to just change cruises then I would owe the remainder of the deposit for the new cruise right then.  If I "cancel" the cruise before final payment they take the $50 per person fee and "hold" the remainder for up to 24 months.  The rest of the deposit amount is divided by individual booked so for us there are 4 people on the original booking, minus the $50 leaves $75 per person held.  We must book and complete travel within 24 months of cancelling. I really hate the fact that the person who booked and paid doesn't get the whole amount saved to use as they want.  If just my mom and I rebooked then I would lose the $75 per kid.  I'm thinking we will just take the whole loss and count it as a lesson learned.


----------



## RedSox68

trvlgirlmq said:


> We booked the Early Saver rate with a reduced deposit.  The Early Saver program allows for changes to the cruise date/ship for a $50 administrative fee per person that they take from your already paid deposit.  If I were to just change cruises then I would owe the remainder of the deposit for the new cruise right then.  If I "cancel" the cruise before final payment they take the $50 per person fee and "hold" the remainder for up to 24 months.  The rest of the deposit amount is divided by individual booked so for us there are 4 people on the original booking, minus the $50 leaves $75 per person held.  We must book and complete travel within 24 months of cancelling. I really hate the fact that the person who booked and paid doesn't get the whole amount saved to use as they want.  If just my mom and I rebooked then I would lose the $75 per kid.  I'm thinking we will just take the whole loss and count it as a lesson learned.



Thank you so much for the detailed explanation.  That is a hard one to decide -- whether to take the loss or not.  I have a cruise we cancelled for work reasons and the travel insurance, for which I paid extra for the work reasons clause, is not denying my claim.  So I will lose the $960 airfare.  That is a very hard pill to swallow since we don't even get a credit to use for future -- and we have never lost that much on a trip before.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> We booked the Early Saver rate with a reduced deposit.  The Early Saver program allows for changes to the cruise date/ship for a $50 administrative fee per person that they take from your already paid deposit.  If I were to just change cruises then I would owe the remainder of the deposit for the new cruise right then.  If I "cancel" the cruise before final payment they take the $50 per person fee and "hold" the remainder for up to 24 months.  The rest of the deposit amount is divided by individual booked so for us there are 4 people on the original booking, minus the $50 leaves $75 per person held.  We must book and complete travel within 24 months of cancelling. I really hate the fact that the person who booked and paid doesn't get the whole amount saved to use as they want.  If just my mom and I rebooked then I would lose the $75 per kid.  I'm thinking we will just take the whole loss and count it as a lesson learned.



But if you save A LOT of money by booking another cruise, it's not a huge loss... 

And, there is still the possibility that you are going to be able to afford another cruise within 24 months.


----------



## cruiser21

RedSox68 said:


> But if they cancelled after PIF, wouldn't the credit be a lot more than $500 -- unless that cruise was just that cheap


No you would lose the deposit after the PIF date. You would get the rest of the money back. It's really no different then DCL except the deposit is non refundable. I won't book with early saver rates because of this. I want to able to cancel and change dates without penalty.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> No you would lose the deposit after the PIF date. You would get the rest of the money back. It's really no different then DCL except the deposit is non refundable. I won't book with early saver rates because of this. I want to able to cancel and change dates without penalty.



Lesson learned on this one.


----------



## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> We booked the Early Saver rate with a reduced deposit.  The Early Saver program allows for changes to the cruise date/ship for a $50 administrative fee per person that they take from your already paid deposit.  If I were to just change cruises then I would owe the remainder of the deposit for the new cruise right then.  If I "cancel" the cruise before final payment they take the $50 per person fee and "hold" the remainder for up to 24 months.  The rest of the deposit amount is divided by individual booked so for us there are 4 people on the original booking, minus the $50 leaves $75 per person held.  We must book and complete travel within 24 months of cancelling. I really hate the fact that the person who booked and paid doesn't get the whole amount saved to use as they want.  If just my mom and I rebooked then I would lose the $75 per kid.  I'm thinking we will just take the whole loss and count it as a lesson learned.


This is what I did, chalked it up to a lesson learned. I was talking to a TA on a DCL cruise he told my a lot of people get burned by this. Be happy it was a reduced deposit and not the whole 1000.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> But if you save A LOT of money by booking another cruise, it's not a huge loss...
> 
> And, there is still the possibility that you are going to be able to afford another cruise within 24 months.



We actually won't "save" but even if I add the $500 to what the MSC cost is we get a 14 day cruise for only a couple hundred dollars more than an 8 day. It's still a win in my book!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> We actually won't "save" but even if I add the $500 to what the MSC cost is we get a 14 day cruise for only a couple hundred dollars more than an 8 day. It's still a win in my book!



That's what I meant... You get a better value.


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## mevelandry

Question for those who have sailed the Breakaway in the Bermuda...

Right now, every tuesday, the price of the next cruise drops dramatically. For the last two weeks I noticed that the prices went as low as 668$ CND/pp (before taxes)...

Is it realistic to hope for the same prices mid-june? (I noticed that past June 25 the prices jump)  I would most likely book the cruise 5 days before departure. 

Thanks in advance.

P.s.: The website won't let me see the US prices. That is why I am giving the CND $ rates.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Question for those who have sailed the Breakaway in the Bermuda...
> 
> Right now, every tuesday, the price of the next cruise drops dramatically. For the last two weeks I noticed that the prices went as low as 668$ CND/pp (before taxes)...
> 
> Is it realistic to hope for the same prices mid-june? (I noticed that past June 25 the prices jump)  I would most likely book the cruise 5 days before departure.
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> P.s.: The website won't let me see the US prices. That is why I am giving the CND $ rates.


Have you tried the NCL board on cc.?


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## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Have you tried the NCL board on cc.?



Not yet.  EDIT: Just done it. 

I inquired by e-mail to NCL and their only answer was a courtesy hold 700$ higher than what we can afford that will expire in three days. I will let it expire and wait until the prices go down again.


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## mevelandry

I've just read another Carnival bashing thread (I noticed that many of you have replied on it)... All I have to say is that I'm more and more surprised when I read bad reviews about Carnival. Not that it is not possible to have a bad experience (it's not like I've tried all their ships).

But I've recently started my "cruise books" (I put all the infos we need about the ship, infos about included and non-included restaurants, infos about all the activities we would enjoy, itinerary, deck plans and other tips) for the Carnival Vista and the Norwegian Breakaway. My husband is pleasantly surprised that there are so many options. I feel like there is something for everybody to enjoy.

And I am always surprised when people make such drastic statements. Unless the ship sunk or end up like the Triumph in 2013, I have a hard time believing that one cannot appreciate a few things about their cruise.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> I've just read another Carnival bashing thread (I noticed that many of you have replied on it)... All I have to say is that I'm more and more surprised when I read bad reviews about Carnival. Not that it is not possible to have a bad experience (it's not like I've tried all their ships).
> 
> But I've recently started my "cruise books" (I put all the infos we need about the ship, infos about included and non-included restaurants, infos about all the activities we would enjoy, itinerary, deck plans and other tips) for the Carnival Vista and the Norwegian Breakaway. My husband is pleasantly surprised that there are so many options. I feel like there are something for everybody to enjoy.
> 
> And I am always surprised when people make such drastic statements. Unless the ship sunks or end up like the Triumph in 2013, I have a hard time believing that one cannot appreciate a few things about their cruise.



OMG, me neither.  I don't know how someone can take a 7-day cruise and find soooo much wrong to write about.  My question is always "did they enjoy this trip at all, or did they spend the whole time finding things to complain about"?  What a waste of money that would be.  

We have had "something" happen on each of the 16 cruises we have taken.  Some of the things were big (Pride of Aloha) and the rest were minimal, like worn carpet in an area, a rust spot, a cracked bathroom tile, etc........all the things you always see in these "bad" reviews.  For us, they certainly are not enough to "ruin" our cruise or keep us rom sailing on that ship again.  

Case in point: our very first cruise on Carnival we discovered that the atrium on the Glory was shockingly small.   It was beautiful, but the smallest one I've ever seen.  We discovered throughout the cruise that they decided there should be a live DJ in there every afternoon and early evening -- making it absolutely impossible to talk to guest services or shore excursions because no one could hear.  I had never seen that on any other ship and it kind of surprised us.  Did I complain about it as ruining our cruise in my comments -- NO.  Did I let the fact that NCL nickled and dimed us to death (LOL) ruin our cruise -- NO, because I had done research and expected it.

If you choose to let those things ruin your cruise (and there are those who will), then maybe you should book an all inclusive resort and hunker down.  And BTW, we found the same set up on the Breakaway last year -- so we chose our times wisely between acts and game shows when we had to go to guest services or shore excursion desks.  We had a fabulous time on that ship.  I would sail both NCL and Carnival again.


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## NewYorkcruiser

mevelandry said:


> I've just read another Carnival bashing thread (I noticed that many of you have replied on it)... All I have to say is that I'm more and more surprised when I read bad reviews about Carnival. Not that it is not possible to have a bad experience (it's not like I've tried all their ships).
> 
> But I've recently started my "cruise books" (I put all the infos we need about the ship, infos about included and non-included restaurants, infos about all the activities we would enjoy, itinerary, deck plans and other tips) for the Carnival Vista and the Norwegian Breakaway. My husband is pleasantly surprised that there are so many options. I feel like there are something for everybody to enjoy.
> 
> And I am always surprised when people make such drastic statements. Unless the ship sunks or end up like the Triumph in 2013, I have a hard time believing that one cannot appreciate a few things about their cruise.



A 3 day cruise on almost any other line besides DCL is definitely a party cruise. I may enjoy something like that once in a while but I would not take my kids on anything shorter then 7 nights on the newer Carnival ships (more family friendly and honestly cost a bit more so would probably keep the partiers at bay). I want to try the Carnival Horizon next year out of NY, but it's only 6 months after our DCL cruise and the cost is on par with our 7 nights on the Fantasy out of PC. We don't use cc so I'm thinking it's not doable...but I may book it anyway and keep it to myself until closer to the PIF date. Bjs is also doing a special where they front the deposit so I would only have to pay 24.99 to book today!


----------



## RedSox68

NewYorkcruiser said:


> A 3 day cruise on almost any other line besides DCL is definitely a party cruise. I may enjoy something like that once in a while but I would not take my kids on anything shorter then 7 nights on the newer Carnival ships (more family friendly and honestly cost a bit more so would probably keep the partiers at bay). I want to try the Carnival Horizon next year out of NY, but it's only 6 months after our DCL cruise and the cost is on par with our 7 nights on the Fantasy out of PC. We don't use cc so I'm thinking it's not doable...but I may book it anyway and keep it to myself until closer to the PIF date. Bjs is also doing a special where they front the deposit so I would only have to pay 24.99 to book today!



I think it also depends on the time of year you go whether you get "partyers" and a lot of kids, and the cruise itinerary.  We went on the Carnival Glory out of NYC for a 4-night cruise and we saw none of the "party" atmosphere they talk about, but it could be because it was a New England/Canada cruise.  I think maybe the young "partyers" go to the Caribbean more.


----------



## mevelandry

NewYorkcruiser said:


> A 3 day cruise on almost any other line besides DCL is definitely a party cruise.



YES! It's always been obvious to me and I am quite surprised to hear that some people go on very affordable three nights cruises and expect anything else.

That being said, I was expecting our 4 nights Bahamas cruise on the Carnival Victory to be a booze cruise but turns out it was very quiet. Or maybe we just go to bed too early?


----------



## tinkerone

mevelandry said:


> *But I've recently started my "cruise books" (I put all the infos we need about the ship, infos about included and non-included restaurants, infos about all the activities we would enjoy, itinerary, deck plans and other tips)* for the Carnival Vista and the Norwegian Breakaway. My husband is pleasantly surprised that there are so many options. I feel like there is something for everybody to enjoy.
> 
> And I am always surprised when people make such drastic statements. Unless the ship sunk or end up like the Triumph in 2013, I have a hard time believing that one cannot appreciate a few things about their cruise.


What a brilliant idea!  I had never thought to do that but I'm going to now, thanks.  
I personally think that the some people go in ready to compare ships to DCL and as such already have an idea that they 'will not like it'.  What they find has to confirm this so, they find it.  What ever 'it' is it will be there.  Then they can justify to themselves that DCL is worth the cost and so they will keep doing it.  What some of these people don't get is you don't need to justify your decision to anyone else.  They don't need to tell me that they have cruised other lines and they just are terrible.  There are no redeeming qualities out there.  Their findings are their findings. 
I've said it before, I was one of those who were very afraid to try something else.  The difference between me and 'them' was that I walked in with an open attitude.  First 5 minutes I kept thinking that we had made a mistake.  At that point I had two choices.  Keep that thought or give myself a shake and put DCL away for a week.  I packed her away and had an amazing time.  Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! 
As you and others have said, we make of it what we want.


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## RedSox68

tinkerone said:


> What a brilliant idea!  I had never thought to do that but I'm going to now, thanks.
> I personally think that the some people go in ready to compare ships to DCL and as such already have an idea that they 'will not like it'.  What they find has to confirm this so, they find it.  What ever 'it' is it will be there.  Then they can justify to themselves that DCL is worth the cost and so they will keep doing it.  What some of these people don't get is you don't need to justify your decision to anyone else.  They don't need to tell me that they have cruised other lines and they just are terrible.  There are no redeeming qualities out there.  Their findings are their findings.
> I've said it before, I was one of those who were very afraid to try something else.  The difference between me and 'them' was that I walked in with an open attitude.  First 5 minutes I kept thinking that we had made a mistake.  At that point I had two choices.  Keep that thought or give myself a shake and put DCL away for a week.  I packed her away and had an amazing time.  Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!
> As you and others have said, we make of it what we want.




I am in the "cruise books" club like mevelandry.  For years I start a 3-ring notebook with everything I can find out about the ship (if it's a new one for me), their deck plans, dining, events, etc.  I also include our reservation confirmations, luggage tags and any excursion confirmations.  It's pretty full when we leave, but since I duplicate everything, I leave one set at home and throw away the pages as we go.


----------



## mevelandry

tinkerone said:


> *What a brilliant idea!  I had never thought to do that but I'm going to now, thanks. *



Thank you!   And if you can find a binder with a zipper and add little plastic envelopes/page holders it's even better because you can also put everything you need in it (plane tickets, reservations, luggage tags). I place it all in the order I'm going to need it:

-Complete itinerary (with open spots so I can write down last minute activities)
-Taxi reservation and cash to pay for it
-Passports and boarding passes for the flight
-Hotel reservation (pre-cruise stay)
-Restaurant reservation
-Luggage tags for the cruise
-Shuttle reservation
-Boarding passes for the cruise
-list of activities or other requests I have to make at Guest Services when I board the cruise
-list of included/non-included restaurants (including details like dishes recommendations, opening hours (when available) and best time to go...)
-list of bars or other venues we'd like to visit (including recommendations, opening hours (when available) and best time to go.)
-list of included/non-included activities (including recommendations, opening hours (when available) and best time to go.)
-list of shows that we might want to see an schedules (for the last four sections, Fun Times/Personal Navigators and other old "journal" are very useful)
-list of stuff to bring for each excursion (you can also put the tickets & cash for the day and gratuity in the page holder)
-Documents or tags you're going to need for disembarkation
-Hotel reservation for post-cruise stay (if necessary)
-Boarding passes for the returning flight
-Taxi reservation and cash to pay for it

I can usually make it all fit in a 1 inch binder. 




tinkerone said:


> I personally think that the some people go in ready to compare ships to DCL and as such already have an idea that they 'will not like it'.  What they find has to confirm this so, they find it.  What ever 'it' is it will be there.  Then they can justify to themselves that DCL is worth the cost and so they will keep doing it.  What some of these people don't get is you don't need to justify your decision to anyone else.  They don't need to tell me that they have cruised other lines and they just are terrible.  There are no redeeming qualities out there.  Their findings are their findings.
> I've said it before, I was one of those who were very afraid to try something else.  The difference between me and 'them' was that I walked in with an open attitude.  First 5 minutes I kept thinking that we had made a mistake.  At that point I had two choices.  Keep that thought or give myself a shake and put DCL away for a week.  I packed her away and had an amazing time.  Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!
> As you and others have said, we make of it what we want



Exactly. An open attitude is the key. I can absolutely relate to that.

When I cruised the Victory, I was so scared of it being a mistake that I booked a balcony in case we decide to cloister ourselves in the room (and stay away from those evil "party cruisers"), brought board games in case we would get bored, and I ordered decorations in case I hated the cabin, etc. But in the end, I went with an open heart and I did not need any of it... I have found beauty, I have found comfort, I have found the good service (also, keeping a smile in your face can go a long way: staff members tend to smile more when you appear with a smile on your face) and I have found the fun.


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## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Thank you!   And if you can find a binder with a zipper and add little plastic envelopes/page holders it's even better because you can also put everything you need in it (plane tickets, reservations, luggage tags). I place it all in the order I'm going to need it:
> 
> -Complete itinerary (with open spots so I can write down last minute activities)
> -Taxi reservation and cash to pay for it
> -Passports and boarding passes for the flight
> -Hotel reservation (pre-cruise stay)
> -Restaurant reservation
> -Luggage tags for the cruise
> -Shuttle reservation
> -Boarding passes for the cruise
> -list of activities or other requests I have to make at Guest Services when I board the cruise
> -list of included/non-included restaurants (including details like dishes recommendations, opening hours (when available) and best time to go...)
> -list of bars or other venues we'd like to visit (including recommendations, opening hours (when available) and best time to go.)
> -list of included/non-included activities (including recommendations, opening hours (when available) and best time to go.)
> -list of shows that we might want to see an schedules (for the last four sections, Fun Times/Personal Navigators and other old "journal" are very useful)
> -list of stuff to bring for each excursion (you can also put the tickets & cash for the day and gratuity in the page holder)
> -Documents or tags you're going to need for disembarkation
> -Hotel reservation for post-cruise stay (if necessary)
> -Boarding passes for the returning flight
> -Taxi reservation and cash to pay for it
> 
> I can usually make it all fit in a 1 inch binder.



Great job.  This is the stuff I have become obsessed about doing for trips -- I love the research, organizing, printing.  I like those pockets you mentioned -- they work great as a divider but also storage.  Sometimes the planning of it leaves one with post-partem depression when the trip is over   That's why I always have to have at least two trips going -- the one coming up and at least one future one.  Happy planning


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## trvlgirlmq

I'm a binder person too!  As I do my research and make bookings things get their own slots in those plastic sleeves.  While we are traveling I remove items at the end of each day. Organization is the key I always say


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## tinkerone

What I have normally used in the past is one of the plastic folders with the compartments.  Each compartment holds a folder clearly marked with what it is (air, hotel, Disney, Cruise, return air, return hotel).  As I collect things in my travels I put them in one of the slots as well (Navigators, business cards).  When I get home I print out a spread sheet with my costs for every thing, add it to one of the pockets and put it all away.  Then I start with a new slotted folder for the next time.  I could have 4 or 5 of these going at one time. 

I like the idea of a binder better I think.  Easier to label and probably easier to store.  Its a brilliant idea and I may have to give it a try.


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## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> YES! It's always been obvious to me and I am quite surprised to hear that some people go on very affordable three nights cruises and expect anything else.
> 
> That being said, I was expecting our 4 nights Bahamas cruise on the Carnival Victory to be a booze cruise but turns out it was very quiet. Or maybe we just go to bed too early?


I've never understood what's so bad about a party cruise. Not everyone's a Mouseketeer and needs G rated in your face kid stuff  all the time. As much as I like DCL I am an adult and I like to change it up once in a while. Those 3 day cruises out of Long Beach  are cheap blow off some steam cruises for adults. I don't think Carnival wants to be Disney on those cruises that's not their target. They make their money off gambling and alcohol on those cruises. They have the newer ships that are marketed to family's. Everything about the Vista and Horizon says family ship to me. The ocean Harbor rooms are an industry first.


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## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I've never understood what's so bad about a party cruise. Not everyone's a Mouseketeer and needs G rated in your face kid stuff  all the time. As much as I like DCL I am an adult and I like to change it up once in a while. Those 3 day cruises out of Long Beach  are cheap blow off some steam cruises for adults. I don't think Carnival wants to be Disney on those cruises that's not their target. They make their money off gambling and alcohol on those cruises. They have the newer ships that are marketed to family's. Everything about the Vista and Horizon says family ship to me. The ocean Harbor rooms are an industry first.



Yes. And the change from adult pool to family pool too. Carnival is slowly changing its image.

I surprised myself being a little bit annoyed by the DCL shows and parties (Golden Mickey and Dreams, and the first minutes of Frozen, and the pirate party) during my last DCL cruise as I felt like they were really for children most of the time... I definitely prefer more adult entertainment. At home I watch comedy shows like Amy Schumer and Louis CK. I go to the movie theater to watch the Met's Opera La Traviata, if you know what I mean. That's a bit different.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Yes. And the change from adult pool to family pool too. Carnival is slowly changing its image.
> 
> I surprised myself being a little bit annoyed by the DCL shows and parties (Golden Mickey and Dreams, and the first minutes of Frozen, and the pirate party) during my last DCL cruise as I felt like they were really for children most of the time... I definitely prefer more adult entertainment. At home I watch comedy shows like Amy Schumer and Louis CK. I go to the movie theater to watch the Met's Opera La Traviata, if you know what I mean. That's a bit different.


I love kids and love Disney, but I also like adult stuff. I'm going to Vegas this Summer. I can't wait even though I don't gamble. I love movies, but I'm not a fan of Disney movies. I like movies with substance, and Disney just doesn't offer that. I'm really looking forward to the IMAX on the Vista. I  wish Disney would show some non- Disney movies on their ships, but I don't think that's ever going to happen. I've tried sitting through movies like Frozen, and Nemo. I just can't do it I'm bored to tears. Some of the marvel movies are tolerable, and some aren't. I do love Star Wars, but Rogue One...meh.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

tinkerone said:


> What I have normally used in the past is one of the plastic folders with the compartments.  Each compartment holds a folder clearly marked with what it is (air, hotel, Disney, Cruise, return air, return hotel).  As I collect things in my travels I put them in one of the slots as well (Navigators, business cards).  When I get home I print out a spread sheet with my costs for every thing, add it to one of the pockets and put it all away.  Then I start with a new slotted folder for the next time.  I could have 4 or 5 of these going at one time.
> 
> I like the idea of a binder better I think.  Easier to label and probably easier to store.  Its a brilliant idea and I may have to give it a try.


I use the plastic folders too, I have 4 going right now, 2 for the Disney cruises and 2 for the Carnival cruises we have booked. They work great, best thing we could have ever started doing.


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## cruiser21

I don't keep folders or anything. I've done so much traveling it's all in my head. I do store confirmations on my I- phone. I used to make list so I wouldn't forget anything. I stopped doing that, and I NEVER forget anything from home. That may sound great, but I have my flaws. I can't tell you how many things I've left in hotel room. I think I've lost my credit card at least three times while traveling. I'm great until I actually leave the house.


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## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I don't keep folders or anything. I've done so much traveling it's all in my head. I do store confirmations on my I- phone. I used to make list so I wouldn't forget anything. I stopped doing that, and I NEVER forget anything from home. That may sound great, but I have my flaws. I can't tell you how many things I've left in hotel room. I think I've lost my credit card at least three times while traveling. I'm great until I actually leave the house.



Impressive! 

I usually plan 2 to 3 trips in advance... My husband absolutely mix them all up. I think I would mix some facts up if it wasn't for my binders.


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## RedSox68

trvlgirlmq said:


> I'm a binder person too!  As I do my research and make bookings things get their own slots in those plastic sleeves.  While we are traveling I remove items at the end of each day. Organization is the key I always say



I don't immediately start out with a binder or folder -- I have a bin set (3 bins red, yellow and blue) with a top shelf and wheels -- looks like something a kid would keep toys in.  Have had it for years and keep it in my closet.  The first bin is for the upcoming trip, second for the next trip and bottom with future trip ideas/info.  As I start to collect things, then I start a binder.  The thing I like most about the bins is I don't have to think about organization at first -- I just collect the info, passports, money (foreign or US -- whatever extra money I make for the trip) and throw them in the appropriate bin.  Then I spend an evening organizing it all -- a set to keep home of the important stuff, which stays in the bin and a set to take, which goes in the folder/binder.  It's so fun to read how others do it and what products they use -- more good ideas.


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## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> Impressive!
> 
> I usually plan 2 to 3 trips in advance... My husband absolutely mix them all up. I think I would mix some facts up if it wasn't for my binders.



That's the same as me - I have several cruise plans on the go.

I generally store my documents electronically until about a week or 2 before the cruise (I have a handheld scanner and a full scanner at work). When I print them out, I use half page sized envelopes with a large binder clip. Each envelope is marked on the outside what it is.

I usually have:

Driving Directions
Hotel Confirmations
Parking Instructions
Cruise Confirmation and luggage tags
Ship information including a deck plan
Accessible ship information (location of companion washrooms, location of accessible seating, etc.)

I also have what I refer to as my "American purse" - it has our passports, a US change purse, my wallet with American cash (ones, fives, tens, and a few $20s) and then the envelope we get from the bank with our spending money.


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## RedSox68

PrincessTrisha said:


> That's the same as me - I have several cruise plans on the go.
> 
> I generally store my documents electronically until about a week or 2 before the cruise (I have a handheld scanner and a full scanner at work). When I print them out, I use half page sized envelopes with a large binder clip. Each envelope is marked on the outside what it is.
> 
> I usually have:
> 
> Driving Directions
> Hotel Confirmations
> Parking Instructions
> Cruise Confirmation and luggage tags
> Ship information including a deck plan
> Accessible ship information (location of companion washrooms, location of accessible seating, etc.)
> 
> _*I also have what I refer to as my "American purse" - it has our passports, a US change purse, my wallet with American cash (ones, fives, tens, and a few $20s) and then the envelope we get from the bank with our spending money.*_



This made me laugh -- I do the same thing.  I get overly obsessed about knowing where everything is so it's handy.  So fun to be reading how everyone plans and packs.

I also have my "plane caddy" -- basically a large plastic and cloth zipper pouch that I put my pens, diary, puzzle book and reading book in so I can just pull it out before we put the luggage overhead.  (Of course, it also has the sanitation wipes to wipe down the areas LOL)


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## cruiser21

I leave on Sunday and haven't done any of that. I'll pack tomorrow afternoon. I have any confirmations I need in my email. I've never really had any problems when traveling. I use Orbitz when booking hotels, Costco for car rentals. I'm probably more organized then I think I am because I don't think of myself as an organized person. It's just become so routine now. Like getting ready for work and being out the door at 510 am. 
What's making this trip easier is my husband isn't going so I don't have to worry about cleaning the house, turning up AC, taking out garbage, making sure the timer is set on pool pump, doors and window locked, computers off, hold mail and paper deliver,  you know all the little things you have to make sure you get done when you leave a house empty. That is the stuff I have to make a checklist for. The packing part I have down. I pack for everybody in the house. None of them are capable. The last time my dh packed for himself he forget to pack shirts. How do you forget to pack shirts?


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## tinkerone

cruiser21 said:


> *I pack for everybody in the house*. *None of them are capable*. The last time my dh packed for himself he forget to pack shirts. How do you forget to pack shirts?


That I refuse to do.  Once my boys hit 13 they were on their own.  I figured their wives would thank me later.  When we first got married I packed for DH but a few years into it I thought, what am I doing?, and I passed the baton to him.  Very early on he forgot underwear.  Didn't bother me, I had mine.   From that he realized how important it was to pay a bit of attention to packing and has never had a problem since.  No, I'll do my own packing and if your not capable then you go without underwear.  

I have enough to do since I am the planner and the rest are the followers.  The least they can do is pack their own stuff.  I do applaud the fact you have such a good memory though.  Having a comfort level with just using that and email is a wonder in my eyes.   I'm not that good, I would never make it without my trusty folders, ducks in a row so to speak.


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## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> I leave on Sunday and haven't done any of that. I'll pack tomorrow afternoon. I have any confirmations I need in my email. I've never really had any problems when traveling. I use Orbitz when booking hotels, Costco for car rentals. I'm probably more organized then I think I am because I don't think of myself as an organized person. It's just become so routine now. Like getting ready for work and being out the door at 510 am.
> What's making this trip easier is my husband isn't going so I don't have to worry about cleaning the house, turning up AC, taking out garbage, making sure the timer is set on pool pump, doors and window locked, computers off, hold mail and paper deliver,  you know all the little things you have to make sure you get done when you leave a house empty. That is the stuff I have to make a checklist for. The packing part I have down. I pack for everybody in the house. None of them are capable. The last time my dh packed for himself he forget to pack shirts. How do you forget to pack shirts?



I, too, pack for the three of us -- but there is a method to my madness.  We spread the clothes around between our suitcases so if one gets lost (which has happened), we all still have clothes.  If everyone has all their stuff in individual suitcases, and one gets lost, someone has no clothes or shoes.  Plus I am a "waste no space" packer -- rolling shirts, socks and underwear inside shoes, toiletries in double ziploc bags at the bottom in those annoying indentions between the supports, and dressier shirts/blouses rolled with tissue paper between to avoid wrinkles.  They, however, pick out each and every piece of their clothing, shoes, bathing suits, etc. and all I do is space fill the suitcases.


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## cruiser21

tinkerone said:


> That I refuse to do.  Once my boys hit 13 they were on their own.  I figured their wives would thank me later.  When we first got married I packed for DH but a few years into it I thought, what am I doing?, and I passed the baton to him.  Very early on he forgot underwear.  Didn't bother me, I had mine.   From that he realized how important it was to pay a bit of attention to packing and has never had a problem since.  No, I'll do my own packing and if your not capable then you go without underwear.
> 
> I have enough to do since I am the planner and the rest are the followers.  The least they can do is pack their own stuff.  I do applaud the fact you have such a good memory though.  Having a comfort level with just using that and email is a wonder in my eyes.   I'm not that good, I would never make it without my trusty folders, ducks in a row so to speak.


He does bring the suitcases in from the garage and checks them for scorpions before I pack ..  that I appreciate.


----------



## mevelandry

False hope: my favorite personal cruise assistant from NCL had left me a voicemail. Unfortunately the promotion that he is offering us is still 450$ too expensive for our budget.

I guess the price watch is back on. So stressful.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> He does bring the suitcases in from the garage and checks them for scorpions before I pack ..  that I appreciate.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> False hope: my favorite personal cruise assistant from NCL had left me a voicemail. Unfortunately the promotion that he is offering us is still 450$ too expensive for our budget.
> 
> I guess the price watch is back on. So stressful.


I've done that with Disney cruises. Waiting for the GT rates to drop. It's exciting when you get a good rate.  I honestly don't know how people plan years in advance. I just don't have that kind of patience.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I've done that with Disney cruises. Waiting for the GT rates to drop. It's exciting when you get a good rate.  I honestly don't know how people plan years in advance. I just don't have that kind of patience.



I have a hard time waiting. I get anxious. I can't book that much last minute deals when I have to fly (they are more expensive when I book last minute)... But if I get rewarded with a great deal, it might change the way I travel. 

I elaborated a new strategy for the future: I can select cruises leaving a port on the same day or the next day. I will book plane tickets in order to arrive one-two days before departure and book a return on the last day of the cruise that arrives later in the week. Then I'll wait for last minute rates to book the cruise and book hotel rooms accordingly.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I have a hard time waiting. I get anxious. I can't book that much last minute deals when I have to fly (they are more expensive when I book last minute)... But if I get rewarded with a great deal, it might change the way I travel.
> 
> I elaborated a new strategy for the future: I can select cruises leaving a port on the same day or the next day. I will book plane tickets in order to arrive one-two days before departure and book a return on the last day of the cruise that arrives later in the week. Then I'll wait for last minute rates to book the cruise and book hotel rooms accordingly.


I guess when I say last minute I mean 2 to 3 months out. . That's usually when you see some discounts. That's about the right time to see good prices on air and hotels. It's not really last minute except in the cruise world. I have a hard time think thinking a year or so ahead. I will book the wbta when it's released because it's been selling out so fast. I like to vacation  late Spring and Early Fall. I tend to change my mind a lot on what I want to do so it's pointless to lock myself into something to early.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I guess when I say last minute I mean 2 to 3 months out. . That's usually when you see some discounts. That's about the right time to see good prices on air and hotels. It's not really last minute except in the cruise world. I have a hard time think thinking a year or so ahead. I will book the wbta when it's released because it's been selling out so fast. I like to vacation  late Spring and Early Fall. I tend to change my mind a lot on what I want to do so it's pointless to lock myself into something to early.



I tend to change my mind a lot too... But the rates can change so fast that I don't know what is going to happen.

Like the cruise assistant told me:  "Cruise rates are like stocks. It's hard to predict what is going to happen." The cruise departing a week before the one we are interested in had the lowest prices on friday and suddently this morning, it's higher than the one we want.

All I am praying for is for the rates to go slightly lower and Canada at Par promo to still be available.

EDIT (May 5th): On thursday, the rates finally started going a little bit lower. I think once they go around 802$ CND (+ taxes), I will be confortable enough to book. Hopefully within the next 3 weeks I'll wake up one morning and have a great surprise. *Fingers crossed*. 

We have a plan B (short land trip --nothing that can compare to a cruise--) if it doesn't work but I'm praying that we'll get the rates we want on time.


----------



## mevelandry

Interesting news about Carnival:
Now we can book our wifi package online before the cruise. (I think they started it with Vista and Horizon, TBD).

It has to be prepaid (Yay!) but we have to pay taxes on it (Booh!)... I prepaid my 5$ a day "social" package and I paid 25$ for my six days cruise + 1,80$ taxes (I was told that if you book as you sail, it's duty free).

I'm glad I could take care of it in advance!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> Interesting news about Carnival:
> Now we can book our wifi package online before the cruise. (I think they started it with Vista and Horizon, TBD).
> 
> It has to be prepaid (Yay!) but we have to pay taxes on it (Booh!)... I prepaid my 5$ a day "social" package and I paid 25$ for my six days cruise + 1,80$ taxes (I was told that if you book as you sail, it's duty free).
> 
> I'm glad I could take care of it in advance!



Yes, Carnival seems to be moving to a model where you can pre-purchase just about everything so you could end up with a small (or zero) onboard account if you choose.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> Yes, Carnival seems to be moving to a model where you can pre-purchase just about everything so you could end up with a small (or zero) onboard account if you choose.



 I am a big fan of "pre-paid", and so is my husband. He likes to know what will be the total cost in advance and hates having to check the bills after the cruise and/or having a bill to pay after a cruise.

I have already ordered and paid what I wanted to order for our Vista cruise. Now there's only "cruise cash bar" left to buy. We don't drink enough to make the alcohol package worth it but it's nice to have enough on board credit to cover the cost of a few drinks.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I love to have as much prepaid as well.  We went ahead and booked the MSC Seaside for June 2018.  We are doing the combined East/West 14 night itinerary for less than the 8 day Vista we had booked.  Of course once I add in the loss of our deposit it comes out about $250 more but that is not too bad for 6 extra nights. We also get 12 drink vouchers per person so we should have nothing on our tab at the end.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I love to have as much prepaid as well.  We went ahead and booked the MSC Seaside for June 2018.  We are doing the combined East/West 14 night itinerary for less than the 8 day Vista we had booked.  Of course once I add in the loss of our deposit it comes out about $250 more but that is not too bad for 6 extra nights. We also get 12 drink vouchers per person so we should have nothing on our tab at the end.



250$ for 6 extra nights + the 12 drinks/pp is an excellent value. The ship itself looks fantastic (and will be brand new!) Congrats!


----------



## mevelandry

EDIT:

Regarding my Bermuda cruise wish...

DH and I decided to push back our project until next year. (We're going to go on a land trip to Niagara Falls instead). Next year we're going to try to book a bit earlier in june so it's going to be a little bit cheaper.  

Now back to planning our October cruise on the Vista!


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> I am a big fan of "pre-paid", and so is my husband. He likes to know what will be the total cost in advance and hates having to check the bills after the cruise and/or having a bill to pay after a cruise.
> 
> I have already ordered and paid what I wanted to order for our Vista cruise. Now there's only "cruise cash bar" left to buy. We don't drink enough to make the alcohol package worth it but it's nice to have enough on board credit to cover the cost of a few drinks.



We don't drink that much either -- which is why those "free" drink packages where they add about $138 in gratuities still is more than we would spend on drinks  LOL  It's cheaper for us to pay along the way in that case.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> We don't drink that much either -- which is why those "free" drink packages where they add about $138 in gratuities still is more than we would spend on drinks  LOL  It's cheaper for us to pay along the way in that case.



Yeah, I believe you. 

The last time we had 75$ each in cruise cash bar for 4 nights. We spent it all but I bought specialty coffee and (non-included) tea during the afternoon tea with my 75$. Can't imagine myself drink 6-7 drinks or more each day... Can't drink half a glass of wine without feeling dizzy! For 6 nights, I don't think I'll need more than 100$. 

I always wonder why they don't offer more affordable packages with a maximal amount of drinks a little bit lower (ex: 7 drinks instead of 15). I may be wrong but think more people would buy them.


----------



## mevelandry

BOOM! The price was right:  Just booked the Anthem of the Seas for a Bermuda sailing for October 2018. 

We got a reduced deposit, 30% off (we said the price we were looking for was 1000$ CND each, we got 1029$ CND each and decided that it was close enough) + 50$ USD on board credit! (Which covers the extra 29$ CND each).


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> BOOM! The price was right:  Just booked the Anthem of the Seas for a Bermuda sailing for October 2018.
> 
> We got a reduced deposit, 30% off (we said the price we were looking for was 1000$ CND each, we got 1029$ CND each and decided that it was close enough) + 50$ USD on board credit! (Which covers the extra 29$ CND each).


How long is your cruise?  Congrats, I really want to try RCCL so bad but my wife just wants no part of it, wants to stick with CCL and DCL.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> How long is your cruise?  Congrats, I really want to try RCCL so bad but my wife just wants no part of it, wants to stick with CCL and DCL.



It's a "small" 5 nights cruise. Bermuda cruises tend to be expensive but the Anthem of the Seas has so much to offer (I am interested in most of the shows, activities, specialty dining they offer...)

 Also I am daydreaming of the Solarium pool (adult only). Google it! It looks amazing.

I have heard that you have to pre-book a lot of stuff and I know that is a downside to many but I love booking activities in advance.

I could be wrong but I really think I'll be a RCCL fan.


----------



## Neptune's Fork

mevelandry said:


> It's a "small" 5 nights cruise. Bermuda cruises tend to be expensive but the Anthem of the Seas has so much to offer (I am interested in most of the shows, activities, specialty dining they offer...)
> 
> Also I am daydreaming of the Solarium pool (adult only). Google it! It looks amazing.
> 
> I have heard that you have to pre-book a lot of stuff and I know that is a downside to many but I love booking activities in advance.
> 
> I could be wrong but I really think I'll be a RCCL fan.



Where does it sail out of?


----------



## cmph

trvlgirlmq said:


> I love to have as much prepaid as well.  We went ahead and booked the MSC Seaside for June 2018.  We are doing the combined East/West 14 night itinerary for less than the 8 day Vista we had booked.  Of course once I add in the loss of our deposit it comes out about $250 more but that is not too bad for 6 extra nights. We also get 12 drink vouchers per person so we should have nothing on our tab at the end.


Hope you don't mind if I pick your brain for a quick minute! What ages are your kids? I'm kind of in the middle of trying to talk DH into MSC Divina in Nov (yes, THIS Nov). My kids have the entire week of Thanksgiving off, and admins told us that would be the last time for our district... so I was like, well, maybe we should go on a trip... Being last minute and a holiday, not everything is such a great deal. But MSC has a 7 night out of Miami that would only be a bit over $2500 for the 4 of us in a balcony and I could figure out how to use miles to fly us there. They apparently have a dedicated gluten-free kitchen area overseen by the Italian celiac society, so that took care of that worry. Now it's just the atmosphere itself that I guess I want reassurance on? The more European feel doesn't bother me (half DH's childhood was in Europe) but it's hard to tell what the atmosphere (partying adults mostly?) is like. The cruise critic reviews I've read so far were adults only. The evening entertainment sounds totally not kid-friendly but intriguing (an opera singer??) but I figure that means the pools are wide open for the kids. It's a good $1000 less than the next best option (a 7 night on Princess, Mexican Riviera). You all should have seen DH's mouth drop open when I told him the price haha! But he kinda wants to go to Disneyland a bit unless he knows the kids will like this. I'm ready to throw caution to the wind. sorry everyone, went on for far too long!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

cmph said:


> Hope you don't mind if I pick your brain for a quick minute! What ages are your kids? I'm kind of in the middle of trying to talk DH into MSC Divina in Nov (yes, THIS Nov). My kids have the entire week of Thanksgiving off, and admins told us that would be the last time for our district... so I was like, well, maybe we should go on a trip... Being last minute and a holiday, not everything is such a great deal. But MSC has a 7 night out of Miami that would only be a bit over $2500 for the 4 of us in a balcony and I could figure out how to use miles to fly us there. They apparently have a dedicated gluten-free kitchen area overseen by the Italian celiac society, so that took care of that worry. Now it's just the atmosphere itself that I guess I want reassurance on? The more European feel doesn't bother me (half DH's childhood was in Europe) but it's hard to tell what the atmosphere (partying adults mostly?) is like. The cruise critic reviews I've read so far were adults only. The evening entertainment sounds totally not kid-friendly but intriguing (an opera singer??) but I figure that means the pools are wide open for the kids. It's a good $1000 less than the next best option (a 7 night on Princess, Mexican Riviera). You all should have seen DH's mouth drop open when I told him the price haha! But he kinda wants to go to Disneyland a bit unless he knows the kids will like this. I'm ready to throw caution to the wind. sorry everyone, went on for far too long!



It seems like everyone pretty much loves Divina.  My kids will be 13 and 15 next summer and they have exclusively sailed on Carnival.  We picked the Seaside because of the fabulous water park, zip line and other kid stuff.  Plus the price!  I've also read it's more formal in regards to dress code and shows.


----------



## cruiser21

RedSox68 said:


> We don't drink that much either -- which is why those "free" drink packages where they add about $138 in gratuities still is more than we would spend on drinks  LOL  It's cheaper for us to pay along the way in that case.


It adds up fast though. I had two drinks a day one martini and 1 glass of wine and I spent over 100 on a 4 night cruise. Martinis are around 14- 15 when you include a tip. A glass of wine around 9 to 12 My son spent at least 25.00 dollars at venolopes. That place is really good. I know some people don't like up charged places but I thought it was well worth it.
The one thing on the Dream that I didn't like was there was no food available between 5 to 93O except hamburgers or chicken fingers at Flos If you wanted pizza or fruit you had to call room service. No apps in the bars either. I'm sorry but I don't want to call room service for a little snack. I really just wanted some fruit.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> It adds up fast though. I had two drinks a day one martini and 1 glass of wine and I spent over 100 on a 4 night cruise. Martinis are around 14- 15 when you include a tip. A glass of wine around 9 to 12 My son spent at least 25.00 dollars at venolopes. That place is really good. I know some people don't like up charged places but I thought it was well worth it.
> The one thing on the Dream that I didn't like was there was no food available between 5 to 93O except hamburgers or chicken fingers at Flos If you wanted pizza or fruit you had to call room service. No apps in the bars either. I'm sorry but I don't want to call room service for a little snack. I really just wanted some fruit.



We always bring ziploc bags with us.  We get extra fruit, pastries and cookies at breakfast and lunch and then put the fruit in the room fridge.  We have had many a late night fruit and cookie snack and we never let anything go to waste


----------



## cmph

trvlgirlmq said:


> It seems like everyone pretty much loves Divina.  My kids will be 13 and 15 next summer and they have exclusively sailed on Carnival.  We picked the Seaside because of the fabulous water park, zip line and other kid stuff.  Plus the price!  I've also read it's more formal in regards to dress code and shows.


Part of me thinks we should just wait for the Seaside... hmm. My kids will be 12 and 9 by Nov. I'll have to think about this more. After talking it over a bit more with DH, we both thought maybe we would like the Divina more if we left them with grandparents haha!


----------



## mevelandry

Neptune's Fork said:


> Where does it sail out of?



Cape Liberty.


----------



## RedSox68

OMG -- I'm sorry, but I tried to figure it out by looking back.  What is a Divina?  is it a ship?


----------



## mevelandry

cmph said:


> The evening entertainment sounds totally not kid-friendly but intriguing (an opera singer??)



Not minding my own business here but... Why wouldn't children be interested in Opera?   I know I was... 

(I took/am currently taking singing classes and I go to see the MET's transmission at my local theater once in a while.)


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> OMG -- I'm sorry, but I tried to figure it out by looking back.  What is a Divina?  is it a ship?



MSC Divina... (Pretty ship!)


----------



## mevelandry

Just for the fun, I did the exercise to see how much a Western Caribbean Cruise would have cost me with DCL vs the one I got on the Vista, similar dates, the only difference is the DCL cruise has an extra night and stop at Castaway Cay and departs from Port Canaveral (there was no W Caribbean departing from Miami in October)...

Vista: 6 nights - Departing from Miami - Jamaica (Ocho Rios), Grand Cayman, Cozumel - 1298$ USD
Fantasy: 7 nights - Departing from PC - Jamaica (Falmouth), Grand Cayman, Cozumel & Castaway Cay - $3,289 USD

That's 1991$ more...   (We could do one or two more cruises with that amount!)


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Just for the fun, I did the exercise to see how much a Western Caribbean Cruise would have cost me with DCL vs the one I got on the Vista, similar dates, the only difference is the DCL cruise has an extra night and stop at Castaway Cay and departs from Port Canaveral (there was no W Caribbean departing from Miami in October)...
> 
> Vista: 6 nights - Departing from Miami - Jamaica (Ocho Rios), Grand Cayman, Cozumel - 1298$ USD
> Fantasy: 7 nights - Departing from PC - Jamaica (Falmouth), Grand Cayman, Cozumel & Castaway Cay - $3,289 USD
> 
> That's 1991$ more...   (We could do one or two more cruises with that amount!)


But you get free soda on DCL!


----------



## cmph

mevelandry said:


> Not minding my own business here but... Why wouldn't children be interested in Opera?   I know I was...
> 
> (I took/am currently taking singing classes and I go to see the MET's transmission at my local theater once in a while.)


It was actually not whether the CHILD would be interested so much as whether the other show-goers would appreciate kids around. It's one thing for toddlers/pre-schoolers/elementary-aged kids to be wiggly and need to whisper to a parent a couple of times through a DCL show, kind of another during an opera performance. At least for me, as a parent, I would be more sensitive to other adults' quiet appreciation of opera than standard cruise entertainment of DCL-style shows, comedians, etc. and would be paranoid the whole time that my kid was going to stage-whisper his need to go to the bathroom in the middle of an aria. Hopefully that makes more sense? I think it would be awesome to hear opera on a ship, although I am suspicious of the acoustics!

In any case, that was meant to be one example of something the Divina offers that is quite unique but certainly not geared towards children/families. Another would be the white night where everyone wears white. OK, so kids can certainly participate, but it's clearly not geared toward families b/c only a crazy person would think putting children in all white for dinner and evening activities sounds like a fun idea. Unless it's an event sponsored by a laundry detergent brand.


----------



## cmph

RedSox68 said:


> OMG -- I'm sorry, but I tried to figure it out by looking back.  What is a Divina?  is it a ship?


Totally my fault! I was replying to PP's MSC Seaside comment, b/c Divina is another MSC ship and I didn't want to start a whole MSC thread.


----------



## cruiser21

RedSox68 said:


> We always bring ziploc bags with us.  We get extra fruit, pastries and cookies at breakfast and lunch and then put the fruit in the room fridge.  We have had many a late night fruit and cookie snack and we never let anything go to waste


They used to always have it because I always grabbed some pineapple and grapes after my gym workout and I'm usually out of the gym around 6 or 7. Some times green apples if it's rough. The Dream and Fantasy are beautiful ships, but I still like the Wonder and Magic better. I missed the promenade lounge and the adult bars of the classics.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> But you get free soda on DCL!



OMG. MUST. BOOK. DCL. NOW!!!


----------



## cruiser21

My son was telling some kids in the Edge how he loved the Carnival Breeze because the foods better. All the kids starting telling him carnival sucks(kids word) and Disneys the best. I'm sure their parents have told them this.  He asked them if they had ever been on carnival they said no. I told him it sounds like the adults on the disboards. He just couldn't understand why they thought carnival was so bad when they hadn't tried. I told him it's like a new food you don't know until you try it.  My sons a huge Disney lover so I'm glad he's open minded.


----------



## mevelandry

Not gonna lie. Now that I know that DCL is doing a 5 nights in Bermuda for next year, I can't wait to compare prices!


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Not gonna lie. Now that I know that DCL is doing a 5 nights in Bermuda for next year, I can't wait to compare prices!



yes, the price comparisons should be interesting.  Hoping that since we are platinum, maybe (just maybe) it will be a "little" bit of a break at the beginning since they are tiering the bookings now.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> MSC Divina... (Pretty ship!)



Thank you -- I'll have to check it out.


----------



## mevelandry

View post 467 for comparison in pricing for Bermuda RCCL vs DCL.


----------



## cruiser21

RedSox68 said:


> yes, the price comparisons should be interesting.  Hoping that since we are platinum, maybe (just maybe) it will be a "little" bit of a break at the beginning since they are tiering the bookings now.


The price of the WBTA seems a lot higher next year then it was this year. I know you were booked this year. Did you notice how the prices compared. I booked the WBTA in 2016 and 2017 and didn't end up taking the cruise. I booked it for 4 people those two times and I'm pretty darn sure it was a lot less then the quotes I'm seeing for 4 people next year. I booked a 9c for two next year at 3,340 and I could swear I booked the same room for 4 in 2016 or 2017 for about the same price or just a couple hundred more. Of course I've booked, cancelled and taken so many cruises over the last 8 years I may be starting to lose my mind.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> The price of the WBTA seems a lot higher next year then it was this year. I know you were booked this year. Did you notice how the prices compared. I booked the WBTA in 2016 and 2017 and didn't end up taking the cruise. I booked it for 4 people those two times and I'm pretty darn sure it was a lot less then the quotes I'm seeing for 4 people next year. I booked a 9c for two next year at 3,340 and I could swear I booked the same room for 4 in 2016 or 2017 for about the same price or just a couple hundred more. Of course I've booked, cancelled and taken so many cruises over the last 8 years I may be starting to lose my mind.



Yes, next year's is higher, and the itinerary is not at all interesting to us (going to St. John, New Brunswick instead of St. John's Newfoundland and doing Halifax and Sydney would be repeats for us.  We've been to Dover, so the only new port would be Portland.  And the price for the three of us is about $800 more than this year's, and this year's had a lot more interesting ports.  Oh well, maybe 2019!


----------



## cruiser21

RedSox68 said:


> Yes, next year's is higher, and the itinerary is not at all interesting to us (going to St. John, New Brunswick instead of St. John's Newfoundland and doing Halifax and Sydney would be repeats for us.  We've been to Dover, so the only new port would be Portland.  And the price for the three of us is about $800 more than this year's, and this year's had a lot more interesting ports.  Oh well, maybe 2019!


Ok so it wasn't my imagination. I haven't been to any of the ports except Dover. I really like the EBTA's itinerary. I'm just not sure about all the time changes. I lose 3 hours when I get to Miami and then another 6 on the cruise, and then fly back and have to adjust all over again. It doesn't sound pleasant. If I lived on the East coast I'd probably book it.


----------



## Dallas_Lady

We were all set to take the Vista out of Galveston Thanksgiving 2018, but then Disney released new dates and now I am waiting so see what the price difference is on the Wonder.  We'd gotten all excited for the Carnival ship, but I can feel Disney pulling us back in.  We've only done one Disney Cruise and I'd love to do one more before the kids are teenagers, but I don't want to have to take out a second mortgage to do it (then again, free sodas... LOL)


----------



## mevelandry

Dallas_Lady said:


> We were all set to take the Vista out of Galveston Thanksgiving 2018, but then Disney released new dates and now I am waiting so see what the price difference is on the Wonder.  We'd gotten all excited for the Carnival ship, but I can feel Disney pulling us back in.  We've only done one Disney Cruise and I'd love to do one more before the kids are teenagers, but I don't want to have to take out a second mortgage to do it (then again, free sodas... LOL)



If the price difference for the Wonder cruise is less than Adults: $6.50/day and Kids: $4.95/day +15% gratuity (the price of the soda package on the Vista) then you should go for the free sodas cruise. 


Not sure how it works for Galveston (better prices usually) but I noticed that for all the 5 days or more cruises that I'm interested in, DCL charges more or less 2000$ more than its competitors (for 2 adults). I can't compare for kids clubs, etc... but for 2 adults, the price difference is hard to justify.


----------



## cruiser21

Dallas_Lady said:


> We were all set to take the Vista out of Galveston Thanksgiving 2018, but then Disney released new dates and now I am waiting so see what the price difference is on the Wonder.  We'd gotten all excited for the Carnival ship, but I can feel Disney pulling us back in.  We've only done one Disney Cruise and I'd love to do one more before the kids are teenagers, but I don't want to have to take out a second mortgage to do it (then again, free sodas... LOL)


The Vista will be considerably less. Your kids won't stop liking Disney when they're teens. I wish that was that case.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Dallas_Lady said:


> We were all set to take the Vista out of Galveston Thanksgiving 2018, but then Disney released new dates and now I am waiting so see what the price difference is on the Wonder.  We'd gotten all excited for the Carnival ship, but I can feel Disney pulling us back in.  We've only done one Disney Cruise and I'd love to do one more before the kids are teenagers, but I don't want to have to take out a second mortgage to do it (then again, free sodas... LOL)


My kids are 16 and 17 and still love DCL, they will never outgrow it!!  But we love the Vista too, especially compared to the Wonder.


----------



## mevelandry

The more I read the pricing thread for the new DCL itineraries, the more I realize that the people booking them are "privileged". You have to be very comfortable (financially) to be able to spend 5000$+ on a family vacation.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> The more I read the pricing thread for the new DCL itineraries, the more I realize that the people booking them are "privileged". You have to be very comfortable (financially) to be able to spend 5000$+ on a family vacation.


I don't think 5000 is a lot for a family vacation. I think it's a lot for an inside room on a Caribbean cruise. I also think vacations have to be a priority which I would assume is the case for people posting on a vacation board. I would also assume most people taking Disney cruises are middle to upper class with secure jobs. I know people that make a ton of money that would never be comfortable with it. They are always saving for a rainy day. Interesting one of the questions on the DCL survey was "Do you live like there's no tomorrow". I think to enjoy traveling you have to have a little of that mentality. When you think about theres probably always something more necessary you could be spending the money on then travel.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I don't think 5000 is a lot for a family vacation. I think it's a lot for an inside room on a Caribbean cruise. I also think vacations have to be a priority which I would assume is the case for people posting on a vacation board. I would also assume most people taking Disney cruises are middle to upper class with secure jobs. I know people that make a ton of money that would never be comfortable with it. They are always saving for a rainy day. Interesting one of the questions on the DCL survey was "Do you live like there's no tomorrow". I think to enjoy traveling you have to have a little of that mentality. When you think about theres probably always something more necessary you could be spending the money on then travel.



By that I meant that most people I know cannot afford a 5000$ family vacation.

(And obviously too much for an inside room on a caribbean cruise!)


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> By that I meant that most people I know cannot afford a 5000$ family vacation.
> 
> (And obviously too much for an inside room on a caribbean cruise!)


There's a lot of people in the US that can't, but there's a lot that can. There's a lot of really wealthy people here, and the stock markets been soaring. There's many factors that go into it like where you live and cost of living vs salary.   I'm not sure what it's like in Canada. I just know your dollars in the toilet, and your taxes are higher. I've watched some of those house hunter shows where they are looking at houses in Toronto and I'm shocked at how expensive houses are.   It's still really expensive for us to visit Vancouver even with the favorable exchange rate.
I agree though I look at what some are willing to pay and I'm in awe. I don't know if they vacation once a year or more. If I have x amount of dollars to spend a year I try to spread it out to 2 or 3 trips not just one big trip.


----------



## tinkerone

mevelandry said:


> Not sure how it works for Galveston (better prices usually) but I noticed that for all the 5 days or more cruises that I'm interested in,* DCL charges more or less 2000$ more than its competitors (for 2 adults).* I can't compare for kids clubs, etc... but for 2 adults, the price difference is hard to justify.


An extra week on RCL!  We have mostly done B2B's on DCL Magic and then Fantasy however this year started to do B2B's on RCCL for less than the cost of one week of DCL.  This year we are doing B2B on Oasis and next year we have their new ship, the Symphony, booked for our B2B.  Its nice to be able to pay in Canadian funds and still get a great rate.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> There's a lot of people in the US that can't, but there's a lot that can. There's a lot of really wealthy people here, and the stock markets been soaring. There's many factors that go into it like where you live and cost of living vs salary.   I'm not sure what it's like in Canada. I just know your dollars in the toilet, and your taxes are higher. I've watched some of those house hunter shows where they are looking at houses in Toronto and I'm shocked at how expensive houses are.   It's still really expensive for us to visit Vancouver even with the favorable exchange rate.
> I agree though I look at what some are willing to pay and I'm in awe. I don't know if they vacation once a year or more. If I have x amount of dollars to spend a year I try to spread it out to 2 or 3 trips not just one big trip.



I can't speak for others but my budget (and salary) is the same as it was when US $ and CND $ were at par 4 years ago. I did not see much of a change except for travelling in the US which got more expensive. 

As for the housing, I don't think Montreal is close to Toronto or Vancouver in pricing but there is definitely a "bubble" (I hope we don't get our own versio of the 2008 crash) and I'm shocked at the mortgage some people are willing to get. Thank God DH and I are into Tiny Housing. LOL


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I can't speak for others but my budget (and salary) is the same as it was when US $ and CND $ were at par 4 years ago. I did not see much of a change except for travelling in the US which got more expensive.
> 
> As for the housing, I don't think Montreal is close to Toronto or Vancouver in pricing but there is definitely a "bubble" (I hope we don't get our own versio of the 2008 crash) and I'm shocked at the mortgage some people are willing to get. Thank God DH and I are into Tiny Housing. LOL


The first time we cruised on the Fantasy January of 2013 half the ship or more was Canadian. Guest services told me that was normal  for Jan/Feb. I doubt that's the case anymore.


----------



## Caraleigh

Something that hasn't been mentioned that really bothered my boyfriend and me on our Carnival cruise last year was the pressure to buy things. We were looking into a DCL Honeymoon and wanted to know if that same pressure was present on DCL. The push to buy alcohol at our dining table, photos while trying to get to dinner, jewelry, and all the other stuff they sold on board and even at port.

I understand shopping is super fun for a lot of people, but for an introvert like myself, I was really put off by the whole thing. 

Also, does anyone have any insight into the smoking areas on DCL? Granted, I haven't done much research into that aspect of DCL, but it was also something I noticed when I had to walk through the casino on my CC to get to dinner. Cigarette smoke causes an almost immediate headache, so I wasn't always feeling the best in the evenings.

Thanks!


----------



## mevelandry

Caraleigh said:


> Something that hasn't been mentioned that really bothered my boyfriend and me on our Carnival cruise last year was the pressure to buy things. We were looking into a DCL Honeymoon and wanted to know if that same pressure was present on DCL. The push to buy alcohol at our dining table, photos while trying to get to dinner, jewelry, and all the other stuff they sold on board and even at port.
> 
> I understand shopping is super fun for a lot of people, but for an introvert like myself, I was really put off by the whole thing.
> 
> Also, does anyone have any insight into the smoking areas on DCL? Granted, I haven't done much research into that aspect of DCL, but it was also something I noticed when I had to walk through the casino on my CC to get to dinner. Cigarette smoke causes an almost immediate headache, so I wasn't always feeling the best in the evenings.
> 
> Thanks!



Photos while trying to get dinner, trying to sell wine and packages of wine, sparkling water instead of flat water, treatments at the spa, waiter trying to sell us drinks were very present on our last DCL cruise. And I did not even mention about the "excellent service - comment card".   It was just as bad as what I encountered on CCL. 

There are smoking sections on DCL but they are outside.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> The first time we cruised on the Fantasy January of 2013 half the ship or more was Canadian. Guest services told me that was normal  for Jan/Feb. I doubt that's the case anymore.



I don't know. We hate winter. I know people are still trying to avoid it by going on vacation from December to April.


----------



## Dug720

Caraleigh said:


> Something that hasn't been mentioned that really bothered my boyfriend and me on our Carnival cruise last year was the pressure to buy things. We were looking into a DCL Honeymoon and wanted to know if that same pressure was present on DCL. The push to buy alcohol at our dining table, photos while trying to get to dinner, jewelry, and all the other stuff they sold on board and even at port.
> 
> I understand shopping is super fun for a lot of people, but for an introvert like myself, I was really put off by the whole thing.
> 
> Also, does anyone have any insight into the smoking areas on DCL? Granted, I haven't done much research into that aspect of DCL, but it was also something I noticed when I had to walk through the casino on my CC to get to dinner. Cigarette smoke causes an almost immediate headache, so I wasn't always feeling the best in the evenings.
> 
> Thanks!



I have not cruised Carnival (zero desire thanks to their advertising), but I have cruised RCCL, and they do heavy sales with a gauntlet to get on the ship and/or into the buffet.

While I have been asked if I want to purchase a wine package ONCE per cruise on DCL and there are ladies from the spa out, the major difference I have found with DCL is that once you say no if asked they leave you alone. And they are not jumping in your face with things like they were on RCCL. Literally last summer I had to ask three crew members on RCCL to please move so I could enter the buffet because they were completely blocking my way waving their whatever they were selling in my face.

The only time they have tried to sell a picture package was when we were deciding which ones to get and had i think 8 pictures. But he left us alone to decide and did not hover like a vulture.

As said, all DCL smoking areas are outside. The only one that irks me is at least on the Dream class, the Deck 12 area is placed so that if you try to get to 13 via the stairs outside you have to walk through it. Other than that, they are pretty easily avoided.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> I don't think 5000 is a lot for a family vacation. I think it's a lot for an inside room on a Caribbean cruise. I also think vacations have to be a priority which I would assume is the case for people posting on a vacation board. I would also assume most people taking Disney cruises are middle to upper class with secure jobs. I know people that make a ton of money that would never be comfortable with it. They are always saving for a rainy day. Interesting one of the questions on the DCL survey was "Do you live like there's no tomorrow". I think to enjoy traveling you have to have a little of that mentality. When you think about theres probably always something more necessary you could be spending the money on then travel.



I go by what it comes out to per night.  For me, I am not comfortable spending more than $400 or so per night (even if food is included) because our budget won't allow it.  If I spend that, then we are only taking one vacation every two years!  Someone posted b2b bookings for Bermuda for their family and it was over $10,000.  That only amounts to an 11-night vacation.  That's over $800/night!  When you think about it, $5,000 for just one week for cruise only without air or transportation or a pre-cruise hotel is a lot


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Caraleigh said:


> Something that hasn't been mentioned that really bothered my boyfriend and me on our Carnival cruise last year was the pressure to buy things. We were looking into a DCL Honeymoon and wanted to know if that same pressure was present on DCL. The push to buy alcohol at our dining table, photos while trying to get to dinner, jewelry, and all the other stuff they sold on board and even at port.
> 
> I understand shopping is super fun for a lot of people, but for an introvert like myself, I was really put off by the whole thing.
> 
> Also, does anyone have any insight into the smoking areas on DCL? Granted, I haven't done much research into that aspect of DCL, but it was also something I noticed when I had to walk through the casino on my CC to get to dinner. Cigarette smoke causes an almost immediate headache, so I wasn't always feeling the best in the evenings.
> 
> Thanks!



Here is the thing about the sales on Carnival, RCCL, etc.  They have tables set up in high traffic areas. The staff will try to engage you as you walk by but with a smile, a no, thank you and your feet moving forward they will move on.  That simple. I have never once felt any pressure to buy, spend money or otherwise part with my cold hard cash.


----------



## mevelandry

Ok, here are the official numbers I got, for the most basic interior cabin, for 2 adults, 5 nights cruise to the Bermuda departing from NYC:

RCCL: $2,058.00 CND = 1510.45$ USD  which, in USD is 151$/per night, per person. 

DCL: $ 3454.06 CND = 2535,08$ USD which, in USD is 253$/per night, per person. 


It's a $1025 USD difference. (1386.09$ less in CND $)... I do not regret booking with RCCL.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> I have not cruised Carnival (zero desire thanks to their advertising) (...)



What advertising? This? 

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/uploads/image/College Humor Carnival Cruise(1).jpg


----------



## RedSox68

trvlgirlmq said:


> Here is the thing about the sales on Carnival, RCCL, etc.  They have tables set up in high traffic areas. The staff will try to engage you as you walk by but with a smile, a no, thank you and your feet moving forward they will move on.  That simple. I have never once felt any pressure to buy, spend money or otherwise part with my cold hard cash.



I never have either -- on any of the other cruise lines we have done (including Carnival and NCL), they have tables set up for drink packages, water purchases, etc., but have never been aggressive or pushy about us buying.  We just say no thank and that ends it.  They've never approached us around the ship ever for selling anything either.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> I never have either -- on any of the other cruise lines we have done (including Carnival and NCL), they have tables set up for drink packages, water purchases, etc., but have never been aggressive or pushy about us buying.  We just say no thank and that ends it.  They've never approached us around the ship ever for selling anything either.



Exactly, it's no worst than people at home passing flyers or newspapers at the entrance of the subway station. It's not Nassau.


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> What advertising? This?
> 
> http://www.cruiselawnews.com/uploads/image/College Humor Carnival Cruise(1).jpg



Their whole "fun ships" thing. Not my style at all.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Exactly, it's no worst than people at home passing flyers or newspapers at the entrance of the subway station. It's not Nassau.



UGH, don't get me started on the Straw Market -- where vendors kept grabbing my 12-year-old daughter to look at their wares!


----------



## RedSox68

Dug720 said:


> Their whole "fun ships" thing. Not my style at all.



I truly think it depends on the itinerary.  We took Carnival Glory out of NYC to St. John over Labor Day Weekend a couple of years ago and we had nice varied group of passengers that included families, family reunions and such.  We never experienced any drunkenness, rude or loud behavior or anything like what you read about on Carnival and RCCL.  In fact, we are booked again this year on the Sunshine for a New England/Canada cruise and am not worried at all about having any issues.  I think the northern intineraries are more sedate than the Caribbean or Mexican ones.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> Their whole "fun ships" thing. Not my style at all.



I like what I saw. Very colorful. I can't wait to try everything they have to offer.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> I truly think it depends on the itinerary.  We took Carnival Glory out of NYC to St. John over Labor Day Weekend a couple of years ago and we had nice varied group of passengers that included families, family reunions and such.  We never experienced any drunkenness, rude or loud behavior or anything like what you read about on Carnival and RCCL.  In fact, we are booked again this year on the Sunshine for a New England/Canada cruise and am not worried at all about having any issues.  I think the northern intineraries are more sedate than the Caribbean or Mexican ones.



The Sunshine looks nice! I was supposed to sail on it to go to the Bermuda in 2016. I was sad to cancel. Was supposed to stay in a Cloud 9 room. 

But I'll have my Cloud 9 on the Vista & the Bermuda on the Anthem next year.


----------



## Dug720

Way too Vegas for my tastes. Of course I am the weird one who has no interest in Vegas, so I know I am in the minority. If the style works for you, great! I will stick with a more classic style.

Regarding the whole "fun ship" thing, that WAS their ad thing for the longest. You cannot just snap fingers and expect people to forget your old advertising.


----------



## RedSox68

Dug720 said:


> Way too Vegas for my tastes. Of course I am the weird one who has no interest in Vegas, so I know I am in the minority. If the style works for you, great! I will stick with a more classic style.
> 
> Regarding the whole "fun ship" thing, that WAS their ad thing for the longest. You cannot just snap fingers and expect people to forget your old advertising.



True about the advertising.  I think they are trying harder now to appeal to the family genre.  I will say this about the ship we were on, we had THE most beautiful oceanview room I've ever had -- the decor and colors were so gorgeous and comforting and the room was huge by any standard.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Dug720 said:


> Their whole "fun ships" thing. Not my style at all.



Yes, we all know, you hate Carnival and you don't like to have fun.  Geez, move on.


----------



## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> Yes, we all know, you hate Carnival and you don't like to have fun.  Geez, move on.


I was wondering why she keeps posting here. Just to remind us she'll never cruise Carnival?


----------



## mevelandry

Please, guys... Let's not fight here.


----------



## tinkerone

Dug720 said:


> *While I have been asked if I want to purchase a wine package ONCE per cruise on DCL and there are ladies from the spa out, the major difference I have found with DCL is that once you say no if asked they leave you alone.* And they are not jumping in your face with things like they were on RCCL. Literally last summer I had to ask three crew members on RCCL to please move so I could enter the buffet because they were completely blocking my way waving their whatever they were selling in my face.


You have been very lucky then as I don't think I have ever been asked only once for anything on DCL.  On the first day everyone we encounter wants to sell us some type of package (water/wine), the CM's are all over the top deck asking.   Also, I normally get the wine package question for the first two nights at dinner, the second night is usually a 'are you sure?' question.  As I mentioned earlier they are often set up at each port selling water.
Your right, the spa ladies tend to hang out at the doors to the adult only area and hock their wares.  Can't say they only ask once there either because when they are out, each time I leave and come back they ask again.  Everyone is friendly but they are there. 
So far I have only sailed on the Oasis once however I have not had any issues with pushy sales people.  I just say no and move on, they don't follow me.  Maybe I will see more when we go back.  I'll still just say no and walk away.


----------



## Dug720

tinkerone said:


> You have been very lucky then as I don't think I have ever been asked only once for anything on DCL.  On the first day everyone we encounter wants to sell us some type of package (water/wine), the CM's are all over the top deck asking.   Also, I normally get the wine package question for the first two nights at dinner, the second night is usually a 'are you sure?' question.  As I mentioned earlier they are often set up at each port selling water.
> Your right, the spa ladies tend to hang out at the doors to the adult only area and hock their wares.  Can't say they only ask once there either because when they are out, each time I leave and come back they ask again.  Everyone is friendly but they are there.
> So far I have only sailed on the Oasis once however I have not had any issues with pushy sales people.  I just say no and move on, they don't follow me.  Maybe I will see more when we go back.  I'll still just say no and walk away.



Could be because I don't hang out on the top deck I haven't experienced it. One advantage to not really being a pool person I guess. I have been asked the first night about a wine package, but one "No thanks. If I want it, i will order by the glass" has always sufficed. With the spa ladies, it may be that I just don't make eye contact. All the people selling stuff - or trying to get you to sign petitions - on the subway and streets of NYC and I have about perfected that art when I see potential sellers.

The sales pitches were horrible on the Brilliance in the Med this past summer - it was quite literally a gauntlet to get past the door and then to get into the Windjammer. From reports on Cruise Critic it has not improved - and those reports run the gamut of the RCCL fleet.


----------



## Sanchez

Dug720 said:


> I have not cruised Carnival (zero desire thanks to their advertising), but I have cruised RCCL, and they do heavy sales with a gauntlet to get on the ship and/or into the buffet.
> 
> While I have been asked if I want to purchase a wine package ONCE per cruise on DCL and there are ladies from the spa out, the major difference I have found with DCL is that once you say no if asked they leave you alone. And they are not jumping in your face with things like they were on RCCL. Literally last summer I had to ask three crew members on RCCL to please move so I could enter the buffet because they were completely blocking my way waving their whatever they were selling in my face.
> 
> The only time they have tried to sell a picture package was when we were deciding which ones to get and had i think 8 pictures. But he left us alone to decide and did not hover like a vulture.
> 
> As said, all DCL smoking areas are outside. The only one that irks me is at least on the Dream class, the Deck 12 area is placed so that if you try to get to 13 via the stairs outside you have to walk through it. Other than that, they are pretty easily avoided.



While I think sales techniques are more aggressive on Royal, the above significantly embellishes the situation. There are no gauntlets and no one is jumping in your face. My experience was that the drink package was pushed by bartenders early in the cruise. If comparing to DCL, I would much prefer a bartender politely asking if I would prefer to purchase the drink package than a server cornering me with the "excellent" speech. That needs to stop.


----------



## Dug720

Sanchez said:


> While I think sales techniques are more aggressive on Royal, the above significantly embellishes the situation. There are no gauntlets and no one is jumping in your face. My experience was that the drink package was pushed by bartenders early in the cruise. If comparing to DCL, I would much prefer a bartender politely asking if I would prefer to purchase the drink package than a server cornering me with the "excellent" speech. That needs to stop.



I'm glad you were right next to me last summer. They were lined up as you boarded and once they could be on both sides they were. And they were blocking the entrance to the Windjammer. 

I have been happy with my 2 RCCL cruises and would consider them again. But the above WAS my experience on Brilliance last summer.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Please, guys... Let's not fight here.


Not fighting. It's just a valid question. Royal doesn't appeal to me so I don't go to the Royal boards. It would be pointless for me to post multiple times over there that I don't like their ships.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Not fighting. It's just a valid question. Royal doesn't appeal to me so I don't go to the Royal boards. It would be pointless for me to post multiple times over there that I don't like their ships.



Not pointing at anybody in particular. 

I agree with your point of view + I used to be one who dissed CCL and RCCL strictly based on what I had seen while being docked in Nassau, before deciding to give CCL a chance... (and then ending up loving CCL)...

Now, I'm all in favor of "do not diss what you haven't tried" when it comes to travel, food and entertainment. 

My new motto is "Open your heart and let the universe surprise you".


----------



## mevelandry

Sanchez said:


> While I think sales techniques are more aggressive on Royal, the above significantly embellishes the situation. There are no gauntlets and no one is jumping in your face. My experience was that the drink package was pushed by bartenders early in the cruise. If comparing to DCL, I would much prefer a bartender politely asking if I would prefer to purchase the drink package than a server cornering me with the "excellent" speech. That needs to stop.



Ah, yes... The "excellent" speech. I've had that on both cruise lines but DCL was the worst.


----------



## Dallas_Lady

So after being momentarily swayed by the Wonder docking there as well, we are sticking with the Carnival Vista out of Galveston for Thanksgiving 2018.  $3900 vs. $7300 is a no-brainer to me.  There isn't that much free soda in the world!


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Ah, yes... The "excellent" speech. I've had that on both cruise lines but DCL was the worst.


I only saw my room host once on the ship. My dining room host had been with the company for years on all the ships. He was really chill about everything. I actually did not get the excellent speech for the first time on a Disney cruise. 


Dallas_Lady said:


> So after being momentarily swayed by the Wonder docking there as well, we are sticking with the Carnival Vista out of Galveston for Thanksgiving 2018.  $3900 vs. $7300 is a no-brainer to me.  There isn't that much free soda in the world!


Yikes!
I've never cruised DCL on a holiday week. We paid 3300 for four people the week after thanksgiving 2016. OGT rate out of Galveston. It's the best week of the year to get deals. We went to DL the same time one year and walked on every ride. You'll never get a break on DCL during a holiday.


----------



## BCV23

cruiser21 said:


> Not fighting. It's just a valid question. Royal doesn't appeal to me so I don't go to the Royal boards. It would be pointless for me to post multiple times over there that I don't like their ships.



Umm but this is the Disney Cruise Line Forum not the Carnival forum. Following your logic one might wonder why a few on this thread come here to bash DCL.  

My DH took our DD on one Carnival cruise and they were not impressed. He told me I would not like Carnival. He didn't think it was as clean and the shows were so racy he was embarrassed to be there with our dd. One and done for our family. Different strokes and all that.


----------



## mevelandry

Dallas_Lady said:


> So after being momentarily swayed by the Wonder docking there as well, we are sticking with the Carnival Vista out of Galveston for Thanksgiving 2018.  $3900 vs. $7300 is a no-brainer to me.  There isn't that much free soda in the world!



Wait, you're saying you won't drink 1700 sodas* during your cruise? 

(3400$ - at 2$/per soda)


----------



## mevelandry

BCV23 said:


> Umm but this is the Disney Cruise Line Forum not the Carnival forum. Following your logic one might wonder why a few on this thread come here to bash DCL.
> 
> My DH took our DD on one Carnival cruise and they were not impressed. He told me I would not like Carnival. He didn't think it was as clean and the shows were so racy he was embarrassed to be there with our dd. One and done for our family. Different strokes and all that.



We have the permission from the admins for this thread since they won't open a category for Carnival and other cruise lines.   It's doing well so far. Most people here are friendly and like DCL (although we tend to be a bit more "moderate" and a bit more critical of them than some others).

What ship was it? When? And what show? (We appreciate reviews --good or bad--, as long as there are details).


----------



## cruiser21

BCV23 said:


> Umm but this is the Disney Cruise Line Forum not the Carnival forum. Following your logic one might wonder why a few on this thread come here to bash DCL.
> 
> My DH took our DD on one Carnival cruise and they were not impressed. He told me I would not like Carnival. He didn't think it was as clean and the shows were so racy he was embarrassed to be there with our dd. One and done for our family. Different strokes and all that.


That's fine. I have no problem with that. It's some people feel the need to say it over and over again. It's like ok we got it. I haven't seen anyone bashing DCL on this thread. Maybe some are a little put off by the prices, but that's about it.


----------



## tinkerone

BCV23 said:


> Umm but this is the Disney Cruise Line Forum not the Carnival forum. Following your logic* one might wonder why a few on this thread come here to bash DCL.  *.


That's pretty extreme, I don't think I have read anything from anyone 'bashing' DCL.  There have been lots of opinions and thoughts but 'bashing'? 
As someone who has discovered other cruise lines I'm happy to share what I have found and am thrilled to read what others have found.  Comparison is good however what I like and what someone else likes could very well be polar opposites.  That can be seen just in comments so its good to have two sides of the story, IMO. 
It would be unfair for someone to say, for example, that other cruise lines nickel and dime without commenting that DCL does the same.  Thats not 'bashing', that's a fact.  Again, that's JMO.  I hope the comparisons keep coming.  I like reading about other options.


----------



## tinkerone

I know this thread is about Carnival however I thought I would toss out what I just looked at.  I could have called for DCL rates opening day however, as I had no plans to book, I didn't want to waste a lot of time.  Now that I can just go online and look I checked what the rates would be for DCL compared to our 2018 cruise aboard the new RCL ship the Symphony, which sets sail next year. 
For the two weeks I have booked, last week of November and first week of December, the Fantasy would be $7316 U.S. ($10242 CND) for the cheapest veranda cabin, while the Symphony is $5454 CND for the two weeks.  BIG difference, $4788.  That will pay for flights, hotel stays, drink packages, extra meals, tips,  excursions, I could go on and on but for sure I will have money in the bank!  Being open minded pays.


----------



## keaster

tinkerone said:


> I know this thread is about Carnival however I thought I would toss out what I just looked at.  I could have called for DCL rates opening day however, as I had no plans to book, I didn't want to waste a lot of time.  Now that I can just go online and look I checked what the rates would be for DCL compared to our 2018 cruise aboard the new RCL ship the Symphony, which sets sail next year.
> For the two weeks I have booked, last week of November and first week of December, the Fantasy would be $7316 U.S. ($10242 CND) for the cheapest veranda cabin, while the Symphony is $5454 CND for the two weeks.  BIG difference, $4788.  That will pay for flights, hotel stays, drink packages, extra meals, tips,  excursions, I could go on and on but for sure I will have money in the bank!  Being open minded pays.



We are Canadian too, and with the lousy exchange rate, the amount of money added to the cost of a DCL cruise is ridiculous! We are gold on DCL but have been struggling to find a price that would allow us to sail again. I had booked the 7-night DCL Northern European cruise for August 2018 when it was released, but cancelled in favour of NCL which had a 9-night cruise (same itinerary, one extra port) for about $6000 less. I like that RCCL and NCL do pricing in Canadian dollars.


----------



## mevelandry

keaster said:


> We are Canadian too, and with the lousy exchange rate, the amount of money added to the cost of a DCL cruise is ridiculous! We are gold on DCL but have been struggling to find a price that would allow us to sail again. I had booked the 7-night DCL Northern European cruise for August 2018 when it was released, but cancelled in favour of NCL which had a 9-night cruise (same itinerary, one extra port) for about $6000. I like that RCCL and NCL do pricing in Canadian dollars.



Yes! I love the canadian dollar pricing. My credit card takes a % every time I make a USD transaction... With RCCL, there is no conversion and no fees. I wish Carnival would do that too.


----------



## cruiser21

keaster said:


> We are Canadian too, and with the lousy exchange rate, the amount of money added to the cost of a DCL cruise is ridiculous! We are gold on DCL but have been struggling to find a price that would allow us to sail again. I had booked the 7-night DCL Northern European cruise for August 2018 when it was released, but cancelled in favour of NCL which had a 9-night cruise (same itinerary, one extra port) for about $6000 less. I like that RCCL and NCL do pricing in Canadian dollars.


Didn't DCL used to have Canadian discounts? I guess they don't need to offer them anymore. Wait until the next market crash or bubble burst. All the discounts will be back again.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

I had tried calling DCL when the Gold bookings opened but sat on hold for too long and I had to hang up to attend a meeting. Now checking the Panama Canal, the only accessible cabin I could find yesterday for 3 is Concierge - and that's way out of my range ($22,000). Today there is an oceanview accessible cabin available at $7300. I don't think that this cruise is in the cards via DCL - which is too bad because it's a cruise I really want to do and there is a great benefit to NOT having a casino on board for cruises with this many sea days.



And on the previous topic of selling - I will say that my recent Royal cruise, it was rough. They were everywhere and they were really hawking drink packages, specialty dining, and stuff (clothes, jewellery, bottled water). Every night on the promenade they were setting up extra tables to sell something. I had prebooked specialty dining and was still harassed to purchase more (and it did get to the point of harassment - I said no, we'd already booked and they still continued the hard sell - walking with us and not letting up). This is the only cruise I've experienced this really hard sell; it does seem to me that it's where Royal is headed and may be their new usual business.

On DCL we've been approved to buy bottled water, wine packages, pictures, specialty drinks (you notice how DCL does not list prices on their MDR menu for their 3 specialty drinks?) and of course light up cups for both adults and kids (on the deck and sitting in the MDR). I also found practically non stop ads for stuff on DCL - they aren't just selling dining and dodads, they are selling DVC, Adventures by Disney, and the Parks. We also had the hypnotist put in a 15 minute plug right before the end of his show to buy his book, dvd and/or cd. You didn't want to leave because you want to see the end, so you're pretty much captive during his shill.

I will say that on Carnival, I've not been approached to book specialty dining or a drink package. They have the tables set up but there's no push. We've had the roving waiters on day 1 trying to sell their DOD but I've seen that on every line (Carnival, Royal, Celebrity and Disney).


----------



## Dallas_Lady

cruiser21 said:


> Yikes!
> I've never cruised DCL on a holiday week. We paid 3300 for four people the week after thanksgiving 2016. OGT rate out of Galveston. It's the best week of the year to get deals. We went to DL the same time one year and walked on every ride. You'll never get a break on DCL during a holiday.



I was also looking at the week after Thanksgiving on the Wonder.  I'd love to take one more Disney cruise with the kids.  About how far in advance did that rate come out?  It might be worth it to pull them out of school for a week.


----------



## cruiser21

Dallas_Lady said:


> I was also looking at the week after Thanksgiving on the Wonder.  I'd love to take one more Disney cruise with the kids.  About how far in advance did that rate come out?  It might be worth it to pull them out of school for a week.


We've done that week once and the first week of Dec once. I can't say if you'll get that kind of rate again since prices have gone up, but they always seem to offer some kind of GT rate. I would look for them around September.  I can tell you the ship is packed with school age kids from Texas all playing hooky so if you pull your kids out for a week you won't be alone. The cruises out of Texas are always fun. Texans are very friendly, and I think it's why I have such fondness for the Wonder.


----------



## mevelandry

tinkerone said:


> I know this thread is about Carnival however I thought I would toss out what I just looked at.  I could have called for DCL rates opening day however, as I had no plans to book, I didn't want to waste a lot of time.  Now that I can just go online and look I checked what the rates would be for DCL compared to our 2018 cruise aboard the new RCL ship the Symphony, which sets sail next year.
> For the two weeks I have booked, last week of November and first week of December, the Fantasy would be $7316 U.S. ($10242 CND) for the cheapest veranda cabin, while the Symphony is $5454 CND for the two weeks.  BIG difference, $4788.  That will pay for flights, hotel stays, drink packages, extra meals, tips,  excursions, I could go on and on but for sure I will have money in the bank!  Being open minded pays.




By the way, the thread is about Carnival but we talk about pretty much every other cruise lines...   A great value is a great value.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Didn't DCL used to have Canadian discounts? I guess they don't need to offer them anymore. Wait until the next market crash or bubble burst. All the discounts will be back again.



They have offers "for Canadians Only", I've seen it once or twice for fall cruises. Cruises departing from NYC most of the time.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> By the way, the thread is about Carnival but we talk about pretty much every other cruise lines...   A great value is a great value.



Agree -- gotta save money any way we can


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> They have offers "for Canadians Only", I've seen it once or twice for fall cruises. Cruises departing from NYC most of the time.


It may have been years ago I saw this. DCL still offers military rates, but not a lot of GT rates. I had considered getting annual passes to WDW, but the lack of hotel discounts stopped me. 5 years ago we had annual pass's and could get 40% off at every hotel right up to last minute. I guess the economy's good people are working and making money. I'm not making much more then I was 5 years ago so I really notice to price increases.


----------



## bbel

Ok, super random question, but if anyone's gonna know its you guys 
Do they have the Dr Seuss stuff on every (Carnival) ship or just select ones?


----------



## mevelandry

bbel said:


> Ok, super random question, but if anyone's gonna know its you guys
> Do they have the Dr Seuss stuff on every (Carnival) ship or just select ones?



I think they do. They are also doing a Dr.Seuss waterworks on the Horizon if I am not mistaken.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I think they do. They are also doing a Dr.Seuss waterworks on the Horizon if I am not mistaken.





bbel said:


> Ok, super random question, but if anyone's gonna know its you guys
> Do they have the Dr Seuss stuff on every (Carnival) ship or just select ones?


I know they have it on the newer ships. Only the Horizon will have the water park.


----------



## RedSox68

bbel said:


> Ok, super random question, but if anyone's gonna know its you guys
> Do they have the Dr Seuss stuff on every (Carnival) ship or just select ones?



Hi -- go to this link and at the top left you will see a button that says "which ships is this on".  Click that and a drop down menu will show you all the ships.   https://www.carnival.com/onboard/seuss-at-sea

By the looks of it, it appears to be on most of the ships.  The Green Eggs and Ham breakfast is something I might even check out in September as that looks like fun even for adults  LOL


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

RedSox68 said:


> By the looks of it, it appears to be on most of the ships. The Green Eggs and Ham breakfast is something I might even check out in September as that looks like fun even for adults LOL



The breakfast is fun and fantastic, especially for only $5.00/person, even my teens loved it. I had the steak and eggs and it was one of the best filets I've ever had, not quite as good as Ruth's Chris or Flemings but way better than Outback. If you don't do it, the same steak and eggs is available for the regular sea day brunch.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cruiser21 said:


> I know they have it on the newer ships. Only the Horizon will have the water park.


I'm really looking forward to the water park in June 2018!!


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Hi -- go to this link and at the top left you will see a button that says "which ships is this on".  Click that and a drop down menu will show you all the ships.   https://www.carnival.com/onboard/seuss-at-sea
> 
> By the looks of it, it appears to be on most of the ships.  The Green Eggs and Ham breakfast is something I might even check out in September as that looks like fun even for adults  LOL



I've almost done it on the last cruise. I will definitely try it on my next cruise. The reviews for the Green eggs and ham breakfast are pretty good in general.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I've almost done it on the last cruise. I will definitely try it on my next cruise. The reviews for the Green eggs and ham breakfast are pretty good in general.


The sea day brunch is also very good. I'm not sure if you tried it. It's free, and it's nice to have a fresh cooked breakfast with real eggs. I never tried the breakfast buffet on Carnival. DCL's is awful. I'm kind of assuming Carnival's is about the same.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> The sea day brunch is also very good. I'm not sure if you tried it. It's free, and it's nice to have a fresh cooked breakfast with real eggs. I never tried the breakfast buffet on Carnival. DCL's is awful. I'm kind of assuming Carnival's is about the same.



I did... I ordered a steak and egg, the steak wasn't perfect but my husband had good pancakes. The Green Eggs and ham has fun items, for 5$, it's worth a shot. 

Breakfast buffet was so-so on Carnival Victory but it was just as bad on DCL Dream and Wonder.


----------



## bbel

mevelandry said:


> think they do. They are also doing a Dr.Seuss waterworks on the Horizon if I am not mistaken.





cruiser21 said:


> I know they have it on the newer ships. Only the Horizon will have the water park.





RedSox68 said:


> Hi -- go to this link and at the top left you will see a button that says "which ships is this on". Click that and a drop down menu will show you all the ships. https://www.carnival.com/onboard/seuss-at-sea
> 
> By the looks of it, it appears to be on most of the ships. The Green Eggs and Ham breakfast is something I might even check out in September as that looks like fun even for adults LOL



Thanks guys! 
I had a nosy online and it looked like it was on all the ships, but I didn't want to assume!
My friend just got offered a role as an animator (character performer) so we were trying to work out a potential ship, so it doesn't really help if its on all the ships haha! I suppose its just more of a surprise when they find out lol!


----------



## RedSox68

Club Disney Chandler said:


> The breakfast is fun and fantastic, especially for only $5.00/person, even my teens loved it. I had the steak and eggs and it was one of the best filets I've ever had, not quite as good as Ruth's Chris or Flemings but way better than Outback. If you don't do it, the same steak and eggs is available for the regular sea day brunch.



Thanks so much -- now I have to try it!  I'm not a huge fan of the Cat in the Hat, but love all other things Dr. Seuss -- so it should be fun.


----------



## mevelandry

bbel said:


> Thanks guys!
> I had a nosy online and it looked like it was on all the ships, but I didn't want to assume!
> My friend just got offered a role as an animator (character performer) so we were trying to work out a potential ship, so it doesn't really help if its on all the ships haha! I suppose its just more of a surprise when they find out lol!



This is really awesome!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Ok, I think I am becoming a crazy person.  I just booked the MSC Bellissima for May 2019!!! A 7 night Mediterranean cruise for 2 adults/1 teen, inside Fantastica room (12 drink vouchers each) plus a Cirque du Soleil dinner show for $1677.02 (no gratuities added yet).  What???  We will be departing from Naples, Italy and visiting Messina, Sicily, Valletta, Malta, Barcelona, Marseilles and Genoa, Italy.


----------



## RedSox68

trvlgirlmq said:


> Ok, I think I am becoming a crazy person.  I just booked the MSC Bellissima for May 2019!!! A 7 night Mediterranean cruise for 2 adults/1 teen, inside Fantastica room (12 drink vouchers each) plus a Cirque du Soleil dinner show for $1677.02 (no gratuities added yet).  What???  We will be departing from Naples, Italy and visiting Messina, Sicily, Valletta, Malta, Barcelona, Marseilles and Genoa, Italy.



Wow, I really like that itinerary -- and nice perks!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Ok, I think I am becoming a crazy person.  I just booked the MSC Bellissima for May 2019!!! A 7 night Mediterranean cruise for 2 adults/1 teen, inside Fantastica room (12 drink vouchers each) plus a Cirque du Soleil dinner show for $1677.02 (no gratuities added yet).  What???  We will be departing from Naples, Italy and visiting Messina, Sicily, Valletta, Malta, Barcelona, Marseilles and Genoa, Italy.



You'd be a crazy person if you did not book that cruise.  It's the price of a 3 nights in the Bahamas for 2 with DCL!


----------



## mevelandry

I just updated my "pool" section on page 1 to add the change regarding the 7 ships where aft adult only pools that are now "kid-friendly":

Carnival Conquest
Carnival Glory
Carnival Valor
Carnival Liberty
Carnival Freedom
Carnival Splendor
Carnival Victory (my review)


----------



## cruiser21

I was just reading an article on MSN that said Royal was the cruise line of choice for millennials. Hal and Princess were second and third. I don't get Hal I think of them as a cruise for older people. Disney I guess ranked behind and I'm not sure where Carnival fits in. The article stated that their parents cruised on these lines that's where the loyalty comes from. Not sure the accuracy of this. I believe about 5% of anything I read in the media these days.
  Disney is what got us started on cruising because we had little kids. I could see my kids being loyal to Disney if they can afford it. The way prices are going they are going to need some REALLY good jobs if they want to take their kids on DCL cruises. I don't see my dh and I cruising DCL once the kids are gone unless prices stabilize. I can't see myself taking grandkids if prices keep going up at the rate they are.
I talked to few people at the Beach club last week that were loyal to Royal. I spent about 45 minutes in the hot tub at BC every night. I talk to everyone. I didn't meet anyone that had been on a DCL cruise. I think when you spend a lot of time of these boards you think DCL is really popular, but I haven't met anyone in my personel or professional life that has cruised on DCL.


----------



## cmph

cruiser21 said:


> I was just reading an article on MSN that said Royal was the cruise line of choice for millennials. Hal and Princess were second and third. I don't get Hal I think of them as a cruise for older people. Disney I guess ranked behind and I'm not sure where Carnival fits in. The article stated that their parents cruised on these lines that's where the loyalty comes from. Not sure the accuracy of this.


HAL was 2nd?? That's so so odd. I'm not a millennial; I'm in my late 30s and my parents are in their 60s. They have no interest in going on HAL again. My grandparents took the entire family on HAL when I was in my 20s. I'm the oldest of my generation and was out of school, but the dates were chosen to align with winter break for my cousins who were still in school - so this was solidly during Christmas break time when the number of young people on board would be higher. We felt like the youngest on the ship, by vast amounts, and frankly I don't remember any sort of teen club at all for my cousins. I don't recall any one of us hanging out with any people our age that we met onboard. At least I was over 21 and could drink in the bars, but it was pretty boring. I remember my cousins mostly played cards with their parents and grandparents, which frankly they could have done at home. None of our parents liked it nearly as much as the Royal we had all taken a couple of years prior (same family group). I'm not disparaging the HAL of today, as this was 15 years ago and things change... but I don't get how anyone would have loyalty based on that point in time, via their parents!! Grandparents, maybe, although i don't think even my grandparents liked HAL all that much; that particular cruise was chosen solely b/c it was southern Caribbean during the Christmas school break. 

I could see this with Princess, though. My dad considers the Princess cruise we took to Alaska to be the "gold standard" for food, etc. I'm frankly afraid to suggest we try Princess now b/c it can't possibly live up to the memory.


----------



## cruiser21

cmph said:


> HAL was 2nd?? That's so so odd. I'm not a millennial; I'm in my late 30s and my parents are in their 60s. They have no interest in going on HAL again. My grandparents took the entire family on HAL when I was in my 20s. I'm the oldest of my generation and was out of school, but the dates were chosen to align with winter break for my cousins who were still in school - so this was solidly during Christmas break time when the number of young people on board would be higher. We felt like the youngest on the ship, by vast amounts, and frankly I don't remember any sort of teen club at all for my cousins. I don't recall any one of us hanging out with any people our age that we met onboard. At least I was over 21 and could drink in the bars, but it was pretty boring. I remember my cousins mostly played cards with their parents and grandparents, which frankly they could have done at home. None of our parents liked it nearly as much as the Royal we had all taken a couple of years prior (same family group). I'm not disparaging the HAL of today, as this was 15 years ago and things change... but I don't get how anyone would have loyalty based on that point in time, via their parents!! Grandparents, maybe, although i don't think even my grandparents liked HAL all that much; that particular cruise was chosen solely b/c it was southern Caribbean during the Christmas school break.
> 
> I could see this with Princess, though. My dad considers the Princess cruise we took to Alaska to be the "gold standard" for food, etc. I'm frankly afraid to suggest we try Princess now b/c it can't possibly live up to the memory.


Like I said I take everything I read in the media especially MSN with a grain of salt. Royal always seem to be the most popular cruiseline overall. I can believe that, It's been years since Ive cruised on Royal, but it seems to be the cruiseline with the broadest appeal. I'm in my 40s cruising was for old people when I was a kid. My first cruise was on Royal during spring break. I was 21, It was a party cruise. I put Royal on my signature line , butI can't  say I'm qualified to give an opinion on it. A little too much on that cruise for me.


----------



## Dug720

cruiser21 said:


> I was just reading an article on MSN that said Royal was the cruise line of choice for millennials. Hal and Princess were second and third. I don't get Hal I think of them as a cruise for older people. Disney I guess ranked behind and I'm not sure where Carnival fits in. The article stated that their parents cruised on these lines that's where the loyalty comes from. Not sure the accuracy of this. I believe about 5% of anything I read in the media these days.
> Disney is what got us started on cruising because we had little kids. I could see my kids being loyal to Disney if they can afford it. The way prices are going they are going to need some REALLY good jobs if they want to take their kids on DCL cruises. I don't see my dh and I cruising DCL once the kids are gone unless prices stabilize. I can't see myself taking grandkids if prices keep going up at the rate they are.
> I talked to few people at the Beach club last week that were loyal to Royal. I spent about 45 minutes in the hot tub at BC every night. I talk to everyone. I didn't meet anyone that had been on a DCL cruise. I think when you spend a lot of time of these boards you think DCL is really popular, but I haven't met anyone in my personel or professional life that has cruised on DCL.



I've definitely seen the brand-loyalty-because-parents-cruised-it thing for RCCL (I don't go to HAL boards as I'll never sail them again and I'm too new to the Princess boards to really have formed a solid impression) on cruise critic for the primary reason that they enter adulthood already being at or close to top tier in the loyalty program because of the cruises they have taken as infants all the way up.

I have enjoyed my two cruises on RCCL's Radiance Class, and I'm excited to try Princess next April  (and assuming I like it the following April). I definitely like the fact that they give solo cruisers double credit (double points for RCCL and it counts as 2 cruises on Princess) in their programs since we are generally paying double anyway. It would be nice if Disney would acknowledge solos in some way.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

We leave on the Carnival Sunshine on Monday (travelling down to South Carolina tomorrow). I'll be sure to post a report (and some pictures!) when I return.


----------



## RedSox68

PrincessTrisha said:


> We leave on the Carnival Sunshine on Monday (travelling down to South Carolina tomorrow). I'll be sure to post a report (and some pictures!) when I return.



I am very interested in this as we are sailing on her in September and would love to hear your review.  Is this your first Carnival cruise?


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> I was just reading an article on MSN that said Royal was the cruise line of choice for millennials. Hal and Princess were second and third. I don't get Hal I think of them as a cruise for older people. Disney I guess ranked behind and I'm not sure where Carnival fits in. The article stated that their parents cruised on these lines that's where the loyalty comes from. Not sure the accuracy of this. I believe about 5% of anything I read in the media these days.
> Disney is what got us started on cruising because we had little kids. I could see my kids being loyal to Disney if they can afford it. The way prices are going they are going to need some REALLY good jobs if they want to take their kids on DCL cruises. I don't see my dh and I cruising DCL once the kids are gone unless prices stabilize. I can't see myself taking grandkids if prices keep going up at the rate they are.
> I talked to few people at the Beach club last week that were loyal to Royal. I spent about 45 minutes in the hot tub at BC every night. I talk to everyone. I didn't meet anyone that had been on a DCL cruise. I think when you spend a lot of time of these boards you think DCL is really popular, but I haven't met anyone in my personel or professional life that has cruised on DCL.



I would gladly cruise on DCL even without children, but not at the current prices anymore!  I am now a senior myself (although that still shocks me  LOL), but on HAL we did see more seniors than on Princess, but also saw some families but mostly with teenage kids or older.  Princess has become our number one favorite line right now and hope to do another one.  Disney will always be our "home", as that was our first cruise ever, so hope someday I can do at least one more.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Dug720 said:


> I've definitely seen the brand-loyalty-because-parents-cruised-it thing for RCCL (I don't go to HAL boards as I'll never sail them again and I'm too new to the Princess boards to really have formed a solid impression) on cruise critic for the primary reason that they enter adulthood already being at or close to top tier in the loyalty program because of the cruises they have taken as infants all the way up.
> 
> I have enjoyed my two cruises on RCCL's Radiance Class, and I'm excited to try Princess next April  (and assuming I like it the following April). I definitely like the fact that they give solo cruisers double credit (double points for RCCL and it counts as 2 cruises on Princess) in their programs since we are generally paying double anyway. It would be nice if Disney would acknowledge solos in some way.



I think that is fantastic that you get double loyalty points, it really is the right thing to do.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I was just reading an article on MSN that said Royal was the cruise line of choice for millennials. Hal and Princess were second and third. I don't get Hal I think of them as a cruise for older people. Disney I guess ranked behind and I'm not sure where Carnival fits in. The article stated that their parents cruised on these lines that's where the loyalty comes from. Not sure the accuracy of this. I believe about 5% of anything I read in the media these days.
> Disney is what got us started on cruising because we had little kids. I could see my kids being loyal to Disney if they can afford it. The way prices are going they are going to need some REALLY good jobs if they want to take their kids on DCL cruises. I don't see my dh and I cruising DCL once the kids are gone unless prices stabilize. I can't see myself taking grandkids if prices keep going up at the rate they are.
> I talked to few people at the Beach club last week that were loyal to Royal. I spent about 45 minutes in the hot tub at BC every night. I talk to everyone. I didn't meet anyone that had been on a DCL cruise. I think when you spend a lot of time of these boards you think DCL is really popular, but I haven't met anyone in my personel or professional life that has cruised on DCL.



I know two but one is rich and the other is a travel agent.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> We leave on the Carnival Sunshine on Monday (travelling down to South Carolina tomorrow). I'll be sure to post a report (and some pictures!) when I return.



Yes please. I will put the link on the first page. 

The ship sounds fantastic.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

RedSox68 said:


> I am very interested in this as we are sailing on her in September and would love to hear your review.  Is this your first Carnival cruise?



I've sailed the Carnival Dream 3 times, the Miracle once, and the Pride 5 times. I love Carnival. This is the first time on the Sunshine for us.



mevelandry said:


> Yes please. I will put the link on the first page.
> 
> The ship sounds fantastic.



That's why we're sailing it - for the ship. We're going to Nassau and Freeport - neither of which I find exciting - but I can't wait to try out the ship!


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> I've sailed the Carnival Dream 3 times, the Miracle once, and the Pride 5 times. I love Carnival. This is the first time on the Sunshine for us.
> 
> 
> 
> That's why we're sailing it - for the ship. We're going to Nassau and Freeport - neither of which I find exciting - but I can't wait to try out the ship!



The Serenity section on the Sunshine is the best I've seen so far, with a pool instead of a hot tub. 

I was supposed to sail on it last year and had to cancelled (and did the Victory instead.)


----------



## mevelandry

I have a crush on the Grand Turk - Aruba - Curaçao itinerary... It's too late to change our plans for October and switch to the 8 nights but boy do I comtemplate a carnival cruise with that itinerary for 2018 or 2019.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I have a crush on the Grand Turk - Aruba - Curaçao itinerary... It's too late to change our plans for October and switch to the 8 nights but boy do I comtemplate a carnival cruise with that itinerary for 2018 or 2019.


I'll let you know how it is in a couple weeks! We board the Vista Saturday on that itinerary.


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## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I'll let you know how it is in a couple weeks! We board the Vista Saturday on that itinerary.



Thank you!


----------



## hdrolfe

I am hoping to book Carnival Sunshine for December 9th. I was booked on MSC Divina but for about the same amount of money we get an extra day, and add St Kitts, plus get Grand Turk over Nassau (again). I have MSC Seaside booked for March. That will be our first experience there. I'm looking forward to reading the review of Sunshine  Our first cruise was supposed to be on Disney Magic but I had to downsize the cost and we ended up on Carnival Liberty. We got bit by the cruising bug and have yet to actually get on a Disney ship. Maybe someday!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

So we're back.

Here are some absolute highlights of our 5 nights on the Carnival Sunshine:

Boarding Day - BBQ at the Taste Bar for lunch. To take some pressure off of the lido Marketplace, they opened up the taste bar with a compliment of BBQ food (pulled pork, beef brisket, bbq chicken along with sides of potato salad, coleslaw, mac n cheese, buns, and probably a couple of things I'm forgetting - oh, plus 3 different sauces to add to your meats). This is the same stuff as Fieri's Pig and Anchor and so good. They also had a cart with tea, lemonade and ice water (along with coffee and hot tea). Made for a relaxing first meal and we didn't have to rush with the crowd up to the Lido deck.

JiJi's Asian Restaurant - by far and away the best specialty restaurant we've ever dined at on a cruise ship. It's only $15 per person and honestly - the flavour explosions were phenomenal. The portions are for sharing and don't look very big but trust me, you'll leave stuffed. This isn't your typical Chinese food restaurant; it's an Asian experience.

Daytime Activities - In addition to the number of trivia contests throughout the day, Carnival has really strengthened the ties to Hasbro. They had team trivial pursuit (including giant pie pieces) on both sea days, plus Giant Jenga (called Carnival Tower), Cranium, connect 4 tournaments, Win Lose or Draw, Reverse Charades (HeadBandz), and maybe 1 other that just escapes my memory. They also had family magic shows as well as a show which demonstrated a couple of magic tricks (taught you how to do them).

Cabins - these cabins were redone in the last big drydock and they are really nice. Lots of light wood, blues and greens, comfortable beds (that split apart), a very cold fridge (no cooling box - it kept our soda ice cold). We had one of the new cabins that were added to deck 5 and it was very convenient to everything. We were close to the aft elevator which quickly led us up to the lido deck (pool and buffet area), we were steps from the Ocean plaza where they had many of their daytime activities and live music at night, the alchemy bar, taste bar, and the coffee shop were just a few steps past that and then then casino (which yes, we do like to play the slots).

Choice of evening activities - From comedy shows, to Hasbro the game show, to playlist productions, to the love and marriage game, to the casino, to live music in 3-4 places around the ship, the Sunshine has it all.

Service - our cabin stewards (main one and his assistant) were excellent. Even though we filled out the form for evening service and not both, they were regularly in the room through the day to just "tidy up" (empty the garbage, replace towels, clean the bathroom). It was only the beds that got made once a day. They also helped with a few issues we had (not due to the ship but our issues). Our dining room servers were excellent - fast paced and efficient. One night my dad's steak was over done and he was going to just eat it but our server wouldn't allow it. She literally snapped her fingers at the assistant waiter and said, "Get him a new steak - make sure it's medium rare!" and not 5 minutes later, it arrived hot and perfect at the table.

Platinum Perks - this is my second cruise as Platinum and the first time I really took advantage of any perks. We had priority boarding, priority debarkation, separate line at guest services, 2 bags of free laundry for a 5 night cruise, chocolate covered strawberries to the cabin, a free drink at brunch, a backpack, a special party on the last night and a free 1.5 litre bottle of water.

Now there were a few downsides (as with any trip):

We sailed out of Charleston and I won't do that again. It's 3 steep ramps up to the ship, and you have to take a bus from the parking lot to get to the ship. Debarking was easy but expensive. We tipped the wheelchair pusher from the ship to the end of the 3 ramps ($5), the port wheelchair pusher who went from the end of the ramps, down through the luggage place and through port and security and out to the buses ($5), tipped the first porter who picked up our luggage at the inside terminal and took it the bus ($5), tipped the bus driver who operated the wheelchair lift and drove the bus (he was really good $5), and then another porter when we got off the bus to take the luggage from the bus drop off to the car ($5). I don't mind tipping and always get a porter, this just seemed excessive. This is a port issue though, not a Carnival one.

The toilet in the accessible cabin was on an angle. On day 1, due to this my mother missed her wheelchair and ended up on the floor. She had a stroke previously and can't use her right arm or leg so she can't stand up on her own. We had to call medical and the nurse came, confirmed she was okay and then they brought in a bunch of guys to help get her back into her wheelchair. Thankfully they had a commode chair available otherwise I don't think we would have been able to stay on the ship. We didn't find a single good accessible toilet on the ship (they were either too low, awkwardly placed,  too much stuff in the bathroom or the grab bars weren't in the right place). For this reason, we won't be sailing this particular ship again. This doesn't impact most people but accessibility is our number 1 concern for any vacation.

Service in the Casino - again, may not impact most people but the bar servers didn't seem to want to serve whatever drink I asked for - they kept trying to get me to order something different.  Frankly, it was just odd. I did get enough points for a "Drinks on Us" card and for cookies to be sent to the cabin.


Anyways, in case you can't tell, I really enjoy sailing on Carnival. I think they have great food (MDR, MDR breakfast and brunch, Guys Burger, Pasta Bar, Mongolian Wok, Cuban bites, Taste bar for the taste bar and they had breakfast there everyday), a nice variety of daytime activities (especially for those who are sun adverse such as myself), comfortable cabins with lots of storage space and just a comfortable, fun environment. The majority of cruisers seemed very relaxed and I didn't notice any "bad behaviour"; what I did notice was a ton of families, couples, singles, large groups, small groups and just the regular walk of life.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> So we're back.
> 
> Here are some absolute highlights of our 5 nights on the Carnival Sunshine:
> 
> Boarding Day - BBQ at the Taste Bar for lunch. To take some pressure off of the lido Marketplace, they opened up the taste bar with a compliment of BBQ food (pulled pork, beef brisket, bbq chicken along with sides of potato salad, coleslaw, mac n cheese, buns, and probably a couple of things I'm forgetting - oh, plus 3 different sauces to add to your meats). This is the same stuff as Fieri's Pig and Anchor and so good. They also had a cart with tea, lemonade and ice water (along with coffee and hot tea). Made for a relaxing first meal and we didn't have to rush with the crowd up to the Lido deck.
> 
> JiJi's Asian Restaurant - by far and away the best specialty restaurant we've ever dined at on a cruise ship. It's only $15 per person and honestly - the flavour explosions were phenomenal. The portions are for sharing and don't look very big but trust me, you'll leave stuffed. This isn't your typical Chinese food restaurant; it's an Asian experience.
> 
> Daytime Activities - In addition to the number of trivia contests throughout the day, Carnival has really strengthened the ties to Hasbro. They had team trivial pursuit (including giant pie pieces) on both sea days, plus Giant Jenga (called Carnival Tower), Cranium, connect 4 tournaments, Win Lose or Draw, Reverse Charades (HeadBandz), and maybe 1 other that just escapes my memory. They also had family magic shows as well as a show which demonstrated a couple of magic tricks (taught you how to do them).
> 
> Cabins - these cabins were redone in the last big drydock and they are really nice. Lots of light wood, blues and greens, comfortable beds (that split apart), a very cold fridge (no cooling box - it kept our soda ice cold). We had one of the new cabins that were added to deck 5 and it was very convenient to everything. We were close to the aft elevator which quickly led us up to the lido deck (pool and buffet area), we were steps from the Ocean plaza where they had many of their daytime activities and live music at night, the alchemy bar, taste bar, and the coffee shop were just a few steps past that and then then casino (which yes, we do like to play the slots).
> 
> Choice of evening activities - From comedy shows, to Hasbro the game show, to playlist productions, to the love and marriage game, to the casino, to live music in 3-4 places around the ship, the Sunshine has it all.
> 
> Service - our cabin stewards (main one and his assistant) were excellent. Even though we filled out the form for evening service and not both, they were regularly in the room through the day to just "tidy up" (empty the garbage, replace towels, clean the bathroom). It was only the beds that got made once a day. They also helped with a few issues we had (not due to the ship but our issues). Our dining room servers were excellent - fast paced and efficient. One night my dad's steak was over done and he was going to just eat it but our server wouldn't allow it. She literally snapped her fingers at the assistant waiter and said, "Get him a new steak - make sure it's medium rare!" and not 5 minutes later, it arrived hot and perfect at the table.
> 
> Platinum Perks - this is my second cruise as Platinum and the first time I really took advantage of any perks. We had priority boarding, priority debarkation, separate line at guest services, 2 bags of free laundry for a 5 night cruise, chocolate covered strawberries to the cabin, a free drink at brunch, a backpack, a special party on the last night and a free 1.5 litre bottle of water.
> 
> Now there were a few downsides (as with any trip):
> 
> We sailed out of Charleston and I won't do that again. It's 3 steep ramps up to the ship, and you have to take a bus from the parking lot to get to the ship. Debarking was easy but expensive. We tipped the wheelchair pusher from the ship to the end of the 3 ramps ($5), the port wheelchair pusher who went from the end of the ramps, down through the luggage place and through port and security and out to the buses ($5), tipped the first porter who picked up our luggage at the inside terminal and took it the bus ($5), tipped the bus driver who operated the wheelchair lift and drove the bus (he was really good $5), and then another porter when we got off the bus to take the luggage from the bus drop off to the car ($5). I don't mind tipping and always get a porter, this just seemed excessive. This is a port issue though, not a Carnival one.
> 
> The toilet in the accessible cabin was on an angle. On day 1, due to this my mother missed her wheelchair and ended up on the floor. She had a stroke previously and can't use her right arm or leg so she can't stand up on her own. We had to call medical and the nurse came, confirmed she was okay and then they brought in a bunch of guys to help get her back into her wheelchair. Thankfully they had a commode chair available otherwise I don't think we would have been able to stay on the ship. We didn't find a single good accessible toilet on the ship (they were either too low, awkwardly placed,  too much stuff in the bathroom or the grab bars weren't in the right place). For this reason, we won't be sailing this particular ship again. This doesn't impact most people but accessibility is our number 1 concern for any vacation.
> 
> Service in the Casino - again, may not impact most people but the bar servers didn't seem to want to serve whatever drink I asked for - they kept trying to get me to order something different.  Frankly, it was just odd. I did get enough points for a "Drinks on Us" card and for cookies to be sent to the cabin.
> 
> 
> Anyways, in case you can't tell, I really enjoy sailing on Carnival. I think they have great food (MDR, MDR breakfast and brunch, Guys Burger, Pasta Bar, Mongolian Wok, Cuban bites, Taste bar for the taste bar and they had breakfast there everyday), a nice variety of daytime activities (especially for those who are sun adverse such as myself), comfortable cabins with lots of storage space and just a comfortable, fun environment. The majority of cruisers seemed very relaxed and I didn't notice any "bad behaviour"; what I did notice was a ton of families, couples, singles, large groups, small groups and just the regular walk of life.



Thanks for the awesome review. I liked it so much that I added it to the list of reviews on the first page with a link to your post. Feel free to add a few pictures (if you want) on the post or in following posts regarding the ship. 

Did you complain to guest services during the cruise or after the cruise regarding the problems with accessibility? I think it's a pretty important issue.


----------



## KayKayJS

PrincessTrisha said:


> Our drink of choice though is diet coke. My point was they were already sitting on the table waiting for us on night 2 and every night after that. No waiting.
> 
> No other servers have been able to achieve that since 2010. On other DCL cruises, our server had my mom's hot tea ready each night for her but my dad and I had to order our diet cokes each time.



This is true for us too. I know on our first cruise (and maybe our second) on DCL, our server figured out our drink orders by day 2, and I LOVED that. On our cruise last month on the Wonder, we were already done with bread service by the time we got our soda. I did not like that. Little things like that (and the fact that the cruise we're looking at is $1600 on the Oasis vs $3500 on the Fantasy) are what made us book RCCL for the first time for 2018.


----------



## tmarie

Hi!  We are cruising on the Carnival Inspiration this summer.  We would love any helpful hints that anyone can provide.  Also, does anyone know if we are allowed to decorate our doors on the Inspiration like we can on the DCL ships?


----------



## mevelandry

tmarie said:


> Hi!  We are cruising on the Carnival Inspiration this summer.  We would love any helpful hints that anyone can provide.  Also, does anyone know if we are allowed to decorate our doors on the Inspiration like we can on the DCL ships?



There are some rules but yes, you can:

https://help.carnival.com/app/answe.../decorating-your-stateroom-door-and-stateroom


----------



## RedSox68

PrincessTrisha said:


> So we're back.
> 
> Here are some absolute highlights of our 5 nights on the Carnival Sunshine:
> 
> Boarding Day - BBQ at the Taste Bar for lunch. To take some pressure off of the lido Marketplace, they opened up the taste bar with a compliment of BBQ food (pulled pork, beef brisket, bbq chicken along with sides of potato salad, coleslaw, mac n cheese, buns, and probably a couple of things I'm forgetting - oh, plus 3 different sauces to add to your meats). This is the same stuff as Fieri's Pig and Anchor and so good. They also had a cart with tea, lemonade and ice water (along with coffee and hot tea). Made for a relaxing first meal and we didn't have to rush with the crowd up to the Lido deck.
> 
> JiJi's Asian Restaurant - by far and away the best specialty restaurant we've ever dined at on a cruise ship. It's only $15 per person and honestly - the flavour explosions were phenomenal. The portions are for sharing and don't look very big but trust me, you'll leave stuffed. This isn't your typical Chinese food restaurant; it's an Asian experience.
> 
> Daytime Activities - In addition to the number of trivia contests throughout the day, Carnival has really strengthened the ties to Hasbro. They had team trivial pursuit (including giant pie pieces) on both sea days, plus Giant Jenga (called Carnival Tower), Cranium, connect 4 tournaments, Win Lose or Draw, Reverse Charades (HeadBandz), and maybe 1 other that just escapes my memory. They also had family magic shows as well as a show which demonstrated a couple of magic tricks (taught you how to do them).
> 
> Cabins - these cabins were redone in the last big drydock and they are really nice. Lots of light wood, blues and greens, comfortable beds (that split apart), a very cold fridge (no cooling box - it kept our soda ice cold). We had one of the new cabins that were added to deck 5 and it was very convenient to everything. We were close to the aft elevator which quickly led us up to the lido deck (pool and buffet area), we were steps from the Ocean plaza where they had many of their daytime activities and live music at night, the alchemy bar, taste bar, and the coffee shop were just a few steps past that and then then casino (which yes, we do like to play the slots).
> 
> Choice of evening activities - From comedy shows, to Hasbro the game show, to playlist productions, to the love and marriage game, to the casino, to live music in 3-4 places around the ship, the Sunshine has it all.
> 
> Service - our cabin stewards (main one and his assistant) were excellent. Even though we filled out the form for evening service and not both, they were regularly in the room through the day to just "tidy up" (empty the garbage, replace towels, clean the bathroom). It was only the beds that got made once a day. They also helped with a few issues we had (not due to the ship but our issues). Our dining room servers were excellent - fast paced and efficient. One night my dad's steak was over done and he was going to just eat it but our server wouldn't allow it. She literally snapped her fingers at the assistant waiter and said, "Get him a new steak - make sure it's medium rare!" and not 5 minutes later, it arrived hot and perfect at the table.
> 
> Platinum Perks - this is my second cruise as Platinum and the first time I really took advantage of any perks. We had priority boarding, priority debarkation, separate line at guest services, 2 bags of free laundry for a 5 night cruise, chocolate covered strawberries to the cabin, a free drink at brunch, a backpack, a special party on the last night and a free 1.5 litre bottle of water.
> 
> Now there were a few downsides (as with any trip):
> 
> We sailed out of Charleston and I won't do that again. It's 3 steep ramps up to the ship, and you have to take a bus from the parking lot to get to the ship. Debarking was easy but expensive. We tipped the wheelchair pusher from the ship to the end of the 3 ramps ($5), the port wheelchair pusher who went from the end of the ramps, down through the luggage place and through port and security and out to the buses ($5), tipped the first porter who picked up our luggage at the inside terminal and took it the bus ($5), tipped the bus driver who operated the wheelchair lift and drove the bus (he was really good $5), and then another porter when we got off the bus to take the luggage from the bus drop off to the car ($5). I don't mind tipping and always get a porter, this just seemed excessive. This is a port issue though, not a Carnival one.
> 
> The toilet in the accessible cabin was on an angle. On day 1, due to this my mother missed her wheelchair and ended up on the floor. She had a stroke previously and can't use her right arm or leg so she can't stand up on her own. We had to call medical and the nurse came, confirmed she was okay and then they brought in a bunch of guys to help get her back into her wheelchair. Thankfully they had a commode chair available otherwise I don't think we would have been able to stay on the ship. We didn't find a single good accessible toilet on the ship (they were either too low, awkwardly placed,  too much stuff in the bathroom or the grab bars weren't in the right place). For this reason, we won't be sailing this particular ship again. This doesn't impact most people but accessibility is our number 1 concern for any vacation.
> 
> Service in the Casino - again, may not impact most people but the bar servers didn't seem to want to serve whatever drink I asked for - they kept trying to get me to order something different.  Frankly, it was just odd. I did get enough points for a "Drinks on Us" card and for cookies to be sent to the cabin.
> 
> 
> Anyways, in case you can't tell, I really enjoy sailing on Carnival. I think they have great food (MDR, MDR breakfast and brunch, Guys Burger, Pasta Bar, Mongolian Wok, Cuban bites, Taste bar for the taste bar and they had breakfast there everyday), a nice variety of daytime activities (especially for those who are sun adverse such as myself), comfortable cabins with lots of storage space and just a comfortable, fun environment. The majority of cruisers seemed very relaxed and I didn't notice any "bad behaviour"; what I did notice was a ton of families, couples, singles, large groups, small groups and just the regular walk of life.



Thank you so much for this review!  I can't wait to get onboard.  Since we are sailing out of NYC, I wonder if they will still have that BBQ on boarding day!  
thank oyu


----------



## PrincessTrisha

RedSox68 said:


> Thank you so much for this review!  I can't wait to get onboard.  Since we are sailing out of NYC, I wonder if they will still have that BBQ on boarding day!
> thank oyu



I am going to guess that yes they will. I had the same concern because I heard about it when they were sailing out of Port Canaveral (and thought maybe it was because they were sourcing the Carnival Magic with the BBQ so they thought, "why not?") but sure enough, the BBQ was the first sea day out of Charleston as well. They had a fair amount of signage in the Port area and when you got onto the ship there was a sign as well. The ocean plaza is a great area and the taste bar was just fantastic with its offerings (breakfast every day, lunch on sea days, and the BBQ on the first day - oh, plus the actual taste bar offerings in the evenings).


----------



## PrincessTrisha

tmarie said:


> Hi!  We are cruising on the Carnival Inspiration this summer.  We would love any helpful hints that anyone can provide.  Also, does anyone know if we are allowed to decorate our doors on the Inspiration like we can on the DCL ships?



The Carnival Inspiration was refurbished in Jan/Feb 2016 where they added many of the Fun Ship 2.0 features. They added the Blue Iguana Cantina, Guy’s Burger, Alchemy Bar and the
Taste Bar.

They have also updated the Kids club to "Club Ocean".
https://help.goccl.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1063/~/camp-ocean-children’s-program

The ship also has an updated WaterWorks area which includes a twister slide, 2 racing slides, kiddie slides and a splash area.

It also has a Serenity Area with a hot tub (this area is adults only).

If you have a sea day, I highly, highly, highly recommend the Sea Day brunch - can you say Filet Mignon and eggs? Or the Funniest French Toast (French toast coated with cereal)? or Mac n cheese with Jerk Bacon? Yum!

On Carnival, you can carry on 12 non alcohol beverages per person (cans, cartons, or pouches only - no bottles) and 1 bottle of wine per adult. Bottled water can be purchased ahead of time through the Fun Shops for $4.50 a 12 pack.

There are a lot of photos posted on the cruise critic site:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/carnival-inspiration-10/


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Thank you so much for this review!  I can't wait to get onboard.  Since we are sailing out of NYC, I wonder if they will still have that BBQ on boarding day!
> thank oyu



I heard the Pig & Anchor is usually open on embarkation day and sea days.   Not gonna lie, I can't wait to try it.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> I heard the Pig & Anchor is usually open on embarkation day and sea days.   Not gonna lie, I can't wait to try it.



Me neither now -- YUM


----------



## tmarie

PrincessTrisha said:


> The Carnival Inspiration was refurbished in Jan/Feb 2016 where they added many of the Fun Ship 2.0 features. They added the Blue Iguana Cantina, Guy’s Burger, Alchemy Bar and the
> Taste Bar.
> 
> They have also updated the Kids club to "Club Ocean".
> https://help.goccl.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1063/~/camp-ocean-children’s-program
> 
> The ship also has an updated WaterWorks area which includes a twister slide, 2 racing slides, kiddie slides and a splash area.
> 
> It also has a Serenity Area with a hot tub (this area is adults only).
> 
> If you have a sea day, I highly, highly, highly recommend the Sea Day brunch - can you say Filet Mignon and eggs? Or the Funniest French Toast (French toast coated with cereal)? or Mac n cheese with Jerk Bacon? Yum!
> 
> On Carnival, you can carry on 12 non alcohol beverages per person (cans, cartons, or pouches only - no bottles) and 1 bottle of wine per adult. Bottled water can be purchased ahead of time through the Fun Shops for $4.50 a 12 pack.
> 
> There are a lot of photos posted on the cruise critic site:
> http://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/carnival-inspiration-10/



I can't thank you enough for all of your helpful information!!!


----------



## tmarie

mevelandry said:


> There are some rules but yes, you can:
> 
> https://help.carnival.com/app/answe.../decorating-your-stateroom-door-and-stateroom


Thanks SO much!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I heard the Pig & Anchor is usually open on embarkation day and sea days.   Not gonna lie, I can't wait to try it.


It's fantastic! The mac n cheese is amazing!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Just though I'd chime in here to give an update on the Vista. We've just finished our first leg of the B2B, (8 day Southern Caribbean), and are in the dining room waiting to debark, they've already checked us out from the first and checked us in to the second, but have to go through customs before we can get back on. They have coffee, tea and pastries for us as well as complimentary champagne. They took photos in from of a B2B background and we'll be given a complimentary 5x7 of the photo in our cabin. The next leg is Western Caribbean. 

We had a great time and service has been very good. Our cabin steward is the best we've ever had, (including Noreen on the Wonder who was fantastic), Kim is awesome!!

Grand Turk was a great beach spot, and Curaçao has to be the prettiest Caribbean island I've ever seen, pristinely clean and very easy walk into town from the ship.

I'm so happy we tried Carnival, we're having so much fun!  We're getting 2 full weeks on the Vista for about $200 more than 1 week on the Disney Fantasy. 

I'll post more when we're done with second leg next week.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Curaçao


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

So we got back into the room after the first leg of the B2B, Carnival Hotel Manager surprised us with a free bottle of champagne and a nice fruit basket in each of our staterooms. Go Carnival!

BTW, if anyone is sailing on the Carnival Dream in the next year, the CD, Chris Williams is awesome.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> It's fantastic! The mac n cheese is amazing!



Yes? I'm a big fan of mac'n'cheese.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> So we got back into the room after the first leg of the B2B, Carnival Hotel Manager surprised us with a free bottle of champagne and a nice fruit basket in each of our staterooms. Go Carnival!
> 
> BTW, if anyone is sailing on the Carnival Dream in the next year, the CD, Chris Williams is awesome.



Sounds like you had a good time. I read quite the contrary from someone on the same cruise as you were on FB (but the things she mentionned are far from being a big deal to me). I can't wait to read your review!


----------



## cruiser21

Club Disney Chandler said:


> So we got back into the room after the first leg of the B2B, Carnival Hotel Manager surprised us with a free bottle of champagne and a nice fruit basket in each of our staterooms. Go Carnival!
> 
> BTW, if anyone is sailing on the Carnival Dream in the next year, the CD, Chris Williams is awesome.


Sounds like you're having a great time, but you're missing the cold front moving through Phoenix. It's only going to be 97 degrees the next 3 days. I laughed when the weather man said that. Only a Phoenician can appreciate a 97 degree day in June.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

Here are a few pictures from the Sunshine.

BBQ plates from embarkation day - we had mac n cheese, potato salad, coleslaw, pulled pork, beef brisket, and chicken:




100_2145




100_2144

Available for pictures:




DSC04558

Room Service Chocolate Cake (highly recommended!)




DSC04565

JiJi's - the best specialty restaurant at sea:




DSC04578




DSC04587




DSC04590




DSC04592




DSC04597




DSC04599


----------



## RedSox68

OMG, those BBQ pics are amazing.  I want that mac and cheese NOW!

Edited to add:  Where is the Pig & Anchor located?  When I look at the dining options for the Sunshine, that is not listed.    Was the embarkation BBQ there or at the Taste bar?


----------



## PrincessTrisha

Looking down into the Atrium - lots of brass and glass:




DSC04649




DSC04648




DSC04561

Ocean Plaza:




DSC04666

Limelight Lounge (where the Comedy shows are held)




100_2156


----------



## PrincessTrisha

RedSox68 said:


> OMG, those BBQ pics are amazing.  I want that mac and cheese NOW!
> 
> Edited to add:  Where is the Pig & Anchor located?  When I look at the dining options for the Sunshine, that is not listed.    Was the embarkation BBQ there or at the Taste bar?



On the Sunshine it's not branded as Pig & Anchor - It's served at the Taste Bar and only one day 1 (embarkation).


----------



## RedSox68

PrincessTrisha said:


> On the Sunshine it's not branded as Pig & Anchor - It's served at the Taste Bar and only one day 1 (embarkation).



Thanks, but I couldn't find the Taste Bar listed for the Sunshine either -- but their deck plans are hard to configure!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

RedSox68 said:


> Thanks, but I couldn't find the Taste Bar listed for the Sunshine either -- but their deck plans are hard to configure!



Deck 5 between the Ocean Plaza and the Java Spot.

The ship is very compact - it doesn't feel far from one thing to the next.


----------



## RedSox68

PrincessTrisha said:


> Deck 5 between the Ocean Plaza and the Java Spot.
> 
> The ship is very compact - it doesn't feel far from one thing to the next.



Thank you so much!  I'm putting this in my trip notes.


----------



## tmarie

Hi. I have a question for those of you that have cruised Carnival.  Did you purchase the Cheers beverage program? I was told this is required - is this true?  We did purchase the Bottomless Bubbles package but we are undecided on the Cheers package as we don't drink much.  Thanks in advance for your help and advice.


----------



## cruiser21

tmarie said:


> Hi. I have a question for those of you that have cruised Carnival.  Did you purchase the Cheers beverage program? I was told this is required - is this true?  We did purchase the Bottomless Bubbles package but we are undecided on the Cheers package as we don't drink much.  Thanks in advance for your help and advice.


No you don't have to purchase it. If you do purchase it every adult in the room must purchase it.


----------



## RedSox68

tmarie said:


> Hi. I have a question for those of you that have cruised Carnival.  Did you purchase the Cheers beverage program? I was told this is required - is this true?  We did purchase the Bottomless Bubbles package but we are undecided on the Cheers package as we don't drink much.  Thanks in advance for your help and advice.



We never purchase these drink packages.  The cost per day, and by the time they add the auto gratuity, we would never drink enough to make it feasible.


----------



## mevelandry

Never purchased it because I don't drink much. 

You have to drink at least 6 alcoholic drinks a day if you want the purchase to be worth it.


----------



## tmarie

cruiser21 said:


> No you don't have to purchase it. If you do purchase it every adult in the room must purchase it.



Thanks so much for your help


----------



## cruiser21

I believe the cheers package includes soda, specialty coffees, milkshakes, bottled water,  vitamin water and energy drinks. It may be possible to get your money out of it without drinking 6 adult beverages. I don't drink enough alcohol, and I don't think I need the calories from all the other stuff so I haven't bought it.


----------



## tmarie

RedSox68 said:


> We never purchase these drink packages.  The cost per day, and by the time they add the auto gratuity, we would never drink enough to make it feasible.



I agree!  I would never be able to drink that much!  Thank you


----------



## tmarie

cruiser21 said:


> I believe the cheers package includes soda, specialty coffees, milkshakes, bottled water,  vitamin water and energy drinks. It may be possible to get your money out of it without drinking 6 adult beverages. I don't drink enough alcohol, and I don't think I need the calories from all the other stuff so I haven't bought it.



I agree.  Even with all of the other beverage options, there is no way I could drink that much...I would rather eat the yummy food!


----------



## tmarie

mevelandry said:


> Never purchased it because I don't drink much.
> 
> You have to drink at least 6 alcoholic drinks a day if you want the purchase to be worth it.



Thank you


----------



## RedSox68

The last time I inquired, none of their drink packages includes bottled water.


----------



## cruiser21

It does include the 1.5 liter bottles of water in the MDR and the 500ml at the bars. That is according to the website.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> It does include the 1.5 liter bottles of water in the MDR and the 500ml at the bars. That is according to the website.



Oh, they have upped their game since last time we sailed with them.  Good to know (but still not worth $49.95/per day plus tax and tip  LOL).  I pre-ordered two cases of water and it was so nice to only pay $4.50 each!


----------



## cruiser21

I won't say I haven't considered the drink package, and  I won't say I won't buy it in the future. I can easily drink 4-5 vitamin water zeros a day(I'm an addict) which I'm sure cost 3-4$ on a ship, but I can just as easily drink plain water. I love good coffee, and non-fat lattes, but I can get by with the bad coffee. I love milkshakes, but don't like the calories. I could buy one have a few sips and slip it to my kid. As far as alcohol goes I usually drink a martini before dinner which tend to be expensive. At dinner 1-2 glasses of wine so 3 drinks max. I could find a way to get my money out of it without being hungover for 7 days straight.

 If I ever buy it it would be as a fun splurge. I wouldn't buy it with the goal set of getting my money's worth out of  it.  I could try different martinis without worrying about the cost. I tossed out two 14.00 drinks on the Dream last month that I didn't like. It would be fun to try some more expensive wines and liquors. I could have some fun with it. It would be similar to the time we bought the deluxe dining plan at Disney world. I didn't buy it with the intent of eating myself to death.  Cost wise it was more then if I would have paid out of pocket, but it sure was FUN. We ate at every signature restaurant, ordered the most expensive things on the menu, tried all the fancy desserts, ordered weird appetizers that we wouldn't normally spend money on all without giving a second thought to cost.  I could find value in the drink package, but maybe not for the same reason other people find value in it. As we all know from hanging out on this board value is very subjective.


----------



## Dug720

cruiser21 said:


> I won't say I haven't considered the drink package, and  I won't say I won't buy it in the future. I can easily drink 4-5 vitamin water zeros a day(I'm an addict) which I'm sure cost 3-4$ on a ship, but I can just as easily drink plain water. I love good coffee, and non-fat lattes, but I can get by with the bad coffee. I love milkshakes, but don't like the calories. I could buy one have a few sips and slip it to my kid. As far as alcohol goes I usually drink a martini before dinner which tend to be expensive. At dinner 1-2 glasses of wine so 3 drinks max. I could find a way to get my money out of it without being hungover for 7 days straight.
> 
> If I ever buy it it would be as a fun splurge. I wouldn't buy it with the goal set of getting my money's worth out of  it.  I could try different martinis without worrying about the cost. I tossed out two 14.00 drinks on the Dream last month that I didn't like. It would be fun to try some more expensive wines and liquors. I could have some fun with it. It would be similar to the time we bought the deluxe dining plan at Disney world. I didn't buy it with the intent of eating myself to death.  Cost wise it was more then if I would have paid out of pocket, but it sure was FUN. We ate at every signature restaurant, ordered the most expensive things on the menu, tried all the fancy desserts, ordered weird appetizers that we wouldn't normally spend money on all without giving a second thought to cost.  I could find value in the drink package, but maybe not for the same reason other people find value in it. As we all know from hanging out on this board value is very subjective.



We actually agree on something here!! I'm planning to get the drink package on my upcoming Princess, RCCL, and Celebrity cruises simply for the "I don't have to worry about the final bill" factor. When I'm on vacation, I like to relax and having to do math like "Do I have enough left from what I put down/my OBC to buy that glass of wine?" so I'm certainly not going to keep a spreadsheet with the cost per day of the package and then deduct each drink from it to make sure I'm "even". The package value for me is knowing I don't have to do that.


----------



## mevelandry

I generally buy enough OBC (or in the case of Carnival Cruise Cash Bar) to cover two to three drinks per day. (Three drinks a day would be me saying "let's go nuts!" as I don't drink much and usually stick to water and tea... and orange -passion-guava juice on a cruise)... It generally cost me half the price of a package or less and I don't need to care about the money.

I usually put more money in OBC than I think I really need and I usually get a refund.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

We've had the "free" drink packages on Celebrity and did enjoy them - more for the specialty coffees, sodas and water (and a few alcoholic beverages).
On Royal we had the specialty non alcoholic beverage package and enjoyed it (though it may have been less to just buy as we went - it was convenient and freeing to have the package).

On Carnival we just pay as we go (I order cans of soda and water for the cabin); my mom enjoys the unsweetened iced tea and my dad likes the lemonade (though he can't drink too much of it because it is very sweet and makes his blood sugar go crazy), I tend to drink mostly ice water when we're out and about.

On our 5 night cruise I purchased 1 alcoholic beverage (it was a spiked shake with pineapple, coconut and rum) and then had maybe 3 drinks in the casino (I earned the drinks on us card). We're not big drinkers so purchasing the package isn't really something that would provide sufficient value for us.

I do wish that Carnival offered a non-alcoholic drink package (other than the bubbles package) which included bottled water, specialty coffees, vitamin water, bottles of honest ice tea, milkshakes, smoothies, etc. We would definitely buy that.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> I generally buy enough OBC (or in the case of Carnival Cruise Cash Bar) to cover two to three drinks per day. (Three drinks a day would be me saying "let's go nuts!" as I don't drink much and usually stick to water and tea... and *orange -passion-guava juice* on a cruise)... It generally cost me half the price of a package or less and I don't need to care about the money.
> 
> I usually put more money in OBC than I think I really need and I usually get a refund.



That stuff is amazing! I usually try to remember a refillable bottle to grab some of that stuff from the breakfast buffet area the for later in the day.

Orange juice, apple juice, ice tea and lemonade are also available no charge from room service.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> I generally buy enough OBC (or in the case of Carnival Cruise Cash Bar) to cover two to three drinks per day. (Three drinks a day would be me saying "let's go nuts!" as I don't drink much and usually stick to water and tea... and orange -passion-guava juice on a cruise)... It generally cost me half the price of a package or less and I don't need to care about the money.
> 
> I usually put more money in OBC than I think I really need and I usually get a refund.



This is how we do it (unless the drink package is included).  I just pad the OBC account for drinks and extras ahead of time and usually have money left over.  We had NCL reward credits from the charge card on the Breakaway last year and we ended up with a $66 refund because we didn't even use it all.

Nice treat for our Cuba cruise on NCL next year -- just found out all drinks are included with no added tax or gratuity.  Apparently it is part of that particular cruise package!


----------



## mousefan73

Csn anyone comment on the  eastern caribbean on the Carnival  magic?? Havent found much here on the magic. We decided with 5 DCL is too much so NCL Getaway and Carnival Magic are the other options. We prefer Port canaveral (magic) to Miami ( ncl). Magic offers more with activities and kids club for ours 12/13. though NCL getaway seems "classier" per youtube videos.

I am just concerned about the typical carnival reputation. Dont want to offend but the youtube videos i found on the magic showed kinda mall food court trashy folks.  One guy was swearing and commenting on others rudly in his video.

Also which is better eastbor west end Aug. With huurricane risk?  Cozumel / maya vs san juan /turk??

Thanks!


----------



## mevelandry

mousefan73 said:


> Csn anyone comment on the  eastern caribbean on the Carnival  magic?? Havent found much here on the magic. We decided with 5 DCL is too much so NCL Getaway and Carnival Magic are the other options. We prefer Port canaveral (magic) to Miami ( ncl). Magic offers more with activities and kids club for ours 12/13. though NCL getaway seems "classier" per youtube videos.
> 
> I am just concerned about the typical carnival reputation. Dont want to offend but the youtube videos i found on the magic showed kinda mall food court trashy folks.  One guy was swearing and commenting on others rudly in his video.
> 
> Also which is better eastbor west end Aug. With huurricane risk?  Cozumel / maya vs san juan /turk??
> 
> Thanks!



I wouldn't worry too much about the "typical reputation". In fact when I cruised I found it to be quite the opposite. It's common knowledge among Carnival cruisers that shorter cruises to the Bahamas and Mexico (Baja) tend to attract a little more partying cruisers. But even there, you could be as lucky as I was.

I suscribed to three FB groups about Carnival ships and I hear a lot of good words about the Magic, so much that I added it to my "interesting ships" list (with Vista, Horizon, Breeze and... another one that I can't remember at the moment)...

DH and I are "In bed at 10:00 PM, awaken at 5:00 AM" type of people. We had no problem during our 4 nights on the Victory.

If I am not mistaken, the Magic does longer cruises. I wouldn't worry to much but I would book a room aft or forward: less traffic in the hallways.

Rude passengers can happen anywhere. The most obnoxious I've encountered were on DCL.

About hurricane risks. There are no guarantees. It can happen anywhere at any time. Just prepare yourself for the possibility that a port could be replaced by another or simply cancelled. It happened to us once.


----------



## RedSox68

mousefan73 said:


> Csn anyone comment on the  eastern caribbean on the Carnival  magic?? Havent found much here on the magic. We decided with 5 DCL is too much so NCL Getaway and Carnival Magic are the other options. We prefer Port canaveral (magic) to Miami ( ncl). Magic offers more with activities and kids club for ours 12/13. though NCL getaway seems "classier" per youtube videos.
> 
> I am just concerned about the typical carnival reputation. Dont want to offend but the youtube videos i found on the magic showed kinda mall food court trashy folks.  One guy was swearing and commenting on others rudly in his video.
> 
> Also which is better eastbor west end Aug. With huurricane risk?  Cozumel / maya vs san juan /turk??
> 
> Thanks!



Can't comment on that particular ship, but can say that we've done 16 cruises and many were in August, September and October.  In 17 years of cruising, we've only run into two hurricanes -- Hurricane Frances in 2004 and Hurricane Hillary on the west coast in 2005 (both on Disney ships).  Both times we were well taken care of, ports were added to replace cancelled ones and we never felt in danger.  I have never worried about booking a cruise anytime between June and November.  I'd go for the itinerary you like and are most interested in and the cheapest dates. We have done both east and westbound and both had their good ports and bad.  If I did another, I'd do west only because we have done east so many times.  

As for the "Carnival reputation", I didn't see any of that on our Carnival Glory cruise in 2013.  we are sailing again this September and I'm not worried about it at all.  A cruise is what you make it.  Heck, I have seen drunk and disorderly conduct more than once on a Disney Cruise - enough to make us move out of the area where it was happening and go somewhere else on the ship.  It wouldn't keep me from sailing Disney again.  Happy planning!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mousefan73 said:


> Csn anyone comment on the  eastern caribbean on the Carnival  magic?? Havent found much here on the magic. We decided with 5 DCL is too much so NCL Getaway and Carnival Magic are the other options. We prefer Port canaveral (magic) to Miami ( ncl). Magic offers more with activities and kids club for ours 12/13. though NCL getaway seems "classier" per youtube videos.
> 
> I am just concerned about the typical carnival reputation. Dont want to offend but the youtube videos i found on the magic showed kinda mall food court trashy folks.  One guy was swearing and commenting on others rudly in his video.
> 
> Also which is better eastbor west end Aug. With huurricane risk?  Cozumel / maya vs san juan /turk??
> 
> Thanks!



The benefit to doing the San Juan/Grand Turk is that Grand Turk isn't some place you can go on Disney or Royal or NCL (it's a Carnival Corp stop - so Carnival, Princess and HAL).

I wouldn't worry too much about the reputation of Carnival - any more than I would say someone should be scared off of sailing DCL due to it's reputation for being the "kids only - all kids stuff all the time" cruise line (it's not).

Carnival Magic was refurbished last year so it has most of the new bells and whistles of Carnival including Camp Ocean, Guy's Burgers AND the new Guy's Pig and Anchor BBQ, Alchemy bar and the Blue Iguana Cantina.

The Carnival Magic also has a few more unique style of cabins that I recommend:

1. Porthole - these are priced as an interior but are the size of an oceanview and feature two small, round portholes so you have day light.
2. Family oceanview - these sleep up to 5 people and have a split bathroom (similar to DCL)
3. Cove Balcony - these are on the second floor so really close to the water; they are more enclosed than a regular balcony and much more private.
4. Spa cabin - they offer interior, ocean view, balconies and suites - these come with special spa perks


----------



## mevelandry

I did not know Carnival Corp was the only one going in Grand Turk. I won't bother checking with other cruise lines when comes the time...


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I did not know Carnival Corp was the only one going in Grand Turk. I won't bother checking with other cruise lines when comes the time...


Grand Turk is really a great beach day, we loved it. I would also add Curaçao to places to visit. The downtown area is about a 10 minute walk from the port and is so safe and clean, it was beautiful there. 

A few more thoughts from our B2B:

We docked this morning and at this point have to say, we are full fledged card carrying Carnies!  We'll still continue with DCL as well but man we just have a blast on CCL. This is also coming from someone who does not drink alcohol, so that was not a factor in my enjoyment. 

The Cruise Director on CCL, plays a much bigger role than on DCL and really can make or break a cruise. Our first Vista cruise we had Matt Mitchum, who is the number 1 rated CD on Carnival. We were supposed to have him again fir these 2 cruises, but the pulled him for our 2 cruises only and put him on another ship that was hosting a bunch of NFL players. We ended up with Chris Williams, aka The Flying Scotsman. Wow is all I can say about that man, he was fantastic and I actually liked him better than Matt. 

Service on the ship actually got better on the 2nd cruise as more crew members recognized us from the 1st cruise. 

We were able to sign up for the "Behind the Fun" your which was a 3 hour tour where we actually got to go the kitchen, engine control room, housekeeping, crew galley and lounge, backstage of the theater, and the up on the bridge and were able to meet the Captain. The cost for this was $95/person and was worth every penny. It's hard to come by as they only take 2 groups of 16 on the last sea day, I loved it!!

Cleanliness of the ship was great. I'm a restaurant guy and have managed or owned restaurants for the last 30 years and am hyper critical about cleanliness. I could not believe the amount of deep cleaning going on all around the ship. As I was going through the buffet this morning the Restaurant Captain had a white glove and flashlight checking the wood slatted ceiling over the beverage area for cleanliness. The whole ship looked fantastic, I was so happy to see this going on. 

One quick comment on guest service then I need to get some sleep. One of our FB cruise group members posted one of their experiences on the ship. Their daughter became ill with a stomach bug at the beginning of the cruise and was quarantined to the cabin for 3 days. Carnival prorated the cruise fare for her and refunded the 3 days fare to them, they did not ask fir this at all, just something they did. I think they are really trying to up their game and shed their booze cruise reputation.

 I'll post more in the next couple days.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Grand Turk is really a great beach day, we loved it. I would also add Curaçao to places to visit. The downtown area is about a 10 minute walk from the port and is so safe and clean, it was beautiful there.
> 
> A few more thoughts from our B2B:
> 
> We docked this morning and at this point have to say, we are full fledged card carrying Carnies!  We'll still continue with DCL as well but man we just have a blast on CCL. This is also coming from someone who does not drink alcohol, so that was not a factor in my enjoyment.
> 
> The Cruise Director on CCL, plays a much bigger role than on DCL and really can make or break a cruise. Our first Vista cruise we had Matt Mitchum, who is the number 1 rated CD on Carnival. We were supposed to have him again fir these 2 cruises, but the pulled him for our 2 cruises only and put him on another ship that was hosting a bunch of NFL players. We ended up with Chris Williams, aka The Flying Scotsman. Wow is all I can say about that man, he was fantastic and I actually liked him better than Matt.
> 
> Service on the ship actually got better on the 2nd cruise as more crew members recognized us from the 1st cruise.
> 
> We were able to sign up for the "Behind the Fun" your which was a 3 hour tour where we actually got to go the kitchen, engine control room, housekeeping, crew galley and lounge, backstage of the theater, and the up on the bridge and were able to meet the Captain. The cost for this was $95/person and was worth every penny. It's hard to come by as they only take 2 groups of 16 on the last sea day, I loved it!!
> 
> Cleanliness of the ship was great. I'm a restaurant guy and have managed or owned restaurants for the last 30 years and am hyper critical about cleanliness. I could not believe the amount of deep cleaning going on all around the ship. As I was going through the buffet this morning the Restaurant Captain had a white glove and flashlight checking the wood slatted ceiling over the beverage area for cleanliness. The whole ship looked fantastic, I was so happy to see this going on.
> 
> One quick comment on guest service then I need to get some sleep. One of our FB cruise group members posted one of their experiences on the ship. Their daughter became ill with a stomach bug at the beginning of the cruise and was quarantined to the cabin for 3 days. Carnival prorated the cruise fare for her and refunded the 3 days fare to them, they did not ask fir this at all, just something they did. I think they are really trying to up their game and shed their booze cruise reputation.
> 
> I'll post more in the next couple days.



Welcome back! Thanks for your review!!! Yes, Matt Micham is pretty popular but unfortunately he'll be done on the Vista when we go. I forgot the name of the CD we'll get. 

And yes, CD on Carnival are everywhere and very involved. 

I do want to try the GT, Aruba, Curacao cruise within the next two years if possible.  

I think they do it on the Conquest as well...?


----------



## mousefan73

cruiser21 said:


> My husband is easy. He does whatever I say. LOL.
> Last week his company awarded him two round trip business class tickets to London. Since we have no one to watch our kids for me to go. He and my oldest son have decided to do something this year. I think they've settled on the Oktoberfest in Munich during fall break and then maybe Austria. My  plans may change yet again.  It will just be me and my youngest son sailing this Fall. I have to say pricing out cruises for two people has been a very enjoyable experience for me. I was just looking at the DCL Alaska cruise in September....hmm not a bad price. The WBTA has had some rooms open up. Not sure I can swing tickets to Barcelona though.   I may put my Vista cruise off until March and take advantage of cruising DCL since now I'm only paying for two.   I hate to go to the boring Caribbean while there off partying it up in Germany.  Yes, I'm a little jealous... Ha Ha. No seriously it's a great opportunity for them to spend some time together. I'm looking forward to my trips with my youngest son. There's something very special about spending one on one time with your kid.
> If I could just figure out what I want to do. I think I may have set a record for changing my mind.  It's weird to think in 5 years they will both be adults. Time goes so fast.


Met my husband at the Oktoberfest.  Now in Germany.


----------



## RedSox68

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Grand Turk is really a great beach day, we loved it. I would also add Curaçao to places to visit. The downtown area is about a 10 minute walk from the port and is so safe and clean, it was beautiful there.
> 
> A few more thoughts from our B2B:
> 
> We docked this morning and at this point have to say, we are full fledged card carrying Carnies!  We'll still continue with DCL as well but man we just have a blast on CCL. This is also coming from someone who does not drink alcohol, so that was not a factor in my enjoyment.
> 
> The Cruise Director on CCL, plays a much bigger role than on DCL and really can make or break a cruise. Our first Vista cruise we had Matt Mitchum, who is the number 1 rated CD on Carnival. We were supposed to have him again fir these 2 cruises, but the pulled him for our 2 cruises only and put him on another ship that was hosting a bunch of NFL players. We ended up with Chris Williams, aka The Flying Scotsman. Wow is all I can say about that man, he was fantastic and I actually liked him better than Matt.
> 
> Service on the ship actually got better on the 2nd cruise as more crew members recognized us from the 1st cruise.
> 
> We were able to sign up for the "Behind the Fun" your which was a 3 hour tour where we actually got to go the kitchen, engine control room, housekeeping, crew galley and lounge, backstage of the theater, and the up on the bridge and were able to meet the Captain. The cost for this was $95/person and was worth every penny. It's hard to come by as they only take 2 groups of 16 on the last sea day, I loved it!!
> 
> Cleanliness of the ship was great. I'm a restaurant guy and have managed or owned restaurants for the last 30 years and am hyper critical about cleanliness. I could not believe the amount of deep cleaning going on all around the ship. As I was going through the buffet this morning the Restaurant Captain had a white glove and flashlight checking the wood slatted ceiling over the beverage area for cleanliness. The whole ship looked fantastic, I was so happy to see this going on.
> 
> One quick comment on guest service then I need to get some sleep. One of our FB cruise group members posted one of their experiences on the ship. Their daughter became ill with a stomach bug at the beginning of the cruise and was quarantined to the cabin for 3 days. Carnival prorated the cruise fare for her and refunded the 3 days fare to them, they did not ask fir this at all, just something they did. I think they are really trying to up their game and shed their booze cruise reputation.
> 
> I'll post more in the next couple days.



Wonderful report.  I'd love to do that "Behind the Fun" tour.  Hope they offer it in September on the Sunshine.  Did you book it ahead or once onboard?

The fact that they refunded the family 3 days for their daughter being sick is amazing.  I'm not even sure Disney has done that unasked


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

RedSox68 said:


> Wonderful report.  I'd love to do that "Behind the Fun" tour.  Hope they offer it in September on the Sunshine.  Did you book it ahead or once onboard?
> 
> The fact that they refunded the family 3 days for their daughter being sick is amazing.  I'm not even sure Disney has done that unasked


As soon as you board the ship, go to the excursion desk to try to book it. They don't let anyone book it before getting in the ship. Im pretty sure it's on all the ships, they usually do the tour on the last sea day. They give all people a few pics that were take of all of us, a backpack, hat and lanyard. We also had a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and cookies waiting for us in the cabin when we returned.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Welcome back! Thanks for your review!!! Yes, Matt Micham is pretty popular but unfortunately he'll be done on the Vista when we go. I forgot the name of the CD we'll get.
> 
> And yes, CD on Carnival are everywhere and very involved.
> 
> I do want to try the GT, Aruba, Curacao cruise within the next two years if possible.
> 
> I think they do it on the Conquest as well...?


When is Matt leaving the Vista?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Grand Turk is really a great beach day, we loved it. I would also add Curaçao to places to visit. The downtown area is about a 10 minute walk from the port and is so safe and clean, it was beautiful there.
> 
> A few more thoughts from our B2B:
> 
> We docked this morning and at this point have to say, we are full fledged card carrying Carnies!  We'll still continue with DCL as well but man we just have a blast on CCL. This is also coming from someone who does not drink alcohol, so that was not a factor in my enjoyment.
> 
> The Cruise Director on CCL, plays a much bigger role than on DCL and really can make or break a cruise. Our first Vista cruise we had Matt Mitchum, who is the number 1 rated CD on Carnival. We were supposed to have him again fir these 2 cruises, but the pulled him for our 2 cruises only and put him on another ship that was hosting a bunch of NFL players. We ended up with Chris Williams, aka The Flying Scotsman. Wow is all I can say about that man, he was fantastic and I actually liked him better than Matt.
> 
> Service on the ship actually got better on the 2nd cruise as more crew members recognized us from the 1st cruise.
> 
> We were able to sign up for the "Behind the Fun" your which was a 3 hour tour where we actually got to go the kitchen, engine control room, housekeeping, crew galley and lounge, backstage of the theater, and the up on the bridge and were able to meet the Captain. The cost for this was $95/person and was worth every penny. It's hard to come by as they only take 2 groups of 16 on the last sea day, I loved it!!
> 
> Cleanliness of the ship was great. I'm a restaurant guy and have managed or owned restaurants for the last 30 years and am hyper critical about cleanliness. I could not believe the amount of deep cleaning going on all around the ship. As I was going through the buffet this morning the Restaurant Captain had a white glove and flashlight checking the wood slatted ceiling over the beverage area for cleanliness. The whole ship looked fantastic, I was so happy to see this going on.
> 
> One quick comment on guest service then I need to get some sleep. One of our FB cruise group members posted one of their experiences on the ship. Their daughter became ill with a stomach bug at the beginning of the cruise and was quarantined to the cabin for 3 days. Carnival prorated the cruise fare for her and refunded the 3 days fare to them, they did not ask fir this at all, just something they did. I think they are really trying to up their game and shed their booze cruise reputation.
> 
> I'll post more in the next couple days.


Love hearing your experiences!  On the Vista next month!


----------



## RedSox68

Club Disney Chandler said:


> As soon as you board the ship, go to the excursion desk to try to book it. They don't let anyone book it before getting in the ship. Im pretty sure it's on all the ships, they usually do the tour on the last sea day. They give all people a few pics that were take of all of us, a backpack, hat and lanyard. We also had a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and cookies waiting for us in the cabin when we returned.



Will do -- thanks!


----------



## hanscarlet

Great reviews guys! Keep 'em coming! Wow Curacao looks divine


----------



## RedSox68

JiJi's Asian Restaurant -- Anyone know where I can see a current menu for this specialty restaurant?


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> When is Matt leaving the Vista?



My bad. He's just leaving for a few weeks this fall. Here's the schedule:


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> JiJi's Asian Restaurant -- Anyone know where I can see a current menu for this specialty restaurant?


Here: 

https://www.carnival.com/~/media/Images/explore/dining/menus/ji-ji-asian-kitchen-dinner-menu.pdf


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Here:
> 
> https://www.carnival.com/~/media/Images/explore/dining/menus/ji-ji-asian-kitchen-dinner-menu.pdf



Thanks.  My computer would not let me click on the menu link -- but it may be because I'm at work and they blocked it.

QUESTION:  Is it as spicy as it sounds on the menu?


----------



## PrincessTrisha

RedSox68 said:


> Thanks.  My computer would not let me click on the menu link -- but it may be because I'm at work and they blocked it.
> 
> QUESTION:  Is it as spicy as it sounds on the menu?



No, it's easy to eat there and not have spicy at all. JiJi's was by far our favourite restaurant at sea. My mother considers pepper (like salt and pepper) too spicy and she had no issues. They were also very accommodating and offered to adjust any of the spicy dishes to a non-spicy version. Its very flavourful but it doesn't have to be hot.


----------



## RedSox68

PrincessTrisha said:


> No, it's easy to eat there and not have spicy at all. JiJi's was by far our favourite restaurant at sea. My mother considers pepper (like salt and pepper) too spicy and she had no issues. They were also very accommodating and offered to adjust any of the spicy dishes to a non-spicy version. Its very flavourful but it doesn't have to be hot.



Thanks so much.  I have read a lot of great reviews for this restaurant. I only wanted to pay for one, and didn't care about the steakhouse (we have plenty of great ones around us already), but I love good Asian food.  The Tamarind on HAL was extraordinary also.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

RedSox68 said:


> Thanks so much.  I have read a lot of great reviews for this restaurant. I only wanted to pay for one, and didn't care about the steakhouse (we have plenty of great ones around us already), but I love good Asian food.  The Tamarind on HAL was extraordinary also.


You may already know this but JiJi's is free for lunch. It's not the same menu, it's fast casual stir fry and it's fantastic!!


----------



## RedSox68

Club Disney Chandler said:


> You may already know this but JiJi's is free for lunch. It's not the same menu, it's fast casual stir fry and it's fantastic!!



I did not know that, but that's a great option.  Then I can see if I like their food.  Thanks!


----------



## mevelandry

Cucina del Capitano is also free for lunch (reduced menu as well... From what I heard it's a kind of make-your-own-pasta).


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Cucina del Capitano is also free for lunch (reduced menu as well... From what I heard it's a kind of make-your-own-pasta).



Geez, you are a wealth of knowledge for this.  You could do a whole thread on just tips and ideas for a Carnival cruise   Thanks again.  I will try both of these places.  Do you by any chance know if they are open for lunch on port days?


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Geez, you are a wealth of knowledge for this.  You could do a whole thread on just tips and ideas for a Carnival cruise   Thanks again.  I will try both of these places.  Do you by any chance know if they are open for lunch on port days?



You read my mind. I was actually starting to think about making a post with tips and put the link on the first page. 

I believe they are open for lunch every day... While Pig & Anchor is open on sea day only.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

RedSox68 said:


> Geez, you are a wealth of knowledge for this.  You could do a whole thread on just tips and ideas for a Carnival cruise   Thanks again.  I will try both of these places.  Do you by any chance know if they are open for lunch on port days?


They are open everyday, including embarkation day, JiJi's tends to fill up a lot faster than Cucina, both are pretty empty the day you board because everyone is at Lido, Guys or Blue Iguana


----------



## RedSox68

Club Disney Chandler said:


> They are open everyday, including embarkation day, JiJi's tends to fill up a lot faster than Cucina, both are pretty empty the day you board because everyone is at Lido, Guys or Blue Iguana



That's so great that so many of Carnival's restaurants are open on embarkation day.  I hate having to only depend on the buffet!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> You read my mind. I was actually starting to think about making a post with tips and put the link on the first page.
> 
> I believe they are open for lunch every day... While Pig & Anchor is open on sea day only.



Yes - JiJi's Mongolian Wok and Cucina's pasta bar are both open every day for lunch.

Pictures of the pasta creations for lunch at Cucina's - basically you pick your pasta, pick your sauce, pick your add ins (meats and veggies) and they make it for you. They also have Caesar salad, rolls (to die for soft ones), and lasagna (which isn't a traditional lasagna - it's made with shredded beef and some extra veggies like yams and spinach).


----------



## mevelandry

I'm drooling. It looks amazing. Does it taste as good as it looks? 

I wonder if Jiji is as good as Chopsticks (Carnival Victory). I ate chinese food for lunch every day.


----------



## sweetpee_1993

Oooooohhhhh....I did not know Carnival Vista is coming to Galveston! I live less than 30 minutes from there!!!!!


----------



## cruiser21

sweetpee_1993 said:


> Oooooohhhhh....I did not know Carnival Vista is coming to Galveston! I live less than 30 minutes from there!!!!!


I'm happy about that. I live in Arizona. We've cruised on the Wonder a few times out of Galveston. It's so much easier and cheaper then flying to Florida.  The Vista is taking over the Breeze's Honduras/Belize/Cozumel itinerary. I'm kind of over the Caribbean, but two of those ports I have not been to. I'm sure we'll be on one those cruises next Fall.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

sweetpee_1993 said:


> Oooooohhhhh....I did not know Carnival Vista is coming to Galveston! I live less than 30 minutes from there!!!!!



Yes, Carnival keeps it's second newest ship in Galveston - It got the Magic when the Breeze came out; then the Breeze when the Vista came out; and once the Horizon sails, then the Vista goes to Galveston.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> I'm happy about that. I live in Arizona. We've cruised on the Wonder a few times out of Galveston. It's so much easier and cheaper then flying to Florida.  The Vista is taking over the Breeze's Honduras/Belize/Cozumel itinerary. I'm kind of over the Caribbean, but two of those ports I have not been to. I'm sure we'll be on one those cruises next Fall.



I feel the same way about the Caribbean -- mixed feelings about spending money to go again, but there are several ports we have not been to and would like to see, and only a couple I would repeat (St. Lucia being one of them).  Unfortunately a lot of the itineraries include some of the ports we haven't seen, but then include St. Thomas, St. Maartin, San Juan -- all of which we've done to death.  Still looking for that perfect itinerary blend.


----------



## mevelandry

I guess I'm just getting started with the caribbean. I went to the Bahamas four times (not by choice). I'm doing Jamaica-Cayman Island-Cozumel (Mexico) in October... But I would love to see Key West, Grand Turk, Aruba, Curaçao and Tortola too. 

We are booked for the Bermuda and we are talking about Alaska in 2019 and Canada & New England with the family at some point just because the ship would depart (or arrive) in Montreal (home) or Quebec (not far from here).


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> I guess I'm just getting started with the caribbean. I went to the Bahamas four times (not by choice). I'm doing Jamaica-Cayman Island-Cozumel (Mexico) in October... But I would love to see Key West, Grand Turk, Aruba, Curaçao and Tortola too.
> 
> We are booked for the Bermuda and we are talking about Alaska in 2019 and Canada & New England with the family at some point just because the ship would depart (or arrive) in Montreal (home) or Quebec (not far from here).



STILL never got to Key West.  It was part of our Magic itinerary in 2004, but we were outrunning Hurricane Frances and had to skip it.  Cozumel was great with the Tulum Ruins and loved Grand Cayman.  Don't care to visit Jamaica, but would love to see Aruba, Tortola, Grand Turk and St. Kitts.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I guess I'm just getting started with the caribbean. I went to the Bahamas four times (not by choice). I'm doing Jamaica-Cayman Island-Cozumel (Mexico) in October... But I would love to see Key West, Grand Turk, Aruba, Curaçao and Tortola too.
> 
> We are booked for the Bermuda and we are talking about Alaska in 2019 and Canada & New England with the family at some point just because the ship would depart (or arrive) in Montreal (home) or Quebec (not far from here).[/ are more that I haven't seen, but they all kind of look a like after a while.
> I would love to go to Bermuda. All the good cruises on DCL are in the Fall next year.


----------



## mevelandry

Coming back from "almost back to back" trips to NYC and Niagara Falls/Toronto... 

Our next adventure will be our October cruise on the Carnival Vista. 

Can't wait. I'll be starting a countdown as soon as I get home!


----------



## cruiser21

PrincessTrisha said:


> Yes, Carnival keeps it's second newest ship in Galveston - It got the Magic when the Breeze came out; then the Breeze when the Vista came out; and once the Horizon sails, then the Vista goes to Galveston.


I wish they would have a ship in Europe every Summer.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

cruiser21 said:


> I wish they would have a ship in Europe every Summer.



They have the 3rd, and last, Vista Class due March 2019.  I am super crossing fingers they stay in Europe for the summer.  Otherwise, we will be looking at another line because we are celebrating big birthdays and not putting it off!


----------



## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> They have the 3rd, and last, Vista Class due March 2019.  I am super crossing fingers they stay in Europe for the summer.  Otherwise, we will be looking at another line because we are celebrating big birthdays and not putting it off!


I want a Baltic cruise or British Isles cruise or Spain. IVe been to Italy Greek Isles, England , Norway, Scotland, Denmark and Iceland. Ive never been to Spain, Ireland  or any of the Baltic countries. I may do the British Isles cruise on Disney next year if price remains the same and I can book onboard, but the Baltic cruise on Disney is way to high for me.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

trvlgirlmq said:


> They have the 3rd, and last, Vista Class due March 2019.  I am super crossing fingers they stay in Europe for the summer.  Otherwise, we will be looking at another line because we are celebrating big birthdays and not putting it off!



My bad I Googled and the article that came up said late 2019. Boo. That means no Europe.


----------



## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> My bad I Googled and the article that came up said late 2019. Boo. That means no Europe.


 Bummer. I keep looking at NCL Baltic next June. The first time we sailed NCL it wasn't a good fit for my kids, but it might be good now. I just want to get out of Phoenix in June. It's been over 115 every day for the last week. Last June we went to London. It rained almost everyday. People were apologizing for the weather. We loved it.  We usually get out of here at least once every Summer, but I kind of screwed up my vacations this year. I should have gone to Alaska in June and WDW in Sept. We were in WDW in May and it was an uncharacteristic 100 degrees and dry. I'm kind of over the hot weather. I may have to take a road trip to San Diego to get a break.


----------



## Chrissy-Mickey

Earlier this month, my sister and I went on a 7 day western Caribbean cruise onboard the Carnival Breeze. The only other cruise we've taking up till then was a 4 day Bahamian cruise on Disney's Dream. We absolutely loved our Disney cruise and have another one booked next year.

We ended up going with Carnival due to the ports (Belize and Roaton + Cozumel), the date and departure port, recommendations from friends, and the price. Despite my friends' recommendations and the posts in this thread, we were worried that we were too spoiled by Disney to enjoy Carnival.

However, we very much enjoyed our cruise. Yes, we missed the Disney magic... the details in the décor, fancy and interactive dinners, characters, amazing service, and wonderful entertainment. BUT, we found nothing wrong with Carnival: food was good, room was fine and clean, public areas were clean, staff was kind, and entertainment was very different but entertaining most of the time.

We had a wonderful vacation and are interested is going with Carnival again in the future to cruise to ports Disney doesn't travel to. Disney is definitely still our first choice cruise line though, and we're very much looking forward to next year's Disney cruise.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

cruiser21 said:


> Bummer. I keep looking at NCL Baltic next June. The first time we sailed NCL it wasn't a good fit for my kids, but it might be good now. I just want to get out of Phoenix in June. It's been over 115 every day for the last week. Last June we went to London. It rained almost everyday. People were apologizing for the weather. We loved it.  We usually get out of here at least once every Summer, but I kind of screwed up my vacations this year. I should have gone to Alaska in June and WDW in Sept. We were in WDW in May and it was an uncharacteristic 100 degrees and dry. I'm kind of over the hot weather. I may have to take a road trip to San Diego to get a break.



I hear you. I lived in Las Vegas for 8 years.  We really loved the couple of Greece stops we had last year so might look more towards another Med/Greek Isles cruise in 2019.  We'll just have to wait and see what the different lines offer.


----------



## CandleontheWater

I am so glad I found this post!  We got off our first Disney cruise (on the Dream) earlier this month, and just booked a Carnival cruise for next Spring Break.  My husband and I cruised a few times before we had kids and really enjoyed it, and we were really hoping our kids would be good cruisers so we could get back to one of our favorite ways to vacation (other than Disney, of course!).  

We had a really nice time on the Dream, we found the ship to be lovely and the service to be outstanding, but the price tag was really hard to swallow.  I'm glad we did it, and had the experience, but I think it might be a one and done for us.  We had no complaints at all about the Disney Cruise, but I'm still not sure it is worth the premium.  I went on really expecting to be wowed, and to get that magical Disney feeling, but with the exception of our dinner at Animators Palate, I really didn't get the Disney vibes.  To give you an example, we bought into DVC because the premium of DVC was worth the satisfaction that we got out of our vacations.  Our vacations were so much better, in an intangible Disney Magic way, that it was worth it to spend the money for DVC over renting rooms at Bonnet Creek.  Both are nice and equivalent products (Bonnet Creek rooms might even be a little nicer), but our vacation satisfaction is so much higher at the Beach Club or at Bay Lake, in a way that is purely emotional and not really quantifiable.  That emotional pull is what I was expecting from a Disney cruise, and what would make the extra money worth it, in my eyes.  I really didn't experience that emotional pull, which was a little disappointing, but at the same time completely freeing because I can book cruises with an eye to price without that nagging "maybe we should have gone on a Disney cruise" feeling.

I found an amazing Deal on the Carnival Liberty for my kids Spring Break.  Its a 4 day cruise, in a porthole room for $1624, the Disney Dream, for the same dates, a porthole room and basically same itinerary (Nassau and Castaway vs. Princess Cay) was $5,439.  I can take almost 3.5 Carnival Cruises for the price of one Disney cruise.  How many sodas would I have to drink to make up the difference?   I know that there will be differences, but with that price differential, I'll be willing to put up with an awful lot and still have an amazing cruise.  We cruised Carnival before, and had a great time.  Its been 10 years, but I didn't have any problems with the service, and I'm not the sort of person who needs to build a rapport with the staff in order to have a good time. I'm really looking forward to this cruise and I'll be happy to come back and post a report when we get back (278 more days, but who is counting!).


----------



## mevelandry

CandleontheWater said:


> I am so glad I found this post!  We got off our first Disney cruise (on the Dream) earlier this month, and just booked a Carnival cruise for next Spring Break.  My husband and I cruised a few times before we had kids and really enjoyed it, and we were really hoping our kids would be good cruisers so we could get back to one of our favorite ways to vacation (other than Disney, of course!).
> 
> We had a really nice time on the Dream, we found the ship to be lovely and the service to be outstanding, but the price tag was really hard to swallow.  I'm glad we did it, and had the experience, but I think it might be a one and done for us.  We had no complaints at all about the Disney Cruise, but I'm still not sure it is worth the premium.  I went on really expecting to be wowed, and to get that magical Disney feeling, but with the exception of our dinner at Animators Palate, I really didn't get the Disney vibes.  To give you an example, we bought into DVC because the premium of DVC was worth the satisfaction that we got out of our vacations.  Our vacations were so much better, in an intangible Disney Magic way, that it was worth it to spend the money for DVC over renting rooms at Bonnet Creek.  Both are nice and equivalent products (Bonnet Creek rooms might even be a little nicer), but our vacation satisfaction is so much higher at the Beach Club or at Bay Lake, in a way that is purely emotional and not really quantifiable.  That emotional pull is what I was expecting from a Disney cruise, and what would make the extra money worth it, in my eyes.  I really didn't experience that emotional pull, which was a little disappointing, but at the same time completely freeing because I can book cruises with an eye to price without that nagging "maybe we should have gone on a Disney cruise" feeling.
> 
> I found an amazing Deal on the Carnival Liberty for my kids Spring Break.  Its a 4 day cruise, in a porthole room for $1624, the Disney Dream, for the same dates, a porthole room and basically same itinerary (Nassau and Castaway vs. Princess Cay) was $5,439.  I can take almost 3.5 Carnival Cruises for the price of one Disney cruise.  How many sodas would I have to drink to make up the difference?   I know that there will be differences, but with that price differential, I'll be willing to put up with an awful lot and still have an amazing cruise.  We cruised Carnival before, and had a great time.  Its been 10 years, but I didn't have any problems with the service, and I'm not the sort of person who needs to build a rapport with the staff in order to have a good time. I'm really looking forward to this cruise and I'll be happy to come back and post a report when we get back (278 more days, but who is counting!).



I think I can relate a little bit to your experience. We actually had our first cruises with DCL... Then, we fell in love with the Carnival Victory even though it wasn't looking brand new. Like you we do not need to be buddies with our servers, but honestly found the service to be just as good on the Victory than the Dream... I thought when I got back to DCL after that that there was a chance that I get hooked on DCL again but the opposite happened. We actually ended up missing a lot of stuff from Carnival (the music, the comedy shows, the good food). Don't get me wrong, I love DCL and will always love it but Carnival made us so happy and was such a good value for us that we can't justify spending 3x the price of a Carnival cruise to sail with DCL.

Please do come back and post a report (with pictures if you can)... I'll be more than happy to put a link on the first post of this thread.


----------



## mevelandry

On another thread, somebody mentioned the scores for DCL (4 times 100% congrats!) for vessel sanitation.

I decided to check the scores for Carnival. 4 ships scored 100% (Breeze, Elation, Fantasy & my beloved Victory). The others are going from 83 to 99%. The worst note was for the Legend (does it only sail in Alaska?) at 83%.

I'm very interested in reading the reports and corrective reports.

EDIT: Wow, they are very serious about it. It goes further than I imagined. I would most likely score 5% in my own house. LOL


----------



## cruiser21

I'm still plan on cruising on the Vista. I'm looking at this Winter or early Spring. I cancelled my Fall cruise on the Vista in favor of Alaska. I needed a break from the Caribbean. I also think I caught a break on DCL in Alaska. The cruise hasn't gone up since opening day. I think I got a good price by DCL standards.  It was only a couple hundred more then the NCl Bliss next year for comparable rooms.  I'm booked on the WBTA next year out of London. It stops in Portland(Stonehenge) I wasn't that interested in seeing Stonehenge, but after watching Transformers...I've got to do it.  How can you not? I promise you  I will sail on the Vista in 2018. I'm kind of spontaneous person, and the nice thing about Carnival you don't have to book early. The price stays pretty reasonable.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I'm still plan on cruising on the Vista. I'm looking at this Winter or early Spring. I cancelled my Fall cruise on the Vista in favor of Alaska. I needed a break from the Caribbean. I also think I caught a break on DCL in Alaska. The cruise hasn't gone up since opening day. I think I got a good price by DCL standards.  It was only a couple hundred more then the NCl Bliss next year for comparable rooms.  I'm booked on the WBTA next year out of London. It stops in Portland(Stonehenge) I wasn't that interested in seeing Stonehenge, but after watching Transformers...I've got to do it.  How can you not? I promise you  I will sail on the Vista in 2018. I'm kind of spontaneous person, and the nice thing about Carnival you don't have to book early. The price stays pretty reasonable.



I always heard that the itinerary of DCL for Alaska wasn't the best because it doesn't go to Glacier Bay?


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> I always heard that the itinerary of DCL for Alaska wasn't the best because it doesn't go to Glacier Bay?



Honestly having been there, I didn't get the draw of Glacier Bay. I mean, it was pretty, but so was all the rest of Alaska. I haven't been to Tracy Arm, but from pictures I've seen, there isn't that much difference. To me, it seems people just think GB is OMG IT!!!!! because it's restricted as to numbers that can go there.

But I realize I'm in the minority there.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> On another thread, somebody mentioned the scores for DCL (4 times 100% congrats!) for vessel sanitation.
> 
> I decided to check the scores for Carnival. 4 ships scored 100% (Breeze, Elation, Fantasy & my beloved Victory). The others are going from 83 to 99%. The worst note was for the Legend (does it only sail in Alaska?) at 83%.
> 
> I'm very interested in reading the reports and corrective reports.
> 
> EDIT: Wow, they are very serious about it. It goes further than I imagined. I would most likely score 5% in my own house. LOL
> 
> View attachment 247567



I'm curious -- can you post the link for that site?  Thanks.


----------



## RedSox68

Dug720 said:


> Honestly having been there, I didn't get the draw of Glacier Bay. I mean, it was pretty, but so was all the rest of Alaska. I haven't been to Tracy Arm, but from pictures I've seen, there isn't that much difference. To me, it seems people just think GB is OMG IT!!!!! because it's restricted as to numbers that can go there.
> 
> But I realize I'm in the minority there.



For us, it was all about the history -- the glaciers there are some of the oldest and are dying.  There was one the park ranger was pointing out that had started to die and recede and you could actually see the deterioration.  We also really enjoyed the fact that the National Park came onboard to narrate, answer questions and even set up a table to stamp NP passport books and give out brochures.  The next one I want to do includes Tracy Arm (and also Sitka, Kodiak, Homer and Victoria), so we'll be able to compare.  I think the majority think of Glacier Bay being a part of their Alaska experience -- others just want to be in Alaska


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I always heard that the itinerary of DCL for Alaska wasn't the best because it doesn't go to Glacier Bay?


I've heard that also, but this isn't a once in a lifetime trip to Alaska for us. It's a relatively close flight with no time changes. Why I've put it off so long is a question mark. The next time I'll go to Glacier Bay. I'd also like to do a one-way cruise and spend some time in Anchorage. Our WBTA will hit three ports in Eastern Canada, but Disney has peaked my interest in Quebec. I'm going to start looking at cruises that visit there.

You asked about the Legend. I think it goes to Australia in the Winter.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> I've heard that also, but this isn't a once in a lifetime trip to Alaska for us. It's a relatively close flight with no time changes. Why I've put it off so long is a question mark. The next time I'll go to Glacier Bay. I'd also like to do a one-way cruise and spend some time in Anchorage. Our WBTA will hit three ports in Eastern Canada, but Disney has peaked my interest in Quebec. I'm going to start looking at cruises that visit there.



We got to spend two days in Anchorage as part of the land portion of our tour and we really liked it and thought it was a lovely city.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> I'm curious -- can you post the link for that site?  Thanks.



Ask and you shall receive...   

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I've heard that also, but this isn't a once in a lifetime trip to Alaska for us. It's a relatively close flight with no time changes. Why I've put it off so long is a question mark. The next time I'll go to Glacier Bay. I'd also like to do a one-way cruise and spend some time in Anchorage. Our WBTA will hit three ports in Eastern Canada, but Disney has peaked my interest in Quebec. I'm going to start looking at cruises that visit there.
> 
> You asked about the Legend. I think it goes to Australia in the Winter.



You know what? I just googled and I think Tracy's Arm (if I am not mistaken it's on DCL's itinerary) looks pretty good too. Don't know if it's part of your itinerary but base on pictures I've seen, I think I could be very satisfied with TA instead of GB!


----------



## CandleontheWater

So DH and I decided to go crazy and book another Carnival cruise for this Oct!  He has been working so hard and has been so stressed out lately I thought it would be nice to get away for a long weekend and it didn't take much to convince him   We're going on the Carnival Ecstasy out of Charleston for a short 4 day Bahamas cruise.  I know that the Ecstasy is an older ship, but it came out of dry dock in January and has a lot of the 2.0 bells and whistles.  We're just looking to get away, spend some kid-free time, and relax, so I don't need the latest and greatest.  I'll be sure to come back and post a review when we get back!


----------



## mevelandry

CandleontheWater said:


> So DH and I decided to go crazy and book another Carnival cruise for this Oct!  He has been working so hard and has been so stressed out lately I thought it would be nice to get away for a long weekend and it didn't take much to convince him   We're going on the Carnival Ecstasy out of Charleston for a short 4 day Bahamas cruise.  I know that the Ecstasy is an older ship, but it came out of dry dock in January and has a lot of the 2.0 bells and whistles.  We're just looking to get away, spend some kid-free time, and relax, so I don't need the latest and greatest.  I'll be sure to come back and post a review when we get back!



What is the itinerary? Freeport and Nassau?

I notice that the Ecstasy is Fun 2.0?  I can't wait to try an "upgraded" ship!


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## CandleontheWater

mevelandry said:


> What is the itinerary? Freeport and Nassau?
> 
> I notice that the Ecstasy is Fun 2.0?  I can't wait to try an "upgraded" ship!



The itinerary is Nassau with two sea days.  I think we are going to try getting a day pass at Breezes on our Nassau day.  Originally we weren't going to get off the ship, but I don't want to go all the way to the Bahamas without going to the beach!  I really wish this cruise had a Princess Cays or Half Moon Cay stop, but beggars can't be choosers!


----------



## mevelandry

CandleontheWater said:


> The itinerary is Nassau with two sea days.  I think we are going to try getting a day pass at Breezes on our Nassau day.  Originally we weren't going to get off the ship, but I don't want to go all the way to the Bahamas without going to the beach!  I really wish this cruise had a Princess Cays or Half Moon Cay stop, but beggars can't be choosers!



In Nassau, we liked the Blue Lagoon excursion. The lagoon was great and there was a nice beach behind the BBQ restaurant (a bit rocky to swim though). I heard the Day Passes at the British Colonial are a great value too (very close to the ship).


----------



## CandleontheWater

mevelandry said:


> In Nassau, we liked the Blue Lagoon excursion. The lagoon was great and there was a nice beach behind the BBQ restaurant (a bit rocky to swim though). I heard the Day Passes at the British Colonial are a great value too (very close to the ship).



We are going to do the British Colonial Hilton in April when we take the kids over spring break.  It was really appealing because it was walkable (my kids still need carseats so I don't want them in taxis in Nassau), and because it includes a food/drink credit.  We just booked Breezes, so I'll be sure to report about it when we get back and I'll post about BCH when we do that in April.  My husband and I love all-inclusive resorts, we've been to resorts in both Mexico and the Dominican Republic, and the idea of combining crusing with an AI seems like the best of both worlds!


----------



## mevelandry

CandleontheWater said:


> We are going to do the British Colonial Hilton in April when we take the kids over spring break.  It was really appealing because it was walkable (my kids still need carseats so I don't want them in taxis in Nassau), and because it includes a food/drink credit.  We just booked Breezes, so I'll be sure to report about it when we get back and I'll post about BCH when we do that in April.  My husband and I love all-inclusive resorts, we've been to resorts in both Mexico and the Dominican Republic, and the idea of combining crusing with an AI seems like the best of both worlds!



I'm sure it's going to be perfect! 

Now... I'm trying to remember if you are sailing on the Victory (or if they changed ships for the Bahamas)?


----------



## mevelandry

As we are getting closer to our sailing, I just realized something that is quite nice. (I'm not sure if DCL does that because we've never sailed from Miami...) 

Flights to and from Miami are kinda pricey.

I really appreciate the fact that Carnival offers affordable shuttles to and from Fort Lauderdale even when your cruise is departing from Miami. 

That made us save a lot of money! 

(We'll be staying in South Beach and departing from Miami Airport after the cruise).


----------



## cruiser21

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Grand Turk is really a great beach day, we loved it. I would also add Curaçao to places to visit. The downtown area is about a 10 minute walk from the port and is so safe and clean, it was beautiful there.
> 
> A few more thoughts from our B2B:
> 
> We docked this morning and at this point have to say, we are full fledged card carrying Carnies!  We'll still continue with DCL as well but man we just have a blast on CCL. This is also coming from someone who does not drink alcohol, so that was not a factor in my enjoyment.
> 
> The Cruise Director on CCL, plays a much bigger role than on DCL and really can make or break a cruise. Our first Vista cruise we had Matt Mitchum, who is the number 1 rated CD on Carnival. We were supposed to have him again fir these 2 cruises, but the pulled him for our 2 cruises only and put him on another ship that was hosting a bunch of NFL players. We ended up with Chris Williams, aka The Flying Scotsman. Wow is all I can say about that man, he was fantastic and I actually liked him better than Matt.
> 
> Service on the ship actually got better on the 2nd cruise as more crew members recognized us from the 1st cruise.
> 
> We were able to sign up for the "Behind the Fun" your which was a 3 hour tour where we actually got to go the kitchen, engine control room, housekeeping, crew galley and lounge, backstage of the theater, and the up on the bridge and were able to meet the Captain. The cost for this was $95/person and was worth every penny. It's hard to come by as they only take 2 groups of 16 on the last sea day, I loved it!!
> 
> Cleanliness of the ship was great. I'm a restaurant guy and have managed or owned restaurants for the last 30 years and am hyper critical about cleanliness. I could not believe the amount of deep cleaning going on all around the ship. As I was going through the buffet this morning the Restaurant Captain had a white glove and flashlight checking the wood slatted ceiling over the beverage area for cleanliness. The whole ship looked fantastic, I was so happy to see this going on.
> 
> One quick comment on guest service then I need to get some sleep. One of our FB cruise group members posted one of their experiences on the ship. Their daughter became ill with a stomach bug at the beginning of the cruise and was quarantined to the cabin for 3 days. Carnival prorated the cruise fare for her and refunded the 3 days fare to them, they did not ask fir this at all, just something they did. I think they are really trying to up their game and shed their booze cruise reputation.
> 
> I'll post more in the next couple days.


What did you do in Aruba and Dominican Republic? Did you do any excursions on the cruise. Carnival actually has some interesting ones. How were the lines at Guys and Blue Iguana? I have read reviews that say they were really long. How was the service at specialty restaurants and in the MDR? Did you have my time dining or a set time? How were the lines for the ropes course and sky ride? Sorry for all the questions. I've been reading reviews that are all over the place. I have a hold on this cruise the week before Christmas.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> What did you do in Aruba and Dominican Republic? Did you do any excursions on the cruise. Carnival actually has some interesting ones. How were the lines at Guys and Blue Iguana? I have read reviews that say they were really long. How was the service at specialty restaurants and in the MDR? Did you have my time dining or a set time? How were the lines for the ropes course and sky ride? Sorry for all the questions. I've been reading reviews that are all over the place. I have a hold on this cruise the week before Christmas.



Great questions. Following. (Not that I am having second thoughts about our Jamaica-Grand Cayman-Cozumel itinerary but I wish I had the time and money to make it a back-to-back and do the Grand Turk-Aruba-Curaçao cruise too!!!)


----------



## trvlgirlmq

cruiser21 said:


> What did you do in Aruba and Dominican Republic? Did you do any excursions on the cruise. Carnival actually has some interesting ones. How were the lines at Guys and Blue Iguana? I have read reviews that say they were really long. How was the service at specialty restaurants and in the MDR? Did you have my time dining or a set time? How were the lines for the ropes course and sky ride? Sorry for all the questions. I've been reading reviews that are all over the place. I have a hold on this cruise the week before Christmas.



I've been on Vista so I will chime in if that's OK! We are going on Vista again next summer (Southern Caribbean) per the kid's request. Aruba we plan to bus or taxi to Eagle Beach.  We are not getting off the ship in DR. 

Lines - I didn't find them too bad. I mean if you go to Guy's at exactly Noon then yes you may have to wait as they make everyone's plate. When feeding over 4000 people in limited spaces I try to be patient.

MDR - We only do ATD, we tend to still eat early so no real waits for us.  Service was hit or miss but we were on the 5th cruise ever and the crew was still learning the ship.  The servers were friendly though.

Activities - Waits could get long for SkyRide but that is because it takes a while and only 2 at a time.  Also, it closes when the wind speed hits 60 mph and they are constantly checking.  Ropes course had shorter lines but more can do it at one time.  It also closes for high wind so just be prepared to have to come back possibly.

Personally we prefer bigger ships with more activities.  If that means more people and a bit of a wait then so be it.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cruiser21 said:


> What did you do in Aruba and Dominican Republic? Did you do any excursions on the cruise. Carnival actually has some interesting ones. How were the lines at Guys and Blue Iguana? I have read reviews that say they were really long. How was the service at specialty restaurants and in the MDR? Did you have my time dining or a set time? How were the lines for the ropes course and sky ride? Sorry for all the questions. I've been reading reviews that are all over the place. I have a hold on this cruise the week before Christmas.


We didn't do any excursions at all for this leg, just walked around the ports on our own. The only exception to this was in DR, where we were off the ship for about 15 minutes in the secure port area, then right back on to enjoy an empty ship. I felt very safe walking around in Aruba, GT and Curaçao, especially Curaçao. 

We waited a maximum of 5 minutes for Guy's and BI. However, we did have a wait for pizza of a little over 10 minutes a few times, they really understaff that place. And I'm saying that from a perspective of a dude that has been in the pizza industry for over 30 years. There were so many times when only 1 guy was working the entire place by himself, I really wanted to jump back there and help the poor guy out - I felt really bad for him. We also only waited a maximum of 10 minutes for Guy's Pig and Anchor - definitely worth the wait!

We also ate at JiJi's and Cucina for lunch many times, there was never a wait for Cucina but JiJi's filled up really quickly on sea days, so there was often a 15 minute wait for that. We did learn however, that you can order both to go if you don't want to wait for a seat. There were people that would do that, then take it down one deck and eat in the Lido. 

The deli on Lido was a hot mess most of the time, there is no signage for cueing up to order, so there are people everywhere not knowing what to do, they need to do something better with that. The funny thing is, they have stancions set up there to cue people but it doesn't give any direction on what side to line up on, I mentioned this to guest services on about day 9 of our 14 days and no signs were ever put in place. By the way, their salted dark chocolate chip cookies are amazeballs!  I can't tell you how many times I stopped there just for those. 

The only specialty restaurant we did was Fahrenheit 555, service was impeccable and the food was fantastic!  I would definitely put it in the same category as Ruth's Chris, Morton's and Flemings. It's a huge bargain at only $35/person.

We had set dining for the first, (6:00) seating, our service team for the first leg wasn't that great at all, the second leg was a completely different story - they were fantastic! Never had any issues with them!

We approach CCL with a DCL attitude - get there early and wait for them to open. We usually got to both attractions about 30 minutes before they opened and were always within the first 10 people in line. There were a couple times when there was no one at Skyride, so we were able to go around continuously 3 times straight. 

Overall, I really wish CCL would extend their hours for Guy's, BI and Pig and Anchor, but it certainly won't stop me from booking Vista or Horizon again. I would absolutely do this itinerary again in a heartbeat, loved having an 8 day cruise and the water down south was so much warmer than up higher on the Eastern and Western itineraries.  I really want to be in the Havana cabins though, I love the cabana patios and the pool is never crowded during the day, so peaceful.

I think a lot of the negative reviews of Vista are from seasoned CCL cruisers who just like the other ships better. Their first impression of Vista is bad because she doesn't have the soaring atrium all the other Carnival ships have. I feel the same way about so many of the people here on the Dis that don't like the Dream class ships because they started on the classics. 

Feel free to hit me up with any other questions, I can talk cruises forever!


----------



## cruiser21

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We didn't do any excursions at all for this leg, just walked around the ports on our own. The only exception to this was in DR, where we were off the ship for about 15 minutes in the secure port area, then right back on to enjoy an empty ship. I felt very safe walking around in Aruba, GT and Curaçao, especially Curaçao.
> 
> We waited a maximum of 5 minutes for Guy's and BI. However, we did have a wait for pizza of a little over 10 minutes a few times, they really understaff that place. And I'm saying that from a perspective of a dude that has been in the pizza industry for over 30 years. There were so many times when only 1 guy was working the entire place by himself, I really wanted to jump back there and help the poor guy out - I felt really bad for him. We also only waited a maximum of 10 minutes for Guy's Pig and Anchor - definitely worth the wait!
> 
> We also ate at JiJi's and Cucina for lunch many times, there was never a wait for Cucina but JiJi's filled up really quickly on sea days, so there was often a 15 minute wait for that. We did learn however, that you can order both to go if you don't want to wait for a seat. There were people that would do that, then take it down one deck and eat in the Lido.
> 
> The deli on Lido was a hot mess most of the time, there is no signage for cueing up to order, so there are people everywhere not knowing what to do, they need to do something better with that. The funny thing is, they have stancions set up there to cue people but it doesn't give any direction on what side to line up on, I mentioned this to guest services on about day 9 of our 14 days and no signs were ever put in place. By the way, their salted dark chocolate chip cookies are amazeballs!  I can't tell you how many times I stopped there just for those.
> 
> The only specialty restaurant we did was Fahrenheit 555, service was impeccable and the food was fantastic!  I would definitely put it in the same category as Ruth's Chris, Morton's and Flemings. It's a huge bargain at only $35/person.
> 
> We had set dining for the first, (6:00) seating, our service team for the first leg wasn't that great at all, the second leg was a completely different story - they were fantastic! Never had any issues with them!
> 
> We approach CCL with a DCL attitude - get there early and wait for them to open. We usually got to both attractions about 30 minutes before they opened and were always within the first 10 people in line. There were a couple times when there was no one at Skyride, so we were able to go around continuously 3 times straight.
> 
> Overall, I really wish CCL would extend their hours for Guy's, BI and Pig and Anchor, but it certainly won't stop me from booking Vista or Horizon again. I would absolutely do this itinerary again in a heartbeat, loved having an 8 day cruise and the water down south was so much warmer than up higher on the Eastern and Western itineraries.  I really want to be in the Havana cabins though, I love the cabana patios and the pool is never crowded during the day, so peaceful.
> 
> I think a lot of the negative reviews of Vista are from seasoned CCL cruisers who just like the other ships better. Their first impression of Vista is bad because she doesn't have the soaring atrium all the other Carnival ships have. I feel the same way about so many of the people here on the Dis that don't like the Dream class ships because they started on the classics.
> 
> Feel free to hit me up with any other questions, I can talk cruises forever!


Thanks for clarifying the line situation that seem non- existent on your cruise. We've done a southern on DCL. I agree the southern Islands are just better. We did Grenada, ST Kitts, St Lucia, Barbados and Antigua on  DCL. One of my favorite cruises. I could actually do the southern on the Wonder for around the same price, but I don't want to fly to San Juan. 
The Havana Cabanas do look nice. I could get one if I held off to May 5.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Great questions. Following. (Not that I am having second thoughts about our Jamaica-Grand Cayman-Cozumel itinerary but I wish I had the time and money to make it a back-to-back and do the Grand Turk-Aruba-Curaçao cruise too!!!)


If you haven't done this itinerary you will enjoy it. No worries. 


trvlgirlmq said:


> I've been on Vista so I will chime in if that's OK! We are going on Vista again next summer (Southern Caribbean) per the kid's request. Aruba we plan to bus or taxi to Eagle Beach.  We are not getting off the ship in DR.
> 
> Lines - I didn't find them too bad. I mean if you go to Guy's at exactly Noon then yes you may have to wait as they make everyone's plate. When feeding over 4000 people in limited spaces I try to be patient.
> 
> MDR - We only do ATD, we tend to still eat early so no real waits for us.  Service was hit or miss but we were on the 5th cruise ever and the crew was still learning the ship.  The servers were friendly though.
> 
> Activities - Waits could get long for SkyRide but that is because it takes a while and only 2 at a time.  Also, it closes when the wind speed hits 60 mph and they are constantly checking.  Ropes course had shorter lines but more can do it at one time.  It also closes for high wind so just be prepared to have to come back possibly.
> 
> Personally we prefer bigger ships with more activities.  If that means more people and a bit of a wait then so be it.


Since we haven't been to any of these ports. We will do something in every port. Is their something wrong with DR that would keep you on the ship?


----------



## Dug720

cruiser21 said:


> If you haven't done this itinerary you will enjoy it. No worries.
> 
> Since we haven't been to any of these ports. We will do something in every port. Is their something wrong with DR that would keep you on the ship?



Having been to the Carnival Corp-built Amber Cove (on fathom)... Amber Cove is clearly manufactured and just stupid (you're standard cruise port shops with a TINY market for local things). They tried to make it look old, but it just looks cheap and cheesy. LOL. (I couldn't stand Icy Straight Point in AK for similar manufactured-looking reasons, but even it was better than Amber Cove.)

Puerto Plata does have some nice beaches, but you'd need to see if you could do a day pass or do an excursion to one of the resorts there.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We didn't do any excursions at all for this leg, just walked around the ports on our own. The only exception to this was in DR, where we were off the ship for about 15 minutes in the secure port area, then right back on to enjoy an empty ship. I felt very safe walking around in Aruba, GT and Curaçao, especially Curaçao.
> 
> We waited a maximum of 5 minutes for Guy's and BI. However, we did have a wait for pizza of a little over 10 minutes a few times, they really understaff that place. And I'm saying that from a perspective of a dude that has been in the pizza industry for over 30 years. There were so many times when only 1 guy was working the entire place by himself, I really wanted to jump back there and help the poor guy out - I felt really bad for him. We also only waited a maximum of 10 minutes for Guy's Pig and Anchor - definitely worth the wait!
> 
> We also ate at JiJi's and Cucina for lunch many times, there was never a wait for Cucina but JiJi's filled up really quickly on sea days, so there was often a 15 minute wait for that. We did learn however, that you can order both to go if you don't want to wait for a seat. There were people that would do that, then take it down one deck and eat in the Lido.
> 
> The deli on Lido was a hot mess most of the time, there is no signage for cueing up to order, so there are people everywhere not knowing what to do, they need to do something better with that. The funny thing is, they have stancions set up there to cue people but it doesn't give any direction on what side to line up on, I mentioned this to guest services on about day 9 of our 14 days and no signs were ever put in place. By the way, their salted dark chocolate chip cookies are amazeballs!  I can't tell you how many times I stopped there just for those.
> 
> The only specialty restaurant we did was Fahrenheit 555, service was impeccable and the food was fantastic!  I would definitely put it in the same category as Ruth's Chris, Morton's and Flemings. It's a huge bargain at only $35/person.
> 
> We had set dining for the first, (6:00) seating, our service team for the first leg wasn't that great at all, the second leg was a completely different story - they were fantastic! Never had any issues with them!
> 
> We approach CCL with a DCL attitude - get there early and wait for them to open. We usually got to both attractions about 30 minutes before they opened and were always within the first 10 people in line. There were a couple times when there was no one at Skyride, so we were able to go around continuously 3 times straight.
> 
> Overall, I really wish CCL would extend their hours for Guy's, BI and Pig and Anchor, but it certainly won't stop me from booking Vista or Horizon again. I would absolutely do this itinerary again in a heartbeat, loved having an 8 day cruise and the water down south was so much warmer than up higher on the Eastern and Western itineraries.  I really want to be in the Havana cabins though, I love the cabana patios and the pool is never crowded during the day, so peaceful.
> 
> I think a lot of the negative reviews of Vista are from seasoned CCL cruisers who just like the other ships better. Their first impression of Vista is bad because she doesn't have the soaring atrium all the other Carnival ships have. I feel the same way about so many of the people here on the Dis that don't like the Dream class ships because they started on the classics.
> 
> Feel free to hit me up with any other questions, I can talk cruises forever!



The wait really doesn't sound bad considering the fact that we wait 5 to 10 minutes at our local McDonald (yeah, they are a bit slow). LOL


----------



## mevelandry

I'm a bit disappointed. Just tried to call and move cabins because I booked (by accident) a room with two twin beds that are not convertible into a king bed... After looking for days, there was finally a room with a "convertible into king bed" available in the Cloud 9 Spa section... 

Unfortunately, for some mysterious reason, the available room is considered a "downgrade" (maybe because it is close from the elevators). So, I've been denied.  

The only other way they could upgrade me was sending me into a Deck 2 OV... I was getting an OV instead of inside but losing the spa access. To me that sounded more like a downgrade so... still stuck with my non-convertible twin bed.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> If you haven't done this itinerary you will enjoy it. No worries.



Never did it. But it's on my list. Someday...


----------



## trvlgirlmq

cruiser21 said:


> If you haven't done this itinerary you will enjoy it. No worries.
> 
> Since we haven't been to any of these ports. We will do something in every port. Is their something wrong with DR that would keep you on the ship?



The port in DR on the Southern is La Romana.  It is not built up at all.  I have read it is not the safest to go out on your own.  The public beaches are about 30 minutes away and the cost for taxi's is ridiculous (someone on CC posted it cost them $90, highway robbery).  You only have 7 hours in port and it basically forces you to do a ship excursion as there are only a couple of companies who do anything there.  Those companies don't offer anything our whole family is interested in and I was also very concerned about the short port time and length of the described excursions.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> The port in DR on the Southern is La Romana.  It is not built up at all.  I have read it is not the safest to go out on your own.  The public beaches are about 30 minutes away and the cost for taxi's is ridiculous (someone on CC posted it cost them $90, highway robbery).  You only have 7 hours in port and it basically forces you to do a ship excursion as there are only a couple of companies who do anything there.  Those companies don't offer anything our whole family is interested in and I was also very concerned about the short port time and length of the described excursions.



I haven't tried it myself but I heard a lot of good words about the Dreams resort in La Romana...


----------



## cruiser21

Thanks for the info on DR. It sounds as disappointing as Falmouth. It's hard for me to get excited about the Caribbean, but if you want to cruise between Dec and April there's really nowhere else to go.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Never did it. But it's on my list. Someday...


Ah did you make a change? I can appreciate people that can't make up their mind. I'm one of those people times 10. I'm still bummed out I'm doing Alaska and not the transatlantic. I flip flopped 20 times. As soon the PIF day passed I had buyers remorse. Id probably have buyers remorse if I booked the TA. Two great cruises I wish I could fly from Vancouver to Barcelona and do both.


----------



## cruiser21

The Monkeyland excursion gets really good reviews in La Romana. Anything that has anything to do with animals my son is going to love. I think he'd like the Ostrich farm in Curacao too. I'm not big on booking cruise excursions due to cost, but the price of this cruise is so good I might give it a go.  He's not a beach kid. He likes animals and active stuff. Were going dog sledding and white water rafting in Alaska. Zip lining may be something he likes. 
I'm open to any suggestions.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Thanks for the info on DR. It sounds as disappointing as Falmouth. It's hard for me to get excited about the Caribbean, but if you want to cruise between Dec and April there's really nowhere else to go.





cruiser21 said:


> Ah did you make a change? I can appreciate people that can't make up their mind. I'm one of those people times 10. I'm still bummed out I'm doing Alaska and not the transatlantic. I flip flopped 20 times. As soon the PIF day passed I had buyers remorse. Id probably have buyers remorse if I booked the TA. Two great cruises I wish I could fly from Vancouver to Barcelona and do both.



No change. But I had originally booked the Paradise for Key West/Cozumel. So my Vista cruise to Jamaica/Grand Cayman/Cozumel is already a "change of plan". And my Could 9 Spa room too. Lol

After this one we'll try to figure out what our next vacation is going to be (in April). We already have the Anthem of the Seas booked for a Bermuda cruise in October 2018.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> No change. But I had originally booked the Paradise for Key West/Cozumel. So my Vista cruise to Jamaica/Grand Cayman/Cozumel is already a "change of plan". And my Could 9 Spa room too. Lol
> 
> After this one we'll try to figure out what our next vacation is going to be (in April). We already have the Anthem of the Seas booked for a Bermuda cruise in October 2018.


April? How about the Horizon out of Barcelona?


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> No change. But I had originally booked the Paradise for Key West/Cozumel. So my Vista cruise to Jamaica/Grand Cayman/Cozumel is already a "change of plan". And my Could 9 Spa room too. Lol
> 
> After this one we'll try to figure out what our next vacation is going to be (in April). We already have the Anthem of the Seas booked for a Bermuda cruise in October 2018.



How about the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore? Freeport, Princess Cays (private island) and Grand Turk is the most common itinerary in April on the Pride - though they also have 1 cruise to Bermuda and 1 to Half Moon Cay instead of Princess Cays.

Baltimore is easy to get to either driving or flying (especially if you cross over to the US - Baltimore is the hub for Southwest).


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> April? How about the Horizon out of Barcelona?



Oh dear! I wish I had the money to buy the plane tickets! With the Vista coming in October and the Bermuda cruise for October 2018, I don't think we can squeeze enough money for a Europe cruise. 

I'm also dreaming of a Greek Isles cruise.

But who knows... Maybe I'll get lucky until then.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> How about the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore? Freeport, Princess Cays (private island) and Grand Turk is the most common itinerary in April on the Pride - though they also have 1 cruise to Bermuda and 1 to Half Moon Cay instead of Princess Cays.
> 
> Baltimore is easy to get to either driving or flying (especially if you cross over to the US - Baltimore is the hub for Southwest).



Never sailed out of Baltimore... I guess it depends of the price of the plane tickets from Montreal to Baltimore...  EDIT: It's more expensive than Orlando/Tampa but cheaper than Miami. Good to know!

Princess Cays and Grand Turk sounds pretty nice.

Edit: I just googled the Pride. WOH. That is one pretty ship.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> Never sailed out of Baltimore... I guess it depends of the price of the plane tickets from Montreal to Baltimore...  EDIT: It's more expensive than Orlando/Tampa but cheaper than Miami. Good to know!
> 
> Princess Cays and Grand Turk sounds pretty nice.
> 
> Edit: I just googled the Pride. WOH. That is one pretty ship.



If you're really looking to save money - you can drive down. It's 9 hours from Montreal to Baltimore (so a day's drive). Parking at port is $105 for the week or there are hotels that offer the park and cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> If you're really looking to save money - you can drive down. It's 9 hours from Montreal to Baltimore (so a day's drive). Parking at port is $105 for the week or there are hotels that offer the park and cruise.



No driver's license.  

In Montreal the public transportation is pretty good. DH never felt the need to learn to drive and I sold my car and let go of my own driver's license 10 years ago. 

Now... 10 years ago I was not travelling so, if I had to do it all over again I would have kept the license. 

It would cost me a lot of money to be able to get a new license. Bleh.


----------



## hdrolfe

CandleontheWater said:


> We are going to do the British Colonial Hilton in April when we take the kids over spring break.  It was really appealing because it was walkable (my kids still need carseats so I don't want them in taxis in Nassau), and because it includes a food/drink credit.  We just booked Breezes, so I'll be sure to report about it when we get back and I'll post about BCH when we do that in April.  My husband and I love all-inclusive resorts, we've been to resorts in both Mexico and the Dominican Republic, and the idea of combining crusing with an AI seems like the best of both worlds!



I've done the BCH with my son twice. We like it because we can walk there. It's a quieter beach because it's only for hotel guests. They have snorkeling and kayaks, though we didn't really do either one! The food was fine, we spent the food/drink credits and enjoyed it. It's also cool to see the ships right there, we got to see one back in to the docks.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

We are canceling our 2018 Bermuda cruise on Horizon, sadly!  We're doing Alaska on the Wonder 10 days before this, then were going to fly straight to NYC, spend 3 days there and then jump on the ship for a 4 night Bermuda cruise. We decided it's just too much packing and unpacking over a 2 week period so are just doing Alaska now. We'll have to wait until 2019 now to experience another Vista class ship, (Vista III).


----------



## Pens Fan

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We are canceling our 2018 Bermuda cruise on Horizon, sadly!  We're doing Alaska on the Wonder 10 days before this, then were going to fly straight to NYC, spend 3 days there and then jump on the ship for a 4 night Bermuda cruise. We decided it's just too much packing and unpacking over a 2 week period so are just doing Alaska now. We'll have to wait until 2019 now to experience another Vista class ship, (Vista III).



Sounds like a good excuse to spend more time in Vancouver!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We are canceling our 2018 Bermuda cruise on Horizon, sadly!  We're doing Alaska on the Wonder 10 days before this, then were going to fly straight to NYC, spend 3 days there and then jump on the ship for a 4 night Bermuda cruise. We decided it's just too much packing and unpacking over a 2 week period so are just doing Alaska now. We'll have to wait until 2019 now to experience another Vista class ship, (Vista III).



Those would have been very different experiences. It wouldn't give you much time to process your experience either. Sounds like a smart decision.


----------



## ToyStory3

We are sailing on the Carnival Magic with my entire family for my parents' 50 year anniversary next summer.  We are so excited!  I sailed Carnival a few times many years ago...before having a family.  Has anyone been on the Magic?  Any thoughts on it?  We will have 3 generations with us.  And, any reviews on Amber Cover?  Thanks!


----------



## Pens Fan

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We are canceling our 2018 Bermuda cruise on Horizon, sadly!  We're doing Alaska on the Wonder 10 days before this, then were going to fly straight to NYC, spend 3 days there and then jump on the ship for a 4 night Bermuda cruise. We decided it's just too much packing and unpacking over a 2 week period so are just doing Alaska now. We'll have to wait until 2019 now to experience another Vista class ship, (Vista III).



A second thought to my post about Vancouver (which I still stand by - great, great city with so much to do!!!)

We have been to Alaska three times.  First on a 2 week land only tour, second on the Wonder with only a night in Seattle before hand, and third a week ago on an 18 day land/sea adventure.  I don't pretend to be an Alaskan expert, but I can say from our experience that while cruising is amazing (seriously, you'll never look at a Caribbean cruise the same way again), you really don't get the full Alaskan experience if you don't spend some time on land.  Just be there.  Meet the locals.  Go fishing.  Go searching for bears (at one time we were surrounded by aprox 20 Alaskan brown bears in Lake Clarke National Park and it was amazing - the coolest thing we've ever done in our life), shop for actual native crafts, not the stuff they peddle at the cruise ports, etc., etc.

If you were willing to fly to NYC, why not fly to Anchorage?  It's a short flight, and from there your options are limitless (and your clothing packed will still be appropriate).  Go north to Denali (incredible!), go south to the Kenai Peninsula.  We spent four nights in Homer on our last trip and didn't want to ever leave.  Our son is literally begging to back to Homer.

Just a thought.  Forgive my intrusiveness, but we have been missing Alaska terribly for the last week.  It's a special place.

Now....... back to our regular scheduled programming - Carnival info!!!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Pens Fan said:


> A second thought to my post about Vancouver (which I still stand by - great, great city with so much to do!!!)
> 
> We have been to Alaska three times.  First on a 2 week land only tour, second on the Wonder with only a night in Seattle before hand, and third a week ago on an 18 day land/sea adventure.  I don't pretend to be an Alaskan expert, but I can say from our experience that while cruising is amazing (seriously, you'll never look at a Caribbean cruise the same way again), you really don't get the full Alaskan experience if you don't spend some time on land.  Just be there.  Meet the locals.  Go fishing.  Go searching for bears (at one time we were surrounded by aprox 20 Alaskan brown bears in Lake Clarke National Park and it was amazing - the coolest thing we've ever done in our life), shop for actual native crafts, not the stuff they peddle at the cruise ports, etc., etc.
> 
> If you were willing to fly to NYC, why not fly to Anchorage?  It's a short flight, and from there your options are limitless (and your clothing packed will still be appropriate).  Go north to Denali (incredible!), go south to the Kenai Peninsula.  We spent four nights in Homer on our last trip and didn't want to ever leave.  Our son is literally begging to back to Homer.
> 
> Just a thought.  Forgive my intrusiveness, but we have been missing Alaska terribly for the last week.  It's a special place.
> 
> Now....... back to our regular scheduled programming - Carnival info!!!


Gives me food for thought. We've talked about spending some time in Seattle before and/or Vancouver after. Luckily, we have time to figure it out.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

ToyStory3 said:


> We are sailing on the Carnival Magic with my entire family for my parents' 50 year anniversary next summer.  We are so excited!  I sailed Carnival a few times many years ago...before having a family.  Has anyone been on the Magic?  Any thoughts on it?  We will have 3 generations with us.  And, any reviews on Amber Cover?  Thanks!


Haven't been on the Magic but have heard great things about her. The Magic class is very popular.


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## mevelandry

65 days to go. Time goes by so slowly! I can't wait to see if my crush on Carnival will be confirmed! Meanwhile, I'm starting to look at other serious contenders like NCL, RCCL (booked for 2018), Princess and Celebrity. Interesting itineraries and promotions over there.


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## mevelandry

51 days to go... I wish I had booked earlier. 

Anyone sailing on Carnival soon?


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## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> 51 days to go... I wish I had booked earlier.
> 
> Anyone sailing on Carnival soon?



Not for another 281 days!  We did just upgrade to a balcony even though the price is astronomical to me.  My mom is going to need a lot of rest and relaxation and will spend much of her time on the balcony.  In fact, this is mostly a ship-based vacation.  We only plan to get off in 3 of the 4 ports.


----------



## mevelandry

Three ports is already a lot of ports to get off to.

After discussions with my husband, we decided to do with Ocho Rios what we have done for Nassau... We are going to get off the ship and if we are not comfortable with the alleged "pushy vendors", we are just going to go back to the ship (originally, we went off the ship in Nassau to buy a rum cake at Tortuga and basically ran back to the ship LOL).

We had no interest in the excursions offered... So the plan is to walk to the Island Village up to Margaritaville and come back.

In Grand Cayman, we are going spend at least half a day at Royal Palms resort.

In Cozumel we still plan to participate to the "Save a sea turtle" excursion. We had a very hard time picking up an excursion in Cozumel because there was so many options. And since the excursion is not gonna take too much of our time, we plan to spend some time o the Puerta Maya pier, trying Pancho's Backyard and/or Three Amigos.

That will be three port days in a row... I think we'll be exhausted. LOL


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Three ports is already a lot of ports to get off to.
> 
> After discussions with my husband, we decided to do with Ocho Rios what we have done for Nassau... We are going to get off the ship and if we are not comfortable with the alleged "pushy vendors", we are just going to go back to the ship (originally, we went off the ship in Nassau to buy a rum cake at Tortuga and basically ran back to the ship LOL).
> 
> We had no interest in the excursions offered... So the plan is to walk to the Island Village up to Margaritaville and come back.
> 
> In Grand Cayman, we are going spend at least half a day at Royal Palms resort.
> 
> In Cozumel we still plan to participate to the "Save a sea turtle" excursion. We had a very hard time picking up an excursion in Cozumel because there was so many options. And since the excursion is not gonna take too much of our time, we plan to spend some time o the Puerta Maya pier, trying Pancho's Backyard and/or Three Amigos.
> 
> That will be three port days in a row... I think we'll be exhausted. LOL


For what it's worth, I thought the vendors in Ocho Rios were incredibly pushy. My son collects key chains at every port for every cruise we've been on. In Ocho Rios, I was trying to buy a $6 keychain from one of the port vendors and only had a $10, he wouldn't give my the $4 change back, just kept insisting I take another cheap souvenir at a discount. Against my better judgement I let Jim get away with it and took a bracelet for my daughter and just got back on the ship. I seriously doubt I'll ever get off the ship in Ocho Rios again.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> For what it's worth, I thought the vendors in Ocho Rios were incredibly pushy. My son collects key chains at every port for every cruise we've been on. In Ocho Rios, I was trying to buy a $6 keychain from one of the port vendors and only had a $10, he wouldn't give my the $4 change back, just kept insisting I take another cheap souvenir at a discount. Against my better judgement I let Jim get away with it and took a bracelet for my daughter and just got back on the ship. I seriously doubt I'll ever get off the ship in Ocho Rios again.



I'm expecting that. I'm not sure I wanna buy anything to be honest but we'll see. I just don't wanna be in Jamaica and not get off the ship. I wanna tell myself I have tried it. 

After doing the Bahamas four times (two of them not being my choice) in the future I want to avoid going to the same twice... The only place I might want go back to is Cozumel because there was 4 or 5 excursions I was interested into. Also because I'm dying to visit Key West at some point and they pair it with either Cozumel or Cuba.


----------



## Dug720

Never thought I'd say this, but seeing the difference in how Carnival and RCCL have handled the situation in/around Galveston with Hurricane Harvey has actually given me some respect for Carnival. THEY gave their cruisers options by Thursday. RCCL was still telling people they were making it in today and planning to leave for the next cruise tomorrow and there would be no refunds. They have since said if people can "prove" they can't get to the area they can get a future cruise credit - but seriously...all the airports are closed and the area is under historic flooding and they're demanding proof????


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> Never thought I'd say this, but seeing the difference in how Carnival and RCCL have handled the situation in/around Galveston with Hurricane Harvey has actually given me some respect for Carnival. THEY gave their cruisers options by Thursday. RCCL was still telling people they were making it in today and planning to leave for the next cruise tomorrow and there would be no refunds. They have since said if people can "prove" they can't get to the area they can get a future cruise credit - but seriously...all the airports are closed and the area is under historic flooding and they're demanding proof????



Absolutely, Carnival is very proactive. They also waived all fees for the phone and wifi on the cruise ships that are kept at sea (I believe most cruise lines do that though but it's reassuring to know that Carnival does it too) so they can rearrange plans and be in touch with family. 

John Heald is also wonderful when it comes to keep people informed about what is going on. Also on the website they always inform you in advance when the next news are going to be. 

Last year, we were sailing right after hurricane Matthew. It was a bit stressful because the day before our sailing, we had to fly in Orlando without even knowing if our cruise would happen at all --but, it's nothing compared to the stress the locals have been going through, of course!--, when I called, Carnival recommended that we fly anyway... and we learned at 7:00 p.m. the day before the cruise that we were actually sailing the next day but we would have an overnight in Nassau instead of going to Freeport. 

Not only the news were posted on the website but John Heald posted them as well (an made many videos talking about it) and we received official letters by e-mail as well. All that time we had that "they got our back" feeling. 

I have to say that sailing in hurricane season made me more resilient about travel plans as I don't take original plans for granted anymore and keep my mind open about change and non-planned port of calls.


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> Absolutely, Carnival is very proactive. They also waived all fees for the phone and wifi on the cruise ships that are kept at sea (I believe most cruise lines do that though but it's reassuring to know that Carnival does it too) so they can rearrange plans and be in touch with family.
> 
> John Heald is also wonderful when it comes to keep people informed about what is going on. Also on the website they always inform you in advance when the next news are going to be.
> 
> Last year, we were sailing right after hurricane Matthew. It was a bit stressful because the day before our sailing, we had to fly in Orlando without even knowing if our cruise would happen at all --but, it's nothing compared to the stress the locals have been going through, of course!--, when I called, Carnival recommended that we fly anyway... and we learned at 7:00 p.m. the day before the cruise that we were actually sailing the next day but we would have an overnight in Nassau instead of going to Freeport.
> 
> Not only the news were posted on the website but John Heald posted them as well (an made many videos talking about it) and we received official letters by e-mail as well. All that time we had that "they got our back" feeling.
> 
> I have to say that sailing in hurricane season made me more resilient about travel plans as I don't take original plans for granted anymore and keep my mind open about change and non-planned port of calls.



They have not always been so proactive. This is a big change after some PR disasters up to and including Concordia (Costa is under the Carnival umbrella) - which is why this event was a pleasant surprise.

(RCCL has just finally admitted defeat and are taking the Liberty to Miami on Monday or Tuesday with her sailing back to Galveston to dock on Friday and ostensibly sail out next Sunday. So some sanity but a lot of insanity. And no word on what they're doing for the people who were supposed to sail today but listened to RCCL who said "It will sail a day late and if you're not on it too bad" who are now stuck in the flooding in Houston.)


----------



## Pens Fan

Dug720 said:


> Never thought I'd say this, but seeing the difference in how Carnival and RCCL have handled the situation in/around Galveston with Hurricane Harvey has actually given me some respect for Carnival. THEY gave their cruisers options by Thursday. RCCL was still telling people they were making it in today and planning to leave for the next cruise tomorrow and there would be no refunds. They have since said if people can "prove" they can't get to the area they can get a future cruise credit - but seriously...all the airports are closed and the area is under historic flooding and they're demanding proof????



I was just reading about this on Cruise Critic.  It seems that Carnival really made the best out of a horrible situation.  I cannot fathom what the folks at RCCL were thinking.  I know weather is unpredictable, but this storm and the flooding was predicted for days.  There really is no excuse for encouraging folks to head into a natural disaster for fear of losing the money spent on a cruise. 

It really makes you wonder.  Add to that the fact that when we were in Vancouver for three days last month we spent a lot of time at Canada Place checking out the cruise ships.  Obviously some were in slightly better condition than others, but one really stood out.  There was one Royal Caribbean ship - I believe it was Radiance of the Seas??? (not sure) - but my son called it the "SS Tub of Rust".  Honestly I have never seen such a sad looking cruise ship.  Not only was it covered in rust, the paint was peeling from one end of the ship to the other.  I just kept thinking that if they didn't care that the exterior of the ship looked that bad, what about the parts we don't see????  I used to think that RCCL might be a good alternative to sailing on Disney, but now - not so much.

Back to Carnival, though, kudos to them for how they handled this.  

And for all you folks in the Houston area - stay safe!!!!


----------



## Dug720

Pens Fan said:


> I was just reading about this on Cruise Critic.  It seems that Carnival really made the best out of a horrible situation.  I cannot fathom what the folks at RCCL were thinking.  I know weather is unpredictable, but this storm and the flooding was predicted for days.  There really is no excuse for encouraging folks to head into a natural disaster for fear of losing the money spent on a cruise.
> 
> It really makes you wonder.  Add to that the fact that when we were in Vancouver for three days last month we spent a lot of time at Canada Place checking out the cruise ships.  Obviously some were in slightly better condition than others, but one really stood out.  There was one Royal Caribbean ship - I believe it was Radiance of the Seas??? (not sure) - but my son called it the "SS Tub of Rust".  Honestly I have never seen such a sad looking cruise ship.  Not only was it covered in rust, the paint was peeling from one end of the ship to the other.  I just kept thinking that if they didn't care that the exterior of the ship looked that bad, what about the parts we don't see????  I used to think that RCCL might be a good alternative to sailing on Disney, but now - not so much.
> 
> Back to Carnival, though, kudos to them for how they handled this.
> 
> And for all you folks in the Houston area - stay safe!!!!



I sailed Radiance in 2015 and she was beautiful then. That class is my favorite of RCCL (well, the only class of RCCL I've sailed).


----------



## Pens Fan

Dug720 said:


> I sailed Radiance in 2015 and she was beautiful then. That class is my favorite of RCCL (well, the only class of RCCL I've sailed).



I don't think they have done any maintenance on that ship since you sailed!  

Seriously, though.  It was bad.   I don't expect a ship to be immaculate and completely rust free, but this was awful.  If the other ships in port were around an 8,9, or 10 for appearance, then this one was a 2 or 3.  It was kind of shocking, actually.  Maybe it's due for dry dock, or something.  Who knows?  It was the only Royal Caribbean ship we saw for the entire trip.   Oddly enough the only other ship we saw the entire week that raised our eyebrows for rust was a Celebrity ship.   It wasn't nearly as bad as the Royal, but it was pretty bad and much worse than any others.  Not a great look for the Royal Caribbean Corp.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Dug720 said:


> Never thought I'd say this, but seeing the difference in how Carnival and RCCL have handled the situation in/around Galveston with Hurricane Harvey has actually given me some respect for Carnival. THEY gave their cruisers options by Thursday. RCCL was still telling people they were making it in today and planning to leave for the next cruise tomorrow and there would be no refunds. They have since said if people can "prove" they can't get to the area they can get a future cruise credit - but seriously...all the airports are closed and the area is under historic flooding and they're demanding proof????


They've made huge changes in damage control the last couple years. I can't remember which Carnival ship it was a few months ago that had issues but CCL did an amazing job with guest recovery.


----------



## mevelandry

Turns out the three cruises that were supposed to be departing from Galveston are cancelled. Passengers from Freedom, Valor and Breeze are still on the ships and could be there for a few more days.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

We experienced this with Tropical Storm Karen.  They closed the Mississippi River while the storm made landfall.  The captain kept us behind the storm until it was safe to make our way to the river to wait for it to open. Those were some rocky seas for sure!  The captain and CD kept us all updated, phone lines were opened to make travel arrangements and the crew kept us fed and entertained.  We had driven to NO so were lucky that we did not have to contend with flight arrangements; only pet care and missing work. Carnival even gave us the extra days as credits on our loyalty accounts and they took care of the gratuities.  We have since decided that hurricane season travel is not for us even if it saves money.  I feel for everyone whose vacation was canceled and especially those in the area who lost their homes.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> We experienced this with Tropical Storm Karen.  They closed the Mississippi River while the storm made landfall.  The captain kept us behind the storm until it was safe to make our way to the river to wait for it to open. Those were some rocky seas for sure!  The captain and CD kept us all updated, phone lines were opened to make travel arrangements and the crew kept us fed and entertained.  We had driven to NO so were lucky that we did not have to contend with flight arrangements; only pet care and missing work. Carnival even gave us the extra days as credits on our loyalty accounts and they took care of the gratuities.  We have since decided that hurricane season travel is not for us even if it saves money.  I feel for everyone whose vacation was canceled and especially those in the area who lost their homes.



It must have been very stressful to say the least. 

I've always wondered how travel insurance work when you are actually stuck at sea... ??? 

Changing plane tickets at the last minute can be quite expensive.


----------



## mevelandry

I'm gonna put this here in case some "silent" members were going to sail with Carnival this week-end... 

(Source Carnival.com)

WEATHER UPDATE 9/5/2017 – 9:00 PM (EDT)

We have been closely monitoring Hurricane Irma, which is now a category 5 storm in the Caribbean. Since the safety and security of our guests and crew are our primary concern, it will be necessary to cancel the following cruises given the projected path of the storm:



Carnival Liberty – September 7

Carnival Victory – September 8



We sincerely apologize for the disruption to your vacation plans. We will automatically process a full refund, including any pre-purchased Carnival Adventures, Fun Shop purchases and beverage packages. The refund will be processed to your original form of payment within three weeks.



Thank you for your patience as we continue to work on our plans for our other sailings departing from Central and South Florida this weekend. We will provide another update by 1:00 PM tomorrow.


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## trvlgirlmq

This has been a rough hurricane season for sure.


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## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> This has been a rough hurricane season for sure.



Yep. I've seen pictures. St. Marteen is devastated. It's sad to watch. 

The port of Miami is supposed to close saturday. 

Many sailings due to depart this week-end and in the beginning of next week are "in limbo".


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## mevelandry

Last night's update... So many cruises in limbo...


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## mevelandry

Most recent informations regarding Carnival Sailings... (source: John Heald, brand ambassador)


----------



## cyclenut

Wife and I were in New Orleans when several ships came into port during Harvey.  We talked to some passengers that had been aboard the Breeze, some of whom lived in Houston and didn't know the status of their homes yet.  The folks I talked to all felt Carnival did a very nice job for them.  When they arrived in New Orleans, Carnival gave them a comp ticket that could be used for certain tourist things like the city bus tour.  They coordinated with the folks in New Orleans first to ensure they had enough buses in service to handle the spike caused by so many cruise passengers.  

A lot of folks chose to take the opportunity to fly home.  We were on the plane with one such family.  They told us that even the rental car companies were being accommodating.  They had a rental car at the port of Galveston.  The rental agency told them not to worry.  They would go pick up the car and ship them any personal property left behind.  No charge.  

The only complaints I heard from any passengers were that they didn't budget for the extra time and despite attempts to lessen the impact, Carnival was still charging for all the things that are typically an additional charge (which makes perfect sense).  Nobody thought Carnival should have made everything free, but it was just a comment that extending the cruise without additional cruise fare, still comes at an additional cost.  If the budget is tight, it can present a problem.  

Some of the ships coming into New Orleans were only there for a replenish and only those who were planning to disembark for home were allowed off.  The Breeze made it an additional port stop and they stayed docked overnight.


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> Wife and I were in New Orleans when several ships came into port during Harvey.  We talked to some passengers that had been aboard the Breeze, some of whom lived in Houston and didn't know the status of their homes yet.  The folks I talked to all felt Carnival did a very nice job for them.  When they arrived in New Orleans, Carnival gave them a comp ticket that could be used for certain tourist things like the city bus tour.  They coordinated with the folks in New Orleans first to ensure they had enough buses in service to handle the spike caused by so many cruise passengers.
> 
> A lot of folks chose to take the opportunity to fly home.  We were on the plane with one such family.  They told us that even the rental car companies were being accommodating.  They had a rental car at the port of Galveston.  The rental agency told them not to worry.  They would go pick up the car and ship them any personal property left behind.  No charge.
> 
> The only complaints I heard from any passengers were that they didn't budget for the extra time and despite attempts to lessen the impact, Carnival was still charging for all the things that are typically an additional charge (which makes perfect sense).  Nobody thought Carnival should have made everything free, but it was just a comment that extending the cruise without additional cruise fare, still comes at an additional cost.  If the budget is tight, it can present a problem.
> 
> Some of the ships coming into New Orleans were only there for a replenish and only those who were planning to disembark for home were allowed off.  The Breeze made it an additional port stop and they stayed docked overnight.



From what I understand, they unlocked wifi and phone lines so people could mAke arrangements and Carnival took care of the extra gratuities.

 If the only thing passengers had to pay for during the extra days was their drink packages (John Heald said they were going to have a percentage off of it), extra fee restaurants and some of the activities that comes with additional charge... Well, it's a choice that they made to pay for stuff that they could have lived without.


----------



## mevelandry

This has been recently added:


----------



## cyclenut

mevelandry said:


> From what I understand, they unlocked wifi and phone lines so people could mAke arrangements and Carnival took care of the extra gratuities.
> 
> If the only thing passengers had to pay for during the extra days was their drink packages (John Heald said they were going to have a percentage off of it), extra fee restaurants and some of the activities that comes with additional charge... Well, it's a choice that they made to pay for stuff that they could have lived without.



I also understand that, on the Breeze at least, the offered free laundry service as well.   I suspect it was similar on other ships.

Maybe you misunderstood what I was writing.  I agree, those things are choices for the individuals to make.  I was in no way criticizing Carnival.  Just pointing out that what some think of as a "free" extension to a vacation, isn't necessarily so.  Each is coming from a different place.  It's a guess, but I would not be surprised if some of those folks are losing some compensation as well.  Perhaps self employed or on commission, or maybe even just out of paid vacation time.  It is not uncommon for folks to budget carefully for a vacation.  Any unplanned hits to the budget could present a hardship.


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> I also understand that, on the Breeze at least, the offered free laundry service as well.   I suspect it was similar on other ships.
> 
> Maybe you misunderstood what I was writing.  I agree, those things are choices for the individuals to make.  I was in no way criticizing Carnival.  Just pointing out that what some think of as a "free" extension to a vacation, isn't necessarily so.  Each is coming from a different place.  It's a guess, but I would not be surprised if some of those folks are losing some compensation as well.  Perhaps self employed or on commission, or maybe even just out of paid vacation time.  It is not uncommon for folks to budget carefully for a vacation.  Any unplanned hits to the budget could present a hardship.



That, I get and agree with 100%. 

Also, we can never stress enough how important travel insurance is, at any time, but even more if you plan vacations during hurricane season.


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## JsMom2

The problem is you are comparing a mass market cruise line to a premium line.  It's like comparing a ford escort to a BMW.  The Escort will always be cheaper.  The question is, do you want to drive an Escort or a BMW?
This is where a good travel adviser can help you make the right decisions.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

JsMom2 said:


> The problem is you are comparing a mass market cruise line to a premium line.  It's like comparing a ford escort to a BMW.  The Escort will always be cheaper.  The question is, do you want to drive an Escort or a BMW?
> This is where a good travel adviser can help you make the right decisions.


What didn't you like about your Carnival cruise and what ship was it?


----------



## JsMom2

Club Disney Chandler said:


> What didn't you like about your Carnival cruise and what ship was it?



I've been on 4 Carnival ships, and I'm not saying that I didn't "like" them.  But they are a different experience than a Disney cruise.  That's why it's important to consult a knowledgeable travel consultant who can provide guidance.  I'd hate to see someone purchase any product just because it was less expensive, and then find that they are very unhappy.  Better to spend more - when necessary - to get what you want.  A travel consultant can qualify them based upon their needs, desires, and budget.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

JsMom2 said:


> I've been on 4 Carnival ships, and I'm not saying that I didn't "like" them.  But they are a different experience than a Disney cruise.  That's why it's important to consult a knowledgeable travel consultant who can provide guidance.  I'd hate to see someone purchase any product just because it was less expensive, and then find that they are very unhappy.  Better to spend more - when necessary - to get what you want.  A travel consultant can qualify them based upon their needs, desires, and budget.


Gotcha, I'm sorry I misinterpreted what you were saying. I like both Carnival and DCL, but in totally different ways. It's really funny how you can enjoy the same activity but in completely different ways.


----------



## cruiser21

JsMom2 said:


> The problem is you are comparing a mass market cruise line to a premium line.  It's like comparing a ford escort to a BMW.  The Escort will always be cheaper.  The question is, do you want to drive an Escort or a BMW?
> This is where a good travel adviser can help you make the right decisions.


I'd choose an Escort. Do you know what it cost to maintain an BMW. Kind of like trying to cruise with dcl each and every time. Not feasible or financially a good choice for most people with middle class incomes.


----------



## mevelandry

JsMom2 said:


> The problem is you are comparing a mass market cruise line to a premium line.  It's like comparing a ford escort to a BMW.  The Escort will always be cheaper.  The question is, do you want to drive an Escort or a BMW?
> This is where a good travel adviser can help you make the right decisions.



Don't get me wrong:  I love DCL but although they charge premium prices, I really don't see them as premium (like Oceania, Azamara, Cunard, Regent...) at all. 

I've recently sailed the Disney Wonder (six months after I sailed the Victory). They are almost the same age and the theming was (very) different BUT although the Wonder was fresh out of dry dock, I did not feel like it was much superior to the Victory.


----------



## mevelandry

JsMom2 said:


> I've been on 4 Carnival ships, and I'm not saying that I didn't "like" them.  But they are a different experience than a Disney cruise.  That's why it's important to consult a knowledgeable travel consultant who can provide guidance.  I'd hate to see someone purchase any product just because it was less expensive, and then find that they are very unhappy.  Better to spend more - when necessary - to get what you want.  A travel consultant can qualify them based upon their needs, desires, and budget.



If you read the whole critic, I found myself very satisfied. And while the ship was a bit outdated (it's been partially renovated since and will go into dry dock next winter), I prefered the staff, the entertainment and the food on the Carnival ship over DCL. Also, being adults, after three Disney cruises, we are ready to go towards "less kid-friendly themed" cruise lines.

While I believe T.A.s' are very knowledgable sources, I generally spend more than 100 hours getting informations, watching videos and reading reviews about the ships I'm interested in sailing on, comparing them and ranking them. I trust myself in that area.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

JsMom2 said:


> The problem is you are comparing a mass market cruise line to a premium line.  It's like comparing a ford escort to a BMW.  The Escort will always be cheaper.  The question is, do you want to drive an Escort or a BMW?
> This is where a good travel adviser can help you make the right decisions.



Walk on by entitled person.  Some of us can only afford an Escort.  Do you scoff at all of the Ford's in the supermarket parking lot? Or the one's your coworkers drive?


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## Club Disney Chandler

This pretty interesting, Carnival is going all out to help the islands we love https://www.facebook.com/JohnHeald/posts/1825489524160267


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## Dug720

Club Disney Chandler said:


> This pretty interesting, Carnival is going all out to help the islands we love https://www.facebook.com/JohnHeald/posts/1825489524160267



One big advantage Carnival Corp has is they already have the basic structures for service projects thanks to fathom. While fathom as a cruiseline doesn't exist at the moment, some of the Impact Guides stayed on with the company and have been doing impact projects as excursions when some ships dock in Amber Cove (and I understand they are still working on "fathom 2.0" to see what shape that will take). So it's a little easier for them to get that kind of model up and going.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Dug720 said:


> One big advantage Carnival Corp has is they already have the basic structures for service projects thanks to fathom. While fathom as a cruiseline doesn't exist at the moment, some of the Impact Guides stayed on with the company and have been doing impact projects as excursions when some ships dock in Amber Cove (and I understand they are still working on "fathom 2.0" to see what shape that will take). So it's a little easier for them to get that kind of model up and going.


I didn't realize they are working on 2.0, that's cool. They also have the advantage of a bunch of ships down there. I heard also that they or one of the other lines are also docking on some islands for residents to have a place to sleep, eat and shower while they're trying to piece the islands back together. I really love reading about how the community comes together in times of need. That's good stuff. 

On a side note @Dug720, we're on the 10/6 Magic cruise out of NYC and return on 10/14.  Do you have any suggestions on transportation to the Newark airport? Our plane takes off at 1:40 PM, so we have plenty of time.


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## Dug720

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I didn't realize they are working on 2.0, that's cool. They also have the advantage of a bunch of ships down there. I heard also that they or one of the other lines are also docking on some islands for residents to have a place to sleep, eat and shower while they're trying to piece the islands back together. I really love reading about how the community comes together in times of need. That's good stuff.
> 
> On a side note @Dug720, we're on the 10/6 Magic cruise out of NYC and return on 10/14.  Do you have any suggestions on transportation to the Newark airport? Our plane takes off at 1:40 PM, so we have plenty of time.



I'm not sure how far along it is, but I know that Tara stayed on staff and is working on 2.0. Or was in April anyway.

I'm partial to the train and Air Train. But SuperShuttle is an option (I don't know what they charge from the cruise port though - I always go to a hotel for pickup if I'm using them). Or Lyft.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> This pretty interesting, Carnival is going all out to help the islands we love https://www.facebook.com/JohnHeald/posts/1825489524160267



Yes, they are. And IMO John Heald has been wonderful with his FB posts. 

Royal Caribbean also cancelled two short cruises in order to help some islands. I thought that was nice too.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> One big advantage Carnival Corp has is they already have the basic structures for service projects thanks to fathom. While fathom as a cruiseline doesn't exist at the moment, some of the Impact Guides stayed on with the company and have been doing impact projects as excursions when some ships dock in Amber Cove (and I understand they are still working on "fathom 2.0" to see what shape that will take). So it's a little easier for them to get that kind of model up and going.



Correct me if I am wrong but wasn't Fathom a "special" cruise line destined to bring people for cultural exchanges and/or do charity work?


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> Correct me if I am wrong but wasn't Fathom a "special" cruise line destined to bring people for cultural exchanges and do charity work?



It was under the Carnival umbrella.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> It was under the Carnival umbrella.



But am I right regarding the purpose?


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> But am I right regarding the purpose?



Basically. It was cultural exchange and/or service projects. But what I meant in my post is that because of that experience, they have the format to model it in other places as well as the contacts with groups who do that kind of work within the Carnival Corportation umbrella. Which when combined with the number of ships in the entire fleet under that umbrella makes it far easier for them to get something up and running.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> Basically. It was cultural exchange and/or service projects. But what I meant in my post is that because of that experience, they have the format to model it in other places as well as the contacts with groups who do that kind of work within the Carnival Corportation umbrella. Which when combined with the number of ships in the entire fleet under that umbrella makes it far easier for them to get something up and running.



("service projects". Thanks, that is one of the terms I was looking for.) 

This is great. Hopefully they can make a difference.


----------



## cruiser21

Just returned from the Wonder in Alaska. Alaska is pretty. I wasn't as wowed by it as most people are. I have seen better scenery in Wyoming and Montana, and then there's Iceland which I was totally blown away by. We had pretty good weather the first sea day it was 80 degrees the rest of cruise was normal Alaska weather cloudy, foggy and rainy. I did not miss having a balcony. Many times it was too overcast to see anything or just too plan cold to sit outside. Also I found the scenery to be pretty redundant. I lived in Lake Tahoe and my parents were outdoor people. We camped and hiked all over the northwest. It wasn't anything remarkable for me. I will say compared to Arizona heat it was a welcome change.

The service was great as usual, and a little overbearing and intrusive as usual. I heard one couple complaining about being chastised by their waiter for not showing up to MDR a couple of nights. Sounds about right. I'm going to admit I get a little tired of talking to them every night.

Food was just OK as usual. The MDR food was hit or miss. The buffet ditto. The pool side food is not edible. This is been my impression every DCL cruise.  I don't cruise for the food. I get tired of going to the MDR, but there is no other option unless you want to eat horrible Pizza or burgers. Other people seem to eat it though. We have way too many good pizza and burger places in AZ for me to waste my calorie splurges on that.

The Edge fantastic as always. Really great, great, great counselors on this cruise. I can't say enough about the great job they do....I really can't they are awesome.  

I haven't watched a Disney show in maybe 8 cruises, but Frozen was really, really good.

I had a funny exchange with connect at sea. As usual I had all kinds of problems with the internet package. I can surf for an hour and hardly use any mb and then another time I log in  and withing 2 minutes I've gone from 200mb to nothing. As usual I go to the desk and complain. They refund my money and reset my mb. I ask if they get lots of complaints and they say yes. I asked it they are going to go to a unlimited plan like Carninval because I've gotten email surveys about it. I'm told maybe.

 She then tell me that the reason Carnival can do that is because most of their customers can't afford the internet packages, and Disney can't tell people they can't stream or watch movies because they have customers who are willing to spend thousands on internet. I had to laugh at this because I'm sure Carnival sells lots of internet packages, and I'm also sure Carnival customers aren't stupid enough to pay thousands for it....good grief.

One day I sat on a couch on deck 4 by the vacationing planning  desk  because it was the warmest spot on the ship, and I had a good view. I overheard many people rebooking. A lot of people booked placeholders. You also had husband and wife teams showing up going over cruises with the all the seriousness and scrutiny of buying a new car and some of these cruises cost as much as a new car.  It was an interesting couple of hours to say the least...... then there's me telling them to find me the cheapest cruise on the Fantasy next year inside room, and I still walk away feeling like I'm overpaying. I doubt I'll be doing that Fantasy cruise, but it was fun to book it.  Of course I've done 16 DCL cruises and most of these people cruise every couple of years, but yes people are willing to  drop some serious cash on one cruise. I think I'm going to make it a habit to sit there and eves drop every cruise.

Overall it was great cruise...no complaints except the food, but I complain about that on every Disney cruise.

After 6 or so DCL cruises in a row I am feeling the need for a change. I have the Transatlantic booked for September. I'm not sure what I'll be doing between now and then.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

cruiser21 - I grew up in South Lake Tahoe! We lived there from 1980-1988 when we moved to the Carson Valley to be closer to my grandparents. Such a small world.

I could afford internet on Carnival but don't need it thanks to T-Mobile and being able to use my plan practically anywhere in the world


----------



## JsMom2

cruiser21 said:


> I'd choose an Escort. Do you know what it cost to maintain an BMW. Kind of like trying to cruise with dcl each and every time. Not feasible or financially a good choice for most people with middle class incomes.



Absolutely nothing wrong with that!  Neither one is better than the other, but there isn't a "one size fits all" solution for vehicles, or cruises.  It's definitely a personal decision.


----------



## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> cruiser21 - I grew up in South Lake Tahoe! We lived there from 1980-1988 when we moved to the Carson Valley to be closer to my grandparents. Such a small world.
> 
> I could afford internet on Carnival but don't need it thanks to T-Mobile and being able to use my plan practically anywhere in the world


I have the same plan with Sprint, but the cell service was terrible for me in Alaska and Vancouver. I had no problem getting cell service in Europe. Even Iceland was fine. I thought it was funny she said that too me. Judging from the way people were spending money in the gift shop, shutters, excursions and in town it shouldn't surprise me that some people might spend thousands on internet. I wonder if people get home look at their cc statements and say I'm never cruising again. I never spend more than a few hundred dollars onboard. Excursions are booked on my own. 


I lived in lake tahoe in the mid 90's. I was 22-23 I went there to work at the resort, and be a ski bum for a year. I could totally relate to the seasonal tour guides in Alaska. They were all youngsters under 25 having a little fun before they have to grow up.


JsMom2 said:


> Absolutely nothing wrong with that!  Neither one is better than the other, but there isn't a "one size fits all" solution for vehicles, or cruises.  It's definitely a personal decision.


It's funny I had the chance to take my mom's 80,000 dollar BMW after her stroke. I turned it down. The maintenance costs would have killed my cruising budget.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I had a funny exchange with connect at sea. As usual I had all kinds of problems with the internet package. I can surf for an hour and hardly use any mb and then another time I log in  and withing 2 minutes I've gone from 200mb to nothing. As usual I go to the desk and complain. They refund my money and reset my mb. I ask if they get lots of complaints and they say yes. I asked it they are going to go to a unlimited plan like Carninval because I've gotten email surveys about it. I'm told maybe.
> 
> She then tell me that the reason Carnival can do that is because most of their customers can't afford the internet packages, and Disney can't tell people they can't stream or watch movies because they have customers who are willing to spend thousands on internet. I had to laugh at this because I'm sure Carnival sells lots of internet packages, and I'm also sure Carnival customers aren't stupid enough to pay thousands for it....good grief.



I've had nothing but problems with Connect at Sea during my first two cruises, to the point that I don't even bother buying Internet access on DCL anymore.

And yes, I call BS on that as well (also, doesn't that CM sound snobbish?) and I am sure Carnival sells a lot of internet packages. I used their "Social" package (you can go  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Linkedin, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SnapChat and popular airline websites). It was spotty at times but I find that it is satisfying. I ordered the exact same package for our upcoming cruise.

They are not THAT expensive:

Social ($5 USD per day)* – Offers access to sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Linkedin, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SnapChat and popular airline websites. Note: Plan does not include in-app calling, Facetime, iMessage or access to any other sites or apps.**
Value ($16 USD per day)* – Provides access to a wide variety of sites and apps, including social media, e-mail, news, sports, weather, banking and more. Note: Does not support Skype calling or music streaming services such as Spotify.
Premium ($25 USD per day)* – Promises the fastest possible connection and includes access to all websites and apps, including some streaming video services.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I've had nothing but problems with Connect at Sea during my first two cruises, to the point that I don't even bother buying Internet access on DCL anymore.
> 
> And yes, I call BS on that as well (also, doesn't that CM sound snobbish?) and I am sure Carnival sells a lot of internet packages. I used their "Social" package (you can go  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Linkedin, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SnapChat and popular airline websites). It was spotty at times but I find that it is satisfying. I ordered the exact same package for our upcoming cruise.
> 
> They are not THAT expensive:
> 
> Social ($5 USD per day)* – Offers access to sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Linkedin, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SnapChat and popular airline websites. Note: Plan does not include in-app calling, Facetime, iMessage or access to any other sites or apps.**
> Value ($16 USD per day)* – Provides access to a wide variety of sites and apps, including social media, e-mail, news, sports, weather, banking and more. Note: Does not support Skype calling or music streaming services such as Spotify.
> Premium ($25 USD per day)* – Promises the fastest possible connection and includes access to all websites and apps, including some streaming video services.


If you buy the packages before the cruise they are cheaper 10 dollars for value and 15 for premium.
Yes she did sound very snobbish. I told her I would much rather pay more for internet then have to worry about how many mb I was using and have to keep turning everything back on an off on my phone.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> If you buy the packages before the cruise they are cheaper 10 dollars for value and 15 for premium.
> Yes she did sound very snobbish. I told her I would much rather pay more for internet then have to worry about how many mb I was using and have to keep turning everything back on an off on my phone.



Yeah, having to turn off everything was driving me nuts... I just hate the way they do it.


----------



## mevelandry

Good hurricane management review for Carnival! 

https://cruiseline.com/advice/what-s-hot/trends/cruise-lines-carnival-royal-caribbean-handle-harvey


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## mevelandry

According to the reports (on John Heald FB page and a Carnival Vista FB group I am on) from people who were on the ship during Irma were positive. I saw one or two bad reviews but they were "arguable" if you know what I mean. Most of them saying that they were treated very well by the staff and that outside of two or three items there was no food shortage.  

According to reports, only 800 passengers boarded the Vista on wednesday for the following shortened cruise (the Vista has a --more or less-- 4500 passengers capacity). The cruise was supposed to be a 8 nights Eastern and turned into a 4 nights Western with only one stop in Cozumel (not sure if it's an overnight or not).


----------



## natebenma

mevelandry said:


> 51 days to go... I wish I had booked earlier.
> 
> Anyone sailing on Carnival soon?



My family just sailed on the Carnival Legend (first time on this line) in Alaska, Aug 15-22.  In two weeks I'll be going on my first Disney cruise.  Was supposed to be on the Fantasy (now), Sept 9-16, but cruise was cancelled due to Irma.  My friend and I rebooked the Fantasy for Sept 30.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

natebenma said:


> My family just sailed on the Carnival Legend (first time on this line) in Alaska, Aug 15-22.  In two weeks I'll be going on my first Disney cruise.  Was supposed to be on the Fantasy (now), Sept 9-16, but cruise was cancelled due to Irma.  My friend and I rebooked the Fantasy for Sept 30.


What did you think about the cruise?  Did you enjoy it?


----------



## natebenma

Club Disney Chandler said:


> What did you think about the cruise?  Did you enjoy it?



Alaska is awesome and a cruise was the right choice for us as first time visitors.  We really enjoyed the trip. 

It has been over 10 years since my family has cruised.  The 3 we have been on previously were all Royal Caribbean. 

We liked the size of the ship (Legend is smaller than the newer mega ships).  Cabin size was fine, the bed was very comfortable for me.

We really liked the Your Time Dining, especially in Alaska because you are in port at all different times.

The food ranged from very good to inedible.  Most of it was decent, but we all ordered some sushi at lunch and it was weird and gummy.  My husband said if he could have spit it out elegantly he would have.  There were plenty of choices on the menu, we always had more than enough menu items we wanted to order. 

Service in the dining room was also all over the place.  We had a couple of excellent servers, most were good, but on our final night, the night we were in Victoria, everything was slow and the meal dragged out over two hours. 

I didn't like the way the buffet was set up on the Lido deck, with different stations sometimes in different rooms instead of all food offered in a central location.  If you wanted to sample a lot of different things you had to make visits to a lot of stations.  The Chopsticks Asian selections were excellent.  Except for embarkation day, lines were never bad and we could always find seating.

We booked two of the excursions Carnival offered and they were excellent (Yukon Scenic Adventure and Alaska Bear Adventure)

We didn't go to any shows, we never do, but that will change when I am on the Disney ship.

For onboard activities, we watched a sushi demonstration and we played trivia a couple of times.  These activities were very crowded. 

Carnival was significantly less expensive than other lines we looked at-  I think it was a good value.


----------



## cruiser21

natebenma said:


> My family just sailed on the Carnival Legend (first time on this line) in Alaska, Aug 15-22.  In two weeks I'll be going on my first Disney cruise.  Was supposed to be on the Fantasy (now), Sept 9-16, but cruise was cancelled due to Irma.  My friend and I rebooked the Fantasy for Sept 30.


We docked next to the Miracle in Skagway. My son and I wanted to sneak on for a good Guys burger. I recognize you from the BC thread. We just spent a week there in May and loved it as always. I agree Alaska is pretty amazing. If your cruising on the Disney Fantasy you will love it.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

natebenma said:


> Alaska is awesome and a cruise was the right choice for us as first time visitors.  We really enjoyed the trip.
> 
> It has been over 10 years since my family has cruised.  The 3 we have been on previously were all Royal Caribbean.
> 
> We liked the size of the ship (Legend is smaller than the newer mega ships).  Cabin size was fine, the bed was very comfortable for me.
> 
> We really liked the Your Time Dining, especially in Alaska because you are in port at all different times.
> 
> The food ranged from very good to inedible.  Most of it was decent, but we all ordered some sushi at lunch and it was weird and gummy.  My husband said if he could have spit it out elegantly he would have.  There were plenty of choices on the menu, we always had more than enough menu items we wanted to order.
> 
> Service in the dining room was also all over the place.  We had a couple of excellent servers, most were good, but on our final night, the night we were in Victoria, everything was slow and the meal dragged out over two hours.
> 
> I didn't like the way the buffet was set up on the Lido deck, with different stations sometimes in different rooms instead of all food offered in a central location.  If you wanted to sample a lot of different things you had to make visits to a lot of stations.  The Chopsticks Asian selections were excellent.  Except for embarkation day, lines were never bad and we could always find seating.
> 
> We booked two of the excursions Carnival offered and they were excellent (Yukon Scenic Adventure and Alaska Bear Adventure)
> 
> We didn't go to any shows, we never do, but that will change when I am on the Disney ship.
> 
> For onboard activities, we watched a sushi demonstration and we played trivia a couple of times.  These activities were very crowded.
> 
> Carnival was significantly less expensive than other lines we looked at-  I think it was a good value.


Where did they hold trivia?  My wife is sure that they do all that stuff in the casino on the Spirit Class ships, so she doesn't want to do one of those. For some reason, I really want to try one of the Spirit Class ships. Did you happen to save any of the Fun Times from your cruise?

BTW, I totally agree with @cruiser21, you'll love the Fantasy, she's a great ship!  She used to be my favorite ship until we sailed the Carnival Vista which just barely beats the Fantasy for me, but the only reason for that is I'm a cyclist and I can get my fix on the Sky Ride on Vista.


----------



## natebenma

cruiser21 said:


> We docked next to the Miracle in Skagway. My son and I wanted to sneak on for a good Guys burger. I recognize you from the BC thread. We just spent a week there in May and loved it as always. I agree Alaska is pretty amazing. If your cruising on the Disney Fantasy you will love it.



I will be going on the Fantasy with Teena, who was the longtime greeter at the Beach Club.  I know I am going to love it.  Teena is a cruising veteran and this is her favorite ship. 

I don't know what class the Miracle is.  No Guys burgers on the Legend  




Club Disney Chandler said:


> Where did they hold trivia?  My wife is sure that they do all that stuff in the casino on the Spirit Class ships, so she doesn't want to do one of those. For some reason, I really want to try one of the Spirit Class ships. Did you happen to save any of the Fun Times from your cruise?
> 
> BTW, I totally agree with @cruiser21, you'll love the Fantasy, she's a great ship!  She used to be my favorite ship until we sailed the Carnival Vista which just barely beats the Fantasy for me, but the only reason for that is I'm a cyclist and I can get my fix on the Sky Ride on Vista.



Trivia was in the Red Frog Lounge.  It was way too crowded in there, not comfortable at all the couple of times we did the trivia.  That is going to be one of my comments to Carnival-  they should move it to the theatre.

Yes, I have *almost* all of my Fun times.  I can't find the one for our day in Ketchikan.  I found some carnage in the washing machine, and it might have been that.  I'll scan them in and post the ones I have, eventually.  I also have photos of almost all of the dining room menus, too.  

I have a trip report in progress-  see the link in my signature.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> I had a funny exchange with connect at sea. As usual I had all kinds of problems with the internet package. I can surf for an hour and hardly use any mb and then another time I log in  and withing 2 minutes I've gone from 200mb to nothing. As usual I go to the desk and complain. They refund my money and reset my mb. I ask if they get lots of complaints and they say yes. I asked it they are going to go to a unlimited plan like Carninval because I've gotten email surveys about it. I'm told maybe.
> 
> She then tell me that the reason Carnival can do that is because most of their customers can't afford the internet packages, and Disney can't tell people they can't stream or watch movies because they have customers who are willing to spend thousands on internet. I had to laugh at this because I'm sure Carnival sells lots of internet packages, and I'm also sure Carnival customers aren't stupid enough to pay thousands for it....good grief.



Good grief is right.  Of course Carnival customers aren't paying thousands for internet; but Disney passengers are paying thousands to sail on them over Carnival prices.


----------



## cruiser21

RedSox68 said:


> Good grief is right.  Of course Carnival customers aren't paying thousands for internet; but Disney passengers are paying thousands to sail on them over Carnival prices.


Another funny thing that happened is when the waiter asked me on the second night how everything was. I said fine. He looked at me like I had just slapped his mother. I guess "fine" is a four letter word on a Disney ship. I guess I supposed to say excellent. The world excellent just isn't part of my normal everyday vocabulary. There was also a couple of nights I just wanted to bail after the main course. They looked so put off they I didn't want to stay for the cheesy show I've seen more then a couple dozen times....and then there was the time he implied that I must be lonely cruising with just my son....Um no. My dh and I have been married 23 years, but were not one of those couples that's attached at the hip.
We always have great service on DCL, but there are times when the servers just get on my nerves. I used to love having the same servers everynight, but the last few cruises I've wished that wasn't the case.


----------



## cruiser21

natebenma said:


> I will be going on the Fantasy with Teena, who was the longtime greeter at the Beach Club.  I know I am going to love it.  Teena is a cruising veteran and this is her favorite ship.
> 
> I don't know what class the Miracle is.  No Guys burgers on the Legend


The Miracle is a Carnival ship. Guys burgers is found on Carnivals newer ships. I remember Teena from our AP days back in 2010 to 2012. We stayed at the BC 5 or 6 times. We finally made it back to WDW this year. Now my son wants to go again. I guess I should appreciate that he just turned 13 and I'm sure those days are numbered. He wants to stay at WL next time. I guess I should of upgraded to annual passes while we were there.....could of, should have, would have....


----------



## natebenma

RedSox68 said:


> Good grief is right.  Of course Carnival customers aren't paying thousands for internet; but Disney passengers are paying thousands to sail on them over Carnival prices.



Right!

We used the Carnival internet package on our cruise last month-  it was great for the 4 of us to share, to keep connected when we got bored or to look up info when we wanted to.  I am so conflicted about what to do for connectivity when I am on the Fantasy.  Since my family is staying at home, I want to have a way of keeping in touch with them while I am away.

And-  Go Sox!


----------



## cruiser21

natebenma said:


> Right!
> 
> We used the Carnival internet package on our cruise last month-  it was great for the 4 of us to share, to keep connected when we got bored or to look up info when we wanted to.  I am so conflicted about what to do for connectivity when I am on the Fantasy.  Since my family is staying at home, I want to have a way of keeping in touch with them while I am away.
> 
> And-  Go Sox!


Go to the connect at sea desk and have them set up your device. I would suggest taking an old phone if you have one then you don't have to turn off all the updates on your current device. Sign up the first day you get 50mb free. The 89.00 dollar 1000 MB is probably the best value. If you have problems let them know they will reset the mb. Remember to always sign out. The cm put the sign in and out screen on my home page which helped a lot. I just switched from a note to a i phone and Im still learning how to do everything.


----------



## ilovetexas

I'm rarely on disboards anymore since I just don't feel Disney is enough bang for my buck, honestly.  But I did pop in the other day and was thrilled that this thread is still going!  I believe I commented on it early on and I've enjoyed reading through and catching up the last couple of days.  I've sailed several lines but I think it's been >10 on Carnival.  I should have been taking notes as I read all of this because I wanted to point out a few things and have now forgotten what they are!  37 pages was a lot of reading!

It always amuses me when people make a negative judgement about Carnival based on the ONE ship they've been on.  I promise you - there are a TON of differences between them.  Some have the Farcus (think Vegas) decor, the newer ones don't.  Some are small without many bells and whistles (Fantasy Class), some are bigger and were built with the 2.0 upgrades (Dream Class) and then there's Vista Class, which I haven't been on yet.  Oh, there's also Spirit Class which is laid out differently and is much less crowded because it has more space per passenger.  There's also Conquest Class and Destiny Class.

I had a Havana Aft Extended Balcony booked on Vista in May but DH didn't want to go.  EIGHT days and FOUR Caribbean ports I'd never been to; you'd almost think that was impossible at this point.  I'm still mad at him.    Not really, I took my mom and sister on the Breeze instead.  Right now, we've got the CCL Magic booked next February.  It's the John Heald Blogger's Cruise (recently renamed the For Fun's Sake Cruise) and while I really have no interest in the Magic or the itinerary, getting to sail with him sealed the deal.  He is the Brand Ambassador, for those who aren't familiar with the name.

I've experienced good and bad service on Carnival, Celebrity, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, and Disney.  I've experienced drunk/rude behavior on all of the above, too.  I'll give you one guess which line we associate mostly with that kind of behavior - hint: it isn't Carnival.  Seriously though, cruises are great fun and I just want to be on the water.  Now that my kids are getting older, my friends all have 9-5 jobs, and my husband doesn't want to cruise much - I find myself looking at solos.  NCL consistently has the best deal for solo travelers.

I find this thread fun so I'm going to be watching it now.  I can't wait to hear how mevelandry likes that upcoming cruise!

Also, in case anyone doesn't know - If you have Your Time Dining on Carnival and like your servers, you can request the same servers each night.  The 50% bottle of wine in the Steakhouse is on formal nights, too, not just the first night.  And there's a punch card for specialty coffees - I don't remember the exact number but it was buy x# then get one free.  The specialty coffee shop is also a great place to hang out in the morning if you want to see the Captain and other senior officers; they tend to get their coffee there from what I've experienced.

AND - If you want a special evening - shell out the $95 each for the Chef's Table.  We'd always said Remy on Fantasy was the best meal we'd ever had at sea...then we did Chef's Table.  Such a wonderful night!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

We got back from a Vista cruise a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it.  Some things stuck out for us, both good and bad.

"Bad" first: 
1. The air conditioning in the cabin was fabulous but lacking everywhere else.  There were sometimes it felt like it was actually just off and very uncomfortable.  It was August, so it was hot, but we have been on DCL in August and the air conditioning was perfect throughout the ship.  I hate giving any nods to DCL, but just trying to be objective.

2.  Virtually no one followed the no bathing suit rule in the buffet, so the buffet area was always on the slippery and wet side, compounded by the lack of air conditioning in there- okay it was awful honestly.  Too hot, wet people, very crowded, not enough people working there picking up plates.  Had a very dirty feel to it.

3.  Ship was generally clean but not as clean as DCL.  Dh was surpised the ship was only 1-2 years old and thought it looked older.

Good:
1. This was a shocker: our kids loved the kids club more than DCL- and more than any other line.  We did not expect this at all and it really made our cruise.  We always get a bit of "I'm bored" on a cruise from them, but instead all we heard was, "Carnival is our favorite cruise line"  and, "can we go back to the Ocean(kid club)?"  I cannot emphasize enough how dramatically different this was for us and how surprised we were.  Crazy with all the fancy stuff in the DCL kids club, the kids are bored, but there you have it.

2.  The food was amazing.  Completely blew DCL out of the water.  Even in the hot, sticky, and wet buffet the food was amazing.  We also thought the food on NCL was far superior to DCL, but Carnival had so many free, casual options that even on an 8 night cruise we still didn't get to try all of them.  Yes, Blue Iguana, I am talking to you.  We did not do any specialty dining but did go to the main dining room almost every night, beautiful and so many appetizing  choices.   We hate having the same server every night on DCL, and we prefer lines that do not force you to have the same team to eat in the main dining room.  Plus,  no excellent speech!! 

3.  Matt is an amazing cruise director, completely down to earth and engaging.  In contrast, I find the cruise directors on DCL more standoffish and withdrawn (exception Clayton- is he still with DCL?).

4.  Another shocker: the people working at Carnival are a cut above those working on DCL.  Carnival is much more customer focused.  Employees happy and not just going through the motions like on DCL.  Room steward was awesome.

5. We loved the movies in the outdoor theater at night.  Great selection of movies, amazing atmosphere, free popcorn!  So relazing.

6.  Even though the ship did not appear quite as clean as DCL ships do and even though our kids spent a lot of time in Camp Ocean, our son who always, unfailingly, gets sick for at least a day on every single cruise did not get sick.  Did not expect that either.

Not good or bad:

1. Other cruisers did seem from a different socioeconomic group than those on DCL.  This is not so on NCL.  I had read this was the case but did not really believe it.  Things like there were more people licking their fingers openly and gratuitously.  I don't think we saw one male wearing a golf shirt.  No one had the trappings of wealth like people display on DCL.  And yet, people cared more about what they wore to the dining room and got more dressed up than on DCL.  Never noticed any meltdowns with kids like I always see on DCL.  Very happy crowd on Carnival.

2.  We saw one show and thought it was nothing special.  But we also barely go to the shows on DCL.  On our last DCL cruise,  DH overheard a woman saying she was skipping dinner to see the Aladdin show twice.  He couldn't get over it and asked if people on the ship were out of their minds.  He said he could barely sit through it once.  

I would say Carnival really lives up to its marketing and is a fun ship.
Next cruise for us? DCL?  No... it's Carnival Conquest!


----------



## mevelandry

ilovetexas said:


> I'm rarely on disboards anymore since I just don't feel Disney is enough bang for my buck, honestly.  But I did pop in the other day and was thrilled that this thread is still going!  I believe I commented on it early on and I've enjoyed reading through and catching up the last couple of days.  I've sailed several lines but I think it's been >10 on Carnival.  I should have been taking notes as I read all of this because I wanted to point out a few things and have now forgotten what they are!  37 pages was a lot of reading!
> 
> It always amuses me when people make a negative judgement about Carnival based on the ONE ship they've been on.  I promise you - there are a TON of differences between them.  Some have the Farcus (think Vegas) decor, the newer ones don't.  Some are small without many bells and whistles (Fantasy Class), some are bigger and were built with the 2.0 upgrades (Dream Class) and then there's Vista Class, which I haven't been on yet.  Oh, there's also Spirit Class which is laid out differently and is much less crowded because it has more space per passenger.  There's also Conquest Class and Destiny Class.
> 
> I had a Havana Aft Extended Balcony booked on Vista in May but DH didn't want to go.  EIGHT days and FOUR Caribbean ports I'd never been to; you'd almost think that was impossible at this point.  I'm still mad at him.    Not really, I took my mom and sister on the Breeze instead.  Right now, we've got the CCL Magic booked next February.  It's the John Heald Blogger's Cruise (recently renamed the For Fun's Sake Cruise) and while I really have no interest in the Magic or the itinerary, getting to sail with him sealed the deal.  He is the Brand Ambassador, for those who aren't familiar with the name.
> 
> I've experienced good and bad service on Carnival, Celebrity, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, and Disney.  I've experienced drunk/rude behavior on all of the above, too.  I'll give you one guess which line we associate mostly with that kind of behavior - hint: it isn't Carnival.  Seriously though, cruises are great fun and I just want to be on the water.  Now that my kids are getting older, my friends all have 9-5 jobs, and my husband doesn't want to cruise much - I find myself looking at solos.  NCL consistently has the best deal for solo travelers.
> 
> I find this thread fun so I'm going to be watching it now.  I can't wait to hear how mevelandry likes that upcoming cruise!
> 
> Also, in case anyone doesn't know - If you have Your Time Dining on Carnival and like your servers, you can request the same servers each night.  The 50% bottle of wine in the Steakhouse is on formal nights, too, not just the first night.  And there's a punch card for specialty coffees - I don't remember the exact number but it was buy x# then get one free.  The specialty coffee shop is also a great place to hang out in the morning if you want to see the Captain and other senior officers; they tend to get their coffee there from what I've experienced.
> 
> AND - If you want a special evening - shell out the $95 each for the Chef's Table.  We'd always said Remy on Fantasy was the best meal we'd ever had at sea...then we did Chef's Table.  Such a wonderful night!



Welcome to the Carnival thread! Feel free to comment and help any time you want. 

I can't wait to come back with a review and pictures!!


----------



## mevelandry

My experience on the Victory was also excellent food and service. And it wasn't even a Funship 2.0 ... 

However, I though the cleanliness could have been improved and that a little more care/fixing/replacements of old furniture could have been done. 

For us, what brings us back to Carnival for a second is definitely the entertainment. Comedy shows is our jam. (We like Louis CK, Amy Schumer, Jim Jefferies type of humor so we are not easily offended.) Also, I can't wait to see some more Non-Disney movies.


----------



## cyclenut

cruiser21 said:


> We always have great service on DCL, but there are times when the servers just get on my nerves. I used to love having the same servers everynight, but the last few cruises I've wished that wasn't the case.



I have never really been happy with the servers on any line.  I remember getting up to fill my own water glass on Carnival.  I would have done son on Disney too but they hide the water pitcher.  I hated the fact that we were "required" to color in our animations before they would even serve us drinks.  I brought a beer in with me and they wanted to take it from me until I was done coloring.  I felt like a child.  I told them no.  They are friendly enough but there is this "standard" experience they expect to create and they just expect you to fall in lock step.  



we"reofftoneverland said:


> 4. Another shocker: the people working at Carnival are a cut above those working on DCL. Carnival is much more customer focused. Employees happy and not just going through the motions like on DCL. Room steward was awesome.


That is not only a shocker but it has not been my experience.  At all.  Ever.  The people on both lines are generally very friendly, but the level of professionalism and understanding of what customer service really means puts DCL far ahead in nearly every category.  Even my complaints about the servers have DCL far ahead.  I am so surprised by this comment I felt compelled to address it.  While I have met crew on Carnival that are very friendly and willing to help and I've met CM on DCL that did a poor job, I encounter excellent customer service skills much more frequently on DCL than on Carnival.  It's most noticeable out on the open deck where every DCL CM, no matter what their role, seems to understand that they are there to provide the best guest experience possible.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

cyclenut said:


> That is not only a shocker but it has not been my experience.  At all.  Ever.  The people on both lines are generally very friendly, but the level of professionalism and understanding of what customer service really means puts DCL far ahead in nearly every category.  Even my complaints about the servers have DCL far ahead.  I am so surprised by this comment I felt compelled to address it.  While I have met crew on Carnival that are very friendly and willing to help and I've met CM on DCL that did a poor job, I encounter excellent customer service skills much more frequently on DCL than on Carnival.  It's most noticeable out on the open deck where every DCL CM, no matter what their role, seems to understand that they are there to provide the best guest experience possible.



I'm sorry, are you expecting these people to be your personal servants for the week?  They have jobs to do while still being friendly.  The guy who spends his day sweeping floors yet still smiling, saying hello and giving information when asked is not professional enough for you? How professional do you want him to be? Geez. I don't care what company you work for so long as you are positive and friendly that is professional enough.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

cyclenut said:


> I have never really been happy with the servers on any line.  I remember getting up to fill my own water glass on Carnival.  I would have done son on Disney too but they hide the water pitcher.  I hated the fact that we were "required" to color in our animations before they would even serve us drinks.  I brought a beer in with me and they wanted to take it from me until I was done coloring.  I felt like a child.  I told them no.  They are friendly enough but there is this "standard" experience they expect to create and they just expect you to fall in lock step.
> 
> 
> That is not only a shocker but it has not been my experience.  At all.  Ever.  The people on both lines are generally very friendly, but the level of professionalism and understanding of what customer service really means puts DCL far ahead in nearly every category.  Even my complaints about the servers have DCL far ahead.  I am so surprised by this comment I felt compelled to address it.  While I have met crew on Carnival that are very friendly and willing to help and I've met CM on DCL that did a poor job, I encounter excellent customer service skills much more frequently on DCL than on Carnival.  It's most noticeable out on the open deck where every DCL CM, no matter what their role, seems to understand that they are there to provide the best guest experience possible.



I know, it seems like you are in the majority and that most people agree with you that DCL's customer service is superior.  We would agree on WDW or DL, but not the cruise line.   My main complaint is that CMs on DCL insist on telling you their backstory unsolicited and seem quite miserable with their jobs.  We have only had one dcl waiter who did not do this.  He was on the Dream, and he was very good, but then he disappointed us by giving us the excellect speech the last night.  It is so remedial.  Two DCL cruises ago, a bartender basically cornered dh and I and talked at length about how miserable his life was and how awful an employer DCL was.  He communicated that all the other lines had better working conditions (had friends working for other lines). We were really left speechless.  Obviously it was very uncomfortable.  We did feel like he was trying to solicit money from us to start a business at home in the Philippines.  The dcl cruise before that one we had a room steward who also complained about her working conditions and she looked lile she was barely holding it together.  We felt lile she stalked us to make us feel uncomfortable as she was always parked in the hallway outside our room.  None of the other room stewards on our floor did this.  On our last three or so dcl cruises, there has been this weirdness about getting shampoo, even when we ask, very nicely.  I could go on with more examples.  There seems to be a rising passive aggressive hostility from many dcl employees which we find exhausting.

None of this exists on Carnival.  Their employees are more straightforward. Carnival definitely has less employees around doing general cleaning, but all of the Carnival employees we encountered were customer focused, as opposed to focused on communicating their misery to us, and they all did an amazing job.  We tipped our room steward extra, more than we have ever done before.  He did an amazing job- DCL needs to take some notes.


----------



## mevelandry

On our two first DCL, we were treated well but outside of Palo & Remy, nothing outstanding.

On our Carnival cruise, the service was outstanding.

On our third DCL cruise, the service was better than our two DCL cruises and much more closer to our Carnival cruise.

But. As long as CM/Staff are polite and smile, I don't need them to become my best friend. As good as the service is, I cruise for the sea, the ports, the good food and good entertainment and those are my main criterias.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We got back from a Vista cruise a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it.  Some things stuck out for us, both good and bad.
> 
> "Bad" first:
> 1. The air conditioning in the cabin was fabulous but lacking everywhere else.  There were sometimes it felt like it was actually just off and very uncomfortable.  It was August, so it was hot, but we have been on DCL in August and the air conditioning was perfect throughout the ship.  I hate giving any nods to DCL, but just trying to be objective.
> 
> 2.  Virtually no one followed the no bathing suit rule in the buffet, so the buffet area was always on the slippery and wet side, compounded by the lack of air conditioning in there- okay it was awful honestly.  Too hot, wet people, very crowded, not enough people working there picking up plates.  Had a very dirty feel to it.
> 
> 3.  Ship was generally clean but not as clean as DCL.  Dh was surpised the ship was only 1-2 years old and thought it looked older.
> 
> Good:
> 1. This was a shocker: our kids loved the kids club more than DCL- and more than any other line.  We did not expect this at all and it really made our cruise.  We always get a bit of "I'm bored" on a cruise from them, but instead all we heard was, "Carnival is our favorite cruise line"  and, "can we go back to the Ocean(kid club)?"  I cannot emphasize enough how dramatically different this was for us and how surprised we were.  Crazy with all the fancy stuff in the DCL kids club, the kids are bored, but there you have it.
> 
> 2.  The food was amazing.  Completely blew DCL out of the water.  Even in the hot, sticky, and wet buffet the food was amazing.  We also thought the food on NCL was far superior to DCL, but Carnival had so many free, casual options that even on an 8 night cruise we still didn't get to try all of them.  Yes, Blue Iguana, I am talking to you.  We did not do any specialty dining but did go to the main dining room almost every night, beautiful and so many appetizing  choices.   We hate having the same server every night on DCL, and we prefer lines that do not force you to have the same team to eat in the main dining room.  Plus,  no excellent speech!!
> 
> 3.  Matt is an amazing cruise director, completely down to earth and engaging.  In contrast, I find the cruise directors on DCL more standoffish and withdrawn (exception Clayton- is he still with DCL?).
> 
> 4.  Another shocker: the people working at Carnival are a cut above those working on DCL.  Carnival is much more customer focused.  Employees happy and not just going through the motions like on DCL.  Room steward was awesome.
> 
> 5. We loved the movies in the outdoor theater at night.  Great selection of movies, amazing atmosphere, free popcorn!  So relazing.
> 
> 6.  Even though the ship did not appear quite as clean as DCL ships do and even though our kids spent a lot of time in Camp Ocean, our son who always, unfailingly, gets sick for at least a day on every single cruise did not get sick.  Did not expect that either.
> 
> Not good or bad:
> 
> 1. Other cruisers did seem from a different socioeconomic group than those on DCL.  This is not so on NCL.  I had read this was the case but did not really believe it.  Things like there were more people licking their fingers openly and gratuitously.  I don't think we saw one male wearing a golf shirt.  No one had the trappings of wealth like people display on DCL.  And yet, people cared more about what they wore to the dining room and got more dressed up than on DCL.  Never noticed any meltdowns with kids like I always see on DCL.  Very happy crowd on Carnival.
> 
> 2.  We saw one show and thought it was nothing special.  But we also barely go to the shows on DCL.  On our last DCL cruise,  DH overheard a woman saying she was skipping dinner to see the Aladdin show twice.  He couldn't get over it and asked if people on the ship were out of their minds.  He said he could barely sit through it once.
> 
> I would say Carnival really lives up to its marketing and is a fun ship.
> Next cruise for us? DCL?  No... it's Carnival Conquest!


I think the problem with the Lido Marketplace being so hot is because if the sliding glass doors at each end. We actually didn't experience the heat when we sailed the Mediterranean on her last year, but this year in the Caribbean there was a huge difference. They need to install air curtains at the doors or put in revolving doors like they have on both sides of Ocean Plaza on deck 5. Ocean Plaza was always nice and cool.

I totally agree that Carnival lives up to their name as the Fun Ships!  We laughed so hard on the Vista.

Matt was our CD for last years cruise and we absolutely loved him, (especially my 16 year old daughter), but they pulled him last minute for this year and we had The Flying Scotsman, Chris Williams, instead. Amazingly enough we actually like Chris better!  CW is normally on the Carnival Dream so if you get a chance to sail her go for it, he's great!


----------



## cruiser21

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I know, it seems like you are in the majority and that most people agree with you that DCL's customer service is superior.  We would agree on WDW or DL, but not the cruise line.   My main complaint is that CMs on DCL insist on telling you their backstory unsolicited and seem quite miserable with their jobs.  We have only had one dcl waiter who did not do this.  He was on the Dream, and he was very good, but then he disappointed us by giving us the excellect speech the last night.  It is so remedial.  Two DCL cruises ago, a bartender basically cornered dh and I and talked at length about how miserable his life was and how awful an employer DCL was.  He communicated that all the other lines had better workin





mevelandry said:


> On our two first DCL, we were treated well but outside of Palo & Remy, nothing outstanding.
> 
> On our Carnival cruise, the service was outstanding.
> 
> On our third DCL cruise, the service was better than our two DCL cruises and much more closer to our Carnival cruise.
> 
> But. As long as CM/Staff are polite and smile, I don't need them to become my best friend. As good as the service is, I cruise for the sea, the ports, the good food and good entertainment and those are my main criterias.


That's how I feel. I don't remember ever getting a service speech on Carnival or being chastised about not ordering dessert, not showing up or leaving early. I realize dcl wants everyone on the MDR because it's a big part of the experience... I get that. I always feel like waiters try to hard on DCL which makes me like I need to pretend I'm having a good time...all the time. Your stuck with each other for several nights for better or worse.


----------



## ilovetexas

For October Carnival Cruisers - I just copied this from John Heald's FB page:

Here are the October movies to be shown on the ships that have the Dive In Movie big screens.


The Fate of the Furious
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Wonder Woman
Spider-Man: Homecoming
The Boss Baby
Sing
La La Land
Hidden Figures
Cars 3
Despicable Me 3
Baby Driver
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Arrival


----------



## mevelandry

ilovetexas said:


> For October Carnival Cruisers - I just copied this from John Heald's FB page:
> 
> Here are the October movies to be shown on the ships that have the Dive In Movie big screens.
> 
> 
> The Fate of the Furious
> Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
> Wonder Woman
> Spider-Man: Homecoming
> The Boss Baby
> Sing
> La La Land
> Hidden Figures
> Cars 3
> Despicable Me 3
> Baby Driver
> Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
> Arrival



Great selection. I will definitely try to see at least one of those movies. I've been wanting to see a dive-in movie during our last cruise on the Victory but with all the shows/comedy shows we did not have the time to try it...


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> Another funny thing that happened is when the waiter asked me on the second night how everything was. I said fine. He looked at me like I had just slapped his mother. I guess "fine" is a four letter word on a Disney ship. I guess I supposed to say excellent. The world excellent just isn't part of my normal everyday vocabulary. There was also a couple of nights I just wanted to bail after the main course. They looked so put off they I didn't want to stay for the cheesy show I've seen more then a couple dozen times....and then there was the time he implied that I must be lonely cruising with just my son....Um no. My dh and I have been married 23 years, but were not one of those couples that's attached at the hip.
> We always have great service on DCL, but there are times when the servers just get on my nerves. I used to love having the same servers everynight, but the last few cruises I've wished that wasn't the case.



A little intrusive that server!  




natebenma said:


> Right!
> 
> We used the Carnival internet package on our cruise last month-  it was great for the 4 of us to share, to keep connected when we got bored or to look up info when we wanted to.  I am so conflicted about what to do for connectivity when I am on the Fantasy.  Since my family is staying at home, I want to have a way of keeping in touch with them while I am away.
> 
> And-  Go Sox!



We were just looking over their offerings -- they have one for just $4/day if I book ahead and it covers my husband using Facebook (he has a history travel site on there), and instant messenger, which is all he needs for the week.  That is a great price.

And YES, GO SOX!   [Cannot believe they haven't clinched the berth yet]



cruiser21 said:


> The Miracle is a Carnival ship. Guys burgers is found on Carnivals newer ships. I remember Teena from our AP days back in 2010 to 2012. We stayed at the BC 5 or 6 times. We finally made it back to WDW this year. Now my son wants to go again. I guess I should appreciate that he just turned 13 and I'm sure those days are numbered. He wants to stay at WL next time. I guess I should of upgraded to annual passes while we were there.....could of, should have, would have....



Loved Guy's Burgers -- can't wait to hit them up next week!


----------



## RedSox68

we"reofftoneverland said:


> 1. Other cruisers did seem from a different socioeconomic group than those on DCL.  This is not so on NCL.  I had read this was the case but did not really believe it.  Things like there were more people licking their fingers openly and gratuitously.  I don't think we saw one male wearing a golf shirt.  No one had the trappings of wealth like people display on DCL.  And yet, people cared more about what they wore to the dining room and got more dressed up than on DCL.  Never noticed any meltdowns with kids like I always see on DCL.  Very happy crowd on Carnival.
> 
> 2.  We saw one show and thought it was nothing special.  But we also barely go to the shows on DCL.  On our last DCL cruise,  DH overheard a woman saying she was skipping dinner to see the Aladdin show twice.  He couldn't get over it and asked if people on the ship were out of their minds.  He said he could barely sit through it once.
> 
> I would say Carnival really lives up to its marketing and is a fun ship.
> Next cruise for us? DCL?  No... it's Carnival Conquest!



Our first Carnival cruise on Glory was where we were sitting in the buffet and saw the young teen come in from the pool deck (in bathing suit and dripping) and proceed to use the water spout at the soda machine to wash his hands -- when the bathroom was just outside the door!  

I read about one show on the Carnival Sunshine -- Rock Epic (or something like that) -- and we're looking forward to seeing that, and the Latin show.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Great selection. I will definitely try to see at least one of those movies. I've been wanting to see a dive-in movie during our last cruise on the Victory but with all the shows/comedy shows we did not have the time to try it...



Wonder if that list will be the same on the Carnival Sunshine next week?


----------



## natebenma

RedSox68 said:


> We were just looking over their offerings -- they have one for just $4/day if I book ahead and it covers my husband using Facebook (he has a history travel site on there), and instant messenger, which is all he needs for the week. That is a great price.





Do you mind sharing the name of your husband's travel site, either here or by private message?  My 16 year old is a serious history buff and has already planned a trip for next summer visiting all of the Civil War memorials and sites from Pennsylvania to Virginia.  He also wants to do a trip to Europe and visit WWII sites.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Wonder if that list will be the same on the Carnival Sunshine next week?



I can't confirm this is accurate but this is what I have found online...


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I can't confirm this is accurate but this is what I have found online...
> 
> 
> View attachment 270500


The La La Land 2 made me laugh.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> I can't confirm this is accurate but this is what I have found online...
> 
> 
> View attachment 270500



Brilliant last comment 

Thanks for the heads up.  I'm sure it will be pretty close to that.  I'd love to see Kong and Galaxy again, and want to see Pirates.


----------



## RedSox68

Arrghh, two requests.  I cannot find the information I printed about there being a welcome aboard BBQ on the Sunshine to choose from instead of the buffet.  Can someone tell me how you find out if it is being held?  And where it is again?

Also, has anyone done the Epic Rock show -- is it really loud and does it have strobelights?

Oh, and does anyone know where I can see current menus?  Thanks much.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think the problem with the Lido Marketplace being so hot is because if the sliding glass doors at each end. We actually didn't experience the heat when we sailed the Mediterranean on her last year, but this year in the Caribbean there was a huge difference. They need to install air curtains at the doors or put in revolving doors like they have on both sides of Ocean Plaza on deck 5. Ocean Plaza was always nice and cool.
> 
> I totally agree that Carnival lives up to their name as the Fun Ships!  We laughed so hard on the Vista.
> 
> Matt was our CD for last years cruise and we absolutely loved him, (especially my 16 year old daughter), but they pulled him last minute for this year and we had The Flying Scotsman, Chris Williams, instead. Amazingly enough we actually like Chris better!  CW is normally on the Carnival Dream so if you get a chance to sail her go for it, he's great!



We looked at the Vista cruise for a while because of the ports and your review from last summer (I think it was) definitely helped us decide to book.  So thank you!  That is great to hear about CW because we are actually looking at the Dream for next summer.  New Orleans is a close drive for us.  You are right about the doors on lido and 5 on the Vista and we thought that the Vista would probably be about perfect in winter.  The ship is so open to the sea that I think the air conditioning has trouble keeping up.  But that openness is also very appealing.  I know I pointed out a couple of "negatives" about the Vista but those negatives were not significant, just distant background noise, for us.  The upbeat vibe on that ship is phenomenal and there is so much going on and so many food options to try that it is just impossible to do it all.  Which is how it should be in an ideal world.  Thanks again


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> My experience on the Victory was also excellent food and service. And it wasn't even a Funship 2.0 ...
> 
> However, I though the cleanliness could have been improved and that a little more care/fixing/replacements of old furniture could have been done.
> 
> For us, what brings us back to Carnival for a second is definitely the entertainment. Comedy shows is our jam. (We like Louis CK, Amy Schumer, Jim Jefferies type of humor so we are not easily offended.) Also, I can't wait to see some more Non-Disney movies.


I forgot to mention we did see some of the comedy shows and they were hysterical-- even the family friendly ones!


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Brilliant last comment
> 
> Thanks for the heads up.  I'm sure it will be pretty close to that.  I'd love to see Kong and Galaxy again, and want to see Pirates.



I loved La La Land, Beauty & the Beast and Arrival. I would also recommend those three.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I forgot to mention we did see some of the comedy shows and they were hysterical-- even the family friendly ones!



Us too. I can't wait to see who are the comedians. We had George (forgot his last name) and Macio on the Victory and had such a good time!


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> I loved La La Land, Beauty & the Beast and Arrival. I would also recommend those three.



We've seen 2 of the 3 -- have to see La La Land.  Have seen Galaxy, but would see it again.

Just repeating from previous post:  anyone know where I can see current menus for Carnival Sunshine?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

RedSox68 said:


> We've seen 2 of the 3 -- have to see La La Land.  Have seen Galaxy, but would see it again.
> 
> Just repeating from previous post:  anyone know where I can see current menus for Carnival Sunshine?



I've always used this site for menus:

http://www.zydecocruiser.net/menus/CarnivalCruiseLineMenus.htm


----------



## RedSox68

trvlgirlmq said:


> I've always used this site for menus:
> 
> http://www.zydecocruiser.net/menus/CarnivalCruiseLineMenus.htm



Thanks -- but I don't see anything for the Sunshine.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

RedSox68 said:


> Thanks -- but I don't see anything for the Sunshine.



The only way to get actual menus for your sailing would be if someone posted them on CC.  Carnival just rotates their general menu adding in the Port of Call food to each one.  The menus follow the same pattern on all the ships.


----------



## RedSox68

trvlgirlmq said:


> The only way to get actual menus for your sailing would be if someone posted them on CC.  Carnival just rotates their general menu adding in the Port of Call food to each one.  The menus follow the same pattern on all the ships.



Thanks.  At least I can get an idea.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Thanks -- but I don't see anything for the Sunshine.



If you are on FB, most ships have their own fanpage or group... It's crazy the amount of infos I get from there.


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## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> If you are on FB, most ships have their own fanpage or group... It's crazy the amount of infos I get from there.



Thanks.  I don't do well on Facebook -- and tried to find menus but had no luck.  There are too many Carnival references!


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## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Thanks.  I don't do well on Facebook -- and tried to find menus but had no luck.  There are too many Carnival references!



Aren't they all the same though? "American table?"


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## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Aren't they all the same though? "American table?"



I don't visit FB often because I stink at navigating it  LOL.  I found some menus after searching American Table, so it gives me an idea.  I also found an article that says once they started introducing this in 2013, 50% of the passengers don't like it because they don't find enough to choose from that they like.  That's fine with us -- there's always the buffet


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## trvlgirlmq

RedSox68 said:


> I don't visit FB often because I stink at navigating it  LOL.  I found some menus after searching American Table, so it gives me an idea.  I also found an article that says once they started introducing this in 2013, 50% of the passengers don't like it because they don't find enough to choose from that they like.  That's fine with us -- there's always the buffet



We aren't fans of American Table.  On our last cruise we ate mostly appetizers and then went to the buffet for dessert.  On our cruise next summer we are for the first time spending money on specialty restaurants for a couple of nights.  I hate to do it but it looks like they are forcing our hand.  I don't care for the buffet either.


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## RedSox68

trvlgirlmq said:


> We aren't fans of American Table.  On our last cruise we ate mostly appetizers and then went to the buffet for dessert.  On our cruise next summer we are for the first time spending money on specialty restaurants for a couple of nights.  I hate to do it but it looks like they are forcing our hand.  I don't care for the buffet either.



I'm disappointed that some of these lines now are charging a room service fee for anything other than Continental breakfast.


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## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> I don't visit FB often because I stink at navigating it  LOL.  I found some menus after searching American Table, so it gives me an idea.  I also found an article that says once they started introducing this in 2013, 50% of the passengers don't like it because they don't find enough to choose from that they like.  That's fine with us -- there's always the buffet



Worst case scenario, the menu is always pinned outside the MDR each day so you can go and see what's for dinner a few hours in advance and decide if you want to go or not. 

Also, it's a Funship 2.0... You'll have plenty of options if you don't go in the MDR. 

DH and I will most likely not attend the MDR much during our upcoming cruise.


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## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Worst case scenario, the menu is always pinned outside the MDR each day so you can go and see what's for dinner a few hours in advance and decide if you want to go or not.
> 
> Also, it's a Funship 2.0... You'll have plenty of options if you don't go in the MDR.
> 
> DH and I will most likely not attend the MDR much during our upcoming cruise.



We have changed our routine quite drastically in the last few years -- and tend to favor the buffet or room service or on deck options -- especially on port intensive cruises when we're just too tired to go to the MDR.  On our 12-night British Isles cruise on Princess, we never visited the MDR.  We would get back from the port, go to the buffet (souvenirs and all) and then go back to our room to collapse  LOL.  But then again, they had the best buffet I've ever had on any cruise


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## mevelandry

Here are some changes due to the damages of Hurricane Irma and in prevision of Hurricane Maria (source: www.carnival.com)


ITINERARY UPDATES 9/20/2017 – 11:00 AM (EDT)

*Carnival Fascination* – September 24

We continue to monitor Hurricane Maria and will confirm our itinerary once the post storm assessment has been completed. To stay up to date, please text CCL1 to CRUISE (278473)..


As a result of damage caused by Hurricane Irma, we have modified the following itineraries in order to provide our guests with the best possible shore experience.


*Carnival Ecstasy* – September 20

Departing Charleston on a 5 day cruise to Nassau and Freeport.


*Carnival Sensation* – September 21

Departing Miami on a 4 day cruise to Cozumel.


*Carnival Splendor* – September 23

Departing Port Everglades on a 7 day cruise to Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay and Grand Cayman.


*Carnival Vista* – September 23

Departing Miami on an 8 day cruise to La Romana, D.R., Aruba and Curacao.


*Carnival Conquest* – September 24

Departing Port Everglades on a 6 day cruise to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.


*Carnival Magic* – September 24

Departing Port Canaveral on a 6 day cruise to Cozumel, Belize and Costa Maya.


*Carnival Pride* – September 24

Departing Baltimore on a 7 day cruise to Half Moon Cay, Nassau and Freeport.


*Carnival Paradise* – September 25

Departing Tampa on a 5 day cruise for an overnight stay in Havana.


*Carnival Victory* – September 25

Departing Miami on a 4 day cruise to Cozumel.


*Carnival Glory* – September 30

Departing Miami on a 7 day cruise to Half Moon Cay, Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.


*Carnival Sensation* – September 30

Departing Miami on a 5 day cruise to Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Freeport.


*Carnival Splendor* – September 30

Departing Port Everglades on an 8 day cruise to Princess Cays, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.


*Carnival Pride* – October 1

Departing Baltimore on a 7 day cruise to Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Freeport.


Pre-purchased Carnival Adventures for cancelled ports, as well as any taxes, fees and port expenses will be refunded to your onboard Sail & Sign account. An email with detailed itinerary information will be sent to all guests scheduled to sail on these cruises. We sincerely apologize for the disruption the recent storms have caused and look forward to welcoming our guests on board.


At this time, all other future cruises will depart as scheduled.


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## cruiser21

I just got another survey from DCL. They asked what cruiselines I had sailed and then I had to rate  them compared to DCL. They asked about service, food, entertainment etc compared to DCL.  I don't remember that on the last survey. They did ask my income, but they didn't ask about savings and investments this time.


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## we"reofftoneverland

cruiser21 said:


> I just got another survey from DCL. They asked what cruiselines I had sailed and then I had to rate  them compared to DCL. They asked about service, food, entertainment etc compared to DCL.  I don't remember that on the last survey. They did ask my income, but they didn't ask about savings and investments this time.


That doesn't surprise me at all.  I think people are starting to see how overpriced DCL is compared with other options.  I for one put in a letter to them how far behind other cruise lines they are especially when price is considered.  Their product is stale and their pricing strategy is ridiculous.  They have a retail price which they convince a minority to pay and then they fill their ships with people from the travel industry and cast members.  I have been on a couple of cruises with them where it seemed like the vast majority of customers on board were cast members.  Well, they are finding fewer people who will pay retail, as seen this summer where they sold off the southern Caribbean cruises with interline rates.  How dumb.  If they had just sold them at a competitive rate to begin with they would have actually made more money.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I just got another survey from DCL. They asked what cruiselines I had sailed and then I had to rate  them compared to DCL. They asked about service, food, entertainment etc compared to DCL.  I don't remember that on the last survey. They did ask my income, but they didn't ask about savings and investments this time.



Interesting. I wish I had received that survey.

I gave the last touch to our itinerary last night (using old Fun Times) and when it comes to entertainment only, this reaffirmed my feeling that Carnival is once again going to give us --DH and I-- more bang for our bucks. Now I can't wait to experience the amenities and the food on the Vista and compare again.

I wish I could modify my original comparison and compare the Victory with the Wonder (now that I have experimented the Wonder in April), and then the Dream with the Vista. That being said, I believe I could simply post a new review (comparing the Wonder with the Victory) before I leave... And then do a Dream vs Vista comparison when I come back.


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## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> I just got another survey from DCL. They asked what cruiselines I had sailed and then I had to rate  them compared to DCL. They asked about service, food, entertainment etc compared to DCL.  I don't remember that on the last survey. They did ask my income, but they didn't ask about savings and investments this time.



I never get one of these surveys -- and I've sailed 10 times!


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## cruiser21

RedSox68 said:


> I never get one of these surveys -- and I've sailed 10 times!


These surveys are new.


mevelandry said:


> Interesting. I wish I had received that survey.
> 
> I gave the last touch to our itinerary last night (using old Fun Times) and when it comes to entertainment only, this reaffirmed my feeling that Carnival is once again going to give us --DH and I-- more bang for our bucks. Now I can't wait to experience the amenities and the food on the Vista and compare again.
> 
> I wish I could modify my original comparison and compare the Victory with the Wonder (now that I have experimented the Wonder in April), and then the Dream with the Vista. That being said, I believe I could simply post a new review (comparing the Wonder with the Victory) before I leave... And then do a Dream vs Vista comparison when I come back.


They asked a number of questions. You answered  Carnival better/Disney better or the same. I answered pretty much the same as I've stated on these boards. I think DCL excels with kids, teens and Entertainment. Service is the same. Food is worse on Disney. It's not that I don't like the food on Disney. It's just very repetitive and there are not enough options. The menus, trivia questions and entertainment options never change on DCL. I haven't cruised other cruiselines enough to know if this is normal.


we"reofftoneverland said:


> That doesn't surprise me at all.  I think people are starting to see how overpriced DCL is compared with other options.  I for one put in a letter to them how far behind other cruise lines they are especially when price is considered.  Their product is stale and their pricing strategy is ridiculous.  They have a retail price which they convince a minority to pay and then they fill their ships with people from the travel industry and cast members.  I have been on a couple of cruises with them where it seemed like the vast majority of customers on board were cast members.  Well, they are finding fewer people who will pay retail, as seen this summer where they sold off the southern Caribbean cruises with interline rates.  How dumb.  If they had just sold them at a competitive rate to begin with they would have actually made more money.



The Sept 4 Alaska cruise never went up in price from opening day. I booked it in May with an OBB.  I never saw GT or MTO rates offered. I will say there was a large number of people on the cruise from the Orlando area. Cast Members? I don't know. Many of them were worried about getting home. We disembarked the day after Irma hit.
I don't see the number of GT rates I saw I few years ago.  I'm not a person that books months in advance. I always relied on those rates. I've noticed the the European cruise prices are rising pretty quickly where the last couple of years they did not. The economy is good right now, but Disney seems to always get hit pretty hard when there's a down turn. I remember the great deals we got after the housing crash.


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## we"reofftoneverland

32435c


cruiser21 said:


> These surveys are new.
> 
> They asked a number of questions. You answered  Carnival better/Disney better or the same. I answered pretty much the same as I've stated on these boards. I think DCL excels with kids, teens and Entertainment. Service is the same. Food is worse on Disney. It's not that I don't like the food on Disney. It's just very repetitive and there are not enough options. The menus, trivia questions and entertainment options never change on DCL. I haven't cruised other cruiselines enough to know if this is normal.
> 
> 
> The Sept 4 Alaska cruise never went up in price from opening day. I booked it in May with an OBB.  I never saw GT or MTO rates offered. I will say there was a large number of people on the cruise from the Orlando area. Cast Members? I don't know. Many of them were worried about getting home. We disembarked the day after Irma hit.
> I don't see the number of GT rates I saw I few years ago.  I'm not a person that books months in advance. I always relied on those rates. I've noticed the the European cruise prices are rising pretty quickly where the last couple of years they did not. The economy is good right now, but Disney seems to always get hit pretty hard when there's a down turn. I remember the great deals we got after the housing crash.



I suspect the large amount of people you saw from orlando were mostly cast members.  I have also noticed that they do not seem to be offering many gt rates.  I suspect that is because they are trying to keep the public's prices inflated.  They do not want the public to know about their price weakness.  To the public it looks like the ships are full and prices are high, so people who desperately want to go on a disney cruise will pay their outrageous price.  But last year they opened the christmas cruise (over christmas day) out of Galveston to interline rates and yet never did a texas resident or other public discount.  (They never do tx resident discounts anyway).   The christmas cruises are supposed to be very popular and yet they could not sell enough at their inflated price.  Their business model stops working when more and more people on the ship are paying the heavily discounted rates.  Then there are not enough people paying the inflated price to get the profit they want.  I think they are starting to run into this some.

They are offering heavily discounted rates--just not to the public.  If you have a friend who works in the travel industry they can tell you when interline rates are offered.  I suspect the CM rates come up with the interline rates.

This is a very different business model than other cruise lines.  Other cruise lines let the market play out much more and allow the public to benefit from discounts much more openly.


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## cruiser21

we"reofftoneverland said:


> 32435c
> 
> 
> I suspect the large amount of people you saw from orlando were mostly cast members.  I have also noticed that they do not seem to be offering many gt rates.  I suspect that is because they are trying to keep the public's prices inflated.  They do not want the public to know about their price weekness.  To the public it looks like the ships are full and prices are high, so people who desperately want to go on a disney cruise will pay their outrageous price.  But last year they opened the christmas cruise (over christmas day) out of galbeston to interline rates and yet never did a texas resident or other public discount.  (They never do tx resident discounts anyway).   The christmas cruises are supposed to be very popular and yet they could not sell enough at their inflated price.  Their business model stops working when more and more people on the ship are paying the heavily discounted rates.  Then there are not enough people paying the inflated price to get the profit they want.  I think they are starting to run into this some.
> 
> They are offering heavily discounted rates--just not to the public.  If you have a friend or spouse who works in the travel industry they can tell you when interline rates are offered.  I suspect the CM rates come up with the interline rates.
> 
> This is a very different business model than other cruise lines.  Other cruise lines let the market play out much more and allow the public to benefit from discounts much more openly.


When I was sitting by the travel desk. A number of people booked place holders for 2019. The people that did book really didn't seem that concerned about the price. They also made comments about how they heard Disney was the best... although I don't think they had any first hand experience sailing with anyone else.  I didn't get the feeling that these were people that cruise a lot. Cost seemed to be a non factor to them...obviously they are in the higher income bracket.  I'm sure DCL loves these people that cruise every 2 or 3 years, and spend massive amounts of money.  Then there's the people like me who cruise 2 or 3 times a year and spend 50 dollars over my OBC on board. I'm sure Disney appreciates my business, but there are people who spend more in the gift shops on board then I would spend on a whole cruise. Disney's gotta love those peeps. That's Disney's bread and butter. I don't think Disney cares if the average middle class family can afford them. I'm a capitalist so that doesn't bother me in the least.
I know a lot of people that used to be able to afford DCL have been outpriced. I'm not there yet, but I'm sure I will be someday. I'm at the top of my salary for my field. If prices continue to climb at this rate I won't be able to keep up.


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## we"reofftoneverland

cruiser21 said:


> When I was sitting by the travel desk. A number of people booked place holders for 2019. The people that did book really didn't seem that concerned about the price. They also made comments about how they heard Disney was the best... although I don't think they had any first hand experience sailing with anyone else.  I didn't get the feeling that these were people that cruise a lot. Cost seemed to be a non factor to them...obviously they are in the higher income bracket.  I'm sure DCL loves these people that cruise every 2 or 3 years, and spend massive amounts of money.  Then there's the people like me who cruise 2 or 3 times a year and spend 50 dollars over my OBC on board. I'm sure Disney appreciates my business, but there are people who spend more in the gift shops on board then I would spend on a whole cruise. Disney's gotta love those peeps. That's Disney's bread and butter. I don't think Disney cares if the average middle class family can afford them. I'm a capitalist so that doesn't bother me in the least.
> I know a lot of people that used to be able to afford DCL have been outpriced. I'm not there yet, but I'm sure I will be someday. I'm at the top of my salary for my field. If prices continue to climb at this rate I won't be able to keep up.



You are right that there are plenty of people willing to pay dcl prices-- but how many?  How many on your cruise were actually getting OBB?  On our last fantasy cruise the OBB desk was only open two nights and it seemed crowded, but when someone asked how many were waiting on the list the cast member said something in the mid 30s.  It was taking forever because each person was talking for about 20 min making their booking so it made them look more busy than they were.   I  checked back a couple of hours later and the same people were sitting there.  I decided to go the next night instead and the crowd was about the same.  There was a box for people to put in the basic obb request, but it wasn't that full.  Lets act like it was a lot more busy and say at most 500 people on a ship with 3000 (not sure of number?) got an OBB.  Not that high of a percentage.  And then there are the people like us who a week after the cruise looked over our vacation plans for the next 2 years and realized we were not going to use the OBB within the next two years-- and that we also were not going to use the one we already had before the cruise that expired in a year.  Both 2 rooms, so we actually cancelled four OBBs!

Anyway, it is interesting that you received that survey, because to me it shows they are feeling an impact.  Whether it is people, as you said, "priced out," or just people who don't like overpaying, they are loosing some full or full with OBB paying people.  At this point I just think it is an interesting business case study because I don't see us going back to dcl.  Never say never, right?  But we have been surprised to find that we enjoy other lines more-- and bonus, they are less expensive!

Just wanted to add... that for example, for last Christmas, they could not get 2000 people in Texas, a state with a lot of well-off people, and a lot of children, (never mind neighboring states) to pay their going inflated rate for a Christmas day cruise and that they opened it to interline rates.  Speaks volumes.


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## PrincessTrisha

Although not the exact menus from the Sunshine, this site should give you a good idea:
http://www.zydecocruiser.net/menus/CarnivalCruiseLineMenus.htm

The BBQ would be at the Taste Bar on Deck 5 on day 1 - when you board there are people wearing red shirts saying "Ask Me" and you can confirm with them. In May when we sailed the Sunshine out of Charleston, there were signs in the boarding area; I haven't heard if they put them in the New York port though.


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## mevelandry

*CARNIVAL VICTORY VS DISNEY WONDER*

PICTURES OF THE CARNIVAL VICTORY FROM 2016: page 2 and 3 of this thread.

***Please take note that Carnival Victory had her cabins updated in 2016 and is scheduled for a dry dock in January 2018!!!!***

Carnival Victory cruise: October 2016.
Disney Wonder cruise: April 2017

************************************************************************

*THE WEBSITE*

As I am currently booked on another Carnival cruise, I still find the the Carnival website to be a little bit more user friendly than DCL's website.


*THE BOOKING/THE PRICES*

For the Disney Wonder, we have paid 722$/pp for an interior room for a 3 nights cruise, making it 240 $/per night, per person.

For the Carnival Victory, we originally we have paid 322$/pp for an interior room for a 4 nights cruise (we ended up upgrading to a balcony later), making it 80$/per night, per person.


*THE BOARDING (embarkation)*

We used the shuttle from Disney’s Caribbean Beach resort, which picked us up around 11:30… Unfortunately, the shuttle had mechanical problem and had to change bus half-way to Port Canaveral. We lost about an hour and arrived around 2 PM at the cruise terminal. No wait at all.

We used a shuttle provided by Carnival (Mears), it did not have bells and whistle of a DCL shuttle but was comfortable and efficient. When we checked-in at the port, there was a lot of people but the terminal was very wide and there was very little wait even though the lines seemed to be long. Once we had to wait to embark (group 8), we sat in the waiting room for less than 5 minutes and there were a lot of seats available.


*THE CABIN*

With DCL (Dream) we booked an 11 A on deck 6. We did not have a split bathroom. Cabins all have a mini-fridge and a safe. Very pretty and comfortable cabin. Most of the room was clean with the exception of the bathroom which could have used a better cleaning. We also found that the bathroom needed a little more TLC.

With Carnival, as previously mentioned, we went for a 8D (with a verandah) on Deck 8 so we cannot really compare with an inside room on the Victory. At the time we had a safe but there was NO mini-fridge on the Victory (you need to order ice buckets). Please take note that the staterooms were refurbished 2016. They replaced carpets (going from red to blue), replacedold tv's with flat screens and remodeled the bathrooms (from old pink to white and blue).They now have mini-fridges.

We have found the room on the Victory to be very clean and practical. Everything worked perfectly.

Since we have to pick a winner DCL wins (for now), because they have a very small bath when the Victory only have showers. Also, we have found the DCL bed to be more comfortable and the soundproofing to be a bit better.

But... the Victory could make it a tie after the refurbishments are done.


*ITINERARY*

With the Disney Wonder, we went to Castaway Cay. On Nassau day, we had to participate to researched for a man who had fallen from another cruiseship and ended up with a sea day.

With Carnival, because of hurricane Matthew and because Freeport and Nassau sustained a lot of damages, we did not go to Freeport and had an overnight in Nassau instead (on the first day, there was no excursions offered) and finished with a sea day.

An alternative itinerary can bring you to Half Moon Cay (private Carnival island, à la Castaway Cay) instead of Freeport which would have been soooo much more interesting in my eyes... Unfortunately it did not fit our vacation dates. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			
		
		
	


	





*TRANSPORTATION*

Both cruiselines were asking 36$/pp per ride.

DCL usually has a nice driver and shows a video (with characters) on each way.

Mears is doing the transportation, the driver was just as entertaining as the DCL one and the bus comfortable as well.

DCL would usually win because of the videos who'll make the ride appear shorter (when you don’t have mechanical problems) but if I went with the service and comfort, it would be a tie…


*EXCURSIONS*

With DCL, you have to wait until a certain date you are assigned (depending on your Castaway Club status, from 90 days to 120 days in advance) in order to book excursions. We chose not to do excursions on this cruise.

With Carnival, all I know is that I paid in full the same day that I booked my cruise and I have been able to book excursions right away (6 months before the trip).

Side note: I have a cruise booked more than a year in advance with RCCL and I can already book excursions.


What I like about Carnival is that they sometimes offer deals when you book a "bundle". For example, at the moment of the booking, there was a 20% off deal if we booked one excursion for each port of call (_However a few weeks later, we decided to cancel one of them to stay on the ship/in the cruiseport terminal in Freeport.) _

I don't remember that ever happening with Disney. I also found that Carnival had much more choices of excursions than Disney.


For our October Carnival cruise, we decided to book Blue Lagoon (lunch included) for Nassau Day.

The Blue Lagoon excursion with Carnival cost us 75$/pp.

The Blue Lagoon excursion with DCL would have cost us 72$/pp.


Our second favorite alternative was a Beach Day at Atlantis at 99$/pp with Carnival. The same Beach Day at Atlantis excursion with DCL would cost us 105$/pp.


With Carnival, you have to prepay the excursions right away. With DCL, you only pay at the end of the cruise.

I have to admit that I prefer the pre-pay option because I am not a fan of huge credit card bills after a vacation.


*RESTAURANT RESERVATIONS *(for Specialty Dining)

On the Disney Wonder: After your Check-in date, you can book specialty (18+) restaurants like Palo (30$/pp). In the past, we have tried Palo for brunch (great!) and dinner (loved it!). We did it again on the Wonder and we are very satisfied.

With Carnival: Unlike many other Carnival cruiseships (those updated with Funship 2.0 for which I hear amazing reviews), the Carnival Victory didn't have any specialty restaurants. Instead, they offered a special steakhouse menu (for an extra fee) that you can order in the Dining Rooms.

They also offered The Chef's table (for 75$/pp), which is pretty much an like excursion. They select a group of 14 only. They start with appetizers and cocktails, you visit the galley and finish with a signature dinner.

While DH and I are huge fans of Palo & Remy, we decided to forego The Chef's Table with Carnival. (We have booked it for a cruise next year though. I might edit this part when I try it).

There is also a special breakfast Dr. Seuss theme called, Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast with special decorations, special menu and characters but we have not tried it yet. (Just 5$/pp)

I haven't tried specialty dining with Carnival therefore, I cannot tell which one is best.

***PLEASE TAKE NOT THAT THE VICTORY IS GOING INTO DRY DOCK IN JANUARY 2018 AND IS SCHEDULE TO HAVE A LOT OF UPGRADES REGARDING TO DINING - TBD***


*
THE DINING ROOMS*

All DCL cruiseships have three dining rooms and you are subjected to a rotation. They have two options: Main seating (between 5:45 PM to 6:15) or Second seating (between 8:00 PM and 8:30 PM).

On the Disney Wonder, we really enjoyed dinner in most of the MDR, but it’s in the Tiana’s Place that we enjoyed the ambiance the most, and we have found that the best food was at Triton’s. We preferred the Wonder version of Animator's Palate more than the one on the Dream and the food was better than on our first cruise on the Dream.


On the Carnival Victory, they have two very similar dining rooms (Atlantic and Pacific dining rooms) and three seating options: Early Dining (6:00 PM), Late Dining (8:15 PM) and Your Time (anytime you want between 5:45 and 9:30). Only one of the two dining rooms is used for those who picked Your Time: the Atlantic dining room. Both dining rooms have windows.
Overall, while the ambiance is more low key than on DCL, my husband and I found the food in the Carnival dining rooms to be of better quality than the food in the DCL dining room.

While DH liked the decor of Atlantic/pacific room with Carnival better, I like the look of Royal Palace and Tiana’s Place a little bit more.


*CAST MEMBERS/STAFF*

Is good service exclusive to Disney Cruise Line?

My answer is... NO.

As a matter of fact, while we have had a great experience on the Disney Wonder with Joseph and Jack in the MDR and the waitress in Palo (I feel bad because I forgot her name)…  We have found the staff and crew on the Carnival Victory to be more helpful and they treated us like royalty.

Carnival wins but DCL gets an honorable mention.


*THE RESTAURANTS/COUNTERS*

On the Disney Wonder, you will find a buffet named Cabanas. We loved the food they serve over there. There is a lot of choices. There are also different food counters that will serve pizza, burgers and fries (not that good) and sandwiches (you have to try the Tomato, Brie and Bacon one, it's amazing!), salads and fruits. Both are near the main pool and there is a self-serve ice cream station just passed the pool.

On the Carnival Victory, the buffet is called the Lido. Around the Lido you will find many counters like Pizza Pirate (pizza 24/7), Chopsticks (Chinese Food), Carnival Deli (sandwiches), Comfort Kitchen (hot dogs, mac'n'cheese, meatloaf, apple pie...), Off The Grill (pool bbq offering burgers, cole slaw and potato salad) and Swirls (self-serve ice AND frozen yogourt).

Carnival also have The Taste Bar, who serves appetizers.

Overall, while my husband and I consider that it is a tie between the Lido and Cabanas, but we have found the food in the counters (chinese food and pizza) on the Carnival Victory to be absolutely outstanding!

So when it comes to included food, Carnival Victory wins.



*CAFÉS*

On the DisneyWonder, there is the Quiet Cove Cafe, for adults only, who serves gourmet coffee, a nice selection of tea and some small desserts. With the exception of desserts, there is a fee for the gourmet coffee and tea. At the Vista Cafe, the kids are allowed. While there is a fee for coffee and tea (I don’t remember the prices, sorry), the pastries are included.

On the Carnival Victory, there is the Coral Sea Cafe where you can find gourmet coffee and tea and different desserts, snacks, ice cream and gelatos. There is a fee for all those products but it's less expensive than what you'd pay on land. I'm told that coffee goes from $1.95 to $5.95 and desserts goes from 1.25$ to 3.95$

Between DCL and The Carnival Victory, it's a tie.


*SHOPS*

I could not give much informations about shops because I am not a shopper... But we have found the souvenirs to be much more affordable on Carnival, because you don't have the mouse on it. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Also, there is a huge sale at the end of the cruise where everything is even more affordable.

Also, Carnival sells Tortuga Rum Cakes while in the Bahamas. DCL doesn't. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





*BARS*

Disney Wonder has 5 bars: Crown & Fin (English pub), Cadillac Lounge (piano bar), Azure (club), Promenade Lounge (bistro), Signals (pool bar). We’ve visited the Cadillac Lounge & Crown & Fin. They were both empty but the ambiance at Cadillac Lounge was very discrete and warm.

Carnival Victory has at least 11 bars: Seventh Sea Bar, Ionian Room, Skybox Sports Bar, Trident Bar (Casino Bar), Club Arctic, Alchemy Bar, Irish Sea Bar, Black & Red Seas Bar, Adriatic Lounge (which is also the Punchliner Comedy Club) and there is also two pool bars: Triton's Pool Bar, and Sirens' Pool Bar.

I am not a big fan of bars but for the use I made of each, it's a tie.


*POOLS*

On the DisneyWonder, there are two pools on the Main Deck: The Mickey pool and The Goofy Pool. There is also two small jacuzzis. Those pools and jacuzzis tend to be overcrowded at all times. There is one small slide for the children and The Aqualab (splash zone) There is another pool in the adult section but I will talk about it in the Adult Only Section.


On the Carnival Victory, you will find two pools. The main pool is called Triton's pool (with a huge water slide). There is a quiet pool (aft) called The Sirens Pool (it is adults only). They look really old and the hot tubs are luke warm.

EDIT: Take note that as of now, The Sirens Pool (aft) that used to be adult only is now kid-friendly. Carnival announced that they eliminated Adult only pools on seven of their ships:



Carnival Conquest
Carnival Glory
Carnival Valor
Carnival Liberty
Carnival Freedom
Carnival Splendor
Carnival Victory

DCL's pools are generally in a better shape and their design is more interesting... But they are also always filled up with people.

The Victory pools could use a little TLC. They were empty most of the time. I believe that it is because adults have more sources of entertainment with Carnival.

DCL wins for the pools, except for the Adult one.


*ADULT ONLY SECTION*

On the Disney Wonder, there is a great adult section called the Quiet Cove with a medium pool, two small Jacuzzis and one bar. The space itself is great, filled with lounging chairs and sofas. There is a lot of shade over there. There are huge windows (going from the floor to the ceiling) who will provide you the best views on both side of the cruiseship. BUT to my surprise, even though the ship had been through dry dock a few months before, the Quiet Cove was not redone and in was in a pretty bad shape to be honest. Some of the tiles around the pool were about to fall off and the wood around it had parts that were moldy and “swollen”.  It reminded me a lot of the pools on the Carnival Victory.

On the Carnival Victory, the adult section is called Serenity Deck. No pool on that deck but two medium jacuzzis. From what I understand, while there is a lot of seats and loungers, most of them are under the sun. On the Victory, the Serenity Deck is also on two decks (12 and 14). The fact that the entrance for the waterslide being on the 14 deck, kids might have to walk into the adult section in order to get to the water slide. They can also enter the section to go to the pizza booth.

There is a pool at the opposite side from the Serenity Deck called "The Sirens Pool" that used to be 18+ (or 16+?) ... Very italian in the look and in pretty good shape! It was very quiet and had more shade, had a self-serve ice cream section and a Pour your own beer Red Frog booth. It was also right in front of the Pizza booth. DH and I spent most of our time there.

It's a tie!


*THEATERS AND SHOWS*

On the Disney Wonder, there is the Buena Vista Theater where you can watch movies (some of them 3D). There is pop corn and drinks available right outside the theater for a fee but the price is nowhere near the prices you'd pay for snacks and drink on land. I think we paid 5$ for a bucket of pop corn and 1 big soda.

The Walt Disney Theater is where you'll find shows. When we were there we have seen The Golden Mickeys (Liked it less than the first time, unfortunately!) and Dreams (Meh) and Frozen (Fantastic!). Those are family friendly.

On the Carnival Victory, the Carribean Main Lounge is where you can see the shows. We have only saw one show (Vrooom) and were impressed by the performance of the singers and the budget of the show. We had a really good time.

Also, the Adriatic Lounge (a bar) is used to present comedy shows. We loved it and attended those shows every night.

While the type of shows are really different, my husband prefered the rock'n'roll review over the Disney shows and he would be ready to skip all of them if we ever sail with Disney again. I have a soft spot for Disney so I appreciated the DCL shows but I had such a good time at Vrooom and the comedy shows that I can’t say that it is not as good as DCL.

I’ll give it a tie, because they are good on both cruise lines and so different.

*MOVIES*

The movie theater on the Disney Wonder. You’ll have to pay for your pop corn and pop. The prices are a bit more affordable (5$ for a regular pop corn and a soda).

There is no movie theater on the Carnival Victory: they use the big screen near the main pool to present what they call "Dive-In Movies" so you can watch movies in the pool or comfortably installed on one of the lounging chairs. The pop corn is FREE. :O

The two experiences are too different, I can't pick a winner. It's a tie.


*MINI-GOLF*

There is no Mini-Golf on the Disney Wonder. We missed it.

On the Victory, there is a mini-golf. We liked it a lot.

Carnival wins.


*ELEVATORS*

I have to talk about it. The elevators on the Disney Wonder were so small and felt so cramped...

Carnival Victory definitely wins this one.


*ON BOARD CREDIT*

You can add on board credit online with Carnival. You buy it as "Cruise Cash" or "Cruise Cash Bar" (for drinks you'll buy at a bar) or "Cruise Cash Photo" (that you can use to buy pictures taken aboard) and you receive a confirmation by e-mail right away. You have to use it all because there are no refunds (some people told me they’ve been able to get it when they asked before the end of the cruise, I have never tried it, though).

With DCL, you have to call or fax them... And you cannot confirm that the credit has been applied unless you call them or receive your coupon in the room on embarkation day.

Carnival wins this one!


*GIFTS*

With DCL, you have to order my phone or by fax. I’ve never received any receipts from them, the only way I could make sure the payment was passed was by looking at my credit card statement or call them.

With Carnival, you can order your gifts online. You receive a confirmation number by e-mail for your purchase.

Carnival in-room decorations packages are a little more affordable than DCL’s. There are various options with Carnival. EDIT: Carnival upgraded their decoration packages. They are now starting at 40$ but they added decorative towels to most packages that you can bring home. The DCL decorative packages start at 45$.

Also, there are so much more choices of gifts and with the exception of flowers (which have very similar prices) there is a lot of affordable choices.


Example:

With DCL, for 152$ before taxes, I had a 8 inches cake –which looked cute but tasted pretty bad, by the way–, 2 bottles of cheap wine (no glasses) and a small floral arrangement.

With Carnival, for 117$ before taxes, I managed to order a bag of games (toys, books and a game), a bag for the beach (filled with toys for the beach and 1 towel), a Cat-in-the-hat towel, a package of decorations for the room, a big box of candy, a 6 inches cake & a package containing a bottle of cheap wine with 2 glasses and a box of chocolates.

We liked our Carnival cake more than our DCL cake. And the decorations were cute.

Carnival wins this one.


*EARLY CHECK-IN*

While you can complete your early check-in on DCL’s website 90 to 120 days in advance with DCL, I remember being able to do my early check-in right away (six months in advance) with Carnival.

With DCL, you will receive a (super cute!) booklet with all the details from your trip with luggage tags prior to the cruise. A few days before the cruise, you will receive a health survey that you have to fill up before you check-in.

With Carnival, you print all your documents. Those documents contain the health survey and the luggage tags (You print them too!).


I'll give this one to DCL because I find it more "official" and cuter!


*FIRE DRILL*

I have to admit that I used to prefer DCL's fire drill because it was happening inside when we were on the Dream but on the Wonder, it was happening outside.

Carnival was doing theirs outside too.

But a fire drill is a fire drill (aka boring). It’s a tie.


*FINANCIAL GESTION*

DCL sends you a bill on the last night of the cruise. I am not sure if you can access it on your tv.

Carnival had automated machines where you can review and print your account anytime you want. (I am told than on other newer ships, you can get it on the TV now).

Carnival wins for this one.


*INTERNET*

Unlike DCL who gives you 50 MB for free and Connect-at-Sea packages you can buy. I hate it because I never seem to be able to make it work and the only time I’ve bought some datas, I lost them after sending a single e-mail.

Carnival offers you different packages including a very affordable (5$/day) Social Media plan on which you can get your messages and post on different social medias like FB, instagram, etc. They also have a few computer you can use. We have found the wifi a bit spotty but the computers were working well.


*DISEMBARKATION*

With DCL, you will be assigned to a restaurant in the morning. If you usually have Early Seating, your breakfast will be served first, and then you'll be invited to disembark. You will receive a luggage tag that will indicate in which section to pick-up your luggage the next day. They are named after characters and colors.

With Carnival, the disembarkation time will depend on the deck you are staying at. You will receive a notice on the last night inviting you to disembark at a certain time. Your number will be called. There are designed areas where you can wait.


************************************************************************

*Official winner out of the two? (Not by much...) Carnival Victory! *

p.s. I can't wait to see what the dry dock is gonna bring to her in 2018.


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## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> These surveys are new



Maybe this particular one is new, but I've read comments on these boards for years about various surveys people got from DCL about ports, likes and dislikes, etc.  I have never received any of them


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## cruiser21

we"reofftoneverland said:


> You are right that there are plenty of people willing to pay dcl prices-- but how many?  How many on your cruise were actually getting OBB?  On our last fantasy cruise the OBB desk was only open two nights and it seemed crowded, but when someone asked how many were waiting on the list the cast member said something in the mid 30s.  It was taking forever because each person was talking for about 20 min making their booking so it made them look more busy than they were.   I  checked back a couple of hours later and the same people were sitting there.  I decided to go the next night instead and the crowd was about the same.  There was a box for people to put in the basic obb request, but it wasn't that full.  Lets act like it was a lot more busy and say at most 500 people on a ship with 3000 (not sure of number?) got an OBB.  Not that high of a percentage.  And then there are the people like us who a week after the cruise looked over our vacation plans for the next 2 years and realized we were not going to use the OBB within the next two years-- and that we also were not going to use the one we already had before the cruise that expired in a year.  Both 2 rooms, so we actually cancelled four OBBs!
> 
> Anyway, it is interesting that you received that survey, because to me it shows they are feeling an impact.  Whether it is people, as you said, "priced out," or just people who don't like overpaying, they are loosing some full or full with OBB paying people.  At this point I just think it is an interesting business case study because I don't see us going back to dcl.  Never say never, right?  But we have been surprised to find that we enjoy other lines more-- and bonus, they are less expensive!
> 
> Just wanted to add... that for example, for last Christmas, they could not get 2000 people in Texas, a state with a lot of well-off people, and a lot of children, (never mind neighboring states) to pay their going inflated rate for a Christmas day cruise and that they opened it to interline rates.  Speaks volumes.


The market will works itself out. If they this pricing structure doesn't work for them they'll change. It must be working for them though. I've never been on a cruise that wasn't sold out. I'm sure dcls discounted rates are still higher then Carnival or Royals regular rates. Disneys going to charge what people are willing to pay. I'm at a point where I don't care anymore. They can charge whatever they want if Im not comfortable with the price I'll sail with someone else. I have one cruise booked next year the WBTA. I haven't decided what else I want to do next year.


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## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Interesting. I wish I had received that survey.
> 
> I gave the last touch to our itinerary last night (using old Fun Times) and when it comes to entertainment only, this reaffirmed my feeling that Carnival is once again going to give us --DH and I-- more bang for our bucks. Now I can't wait to experience the amenities and the food on the Vista and compare again.
> 
> I wish I could modify my original comparison and compare the Victory with the Wonder (now that I have experimented the Wonder in April), and then the Dream with the Vista. That being said, I believe I could simply post a new review (comparing the Wonder with the Victory) before I leave... And then do a Dream vs Vista comparison when I come back.


I'm looking forward to your review. Didn't you start a Quebec thread? I'm about 90% positive I'm going to call in the morning and switch my WBTA to the Quebec sailing. I've been sticking with the WBTA because I've been hesitant to change a 11 day cruise to a 7 day that cost a little more. I think I would really prefer the Quebec cruise and cruising through the fjords. Apposed to crossing the North Atlantic during hurricane season. I'm not a fan of rough seas. I'm not afraid of them. I just prefer not to pay thousands of dollars to experience them. My parents had a 50 foot boat when I was a kid. I spent a lot of time on the ocean and I still can't get my stomach used to extreme motion.    I've also been to London a few times....Quebec would be something new. I'd like to spend a few days there so I'll have some questions for you.

I'm also looking at the Vista in May. I'm not much of a advanced planner, but I'm trying to get it together for next year. I want an Ocean Family room. I need to book that soon 5 rooms left.


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## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I'm looking forward to your review. Didn't you start a Quebec thread? I'm about 90% positive I'm going to call in the morning and switch my WBTA to the Quebec sailing. I've been sticking with the WBTA because I've been hesitant to change a 11 day cruise to a 7 day that cost a little more. I think I would really prefer the Quebec cruise and cruising through the fjords. Apposed to crossing the North Atlantic during hurricane season. I'm not a fan of rough seas. I'm not afraid of them. I just prefer not to pay thousands of dollars to experience them. My parents had a 50 foot boat when I was a kid. I spent a lot of time on the ocean and I still can't get my stomach used to extreme motion.    I've also been to London a few times....Quebec would be something new. I'd like to spend a few days there so I'll have some questions for you.
> 
> I'm also looking at the Vista in May. I'm not much of a advanced planner, but I'm trying to get it together for next year. I want an Ocean Family room. I need to book that soon 5 rooms left.



Yes, I'm the one who started the Quebec thread. If you have any question about Quebec (or Montreal), I'll be pleased to help you!


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## mevelandry

Strange how the planets are aligned... 

I was doing my new Victory VS Wonder review when I noticed there was a "50$ deposit" promotion on selected sailings on the Carnival Website. 

For different reasons,  I've had cancelled two cruises going to Key West in the past but I've been obsessed with it for years. DH and I were looking for a plan for next spring... The Victory is scheduled for dry dock in January (getting upgraded for funship 2.0 I heard) The price was right... 

And here we are, booked on the Carnival Victory for a short cruise to Key West and Cozumel during Spring 2018!!!


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## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> The market will works itself out. If they this pricing structure doesn't work for them they'll change. It must be working for them though. I've never been on a cruise that wasn't sold out. I'm sure dcls discounted rates are still higher then Carnival or Royals regular rates. Disneys going to charge what people are willing to pay. I'm at a point where I don't care anymore. They can charge whatever they want if Im not comfortable with the price I'll sail with someone else. I have one cruise booked next year the WBTA. I haven't decided what else I want to do next year.



I do have to disagree with this -- we have been on more than one Disney cruise that not sold out, and one that was barely 75% attended.  I know because one of these times we were in the port and they were offering upgrades for minimal money because they had so many empty balcony rooms (that's what the CM told us).  It might depend on the time of year and the itinerary, but I don't think they sell out every time and may be why they offer the guaranteed "sales".


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## Donna3271

RedSox68 said:


> I do have to disagree with this -- we have been on more than one Disney cruise that not sold out, and one that was barely 75% attended.  I know because one of these times we were in the port and they were offering upgrades for minimal money because they had so many empty balcony rooms (that's what the CM told us).  It might depend on the time of year and the itinerary, but I don't think they sell out every time and may be why they offer the guaranteed "sales".


Wow! Do you remember what time of year?


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## RedSox68

Donna3271 said:


> Wow! Do you remember what time of year?



The one about the discounts was a while ago, and in the summer -- like August or September.  They were sailing so "empty" that they had offered travel agents and their families ridiculously priced tickets -- like $25/each -- so the ship was full of seniors and older family members and we saw hardly any kids!  I know this because one of my friend's family members went up to the desk to ask why discounted upgrades weren't offered to the loyal passengers before you reached out and and offered them last minute to agents.  She was pretty mad  LOL.  So the adult pool was packed and the kids' pools were not.  The other one was in October or November.


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## Donna3271

RedSox68 said:


> The one about the discounts was a while ago, and in the summer -- like August or September.  They were sailing so "empty" that they had offered travel agents and their families ridiculously priced tickets -- like $25/each -- so the ship was full of seniors and older family members and we saw hardly any kids!  I know this because one of my friend's family members went up to the desk to ask why discounted upgrades weren't offered to the loyal passengers before you reached out and and offered them last minute to agents.  She was pretty mad  LOL.  So the adult pool was packed and the kids' pools were not.  The other one was in October or November.


TU!!


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## cruiser21

RedSox68 said:


> I do have to disagree with this -- we have been on more than one Disney cruise that not sold out, and one that was barely 75% attended.  I know because one of these times we were in the port and they were offering upgrades for minimal money because they had so many empty balcony rooms (that's what the CM told us).  It might depend on the time of year and the itinerary, but I don't think they sell out every time and may be why they offer the guaranteed "sales".


When I say sold out I mean sold out on sail date. How they sold out I don't know.  I was on some cruises in 2014 and 2015 that weren't sold out, but they weren't empty either.  Hawaii, San Juan and one Fantasy cruise. The five cruises cruises we've done in the last 2 years were old sold out by sail date.  
I think every cruise I booked in 2013 to 2015 was a restricted discounted rate. Those discounted fares haven't been as plentiful the last couple of years. I'm having a hard time finding deals on anything. Traveling was so much cheaper during the recession....but I don't want that either.


mevelandry said:


> Yes, I'm the one who started the Quebec thread. If you have any question about Quebec (or Montreal), I'll be pleased to help you!


Thank you that would be helpful. I'm having a hard time finding itinerary's that are interesting for next year, but I think I would like that one.


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## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> I do have to disagree with this -- we have been on more than one Disney cruise that not sold out, and one that was barely 75% attended.  I know because one of these times we were in the port and they were offering upgrades for minimal money because they had so many empty balcony rooms (that's what the CM told us).  It might depend on the time of year and the itinerary, but I don't think they sell out every time and may be why they offer the guaranteed "sales".



Talking about not selling out... A friend of mine who's a TA booked a fall cruise departing from NYC (Disney Magic) at a price that left me speechless and that I can't repeat in here.


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## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Talking about not selling out... A friend of mine who's a TA booked a fall cruise departing from NYC (Disney Magic) at a price that left me speechless and that I can't repeat in here.


Yeah those New York cruises don't sell. I wonder why? I'm hesitant to use my OBB for the Quebec cruise. It's not selling at all, and I would bet my right arm they will offer the 20-25% restricted fare discount. The Canadian cruises sold so poorly this year they were offering GT rates before the PIF date. Everyone would rather go to the Caribbean I guess. The prices weren't that outlandish by Disney standards anyway.


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## we"reofftoneverland

RedSox68 said:


> The one about the discounts was a while ago, and in the summer -- like August or September.  They were sailing so "empty" that they had offered travel agents and their families ridiculously priced tickets -- like $25/each -- so the ship was full of seniors and older family members and we saw hardly any kids!  I know this because one of my friend's family members went up to the desk to ask why discounted upgrades weren't offered to the loyal passengers before you reached out and and offered them last minute to agents.  She was pretty mad  LOL.  So the adult pool was packed and the kids' pools were not.  The other one was in October or November.



This is exactly how I see it!  For some time DCL has been treating their customers like a commodity.  When you treat someone like a commodity, they start to see you as one, and they start to act like one themselves by searching for a better price (easy to find.  Lol) AND a better experience (surprised to see that this was also easy to find.  Lol.).  Gone are the emotional ties that keep people with DCL-- and that is the draw for Disney, emotion. 

Other lines are not this way at all.  They allow the market to dictate prices.  They still give heavily discounted rates to people in the travel industry (not just TAs but everyone-- our friend who uses these rates is a pilot) but they also give great discounts to the public in a variety of ways.


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## cruiser21

I've been watching a cruise on Carnival. Even with all they sales offered over the past months the price never goes down. I've noticed this on other cruiselines too. I especially notice this withRoyal. They always have a sale going on, but if you watch a cruise for months the price is consistent. I'm not sure other cruise lines really have sales. They just make it appear that they do.


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## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I've been watching a cruise on Carnival. Even with all they sales offered over the past months the price never goes down. I've noticed this on other cruiselines too. I especially notice this withRoyal. They always have a sale going on, but if you watch a cruise for months the price is consistent. I'm not sure other cruise lines really have sales. They just make it appear that they do.



The only "real" promotions I'm seeing are freebies once in a while (like On Board Credit)...

The best deals I've seen where the last minutes cruises on NCL. Been watching prices for the a Bermuda cruise this year and I've seen rates go from 1300$ CND per person to 802$ CND per person (before taxes), about two weeks before the cruise. 

Other than date, you have to book extra early to get the best price.


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## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> The only "real" promotions I'm seeing are freebies once in a while (like On Board Credit)...
> 
> The best deals I've seen where the last minutes cruises on NCL. Been watching prices for the a Bermuda cruise this year and I've seen rates go from 1300$ CND per person to 802$ CND per person (before taxes), about two weeks before the cruise.
> 
> Other than date, you have to book extra early to get the best price.



Yes, the last minute deals on other lines are also for the general public not just interline/travel industry.  And some of those deals are amazing.  Also, on 2 ncl cruises and 1 carnival cruise we have actually had the rate go down and we were able to get it adjusted.  Never on Disney.  Disney instead offers "hidden" rates to other people so that they keep my rate high.  Carnival also occasionally calls people who cruise frequently or people who spend on the casino to offer them a free last minute cruise.  Other lines also call people to offer them heavily discounted upgrades.  DCL only does this for a few people who get to the port early, but they are non existant nowadays because they pack their ships with interline rates instead of giving upgrades.


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## cruiser21

I can't really blame a company for wanting to make money. If they can get enough people to pay the high prices. Why would they change their pricing structure. Airlines don't lower first or business class seat prices They would rather have their seats empty or give them to employees. I see dcl as kind of the same way. If you don't like the way a company runs it's business the best thing you out can an do is not give them your money  if enough people do th is prices will come down. The Disney vacationer is not really s last minute budget traveler. At least not on this board. These are people that like to book years in advance and plan and plan and replan. How many people on this board actually take advantage of the restricted rates.  I always see people on here say they can't do things last minute due to work, airfare etc. I tend to blame the consumer more. A company's going charge what people are willing to pay. I'm continually shocked at how much people are willing to pay to cruise on Disney.


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## we"reofftoneverland

cruiser21 said:


> I can't really blame a company for wanting to make money. If they can get enough people to pay the high prices. Why would they change their pricing structure. Airlines don't lower first or business class seat prices They would rather have their seats empty or give them to employees. I see dcl as kind of the same way. If you don't like the way a company runs it's business the best thing you out can an do is not give them your money  if enough people do th is prices will come down. The Disney vacationer is not really s last minute budget traveler. At least not on this board. These are people that like to book years in advance and plan and plan and replan. How many people on this board actually take advantage of the restricted rates.  I always see people on here say they can't do things last minute due to work, airfare etc. I tend to blame the consumer more. A company's going charge what people are willing to pay. I'm continually shocked at how much people are willing to pay to cruise on Disney.



Interesting that you bring up making money because I don't know that their strategy is the best for making money.  I would not assume they know what they are doing.  Look at what they've done to ESPN.  If you look at the Southern Caribbean cruise over the summer, they would have just made more profit if they had slashed the price and sold it to the general public.  But then they would have had to admit that their prices were grossly inflated.  Instead they sold it off at prices below cost so that they could say the ship was "full."  I heard about 75%of the ship was filled this way.   I am not sure how long they have employed this strategy but it is maybe 5 years?  It takes a while for customers to wake up (it did for us!) but I think they are starting to.

And the airline industry is a good example.  They operate in direct opposition to the Disney "price fixing" model.  Airline rates fluctuate daily with supply and demand.  Airlines upgrade the general public all the time to business or first class.  I barely fly and don't even do frequent flyer to accumulate points and I was once upgraded for free to business class nyc to paris.  I was upgraded once for free boston to atlanta to first class.  I am not affiliated with the travel industry in any way and was not flying corporate or for work, just as a general traveler.


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## mevelandry

Airlines offer discounted first class seats (a few hours before the flight) sometimes... If the seats aren't all taken. It's at the very last minute though.


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## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Airlines offer discounted first class seats (a few hours before the flight) sometimes... If the seats aren't all taken. It's at the very last minute though.


Normally people are ugrading with points. There is usually an upgrade waiting list.   International it takes a ridiculous amount of points I've never had enough points to even attempt it. 

As far as how DCL prices their cruises I'm not going to lose sleep over it. If I find a cruise I want to do at a price I'm comfortable with I'll book it. If not I'll book with someone else. As the consumer I feel I have the control not them.


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## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Normally people are ugrading with points. There is usually an upgrade waiting list.   International it takes a ridiculous amount of points I've never had enough points to even attempt it.



I wouldn't know. I fly economy on Air Canada Rouge most of the time and I've been offered a discounted upgrade while printing my boarding passes at least six times.


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## cyclenut

trvlgirlmq said:


> I'm sorry, are you expecting these people to be your personal servants for the week?  They have jobs to do while still being friendly.  The guy who spends his day sweeping floors yet still smiling, saying hello and giving information when asked is not professional enough for you? How professional do you want him to be? Geez. I don't care what company you work for so long as you are positive and friendly that is professional enough.



That's a pretty aggressive post and a complete misinterpretation of what I wrote.  My personal observation is that DCL cruise CM routinely demonstrate better customer service attitudes than other cruise lines where some of the crew have been downright rude.  I do not expect to be treated exceptionally well, but it sure feels nice when you are respected and treated like an honored guest rather than an object that's in their way.  

I also don't care what company anyone works for.  That's not the point either.  I sailed Carnival in September and DCL the following January, both from Galveston.  The difference was noticeable.  It wasn't that Carnival was bad.  If you read my previous posts I praised my experience on the Breeze.  DCL was just better in the way my wife and I were treated.  Pretty simple.  




we"reofftoneverland said:


> I know, it seems like you are in the majority and that most people agree with you that DCL's customer service is superior.  We would agree on WDW or DL, but not the cruise line.   My main complaint is that CMs on DCL insist on telling you their backstory unsolicited and seem quite miserable with their jobs.  We have only had one dcl waiter who did not do this.  He was on the Dream, and he was very good, but then he disappointed us by giving us the excellect speech the last night.  It is so remedial.  Two DCL cruises ago, a bartender basically cornered dh and I and talked at length about how miserable his life was and how awful an employer DCL was.  He communicated that all the other lines had better working conditions (had friends working for other lines). We were really left speechless.  Obviously it was very uncomfortable.  We did feel like he was trying to solicit money from us to start a business at home in the Philippines.  The dcl cruise before that one we had a room steward who also complained about her working conditions and she looked lile she was barely holding it together.  We felt lile she stalked us to make us feel uncomfortable as she was always parked in the hallway outside our room.  None of the other room stewards on our floor did this.  On our last three or so dcl cruises, there has been this weirdness about getting shampoo, even when we ask, very nicely.  I could go on with more examples.  There seems to be a rising passive aggressive hostility from many dcl employees which we find exhausting.
> 
> None of this exists on Carnival.  Their employees are more straightforward. Carnival definitely has less employees around doing general cleaning, but all of the Carnival employees we encountered were customer focused, as opposed to focused on communicating their misery to us, and they all did an amazing job.  We tipped our room steward extra, more than we have ever done before.  He did an amazing job- DCL needs to take some notes.



Completely opposite of my experience.  I'm a bit surprised.  I also spend time talking to CM on DCL and I've heard them say that they waited years to get on DCL and are really happy they did.  The reports I heard were the guests seem happier, they tip better and they enjoy it more.  Make no mistake, working on a cruise ship is not easy.  The hours are long, the quarters are cramped and the pay is not great (at least at the entry level).  You work in customer service so you see the best (and the worst) in people.  Many who do not understand this and sign on with a cruise line are often surprised and become quickly unhappy.  I remember a barber on the Fantasy once telling me his tips increased by 30%.  He was part of the spa services and not employed by DCL so he has been on several different lines.  He hoped to stay on the Fantasy.  I remember a DCL entertainment host that had come over from Princess and was on month two saying how much more she enjoyed the DCL experience.  The wait staff, not so much.  Maybe it's just the wait staff?


----------



## cyclenut

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Interesting that you bring up making money because I don't know that their strategy is the best for making money.  I would not assume they know what they are doing.  Look at what they've done to ESPN.  If you look at the Southern Caribbean cruise over the summer, they would have just made more profit if they had slashed the price and sold it to the general public.  But then they would have had to admit that their prices were grossly inflated.  Instead they sold it off at prices below cost so that they could say the ship was "full."  I heard about 75%of the ship was filled this way.   I am not sure how long they have employed this strategy but it is maybe 5 years?  It takes a while for customers to wake up (it did for us!) but I think they are starting to.
> 
> And the airline industry is a good example.  They operate in direct opposition to the Disney "price fixing" model.  Airline rates fluctuate daily with supply and demand.  Airlines upgrade the general public all the time to business or first class.  I barely fly and don't even do frequent flyer to accumulate points and I was once upgraded for free to business class nyc to paris.  I was upgraded once for free boston to atlanta to first class.  I am not affiliated with the travel industry in any way and was not flying corporate or for work, just as a general traveler.



Disney price fixing model?  Really?  Losing money?  Seriously?  They are not building three new ships because they are having trouble filling the ones they have.  The biggest complaint from repeat DCL cruisers is that they want more options.  More destinations.  More ships.  More shows.  Most are willing to pay for it.  I see no evidence that DCL is struggling to fill ships.  I'm sure there are some sailings that don't sell as well as others.  That's a given.  Others, not a problem.  My April 2018 Panama Canal was "full" a year before sailing.  Occasional cabins open up as we get closer and people cancel, but those are snapped up quickly, and at twice the price of the originally booking prices.


----------



## cruiser21

cyclenut said:


> That's a pretty aggressive post and a complete misinterpretation of what I wrote.  My personal observation is that DCL cruise CM routinely demonstrate better customer service attitudes than other cruise lines where some of the crew have been downright rude.  I do not expect to be treated exceptionally well, but it sure feels nice when you are respected and treated like an honored guest rather than an object that's in their way.
> 
> I also don't care what company anyone works for.  That's not the point either.  I sailed Carnival in September and DCL the following January, both from Galveston.  The difference was noticeable.  It wasn't that Carnival was bad.  If you read my previous posts I praised my experience on the Breeze.  DCL was just better in the way my wife and I were treated.  Pretty simple.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Completely opposite of my experience.  I'm a bit surprised.  I also spend time talking to CM on DCL and I've heard them say that they waited years to get on DCL and are really happy they did.  The reports I heard were the guests seem happier, they tip better and they enjoy it more.  Make no mistake, working on a cruise ship is not easy.  The hours are long, the quarters are cramped and the pay is not great (at least at the entry level).  You work in customer service so you see the best (and the worst) in people.  Many who do not understand this and sign on with a cruise line are often surprised and become quickly unhappy.  I remember a barber on the Fantasy once telling me his tips increased by 30%.  He was part of the spa services and not employed by DCL so he has been on several different lines.  He hoped to stay on the Fantasy.  I remember a DCL entertainment host that had come over from Princess and was on month two saying how much more she enjoyed the DCL experience.  The wait staff, not so much.  Maybe it's just the wait staff?


As much as I hate my job I would never say anything negative about the company to a customer. I would be out of a job. I never believe anything a CM says about working for Disney....Honestly what are they going to say? LOL


cyclenut said:


> Disney price fixing model?  Really?  Losing money?  Seriously?  They are not building three new ships because they are having trouble filling the ones they have.  The biggest complaint from repeat DCL cruisers is that they want more options.  More destinations.  More ships.  More shows.  Most are willing to pay for it.  I see no evidence that DCL is struggling to fill ships.  I'm sure there are some sailings that don't sell as well as others.  That's a given.  Others, not a problem.  My April 2018 Panama Canal was "full" a year before sailing.  Occasional cabins open up as we get closer and people cancel, but those are snapped up quickly, and at twice the price of the originally booking prices.


Yeah I don't see DCL filing for bankruptcy anytime soon.


----------



## cyclenut

I understand your point about making disparaging remarks, which is part of why I found the post I quoted to be very strange.  That poster claimed they heard all sorts of disparaging remarks.  I'm not sure why those would be more credible than the remarks I heard.  There is no way to know for sure if I was getting an honest answer, but the context of my questions when I asked was to find out what living on the ship and working for DCL was like since my daughter was interested in DCL.  She was in the Disney College Program at WDW at the time and knew a few DCL CMs as a result.  She had personal conversations with them about what life was like on board the ship.  We were talking with other DCL CMs in that context.  I feel like they would have told me the truth if it was really that bad, especially since I was asking as a concerned father.


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> Completely opposite of my experience.  I'm a bit surprised.  I also spend time talking to CM on DCL and I've heard them say that they waited years to get on DCL and are really happy they did.  The reports I heard were the guests seem happier, they tip better and they enjoy it more.  Make no mistake, working on a cruise ship is not easy.  The hours are long, the quarters are cramped and the pay is not great (at least at the entry level).  You work in customer service so you see the best (and the worst) in people.  Many who do not understand this and sign on with a cruise line are often surprised and become quickly unhappy.  I remember a barber on the Fantasy once telling me his tips increased by 30%.  He was part of the spa services and not employed by DCL so he has been on several different lines.  He hoped to stay on the Fantasy.  I remember a DCL entertainment host that had come over from Princess and was on month two saying how much more she enjoyed the DCL experience.  The wait staff, not so much.  Maybe it's just the wait staff?



Maybe it is different with the wait staff. I'm on many forums and FB pages regarding DCL and Carnival and honestly, most conversations about stiffing gratuity happen on the DCL forums (that doesn't mean it's not happening on Carnival ships but maybe Carnival guests are less vocal about it?) 

 It's also on DCL ship that I heard the most complaints starting with "I paid a lot of money/spent thousands of dollars to be here and (... Insert complaint here...) ... The expectations are high... (sometimes too high?)


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> Disney price fixing model?  Really?  Losing money?  Seriously?  They are not building three new ships because they are having trouble filling the ones they have.  The biggest complaint from repeat DCL cruisers is that they want more options.  More destinations.  More ships.  More shows.  Most are willing to pay for it.  I see no evidence that DCL is struggling to fill ships.  I'm sure there are some sailings that don't sell as well as others.  That's a given.  Others, not a problem.  My April 2018 Panama Canal was "full" a year before sailing.  Occasional cabins open up as we get closer and people cancel, but those are snapped up quickly, and at twice the price of the originally booking prices.



They say they want more options but the cruises from New York (and Galveston?) don't sell very well ... They are struggling to fill ships. 

My friend who's a T.A. paid way less than I did for a verandah cabin for 7 nights on the Magic than I paid for a 3 nights cruise in an inside cabin on the Wonder.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> They say they want more options but the cruises from New York (and Galveston?) don't sell ... They are struggling to fill ships from there.


This is probably true. It's the handful of frequent or platinum cruisers that want new destinations. The occasional cruisers want the Caribbean. The Caribbean seems to be the money maker for all cruiselines. I'm probably the only one on this board that's even interested in the Quebec cruises.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> This is probably true. It's the handful of frequent or platinum cruisers that want new destinations. The occasional cruisers want the Caribbean. The Caribbean seems to be the money maker for all cruiselines. I'm probably the only one on this board that's even interested in the Quebec cruises.



There's two or three...  

I have a feeling my friend will get an offer for that one too.


----------



## cmph

cruiser21 said:


> I'm probably the only one on this board that's even interested in the Quebec cruises.


Not just you!  We're doing Alaska next summer b/c no one in the family wanted to go to the Caribbean. And with extended family with a little one, Europe was not ideal. My issue with the New England/Canada cruises is that the dates aren't good for us. We'll have to go on another cruiseline and research the (rather few) ships to make sure the kids (wide age span) aren't going to be bored some future year, b/c they're all about the ship and not the destination. In any case, my parents really wanted to do DCL all together while the kids are young, without doing the Caribbean, and it had to be in the summer - so Alaska it is. Otherwise my immediate family might have done a land-based Quebec trip, actually.


----------



## cruiser21

cmph said:


> Not just you!  We're doing Alaska next summer b/c no one in the family wanted to go to the Caribbean. And with extended family with a little one, Europe was not ideal. My issue with the New England/Canada cruises is that the dates aren't good for us. We'll have to go on another cruiseline and research the (rather few) ships to make sure the kids (wide age span) aren't going to be bored some future year, b/c they're all about the ship and not the destination. In any case, my parents really wanted to do DCL all together while the kids are young, without doing the Caribbean, and it had to be in the summer - so Alaska it is. Otherwise my immediate family might have done a land-based Quebec trip, actually.


You will love Alaska. People were complaining the New England cruises didn't go to Quebec. They added Quebec, but it doesn't seem to be selling that well. it's still early. Im sure it's a time of year issue. New England cruises tend attract an older crowd.I would only do it with Disney. There probably won't be many kids on board, but hopefully there's a few. 


mevelandry said:


> There's two or three...
> 
> I have a feeling my friend will get an offer for that one too.


She probably will. I have feeling getting to Quebec is another factor. Flights from the East coast cities were pretty expensive last time I liooked, but pretty reasonable from Arizona. Weird how that works.


----------



## cyclenut

mevelandry said:


> They say they want more options but the cruises from New York (and Galveston?) don't sell very well ... They are struggling to fill ships.
> 
> My friend who's a T.A. paid way less than I did for a verandah cabin for 7 nights on the Magic than I paid for a 3 nights cruise in an inside cabin on the Wonder.



No cruise line fills all their ships all the time.  I'm quite certain there are some routes and ports that sell better than others.  We loved our cruise on the Wonder out of Galveston.  We paid more than our Carnival Breeze cruise but we felt we still got equal value out of both based on the overall vacation experience.  I'm sure not everyone would come away with the same conclusion.  



cruiser21 said:


> This is probably true. It's the handful of frequent or platinum cruisers that want new destinations. The occasional cruisers want the Caribbean. The Caribbean seems to be the money maker for all cruiselines. I'm probably the only one on this board that's even interested in the Quebec cruises.


Maybe not the only one.  We have a Sept 2018 cruise out of NYC to Canada that we're very much looking forward to.


----------



## cmph

cruiser21 said:


> You will love Alaska. People were complaining the New England cruises didn't go to Quebec. They added Quebec, but it doesn't seem to be selling that well. it's still early. Im sure it's a time of year issue. New England cruises tend attract an older crowd.I would only do it with Disney. There probably won't be many kids on board, but hopefully there's a few.


Yes, some of us in the group have been, on Princess. Which is partly why my parents really wanted to do DCL with all the kids while they're still into characters, etc., and they don't care about the whole one-way aspect of Alaskan cruising since we did that before. No one in the group was very interested in the Caribbean b/c as a whole group - we've done every itinerary possible on other lines, pretty much. And a good chunk of the group are not beach people, so I guess we defy the norm, LOL! But this is partly why I'm (selfishly) a bit sad that we're not going somewhere new to me. I doubt DCL ever puts a ship on a Canadian itinerary in the summer!! I wonder if the kid population will be similar to transatlantics and Panama canal cruises in the fall. But I guess you never know, b/c all of the hurricane issues are going to have to prompt some changes. Every ship on every line can't go do Westerns constantly, or those are going to be some overloaded ports.


----------



## cruiser21

cmph said:


> Yes, some of us in the group have been, on Princess. Which is partly why my parents really wanted to do DCL with all the kids while they're still into characters, etc., and they don't care about the whole one-way aspect of Alaskan cruising since we did that before. No one in the group was very interested in the Caribbean b/c as a whole group - we've done every itinerary possible on other lines, pretty much. And a good chunk of the group are not beach people, so I guess we defy the norm, LOL! But this is partly why I'm (selfishly) a bit sad that we're not going somewhere new to me. I doubt DCL ever puts a ship on a Canadian itinerary in the summer!! I wonder if the kid population will be similar to transatlantics and Panama canal cruises in the fall. But I guess you never know, b/c all of the hurricane issues are going to have to prompt some changes. Every ship on every line can't go do Westerns constantly, or those are going to be some overloaded ports.


My friends are headed to their time share in Grand Cayman next month. I told them to expect lots of company theres nowhere else for the ships to go. Of course we still have another month of peak hurricane season so theres a potential for more islands to get hit. Crazy year for the cruise industry to say the least.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> You will love Alaska. People were complaining the New England cruises didn't go to Quebec. They added Quebec, but it doesn't seem to be selling that well. it's still early. Im sure it's a time of year issue. New England cruises tend attract an older crowd.I would only do it with Disney. There probably won't be many kids on board, but hopefully there's a few.
> 
> She probably will. I have feeling getting to Quebec is another factor. Flights from the East coast cities were pretty expensive last time I liooked, but pretty reasonable from Arizona. Weird how that works.



Honestly, people who skip Quebec are missing out. It's gorgeous.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> My friends are headed to their time share in Grand Cayman next month. I told them to expect lots of company theres nowhere else for the ships to go. Of course we still have another month of peak hurricane season so theres a potential for more islands to get hit. Crazy year for the cruise industry to say the least.



I've checked and I did not see more cruiseships than originally planned for our cruise next month... I wonder if they added them to the port schedule?


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I've checked and I did not see more cruiseships than originally planned for our cruise next month... I wonder if they added them to the port schedule?


It's probably going to be a week by week thing where itinerary's are changed at the last minute.


----------



## cruiser21

cyclenut said:


> No cruise line fills all their ships all the time.  I'm quite certain there are some routes and ports that sell better than others.  We loved our cruise on the Wonder out of Galveston.  We paid more than our Carnival Breeze cruise but we felt we still got equal value out of both based on the overall vacation experience.  I'm sure not everyone would come away with the same conclusion.
> 
> 
> Maybe not the only one.  We have a Sept 2018 cruise out of NYC to Canada that we're very much looking forward to.


I've cruised on the Breeze and the Wonder out of Galveston. I like those cruises. I find Texans to be pretty friendly and laid back.  As much as hate the ports it's always a fun cruise.

Are you flying out of Montreal or Quebec?


cmph said:


> Yes, some of us in the group have been, on Princess. Which is partly why my parents really wanted to do DCL with all the kids while they're still into characters, etc., and they don't care about the whole one-way aspect of Alaskan cruising since we did that before. No one in the group was very interested in the Caribbean b/c as a whole group - we've done every itinerary possible on other lines, pretty much. And a good chunk of the group are not beach people, so I guess we defy the norm, LOL! But this is partly why I'm (selfishly) a bit sad that we're not going somewhere new to me. I doubt DCL ever puts a ship on a Canadian itinerary in the summer!! I wonder if the kid population will be similar to transatlantics and Panama canal cruises in the fall. But I guess you never know, b/c all of the hurricane issues are going to have to prompt some changes. Every ship on every line can't go do Westerns constantly, or those are going to be some overloaded ports.


There were very few kids on our Alaska cruise Sept 4. I liked it.  Probably only 15-20 kids in the Edge. Just the right amount according to my son. I like the cruises with about 300 kids instead of the usual 1200 or so on most Disney cruises. I love the ocean, but not really a beach person. My dh used to surf and he can't get enough of the beach. My kids are more like me.


----------



## mkh531

mevelandry said:


> They say they want more options but the cruises from New York (and Galveston?) don't sell very well ... They are struggling to fill ships.



As someone who lives in New York (Westchester County), I would be on the first ship out of NY if they didn't sail in the fall! That's the absolute worst time of year to take kids out of school, especially once they're old enough to do sports and other activities. And most of the cruises go to Canada in the fall, which is cold! No thank you. If they cruised out of NY in the summer and went to Canada then, (or in the winter and went to the Caribbean,) they'd sell out in a hot minute.


----------



## mevelandry

mkh531 said:


> As someone who lives in New York (Westchester County), I would be on the first ship out of NY if they didn't sail in the fall! That's the absolute worst time of year to take kids out of school, especially once they're old enough to do sports and other activities. And most of the cruises go to Canada in the fall, which is cold! No thank you. If they cruised out of NY in the summer and went to Canada then, (or in the winter and went to the Caribbean,) they'd sell out in a hot minute.



Canada --or at least the south part of it, where I live-- is not much colder than NYC.

During spring, summer and fall, in Montreal we rarely have more than 5 degrees (celcius) in difference. Quebec can be slightly cooler but not as much as during winter. 

From October until the end of November you can expect weather between 65 to 75 degrees. Cool but not cold. And if you get lucky, each year in October we have a last streak of warm days that we call "l'été indien"... If you cruise here during those days you'd most likely be able to swim outside.

Ex: Right now, since last week and until the end of this week we've been having sun and weather around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter can be cold but last year it wasn't and we've had 75 degrees for Christmas in 2015. Go figure.


----------



## cyclenut

cruiser21 said:


> I've cruised on the Breeze and the Wonder out of Galveston. I like those cruises. I find Texans to be pretty friendly and laid back.  As much as hate the ports it's always a fun cruise.
> 
> Are you flying out of Montreal or Quebec?



We leave NY and sail to Quebec but it isn't until Sept 2018 so we haven't thought much about anything else except the cruise itself.


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> We leave NY and sail to Quebec but it isn't until Sept 2018 so we haven't thought much about anything else except the cruise itself.



If you are not already on it (and if I did not already did --sometimes I'm bad at remembering avatars--) I officially invite you on the Quebec cruise thread that I started. 

https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...-and-baie-comeau-cruise-ports-thread.3603793/


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## cruiser21

cyclenut said:


> We leave NY and sail to Quebec but it isn't until Sept 2018 so we haven't thought much about anything else except the cruise itself.


Normally I wouldn't think much about the flights this early. We're booked on the WBTA and Quebec. I would love to do both, but my wallet says otherwise. It will come down to flights, logistics and hotel costs. The airline I normally fly on looks to be ending service to Quebec. If I want to use points I would need to fly out of Montreal. That would mean taking bus to Montreal. Flying into London and cruising out of Dover is no piece of cake either, but I've been to London a few times so I'm familiar with it. Crossing the Atlantic during hurricane season is also a big negative. I wonder how it went this year.

I love cruising out of Vancouver. You just jump on the skytrain at the airport, then walk to the Hyatt, and then walk to cruise terminal. It has to be the easiest city in the world to cruise out of. Not to mention one of the most beautiful cities. Just thinking about Vancouver makes me want to go back to Alaska.



mevelandry said:


> Honestly, people who skip Quebec are missing out. It's gorgeous.


The flying over Canada ride at Canada place is what really made me excited about seeing other parts of Canada. Whatever cruise I end up doing I'll get to see some of Eastern Canada...barring no hurricanes going up the East coast.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Normally I wouldn't think much about the flights this early. We're booked on the WBTA and Quebec. I would love to do both, but my wallet says otherwise. It will come down to flights, logistics and hotel costs. The airline I normally fly on looks to be ending service to Quebec. If I want to use points I would need to fly out of Montreal. That would mean taking bus to Montreal. Flying into London and cruising out of Dover is no piece of cake either, but I've been to London a few times so I'm familiar with it. Crossing the Atlantic during hurricane season is also a big negative. I wonder how it went this year.



Don't forget you can also take the Quebec-Montreal train.


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## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Don't forget you can also take the Quebec-Montreal train.


Good to know. I talked about how easy it is to Cruise out of Vancouver. It was the first time, but last time we flew into Seattle and rented a car. Renting a car would be another option. I managed to drive through downtown Vancouver without running over anyone. There are pedestrians everywhere. People in Arizona don't walk anywhere so it was a different driving experience for me.


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## cruiser21

My husband and my oldest son cancelled their Germany trip this month and are planning a cruise in Nov. There are so many great deals on cruises in the month of November. I think the hurricanes have scared people off. My dh has never booked a cruise or planned a vacation. It's rather funny. He's gone through about 20 different ships and itinerary's. He's been texting me all day about hotels and transportation. I told him I charge a commission. I'm up to about 20 foot and back rubs at this point. I really hope he tries the Harmony or Vista.

 I've seen some ridiculous prices though like 399..00 per person for Anthem of Seas etc. NCl has some great last minute deals. Even the Vista was 1700 dollars for 2 in an inside room 8 day cruise. I've told him not to even bother with itinerary's. If the the Nov 4 Vista changed to a Southern that would be my choice, but it's not up to me. 

My dh has an advantage he's not fussy and he doesn't care about the room, and I guarantee you he has no emotional ties to Disney. I can understand why he's overwhelmed. If your not picky about the cruiseline there are just so many options. It's amazing how many great cruises there are when you really start looking. 

Back to my own cruise planning:
I was looking at cruises out of NYC on the Horizon for next year. They are pretty pricey....not DCL pricey, but pricey for Carnival. They have a lot of great room options though. The extended Aft balconies on deck 2 in the Family Harbor Area look pretty amazing. I can't imagine having a balcony that close to the ocean, but I think I'd like it.


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## mevelandry

I think the Horizon is expensive because it's brand new. 

Balcony on deck 2 have a lot of fans. However, I hear the Family Harbor guests experience more noise because they are situated under "busy" spots.

Yes, NCL has great last minute deals. 

Where is the Anthem going for 399$/pp? We are sailing on her next year. It looks amazing.


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## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I think the Horizon is expensive because it's brand new.
> 
> Balcony on deck 2 have a lot of fans. However, I hear the Family Harbor guests experience more noise because they are situated under "busy" spots.
> 
> Yes, NCL has great last minute deals.
> 
> Where is the Anthem going for 399$/pp? We are sailing on her next year. It looks amazing.


Bahamas and Orlando. A of people book cruises 2months out or less. I think this year their saying nope..no way. That is why I seeing some better prices. I think the Eastern Caribbean ports are out for the foreseeable future that could have something to do with it. 
Of course the time of year too.
The slowest time of year for travel is the two weeks before our Thanksgiving and the 2 weeks after between Thanksgiving and Christmas. A lot of Americans travel for the holidays, and they don't plan vacations around those times. If your looking for deals those are pretty good weeks.


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## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Bahamas and Orlando. A of people book cruises 2months out or less. I think this year their saying nope..no way. That is why I seeing some better prices. I think the Eastern Caribbean ports are out for the foreseeable future that could have something to do with it.
> Of course the time of year too.
> The slowest time of year for travel is the two weeks before our Thanksgiving and the 2 weeks after between Thanksgiving and Christmas. A lot of Americans travel for the holidays, and they don't plan vacations around those times. If your looking for deals those are pretty good weeks.



Good to know.  Thanks.


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## mevelandry

Less than two weeks before my Carnival Vista cruise. OMG, OMG, OMG!!!


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## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Less than two weeks before my Carnival Vista cruise. OMG, OMG, OMG!!!


I hope you enjoy her as much as we did. Be sure to hit the Taste Bar in the afternoon. I'm pretty sure it opens at 5:30 in Ocean Plaza. They have samples from all the up charge restaurants, usually pretty good stuff.


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## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I hope you enjoy her as much as we did. Be sure to hit the Taste Bar in the afternoon. I'm pretty sure it opens at 5:30 in Ocean Plaza. They have samples from all the up charge restaurants, usually pretty good stuff.



Thank you!

I have to remember to go to the Taste bar! :/  (There are so many food options on this one compared to DCL and to the Carnival Victory that I wonder if I'm gonna have the time to try them all!)


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Thank you!
> 
> I have to remember to go to the Taste bar! :/  (There are so many food options on this one compared to DCL and to the Carnival Victory that I wonder if I'm gonna have the time to try them all!)


You might not


----------



## RedSox68

we"reofftoneverland said:


> This is exactly how I see it!  For some time DCL has been treating their customers like a commodity.  When you treat someone like a commodity, they start to see you as one, and they start to act like one themselves by searching for a better price (easy to find.  Lol) AND a better experience (surprised to see that this was also easy to find.  Lol.).  Gone are the emotional ties that keep people with DCL-- and that is the draw for Disney, emotion.
> 
> Other lines are not this way at all.  They allow the market to dictate prices.  They still give heavily discounted rates to people in the travel industry (not just TAs but everyone-- our friend who uses these rates is a pilot) but they also give great discounts to the public in a variety of ways.



Exactly -- we have gotten extraordinary deals and prices on Princess, HAL, NCL and Carnival, including being upgraded (sometimes free, sometimes very minimal pricing), drink packages, specialty dining, second passenger half price, third passenger free, etc.  And I 100% agree about the emotional tug at the heart that Disney depends on to keep families sailing with them.  But once you break out and see what's out there price wise, suddenly devotion and loyalty go out the window 

And reading what some dissers went through on the TA last month and problems and guest service attitude, etc., I feel like Disney is not only taking passenger loyalty for granted, but sometimes aren't even trying anymore to bring some of that pixie dust along!


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> I've been watching a cruise on Carnival. Even with all they sales offered over the past months the price never goes down. I've noticed this on other cruiselines too. I especially notice this withRoyal. They always have a sale going on, but if you watch a cruise for months the price is consistent. I'm not sure other cruise lines really have sales. They just make it appear that they do.



I think it really depends on the itinerary.  If it is hugely popular and the cruise line knows that, there may not be any need to offer sales or promotions because the ship is almost full.  We booked Cuba on RCCL for November 2018 months ago, and the price has never wavered and I was told this morning that they are almost sold out (no oceanviews are left at all and only a few inside and junior suites are left).


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Talking about not selling out... A friend of mine who's a TA booked a fall cruise departing from NYC (Disney Magic) at a price that left me speechless and that I can't repeat in here.



High or low?


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> High or low?



VERY low. More or less the price of a 3 nights cruise to the Bahamas for two adults, in an inside room. Except he did not get an inside room. He got a higher category. Enough said.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> You will love Alaska. People were complaining the New England cruises didn't go to Quebec. They added Quebec, but it doesn't seem to be selling that well. it's still early. Im sure it's a time of year issue. New England cruises tend attract an older crowd.I would only do it with Disney. There probably won't be many kids on board, but hopefully there's a few.
> 
> She probably will. I have feeling getting to Quebec is another factor. Flights from the East coast cities were pretty expensive last time I liooked, but pretty reasonable from Arizona. Weird how that works.



We did a Quebec to NYC on HAL a few years ago and loved the ports and experience -- but it was a better itinerary with 10 nights and more days at sea and more ports.


----------



## RedSox68

We are back from our cruise on Carnival Sunshine.  We liked it more than the Glory, but NOT the layout.  More later, but great food and great ports.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> We are back from our cruise on Carnival Sunshine.  We liked it more than the Glory, but NOT the layout.  More later, but great food and great ports.



Can't wait to see/read your review!


----------



## mevelandry

Announcement on Carnival.com...

The Carnival Fascination will bring help to San Juan... All cruises from October 15, 2017 to January 28, 2018 have been cancelled and the ship will be used to help during that time. 

Not sure what the compensation will be but my guess is the guest from the October 15 cruise will have something good in exchange.


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> Announcement on Carnival.com...
> 
> The Carnival Fascination will bring help to San Juan... All cruises from October 15, 2017 to January 28, 2018 have been cancelled and the ship will be used to help during that time.
> 
> Not sure what the compensation will be but my guess is the guest from the October 15 cruise will have something good in exchange.



Just to clarify, all cruises *on the Fascination*.

No mention of any effect on their other ships.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> Just to clarify, all cruises *on the Fascination*.
> 
> No mention of any effect on their other ships.



With all due respect, I don't think my message needs any clarification: 



mevelandry said:


> Announcement on Carnival.com...
> 
> The Carnival Fascination will bring help to San Juan... All cruises from October 15, 2017 to January 28, 2018 have been cancelled and the ship will be used to help during that time.
> 
> Not sure what the compensation will be but my guess is the guest from the October 15 cruise will have something good in exchange.


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> With all due respect, I don't think my message needs any clarification:



People could read it with the ellipsis another way.
It hurts nothing to clarify.


----------



## RedSox68

Dug720 said:


> People could read it with the ellipsis another way.
> It hurts nothing to clarify.



I thought it was pretty clear the first time.


----------



## Dug720

RedSox68 said:


> I thought it was pretty clear the first time.



I meant nothing negative by it. I never said she was wrong or it was in correct. Clarification doesn't mean there's something wrong. (And if it's a direct quote from Carnival's page, I would tell them the same thing. They should clarify it JUST to prevent more people from freaking out.

I simply know some people who would see the space then the "All cruises" without clarification and freak out - people are already freaking out about their cruises and schedules.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Not sure if everyone already saw but they are giving a FREE CRUISE!! Full refund plus free cruise.  How awesome is that!??!!


----------



## cruiser21

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Not sure if everyone already saw but they are giving a FREE CRUISE!! Full refund plus free cruise.  How awesome is that!??!!


That's awesome!


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> With all due respect, I don't think my message needs any clarification:


It was clear to me.


----------



## mevelandry

Guys, I am leaving tomorrow (flying to FLL) and I am so excited. I can't wait to board the Vista on sunday.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> Guys, I am leaving tomorrow (flying to FLL) and I am so excited. I can't wait to board the Vista on sunday.



Have an absolutely wonderful cruise! And don't forget to try the new Deli and MDR Breakfast menus - they look awesome! If you can't try them, maybe some pictures?


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> Have an absolutely wonderful cruise! And don't forget to try the new Deli and MDR Breakfast menus - they look awesome! If you can't try them, maybe some pictures?



I will bring back tons of pictures! I should be back here after October 23!


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> I will bring back tons of pictures! I should be back here after October 23!



Have a wonderful time - and safe travels!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Guys, I am leaving tomorrow (flying to FLL) and I am so excited. I can't wait to board the Vista on sunday.



You will have a blast.  Make sure you go to
1. Pig and anchor
2. Java cafe
3. Guys (duh!)
4. Anything with Matt
5. Movies at night by the pool with popcorn
6. Trivia
7. Comedy shows
8. That deck area above the pizza place (not sure what it is called!)
9. Shopping sales


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry- Have a wonderful vacation. Can’t wait for your review.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Guys, I am leaving tomorrow (flying to FLL) and I am so excited. I can't wait to board the Vista on sunday.


Have fun!


----------



## mevelandry

Guys, I am at the airport now and our flight has been "revised" for the fourth time today. They are going to send a plane from Toronto to Montreal to bring us to FLL tonight. We have to cancel all plans we had for today in Fort Lauderdale but at least we should get there on time for our cruise tomorrow. 

If our cruise had been departing today, we would have missed it! Never will I ever book a flight the same day we are cruising! 

I've done it in the past and never had problems but it's a chance I'm never gonna take again.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Guys, I am at the airport now and our flight has been "revised" for the fourth time today. They are going to send a plane from Toronto to Montreal to bring us to FLL tonight. We have to cancel all plans we had for today in Fort Lauderdale but at least we should get there on time for our cruise tomorrow.
> 
> If our cruise had been departing today, we would have missed it! Never will I ever book a flight the same day we are cruising!
> 
> I've done it in the past and never had problems but it's a chance I'm never gonna take again.


Enjoy the Vista!  We just got off the Disney Magic and I have to say, the cruise and DCL crew was fantastic, we had an awesome time. I don't know when our next Carnival cruise is for sure. We're booked on the Horizon for June 2018 but may have to cancel it, we'll see!! You're going to love the Vista.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> You will have a blast.  Make sure you go to
> 1. Pig and anchor
> 2. Java cafe
> 3. Guys (duh!)
> 4. Anything with Matt
> 5. Movies at night by the pool with popcorn
> 6. Trivia
> 7. Comedy shows
> 8. That deck area above the pizza place (not sure what it is called!)
> 9. Shopping sales



4. Won't be possible because Matt is on vacation but I heard great reviews about Steven Schwartz!  

But 1-2-3-5-6-7-8-9 are all part of the plan.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> 4. Won't be possible because Matt is on vacation but I heard great reviews about Steven Schwartz!
> 
> But 1-2-3-5-6-7-8-9 are all part of the plan.


Be sure to sit on the orange chairs on deck 11 over the Lido pool, we spent many afternoons in those and watched quite a few movies at night there. Love them!!!!!!


----------



## mevelandry

Hi guys,

I'll be back home this afternoon from our cruise (currently messaging you while watching the ocean from our Miami Beach hotel balcony).

I will be back this week for a review comparison with the Disney Dream (which seem to be appropriate since we are talking about two mega-ships).

Spoiler alert: Carnival Vista wins.

I litteraly cried as I was leaving the ship. Let's just say that the only reason we did not book a last minute back to back (to Aruba etc) right away to continue our voyage is because we have to go back to work tomorrow.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I'll be back home this afternoon from our cruise (currently messaging you while watching the ocean from our Miami Beach hotel balcony).
> 
> I will be back this week for a review comparison with the Dream (which seem to be appropriate since we are talking about two mega-ships).
> 
> Spoiler alert: Carnival Vista wins.
> 
> I litteraly cried as I was leaving the ship. Let's just say that the only reason we did not book a last minute back to back (to Aruba etc) right away to continue our voyage is because we have to go back to work tomorrow.


Yeah, I kind of knew that was going to be the case. The 8 night is so totally relaxing!


----------



## Neptune's Fork

mevelandry said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I'll be back home this afternoon from our cruise (currently messaging you while watching the ocean from our Miami Beach hotel balcony).
> 
> I will be back this week for a review comparison with the Dream (which seem to be appropriate since we are talking about two mega-ships).
> 
> Spoiler alert: Carnival Vista wins.
> 
> I litteraly cried as I was leaving the ship. Let's just say that the only reason we did not book a last minute back to back (to Aruba etc) right away to continue our voyage is because we have to go back to work tomorrow.



The Dream typically sails out of New Orleans though so the itineraries would be different.  That may not be a fair comparison.


----------



## Dug720

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Yeah, I kind of knew that was going to be the case. The 8 night is so totally relaxing!



Exactly. Comparing a longer cruise to a shorter one really isn’t a fair comparison.


----------



## Dug720

Neptune's Fork said:


> The Dream typically sails out of New Orleans though so the itineraries would be different.  That may not be a fair comparison.



She meant the Disney Dream. Which is a shorter cruise than what she went on. So it still really isn’t a fair comparison.


----------



## Neptune's Fork

Dug720 said:


> She meant the Disney Dream. Which is a shorter cruise than what she went on. So it still really isn’t a fair comparison.



Carnival Vista vs Disney Dream?  Not sure about that, I would think she means Carnival Dream.  I've not been on Disney Dream nor Carnival Vista, but I have been on a Carnival ship and 2 Disney ships and would not think a Carnival one would compare better.  In fact, Cruise Critic and some other publication I can't recall off hand, rate Disney Dream at the top of best ship lists.  There wasn't even another Carnival ship in the top ten.  That's why I think she surely must mean Carnival Dream.


----------



## Momee

I think it's the Carnival Dream- it sails from New Orleans. Disney does not depart from New Orleans.


----------



## Dug720

Momee said:


> I think it's the Carnival Dream- it sails from New Orleans. Disney does not depart from New Orleans.



When has she ever said she cruised from New Orleans? 99% sure she's been on the Disney Dream. I think she's only been on one other Carnival, and pretty sure it wasn't the Carnival Dream.


----------



## Momee

Dug720 said:


> When has she ever said she cruised from New Orleans? 99% sure she's been on the Disney Dream. I think she's only been on one other Carnival, and pretty sure it wasn't the Carnival Dream.



I was only basing that on Neptune's response about the "Dream" sailing from New Orleans. The only Dream that sails from N.O. is Carnival. 
Sorry for confusion.


----------



## Dug720

Momee said:


> I was only basing that on Neptune's response about the "Dream" sailing from New Orleans. The only Dream that sails from N.O. is Carnival.
> Sorry for confusion.



Gotcha. Yeah...I'm pretty sure she hasn't sailed out of New Orleans.  Maybe since this is self-named the "ultimate" he thought she only compared Carnival ships?


----------



## Momee

Dug720 said:


> Gotcha. Yeah...I'm pretty sure she hasn't sailed out of New Orleans.  Maybe since this is self-named the "ultimate" he thought she only compared Carnival ships?


Possibly.


----------



## Neptune's Fork

Well I'm not entirely sure what this is other than a place to comment on Carnival?  I just know I see it show up here about as often as the Photo of the Day thread.  But seriously, comparing the Carnival Dream and Carnival Vista would seem to make more sense as they are both Italian built ships, two of the larger Carnival ships, etc.  The Dream is German built, does short cruises, and the Disney and Carnival atmospheres are two totally different things.  So that would be comparing apples to oranges.  I guess we'll eventually see.  What time will it be revealed?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Neptune's Fork said:


> Carnival Vista vs Disney Dream?  Not sure about that, I would think she means Carnival Dream.  I've not been on Disney Dream nor Carnival Vista, but I have been on a Carnival ship and 2 Disney ships and would not think a Carnival one would compare better.  In fact, Cruise Critic and some other publication I can't recall off hand, rate Disney Dream at the top of best ship lists.  There wasn't even another Carnival ship in the top ten.  That's why I think she surely must mean Carnival Dream.



I actually think the disney dream is a let down.  The entire ship is too enclosed and the halways are too tight (especially around the kid's club), the adult area is unimpressive and the main pool deck area leaves a lot to be desired.  Cabanas is too small and over crowded and the gym has bad views.  Enchanted garden is blah and stale and the food at Animator's is unappetizing.  A decidedly unimpressive ship.  Except for the a/c issue on the Vista, the Dream pales in comparison.   You can't believe everything you see in "best" lists.  Lol.


----------



## cruiser21

Dug720 said:


> She meant the Disney Dream. Which is a shorter cruise than what she went on. So it still really isn’t a fair comparison.


I think she just wants to compare the ships not the cruise.


----------



## cruiser21

Neptune's Fork said:


> Well I'm not entirely sure what this is other than a place to comment on Carnival?  I just know I see it show up here about as often as the Photo of the Day thread.  But seriously, comparing the Carnival Dream and Carnival Vista would seem to make more sense as they are both Italian built ships, two of the larger Carnival ships, etc.  The Dream is German built, does short cruises, and the Disney and Carnival atmospheres are two totally different things.  So that would be comparing apples to oranges.  I guess we'll eventually see.  What time will it be revealed?


 Are we going to start telling people that can't compare other cruiselines ships to a Disney ships now? She's cruised on DCL and carnival I'm looking forward to her thoughts on both.


----------



## Dug720

cruiser21 said:


> I think she just wants to compare the ships not the cruise.



Perhaps, but "ultimate" (her choice of word in the title) implies comparing everything. And as you and she and others have pointed out to people who have been on shorter Carnival cruises and longer DCL cruises and had complaints about the Carnival ones, it's not really fair to compare atmosphere, etc. on shorter cruises to longer cruises.  Why is it fair to compare a long Carnival cruise to a short DCL cruise if it's not fair the other way around?


----------



## Neptune's Fork

cruiser21 said:


> Are we going to start telling people that can't compare other cruiselines ships to a Disney ships now? She's cruised on DCL and carnival I'm looking forward to her thoughts on both.



Who's the 'we' in your question? I'm just a user here so I have no authority to suggest what can and cannot be done here. I was simply asking for clarification purposes which ship she was talking about. My assumption was the Carnival Dream, but that has yet to be clarified.


----------



## cruiser21

Dug720 said:


> Perhaps, but "ultimate" (her choice of word in the title) implies comparing everything. And as you and she and others have pointed out to people who have been on shorter Carnival cruises and longer DCL cruises and had complaints about the Carnival ones, it's not really fair to compare atmosphere, etc. on shorter cruises to longer cruises.  Why is it fair to compare a long Carnival cruise to a short DCL cruise if it's not fair the other way around?


The short Carnival cruise are notoriously party cruises. The Dream is not. The Dream and Fantasy are essentially the same ship. I've been on all the dcl ships and the second newest carnival ship. If I was going to write a review I would write one that compared the ship, service, food, and public spaces. I wouldn't even compare atmosphere. The atmosphere changes from cruise to cruise even on Disney. It can be a different atmosphere based on embarkation    Port, the number of kids on board, the cost of the cruise etc. Lots of variables there. 
If someone cruised for a week on the Fantasy and 2 weeks on the Wonder. They couldn't write a review because one cruise was longer then the other ? That seems silly.


----------



## Dug720

cruiser21 said:


> The short Carnival cruise are notoriously party cruises. The Dream is not. The Dream and Fantasy are essentially the same ship. I've been on all the dcl ships and the second newest carnival ship. If I was going to write a review I would write one that compared the ship, service, food, and public spaces. I wouldn't even compare atmosphere. The atmosphere changes from cruise to cruise even on Disney. It can be a different atmosphere based on embarkation    Port, the number of kids on board, the cost of the cruise etc. Lots of variables there.
> If someone cruised for a week on the Fantasy and 2 weeks on the Wonder. They couldn't write a review because one cruise was longer then the other ? That seems silly.



They could, but in full disclosure admit that one was longer than the other and that could come into play.

And yes, atmosphere is something that should be reviewed apples to apples in something that someone is going to self-proclaim the "ultimate" review.


----------



## cruiser21

Dug720 said:


> They could, but in full disclosure admit that one was longer than the other and that could come into play.
> 
> And yes, atmosphere is something that should be reviewed apples to apples in something that someone is going to self-proclaim the "ultimate" review.


Why not just wait until you read her review before judging wether it's fair or not.


----------



## Dug720

cruiser21 said:


> Why not just wait until you read her review before judging wether it's fair or not.



3 or 4 night to 8 night? Plus an obvious pre-conceived idea going in (she's obviously been over DCL for a while based on her posts)? There was no way it was going to be fair.


----------



## cruiser21

Dug720 said:


> 3 or 4 night to 8 night? Plus an obvious pre-conceived idea going in (she's obviously been over DCL for a while based on her posts)? There was no way it was going to be fair.


She wasn't on a 8 night she was on a 6. She has also been on the Wonder should she compare a brand new ship to an old small ship. You have a preconceived bias to DCL so should you not wriite a review either? I guess your review would be fair either. 
Most things in life are not fair. We all have different likes, dislikes, backgrounds, ideology, cultures etc. Review are your own personnel opinion...they don't have to be fair. I for one enjoy reading all the reviews.


----------



## Dug720

cruiser21 said:


> She wasn't on a 8 night she was on a 6. She has also been on the Wonder should she compare a brand new ship to an old small ship. You have a preconceived bias to DCL so should you not wriite a review either? I guess your review would be fair either.
> Most things in life are not fair. We all have different likes, dislikes, backgrounds, ideology, cultures etc. Review are your own personnel opinion...they don't have to be fair. I for one enjoy reading all the reviews.



I have done balanced comparisons between DCL and RCCL, DCL and HAL, and DCL and fathom. The lines I've cruised. I've said where RCCL has been equal to in some cases - and I've got a cruise booked on RCCL for next summer. For fathom, the ONLY thing it really had as a plus was the Cuba itinerary. HAL...I was not impressed. But I went into each of those with an open mind. Even the second time I was on fathom, I went in open minded that maybe the large group that was onboard over Christmas had an effect on things (it didn't). I would personally never deign to say that any of my reviews was an "ultimate" - but maybe that's a language thing.


----------



## Neptune's Fork

cruiser21 said:


> She wasn't on a 8 night she was on a 6. She has also been on the Wonder should she compare a brand new ship to an old small ship. You have a preconceived bias to DCL so should you not wriite a review either? I guess your review would be fair either.
> Most things in life are not fair. We all have different likes, dislikes, backgrounds, ideology, cultures etc. Review are your own personnel opinion...they don't have to be fair. I for one enjoy reading all the reviews.



Sorry to interfere, and not trying to nitpick here, but technically hers is a postconceived bias, as her opinion is based upon personal experience aboard some of their ships. 

Frankly, if it is the Disney Dream she's talking about, and not the Carnival Dream, and the Vista is better, I hope she broadcasts that everywhere but here.  She needs to dissuade many many people and get these prices down.  Drive up those Carnival prices, they're dirt cheap.


----------



## cruiser21

Neptune's Fork said:


> Sorry to interfere, and not trying to nitpick here, but technically hers is a postconceived bias, as her opinion is based upon personal experience aboard some of their ships.
> 
> Frankly, if it is the Disney Dream she's talking about, and not the Carnival Dream, and the Vista is better, I hope she broadcasts that everywhere but here.  She needs to dissuade many many people and get these prices down.  Drive up those Carnival prices, they're dirt cheap.


She hasn't cruised on the Carnival Dream. See been on the Wonder, Dream and Carnival's Vista and one of Carnivals older ships I think it was the Victory. The Carnival Dream is a relatively new ship. She cruised Disney first and found she enjoyed Carnival just as much. I don't think she went on the Vista with any preconceived bias. If I remember correctly she a was little nervous about her first cruise on Carnival.
There are some people on this board with a preconceived bias against Carnival and they've never set foot on a Carnival ship. They are way more prevelent on this board then the other way around.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Yeah, I kind of knew that was going to be the case. The 8 night is so totally relaxing!



Only did a 6 nights but now I am dreaming of the 8 nights!


----------



## mevelandry

Neptune's Fork said:


> Carnival Vista vs Disney Dream?  Not sure about that, I would think she means Carnival Dream.  I've not been on Disney Dream nor Carnival Vista, but I have been on a Carnival ship and 2 Disney ships and would not think a Carnival one would compare better.  In fact, Cruise Critic and some other publication I can't recall off hand, rate Disney Dream at the top of best ship lists.  There wasn't even another Carnival ship in the top ten.  That's why I think she surely must mean Carnival Dream.



No, I want to compare the Disney Dream to the Carnival Vista. I started this thread for DCL lovers who love to sail but want to save money and want to know what to expect/what will be different if they chose to try Carnival. 

I cannot compare much kids stuff as we don't have kids but other than that, trust me, the Carnival Vista is a serious contender that beats the Disney Dream in many areas.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> When has she ever said she cruised from New Orleans? 99% sure she's been on the Disney Dream. I think she's only been on one other Carnival, and pretty sure it wasn't the Carnival Dream.



You are spot on. Sailed the Disney Dream,  Disney Wonder, Carnival Victory and Carnival Vista.


----------



## mevelandry

Neptune's Fork said:


> Well I'm not entirely sure what this is other than a place to comment on Carnival?  I just know I see it show up here about as often as the Photo of the Day thread.  But seriously, comparing the Carnival Dream and Carnival Vista would seem to make more sense as they are both Italian built ships, two of the larger Carnival ships, etc.  The Dream is German built, does short cruises, and the Disney and Carnival atmospheres are two totally different things.  So that would be comparing apples to oranges.  I guess we'll eventually see.  What time will it be revealed?



I want to compare mega ships to mega ships. 

I would not compare itineraries because they are pretty similar and use mostly the same excursion companies while in port anyway.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> Perhaps, but "ultimate" (her choice of word in the title) implies comparing everything. And as you and she and others have pointed out to people who have been on shorter Carnival cruises and longer DCL cruises and had complaints about the Carnival ones, it's not really fair to compare atmosphere, etc. on shorter cruises to longer cruises.  Why is it fair to compare a long Carnival cruise to a short DCL cruise if it's not fair the other way around?



I would also like to suggest that the term "comparison" could mean something different in french than in english... 

In french, you can "compare" two very different things by pointing out their similarities AND their differences, which is exactly what I am trying to do. 

If there is a better word (or nuance) for what I am doing, feel free to feed me the right words and I will correct the title of this thread.


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> I want to compare mega ships to mega ships.
> 
> I would not compare itineraries because they are pretty similar and use mostly the same excursion companies while in port anyway.



As long as atmosphere is not included as a deciding factor because we all know that shorter cruises - even on Disney, though not the party cruise scene it is still MUST DO IT ALL AND HAVE NO TIME - have a very different atmosphere than linger cruises where people can be more relaxed.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> They could, but in full disclosure admit that one was longer than the other and that could come into play.
> 
> And yes, atmosphere is something that should be reviewed apples to apples in something that someone is going to self-proclaim the "ultimate" review.



That word, "ultimate", I don't thing it means what I think it means. XD


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> I would also like to suggest that the term "comparison" could mean something different in french than in english...
> 
> In french, you can "compare" two very different things by pointing out their similarities AND their differences, which is exactly what I am trying to do.
> 
> If there is a better word (or nuance) for what I am doing, feel free to feed me the right words and I will correct the title of this thread.



“Comparison” is not what puts me on edge (and that is the same meaning in English). “Ultimate” - which in English suggests the pinnacle, the best, the final word - is. Unless you are a professional a la Rick Steves who pretty much exclusively travels for a living, I honestly don’t think any of us on here are at a level of an “ultimate” review or comparison.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> 3 or 4 night to 8 night? Plus an obvious pre-conceived idea going in (she's obviously been over DCL for a while based on her posts)? There was no way it was going to be fair.



Dug, I am comparing ships, not itineraries.

Also, just because I feel the need to take a break from DCL does not mean that I can't be impartial in my reviews. 

I am trying to be fair.


----------



## mevelandry

Based on the recent comments, not that I want to be a crowd pleaser but I have a feeling that the right way to do this review and comparison thing with Carnival Vista would be to do a review first, and then, clearly separated a comparison between the two mega-ships Disney Dream vs Carnival Vista (ships, NOT itineraries). 

Now, forgive me if it takes me a few days to complete the two. I just came home yesterday and had to prepare for work...


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> As long as atmosphere is not included as a deciding factor because we all know that shorter cruises - even on Disney, though not the party cruise scene it is still MUST DO IT ALL AND HAVE NO TIME - have a very different atmosphere than linger cruises where people can be more relaxed.



For me "atmosphere" has more to do with "ambiance". What you are describing is something I call "attitude" aka "the way you perceive/your take on something/personal impression" which is different category to me.


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> Dug, I am comparing ships, not itineraries.
> 
> Also, just because I feel the need to take a break from DCL does not mean that I can't be impartial in my reviews.
> 
> I am trying to be fair.



I’m just pointing out that many people always cry “It’s not fair to compare a short Carnival cruise to a long DCL (or any other) cruise because the atmosphere is different.” 

100% ship to ship ONLY focusing on non- atmosphere (as in nothing about how relaxed people were on the longer cruise) is fine. The moment atmosphere enters in, it is not an accurate comparison.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> “Comparison” is not what puts me on edge (and that is the same meaning in English). “Ultimate” - which in English suggests the pinnacle, the best, the final word - is. Unless you are a professional a la Rick Steves who pretty much exclusively travels for a living, I honestly don’t think any of us on here are at a level of an “ultimate” review or comparison.



I made a correction to my title.

At the time I was seeing this thread as "I will try Carnival, experience the differences and then (maybe) finally make a choice out of the two". In my head it was going to to be the one and only battle. The "final battle" aka "ultimate".

 Turns out the thread is still very much alive... Time for a new title I guess.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> I’m just pointing out that many people always cry “It’s not fair to compare a short Carnival cruise to a long DCL (or any other) cruise because the atmosphere is different.”
> 
> 100% ship to ship ONLY focusing on non- atmosphere (as in nothing about how relaxed people were on the longer cruise) is fine. The moment atmosphere enters in, it is not an accurate comparison.



If I chose to compare the atmospheres (don't remember doing it but maybe I did), feel free to skip that section.

For what it's worth I believe that staff and entertainers can create or at least try to create a certain atmosphere and it's not bad to talk about it.


----------



## RedSox68

For me, a comparison "review" is comparing ship to ship -- no matter the itinerary or length.  What has that got to do with how you felt about the ship itself in comparison to another ship you liked better.  You can be on a ship 4 days or 8 days and still know how you feel about it when you get off.  I'm enjoying your comparison's, mevelandry, and love this thread since we just took our second Carnival cruise and have discovered how much we do like Carnival and how any hundreds we have saved over Disney.  They also offer better itineraries with longer cruises to New England and Canada, and sailings to Bermuda, etc.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

I also love this thread because we are in this stage right now (except that we are trying more than Carnival).  I don't feel like I have to agree with every little thing on the thread to love it.  Actually, I would be bored with the thread if I agreed with everything on it!  I like to hear different opinions and go back and forth.  Since we were on the Vista in August, I cannot wait to hear mevelandry's opinions about her cruise.
Yes, compare means in any way (compare and contrast), although you do often hear people spelling out the "and contrast" part.  I think this is because a lot of people confuse the word compare with comparable which does mean similar.


----------



## Pens Fan

As a family that recently branched away from Disney, I love reading ALL of the "comparison" threads about other cruise lines.  I find them very informative - and the inevitable reactions to them often amusing.  

Honestly, folks, there is no right or wrong way to write a comparison post.  People will write about what they have experienced, whatever that might have been, period.  What else can they compare???   Whether the comparison is "fair" or not is completely subjective.   The fact that this poster was getting attacked for her comparison prior to even posting it seems a bit much to me.

But at the end of the day, I've got way too little free time to spend it getting my knickers in a wad over some stranger's opinion on cruise line message board, anyway.
Looking forward to hearing your review/comparison @mevelandry!!


----------



## cruiser21

Pens Fan said:


> As a family that recently branched away from Disney, I love reading ALL of the "comparison" threads about other cruise lines.  I find them very informative - and the inevitable reactions to them often amusing.
> 
> Honestly, folks, there is no right or wrong way to write a comparison post.  People will write about what they have experienced, whatever that might have been, period.  What else can they compare???   Whether the comparison is "fair" or not is completely subjective.   The fact that this poster was getting attacked for her comparison prior to even posting it seems a bit much to me.
> 
> But at the end of the day, I've got way too little free time to spend it getting my knickers in a wad over some stranger's opinion on cruise line message board, anyway.
> Looking forward to hearing your review/comparison @mevelandry!!


I agree with you.
I think it's because she said she liked the Vista better then the Dream. Those with a bias towards DCL are going to look for every way possible to try to discredit her review before she even has a chance to write it. Kind of funny.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> For me, a comparison "review" is comparing ship to ship -- no matter the itinerary or length.  What has that got to do with how you felt about the ship itself in comparison to another ship you liked better.  You can be on a ship 4 days or 8 days and still know how you feel about it when you get off.  I'm enjoying your comparison's, mevelandry, and love this thread since we just took our second Carnival cruise and have discovered how much we do like Carnival and how any hundreds we have saved over Disney.  They also offer better itineraries with longer cruises to New England and Canada, and sailings to Bermuda, etc.



Thank you.


----------



## mevelandry

Pens Fan said:


> As a family that recently branched away from Disney, I love reading ALL of the "comparison" threads about other cruise lines.  I find them very informative - and the inevitable reactions to them often amusing.
> 
> Honestly, folks, there is no right or wrong way to write a comparison post.  People will write about what they have experienced, whatever that might have been, period.  What else can they compare???   Whether the comparison is "fair" or not is completely subjective.   The fact that this poster was getting attacked for her comparison prior to even posting it seems a bit much to me.
> 
> But at the end of the day, I've got way too little free time to spend it getting my knickers in a wad over some stranger's opinion on cruise line message board, anyway.
> Looking forward to hearing your review/comparison @mevelandry!!



Thanks!

No worries. My comparison will be fair. I have a lot of love for DCL. They offer a good product. But Carnival also offer a good product and other cruise lines do as well (I can imagine). I think my bar is set kinda high. 

I am always excited AND worried when I set foot on a new ship. I read a lot of good AND bad reviews regarding the Vista before I got there. Some of the bad comments (and good) were true. Some were half true. Most of the bad I did not experiment at all... (Quite the opposite!)


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I agree with you.
> I think it's because she said she liked the Vista better then the Dream. Those with a bias towards DCL are going to look for every way possible to try to discredit her review before she even has a chance to write it. Kind of funny.



Yeah. That's sad. Especially because the Vista which reminds me a lot of the Disney Dream --which was my favorite up until October 14-- with all its bells and whistles and colors. 

I will explain why (for us) the Vista is a bit better. In the end, it is a metter of tastes and has to do with what you really enjoy and that can differ from person to person.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Looking forward to your thoughts.  

Don't let someone tell you to change the way you are doing something because they are a bully.


----------



## Sanchez

Dug720 said:


> I’m just pointing out that many people always cry “It’s not fair to compare a short Carnival cruise to a long DCL (or any other) cruise because the atmosphere is different.”
> 
> 100% ship to ship ONLY focusing on non- atmosphere (as in nothing about how relaxed people were on the longer cruise) is fine. The moment atmosphere enters in, it is not an accurate comparison.



I cannot believe that you are attempting to set parameters for a review that has yet to be posted. Do you assert your unfairness argument when people claim DCL superiority when they have never cruised another line or did some 3 day Bahamas cruise 15 years ago?

I know that you feel compelled to offer opinions on most every thread whether relevant or not (usually not.) However, dictating requirements for a review borders on the absurd and is an exercise in self-importance. I am unaware of any vote or appointment authorizing you to control opinions of others. Please let others compare whatever they wish to compare and feel however they wish to feel. Someone's preferences do not equate to an attack on you or DCL and this preemptive defense is unnecessary.

Finally, if you feel that you are fair and impartial you might reconsider. I find you to be a blatant and unapologetic defender of DCL and discount most of what you say.


----------



## Dug720

Sanchez said:


> I cannot believe that you are attempting to set parameters for a review that has yet to be posted. Do you assert your unfairness argument when people claim DCL superiority when they have never cruised another line or did some 3 day Bahamas cruise 15 years ago?
> 
> I know that you feel compelled to offer opinions on most every thread whether relevant or not (usually not.) However, dictating requirements for a review borders on the absurd and is an exercise in self-importance. I am unaware of any vote or appointment authorizing you to control opinions of others. Please let others compare whatever they wish to compare and feel however they wish to feel. Someone's preferences do not equate to an attack on you or DCL and this preemptive defense is unnecessary.
> 
> Finally, if you feel that you are fair and impartial you might reconsider. I find you to be a blatant and unapologetic defender of DCL and discount most of what you say.



All I am saying is Carnival defenders are always saying it’s not fair to compare shorter Carnival cruises to longer ANY other line cruises, and yet that is what will go on here.


----------



## Sanchez

Dug720 said:


> All I am saying is Carnival defenders are always saying it’s not fair to compare shorter Carnival cruises to longer ANY other line cruises, and yet that is what will go on here.



Why that matters is a mystery. There is no need to "win" here.


----------



## mevelandry

*DISNEY DREAM VS CARNIVAL VISTA  (PART 1)*

PICTURES OF THE CARNIVAL VISTA FROM OCTOBER 2017 will be in the pages following this comparison.



*Regarding, THE WEBSITE and THE BOOKING, I will refer you to the first page of this thread since it has not changed much. I will simply add that Carnival sometimes offer a promotion where you can book by paying 50% off your deposit. 


THE NUMBERS
*
Just for the fun, I did the exercise to see how much a Western Caribbean Cruise would have cost me with DCL vs Carnival Vista, similar dates and itinerary: the difference were that the DCL cruise has an extra night and stop at Castaway Cay and departs from Port Canaveral (there was no W Caribbean departing from Miami in October)...

Fantasy (which is pretty much the Dream’s twin): 7 nights - Departing from PC - Jamaica (Falmouth), Grand Cayman, Cozumel & Castaway Cay - $3,289 USD for a basic inside cabin.

Vista: 6 nights - Departing from Miami - Jamaica (Ocho Rios), Grand Cayman, Cozumel - 1298$ USD for a basic inside cabin. (We switched to a Cloud 9 spa room later which came to 1477$ but for this exercice, I'll compare the price of two similar cabins.)

The DCL voyage is 1991$ more but you get an extra night/stop in Castaway Cay.

AND... I don’t know how it is for you but for us, flights to and from Orlando –and hotels!-- are cheaper than Miami. We chose to fly to Fort Lauderdale instead of Miami for that reason.

_

_

*TRANSPORTATION AND BOARDING (embarkation)
*
Both cruiselines were asking 36$/pp per ride.

DCL usually has a nice driver and shows a video (with characters) on each way. I thought the embarkation process with DCL was a bit crazy when we arrived early (too many people, not enough rooms nor seats), we much prefer to use the shuttles from the resorts to bring us to the port. Yes, we arrive a bit late, but there is usually no wait and we get on the ship right away (within 15 minutes).

We used a very similar process with Carnival by boarding a bus in Fort Lauderdale airport, which brought us to the port of Miami. Our driver, Smiley, was joking during the drive to the port and it was very entertaining. When we arrived to the port, we gave our luggage to porters. The lines were very long but they went by so fast! Our group was called about 10 minutes after we were assigned group 15. There was about 30 minutes between the moment we arrived to the port and the moment we finally set foot on the Carnival Vista.

I guess DCL still wins this one because the bus is themed? Other than that, the experience is quite similar.


*THE CABIN*

With DCL (Dream) we booked a 5E cabin which was a reassigned handicapped room… with a gigantic verandah which cannot really compare with an inside cabin… That being said, earlier this year, we were in an inside cabin on the Disney Wonder which was very similar to those on the Dream. In all cabins, we’ve had very comfortable beds so I still have some kind of reference.

On the Carnival Vista, they used separate twin beds to make a Queen (or was it a King?). It was the cheapest Could 9 Spa inside room where the twin beds are technically supposed to be separated… but they joined the beds for us: the result was that it was kinda cramped around the bed if you needed to access the closet (the doors couldn’t open completely) but it made the rest of the room spacious. I could have done yoga between the bed and the tv. We loved our room and found it to be very comfortable.

This room gave us free access to the spa all week… Which would be like having free access to the Rainforest Spa on the Disney Dream all week if you have only sailed with DCL. It was a very nice perk.

While DCL DREAM wins for the cabin, the CARNIVAL VISTA is not far behind.


*EXCURSIONS*

The only reason I will add anything about excursions here is to mention that the process for tendering in Grand Cayman was a breeze. We just went down to deck 0, waited in line for about 5 minutes to get checked-out, boarded the boat and then we were on our way to GC.

I have not experienced tendering with DCL yet.


*RESTAURANT RESERVATIONS *(for Specialty Dining)

With DCL DREAM: After your Check-in date, you can book specialty (18+) restaurants like *Palo* (30$/pp) & *Remy* (95$/pp). We enjoyed both of them but Remy is outstanding. We have tried Palo for brunch (great!) and dinner (loved it!). We have not tried Remy brunch yet but we dined there twice and it was the best meals of my life!

With CARNIVAL VISTA:

We have decided to experience the *Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse* (35$/pp) which reminded me a bit of Remy (at least for the American dishes). It is more relaxed than Remy but we have found the quality of the food to be very similar, with the nice plating and only 4 services instead of 7. I appreciated that because we had booked on the first night, we had the choice of a free bottle of wine (In this case a Santa Carolina Merlot 2015, which is by no definition a fine wine but we found it to be surprisingly good) or 50% of the bottle of our choice. In my heart, this one comes very close to Remy.

We have decided to try *Cucina Del Capitano* (15$/pp) which we found just as good as Palo! They gave us an extra appetizer… Nice ambiance, great music... It was fantastic!!! They open their Pasta Bar for lunch and it’s *free*.

The biggest surprise of our cruise was probably _*Jiji Asian Kitchen*_ (15$/pp) which would be … the Asian version of Palo, with some dishes plated like Remy.  They also open their Noodle Bar for lunch and it’s *free*.


Now, I have to talk about *Bonsai Sushi *which is also specialty dining but it's walk-in and you pay “à la carte”. I’ve had Wagyu Beef bites that were to die for, for only 4$ and my husband had 2 skewers (chicken and beef) for 2$ each that were excellent as well. The décor is super nice. This place is a gem and I went there two times during our cruise.


There was also a special Dr. Seuss theme brunch called "*Green Eggs and Ham*" with special decorations, special menu and characters. (Just 5$/pp)… We have tried it. It was kinda similar to the brunch I’ve had the last time on the Carnival Victory but with more colors. I loved their steak and eggs. The food is themed (super cute!) and Thing 1 & Thing 2, Cat in the Hat and Sam-I-Am come to visit and take pictures with the kids. It’s super cute. If you have children or excellent tolerance to children songs, I highly recommend it. 

CARNIVAL VISTA wins.


*
THE DINING ROOMS*

All DCL cruiseships have three dining rooms and you are subjected to a rotation. They have two options: Main seating (between 5:45 PM to 6:15) or Second seating (between 8:00 PM and 8:30 PM).

On the Disney Dream, we really enjoyed the Royal Palace (good food for dinner but also for lunch), it is beautiful in there and the dining room has a few portholes which bring a bit of light in the dining room.

While we could appreciate the ambiance of the Animator's Palate, we did not like our food at all, on our first cruise. On our second cruise, we decided to skip this MDR and we booked Palo & Remy instead.

On the Carnival Vista, they have two similar dining rooms (Horizon and Reflection –smaller!) and three seating options: Early Dining (6:00 PM), Late Dining (8:15 PM) and Your Time (anytime you want between 5:45 and 9:30). Only one of the two dining rooms is used for those who picked Your Time: the Horizon dining room. Both dining rooms have windows.


Overall, my husband and I found the food in the Carnival dining rooms to be of much better quality and better tasting than the food in the DCL dining room on the Victory and we found that it was the same for the Vista.

We loved the décor of the Horizon and Reflection.

I would like to mention that Carnival Vista recently introduced a new breakfast menu where you can get a regular 2 eggs any style among fancy things like “Avocado Toast”, “Vanilla French Toast with caramelized bananas” (I am not even ashamed to say that I’ve had it three mornings in a row!). In my opinion, that breakfast menu was much superior to any breakfast I’ve had on the DCL DREAM (and Wonder).

CARNIVAL wins on this one.


*FOOD COUNTERS*

Here’s the thing: Outside of the Brie, Bacon and Tomato sandwich (which is amazing), I am not a fan of the food we can find near the pool on DCL. I think the pizza taste like cardboard. I don’t like their burgers and hot dogs. Don’t care much for their salads.

Carnival is DESTROYING the competition with its concept of Funship 2.0 with Guy Fieri’s Guy’s Burgers (ate there three times, then I had to be reasonable for the rest of the cruise) and his new BBQ called Pig & Anchor (ate there 3 times… because it was only open 3 days during our 6 nights sailing!!!), Blue Iguana (Mexican food)… Pizzeria del Capitano offers fantastic wood-oven pizza.

I mean, there is no contest. Carnival Vista DESTROYS Disney Dream in this category.


*CAFETERIA*

I find Cabanas (Disney Dream) and Lido (Carnival Vista) to be very similar in quality and offerings.

It’s a tie.


----------



## Dug720

Sanchez said:


> Why that matters is a mystery. There is no need to "win" here.



It’s not about “winning”. It’s about consistency.


----------



## mevelandry

Hey... PEACE!

Please stop fighting.

I was so excited to come back and give my review and post pictures ... and now the fights are starting to ruin that for me.   I don't want this thread to be closed, ok? I worked hard for it.




Dug720 said:


> All I am saying is Carnival defenders are always saying it’s not fair to compare shorter Carnival cruises to longer ANY other line cruises, and yet that is what will go on here.



In total honesty, I don't remember reading that, ever:  what I have read a lot though, is that short Carnival cruises and longer Carnival cruises offer two different kind of experiences as 3 nights cruises tend to be more often used as "booze cruises" and longest cruises are more quiet...

BUT it has absolutely nothing to do with the comfort of a cabin, the quality/choices of the food, the quality of the décor, the quality of the service or the quality of entertainment, which are the topics that are being discussed in the reviews, and I've never felt like those categories were impacted by the length of a cruise nor their itinerary.

And with all due respect: if you don't like the way I review and doubt my impartiality... Nobody forces you to read my comparison. Just skip it and stay happy.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> It’s not about “winning”. It’s about consistency.



Let it go. Please. It's just a board. Not a thesis. 

Let's move on.


----------



## cruiser21

Well so far nothing in her review pertains to being on the ship 2 nights longer........


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Mevelandry I have to throw in (I hope you do not mind), the price difference for us was about $4000 CCL balcony verses about $8000 DCL inside.  Plus we did the 8 night, so we actually got an extra night with CCL.  Almost insane.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Mevelandry I have to throw in (I hope you do not mind), the price difference for us was about $4000 CCL balcony verses about $8000 DCL inside.  Plus we did the 8 night, so we actually got an extra night with CCL.  Almost insane.



I don't mind...  

And...


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## mevelandry

FYI. 1st part of my review was on post #917. I'll try to finish the rest of it tomorrow. 

I've started putting the pictures together, they are not all good pictures because my cellphone does not cooperate with my computer so I had to download some of them from Facebook to get them in the computer and therefore lost a little quality.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> FYI. 1st part of my review was on post #917. I'll try to finish the rest of it tomorrow.
> 
> I've started putting the pictures together, they are not all good pictures because my cellphone does not cooperate with my computer so I had to download some of them from Facebook to get them in the computer and therefore lost a little quality.



Terrific review.  Thanks for taking the time.  

Let's keep this thread fun and airy and let people express themselves.  It got a little dark there for a few posts    There's no need to argue out someone's opinion or review style, just enjoy it for what it is!


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## Pens Fan

Enjoying your review and looking forward to the rest of it!  Very informative!!


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## mevelandry

Pens Fan said:


> Enjoying your review and looking forward to the rest of it!  Very informative!!



Thanks. I can't wait to post the pictures. Some mornings I was running around the ship at 6:30 AM to take pictures while it was a ghost town. LOL


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Thanks. I can't wait to post the pictures. Some mornings I was running around the ship at 6:30 AM to take pictures while it was a ghost town. LOL



I love those early morning pictures -- or running around on embarkation day to get pics of hallways and restaurants, etc. with no people.


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## kaseyC

Enjoying your review.  We had an amazing Eastern Med cruise on the Vista in 2016.  So glad to hear people are still enjoying the Vista experience.


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## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> I love those early morning pictures -- or running around on embarkation day to get pics of hallways and restaurants, etc. with no people.



Yes. My husband and I loved walking around the ship early in the morning... So peaceful.


----------



## mevelandry

*DISNEY DREAM VS CARNIVAL VISTA (PART 2)


CAST MEMBERS/STAFF*

Just like the Victory, we have found the service on the Carnival Vista to be just as good as the service on a Disney Cruise Line Ship. Our cabin host Silvana was perfect. We have also found outstanding service by all the servers we met in restaurants.

It's a tie. 


*CAFÉS*

On the Disney Dream, there is the Quiet Cove Cafe, for adults only, who serves gourmet coffee, a nice selection of tea and some small desserts. The desserts are very small and don’t taste very good. With the exception of desserts (free), there is a fee for the gourmet coffee and tea. At the Vista Cafe, the kids are allowed. While there is a fee for coffee and tea, the pastries are included.

On the Carnival Vista, the Java Blue Café (now owned by Starbucks) is where you can find gourmet coffee and tea and different desserts, snacks, ice cream and gelatos. There is a fee for all those products but it's less expensive than what you'd pay on land. Coffee goes from $1.95 to $5.95 and desserts goes from 1.25$ to 3.95$. I’ve had my first piece of Blue Velvet Cake there. It was HUGE and cost me only 2,50$ for a piece that would have cost me at least 9$ in a restaurant on land.

Carnival Vista wins. I’d rather pay a small fee for a huge dessert that taste good than having free bland small dessert. 



*CANDY SHOPS*

Disney Dream has Vaneloppe's Sweets and Treats.

Carnival Vista has Cherry on Top that offer a big selection of candy and chocolats, ice cream, ice cream sandwiches (make your own) and gelatos. Candy and desserts are less expensive there than on DCL.

 Carnival Vista wins this one. 



*SHOPS*

I am not a shopper... But we have found the souvenirs to be much more affordable on Carnival & there are huge sales at the end of the cruise where everything is even more affordable.

While I agree that DCL has the cutest merchandise ever, Carnival sells some edgy t-shirts and I wanted to re-do my whole casual wardrobe in there.

Also, Carnival sells Tortuga Rum Cakes and DCL doesn't. 

 Carnival Vista wins. 


*BARS*

Disney Dream has 8 bars: Skyline (beautiful), Evolution (dance club), 687 (nice pub with a gigantic screen), Pink (champagne bar), Meridian (great view, near Palo & Remy), Bon Voyage (near the lobby) Currents & Waves (outdoor bars in the Quiet Cove section).

Carnival Vista has a least 10 bars: Lobby bar, Alchemy Bar, Blue Iguana Bar, Library Bar, Sky Box Sports Bar, Ocean Plaza Bar, Red Frog Rum Bar, Red Frog Brewery, Havana Bar and at least 2 or 3 other pool bars. 

I am not a big fan of bars but I have found the bars on the Carnival Vista had more character and since they tend to be slightly more crowded than on Disney Cruise Line, the ambiance is slightly more “animated”. Carnival Vista wins. 


*POOLS*

On the Disney Dream, there are two pools on the Main Deck: The Mickey pool and The Donald Pool. There is also two small jacuzzis. Those pools and jacuzzis tend to be overcrowded at all times. There is one small slide for the children and The Aquaduck, which is a huge waterslide. There is another pool in the adult section but I will talk about it in the Adult Only Section.

Near the two main pools, there is a splash zone called Nemo's Reef, for toddlers. It's really cute.


On the Carnival Vista, you will find two pools. The main pool is called Beach pool. There is a quiet pool (aft) called The Tides Pool (not sure if it’s adult only or if it recently became family friendly but during the time we were there, I barely saw any kids). Each pool were surrounded by Jacuzzis.

The kids waterworks are very colorful and fun (I secretly tried some of them while there was nobody around to judge me ... Shhhhhh!)

The Carnival Vista also has great water slides. One of them named “the Kaleidoscope slide” and I thought is was as fun as the Aquaduck. My husband still likes the aquaduck better.

DCL still has the best slides but the pool on Carnival Vista are less crowded. It’s a tie. 


*ADULT ONLY SECTION*

On the Disney Dream, there is a great adult section called the Quiet Cove with a small pool, two small jacuzzis, two bars (one of them is actually part of the pool, the other one is on a higher deck) and one cafe (Quiet Cove Cafe). The space itself is great, filled with lounging chairs and sofas. There is a lot of shade over there. There are huge windows (going from the floor to the ceiling) who will provide you the best views on both side of the cruiseship. The only cons of the adult section is that it is splitted in two parts. One part being on one deck and the other one on a higher deck, with another deck in between where you can find a kiddie pool, therefore, kids have to walk by the adult section in order to take the stairs to get to that pool. Between our first cruise and our second cruise, they added Satellite Falls on the higher deck, which can be a nice place to refresh as well (Although it was closed 100% of the time we were there during our second cruise.)

On the Carnival Vista, the adult section is called Serenity Deck. No pool on that deck but two large jacuzzis. While there is a lot of seats and loungers, most of them are under the sun. On the Vista, the Serenity Deck is on deck 15 and is secluded so we never saw kids in there.

Because the Serenity Deck on the Vista doesn’t have a pool and the Quiet Cove on the Dream does, it's a tie!


----------



## mevelandry

*THEATERS AND SHOWS (Part 3 - END)*

On the Disney Dream, there is the Buena Vista Theater where you can watch movies (some of them 3D). There is pop corn and drinks available right outside the theater for a fee but the price is nowhere near the prices you'd pay for snacks and drink on land. I think we paid 5$ for a bucket of pop corn and 1 big soda. 

The Walt Disney Theater is where you'll find shows. When we were there we have seen The Golden Mickeys (Love it!) and Believe (We did not like this one as much as the GM). Those are family friendly. I have never been lucky enough to catch a comedy show on the Dream, unfortunately. I've never noticed any in the Personal Navigator outside of a ventriloquist and it's not my cup of tea. 

On the Carnival Vista, the Liquid Lounge presents Musical Revues. I went to see the show Flick. The dancers were great, the special effects were unbelievable… But unfortunately, I am quite picky when it comes to singers (I am annoyed when the pitch is not perfect) and two of the singers did not pass the test. 

Another thing did not pass the test: the seating. I don’t know who designed that lounge but they must have been 7 feet tall. The back of the seat are so high that they block the view if you are a short person (which I am, 5’4”). Also, there are big poles in the middle of the rooms which block your view even more, and windows in front of the first row on the balcony, which makes you watch the show through a window. 

I did not stay for the entire first show and since I believed it was going to be the same cast for the second show, I decided not to attend any more musical revues. That being said, I believe the cast may change once in a while. If I had to sail on the Vista again, I would most likely give the shows another chance. 

There are many other shows happening in the Lobby Bar and the Ocean Plaza. The jazz band, the violin trio and the duo that were playing in alternance were absolutely awesome. 

The Limelight Lounge is used to present comedy shows and turns into a dance club at night. We loved it and attended those shows every night there was comedy shows.

It's all a matter of taste and what you are looking for in a show but for my husband and I, Carnival Vista wins this category. 


*MOVIES*

The movie theater on the Disney Dream reminds me of good comfortable movie theaters we find at home. Just like them, you'll have to pay for your pop corn and pop. The prices are a bit more affordable (5$ for a regular pop corn and a soda). 

You can also watch movies on the big screen near the pool once in a while, which remind me of the “Dive-in Movies” events on Carnival except that you can’t get pop corn. 



For an extra fee (normal movie theater fees except for the documentaries, which tend to be cheaper than on land), you can actually get to see new movies at the IMAX theater. I have not tried it but I know it was very popular. Like the Disney Dream, you can buy snacks there. 

The Carnival Vista also has a Thrill Theater for a 5,50$ fee. The Thrill Theater is a small 4D movie theater of 24 seats. You put your 3D glasses on and you will experiment 3 short movies (total duration from 10 to 20 minutes) during which you’ll see, feel and smell things… Like Philarmagic in WDW, but way better! I’ve experienced similar rides in different theme parks but it was by far the best one I’ve ever tried. I went twice. One of the events being Halloween Themed. During the Friday the 13th short film, you would actually get poked in the back when someone gets stabbed in the back. 

On the Carnival Vista, the free movies are presented on the big screen near the Beach pool and are called "Dive-In Movies". You can watch movies in the pool or comfortably installed on one of the lounging chairs. The pop corn is FREE. 

The experience between Disney Dream and Carnival Vista in that area are too different. Therefore, I can't pick a winner: it's a tie. 


*MINI-GOLF and SPORTS*

There is a small mini-golf (9 holes) on the Disney Dream. You can pretty much play the way you want. It is included, you don't need to subscribe or anything, you pick up your golf club and your ball and you play. It is fun but it can be a bit windy up there. There are also other games like basketball, a jogging trail, ping pong tables and simulators which I have not tried. 

On the Carnival Vista, there is a mini-golf as well. Very colorful and fun. The area is a bit more protected so it is windy but not as much as on the Disney Dream. They also have a basketball court, ping pong tables, soccer pool, bowling (3$ per person), pool tables, foosball tables, a jogging trail, a gym (outdoor)… 

The two activities that stood out were the Sky Ride (bikes, in the sky!) and a rope course (which was absolutely terrifying for me). 

 Carnival Vista wins. 


*ON BOARD CREDIT
*
With DCL, you have to call or fax them... And you cannot confirm that the credit has been applied unless you call them or receive your coupon in the room on embarkation day.

With Carnival, you can add on board credit online with. You buy it as "Cruise Cash" or "Cruise Cash Bar" (for drinks you'll buy at a bar) or "Cruise Cash Photo" (that you can use to buy pictures taken aboard) and you will receive a confirmation by e-mail right away. They say you have to use it all because there are no refunds but,we found out that if you put your credit on your card to play at the casino, you can actually cash it out afterwards…We’ve done it and it worked.) 

Carnival wins. 


*GIFTS*

With DCL, you have to order my phone or by fax. I’ve never received any receipts from them, the only way I could make sure the payment was passed was by looking at my credit card statement or call them.

With Carnival, you can order your gifts online. You receive a confirmation number by e-mail for your purchase.

Carnival in-room decorations packages are a little more affordable than DCL’s. Carnival recently upgraded their decoration packages. They are now starting at 40$ but they added decorative towels to most packages that you can bring home. The DCL decorative packages start at 45$.

Also, there are so much more choices of gifts and with the exception of flowers (which have very similar prices) there is a lot of affordable choices.

 Carnival wins this one.


*EARLY CHECK-IN*

While you can complete your early check-in on DCL’s website 90 to 120 days in advance with DCL, I remember being able to do my early check-in right away (six months in advance) with Carnival.

With DCL, you will receive a (super cute!) booklet with all the details from your trip with luggage tags prior to the cruise. A few days before the cruise, you will receive a health survey that you have to fill up before you check-in.

With Carnival, you print all your documents. Those documents contain the health survey and the luggage tags (You print them too!).


 I'll give this one to DCL because I find it more "official" and cuter!


*FIRE DRILL*

Both Fire Drill were made inside and the length was similar. 


A fire drill is a fire drill (aka boring)…  It’s a tie. 


*FINANCIAL GESTION*

DCL sends you a bill on the last night of the cruise. I don’t remember being able to see it elsewhere. 

Carnival has automated machines where you can review and print your account anytime you want, you can also review it on your app and on your tv. And they send you a paper 

 Carnival wins for this one.


*INTERNET*

Unlike DCL who gives you 50 MB for free (which I generally lose within seconds. I hate it) and packages you can buy. 

Carnival offers you different packages including a very affordable (5$/day) Social Media plan on which you can get your messages and post on different social medias like FB, instagram, etc. They also have a few computer you can use. We have found the wifi a bit spotty at times but my app worked well and the computers were great.

Carnival wins. 

*APP *

Both cruise lines have their own app with countdowns and schedules. None of them stands out to me as being better than the other. They are both useful. 

 It’s a tie. 


*DISEMBARKATION*

With DCL, you will be assigned to a restaurant in the morning. If you usually have Early Seating, your breakfast will be served first, and then you'll be invited to disembark. You will receive a luggage tag that will indicate in which section to pick-up your luggage the next day. They are named after characters and colors.

With Carnival, the disembarkation time will depend on the deck you are staying at. You will receive a notice on the last night inviting you to disembark at a certain time. Your number will be called. There are designed areas where you can wait and you will receive a list of restaurants/Cafés that will be open and ready to serve you food and coffee. 

 I find that Carnival disembarkation organization is the best out of the two. My husband and I had the chance to sleep in a bit and could leave at 9:30 because we were staying on deck 14 (the last deck called). 


THE END. 

If you have any question or want more details regarding certain categories, feel free to ask.


----------



## mevelandry

Cruise Terminal in Miami: 
 


Lobby, with some LCD thingy showing hundreds of different designs (it changes a few times a day). I have many pictures from different designs but my computer hates me and refuse to let me load it here. Bleh:
 

Miami view from the ship: 

 

Beach pool (Main Pool) area: 
 

Tides pool (Quiet pool) area, aft: 

 

Waterworks (splash zone for kids and water slides): 
 

Serenity section (seats and jacuzzis), I'm sorry... I apparently forgot to take more pictures of that section. It looks better than on my pictures and is quite spacious:


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## mevelandry

Dining room (Horizon):


My computer refuses to let me show you the Reflections dining room. It's pretty similar to Horizons except that it is only on one deck. No mezzanine.


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## mevelandry

Java Blue Café:
 


Red Frog Brewery:
 

Library bar (loved it but it was also used for Art exposition and auctions so it was rarely available...)


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## mevelandry

Imax Movie Theater & Thrill Theater waiting room (unfortunately I don't have pictures from the Thrill Theater):


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## mevelandry

Here is the Lido (buffet):


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## mevelandry

Here's Bonsai Sushi:


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## mevelandry

Our cabin on deck 14... I forgot to take a picture of the desk and the tv... Oops. The placement of the bed is quite irregular. This room is supposed to have two separate twin beds. Our cabin host made sure they would be placed together. It made that part of the room a bit cramped but the rest of the room felt more spacious. 



 

Does anybody know how to rotate pictures here?


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## mevelandry

Rope Course: 

Arcades:
 

Gym (in the Cloud 9 Spa): 

 

Thermal Suite in the Cloud 9 Spa (there are also three saunas/hammam) and three perfumed showers (I'll try to find my pictures) : 
  

Relaxation lounge in the Cloud 9 Spa. Great view: 
 

Guy's Burger: 
  

Red Frog Rum Bar: 
 


Blue Iguana:


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## mevelandry

Tides pool with a view of the Sky Ride Trail: 

Jiji Asian Kitchen


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## mevelandry

Reflection dining room with Dr. Seuss Breakfast Green Eggs and Ham decorations:  

Blue Iguana (Food Counter) for Tacos and Burritos:


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## mevelandry

I will come back tomorrow with some other pictures that I can find + pictures of the food!!!


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## RedSox68

Question:  The relaxation lounge in the Cloud 9 Spa -- do you have to pay to be able to sit in there?

Wow everything on there -- including the Blue Iguana and Guy's Burgers -- is so much more upscale than the ones on the two ships we've been on.  Very pretty.


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## we"reofftoneverland

Did you have any issues with air conditioning in some common areas?  Lido marketplace buffet especially?


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## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Question:  The relaxation lounge in the Cloud 9 Spa -- do you have to pay to be able to sit in there?
> 
> Wow everything on there -- including the Blue Iguana and Guy's Burgers -- is so much more upscale than the ones on the two ships we've been on.  Very pretty.



I believe you have to have an appointment for a treatment or a day pass/week pass for the spa. 

We were given a bracelet for the Thermal Suite (where the jacuzzi, warm chairs, saunas and showers were) and we needed our cards to unlock the door... but the relaxation lounge is situated outside of that area. 

I absolutely love the colors of Red Frog Rum Bar, Guy's Burger and Blue Iguana... It's very appealing to me.


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## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Did you have any issues with air conditioning in some common areas?  Lido marketplace buffet especially?



I noticed that sometimes, parts of the lido (near the exterior doors) were a bit warmer, especially near the windows. I can't say that I noticed anything going on with room temperature anywhere else.


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## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I noticed that sometimes, parts of the lido (near the exterior doors) were a bit warmer, especially near the windows. I can't say that I noticed anything going on with room temperature anywhere else.


I am just wondering, because I have been thinking that maybe there was something actually wrong with the a/c the week we were  on it.  That would be a good thing, because they probably have fixed it.  It sounds like it wasn't much of an issue for you at all.  Good!


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## RedSox68

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I am just wondering, because I have been thinking that maybe there was something actually wrong with the a/c the week we were  on it.  That would be a good thing, because they probably have fixed it.  It sounds like it wasn't much of an issue for you at all.  Good!



We had problems on the Sunshine with air temps in the Lido for seats anywhere near the doorways -- it was freezing.  I was impressed with our room thermo working so well, however.


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## we"reofftoneverland

RedSox68 said:


> We had problems on the Sunshine with air temps in the Lido for seats anywhere near the doorways -- it was freezing.  I was impressed with our room thermo working so well, however.


Our room air conditioning was actually stellar on the vista, probably the best we have ever had at sea.


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## mevelandry

May I add... ? 

Maybe DH and I have been lucky twice in a row. Maybe DH and I being the "in bed at 10 PM, up at 5 AM" type of people, we missed it all... But I did not encounter any drunk people. Nor rude people. No partying/extreme partying. 

Once again, I do not understand where the bad reputation comes from. I do not understand why some people snob that cruise line.


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## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Did you have any issues with air conditioning in some common areas?  Lido marketplace buffet especially?


We were on the Vista 6/3 - 6/17 and thought Lido was like a sauna most of the time. It was t too bad in the morning but after 11:00 AM it hit pretty warm in there. I really think they should have put in revolving doors instead of the sliders, or they need to install some air curtains above the sliders to keep the cool air from escaping. We didn't notice it as much when we were on her in June 2016 in the Mediterranean, but it wasn't as hot there and there were a lot less people on board during the day. I do think it is a design flaw with the Vista. Other than that, she's my favorite of all the ships I've been on.


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## cruiser21

I can't speak for the Lido, but I do know in Cabanas you have hot and cool spots or warm and freezing spots depending on where you are traveling to. On Caribbean cruises I'm looking for the cool area and on cold cruises I'm looking for the warm area.


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## mevelandry

Random pictures from the ship:


 

Seatings near Pig and Anchor (passed the Pig & Anchor tables) 

 


My favorite picture of the lobby: 

 

The Famous Sky Ride! 

 

The cute and fun Cherry on Top outside seating: 
  


One more picture from the Lido (embarkation day, very busy but always found a table to sit) : 
 

Pixel (photo ) : 
 





Havana Pool. Yes, it is gorgeous... But to be honest, the Tides Pool (quiet pool) was so quiet --with no kids most of the time--we went there that DH and I did not even have the occasion to be envious about it. I guess when you don't know what you are missing, you can't suffer from not having it. LOL


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## mevelandry

The Casino:


The Liquid Lounge: 

 

Why they say the seating is bad... This was the best view I have found: 
 

Other than that... (Add one or two heads and you get the idea of what it feels like to be seated in those chairs). 
 

The Soccer Pool: 
 

Mini-Golf: 
 

The Pool Tables: 
 

The Mini-Bowling:


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## mevelandry

Candy from the Cherry on Top: 
 

Foosball table:


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## mevelandry

OK, now here is the food. By restaurants:

I'll start with the *Dining Room*...

From the new Breakfast Menu (Avocado Toast, Vanilla French Toast with caramelized banana (we ate it three mornings in a row!) and 2 eggs any style...

  

My computer refuses to process my pictures from the dinner in the Dining Room, except for the "Baked Alaska" dessert...  


 


Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham event:


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## cmph

I'm enjoying your report and photos! Looks like such a fun ship. I'm cracking up at the hearts covering your husband's face.  

Was that a live Clue performance show, like the movie? or a game show based on the board game, with audience participation? I realize this is an odd thing to ask about, but if anyone would book a cruise based on the inclusion of Clue - it would be my family. We're such weirdos. My generation has passed a love of Clue on to our kids.


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## mevelandry

*Included food counters*... 

Guy's Burger: 

 


Pig and Anchor (my favorite): 
  

Tacos from Blue Iguana:
 


Pizza from Pizzeria del Capitano:
 


Lasagna from Cucina del Capitano (Free during lunch):


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## we"reofftoneverland

Awesome photos!  I thought so much care went into that Dr. Suess event.


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## mevelandry

One of my favorite extra fee options:

Jiji Asian Kitchen (did not take pictures from the free lunch because I wasn't a fan of it) but dinner was AMAZING...


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## mevelandry

Cucina del Capitano...


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## Pens Fan

Wow!  What a beautiful ship!  It looks so fun. Thanks for sharing!


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## mevelandry

Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse...

My computer doesn't not want to give me the pictures of the restaurant, the desserts or the soup... but I got the pictures of the surprise appetizer (the tiniest burger I've ever seen) and wagyu beef... It was absolutely wonderful! 

  !!!


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## mevelandry

And now, Bonsai Sushi... 
.


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## mevelandry

And... the last but not the least... My beautiful gigantic Blue Velvet Cake from the Java Blue Café!


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## mevelandry

cmph said:


> I'm enjoying your report and photos! Looks like such a fun ship. I'm cracking up at the hearts covering your husband's face.
> 
> Was that a live Clue performance show, like the movie? or a game show based on the board game, with audience participation? I realize this is an odd thing to ask about, but if anyone would book a cruise based on the inclusion of Clue - it would be my family. We're such weirdos. My generation has passed a love of Clue on to our kids.



Unfortunately, I haven't seen the movie so I cannot compare. It was a presentation explaining each character/each characters's alibi... We unfortunately missed most of the following events and finale.   But the first show was fun.

I don't think my husband would like his face all over the internet so I hide it with a heart.  

Glad you enjoy my report. Thanks!!!


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## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Awesome photos!  I thought so much care went into that Dr. Suess event.



I can't say much about children activity but this one was very well done. 

Oh, and I forgot to put a picture of the French Toast...


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## mevelandry

Pens Fan said:


> Wow!  What a beautiful ship!  It looks so fun. Thanks for sharing!



It is a wonderful ship. It beats the Disney Dream in my heart now (Never thought that would happen!). I had a feeling that I would like it but I never thought I would love it as much as I do now.


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## trvlgirlmq

So glad you had a positive experience.  Only 220 days until our second time on Vista.  I can't wait to try the Pig & Anchor.  We are also going to JiJi's for dinner.  We usually don't feel the need to pay for food but the menu looks great and something different from the usual MDR fare.


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## mevelandry

I was obsessed with Pig & Anchor to the point I had to eat there every time it was open (lunch on embarkation day and on sea days). 

My husband always says the included food is so good that we don't need to pay for specialty dining but I am a fan of upgrades. Lol

In Jiji Asian Kitchen, we had the duck, the pork belly, the Chicken Kung Pao, Fried Rice (don't know what it was infused with but Wow!) and Noodles... that I forgot to take a picture of...  they were delicious. I would recommend those dishes. 

For dessert, I highly recommend the Rose Crème Brûlée... if you enjoy having a little Rose Water in your dessert... (I know sone people can't stand it. I love it)... It was so creamy and delicate... A masterpiece! 

I call Jiji Asian Kitchen the "Asian Remy" now. 

If you like Asian food and haven't try Bonsai Sushi, I would recommend it as well. I don't eat sushi but I was a fan of those Teriyaki Wagyu Beef bites (4$).


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## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I was obsessed with Pig & Anchor to the point I had to eat there every time it was open (lunch on embarkation day and on sea days).
> 
> My husband always says the included food is so good that we don't need to pay for specialty dining but I am a fan of upgrades. Lol
> 
> In Jiji Asian Kitchen, we had the duck, the pork belly, the Chicken Kung Pao, Fried Rice (don't know what it was infused with but Wow!) and Noodles... that I forgot to take a picture of...  they were delicious. I would recommend those dishes.
> 
> For dessert, I highly recommend the Rose Crème Brûlée... if you enjoy having a little Rose Water in your dessert... (I know sone people can't stand it. I love it)... It was so creamy and delicate... A masterpiece!
> 
> I call Jiji Asian Kitchen the "Asian Remy" now.
> 
> If you like Asian food and haven't try Bonsai Sushi, I would recommend it as well. I don't eat sushi but I was a fan of those Teriyaki Wagyu Beef bites (4$).


Food looks good. I would probably gain a few pounds on the Vista. I usually drop a couple Every Disney cruise. I'm not a fan of the type dishes they serve in the MDRs's on Dis. Is it French? I don't know it's alway rich with lots of sauce. I like American, Mexican, Chinese, sometimes German and there are a few French dishes I like. 
I think I would like the variety they offer on the Vista. It looks like you can eat something different everyday. I'm not a fussy eater at all. I have a healthy appetite, but there is something about the Disney MDR food that just doesn't do it for me. I've felt this way from the first cruise to the last. Obviously it hasn't kept me off a disney ship. I could definetely see myself over indulging on the Vista.


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## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Food looks good. I would probably gain a few pounds on the Vista. I usually drop a couple Every Disney cruise. I'm not a fan of the type dishes they serve in the MDRs's on Dis. Is it French? I don't know it's alway rich with lots of sauce. I like American, Mexican, Chinese, sometimes German and there are a few French dishes I like.
> I think I would like the variety they offer on the Vista. It looks like you can eat something different everyday. I'm not a fussy eater at all. I have a healthy appetite, but there is something about the Disney MDR food that just doesn't do it for me. I've felt this way from the first cruise to the last. Obviously it hasn't kept me off a disney ship. I could definetely see myself over indulging on the Vista.



I think the fact that we are not patient enough to wait for the elevator (and staying on deck 14) prevented me from gaining a lot of weight. XD

There were lots of healthy choices... Everything was delicious.


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## mevelandry

Two things I would like to talk add regarding my review...

1) We stayed in a Cloud 9 Spa cabin that gave us Elimis shampoo and other toiletries. Loved it. It also gave us access to the Thermal Suite of the Cloud 9 Spa with a Thalasso pool, saunas and other rooms with strange names, warm chairs and perfumed showers (and we could have hot water in them YAY!)... Very similar to the Rainforest. Add to that a relaxation room with a great ocean view where we could get fruits infused water and tea. I went to the spa 4 times on the 6 nights... I did not go 6 times because I was too busy. If I remember correctly we only paid 125$ more for a Spa Room. Great value overall.

2) I would like to talk about what we have done in ports.

Jamaica: We went to Margaritaville in Ocho Rios. OMG. The vendors are much more "in your face" than in Nassau. But Jamaica is breathtaking, even when you look at it from the ship. I regretted not going on an excursion after all. My husband still talks about the mountains and was disappointed in the panorama (from the ship) of each ports we visited after Jamaica. Lol

Cayman Island: Wow. Wow. Wow. Fell in love with the place. It was 100% different from Jamaica: no pushy vendors at all. Super easy to find a shared ride to get to Royal Palm. Royal Palm was super affordable, clean and we rented snorkel equipment and I snorkeled... Snorkled? ... For the first time. The water was crystal clear and the sand like sugar. The food was good in Royal Palms too.

Cozumel: We did the "Save a sea turtle" experience. One of the best days of my life. It started with a stop in a small bazar close to a beach with volcanic rocks... Then we did the Turtles. You dig in the nest to get the baby turtles yourself... We were lucky enough to find 5 live baby turtles and released them to the sea. It was magical. Then we visited a Mayan Village (I'll have to come back with the name). When we got back to the port, we had snacks and drinks at Pancho's Backyard. Great place! Hope we get the chance to go back someday.

Let me know if you are interested in pictures from the ports and excursions.


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## Dallas_Lady

mevelandry said:


> I was so excited to come back and give my review and post pictures ... and now the fights are starting to ruin that for me.   I don't want this thread to be closed, ok? I worked hard for it.



I haven't posted but I am excited to follow along. The Carnival Vista will be sailing out of Galveston, which is within driving distance for us.  The price difference is bananas.  I will have a 10 and 12 year old and that is making me lean toward Disney, but I'm not sold 100%.  I'm worried my kids might be bored on sea days on Carnival, and we really liked the evening shows on Disney.


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## trvlgirlmq

Dallas_Lady said:


> I haven't posted but I am excited to follow along. The Carnival Vista will be sailing out of Galveston, which is within driving distance for us.  The price difference is bananas.  I will have a 10 and 12 year old and that is making me lean toward Disney, but I'm not sold 100%.  I'm worried my kids might be bored on sea days on Carnival, and we really liked the evening shows on Disney.



Your kids can't possibly be bored on the Vista!  There are the kid clubs, ropes course, sky ride, waterworks, mini golf, bowling, imax movies, thrill theatre, trivia, pools.


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## Dallas_Lady

trvlgirlmq said:


> Your kids can't possibly be bored on the Vista!  There are the kid clubs, ropes course, sky ride, waterworks, mini golf, bowling, imax movies, thrill theatre, trivia, pools.



I guess I'm just a little DIsney brainwashed because it's hard for me to imagine another cruise line catering to kids as well as they do.  But those pools and slides look much better than anything Disney has!


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## mevelandry

Dallas_Lady said:


> I haven't posted but I am excited to follow along. The Carnival Vista will be sailing out of Galveston, which is within driving distance for us.  The price difference is bananas.  I will have a 10 and 12 year old and that is making me lean toward Disney, but I'm not sold 100%.  I'm worried my kids might be bored on sea days on Carnival, and we really liked the evening shows on Disney.



I have a hard time believing your kids would ever be bored on sea days on the Carnival Vista... There is too much to do! 

There's the kids club...

But there is also the Waterworks, waterslides, pools, mini-bowling, soccer pool, pool tables, foosball table, ping pong tables, mini-golf, sky ride, rope course, arcades,  dive-in movies, shuffle, sand bag games, Clue, and there are tons of the best board games in the Library Bar (which is pretty much never a bar as I have never ever seen a barman there. LOL) 

... and that does not include all the included family friendly events!

And for a small fee: mini-bowling, 4D thrill theater short movies (it was FANTASTIC), IMAX movie theater, Dr. Seuss Characters Breakfast...


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## trvlgirlmq

Dallas_Lady said:


> I guess I'm just a little DIsney brainwashed because it's hard for me to imagine another cruise line catering to kids as well as they do.  But those pools and slides look much better than anything Disney has!



There is life after Disney!  Kids are adaptable too.  I'm all about the best bang for my buck and DCL is just not it when I can still go to the same islands, eat good food and have fun on any cruise.  

We have an 8 night Southern booked 4 people, balcony on deck 8 June 2018 and our base fare is $3989, taxes, port fees and prepaid gratuities add about $925. With the Carnival Early Saver program I can get price drops in my category until 2 days before sailing (already had 4 since booking).  I've priced DCL for summer and I have never seen anything for an inside, much less a balcony, under about $8000 before gratuities are thrown in.  

Go, try something new.


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## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Your kids can't possibly be bored on the Vista!  There are the kid clubs, ropes course, sky ride, waterworks, mini golf, bowling, imax movies, thrill theatre, trivia, pools.



I had not seen your pictures before I answered. Thanks trvlgirlmq! That's even better with pictures!


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## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> There is life after Disney!  Kids are adaptable too.  I'm all about the best bang for my buck and DCL is just not it when I can still go to the same islands, eat good food and have fun on any cruise.
> 
> We have an 8 night Southern booked 4 people, balcony on deck 8 June 2018 and our base fare is $3989, taxes, port fees and prepaid gratuities add about $925. With the Carnival Early Saver program I can get price drops in my category until 2 days before sailing (already had 4 since booking).  I've priced DCL for summer and I have never seen anything for an inside, much less a balcony, under about $8000 before gratuities are thrown in.
> 
> Go, try something new.



I would also add that if there is one ship that I think a DCL fan could like among all the Carnival Ships, it's the Vista. It is very colorful and full of activities for everybody.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> I would also add that if there is one ship that I think a DCL fan could like among all the Carnival Ships, it's the Vista. It is very colorful and full of activities for everybody.



Totally agree.  We were on a Med cruise so didn't get to do everything on the ship and this time we have 3 sea days and plan to do all of the things we missed.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Dallas_Lady said:


> I guess I'm just a little DIsney brainwashed because it's hard for me to imagine another cruise line catering to kids as well as they do.  But those pools and slides look much better than anything Disney has!


My kids are a little older than yours but they greatly like the Vista better than the Fantasy. If they are bored in the Vista I'd be shocked, she's an amazing ship!!!


----------



## Neptune's Fork

mevelandry said:


> I would also add that if there is one ship that I think a DCL fan could like among all the Carnival Ships, it's the Vista. It is very colorful and full of activities for everybody.



Does it not sail during the summer?  I went to the Carnival site to see what the prices were for a Vista cruise and saw every date up to May, then every date from September on, but nothing in the summer months.


----------



## mevelandry

Neptune's Fork said:


> Does it not sail during the summer?  I went to the Carnival site to see what the prices were for a Vista cruise and saw every date up to May, then every date from September on, but nothing in the summer months.



I know she's relocating to Galveston at some point and will be replaced by the Horizon in Miami (which will be similar + Dr. Seuss waterworks. Saw the plans. Looks awesome.)


----------



## cruiser21

Neptune's Fork said:


> Does it not sail during the summer?  I went to the Carnival site to see what the prices were for a Vista cruise and saw every date up to May, then every date from September on, but nothing in the summer months.


It moves to Galveston. The new ship the horizon will move to from NYC to Miami. I'm not sure wher the Breeze is going.


----------



## mevelandry

Dallas_Lady said:


> I guess I'm just a little DIsney brainwashed because it's hard for me to imagine another cruise line catering to kids as well as they do.  But those pools and slides look much better than anything Disney has!



I'll quote my husband (when we decided to try Carnival last year): 

"We'll try it... And if it ends up being a mistake then at least it won't be an outrageously expensive mistake".


----------



## Neptune's Fork

mevelandry said:


> I'll quote my husband (when we decided to try Carnival last year):
> 
> "We'll try it... And if it ends up being a mistake then at least it won't be an outrageously expensive mistake".



So what was his verdict?


----------



## mevelandry

Neptune's Fork said:


> So what was his verdict?



Oh my husband doesn't want to go back to DCL. He says his heart belongs to Carnival now. The entertainment offered by Carnival suits him better (comedy shows, sports, sports related activities, casino --he likes poker-- etc.) and the prices being lower, we have extra money to spend.

I have to mention that we came back home from the Carnival cruises without any charge on the credit card.

Even better: I came back home with enough non-spent money to cover my part of our next cruise. (Which will be on a fresh out of dry dock --and according to John Heald new Fun Ship 2.0-- Carnival Victory going to Key West. Been pushing back the cruise to Key West for 2 years and it's been on my bucket list forever!) 

I am still a fan of DCL and could sail DCL in the future although I would have to stick to 3 and 4 nights with my friend that are into Disney.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Neptune's Fork said:


> So what was his verdict?





mevelandry said:


> Oh my husband doesn't want to go back to DCL. He says his heart belongs to Carnival now. The entertainment offered by Carnival suits him better (comedy shows, sports, sports related activities, casino --he likes poker-- etc.) and the prices being lower, we have extra money to spend.
> 
> I have to mention that we came back home from the Carnival cruises without any charge on the credit card.
> 
> Even better: I came back home with enough non-spent money to cover my part of our next cruise. (Which will be on a fresh out of dry dock --and according to John Heald new Fun Ship 2.0-- Carnival Victory going to Key West. Been pushing back the cruise to Key West for 2 years and it's been on my bucket list forever!)
> 
> I am still a fan of DCL and could sail DCL in the future although I would have to stick to 3 and 4 nights with my friend that are into Disney.


My husband also does not want to go back to DCL.  And he absolutely loved DCL originally.  He would probably still go on it if I really wanted to, but I am very ambivalent on DCL now.  He is not partial to Carnival, but now that he has tried other cruise lines he thinks DCL is a rip off.  He  was especially shocked by how much better the food is on other lines.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I'll quote my husband (when we decided to try Carnival last year):
> 
> "We'll try it... And if it ends up being a mistake then at least it won't be an outrageously expensive mistake".


Vacations are supposed to fun, relaxing and easy to pay for. I see a lot of people stress over every detail of their vacation. I have feeling a lot of that has to do with the monetary investment they are making. Taking a Disney cruise is a big investment for a family. We'll probably do one more Disney cruise with the 4 of us. I may do a cruise here and there with my younger son, but for the most part the cost to cruise DCL for 4 people is just beyond what I want to pay anymore. 

The Vista doesn't look too risky.  It looks like a beautiful ship.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

cruiser21 said:


> Vacations are supposed to fun, relaxing and easy to pay for. I see a lot of people stress over every detail of their vacation. I have feeling a lot of that has to do with the monetary investment they are making. Taking a Disney cruise is a big investment for a family. We'll probably do one more Disney cruise with the 4 of us. I may do a cruise here and there with my younger son, but for the most part the cost to cruise DCL for 4 people is just beyond what I want to pay anymore.
> 
> The Vista doesn't look too risky.  It looks like a beautiful ship.



I think you are right that a lot of people fret over every vacation detail with DCL because at DCL pricing they want to maximize as much as they can.  (I do not have the personality for this and we very much wing our vacations.)  For us it is not primarily affordability, there are just other things we want to do with our money.  I think a lot of people get to that point, where they realize it is just more than they want to pay for what they are getting.  This is much different for people who have access to the heavily discounted rates DCL offers to certain groups in the population.  And I think many of the DCL cheerleaders on DISboards have access to those low rates.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> My husband also does not want to go back to DCL.  And he absolutely loved DCL originally.  He would probably still go on it if I really wanted to, but I am very ambivalent on DCL now.  He is not partial to Carnival, but *now that he has tried other cruise lines he thinks DCL is a rip off*. * He  was especially shocked by how much better the food is on other lines.*



Are we married to the same man?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> There is life after Disney!  Kids are adaptable too.  I'm all about the best bang for my buck and DCL is just not it when I can still go to the same islands, eat good food and have fun on any cruise.
> 
> We have an 8 night Southern booked 4 people, balcony on deck 8 June 2018 and our base fare is $3989, taxes, port fees and prepaid gratuities add about $925. With the Carnival Early Saver program I can get price drops in my category until 2 days before sailing (already had 4 since booking).  I've priced DCL for summer and I have never seen anything for an inside, much less a balcony, under about $8000 before gratuities are thrown in.
> 
> Go, try something new.





Dallas_Lady said:


> I guess I'm just a little DIsney brainwashed because it's hard for me to imagine another cruise line catering to kids as well as they do.  But those pools and slides look much better than anything Disney has!



One of the reasons we hesitated to start gravitating away from DCL was because we were worried we were shortchanging the kids.  Our Carnival cruise was the first non DCL cruise where the kids liked the kids club more than DCL.  We were definitely surprised.  Cheapest cruise line (excluding MSC lol) = happiest kids.  We really were very, very surprised.  Who knew that kids were less susceptible to marketing than adults!!


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Vacations are supposed to fun, relaxing and easy to pay for. I see a lot of people stress over every detail of their vacation. I have feeling a lot of that has to do with the monetary investment they are making. Taking a Disney cruise is a big investment for a family. (...)



It is. DH and I can't imagine booking a 7 nights on a Disney Ship... We would have to be ready to sail only once a year, which we are not: we want to travel 2 to 4 times a year.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I think you are right that a lot of people fret over every vacation detail with DCL because at DCL pricing they want to maximize as much as they can.  (I do not have the personality for this and we very much wing our vacations.)  For us it is not primarily affordability, there are just other things we want to do with our money.  I think a lot of people get to that point, where they realize it is just more than they want to pay for what they are getting.  This is much different for people who have access to the heavily discounted rates DCL offers to certain groups in the population.  And I think many of the DCL cheerleaders on DISboards have access to those low rates.



Yeah. Military rates and Florida resident rates sound great (+ I can imagine the money you save on hotels and flights when you don't need to fly!)


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Are we married to the same man?


I did not see your husband's face but they do look about the same size!    Mine is not a huge eater but he loved the food on the Vista.  We generally do not drink so it wasn't the bars that he liked.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Yeah. Military rates and Florida resident rates sound great (+ I can imagine the money you save on hotels and flights when you don't need to fly!)


Plus interline rates


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I did not see your husband's face but they do look about the same size!    Mine is not a huge eater but he loved the food on the Vista.  We generally do not drink so it wasn't the bars that he liked.



Mine love the Funship and Punchliner drinks. Ok, me too. I can't have more than one drink a day but they taste good!


----------



## kaseyC

we"reofftoneverland said:


> One of the reasons we hesitated to start gravitating away from DCL was because we were worried we were shortchanging the kids.  Our Carnival cruise was the first non DCL cruise where the kids liked the kids club more than DCL.  We were definitely surprised.  Cheapest cruise line (excluding MSC lol) = happiest kids.  We really were very, very surprised.  Who knew that kids were less susceptible to marketing than adults!!



My DDs first non DCL cruise was in 2010 on the NCL Epic’s inaugural TA crossing.  7 nights -Southampton to NYC.  No ports, all sea days.  That’s when we learned the girls are cruisers...they just love to cruise, period!  Extremely liberating because now most of our cruises are based on itinerary except spring break cruises where the goal is to sail anywhere warm.  We have and will continue to sail DCL when it works for us but I’m way over the pay double or triple in some cases (since we sail in Concierge suites) for DCL.


----------



## cruiser21

Dallas_Lady said:


> I guess I'm just a little DIsney brainwashed because it's hard for me to imagine another cruise line catering to kids as well as they do.  But those pools and slides look much better than anything Disney has!


I don't think any other cruiseline caters to kids like Disney does. On a Disney ship I feel like it's all about the kids every second of the cruise, and that's not necessarily a good thing once your kids outgrow being the center of attention.   That being said I think the other cruiselines offer more for kids to do. It's just the whole cruise isn't focused on kids and family activities.


----------



## cyclenut

cruiser21 said:


> I don't think any other cruiseline caters to kids like Disney does. On a Disney ship I feel like it's all about the kids every second of the cruise, and that's not necessarily a good thing once your kids outgrow being the center of attention.   That being said I think the other cruiselines offer more for kids to do. It's just the whole cruise isn't focused on kids and family activities.



This is pretty much spot on, although I'll add a little twist.  Disney has a laser focus on the family vacation experience.  Even the adult shows are limited to "Disney Dirty" so parents can feel comfortable taking their young adult children with them to "the club" after hours.  The way the kids clubs and pool decks are designed, the entertainment offered on deck and even the food choices are much more neutral. 

The goal of Disney is fun for the entire family and that often means finding that sweet spot known as the middle ground.  Nobody offended.  Nobody uncomfortable.  Nobody left out.  A frictonless vacation experience.  You can certainly pay less and still have a great time, but I've not seen anyone else do the complete family experience the way Disney does.


----------



## cyclenut

Very happy to hear the Vista is moving the Galveston.  We loved the Breeze and considered booking the Vista when on board, but their on board booking incentives were not compelling enough and the Vista was so new, the prices were close to Disney prices.  I'm expecting a price drop when they move the ship to Galveston and hoping that as a Texas resident, i'll see a further discount on certain voyages.  Our next cruise is Disney PC, which we were able to book at a killer low price.  Current prices are nearly double what we are paying. 

If we can book Vista at anything close to what we paid for the Breeze out of Galveston last year, I'm in.


----------



## cruiser21

cyclenut said:


> This is pretty much spot on, although I'll add a little twist.  Disney has a laser focus on the family vacation experience.  Even the adult shows are limited to "Disney Dirty" so parents can feel comfortable taking their young adult children with them to "the club" after hours.  The way the kids clubs and pool decks are designed, the entertainment offered on deck and even the food choices are much more neutral.
> 
> The goal of Disney is fun for the entire family and that often means finding that sweet spot known as the middle ground.  Nobody offended.  Nobody uncomfortable.  Nobody left out.  A frictonless vacation experience.  You can certainly pay less and still have a great time, but I've not seen anyone else do the complete family experience the way Disney does.


I know some people enjoy DCL without kids. I can't see myself on a Disney ship once my kids are grown. There just wouldn't be a point for me to spend that amount of money.


----------



## cyclenut

mevelandry said:


> May I add... ?
> 
> Maybe DH and I have been lucky twice in a row. Maybe DH and I being the "in bed at 10 PM, up at 5 AM" type of people, we missed it all... But I did not encounter any drunk people. Nor rude people. No partying/extreme partying.
> 
> Once again, I do not understand where the bad reputation comes from. I do not understand why some people snob that cruise line.



Carnival earned the bad reputation a few years ago and that reputation continues if you book one of their 3 or 4 day cruises from a number of different ports.  We used to live in SoCal and sailed a couple of times on those short cruises.  The bartenders were very aggressive at pushing heavy drinking.  I witnessed several people who were heavily drunk really push the envelop of public humiliation.  I even found a joint in a drawer in my stateroom.  

I didn't see the same on the Breeze.  Much more similar to the Disney experience, although Carnival was still really pushing the booze more than is typical for a Disney cruise.  Wife and I ordered a drink.  We were half way done and we were asked if we wanted another.  We said no.  They walked away.  We were nearly done and they just sat the two drinks down on the table.  We said no thank you and they tried to talk us into it.  All in fun I suppose, but it bordered on rude.  

One last thing.  The Carnival alcohol package encourages heavy consumption.


----------



## cyclenut

cruiser21 said:


> I know some people enjoy DCL without kids. I can't see myself on a Disney ship once my kids are grown. There just wouldn't be a point for me to spend that amount of money.



Wife and I used to say that too but here we are, sailing away as two adults on Disney cruise number 5 for me and 6 for my wife this April.


----------



## cruiser21

cyclenut said:


> Wife and I used to say that too but here we are, sailing away as two adults on Disney cruise number 5 for me and 6 for my wife this April.


We've done 17. We started when my youngest was 5 he's now 13. The prices have doubled or more since we started .  My salary has not. 5 more years until they're both adults. I can't imagine what prices will be like in 5 years. I'd like to be in a place where I work less and spend less on  vacations. I've really enjoyed having my kids grow up on DCL, but at some point I have to close that chapter of my life....at least until I have grandkids.


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> Carnival earned the bad reputation a few years ago and that reputation continues if you book one of their 3 or 4 day cruises from a number of different ports.  We used to live in SoCal and sailed a couple of times on those short cruises.  The bartenders were very aggressive at pushing heavy drinking.  I witnessed several people who were heavily drunk really push the envelop of public humiliation.  I even found a joint in a drawer in my stateroom.
> 
> I didn't see the same on the Breeze.  Much more similar to the Disney experience, although Carnival was still really pushing the booze more than is typical for a Disney cruise.  Wife and I ordered a drink.  We were half way done and we were asked if we wanted another.  We said no.  They walked away.  We were nearly done and they just sat the two drinks down on the table.  We said no thank you and they tried to talk us into it.  All in fun I suppose, but it bordered on rude.
> 
> One last thing.  The Carnival alcohol package encourages heavy consumption.



No server ever brought us new drinks when we did not order it... (I would have refused it). 

Most cruise lines have drinking packages now... Disney has wine packages but it's not exactly the same concept.


----------



## cyclenut

cruiser21 said:


> We've done 17. We started when my youngest was 5 he's now 13. The prices have doubled or more since we started .  My salary has not. 5 more years until they're both adults. I can't imagine what prices will be like in 5 years. I'd like to be in a place where I work less and spend less on  vacations. I've really enjoyed having my kids grow up on DCL, but at some point I have to close that chapter of my life....at least until I have grandkids.



I guess if I had done that many, I'd feel differently too.  We haven't explored all DCL has to offer yet so we're still having fun with the new we find on Disney ships and destinations.  That new will continue with the new ships being launched and a grandkid turns 3 soon, so DCL is probably still in our future for awhile.  It won't be exclusive though.  



mevelandry said:


> No server ever brought us new drinks when we did not order it... (I would have refused it).
> 
> Most cruise lines have drinking packages now... Disney has wine packages but it's not exactly the same concept.



For point of clarification only, it was the bar server and it was the drink of the day so they just had them on the trays.  I'm not sure about other drink packages, but I do know the way the Carnival one is structured, you've got to drink a lot to get to a break even point.  Maybe it's true for other lines as well.  The big reason for the reputation are the short cruises that span the weekends.  Those are affectionately called "booze cruises" for a reason.  They are cheap, making it easier for groups to get on and drink the weekend away.  No driving so no risk of DUI.  Lots of locals on those ships.


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> I guess if I had done that many, I'd feel differently too.  We haven't explored all DCL has to offer yet so we're still having fun with the new we find on Disney ships and destinations.  That new will continue with the new ships being launched and a grandkid turns 3 soon, so DCL is probably still in our future for awhile.  It won't be exclusive though.
> 
> 
> 
> For point of clarification only, it was the bar server and it was the drink of the day so they just had them on the trays.  I'm not sure about other drink packages, but I do know the way the Carnival one is structured, you've got to drink a lot to get to a break even point.  Maybe it's true for other lines as well.  The big reason for the reputation are the short cruises that span the weekends.  Those are affectionately called "booze cruises" for a reason.  They are cheap, making it easier for groups to get on and drink the weekend away.  No driving so no risk of DUI.  Lots of locals on those ships.



Yeah you need to drink at least 6 drinks a day but I notice a lot of people get Evian or specialty coffee/ milkshakes to make the package worth it.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> No server ever brought us new drinks when we did not order it... (I would have refused it).
> 
> Most cruise lines have drinking packages now... Disney has wine packages but it's not exactly the same concept.


I've never been pushed to buy booze on a Carnival cruise. DCL is the only cruiseline I've been on where they walk around with pre made drinks and try try to get you to purchase them. DCL servers walk around all day with the "drink of the day" on serving platters. I'm sure more people overdue it on Carnival then DCL, but I've seen plenty of drunk people on DCL.  It doesn't bother me I'm no saint.


----------



## mevelandry

I have now started to plan our April cruise. It will be a Key West - Cozumel 4 nights cruise departing from Miami.

We plan on staying in a beach front hotel in Fort Lauderdale for three reasons:

1) We were supposed to visit Fort Lauderdale on our last cruise but with a 6 hours delay in our flight we arrived in FLL at night so we had to postpone our plans.

2) It's hard to explain but while it is not a bad place per say, I did not fall in love with Miami like I thought I would so I don't see value in paying the big Miami rates for flights and hotels. I feel like Fort Lauderdale is a big more relaxed and I like it.

3) Huge difference in price for flights... and hotels at least 100$ less in FLL for very similar experience.

In Key West, since we only get half a day there, I've been think of booking the Old Town Trolley (hop on and off). DH and I usually prefer to walk but that would give us the option to get where we want to go a little bit faster. In KW, I would like to see the Hemingway House (strictly for the cats LOL), have brunch at Blue Heaven (and try their Key Lime Pie), eat Frozen Key Lime Pie from Kermitt, walk on Duval street, see the soldier and nurse kissing statue, walk in front of the most haunted places... Maybe see the Southernmost point. We booked this cruise because I've been reading about Key West for a long time, I've wanted to go there for so long. Chose to go in April because there are less risks to be re-routed during that period. I'm very excited.

In Cozumel, we are most likely going to visit Tulum and possibly with a cenote swim. I'm still looking up for details trying to figure out which excursion is the best for us as a lot of them go include Tulum.

I will book through Carnival as I don't mind paying a little bit more. I've been satisfied so far.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I have now started to plan our April cruise. It will be a Key West - Cozumel 4 nights cruise departing from Miami.
> 
> We plan on staying in a beach front hotel in Fort Lauderdale for three reasons:
> 
> 1) We were supposed to visit Fort Lauderdale on our last cruise but with a 6 hours delay in our flight we arrived in FLL at night so we had to postpone our plans.
> 
> 2) It's hard to explain but while it is not a bad place per say, I did not fall in love with Miami like I thought I would so I don't see value in paying the big Miami rates for flights and hotels. I feel like Fort Lauderdale is a big more relaxed and I like it.
> 
> 3) Huge difference in price for flights... and hotels at least 100$ less in FLL for very similar experience.
> 
> In Key West, since we only get half a day there, I've been think of booking the Old Town Trolley (hop on and off). DH and I usually prefer to walk but that would give us the option to get where we want to go a little bit faster. In KW, I would like to see the Hemingway House (strictly for the cats LOL), have brunch at Blue Heaven (and try their Key Lime Pie), eat Frozen Key Lime Pie from Kermitt, walk on Duval street, see the soldier and nurse kissing statue, walk in front of the most haunted places... Maybe see the Southernmost point. We booked this cruise because I've been reading about Key West for a long time, I've wanted to go there for so long. Chose to go in April because there are less risks to be re-routed during that period. I'm very excited.
> 
> In Cozumel, we are most likely going to visit Tulum and possibly with a cenote swim. I'm still looking up for details trying to figure out which excursion is the best for us as a lot of them go include Tulum.
> 
> I will book through Carnival as I don't mind paying a little bit more. I've been satisfied so far.


I agree with you on Miami. I prefer FLL also. Galveston and Vancouver are my favorite embarkation ports in North America. If you ever get a chance you should try to do a cruise out of San Diego. I don't know if you've ever been to California, but it's worth a visit at least once. I have yet to cruise out of San Diego for some reason. It's so close, but the timing is never right.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

We aren't fans of Miami either but we are staying there in June because we can get a good rate on the Loews as my sister works for the company.  Love those Friends and Family rates.

I also want to see the cats!  Someday.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I agree with you on Miami. I prefer FLL also. Galveston and Vancouver are my favorite embarkation ports in North America. If you ever get a chance you should try to do a cruise out of San Diego. I don't know if you've ever been to California, but it's worth a visit at least once. I have yet to cruise out of San Diego for some reason. It's so close, but the timing is never right.



Never visited California... Definitely on my list.    Would love to see L.A., San Francisco, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Monterey. 

Vancouver is also on my list.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> We aren't fans of Miami either but we are staying there in June because we can get a good rate on the Loews as my sister works for the company.  Love those Friends and Family rates.
> 
> I also want to see the cats!  Someday.




Stayed in Miami with a Friends and Family rates... but 300$ USD is 400$ CND for us... Still expensive. Hotel was nice though. We stayed at the Marriott Stanton. Our room was fantastic and we had a partial ocean view.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Stayed in Miami with a Friends and Family rates... but 300$ USD is 400$ CND for us... Still expensive. Hotel was nice though. We stayed at the Marriott Stanton. Our room was fantastic and we had a partial ocean view.



Wow, that doesn't sound like a good rate at all.  We can stay at any Loews (other than NY) for $75 +tax, resort fee and parking (as needed).


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Wow, that doesn't sound like a good rate at all.  We can stay at any Loews (other than NY) for $75 +tax, resort fee and parking (as needed).



I would say that F&F vary (In NYC, we always get good rates around 125$...) The hotel was pretty expensive for that night without the F&F rate. That type of rooms was around 450$ USD without it.


----------



## lspst8

Has anyone here been on the Carnival Magic? We are thinking of trying it in January because the price seems so affordable (2500 for our family of 4 in a cove balcony room). We have only cruises with DCL, so we are a little nervous to try something new.


----------



## mevelandry

lspst8 said:


> Has anyone here been on the Carnival Magic? We are thinking of trying it in January because the price seems so affordable (2500 for our family of 4 in a cove balcony room). We have only cruises with DCL, so we are a little nervous to try something new.



Have not tried the Magic yet but I've seen her name appear among the well liked ships of Carnival like Vista, Breeze, Sunshine, Dream and Conquest (and probably Horizon since it's like the Vista).

I recommend that you get as much information as possible in order to get to know Carnival and the way it works, that way, you will be able to "place your expectations where they need to be". Some things you'll like more on DCL, some you might end up liking more on Carnival.

Main differences:

-DCL replaces everything that has a scratch. They will replace wallpaper that has a black mark on it.
Carnival may wait a bit longer to replace stuff (although I have to say that I have noticed they were giving much more TLC to the Vista than the Victory). That being said, when there was problems in our cabins (even some I had not notice), they were very proactive in repairing it ASAP. Just don't expect to see "brand new" everywhere.

-No rotational dining or themed dining room (if you like themes, there is a Dr. Seuss Breakfast and the decorations are cute!) but DH and I agree that the included food is much better on Carnival. And when the ship is Fun Ship 2.0 you get even more choices!

-Specialty dining --Cucina del capitano, Jiji Asian Kitchen, Fahrenheit 555 and Chef's table-- is just as good as Palo/Remy but more affordable (lower rates per person).

-More events/parties that are for adults.

-More sales (if you like to shop or buying souvenirs, you are going to love the last day on the ship because they have a lot of sales on that day).

-Non Disney musical revues

-Comedy shows every night or almost every night.

-Carnival have Hasbro game events and a library filled with books and board games that you can play.

-Less characters on the Carnival ship but there is a Towel Elephant, Dr. Seuss Characters and Mr & Mrs Potatohead, they announce it on the Fun Times.

-There is a casino. You might have to go through them in order to go from one place to another. As long as you don't have asthma, it shouldn't be a problem.

-They don't announce your name when you get on the ship.

-On certain ship, Carnival has more sport activities/equipment than the DCL ships.

-Unless you get a Cloud 9 Spa room (so you get Elemis products), Carnival shampoo and shower gel aren't great. I'd recommend to bring your own.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

lspst8 said:


> Has anyone here been on the Carnival Magic? We are thinking of trying it in January because the price seems so affordable (2500 for our family of 4 in a cove balcony room). We have only cruises with DCL, so we are a little nervous to try something new.



We have not tried the Magic but would not hesitate to book it.  We have done some "research" on it because we almost booked it for spring break 2019.  We ended up holding off because we do not have the school calendar yet and had trouble making a guess on the right week.  We were also looking at a cove balcony for one room and we found reports of certain cove balconies on the magic only (so this is a design flaw specific to the magic) that are near some kind of exhaust system that releases a bad odor.  I would google specific cabin numbers because from what I remember it only affects about 4 cabins.  I had it all figured out when I was looking but no longer have the specific cabin numbers.  I have read if you do end up in one of those cabins, the smell is only apparent on the balcony and if you complain at guest services they will try to move you or give you a credit of some kind.  Anyway, just a heads up.  Otherwise, looks like a really great ship.  Our kids loved Carnival.  The vibe is so positive and there are endless things to do.  That is a great price.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I have now started to plan our April cruise. It will be a Key West - Cozumel 4 nights cruise departing from Miami.
> 
> We plan on staying in a beach front hotel in Fort Lauderdale for three reasons:
> 
> 1) We were supposed to visit Fort Lauderdale on our last cruise but with a 6 hours delay in our flight we arrived in FLL at night so we had to postpone our plans.
> 
> 2) It's hard to explain but while it is not a bad place per say, I did not fall in love with Miami like I thought I would so I don't see value in paying the big Miami rates for flights and hotels. I feel like Fort Lauderdale is a big more relaxed and I like it.
> 
> 3) Huge difference in price for flights... and hotels at least 100$ less in FLL for very similar experience.
> 
> In Key West, since we only get half a day there, I've been think of booking the Old Town Trolley (hop on and off). DH and I usually prefer to walk but that would give us the option to get where we want to go a little bit faster. In KW, I would like to see the Hemingway House (strictly for the cats LOL), have brunch at Blue Heaven (and try their Key Lime Pie), eat Frozen Key Lime Pie from Kermitt, walk on Duval street, see the soldier and nurse kissing statue, walk in front of the most haunted places... Maybe see the Southernmost point. We booked this cruise because I've been reading about Key West for a long time, I've wanted to go there for so long. Chose to go in April because there are less risks to be re-routed during that period. I'm very excited.
> 
> In Cozumel, we are most likely going to visit Tulum and possibly with a cenote swim. I'm still looking up for details trying to figure out which excursion is the best for us as a lot of them go include Tulum.
> 
> I will book through Carnival as I don't mind paying a little bit more. I've been satisfied so far.


WHich ship?  You will love key west.  It is very walkable.  You might find you can just walk it.  We have been 3 times and have not done the on off train.  A lot of people do it though.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

lspst8 said:


> Has anyone here been on the Carnival Magic? We are thinking of trying it in January because the price seems so affordable (2500 for our family of 4 in a cove balcony room). We have only cruises with DCL, so we are a little nervous to try something new.



I have not been on the Magic but I have been on Dream and Breeze (her sister ships).  Breeze is my favorite ship!  There is so much to do, or not do if you prefer.  The kids clubs are great but they do close at meal times which I believe DCL does not.  The Waterpark area is fun for even smaller kids as they have small slides and a splash play area (must be potty trained no swim diapers allowed).  I think Carnival has a good balance of activities for all ages.


----------



## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> I have not been on the Magic but I have been on Dream and Breeze (her sister ships).  Breeze is my favorite ship!  There is so much to do, or not do if you prefer.  The kids clubs are great but they do close at meal times which I believe DCL does not.  The Waterpark area is fun for even smaller kids as they have small slides and a splash play area (must be potty trained no swim diapers allowed).  I think Carnival has a good balance of activities for all ages.


I've been on the Breeze. I didn't know the Magic was a sister ship. Good to know.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

cruiser21 said:


> I've been on the Breeze. I didn't know the Magic was a sister ship. Good to know.



Yes, they are all Dream Class:
Dream 2009
Magic 2011
Breeze 2012


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> WHich ship?  You will love key west.  It is very walkable.  You might find you can just walk it.  We have been 3 times and have not done the on off train.  A lot of people do it though.



The Carnival Victory! Sailed on her last year and loved it and it's going to be refurbished this winter (John Heald told me --on Facebook-- that it was going to be upgraded to Fun Ship 2.0... Awesome!)... 

I'm sure we could walk it but since we only get 5 hours in port, I thought the train could help get from point A to point B a little bit faster.


----------



## mevelandry

In the description for my next cruise, I forgot to mention the price...

4 nights (Key West-Cozumel)on the Carnival Victory departing from Miami. Inside cabin --Had 3 cruises with verandah rooms, spent less than 30 min/day--... Our cabin is on Deck 6/Aft.

...710$ (taxes and fees included) for 2 adults.


----------



## oumagic

I appreciate the comparison review. We have done more Carnival cruises than any other and have enjoyed all of them (mostly smaller ships). We have only done one DCL cruise and loved it as well. 

We only have one cruise booked so far for 2018 and it is on DCL, but if we do a second cruise in 2018, it will be on Carnival. My family of 4 really likes Carnival but when we get our group of 9 together, the group vote is “only DCL.”


----------



## mevelandry

oumagic said:


> I appreciate the comparison review. We have done more Carnival cruises than any other and have enjoyed all of them (mostly smaller ships). We have only done one DCL cruise and loved it as well.
> 
> We only have one cruise booked so far for 2018 and it is on DCL, but if we do a second cruise in 2018, it will be on Carnival. My family of 4 really likes Carnival but when we get our group of 9 together, the group vote is “only DCL.”



Which cruise lines has the rest of the group sailed on?


----------



## oumagic

mevelandry said:


> Which cruise lines has the rest of the group sailed on?


They have sailed Carnival and DCL. They just prefer DCL and don’t care to cruise often. My family prefers more frequent cruises and due to our travel budget, that means we must open up to other lines.

My parent-in-laws (not in this group of 9) sailed Carnival back in the early 2000’s and said “never again.” Then a few years ago my daughter’s dance team had a performance on Carnival so they went and said that they were pleasantly surprised. Enough that we went with them on another the same year. So in other words, things are constantly evolving.

I am REALLY looking forward to our DCL cruise next year (December 27, 2018) but not sure I can wait that long to cruise and may squeeze Carnival in somewhere spring or summer. Thanks for the Carnival reviews!


----------



## mevelandry

Thanks to you! If you decide to cruise with Carnival again, feel free to submit your own review.


----------



## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> Yes, they are all Dream Class:
> Dream 2009
> Magic 2011
> Breeze 2012


Two of these are the same age as the Dream and Fantasy and all are younger then the Wonder and Magic. I always thought the Magic was an older ship.


----------



## lucyddr

Dallas_Lady said:


> I guess I'm just a little DIsney brainwashed because it's hard for me to imagine another cruise line catering to kids as well as they do.  But those pools and slides look much better than anything Disney has!




Our children haven't been on a Disney cruise yet, but have stayed at Lilo's Playhouse at WDW.  While they enjoyed it, they never asked to go again.  On our Carnival cruise, they begged to go to Camp Carnival constantly....if the doors were open, they wanted to be there! 

I feel an obligation to take ours on DCL, yet dread it...  We have cruised Disney twice before children and Carnival many more times, and I just don't see us ever choosing DCL over Carnival again. 

Trust me...kids LOVE Carnival!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

lucyddr said:


> Our children haven't been on a Disney cruise yet, but have stayed at Lilo's Playhouse at WDW.  While they enjoyed it, they never asked to go again.  On our Carnival cruise, they begged to go to Camp Carnival constantly....if the doors were open, they wanted to be there!
> 
> I feel an obligation to take ours on DCL, yet dread it...  We have cruised Disney twice before children and Carnival many more times, and I just don't see us ever choosing DCL over Carnival again.
> 
> Trust me...kids LOVE Carnival!



I feel no such obligation!  My kids love the parks and we get our Disney fix every few years there.  Other than price my big turn-off of DCL is the dining format.  I don't ever see us cruising any line that does not have an open seating option.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> I was obsessed with Pig & Anchor to the point I had to eat there every time it was open (lunch on embarkation day and on sea days).
> 
> My husband always says the included food is so good that we don't need to pay for specialty dining but I am a fan of upgrades. Lol
> 
> In Jiji Asian Kitchen, we had the duck, the pork belly, the Chicken Kung Pao, Fried Rice (don't know what it was infused with but Wow!) and Noodles... that I forgot to take a picture of...  they were delicious. I would recommend those dishes.
> 
> For dessert, I highly recommend the Rose Crème Brûlée... if you enjoy having a little Rose Water in your dessert... (I know sone people can't stand it. I love it)... It was so creamy and delicate... A masterpiece!
> 
> I call Jiji Asian Kitchen the "Asian Remy" now.
> 
> If you like Asian food and haven't try Bonsai Sushi, I would recommend it as well. I don't eat sushi but I was a fan of those Teriyaki Wagyu Beef bites (4$).



I am so glad that you enjoyed your Vista cruise.

JiJi's is my favourite at sea specialty restaurant of any cruise line we've sailed with (and only $15 per person!).


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> I am so glad that you enjoyed your Vista cruise.
> 
> JiJi's is my favourite at sea specialty restaurant of any cruise line we've sailed with (and only $15 per person!).



We loved it! I may have mentioned it in another post but my husband says he's now 100% Carnival (but open to try other cruise lines like RCCL and NCL!)

I still can't believe that Jiji was just 15$/pp... I can't get over the fact that the specialy dining were so affordable! Cucina too was excellent for 15$/pp --we loved the free lunch as well-- The Steakhouse was an excellent value for 30$/pp... I also thought Bonsai Sushi was an nice addition and very affordable!


----------



## cyclenut

cruiser21 said:


> Two of these are the same age as the Dream and Fantasy and all are younger then the Wonder and Magic. I always thought the Magic was an older ship.


A friend of mine has sailed both the Magic and the Breeze.  He likes the Magic better.  There are minor differences really, but I think it came down to the crew more than anything else.  That's how similar the ships are.  I can't say often enough how much we enjoyed the Breeze.  I checked prices for the Vista in Galveston the other day and am trying to convince myself to pull the trigger and book it.  I looked at the DCL 2019 itinerary and just didn't see anything too exciting there.  I'm more excited about the Vista in Galveston!


----------



## cruiser21

cyclenut said:


> A friend of mine has sailed both the Magic and the Breeze.  He likes the Magic better.  There are minor differences really, but I think it came down to the crew more than anything else.  That's how similar the ships are.  I can't say often enough how much we enjoyed the Breeze.  I checked prices for the Vista in Galveston the other day and am trying to convince myself to pull the trigger and book it.  I looked at the DCL 2019 itinerary and just didn't see anything too exciting there.  I'm more excited about the Vista in Galveston!


I enjoy cruising out of Galveston. It's an easy port for us living in AZ. Hotels are cheap in the Fall too.


----------



## mevelandry

We decided to ask my FIL and MIL if they wanted to come with us on our April Carnival Victory cruise. They just booked their reservation. 


****************************************

Carnival Victory (which will go under dry dock in January), 4 nights, Key West and Cozumel, inside cabin, deck 7: 800$ USD for 2 adults.*

VS our last cruise...

Disney Wonder (which was out of dry dock 8 months earlier), 3 nights, Bahamas, inside cabin, deck 7: 1700$ USD for two adults. 

That's 900$ USD less than our 2017 Family Cruise, and they get one extra night and a better itinerary. 

*****************************************

I showed my MIL actual pictures of the Victory (pre-dry dock) and she likes it the way it is. 

Hopefully, John Heald is right and they will add Guy's Burger, Blue Iguana and Pig & Anchor in January. That would be an excellent addition to a great ship. 

MIL and FIL are both very excited to get to know Carnival. They want to see the comedy shows and can't wait to see Vrooom (musical revue). I think they are going to enjoy it very much. 


I'm currently briefing them on the difference they will find between DCL and Carnival. 


*Booked Early Saver so they could still get a lower rate later (and therefore get a little OBC).


----------



## mevelandry

In other news, Great Stirrup Cay (Norwegian's Bahamas Private Island) is now a serious contender VS Castaway Cay... A big fat WOW:

EDIT: Links won't work... Google "Great Stirrup Cay  USA Today" and you should get to see pictures.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> In other news, Great Stirrup Cay (Norwegian's Bahamas Private Island) is now a serious contender VS Castaway Cay... A big fat WOW:
> 
> https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...e-lines-revamped-great-stirrup-cay/102811756/



We have been to GSC/ NCLs private island.  Just as beautiful as Castaway Cay but with better food. 
Going to their new one harvest caye next year.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> In other news, Great Stirrup Cay (Norwegian's Bahamas Private Island) is now a serious contender VS Castaway Cay... A big fat WOW:
> 
> https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...e-lines-revamped-great-stirrup-cay/102811756/


Your link is not opening for me for some reason.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Your link is not opening for me for some reason.



You are right. For some reason it doesn't seem to work at all. 

Anyways... It looks fantastic! Now, while I hope I will be able to afford other itineraries than the Bahamas in the future, I have an incentive to book the Bahamas with NCL if I can't afford anything else.*


*I'm saying that because you should never take your job/your revenue for granted.


----------



## mevelandry

Anyone else having problems connecting to the Carnival website? 

My FIL and I tried to connect last night in order to pick Your Time Dining and make their beds a queen but we got that little towel dog with a construction hat...


----------



## RedSox68

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Awesome photos!  I thought so much care went into that Dr. Suess event.



I'm so bummed we had to cancel that this year -- I was not feeling well and knew the day before I would not enjoy it.  Maybe next time!


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> And... the last but not the least... My beautiful gigantic Blue Velvet Cake from the Java Blue Café!
> 
> View attachment 279424



Curious, what was the flavor of this cake?  It really is pretty!


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> I know she's relocating to Galveston at some point and will be replaced by the Horizon in Miami (which will be similar + Dr. Seuss waterworks. Saw the plans. Looks awesome.)



Yes, when I called about next year's itinerary not including anything to NE/Canada, he said it was because they were coming out with the Horizon and that would replace the Vista in Miami.  When I asked what that had to do with neither the Glory nor the Sunshine going back to NE/Canada, he had not answer.  Guess they are being pushed to talk about the Horizon -- whether it has anything to do with your question or not  LOL.

I was really bummed they aren't doing that itinerary next year -- we've enjoyed both our cruises on Carnival to those ports.  We ended booking RCCL instead.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> It is. DH and I can't imagine booking a 7 nights on a Disney Ship... We would have to be ready to sail only once a year, which we are not: we want to travel 2 to 4 times a year.



I have three cruises booked next year -- two in a verandah (RCCL and NCL) and one in an oceanview (RCCL) -- and the total of all three cruises is less than one 7-night Disney Cruise on average (some itineraries are cheaper than others -- but those are usually the ones I don't want LOL).  Yes, we like to take at least three one-week vacations a year as I have 25 vacation days and my husband is retired, but we don't want to have to take out a loan to afford them!


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> I know some people enjoy DCL without kids. I can't see myself on a Disney ship once my kids are grown. There just wouldn't be a point for me to spend that amount of money.



I agree about the money -- and am just itching to use our platinum benefits.  Hoping maybe on one of the new ships -- and then that would probably be it for us for Disney.  We've done all four ships, but don't see us ever being able to afford to do the next three!  We, too, have discovered better pricing and better food in the world beyond Disney cruising


----------



## RedSox68

cyclenut said:


> Carnival earned the bad reputation a few years ago and that reputation continues if you book one of their 3 or 4 day cruises from a number of different ports.  We used to live in SoCal and sailed a couple of times on those short cruises.  The bartenders were very aggressive at pushing heavy drinking.  I witnessed several people who were heavily drunk really push the envelop of public humiliation.  I even found a joint in a drawer in my stateroom.
> 
> I didn't see the same on the Breeze.  Much more similar to the Disney experience, although Carnival was still really pushing the booze more than is typical for a Disney cruise.  Wife and I ordered a drink.  We were half way done and we were asked if we wanted another.  We said no.  They walked away.  We were nearly done and they just sat the two drinks down on the table.  We said no thank you and they tried to talk us into it.  All in fun I suppose, but it bordered on rude.
> 
> One last thing.  The Carnival alcohol package encourages heavy consumption.



Sorry, but I do not agree with this generalization of Carnival.

We have sailed on two Carnival cruises so far -- our first one was the 4-night on Carnival Glory from NYC over Labor Day weekend to NE/Canada.  The ship was sold out and we saw lots of families and young people -- and we had the drink package.  We never felt pressured to drink -- we just walked up to the bar and got what we wanted -- once a day -- and that was it.  We never once on that whole cruise saw anyone falling down drunk.  However, more than once on a Disney cruise we have witnessed embarrassingly drunk parents and one even thrown out of kaoroke for being beligerent and told they could never return to that bar for the rest of the cruise.  On two Carnival cruises, we have never witnessed that anywhere.


----------



## cruiser21

RedSox68 said:


> I agree about the money -- and am just itching to use our platinum benefits.  Hoping maybe on one of the new ships -- and then that would probably be it for us for Disney.  We've done all four ships, but don't see us ever being able to afford to do the next three!  We, too, have discovered better pricing and better food in the world beyond Disney cruising


It's really just Palo. You may save a few minutes in line on embarkation, but that's about it.  Many cruises we don't even go to Palo. We still have to leave a tip. I usually leave around 40 dollars so not exactly free. I thought it was really good the first few times, but then I got kind of tired of it. They fruit basket..meh. There's plenty of fruit onboard. DCL is pretty stingy when it comes to platinum benefits.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> It's really just Palo. You may save a few minutes in line on embarkation, but that's about it.  Many cruises we don't even go to Palo. We still have to leave a tip. I usually leave around 40 dollars so not exactly free. I thought it was really good the first few times, but then I got kind of tired of it. They fruit basket..meh. There's plenty of fruit onboard. DCL is pretty stingy when it comes to platinum benefits.



Too true


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Curious, what was the flavor of this cake?  It really is pretty!



Same thing as a red velvet cake (half vanilla-half chocolate, with cream cheese frosting) except they dye it blue instead of red.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

Everything we've tried from the coffee shop has been great - the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, the chocolate cake with fudge frosting, and I think there was one other - maybe some kind of apple tart/pie thing? They are about $2.50 and big enough to share (the 3 of us share 1 piece and even then it's "who is going to finish this?" because they are so good and super rich). Next up will be the cheesecake from the coffee shop in January on a day where my dad and my godson are off doing something fun - only my mom and I enjoy cheesecake so we'll get a couple of lattes and a piece and it will be our own version of an excursion.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

RedSox68 said:


> Curious, what was the flavor of this cake?  It really is pretty!





mevelandry said:


> Same thing as a red velvet cake (half vanilla-half chocolate, with cream cheese frosting) except they dye it blue instead of red.



There is something compelling about that blue velvet cake because we tried it too and out of all the other delicious looking things in the case, our kids picked that one as well!  It was awesome.  Another time DH also tried the black forest cake but I think it was white forest cake and in a circular container.  I just remember seeing the white chocolate flakes on top.  He loved that too.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> There is something compelling about that blue velvet cake because we tried it too and out of all the other delicious looking things in the case, our kids picked that one as well!  It was awesome.  Another time DH also tried the black forest cake but I think it was white forest cake and in a circular container.  I just remember seeing the white chocolate flakes on top.  He loved that too.



Yes, the White Forest Cake looked so awesome... Which I had enough appetite to try it!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I love carrot cake and really want to try it but then I always balk because there is so much included food and I hate spending extra money!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I love carrot cake and really want to try it but then I always balk because there is so much included food and I hate spending extra money!



Yeah, too much delicious food included. I noticed that I eat too much on my Carnival cruises. Everything is so good!!!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

trvlgirlmq said:


> I love carrot cake and really want to try it but then I always balk because there is so much included food and I hate spending extra money!



Try that carrot cake - you won't be disappointed. It really is that good.


----------



## cyclenut

RedSox68 said:


> Sorry, but I do not agree with this generalization of Carnival.
> 
> We have sailed on two Carnival cruises so far -- our first one was the 4-night on Carnival Glory from NYC over Labor Day weekend to NE/Canada.  The ship was sold out and we saw lots of families and young people -- and we had the drink package.  We never felt pressured to drink -- we just walked up to the bar and got what we wanted -- once a day -- and that was it.  We never once on that whole cruise saw anyone falling down drunk.  However, more than once on a Disney cruise we have witnessed embarrassingly drunk parents and one even thrown out of kaoroke for being beligerent and told they could never return to that bar for the rest of the cruise.  On two Carnival cruises, we have never witnessed that anywhere.



I'm glad your experience has been different.  Carnival is working to improve their reputation, but I can assure you that the shorter 3-4 day cruises are known by the locals as a "booze cruise".  I've sailed on two of those and while the ship was filled with families, honeymooners and couples looking for an escape (us), alcohol was an ever present lubricant contributing to the party atmosphere.  I'm speaking from personal experience here and I've found as I've shared my story with others who have sailed those cruises, I am not alone.  Heck, I met some people in the hot tub that turned out to be good friends of my cousin.  They sail the 3 day Carnival out of Long Beach at least once a year with a large group for the sole purpose of drinking heavily and hanging out.  IF they leave the ship in Ensenada, it is to go to a local tourist bar for shots.  These cruises are cheap and convenient.  Perfect weekend getaway.


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> I'm glad your experience has been different.  Carnival is working to improve their reputation, but I can assure you that the shorter 3-4 day cruises are known by the locals as a "booze cruise".  I've sailed on two of those and while the ship was filled with families, honeymooners and couples looking for an escape (us), alcohol was an ever present lubricant contributing to the party atmosphere.  I'm speaking from personal experience here and I've found as I've shared my story with others who have sailed those cruises, I am not alone.  Heck, I met some people in the hot tub that turned out to be good friends of my cousin.  They sail the 3 day Carnival out of Long Beach at least once a year with a large group for the sole purpose of drinking heavily and hanging out.  IF they leave the ship in Ensenada, it is to go to a local tourist bar for shots.  These cruises are cheap and convenient.  Perfect weekend getaway.



Our 4 nights in the Bahamas on the Victory was super quiet. Guess we got lucky. I'm grateful for that because then we decided to book the Vista which is now my favorite ship.


----------



## mevelandry

Yes, it's another list of "Best" (it seems like there is hundreds of them)... 

But it's always fun to read... 

Carnival is:

#4 in Best Cruise Lines for the Money (topped by RCCL, Celebrity and NCL... Surprisingly, DCL is not in the list --not in the luxury cruises either) 
#3 in Best Cruise Lines for Families (topped by DCL and RCCL)
#4 in Best Cruise Lines in the Caribbean (topped by DCL, RCCL and Celebrity)


https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/...t-cruise-line-the-money-us-news-world-reports

Since Carnival is right behind those cruise lines, I guess Carnival must not be that bad!


----------



## Neptune's Fork

mevelandry said:


> Yes, it's another list of "Best" (it seems like there is hundreds of them)...
> 
> But it's always fun to read...
> 
> Carnival is:
> 
> #4 in Best Cruise Lines for the Money (topped by RCCL, Celebrity and NCL... Surprisingly, DCL is not in the list --not in the luxury cruises either)



Surprisingly? That's the one universal complaint on DCL, the cost.  So it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone it didn't make any 'Best Cruise Lines for the Money' list.


----------



## Neptune's Fork

RedSox68 said:


> Sorry, but I do not agree with this generalization of Carnival.
> 
> We have sailed on two Carnival cruises so far -- our first one was the 4-night on Carnival Glory from NYC over Labor Day weekend to NE/Canada.  The ship was sold out and we saw lots of families and young people -- and we had the drink package.  We never felt pressured to drink -- we just walked up to the bar and got what we wanted -- once a day -- and that was it.  We never once on that whole cruise saw anyone falling down drunk.  However, more than once on a Disney cruise we have witnessed embarrassingly drunk parents and one even thrown out of kaoroke for being beligerent and told they could never return to that bar for the rest of the cruise.  On two Carnival cruises, we have never witnessed that anywhere.



I've heard from no less than 6 people recently who have done Carnival cruises in the past year, and they are pretty consistent in saying it is a drink heavy cruise, especially among the 20s set.  In fairness, I don't think a cruise to Canada is going to give you a taste for the typical Carnival cruise, as most of their ships are sailing in the Caribbean and Gulf.  This isn't to say there's no drinking on Disney ships, I was on Magic last month and there was a fair amount of it, as there would be on most any cruise line, but I think Carnival takes the crown in this area.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Neptune's Fork said:


> I've heard from no less than 6 people recently who have done Carnival cruises in the past year, and they are pretty consistent in saying it is a drink heavy cruise, especially among the 20s set.  In fairness, I don't think a cruise to Canada is going to give you a taste for the typical Carnival cruise, as most of their ships are sailing in the Caribbean and Gulf.  This isn't to say there's no drinking on Disney ships, I was on Magic last month and there was a fair amount of it, as there would be on most any cruise line, but I think Carnival takes the crown in this area.



On our summer Caribbean cruise on Carnival, there was no more drinking than on one of our many Disney cruises.  In fact, we never noticed ANY drinking.  I am not saying no one was drinking, but we never, and I never, noticed anyone drinking.   I noticed more eating than on DCL, because there was amazing food around every corner.  On two occasions we noticed people licking their fingers eating bbq (lol- yuck), but... no drinking.  We did not drink at all on the ship and we generally do not drink.  We are not drawn to party scenes and are very dull!!  We did not even have a soft drink on the ship but did purchase lattes every day.  We are eagerly going back to Carnival in March at 1/4th of the price of DCL.


----------



## mevelandry

Neptune's Fork said:


> Surprisingly? That's the one universal complaint on DCL, the cost.  So it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone it didn't make any 'Best Cruise Lines for the Money' list.



That was semi-sarcastic. 

But you'd guess the "experience" was a criteria in the ranking. Maybe those who made the choices are impermeable to the Disney magic?


----------



## mevelandry

Neptune's Fork said:


> I've heard from no less than 6 people recently who have done Carnival cruises in the past year, and they are pretty consistent in saying it is a drink heavy cruise, especially among the 20s set.  In fairness, I don't think a cruise to Canada is going to give you a taste for the typical Carnival cruise, as most of their ships are sailing in the Caribbean and Gulf.  This isn't to say there's no drinking on Disney ships, I was on Magic last month and there was a fair amount of it, as there would be on most any cruise line, but I think Carnival takes the crown in this area.



Or NCL or RCCL... Short cruises (3 nights more often than 4 nights) tend to be booze cruises. NCL now offer illimited drinks on many cruises... So I guess they are trying to steal the crown. 

Got two Carnival cruises under my belt and they were not booze cruises. Going for a third one in 5 months (another 4 nights). Not even remotely worried.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> On our summer Caribbean cruise on Carnival, there was no more drinking than on one of our many Disney cruises.  In fact, we never noticed ANY drinking.  I am not saying no one was drinking, but we never, and I never, noticed anyone drinking.   I noticed more eating than on DCL, because there was amazing food around every corner.  On two occasions we noticed people licking their fingers eating bbq (lol- yuck), but... no drinking.  We did not drink at all on the ship and we generally do not drink.  We are not drawn to party scenes and are very dull!!  We did not even have a soft drink on the ship but did purchase lattes every day.  We are eagerly going back to Carnival in March at 1/4th of the price of DCL.



Same experience. DH and I get up quite early so we get the ship for ourselves for a certain time in the morning. Since we're off to bed by 10:00 PM... If there is partying, we don't notice. I don't even remember seeing one drunk person.


----------



## Vicki106

We sailed on the Carnival Sensation last week on a charter cruise run by a travel agency out of Philadelphia.  Prior to this we had only sailed DCL.  The cruise was centered around a musical group and there were tons of wonderful performances, and we had a great time.  But I did notice some very distinct differences from DCL.  To be fair though, I want to mention that this is an old ship that I think is only used for charters.  First the crew from the cabin stewards, to the servers (with the exception of one cranky guy we saw one night at dinner) were very friendly and super accommodating.  No problem with that at all.  There were several areas where I felt there maintenance and cleanliness were well below what we see on DCL.  Our stateroom had what we laughingly considered to be the "Dirtiest Window in the Caribbean."  Absolutely filthy inside and outside.  There was visible rust in many, many places especially in the areas on the Lido Deck. And the restrooms throughout the ship (along with the closets in our stateroom) looked like temporary construction - flimsy pressboard with multiple sets of holes for screws that were re-drilled a few inches over. . . .   And the smell on cigarette smoke in the hallways outside of the staterooms was shocking.  (I know Carnival wasn't to blame for people choosing to smoke, but they did not seem to be enforcing their no smoking areas.)  I also found the food to be ok, but not up to DCL's. 

Overall, we had a great time, because we were there for the entertainment, and nothing sticks out in my mind as terrible, but it definitely wasn't DCL.  Would I go on the Carnival Sensation again?  Yes for something like this cruise, but if we decide to sail Carnival with the family, I would want to be on one of their newer ships.


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## mevelandry

Vicki106 said:


> We sailed on the Carnival Sensation last week on a charter cruise run by a travel agency out of Philadelphia.  Prior to this we had only sailed DCL.  The cruise was centered around a musical group and there were tons of wonderful performances, and we had a great time.  But I did notice some very distinct differences from DCL.  To be fair though, I want to mention that this is an old ship that I think is only used for charters.  First the crew from the cabin stewards, to the servers (with the exception of one cranky guy we saw one night at dinner) were very friendly and super accommodating.  No problem with that at all.  There were several areas where I felt there maintenance and cleanliness were well below what we see on DCL.  Our stateroom had what we laughingly considered to be the "Dirtiest Window in the Caribbean."  Absolutely filthy inside and outside.  There was visible rust in many, many places especially in the areas on the Lido Deck. And the restrooms throughout the ship (along with the closets in our stateroom) looked like temporary construction - flimsy pressboard with multiple sets of holes for screws that were re-drilled a few inches over. . . .   And the smell on cigarette smoke in the hallways outside of the staterooms was shocking.  (I know Carnival wasn't to blame for people choosing to smoke, but they did not seem to be enforcing their no smoking areas.)  I also found the food to be ok, but not up to DCL's.
> 
> Overall, we had a great time, because we were there for the entertainment, and nothing sticks out in my mind as terrible, but it definitely wasn't DCL.  Would I go on the Carnival Sensation again?  Yes for something like this cruise, but if we decide to sail Carnival with the family, I would want to be on one of their newer ships.



Thanks for your review! 

I thought the Sensation was under a multi-million dollars dry dock in the beginning of 2017...   That being said, she is 24 years old. Not super young. Some of her decks are still made of wood (which in my opinion make ships look older).

I have a few questions...

Do you have pictures of the damages?

Did you ask the steward to clean your window? (Was it done?)

Where did you eat?
Have you tried  Guy's Burger Joint & BlueIguana Cantina?  
Did they add Pig & Anchor on the Sensation? 
Where do you usually eat with DCL? (MDR only or Palo & Remy?)

I'm dreaming of the day smoking won't be permitted (inside) on board cruiseships...!!!  Carnival Sunshine and Vista have strict rules regarding smoking and I wish they would extend it to all the ships.


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## Anchors Away 2016

Neptune's Fork said:


> I've heard from no less than 6 people recently who have done Carnival cruises in the past year, and they are pretty consistent in saying it is a drink heavy cruise, especially among the 20s set.  In fairness, I don't think a cruise to Canada is going to give you a taste for the typical Carnival cruise, as most of their ships are sailing in the Caribbean and Gulf.  This isn't to say there's no drinking on Disney ships, I was on Magic last month and there was a fair amount of it, as there would be on most any cruise line, but I think Carnival takes the crown in this area.





we"reofftoneverland said:


> On our summer Caribbean cruise on Carnival, there was no more drinking than on one of our many Disney cruises. In fact, we never noticed ANY drinking. I am not saying no one was drinking, but we never, and I never, noticed anyone drinking. I noticed more eating than on DCL, because there was amazing food around every corner.



I've read a lot of this thread over the time, not all of it.  Found these two posts close together to be humorous.  I'll share another data point.

My wife and I went on a 4-day Carnival Cruise recently to the Bahamas on the Liberty.  I was quite unsure what to expect, when it came to drinking and to food compared to DCL.

I think it is quite fair to say there was more drinking on the Liberty than there was on the DCL Fantasy when we were there.  The bars were fuller, the shows (even the main theater) had waitstaff coming by taking drink orders throughout.  (all the seats had little tables and aisles so the staff could walk past.)  Likewise by the pools.  Way more waitstaff taking drink orders than I ever saw on Fantasy.  They sold drinks by the pitcher in many of the bars.  I don't remember that on DCL. 

But on the other hand, I didn't see it as a "booze cruise", either.  I didn't see anyone fall down drunk or ever particularly rowdy.  There was plenty of enthusiasm, but it was spurred on by the Entertainment staff, just as on DCL ships, not the alcohol.  Most people were relaxed and peaceful.

As for the food, it was more similar to DCL than I might have expected.  Some pluses, some minuses, but based more on lining up with my personal preferences than any objective scale of "better."  There was plenty to eat, and people were eating it.  Just like on DCL. 

As for smoking, there were a few foul smelling sections of the cabin corridors, but I wouldn't have called it smokey smell.  I don't know what it was.  I'm glad our cabin wasn't in those areas.  As for smoke elsewhere on the ship, I thought the rules were pretty well enforced.  Even the casino wasn't as smoky as i expected.  Oh, you could smell it, but it wasn't overpowering, unless of course you have asthma or a sensitivity to smoke, in which case certainly you would want to avoid the casino.


----------



## wombat_5606

mevelandry said:


> I'm dreaming of the day smoking won't be permitted (inside) on board cruiseships.



Did you know that Carnival had a ship, the Paradise, that was initially the cruise industry's only all non-smoking ship? I sailed with her and it was heaven. I believe Carnival was ahead of their time but it was discontinued in the early 2000's. 

I think they could make it work in todays market. I wonder why they don't bring it back?


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## mevelandry

Anchors Away 2016 said:


> (...)   They sold drinks by the pitcher in many of the bars.  I don't remember that on DCL (...)



Side note: Those pitchers are a really good value. DH and I calculated it: it gives you more or less 4 drinks for the price of 3. It's a good way to save money.


----------



## mevelandry

wombat_5606 said:


> Did you know that Carnival had a ship, the Paradise, that was initially the cruise industry's only all non-smoking ship? I sailed with her and it was heaven. I believe Carnival was ahead of their time but it was discontinued in the early 2000's.
> 
> I think they could make it work in todays market. I wonder why they don't bring it back?



Yes, I heard about it. I wish they would do it again as it is now the norm in North America that you can't smoke inside in public areas. Or at least close a smoking part of the casino? I noticed that they blocked the casino with windows (from the deck 5) on the Vista. It's a nice touch, however they should put doors in the entrance of the Casino as well because you can actually smell the smoke from the stairs.


----------



## Anchors Away 2016

mevelandry said:


> Side note: Those pitchers are a really good value. DH and I calculated it: it gives you more or less 4 drinks for the price of 3. It's a good way to save money.



Absolutely.  Especially given that A) my wife and I can usually find something we agree on, and B) she is a rather light drinker, so 1 or 1.5 for her and ...   Hmmm.  Am I sure I wasn't on a booze cruise?  Nah.  Besides, we did that like once in 4 days.


----------



## Vicki106

mevelandry said:


> Thanks for your review!
> 
> I thought the Sensation was under a multi-million dollars dry dock in the beginning of 2017...   That being said, she is 24 years old. Not super young. Some of her decks are still made of wood (which in my opinion make ships look older).
> 
> I have a few questions...
> 
> Do you have pictures of the damages?
> 
> Did you ask the steward to clean your window? (Was it done?)
> 
> Where did you eat?
> Have you tried  Guy's Burger Joint & BlueIguana Cantina?
> Did they add Pig & Anchor on the Sensation?
> Where do you usually eat with DCL? (MDR only or Palo & Remy?)
> 
> I'm dreaming of the day smoking won't be permitted (inside) on board cruiseships...!!!  Carnival Sunshine and Vista have strict rules regarding smoking and I wish they would extend it to all the ships.




I only have a picture of the window. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			
		
		
	


	





Yikes!  Sorry that it is a HUGE picture.  We weren't in the room much, so we didn't ask for it to be cleaned.  But it was dirty on the glass and on the ledge and track of the window.  And the curtains were pulled off of the hooks. . .  I will add that when we called as soon as we entered our stateroom to say that one of the ceiling lights needed the bulbs replaced, it was done when we returned from the muster drill.  

We ate in one of the 2 the Main Dining Rooms, the buffet on the Lido Deck, tried out the 24 hour pizza place and the deli as well as Guy's Burger Joint.  Guy's burgers were pretty good!  The best meal I had was filet mignon and eggs in the MDR on an at sea day brunch. 

We didn't see any Pig and Anchor there, and I think we would have noticed, as we were checking everything out. 

On DCL we usually eat at the MDR and less frequently we eat something quick at Cabanas.  On our last cruise on the Fantasy, my husband and I at brunch at Palo's but we haven't tried Remy yet. 

And yes!  A non-smoking ship would be fantastic!


----------



## mevelandry

Vicki106 said:


> I only have a picture of the window.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yikes!  Sorry that it is a HUGE picture.  We weren't in the room much, so we didn't ask for it to be cleaned.  But it was dirty on the glass and on the ledge and track of the window.  And the curtains were pulled off of the hooks. . .  I will add that when we called as soon as we entered our stateroom to say that one of the ceiling lights needed the bulbs replaced, it was done when we returned from the muster drill.
> 
> We ate in one of the 2 the Main Dining Rooms, the buffet on the Lido Deck, tried out the 24 hour pizza place and the deli as well as Guy's Burger Joint.  Guy's burgers were pretty good!  The best meal I had was filet mignon and eggs in the MDR on an at sea day brunch.
> 
> We didn't see any Pig and Anchor there, and I think we would have noticed, as we were checking everything out.
> 
> On DCL we usually eat at the MDR and less frequently we eat something quick at Cabanas.  On our last cruise on the Fantasy, my husband and I at brunch at Palo's but we haven't tried Remy yet.
> 
> And yes!  A non-smoking ship would be fantastic!



My phone refuses to show me the picture... :/

It was also my experience that when you call to ask for something to be cleaned or fixed, they do it right away.

I'm a fan of their steak and egg as well.

Have you tried their new MDR breakfast menu? (not the brunch, the port days breakfast) IMO it's the best breakfast I've had on any cruise line. I've had avocado toasts and vanilla french toast 3 days in a row and did not have time to try the sandwich but I want to try it next time.

I loved Guy's Burger but Pig and Anchor was my favorite.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Yes, I heard about it. I wish they would do it again as it is now the norm in North America that you can't smoke inside in public areas. Or at least close a smoking part of the casino? I noticed that they blocked the casino with windows (from the deck 5) on the Vista. It's a nice touch, however they should put doors in the entrance of the Casino as well because you can actually smell the smoke from the stairs.



OMG -- all I want is for a criuse line to construct the ship so that it does not REQUIRE me to walk straight through the casino to get to other parts of the ship!  Some of the lines we have been on had the casino on one side of the ship so that at least you could skirt around it.  But the last three cruises we have taken on Carnival and NCL make so you have no other choice but to walk through it or go up a floor and over.  Whatever their reasoning or thinking is, forcing me to walk through the smoke-filled atmosphere of the casino is NOT going to tempt me to gamble!  

If they can make casinos in Atlantic City some free, I don't know why they can't do it on a cruise line!  

And yes, for good sakes, put the casinos in enclosed areas because we, too, have had smoke filter both up and down into rooms.  Once thing DCL has over any other line -- no dang casinos.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

RedSox68 said:


> OMG -- all I want is for a criuse line to construct the ship so that it does not REQUIRE me to walk straight through the casino to get to other parts of the ship!  Some of the lines we have been on had the casino on one side of the ship so that at least you could skirt around it.  But the last three cruises we have taken on Carnival and NCL make so you have no other choice but to walk through it or go up a floor and over.  Whatever their reasoning or thinking is, forcing me to walk through the smoke-filled atmosphere of the casino is NOT going to tempt me to gamble!
> 
> If they can make casinos in Atlantic City some free, I don't know why they can't do it on a cruise line!
> 
> And yes, for good sakes, put the casinos in enclosed areas because we, too, have had smoke filter both up and down into rooms.  Once thing DCL has over any other line -- no dang casinos.


I also don't understand why they don't put revolving doors to enter/exit to keep the smoke in there.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> OMG -- all I want is for a criuse line to construct the ship so that it does not REQUIRE me to walk straight through the casino to get to other parts of the ship!  Some of the lines we have been on had the casino on one side of the ship so that at least you could skirt around it.  But the last three cruises we have taken on Carnival and NCL make so you have no other choice but to walk through it or go up a floor and over.  Whatever their reasoning or thinking is, forcing me to walk through the smoke-filled atmosphere of the casino is NOT going to tempt me to gamble!
> 
> If they can make casinos in Atlantic City some free, I don't know why they can't do it on a cruise line!
> 
> And yes, for good sakes, put the casinos in enclosed areas because we, too, have had smoke filter both up and down into rooms.  Once thing DCL has over any other line -- no dang casinos.




I have no problem with casinos except for the fact that they allow smoking.


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## cyclenut

The ships are designed to get you to pass through the casino as much as possible, hoping you'll stop by at some point and put some money in the machines.  It's very intentional.  A non-smoking casino is a bad idea in terms of revenue.  My last cruise on the Breeze had a non-smoking night though.  That was pretty cool.  If you don't like the casino, sail Disney.  They don't have one.

My wife and I do like having a casino on board, but don't miss it when we sail Disney.


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## mousefan73

cyclenut said:


> The ships are designed to get you to pass through the casino as much as possible, hoping you'll stop by at some point and put some money in the machines.  It's very intentional.  A non-smoking casino is a bad idea in terms of revenue.  My last cruise on the Breeze had a non-smoking night though.  That was pretty cool.  If you don't like the casino, sail Disney.  They don't have one.
> 
> My wife and I do like having a casino on board, but don't miss it when we sail Disney.



We had originally booked Carnival as we needed 2 staterooms. DCL simply too expensive. 2x as much. DH can't go now. So my mom , me and kids now cancelled and booked DCL. The casino issue was THE thing that kept me thinking if only we had booked DCL.  If was the only negative thing for Carnival. Like a black cloud hanginh over our vacation. I hate casinos. The only place casinos don‘t bother me is Vegas. Those for some reason are different. Every other Casino I have been to depressed me. Atlantic City the worse. Sad, white trashy ( sorry to offend)  for me the retired grandma with her virgins slims on the slot machines. ( think Joey‘s agent Estelle on Friends). I know not every Casino is like that... but I justgew up around them.  worse was as kid watchiing old men sit all depressed at the bar and playing the  machines ( the ones that say for amusement only but the bar pays out regardless under the table) .. drinking by themselves etc.. ( my dad dragged me too much to the Legion)


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

We were not thrilled about casinos in ships either, but it wasn't something that I actively cared about.  Never been to a casino in my life.  Not a rigid thing, just never ended up going to one.  But we decided we could just "ignore" it and try other lines anyway. There are lots of things that annoy me everywhere, so mentally I just put it in that basket.  Well... turned out to be a non issue.  On NCL, the casinos seem to be placed where you walk through them, or maybe it is just the cabins we have had.  It was actually kind of fun to walk through and see the lights and all the people playing.  Some of those slot games looked ridiculous and our teens were making fun of them.  Who comes up with that stuff?  But we never stopped, just walked through.  On Carnival, we only walked through the casino a couple of times. The walk through the casino on Carnival also didn't seem to put you right up against the games, so I do not remember seeing many details. And it was always empty.  Not sure if that was just our cruise, but very few people in the casino on Carnival.


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> The ships are designed to get you to pass through the casino as much as possible, hoping you'll stop by at some point and put some money in the machines.  It's very intentional.  A non-smoking casino is a bad idea in terms of revenue.  My last cruise on the Breeze had a non-smoking night though.  That was pretty cool.  If you don't like the casino, sail Disney.  They don't have one.
> 
> My wife and I do like having a casino on board, but don't miss it when we sail Disney.



Oh yeah, it's definitely a "marketing strategy". However, I am quite immune to the appeal of the casino. 

We go a little when there is one on the ship because my husband likes them. The rest of the time, I hold my breath and pass through them as fast as possible.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We were not thrilled about casinos in ships either, but it wasn't something that I actively cared about.  Never been to a casino in my life.  Not a rigid thing, just never ended up going to one.  But we decided we could just "ignore" it and try other lines anyway. There are lots of things that annoy me everywhere, so mentally I just put it in that basket.  Well... turned out to be a non issue.  On NCL, the casinos seem to be placed where you walk through them, or maybe it is just the cabins we have had.  It was actually kind of fun to walk through and see the lights and all the people playing.  Some of those slot games looked ridiculous and our teens were making fun of them.  Who comes up with that stuff?  But we never stopped, just walked through.  On Carnival, we only walked through the casino a couple of times. The walk through the casino on Carnival also didn't seem to put you right up against the games, so I do not remember seeing many details. And it was always empty.  Not sure if that was just our cruise, but very few people in the casino on Carnival.



They can only open when you are sailing (But at night there are all those shows and dinner...) I noticed the casino was full on sea days.


----------



## cyclenut

mousefan73 said:


> We had originally booked Carnival as we needed 2 staterooms. DCL simply too expensive. 2x as much. DH can't go now. So my mom , me and kids now cancelled and booked DCL. The casino issue was THE thing that kept me thinking if only we had booked DCL.  If was the only negative thing for Carnival. Like a black cloud hanginh over our vacation. I hate casinos. The only place casinos don‘t bother me is Vegas. Those for some reason are different. Every other Casino I have been to depressed me. Atlantic City the worse. Sad, white trashy ( sorry to offend)  for me the retired grandma with her virgins slims on the slot machines. ( think Joey‘s agent Estelle on Friends). I know not every Casino is like that... but I justgew up around them.  worse was as kid watchiing old men sit all depressed at the bar and playing the  machines ( the ones that say for amusement only but the bar pays out regardless under the table) .. drinking by themselves etc.. ( my dad dragged me too much to the Legion)


I totally get the price issue with DCL.  We found ourselves walking through the Casino several times on Carnival, but if you think ahead, you can avoid it.  You just need to traverse the ship on one of the upper decks.  We sometimes went up, across, and then down.  I don't like going from one end of the ship to the other in stateroom hallways, but you could choose one of those decks as well.  While every ship is different, this method of using an upper deck seems to work for us on virtually every ship.  RCCL designs their ships with a central promenade, which put you past all the shopping areas, but not through the casino.  Pick your poison.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Oh yeah, it's definitely a "marketing strategy". However, I am quite immune to the appeal of the casino.
> 
> We go a little when there is one on the ship because my husband likes them. The rest of the time, I hold my breath and pass through them as fast as possible.



Too funny -- I tend to hold my breath too otherwise it flares up my asthma.  We have just learned to go up and over to avoid it.  Every single cruise we have been on with a casino I have never seen the casino full -- even on sea days.  They are sadly empty with only about a handful of people -- and the rest of the people are simpling using the seats to wait for someone  LOL.  

Princess had a wonderful layout in the promenade because the casino was all on one side and you could walk around the left side and nicely avoid it all.  It would never deter us from sailing -- and I certainly wouldn't sail DCL just to avoid a casino onboard because their prices are too outlandish anymore.  I can get two vacations for the price of one Disney cruise!


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Too funny -- I tend to hold my breath too otherwise it flares up my asthma.  We have just learned to go up and over to avoid it.  Every single cruise we have been on with a casino I have never seen the casino full -- even on sea days.  They are sadly empty with only about a handful of people -- and the rest of the people are simpling using the seats to wait for someone  LOL.
> 
> Princess had a wonderful layout in the promenade because the casino was all on one side and you could walk around the left side and nicely avoid it all.  It would never deter us from sailing -- and I certainly wouldn't sail DCL just to avoid a casino onboard because their prices are too outlandish anymore.  I can get two vacations for the price of one Disney cruise!



Which Princess cruiseship? 

We are going back to the Carnival Victory on our next cruise (can't wait to see what it will look like after all the refurbishments)... I like the fact that there is some kind of "promenade" (They call it "Neptune's way") on one side of the casino where you could walk instead of having to walk all through machines and tables. Of course, you still get a little smoke but it's like a highway to get out of hell. LOL

Here's a screenshot I took from a youtube video that shows Neptune's way...

The Neptune's Way is represented by a green arrow.



Source:


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Which Princess cruiseship?
> 
> We are going back to the Carnival Victory on our next cruise (can't wait to see what it will look like after all the refurbishments)... I like the fact that there is some kind of "promenade" (They call it "Neptune's way") on one side of the casino where you could walk instead of having to walk all through machines and tables. Of course, you still get a little smoke but it's like a highway to get out of hell. LOL
> 
> Here's a screenshot I took from a youtube video that shows Neptune's way...
> 
> The Neptune's Way is represented by a green arrow.



It was the Royal Princess -- which is still our favorite ship of all time just behind Disney Magic (because that was our first week long cruise).  I do like this set up on Carnival though as it does give you a little more "space" to get past the casino without being in the middle of it all.


----------



## mevelandry

Someday I'll try Princess. Someday...


----------



## RedSox68

Interesting news -- I just got off the phone with RCCL (who were trying to fix our royally screwed up reservation) -- and was told that they are changing their policies on smoking in the casinos because they consider it a confined area!  Maybe the trend will spread.  I (personally) think they would get more casino business if they didn't allow smoking.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Interesting news -- I just got off the phone with RCCL (who were trying to fix our royally screwed up reservation) -- and was told that they are changing their policies on smoking in the casinos because they consider it a confined area!  Maybe the trend will spread.  I (personally) think they would get more casino business if they didn't allow smoking.



What are the changes to the policy, exactly? (Not sure what they were to begin with).


----------



## RedSox68

He made it sound like no smoking will be allowed at all in the casinos because they are declaring it a "confined space".    Hope that's true because, IF we take this cruise (story on the RCCL thread -- they changed our ship and messed up our room), our new room is on the same deck as the casino, but on the other end.  No smoking would be awesome.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> He made it sound like no smoking will be allowed at all in the casinos because they are declaring it a "confined space".    Hope that's true because, IF we take this cruise (story on the RCCL thread -- they changed our ship and messed up our room), our new room is on the same deck as the casino, but on the other end.  No smoking would be awesome.



So cool! Which ship?


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> So cool! Which ship?



They transferred our itinerary next year from the Empress of the Seas to the Majesty of the Seas.  When I balked about being on the same floor as the casino, that's when he mentioned the smoking ban.  Not sure when it goes into affect -- if ever.


----------



## Pens Fan

RedSox68 said:


> Interesting news -- I just got off the phone with RCCL (who were trying to fix our royally screwed up reservation) -- and was told that they are changing their policies on smoking in the casinos because they consider it a confined area!  Maybe the trend will spread.  I (personally) think they would get more casino business if they didn't allow smoking.



I believe that Celebrity's casinos are already smoke free, so it could be something they are moving to corporate - wide.  Oh, how I wish that all cruise lines would do this.  The less smoke the better!


----------



## mevelandry

Not sure if I am allowed to say this here but... If you are booked on a Carnival cruise, John Heald just announced a shore excursion and spa treatments discount codes for Black Friday on his Facebook page. 

We just saved 70$ for our three excursions (for four adults). Kinda cool!


----------



## RedSox68

Pens Fan said:


> I believe that Celebrity's casinos are already smoke free, so it could be something they are moving to corporate - wide.  Oh, how I wish that all cruise lines would do this.  The less smoke the better!



I agree!  Hope it does move to RCCL before we go next year.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> I agree!  Hope it does move to RCCL before we go next year.



Ooohhh, I'd love that. First cruise with RCCL should be happening in October 2018.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Ooohhh, I'd love that. First cruise with RCCL should be happening in October 2018.



Never cruised on RCCL and now we are doing two cruises next year!  Our first one is in August to celebrate our 40th with my maid of honor and her husband!


----------



## mevelandry

Last night I have received an e-mail from Carnival offering me to upgrade from an "interior room" to an "interior room with picture window/obstruction view" for 20$ (total). So we went from total darkness to "a little view". LOL

Spoke to someone from Carnival and they have been able to upgrade the room for my FIL and MIL as well. Not only did they get the same type of room as us... Now their room is right beside ours (we were on different decks) but they also got 25$ of OBC each. 

My family is so excited!!!


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Last night I have received an e-mail from Carnival offering me to upgrade from an "interior room" to an "interior room with picture window/obstruction view" for 20$ (total). So we went from total darkness to "a little view". LOL
> 
> Spoke to someone from Carnival and they have been able to upgrade the room for my FIL and MIL as well. Not only did they get the same type of room as us... Now their room is right beside ours (we were on different decks) but they also got 25$ of OBC each.
> 
> My family is so excited!!!




That is awesome news.  Congrats.  Every little bit of upgrade is a plus nowadays.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> That is awesome news.  Congrats.  Every little bit of upgrade is a plus nowadays.



Thank you! My FIL and MIL are so excited. Although it's obstructed view, their one and only cruise (on the Wonder) was in an inside cabin. They were very happy with it but I have a feeling they are going to get hooked. Lol

+ the OBC they now have compensates for the 10$/pp extra.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Thank you! My FIL and MIL are so excited. Although it's obstructed view, their one and only cruise (on the Wonder) was in an inside cabin. They were very happy with it but I have a feeling they are going to get hooked. Lol
> 
> + the OBC they now have compensates for the 10$/pp extra.



Obstructed or not, you still get some natural light and a view.


----------



## mevelandry

Cruise Critics Editor's Choice Awards...


Carnival Cruise Line
Best Service


Carnival Cruise Line
Best Value for Money


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Obstructed or not, you still get some natural light and a view.



Absolutely.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

We pulled the trigger and booked our first non-Carnival cruise!  We are sailing the British Isles in 2019 with Royal Caribbean.  Lots of research to do now.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> We pulled the trigger and booked our first non-Carnival cruise!  We are sailing the British Isles in 2019 with Royal Caribbean.  Lots of research to do now.



Ouhhhhhhh! Congrats! Which ship?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Ouhhhhhhh! Congrats! Which ship?



It's Brilliance of the Seas. A somewhat smaller ship but it at least has the rock climbing for the teens!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> It's Brilliance of the Seas. A somewhat smaller ship but it at least has the rock climbing for the teens!



OMG! We had booked Brilliance of the Seas once for Key West & Cozumel, then switched because we fell in love with Carnival (and ended up going on our Vista cruise) but I would love to sail on that ship. It looks amazing!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> OMG! We had booked Brilliance of the Seas once for Key West & Cozumel, then switched because we fell in love with Carnival (and ended up going on our Vista cruise) but I would love to sail on that ship. It looks amazing!



I wouldn't sail any other line if Carnival would move ships to Europe during summer like everyone else!


----------



## RedSox68

trvlgirlmq said:


> We pulled the trigger and booked our first non-Carnival cruise!  We are sailing the British Isles in 2019 with Royal Caribbean.  Lots of research to do now.



Oh, we did the British Isles in 2015 on Princess.  It is a tremendous itinerary with lots of opportunity to see countries you couldn't get to easily in a week or 10 days.  You will have lots of fun.  What are your ports?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

RedSox68 said:


> Oh, we did the British Isles in 2015 on Princess.  It is a tremendous itinerary with lots of opportunity to see countries you couldn't get to easily in a week or 10 days.  You will have lots of fun.  What are your ports?



Oh, we really wanted to do Princess but the prices were just too high!  Plus we were able to get one of the Ultra Spacious OV cabins for the same price as an inside on Princess.

Our itinerary is Amsterdam (start/end), Invergordon/Inverness, Belfast, Greenck/Glasgow, Dublin overnight, Holyhead, Cobh (Cork), Dover, and 3 sea days. We are sad to not port for Edinburgh and I hope at some point we will be able to return because I really want to visit.


----------



## RedSox68

trvlgirlmq said:


> Oh, we really wanted to do Princess but the prices were just too high!  Plus we were able to get one of the Ultra Spacious OV cabins for the same price as an inside on Princess.
> 
> Our itinerary is Amsterdam (start/end), Invergordon/Inverness, Belfast, Greenck/Glasgow, Dublin overnight, Holyhead, Cobh (Cork), Dover, and 3 sea days. We are sad to not port for Edinburgh and I hope at some point we will be able to return because I really want to visit.



We did all of those except Holyhead and did Edinburgh instead.  The castle was magnificent, but it was the weekend of festivals and you could not get down the Royal Mile - it was insanity and we barely  made it through the crowds back to our shuttle.  Next time we'd like to do the Tattoo.

We didn't go into Glasgow, but really enjoyed Greenock instead.  Invergordon we did an excursion that included Urquhart Castle and a ride on the Loch Ness and lunch and a city tour.  Great excursion.  In Belfast we did on our own, a cab from the port (those cab drivers are insane there) and a tour of the Titanic Museum that included the pump house.  Turns out they were filming Game of Thrones in the huge studio behind the museum, but we didn't get to see anyone.  

We did have Liverpool in our itinerary (it was a 12-day cruise) and that will be the highlight of my life.  We had an amazing tour guide who took us to very Beatle site we could get to, including the school John and Paul met at, Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, their childhood homes and the hospital where John was born.  I was in my element on that one  LOL

You will so enjoy that trip -- and the countryside is breathtaking.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

RedSox68 said:


> We did all of those except Holyhead and did Edinburgh instead.  The castle was magnificent, but it was the weekend of festivals and you could not get down the Royal Mile - it was insanity and we barely  made it through the crowds back to our shuttle.  Next time we'd like to do the Tattoo.
> 
> We didn't go into Glasgow, but really enjoyed Greenock instead.  Invergordon we did an excursion that included Urquhart Castle and a ride on the Loch Ness and lunch and a city tour.  Great excursion.  In Belfast we did on our own, a cab from the port (those cab drivers are insane there) and a tour of the Titanic Museum that included the pump house.  Turns out they were filming Game of Thrones in the huge studio behind the museum, but we didn't get to see anyone.
> 
> We did have Liverpool in our itinerary (it was a 12-day cruise) and that will be the highlight of my life.  We had an amazing tour guide who took us to very Beatle site we could get to, including the school John and Paul met at, Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, their childhood homes and the hospital where John was born.  I was in my element on that one  LOL
> 
> You will so enjoy that trip -- and the countryside is breathtaking.



Ok, just checked my notes and Princess inside is $750 more than our big OV on RCCL.  The room size and window were a huge deciding factor.  

I am finding that DIY is not as easy as the Med.  Not as much public transportation or frequency so we will probably be relying on more tours.  I have found some nice ones and the pricing isn't too horrible.  I have lots of time to tinker and it is way too early to book anything.


----------



## RedSox68

trvlgirlmq said:


> Ok, just checked my notes and Princess inside is $750 more than our big OV on RCCL.  The room size and window were a huge deciding factor.
> 
> I am finding that DIY is not as easy as the Med.  Not as much public transportation or frequency so we will probably be relying on more tours.  I have found some nice ones and the pricing isn't too horrible.  I have lots of time to tinker and it is way too early to book anything.



Saving money is what it's all about.  If you have any questions as you plan, shoot me a message and I'll help the best I can.


----------



## daedelus

We've done Carnival once and are about to board our 5th DCL. IMHO, Carnival is an underage drinking and party boat. Disney is not.

I would consider RCCL - heard good things about them. But we're hooked on DCL.


----------



## cruiser21

*I just wanted to say MERRY CHRISTMAS* *to all of you**!!!!!!*


----------



## mevelandry

daedelus said:


> We've done Carnival once and are about to board our 5th DCL. IMHO, Carnival is an underage drinking and party boat. Disney is not.
> 
> I would consider RCCL - heard good things about them. But we're hooked on DCL.



"an underaged drinking and party boat" was not my observation AT ALL on the two cruises I have done with Carnival (vs 3 with DCL). I don't think it's fair to put it all in the same basket. 

If you are going to make a review, at least say what year you have sailed with them,  on which ship and which itinerary...


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> *I just wanted to say MERRY CHRISTMAS* *to all of you**!!!!!!*



I'm late for the party (was on a much needed social media break). So I'm gonna wish you all a Happy New Year filled with good health and lots of nice cruises!


----------



## mevelandry

2018 is here!!!!

Do you have a cruise (or cruises) happening in 2018?

For us:

April 2018)  A Key West & Cozumel Family cruise (DH and I with my FIL and MIL!) on the Carnival Victory --almost fresh out of dry dock!-- departing from Miami. It's going to be our 3rd Carnival cruise but the 1st Carnival cruise for my FIL & MIL. First time in Key West for all of us and first time in Cozumel for my FIL and MIL. We want to spend a little time in Fort Lauderdale before the cruise and plan to do an excursion in the Everglades before going back home. Our plane arrived late during our last trip so we had to cancel all plans in Fort Lauderdale... We are excited to have a second chance in visiting the town.

October 2018) A Bermuda cruise (just DH and I) to celebrate our 7th anniversary. It's going to be our first Royal Caribbean Cruise on the Anthem of the Seas, and first time departing from NYC (Bayonne). Being a huge fan of New York, I'm very excited with the idea of a pre-cruise stay in Manhattan.


You?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

We have our Vista cruise in June. Looking forward to just relaxing for a week.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> We have our Vista cruise in June. Looking forward to just relaxing for a week.



Eastern Caribbean? (Trying to remember)


----------



## cruiser21

Just Quebec cruise in the Fall. No other cruises planned at this time. I'm hoping to do a British Isles cruise in 2019.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Eastern Caribbean? (Trying to remember)



It's a Southern to Grand Turk, La Romana DR, Aruba and Curacao. We have only been to Grand Turk and love the beach and pool at Margaritaville.  We have a Carnival excursion booked for La Romana to a beach on a smaller island.  Not a very developed area and my reading was not positive. We had planned on staying on the ship but we already have 3 sea days and 1 late arrival so we are splurging on an excursion.  We plan an easy beach day in Aruba.  In Willemstad we are doing a self-guided walking tour and visiting the synagogue and Jewish Museum. 

Our last 2 vacations were busy ones and 2019 will be too so this is going to be our major lazy trip.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

cruiser21 said:


> Just Quebec cruise in the Fall. No other cruises planned at this time. I'm hoping to do a British Isles cruise in 2019.



We booked a British Isles cruise on Royal Caribbean for June 2019!  Excited to start planning that a bit later in the year.


----------



## cruiser21

My dh couldn't get vacation time for the Quebec cruise, but I think the kids and I are still going. I may not get the chance again since I have other things down the road I want to do. It looks like only one cruise so far. We've got other stuff planned we're going to Salt Lake next month to play in the snow. I know your all probably sick of the cold, but it's 75 here. My oldest son wants to go to DC. We'll probably do that in December when hotels are really cheap. I'm taking my youngest son to WDW in April. That's never cheap. A lot planned, but not a lot of cruises. I'm kind of tired of the Caribbean, but you never know.

I'll see what DCL offers in Europe in 2019. I'll probably balk at the prices and book NCL.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

We have 5 things booked over the next year but at this point have only decided definitively to do 2 (waiting for schedules etc).  One 6 night on CCL Conquest in March (amber cove, hmc, nassau, grand turk) and CCL dream 7 night in august (belize, mahogony bay, cozumel).


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> It's a Southern to Grand Turk, La Romana DR, Aruba and Curacao. We have only been to Grand Turk and love the beach and pool at Margaritaville.  We have a Carnival excursion booked for La Romana to a beach on a smaller island.  Not a very developed area and my reading was not positive. We had planned on staying on the ship but we already have 3 sea days and 1 late arrival so we are splurging on an excursion.  We plan an easy beach day in Aruba.  In Willemstad we are doing a self-guided walking tour and visiting the synagogue and Jewish Museum.
> 
> Our last 2 vacations were busy ones and 2019 will be too so this is going to be our major lazy trip.


We did a self guided walking tour in willemstad also.  Another interesting museum there is the maritime museum.  Cool city overall.  If you do not do a private tour in la romana it is a pretty yuck port-- our least favorite port of all time.  If u decide to stay on the ship there you will not run oit of things to do on the vista even with three other sea days.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> It's a Southern to Grand Turk, La Romana DR, Aruba and Curacao. We have only been to Grand Turk and love the beach and pool at Margaritaville.  We have a Carnival excursion booked for La Romana to a beach on a smaller island.  Not a very developed area and my reading was not positive. We had planned on staying on the ship but we already have 3 sea days and 1 late arrival so we are splurging on an excursion.  We plan an easy beach day in Aruba.  In Willemstad we are doing a self-guided walking tour and visiting the synagogue and Jewish Museum.
> 
> Our last 2 vacations were busy ones and 2019 will be too so this is going to be our major lazy trip.



Right! I'm 100% jealous! GT, Aruba & Curaçao look so nice. Will definitely look into it for 2019.


----------



## cruiser21

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We have 5 things booked over the next year but at this point have only decided definitively to do 2 (waiting for schedules etc).  One 6 night on CCL Conquest in March (amber cove, hmc, nassau, grand turk) and CCL dream 7 night in august (belize, mahogony bay, cozumel).


Sometimes my eyes are bigger then my wallet. I have a lot of things I'd like to do next year, but we'll see how it all works out. Just found out we're getting a couple 1k tax cut bonus'es so that's helpful.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

We have DCL Alaska cruise in June and that's it for 2019, however we may end up doing a 3 or 4 day Mexico cruise on either the Carnival Inspiration or Imagination for New Years the end of this year, have to see if I can get it figured out with my work schedule. We just got back from Disneyland for New Years and it inspired me to do a NYE cruise.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

cruiser21 said:


> Sometimes my eyes are bigger then my wallet. I have a lot of things I'd like to do next year, but we'll see how it all works out. Just found out we're getting a couple 1k tax cut bonus'es so that's helpful.



Lol.  Wish we were getting tax cut bonuses!    Worse... we appear to have the dubious honor to be in the small group whose taxes will go up next year.    Ugh.  Our youngest wants to be home for next Christmas so we are rethinking the Christmas cruise we have booked.  There is another one we are looking at instead but waiting to see public school calendar when it comes out (so over these calendars).  I am not optimistic.  2 other land vacations... undecided on them.


----------



## mevelandry

Hi group!

I'll have to update the first pages of this thread (partial update is done) very soon as the Victory is currently under dry dock and is getting lots of new additions.

John Heald just announced officially: Guy's Burger (YAY!!!), Blue Iguana Cantina, Blue Iguana Tequila Bar, Red Frog Rum Bar, a re-vamped Deli and Bonsai Sushi (very excited for this one, I loved it on the Vista)... And more surprises to come.

I also believe he said that all ships should be updated to 2.0 by the end of 2019 which is great news!


----------



## Pens Fan

mevelandry said:


> Do you have a cruise (or cruises) happening in 2018?



We are looking forward to our 10 night Quebec cruise on the NCL Gem this fall.  We also recently booked a 14 night NCL cruise on the Jade to Italy/Greece/Croatia/Montenegro for 2019 which has been a dream cruise for some time now.  I survived our week at the in-laws over Christmas by reading Rick Steves books!   

Happy cruising everyone!!


----------



## mevelandry

Guys, you are all making me jealous of your plans. 

I wish I could do... Alaska, Grand Turk/Aruba/Curacao, Italia/Greece/Croatia, Barcelona and New England all in 2018! XD  (+ Vegas & Grand Canyon, which is not a cruise but a land trip that I would love to do). 

However, I'm excited to visit Key West and Bermuda for the first time.


----------



## collinsfamle

We cruised Carnival around 20 years ago, and unless things have changed drastically, I won't do that again!  I thought the cruise was too much of a party boat for me.  Too many 20 year olds getting drunk all over the ship, at the activities, at the pools, hogging the hot tubs etc.  Even if it is cheaper than DCL, it's too much to pay to see that everywhere.  I realize I am an old stick in the mud, but that is not my kind of vacation!


----------



## mevelandry

collinsfamle said:


> We cruised Carnival around 20 years ago, and unless things have changed drastically, I won't do that again!  I thought the cruise was too much of a party boat for me.  Too many 20 year olds getting drunk all over the ship, at the activities, at the pools, hogging the hot tubs etc.  Even if it is cheaper than DCL, it's too much to pay to see that everywhere.  I realize I am an old stick in the mud, but that is not my kind of vacation!



Well... I don't know how it was 20 years ago but for the last years that Carnival has been targeting families (EDIT: OMG, the Vista & the Horizon are SO family friendly & colorful!), so... Who knows, you could be surprised. I know I only have done 2 carnival cruises in 2016 and 2017 but I did not witness what you described. In fact, I can't say I've seen much of a difference between Carnival and DCL with the exception of a little bit less kids on board and much better food on Carnival.

I was told that if you stay away from the 3 nights, it's going to be much more quiet. I can't compare since the shortest I've done on Carnival was a 4 nights, but I've been pleasantly surprised.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

collinsfamle said:


> We cruised Carnival around 20 years ago, and unless things have changed drastically, I won't do that again!  I thought the cruise was too much of a party boat for me.  Too many 20 year olds getting drunk all over the ship, at the activities, at the pools, hogging the hot tubs etc.  Even if it is cheaper than DCL, it's too much to pay to see that everywhere.  I realize I am an old stick in the mud, but that is not my kind of vacation!



And has everything stayed the same at Disney over the last 20 years?  Instead of coming to this thread with your attitude maybe you should do some research instead.  I'll add you to the list of entitled, elitists I wouldn't want to be stuck on a boat with.


----------



## cruiser21

daedelus said:


> We've done Carnival once and are about to board our 5th DCL. IMHO, Carnival is an underage drinking and party boat. Disney is not.
> 
> I would consider RCCL - heard good things about them. But we're hooked on DCL.


20 years ago cruising wasn't for families. It was for the young party crowd and the "old sticks in the mud" as you called yourself.   I think Disney is responsible for changing the industry. Cruise lines are designing their ships to appeal to families now....I would say a lot has changed in 20 years


----------



## cruiser21

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Lol.  Wish we were getting tax cut bonuses!    Worse... we appear to have the dubious honor to be in the small group whose taxes will go up next year.    Ugh.  Our youngest wants to be home for next Christmas so we are rethinking the Christmas cruise we have booked.  There is another one we are looking at instead but waiting to see public school calendar when it comes out (so over these calendars).  I am not optimistic.  2 other land vacations... undecided on them.


It seems like bonus checks get taxed about 40%, but hey every little bit helps.


Pens Fan said:


> We are looking forward to our 10 night Quebec cruise on the NCL Gem this fall.  We also recently booked a 14 night NCL cruise on the Jade to Italy/Greece/Croatia/Montenegro for 2019 which has been a dream cruise for some time now.  I survived our week at the in-laws over Christmas by reading Rick Steves books!
> 
> Happy cruising everyone!!


I wish our Quebec cruise was round trip. Greece is wonderful you should enjoy that.


----------



## mevelandry

Guys, let's not fight...

A lot of people are resistant to try a vacation when they tried it once and did not enjoy it... The same way we can remember some places to be better than they really were (like the town I grew up in which I used to remember as charming and then seen it again years later and realized it was uglyAF lol).

EDIT: Bad experiences can happen everywhere including in Disney/on DCL... I've had catastrophic experiences at Disney's Animal Kingdom (dirty room, horrible savannah view --half the view was on a industrial building, with forklifts, ventilator unit, forklifts and ventilator noises! Far from the immersive experience we were expecting! --) to the point that we asked to be downgraded to a standard view...  But our previous experience at AKL was stellar!


----------



## braysmommy

Just booked the Carnival Horizon WBTA this May. Will be our fist non-DCL cruise but the Horizon looks awesome!


----------



## mevelandry

braysmommy said:


> Just booked the Carnival Horizon WBTA this May. Will be our fist non-DCL cruise but the Horizon looks awesome!



I've been on the Vista (sister ship). I don't know if you have seen the pictures we have taken from the Vista (links are on Post #1, Page 1), but both ships are going to be very similar and it will give you a good idea of what to expect -- I hope that they'll correct the seating in the main lounge because it sucked but that would be my only complaint about the ship! -- Vista has the #1 spot in my heart now (I had previously tried the Disney Dream #2 and Disney Wonder #3).

Just don't expect Disney as they don't have as much character interaction -- Except during the Seuss Breakfast and Parade -- and you won't be disappointed.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

braysmommy said:


> Just booked the Carnival Horizon WBTA this May. Will be our fist non-DCL cruise but the Horizon looks awesome!


So jealous!! You will love it.  We have been on the Vista.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

braysmommy said:


> Just booked the Carnival Horizon WBTA this May. Will be our fist non-DCL cruise but the Horizon looks awesome!


You'll love her!  We've spent 22 nights on the Vista and she is, by far, our favorite ship ever. I didn't think I'd ever like a ship better than the Disney Fantasy, but Vista beat her out. So jealous you get to do a TA!! Have fun.


----------



## braysmommy

we"reofftoneverland said:


> So jealous!! You will love it.  We have been on the Vista.[/QUOTE
> 
> 
> mevelandry said:
> 
> 
> 
> I've been on the Vista (sister ship). I don't know if you have seen the pictures we have taken from the Vista (links are on Post #1, Page 1), but both ships are going to be very similar and it will give you a good idea of what to expect -- I hope that they'll correct the seating in the main lounge because it sucked but that would be my only complaint about the ship! -- Vista has the #1 spot in my heart now (I had previously tried the Disney Dream #2 and Disney Wonder #3).
> 
> Just don't expect Disney as they don't have as much character interaction -- Except during the Seuss Breakfast and Parade -- and you won't
Click to expand...




mevelandry said:


> I've been on the Vista (sister ship). I don't know if you have seen the pictures we have taken from the Vista (links are on Post #1, Page 1), but both ships are going to be very similar and it will give you a good idea of what to expect -- I hope that they'll correct the seating in the main lounge because it sucked but that would be my only complaint about the ship! -- Vista has the #1 spot in my heart now (I had previously tried the Disney Dream #2 and Disney Wonder #3).
> 
> Just don't expect Disney as they don't have as much character interaction -- Except during the Seuss Breakfast and Parade -- and you won't be disappointed.



Thanks for all the info you have provided! Now that my son is 11 it is time to branch out and the Horizon seems like a great ship to start with. The TA has been sold out but cabins pop up online every so often and yesterday a Family Harbor Cove Balcony showed up and I grabbed it. 1/2 the price of DCL TA and we now get to westbound and gain some sleep. I'll let you know how the trip was when we get back.


----------



## mevelandry

braysmommy said:


> Thanks for all the info you have provided! Now that my son is 11 it is time to branch out and the Horizon seems like a great ship to start with. The TA has been sold out but cabins pop up online every so often and yesterday a Family Harbor Cove Balcony showed up and I grabbed it. 1/2 the price of DCL TA and we now get to westbound and gain some sleep. I'll let you know how the trip was when we get back.



Your son will be amazed I think. Right away I'm thinking of the Waterslides, the rope course, the Sky Ride, all the games (soccer pool, mini-golf, foosball tables, bowling) and the Thrill Theater that he'll be able to enjoy! (Mini-Bowling and Thrill Theater have small fees but totally worth the investment).

The cove balconies have a lot of fans. I'm sure you are going to love it.


----------



## braysmommy

mevelandry said:


> Your son will be amazed I think. Right away I'm thinking of the Waterslides, the rope course, the Sky Ride, all the games (soccer pool, mini-golf, foosball tables, bowling) and the Thrill Theater that he'll be able to enjoy! (Bowling and Thrill Theater have small fees but totally worth the investment).
> 
> The cove balconies have a lot of fans. I'm sure you are going to love it.



Wow! I didn't realize it had a bowling alley! My kid is going to go bonkers....course I haven't even told him about the cruise yet.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

braysmommy said:


> Thanks for all the info you have provided! Now that my son is 11 it is time to branch out and the Horizon seems like a great ship to start with. The TA has been sold out but cabins pop up online every so often and yesterday a Family Harbor Cove Balcony showed up and I grabbed it. 1/2 the price of DCL TA and we now get to westbound and gain some sleep. I'll let you know how the trip was when we get back.



You probably read my review but the thing that really shocked us was how much our kids loved the kids club.  They now ask, "Is our next cruise on Carnival?"  They still ask for Disney-- but the parks not the cruise.  I really still can not believe this, because we are truly a "Disney" family.  Most days our kids walked out of the kids club very excited about some kind of trinket (carnival key chain, carnival eraser etc) they had "won" playing a game.  I saw a lot of other kids leaving with cute arts and craft type projects (unfortunatetly our kids skipped those).  And the last night they give out bags related to their age group, so make sure your child goes the last night.


----------



## mevelandry

braysmommy said:


> Wow! I didn't realize it had a bowling alley! My kid is going to go bonkers....course I haven't even told him about the cruise yet.



I corrected my description. It's actually a mini-bowling alley (maybe half the usual size) but it's a lot of fun and perfect for kids. My husband and I played and had fun!


----------



## mevelandry

mevelandry said:


> The Soccer Pool:
> View attachment 279368
> 
> Mini-Golf:
> View attachment 279370
> 
> The Pool Tables:
> View attachment 279371
> 
> The Mini-Bowling:
> 
> View attachment 279372




@braysmommy 

Here are pictures of some of the activities... All you have to do is click on each link.


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## braysmommy

mevelandry said:


> @braysmommy
> 
> Here are pictures of some of the activities... All you have to do is click on each link.



Thank you!!


----------



## mevelandry

DH and I have started talking about 2019. I wanted Alaska but nobody seems to be interested except me.  

My second choice would be an itinerary including Aruba, Curacao and Grand Turk. 

Now, I think I want to wait until October 2018 before booking as we are supposed to try RCCL in a few months and I don't know which cruise line we'll want to sail on after that.


----------



## hdrolfe

We are going back on Carnival in April (this time on the Magic, having been on Liberty for our first cruise). We have done RCL three times, twice on Freedom of the Seas which was nice. However they both have pros and cons. While Freedom had a rock wall and skating, Magic will have a ropes course and water slides (travelling with my 8-year-old). We are excited to get back on Carnival. Kiddo prefers Carnival's kids club to RCL (he won't go to theirs any more). We have not been on an Oasis class though, or anything as big as Anthem. I do find we prefer to cruise from Port Canaveral over FLL, simply because we can add on a day or two of Disney to the beginning or end of the vacation. We are supposed to be taking a break from trips, but we'll see how long that lasts!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> We are going back on Carnival in April (this time on the Magic, having been on Liberty for our first cruise). We have done RCL three times, twice on Freedom of the Seas which was nice. However they both have pros and cons. While Freedom had a rock wall and skating, Magic will have a ropes course and water slides (travelling with my 8-year-old). We are excited to get back on Carnival. Kiddo prefers Carnival's kids club to RCL (he won't go to theirs any more). We have not been on an Oasis class though, or anything as big as Anthem. I do find we prefer to cruise from Port Canaveral over FLL, simply because we can add on a day or two of Disney to the beginning or end of the vacation. We are supposed to be taking a break from trips, but we'll see how long that lasts!



I love sailing from PC too. Mostly for monetary reasons. Flights and good hotels in FLL and MIA are much more expensive.


----------



## mevelandry

John Heald has just announce that they are changing campaign/slogan today.

Their last one was "FUN FOR ALL" which put the emphasis on family being their target now.

I will come back today.

I'm thinking about adding a new section to my first post on the thread. I noticed how some people had sailed the cruise line many years ago (when it was more adult oriented --I heard that it even had a "topless deck"... What?!?!?!-- ) and I believe Carnival is 100% going towards experiences for the whole family. I think it's important for someone who can't afford DCL prices but would still love to cruise to know that.


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## mevelandry

The new slogan is "CHOOSE FUN". 

They launched a series of short commercials that situated in a range from funny to goofy.


----------



## mevelandry

Dear experienced cruisers,

I recently added a section on the first post where I am answering questions that I have seen many times here and there regarding Carnival and I am also addressing some rumors and false beliefs...

BUT... I would like to add an answer to a certain question because I've seen it a lot:

*IS CARNIVAL AS KID FRIENDLY AS DCL AND WHAT WOULD BE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO CRUISE LINES REGARDING ENTERTAINMENT DESTINED TO CHILDREN? *


In that category I will need the help of Moms and Dads who experienced both cruise lines and can answer that question in details. (I will quote you). 

Also, if you think of a question/answer that I did not think of and could add, please let me know.


----------



## hdrolfe

I have not cruised on Disney so perhaps not a true comparison, however I have cruised on Carnival and their kids program is great. It starts at age 2 (I don't think most start until 3?). The program is quite well structured, they have the kids broken into age groups and the do activities at a certain time. My son loved it because he likes to know what exactly he'll be doing. They have a parade and story time which was a lot of fun, and also of course the Green Eggs and Ham breakfast ($5 per person). They also usually have a Build a Bear activity (for a fee) at least once. Not sure I've helped  My son does not like the RCL camps because they do this list of many activities in a 2 to 3 hour block, but he doesn't know which will be when. He doesn't want to do them all, just the ones he likes. With Carnival he can do that and know what is happening when.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I have not cruised on Disney so perhaps not a true comparison, however I have cruised on Carnival and their kids program is great. It starts at age 2 (I don't think most start until 3?). The program is quite well structured, they have the kids broken into age groups and the do activities at a certain time. My son loved it because he likes to know what exactly he'll be doing. They have a parade and story time which was a lot of fun, and also of course the Green Eggs and Ham breakfast ($5 per person). They also usually have a Build a Bear activity (for a fee) at least once. Not sure I've helped  My son does not like the RCL camps because they do this list of many activities in a 2 to 3 hour block, but he doesn't know which will be when. He doesn't want to do them all, just the ones he likes. With Carnival he can do that and know what is happening when.



Thanks! I used most of your quote (and tagged you on it). 

I will add more quotes as soon as I get other reviews.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I also can't provide a comparison because we have only cruised Carnival.  My kids went on their first cruise at ages 14, 8 and 7.  We primarily have cruised the Dream and Vista class.  They love all of the outside activities like the Ropes course, mini golf and now the SkyRide.  They participated in the clubs only on our first cruise. They are not interested in meeting new friends although they do talk to other kids at the pools, etc.  They prefer to be active and out in the sunshine instead of indoors with movies and games.  The larger Carnival ships are perfect if you like to be really active.  The crew is always amazing with kids and we have had nothing but good experiences.


----------



## SWRdtWD

Unrelated but somewhat relevant...

Recently went on an oasis class ship with RCL...and my kids liked it so much better than the Disney dream that there is realistically no way I could convince them to go back on DCL.

Which is good considering how bad the price/value comparison is...

Quantum class on deck.  I still can get them to begrudgingly go to wdw - for now...


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I also can't provide a comparison because we have only cruised Carnival.  My kids went on their first cruise at ages 14, 8 and 7.  We primarily have cruised the Dream and Vista class.  They love all of the outside activities like the Ropes course, mini golf and now the SkyRide.  They participated in the clubs only on our first cruise. They are not interested in meeting new friends although they do talk to other kids at the pools, etc.  They prefer to be active and out in the sunshine instead of indoors with movies and games.  The larger Carnival ships are perfect if you like to be really active.  The crew is always amazing with kids and we have had nothing but good experiences.



Thank you! I added it!


----------



## mevelandry

SWRdtWD said:


> Unrelated but somewhat relevant...
> 
> Recently went on an oasis class ship with RCL...and my kids liked it so much better than the Disney dream that there is realistically no way I could convince them to go back on DCL.
> 
> Which is good considering how bad the price/value comparison is...
> 
> Quantum class on deck.  I still can get them to begrudgingly go to wdw - for now...



I can't add your review to the Carnival kids activities reviews (for obvious reasons)... but I find this quite encouraging for parents who have been priced out by DCL to know that for a lot of kids, there is life after DCL!


----------



## SWRdtWD

mevelandry said:


> I can't add your review to the Carnival kids activities reviews (for obvious reasons)... but I find this quite encouraging for parents who have been priced out by DCL to know that for a lot of kids, there is life after DCL!



Disney is underwhelming as a cruise line...not to tangent too much.

From an experience to value standpoint...DCL ranks 4 outta 5 of cruiselines ive been on.

I always feel that those that preach "DCL IS THE BEST!!!!" are obsessed with the "d" and don't seem too experienced with the "cl"s


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Dear experienced cruisers,
> 
> I recently added a section on the first post where I am answering questions that I have seen many times here and there regarding Carnival and I am also addressing some rumors and false beliefs...
> 
> BUT... I would like to add an answer to a certain question because I've seen it a lot:
> 
> *IS CARNIVAL AS KID FRIENDLY AS DCL AND WHAT WOULD BE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO CRUISE LINES REGARDING ENTERTAINMENT DESTINED TO CHILDREN? *
> 
> 
> In that category I will need the help of Moms and Dads who experienced both cruise lines and can answer that question in details. (I will quote you).
> 
> Also, if you think of a question/answer that I did not think of and could add, please let me know.



Yes!  I definitely say Carnival is an excellent cruise line for kids.  The entire vibe is fun and kid friendly.  There are activities going on everywhere that kids enjoy.  The food is kid friendly and delicious.  One of our kids ate at Guy's burgers every day.  Lol.   Fresh pizza open all night.  Family friendly movies at night on deck with free popcorn and lots of seating.  The decor is bright and cheery, the kids club is the best we have experienced at sea.   Yes, DCL's kids clubs have more bells and whistles, but our kids preferred CCL's.  We liked Carnival, but we are interested in trying all lines--- not the kids.  They are sold.

The kids club on Carnival is structured but flexible.  We find DCL's clubs generally unstructured.  Our kids liked DCL clubs but sometimes got bored.  Other kids in general were different on CCL than on DCL, more down to earth, less (hate to make this generalization, but) spoiled.  Our kids fit in better and made more friends at the Carnival kids club than on any of our Disney cruises. The counselors on Carnival are much more attentive and caring.  The DCL counselors are more remote.  On a couple of DCL cruises, we have seen a couple of male counslers who were very engaged in the clubs, usually leading more physical activities, but in general we find DCL counselors a bit more jaded, very nice, but not really into it.  This is our experience only and may be different for others.

Obviously, CCL is superior for value.  Just no contest.  The food puts DCL to shame.  The decor isn't as "cute" as Disney's but the kids don't seem to notice at all.  Lol.  The water park and pools are less crowded.  The staff is on a par with DCL's.   It is hard for us to consider DCL again.  Over the next 2 years we have CCL, NCL, and RCL scheduled.   We do WDW every year too, so we are huge Disney fans, but their cruise line needs to learn some from its competitors.


----------



## nutshell

Isn’t Carnival the cruiseline that recently failed a CDC inspection?


----------



## mevelandry

SWRdtWD said:


> Disney is underwhelming as a cruise line...not to tangent too much.
> 
> From an experience to value standpoint...DCL ranks 4 outta 5 of cruiselines ive been on.
> 
> I always feel that those that preach "DCL IS THE BEST!!!!" are obsessed with the "d" and don't seem to experienced with the "cl"s



I agree 100% hence why I always ask "what are you looking for? Disney or cruising?" other cruise lines can't give you Disney but other cruise lines nail the cruising part.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Guys, let's not fight...
> 
> A lot of people are resistant to try a vacation when they tried it once and did not enjoy it... The same way we can remember some places to be better than they really were (like the town I grew up in which I used to remember as charming and then seen it again years later and realized it was uglyAF lol).
> 
> EDIT: Bad experiences can happen everywhere including in Disney/on DCL... I've had catastrophic experiences at Disney's Animal Kingdom (dirty room, horrible savannah view --half the view was on a industrial building, with forklifts, ventilator unit, forklifts and ventilator noises! Far from the immersive experience we were expecting! --) to the point that we asked to be downgraded to a standard view...  But our previous experience at AKL was stellar!



To that statement I have the perfect example -- we sailed on the NCL Pride of America in 2008 in Hawaii.  It was such an awful experience that we swore off NCL forever -- never to return, never to give them another dime.  Then we took a swing at it in 2016 and sailed to Bermuda from NYC on the Breakaway and we were hooked.  A 100% turnaround experience and I wouldn't hesitate to book them again for another itinerary (except we still would not try POA again).  

We have done two Carnival cruises and absolutely loved them -- thought they had better food than Disney on both ships, and liked the itineraries and the staff was great.  Of course, it goes without saying that their prices are far more reasonable and we could do three of their cruises for the price of one Disney -- so it's a win win.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

nutshell said:


> Isn’t Carnival the cruiseline that recently failed a CDC inspection?



Yes, although it was on one of its oldest ships and Carnival immediately fixed all issues and passed.  That being said, there are a couple of older ships owned by Carnival that I would probably not go on, because of age and blah itineraries.  Any time Carnival has had issues it has been with it's oldest ships.  But Carnival is a huge line with a variety of experiences.  They go to many places DCL does not.  We were put off of Carnival for years because of bad press in the media, but now that we have tried Carnival ourselves, we can say that press is very much fake news.


----------



## mevelandry

nutshell said:


> Isn’t Carnival the cruiseline that recently failed a CDC inspection?



Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I will try to get the reports.

In the past Carnival ship had high scores in CDC inspections (I remember the Victory scoring 100) but yes, as I see, two of their ships, the Legend and Triumph, failed the exam by 1 and 8 points this year. The Legend has made corrections and had a great score after that. The corrective report of the Triumph is not available yet. However, while 78 is not satisfactory, it is not critical either.  

Carnival released a statement saying that they took immediate actions regarding this. There will be a follow-up made by the CDC, I presume. Those informations are public so we could also follow-up on this.

The CDC criterias are severe (and they should be). I have worked in kitchens when I was younger and even I was surprised by how severe they are when I read reports from the CDC. Quite reassuring.

I can't imagine how low my home kitchen would score. LOL

**Take note that this message will be edited as soon as I can get the info regarding the follow-ups**

EDIT: 

You can find the scores, reports and corrective reports for all Carnival Ships in 2017. 

https://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryTool/InspectionSearch.aspx


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## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Yes, although it was on one of its oldest ships and Carnival immediately fixed all issues and passed.  That being said, there are a couple of older ships owned by Carnival that I would probably not go on, because of age and blah itineraries.  Any time Carnival has had issues it has been with it's oldest ships.(...)



I would also add that because one restaurant gets a bad sanitary note does not mean you should avoid the whole neighbourhood.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Yes!  I definitely say Carnival is an excellent cruise line for kids.  The entire vibe is fun and kid friendly.  There are activities going on everywhere that kids enjoy.  The food is kid friendly and delicious.  One of our kids ate at Guy's burgers every day.  Lol.   Fresh pizza open all night.  Family friendly movies at night on deck with free popcorn and lots of seating.  The decor is bright and cheery, the kids club is the best we have experienced at sea.   Yes, DCL's kids clubs have more bells and whistles, but our kids preferred CCL's.  We liked Carnival, but we are interested in trying all lines--- not the kids.  They are sold.
> 
> The kids club on Carnival is structured but flexible.  We find DCL's clubs generally unstructured.  Our kids liked DCL clubs but sometimes got bored.  Other kids in general were different on CCL than on DCL, more down to earth, less (hate to make this generalization, but) spoiled.  Our kids fit in better and made more friends at the Carnival kids club than on any of our Disney cruises. The counselors on Carnival are much more attentive and caring.  The DCL counselors are more remote.  On a couple of DCL cruises, we have seen a couple of male counslers who were very engaged in the clubs, usually leading more physical activities, but in general we find DCL counselors a bit more jaded, very nice, but not really into it.  This is our experience only and may be different for others.
> 
> Obviously, CCL is superior for value.  Just no contest.  The food puts DCL to shame.  The decor isn't as "cute" as Disney's but the kids don't seem to notice at all.  Lol.  The water park and pools are less crowded.  The staff is on a par with DCL's.   It is hard for us to consider DCL again.  Over the next 2 years we have CCL, NCL, and RCL scheduled.   We do WDW every year too, so we are huge Disney fans, but their cruise line needs to learn some from its competitors.



Thank you I just added your review.


----------



## Pens Fan

cruiser21 said:


> It seems like bonus checks get taxed about 40%, but hey every little bit helps.
> 
> I wish our Quebec cruise was round trip. Greece is wonderful you should enjoy that.



Well, I wish our Quebec cruise was round trip as well!   We were just notified that NCL has changed all of the 10 day round trip cruises this Fall to one way cruises of varying length.  We are reviewing our options to see what we want to do.  I'm bummed about the extra travel involved but they have added a bunch of ports, so I'm looking at the bright side.  Besides, we will be on a cruise!  That's never a bad thing.


----------



## cruiser21

Pens Fan said:


> Well, I wish our Quebec cruise was round trip as well!   We were just notified that NCL has changed all of the 10 day round trip cruises this Fall to one way cruises of varying length.  We are reviewing our options to see what we want to do.  I'm bummed about the extra travel involved but they have added a bunch of ports, so I'm looking at the bright side.  Besides, we will be on a cruise!  That's never a bad thing.


Did they give you reason?


----------



## Pens Fan

No @cruiser21 , they just noted a schedule change.  All of these cruises in Sept and Oct dropped off the website about a week ago, so we knew something was up.  There's been a lot of speculation on Cruise Critic and someone found this:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/cruise-ship-industry-quebec-speed-limit-1.4273807

I don't know if that had anything to do with it or not, but it seems other cruises in that area have been modified as well.  While the extra cost and hassle of flying is unfortunate, I'm pretty excited about the new itineraries.  I'm not sure which one we will be able to get.  I'm waiting on my TA to get back to me now, but there is a possibility we can get on a 12 night cruise (we paid for a 10 night).  NCL says they are offering price protection as long as we book one of the new Gem cruises.  Fingers crossed.  Even if the category we want is sold out for the 12 nighter, I'm very happy with the replacement for the one we originally booked.  It's still a 10 nighter, but offers a lot more ports including Saguenay, Quebec and some U.S. New England ports.


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## mevelandry

It sucks for Saguenay and Gaspé. They are wonderful ports.


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## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> It sucks for Saguenay and Gaspé. They are wonderful ports.


DCL is stopping at one of those ports supposedly. If there are changes I hope dcl lets us know before PIF date. Dcl is slow in this area. They also can't seem to sell their cruises out of NYC which is another reason they may not inform us.


----------



## Pens Fan

mevelandry said:


> It sucks for Saguenay and Gaspé. They are wonderful ports.



The ironic thing is that prior to this change our NCL cruise didn't go to Saguenay.  It was one of the reasons I considered switching to Disney, but ultimately decided to stay with NCL.  Now, both of the revised itineraries we are considering have added it.  Best of both worlds for us!

Hopefully Disney's won't require a change.  I guess it just depends on whether or not they can make the scheduled ports with the new speed restrictions.  I'd go with "no news is good news" for now!


----------



## cruiser21

Pens Fan said:


> The ironic thing is that prior to this change our NCL cruise didn't go to Saguenay.  It was one of the reasons I considered switching to Disney, but ultimately decided to stay with NCL.  Now, both of the revised itineraries we are considering have added it.  Best of both worlds for us!
> 
> Hopefully Disney's won't require a change.  I guess it just depends on whether or not they can make the scheduled ports with the new speed restrictions.  I'd go with "no news is good news" for now!


Hopefully if they have to skip a port they'll skip Halifax. I've never been there, but it's a common port I'm sure I'll get there eventually.


----------



## Pens Fan

cruiser21 said:


> Hopefully if they have to skip a port they'll skip Halifax. I've never been there, but it's a common port I'm sure I'll get there eventually.



Halifax is wonderful, but you're right.  Most cruises to that area go there, so there will be lots of opportunity to visit on another cruise. Hopefully your Disney cruise won't have to change.  Our original NCL cruise was sailing from PEI to Quebec City and then back to Halifax (with a sea day on either side of Quebec City).  That's a pretty long haul each way, even with the sea day.


----------



## mevelandry

Important news regarding Room Service on Carnival cruise ships:

From John Heald on Facebook:

_From 10pm to 6am we will no longer offer complimentary room service. An expanded offering of fee-based food items will be available ranging from salads and sandwiches to specialty items and include new options such as Greek Salad; Chicken Caesar Salad; Portabella & Veggie Bun; Grilled Cheese, Bacon and Tomato Sandwich; and Roast Turkey Wrap; as well as a selection of new desserts including Dark Chocolate Walnut Brownies; Doughnut Sandwich; and Banana Split. Prices for menu items will range from $2 to $6.

Also, on debarkation morning, we will no longer offer room service. You will continue to have the option of enjoying breakfast at the Lido deck restaurant, at Ocean Plaza (on those ships that have one) and in the dining room._

********************************************************************

I don't think we'll be affected by this since we never order room service. But I think some people won't agree with this.


----------



## hdrolfe

I do like to order room service, usually when we get back from an excursion. RCL started charging for theirs before our last cruise so we didn't order it at all except some coffee in the morning (continental breakfast is still free). I will miss being able to order on the last morning, it was nice to not have to fight the buffet or get to the dining room in time. I don't think Carnival's charges will impact me though.


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## we"reofftoneverland

We  only order room service at breakfast, but I hate it when cruise lines take away options.


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## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We  only order room service at breakfast, but I hate it when cruise lines take away options.



Hopefully, it will help keeping the rates low. 

I've started looking for cruises for 2019 and the prices seem very high compared to what I have seen since 2015.


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## trvlgirlmq

We have extended our Vista cruise vacation with 6 nts/5 days at WDW!  My mom made the decision and I am glad she did.  We have had a rough few months emotionally and she is in need of some relaxation, laughter and fun.  I only hate that we have to wait so long for her to get away for a bit. My niece is very excited to be returning to Pop Century too.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> We have extended our Vista cruise vacation with 6 nts/5 days at WDW!  My mom made the decision and I am glad she did.  We have had a rough few months emotionally and she is in need of some relaxation, laughter and fun.  I only hate that we have to wait so long for her to get away for a bit. My niece is very excited to be returning to Pop Century too.



Great news! Will you do Disney before or after the cruise?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Great news! Will you do Disney before or after the cruise?



It will be after the cruise.  We had already bought our airfare to Miami but had not purchased the return so it worked out well.


----------



## RedSox68

Pens Fan said:


> Well, I wish our Quebec cruise was round trip as well!   We were just notified that NCL has changed all of the 10 day round trip cruises this Fall to one way cruises of varying length.  We are reviewing our options to see what we want to do.  I'm bummed about the extra travel involved but they have added a bunch of ports, so I'm looking at the bright side.  Besides, we will be on a cruise!  That's never a bad thing.



NCL did this to us for our Cuba cruise -- downsized the itinerary so that we would only get one day in Cuba instead of two.  We cancelled and went with RCCL who is doing the two full days.   

I will say that we did the one-way HAL cruise from Quebec to NYC and it was fabulous.  What we did was rent a one-way rental from Hertz and dropped it off in Montreal and stayed for three nights, then did another one-way rental from Montreal to Quebec day of cruise.  The one-way rentals were all reserved well in advance and we had no problems at all.


----------



## Pens Fan

RedSox68 said:


> NCL did this to us for our Cuba cruise -- downsized the itinerary so that we would only get one day in Cuba instead of two.  We cancelled and went with RCCL who is doing the two full days.
> 
> I will say that we did the one-way HAL cruise from Quebec to NYC and it was fabulous.  What we did was rent a one-way rental from Hertz and dropped it off in Montreal and stayed for three nights, then did another one-way rental from Montreal to Quebec day of cruise.  The one-way rentals were all reserved well in advance and we had no problems at all.



Thanks!  Surprisingly, I'm finding some really inexpensive flights from Pittsburgh to Quebec City.   In some cases, it is actually cheaper than flights to Montreal which makes no sense, but I'm not complaining!  We are going to fly up to Quebec City on a Saturday and hang out there until we board the ship on Monday.  The ship doesn't actually sail until Tuesday, so we will have lots of time to explore.  We may rent a car and drive home from NYC, though.  We haven't decided on that yet, though I'm leaning towards flying that direction as well.  

I wasn't too happy at first due to the added travel, but it actually has worked out really well.  NCL offered price protection if we switched to one of the new Gem cruises, so we switched to a 12 day but kept the price of the 10 day.  The port fees went up, but that was because they added 5 ports which I'm pretty happy about.  I'm especially glad we are now going to Saguenay and they've added two stops in Maine.  We've been to Maine before, but it was 20 years ago so I'm looking forward to returning.  It's a beautiful state.


----------



## mevelandry

Pictures of the Carnival Victory who is fresh out of dry dock and pictures have started to emerge. It looks great, looks like the old wooden floor around the main pool (that made the exterior of the ship look old) has been replaced and they added the two Blue Iguanas', Red Frog and Guy's Burger in the four corners of that pool. 

The pictures I have seen so far were taken at night but it looks amazing. 

I honestly can't wait to go back and sail on the Victory. This is so exciting!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Pictures of the Carnival Victory who is fresh out of dry dock and pictures have started to emerge. It looks great, looks like the old wooden floor around the main pool (that made the exterior of the ship look old) has been replaced and they added the two Blue Iguanas', Red Frog and Guy's Burger in the four corners of that pool.
> 
> The pictures I have seen so far were taken at night but it looks amazing.
> 
> I honestly can't wait to go back and sail on the Victory. This is so exciting!


Where can I find those photos?  I would love to see them.  Are they somewhere on Carnival's site?


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Where can I find those photos?  I would love to see them.  Are they somewhere on Carnival's site?



Not yet. I am a member of a Carnival Victory cruisers group on Facebook and "DJ Renzo" (also on FB) posted pictures. I think they may be public.


----------



## mevelandry

Why don't I never book a cruise in January? This is when I miss cruising the most.


----------



## KalamityJane

I searched this thread and didn't see anything on it. Has anyone cruised Carnival with food restrictions? I was less than impressed with DCL on this regard on our first cruise with them (though I now know that I have to advocate and ask specifically for what we want).


----------



## mevelandry

KalamityJane said:


> I searched this thread and didn't see anything on it. Has anyone cruised Carnival with food restrictions? I was less than impressed with DCL on this regard on our first cruise with them (though I now know that I have to advocate and ask specifically for what we want).



I don't know if this counts as food restriction but my husband is allergic to coconut and Carnival teams in the dining room have been very helpful with his allergy (telling him what he should order and should not order). I would of course recommend that you stick to early or late dining in order to make sure to get the same team every time. However, DH and I have chosen Your Time Dining and it seems like the information was known by most servers we've met. 

This is what Carnival says regarding food restrictions and allergies: 

*Food Allergies*:

We ask that you please inform our dining team of any food allergies and special preparation you may require to accommodate your allergy. Please discuss this the first evening of your cruise. Although there are a number of options at our various restaurants, special dietary and food requests can be accommodated in our main dining rooms only.


*Other Dietary Needs*:

Although we do not have dietitians on board, we can offer assistance with simple requests such as the method of preparation of menu items. Diet requirements need to be arranged with the head waiter on the first night of the cruise. If dining in the Lido Restaurant, the guest should discuss requirements with senior dining staff.

(Source: Carnival.com)


----------



## mevelandry

As we are getting closer to our April cruise, all the plans are pretty much set in stone so I started looking for our Anthem of the Seas cruise. Yesterday, I have been able to book our specialty dining so I chose Jamie Oliver's restaurant for our anniversary, Chop's Grille lunch because the menu was appealing to us and it was much more affordable than dinner... And the Solarium Bistro, because I think I read nice reviews about it and I have a strong feeling that we are going to love that solarium! 

There were deals for specialty dining but booking everything separately was cheaper for us so this is what I have done. Since we got OBC with booking, it covered 50% of the amount needed for the specialty dining I booked. Can't complain. I have to say that it was just as affordable as Carnival. So excited to try them! 

For now, there are not many activities or entertainment we can book but I am sure the options are going to be available within the next months. 

Now all I have to do it book our My Time Dining for the days we don't have specialty dining. 

I like how different all those cruise lines are from each other. It's fun to get to know them!


----------



## Monykalyn

mevelandry said:


> 2018 is here!!!!
> 
> Do you have a cruise (or cruises) happening in 2018?
> 
> For us:
> 
> April 2018)  A Key West & Cozumel Family cruise (DH and I with my FIL and MIL!) on the Carnival Victory --almost fresh out of dry dock!-- departing from Miami. It's going to be our 3rd Carnival cruise but the 1st Carnival cruise for my FIL & MIL. First time in Key West for all of us and first time in Cozumel for my FIL and MIL. We want to spend a little time in Fort Lauderdale before the cruise and plan to do an excursion in the Everglades before going back home. Our plane arrived late during our last trip so we had to cancel all plans in Fort Lauderdale... We are excited to have a second chance in visiting the town.
> 
> October 2018) A Bermuda cruise (just DH and I) to celebrate our 7th anniversary. It's going to be our first Royal Caribbean Cruise on the Anthem of the Seas, and first time departing from NYC (Bayonne). Being a huge fan of New York, I'm very excited with the idea of a pre-cruise stay in Manhattan.
> 
> 
> You?


Hi- I've been following your thread since you started this lol! Been trying to get in a cruise for years-just has never worked out was actually looking for next year as we are taking break from Disney (last semester my oldest did the Disney College Program and we spent lots of time there). However- the opportunity for a cruise has come up for October - 4 day on carnival Valor out of Galveston in October! Will just be me and DH- it's actually for a regional meeting for the volunteer organization we are with (Sertoma). 
So first cruise ever for me and 2nd one for DH (although his last cruise was way back in the 80's for senior trip). 
We still have our Disney trip in June but I'm way more excited about the cruise lol!
I've also discovered ways to get discounted carnival gift cards -hoping to have enough by October to maybe have enough for deposit for next cruise hehe...

I very much enjoyed your comparisons and reviews!


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Important news regarding Room Service on Carnival cruise ships:
> 
> From John Heald on Facebook:
> 
> _From 10pm to 6am we will no longer offer complimentary room service. An expanded offering of fee-based food items will be available ranging from salads and sandwiches to specialty items and include new options such as Greek Salad; Chicken Caesar Salad; Portabella & Veggie Bun; Grilled Cheese, Bacon and Tomato Sandwich; and Roast Turkey Wrap; as well as a selection of new desserts including Dark Chocolate Walnut Brownies; Doughnut Sandwich; and Banana Split. Prices for menu items will range from $2 to $6.
> 
> Also, on debarkation morning, we will no longer offer room service. You will continue to have the option of enjoying breakfast at the Lido deck restaurant, at Ocean Plaza (on those ships that have one) and in the dining room._
> 
> ********************************************************************
> 
> I don't think we'll be affected by this since we never order room service. But I think some people won't agree with this.



Also there are several cruise lines now that charge a $7.95 fee for room service all day.  The only free room service is continental breakfast.  I was really surprised when I learned that!


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> Hi- I've been following your thread since you started this lol! Been trying to get in a cruise for years-just has never worked out was actually looking for next year as we are taking break from Disney (last semester my oldest did the Disney College Program and we spent lots of time there). However- the opportunity for a cruise has come up for October - 4 day on carnival Valor out of Galveston in October! Will just be me and DH- it's actually for a regional meeting for the volunteer organization we are with (Sertoma).
> So first cruise ever for me and 2nd one for DH (although his last cruise was way back in the 80's for senior trip).
> We still have our Disney trip in June but I'm way more excited about the cruise lol!
> I've also discovered ways to get discounted carnival gift cards -hoping to have enough by October to maybe have enough for deposit for next cruise hehe...
> 
> I very much enjoyed your comparisons and reviews!



Congratulations on booking your first Carnival cruise. I hope you are going to enjoy it... but I honestly think you will.   

The Valor is a gorgeous ship (and is a Fun Ship 2.0 so it has all the bells and whistles)... It looks fantastic. 

If you have any questions, come and ask.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Also there are several cruise lines now that charge a $7.95 fee for room service all day.  The only free room service is continental breakfast.  I was really surprised when I learned that!



I'm afraid the free room service option is going to be a thing of the past very soon. 

As I said (not sure what was the subject)... I don't mind too much about charging fees for certain services as long as the rates for the cruise stay low/lower.


----------



## natebenma

Carnival Legend (Alaska, August 2017) vs. Disney Fantasy (Western Caribbean, October 2017)













In 2017, I had the opportunity to go on two cruises within two month’s time.  My family- my husband, two teen boys and I took a Carnival cruise on the Legend to Alaska in August.  In early October, I traveled with a dear friend Teena, my first time on a Disney cruise.  This was a Western Caribbean itinerary on the Fantasy.

I just finished up the trip report for the Alaska Cruise (see the link in my signature).  I will be starting the report for the Disney Fantasy Western Caribbean trip soon.  

Everyone who hears about these two trips has been curious about how the two cruises compare, so I will do my best to point out the pros and cons of both experiences.  To some extent, the analysis will be difficult because the destinations and traveling parties were so different.

I also need to add that although both of these trips were spectacular, cruising is not my favorite form of vacation.  I prefer a land-based trip, where I am able to walk on the beach when the mood hits me and where I don’t have the pressure of  a deadline for returning to a ship that will sail away without me if I miss it.


*Price:*

For this piece, I will compare the Carnival/Disney Alaska itineraries so that we have an apples to apples comparison.  Which is more like a Kia to Rolls Royce analysis.  My husband researched and booked the Alaska cruise for our family.  The cost for the Carnival cruise (not including airfare or tips/other expenses) one week, one cabin, 4 adults, extended balcony room was $4,500.  I believe he ever-so-briefly checked what a similar Disney cruise would cost and it was at least double that.

Since the highlight of a trip to Alaska is the destination, and the bells and whistles offered by Disney were not important to us, Carnival is the clear winner here. No regrets about booking with “The Fun Ship” for our family’s trip to Alaska.


Except for a couple of other features, Disney takes the win in every other category.


*Ship:*


Carnival Legend
First Sailed in August 2002
963 feet long, 12 decks
2,124 passengers/930 crew members
Ship's Godmother: Dame Judi Dench

Disney Fantasy
First Sailed in March 2012
1,115 feet, 16 decks
4,000 passengers/1,458 cast members
Ship's Godmother: Mariah Carey
(Neil Patrick Harris hosted the Christening ceremony and Jerry Seinfeld performed)


The Carnival Legend is an older ship, and in fact will be going into dry-dock soon for a refurbishment.  It is a (relatively) small ship, compared to the Disney Fantasy, but I still found it difficult to navigate.

I am directionally challenged, so I had trouble finding my cabin on both ships when I was alone, but it was ESPECIALLY bad on the Legend.  I got lost for several minutes more than once.  It was so bad that at one point my family forbade me from wandering alone (AWWW!  They DO care!)

The directional signs on the Fantasy were clearer and easier to understand.  I did still have trouble getting from the theatre area back to my cabin on the Fantasy when I was alone-  not all of the elevators went to the floor I needed, and I really had to study the maps to find my way around.   Is the adult Serenity area at the front or back of the ship?  I don’t know, but I could eventually find it given enough time.

The Disney Fantasy is newer, brighter and the Disney touches are fantastic.  Disney does details! Both ships were kept clean, but the crew on the Fantasy makes sure it is immaculate!  A few days before we boarded the Fantasy, the ship had hit a dock, but I’m pretty sure the scratch was repaired before they even left that port.

The theming for the Legend is Greek/Roman mythology, which is cool and all, but DISNEY!!! From the Minnie statue in the lobby to the movie artwork on the stairways and throughout the ship and the added bonus of the Halloween touches, the décor of the Fantasy wins ears-down!


*Lobbies:*














Fantasy Lobby, Halloween on the High Seas decor




​
ETA:
A few people have mentioned in replies that they prefer the look of the Legend lobby, with a good point being the use of the space. I did spend more time in the Fantasy lobby- I went to a pin trading event and I happened upon a character dance party one afternoon at sea.  There is a popular bar in the Legend lobby, but we don't really spend any time at bars, especially when traveling with the boys. The entertainment in the lobby was literally the same duo of singers every time we walked through.  Hardest working couple on the seas!

*Cabin:*

I am not sure if the cabins on the Legend and the Fantasy were the same category of room.  Both of the cabins I stayed in had balconies.  The Disney cabin was larger, or at least seemed to be.  The bedding we had on the Fantasy was a large bed and a sleeper couch, with a curtain that divided the spaces.  On the Legend, we had a cabin with a large bed and bunk beds for the boys.

The Fantasy had two bathrooms, one with a shower but on the Legend the four of us had to share a single bathroom.  The second bathroom was a huge advantage because someone could be showering while someone else was brushing teeth or whatever.

The storage seemed pretty comparable in the two cabins. But there was one feature I really loved in the Fantasy.  Next to my sleeper couch was a large storage chest where I put all my beach gear and snorkel stuff.


*Carnival Legend Cabin 7178*






















Disney Fantasy Cabin 8678





















Battle of the Towel Elephants:







Dumbo:






*Entertainment:  *

This one is a slam dunk!

Disclaimer-  on previous cruises, and on the Legend Alaska cruise, we have not attended shows.  Well, one afternoon ice skating show on a Royal Caribbean ship, but I think that’s it.  We are just not that into it, and we are also early-to-bed, early-to-rise, so the entertainment is usually too late for us.

On the Fantasy, I did not miss any of the nightly shows.  The performers in all of the shows were super talented.

 Aladdin was incredible!  Costumes and staging were awesome, Genie was hilarious.



The other custom shows- The Welcome Fantasy Show, Wishes, Believe and An Unforgettable Journey were all excellent, with original stories interspersed with Broadway-style vignettes from popular Disney movies.

But what impressed me most of all were the live performers on the show.  The hypnotist Rcky Kalmon blew my mind (although he failed to control it).  I liked his performance so much that I went to see his adult-themed show another night at a lounge.  Again, I did not get hypnotized, but the guy sitting next to me did and it was unbelievable.

Another night, juggler Max Winfrey entertained and amazed me.  4 tennis racket.  Kitchen sink. Hilarious audience participation.  What else is there to say?

Oh, and the Pirate Party followed by fireworks at sea?  BOOM!







In contrast, our only experience with the entertainment on the Legend was during our dinner one night.  A guy wearing a tuxedo came over to our table and asked “Do you recognize me?  I’m on tv!”  Then he proceeded to do some card tricks at our table.  He then invited us to his magic show the next day.  This was SO CRINGY and awkward!  The next night he was working more tables at dinner but fortunately, he didn’t make it back to ours.


*On Board Activities:*

On the Legend, in Alaska, the focus was really on excursions in port, and observing the scenery while we were at sea.  We played trivia a couple of times.  One was general trivia, the other was Harry Potter-themed.  Both sessions had challenging questions and cramped conditions. The lounge where we played was much too small for everyone who was playing.  They would have been better off doing it in the theatre.

We also went to a sushi making demo on the Legend-  There were only two rows of seats for about 20 people, so we watched from spot overlooking the lobby.

On the Fantasy, there were always interesting things to do during any downtime:

Ship tour, animation class, characters to meet, movies at poolside and in the theatre*, an interactive detective game.  Trivia was held in a large lounge and there was plenty of room to be comfortable.​
ETA:

* There were 3 movies shown during the Legend cruise.  On our Skagway (Friday) day, Boss Baby in the afternoon and Rogue One at 10:30.  On our final day, Beauty & the Beast was shown.  On the Fantasy, Disney movies were playing non-stop when the pool was open and other first-run movies were being shown a couple of times a day in one of the theatres.


*Food:*

On the Legend, we chose the YTD: Your Time Dining-  where we could arrive for dinner at a time that was convenient for us.  This was great, especially with the port itineraries that had us on crazy time schedules.  The only times we experienced a wait to be seated was on the first sea day/formal night and on the night we were docking in Victoria since anyone who wanted to get off the ship at 7:30 needed to dine early.

We also liked that we could choose to dine with our family only, instead of being at a table with others we didn’t know.

One of the downsides of this style of dining is that we didn’t have the same waitstaff from night to night.  Service varied from professional and excellent (once), to adequate, to poor.

The food was mostly decent.  We are not picky eaters, so we were always able to find something we wanted to eat.  On the menu, they call the appetizers “Entrees” and the dinners “Mains” which screwed us up for a couple of nights.

Carnival offers an “if you dare” appetizer each night- things like frogs legs, beef tongue, rabbit.  We would often get this appetizer, or another “for the table” to share in addition to each ordering our own.

Standouts we had during the week were an Indian vegetarian dinner that Mark got and a fantastic chocolate cake.  The dining low point was during the lunch where we were served inedible sushi and a pepper pot soup that had no flavor.

Note: Traditional cruise dining, at set times, was also available in the lower dining room for anyone who wanted to do that.


The food on the Fantasy was incredible, service was impeccable, the dining room theming was really cool! More about all that when I am writing my report, but I do want to comment on the exceptional job our waitstaff did in dealing with the extreme dietary restrictions of one of our friends who dined with us.  The assistant waitress reviewed the menu for the following night with M to ensure her meal would be prepared as she needed it.  Every night she was able to enjoy a custom-made dessert that was safe for her.  KUDOS!


*Buffets: *

We didn’t eat at the buffets much at either ship.

Disney had much better offerings and selections-  shrimp and crab claws at the lunch buffet!

I didn’t like the set-up on the Legend.  There were too many stations, and they were spread out on deck, in more than one room.  Made it difficult if you wanted to sample a lot of different things.  I did enjoy the Chopstick buffet station that offered delicious Asian food.

One morning on the Fantasy I ordered an omelet.  They gave me a number and asked where I was seated so they could deliver it to me when it was ready!  That rocked!!!


*Specialty Dining*

We dined at the Nouveau Steakhouse on the Legend on our arrival night.  At $35 per person, plus tip, I found this to be a pricey meal.  There was plenty of food, though.  The appetizers and salads were all excellent.  Nate got a huge steak.  We were served Caribbean lobster even though the menu promised Maine lobster.  The desserts were good, although we were already full by the time they were served.

Palo on the Fantasy rocked!  Here you order mini main courses (as many as you want) and there is also a serve-yourself buffet with serveral stations.  The seafood selections- OMG!  I could have just been happy with just that.  There were many tempting desserts, too.


Nouveau Steak House:





















Palo:






















*Pools:*

Because we were in Alaska, we didn’t try out the pools on the Legend.  They were surprisingly crowded with families, though.

The Fantasy pools were always crowded as well, both the family pool and the adult pool.  I took a couple of dips in the adult pool to cool off, but there was no place for me to “swim”

I never tried the slide on the Legend, but I did have a few rides on the Fantasy’s Aquaduck.  So fun! My wait times ranged from about 10 -30 minutes.  I regret that I never got the chance to ride at night.


Fantasy:















Excursions-  it is not really fair to compare excursions between these two cruises since the destinations were so different, but I will make two comments:

At Carnival, you book and pay in advance.  With Disney, you reserve your spot and then you are charged when you are onboard.  This is very convenient and allows for last minute changes if you want to do something else (within a certain timeframe)

Also, I would be remiss not to mention that Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island stop, is paradise!


*Photos: *

This one is a mixed bag.

The photographers on the Legend were voracious!  They were pushy about trying to take our pictures frequently.  Every port had costumed characters or mascots as we were leaving the ship.  The photographers also roamed the dining rooms.  We eventually figured out we just needed to say “No, thanks”, but on the Disney ship, there was absolutely no pressure by the photographers because plenty of families had purchased photo packages and wanted keepsake pictures.

The environmentalist in me hates that all photos are printed out for display and then are destroyed if not purchased.  I like the procedure at Disney, where you can look at the screens, edit and choose the pictures you want.

HOWEVER, the one time I wanted to purchase a picture on the Fantasy (a picture of me in front of the Fantasy on Castaway Cay), it was difficult to find a working monitor due to the crowds.  A Cast Member needed to help me figure out what to do, but he was stretched thin and couldn’t stay with me.  When I saw the price for the single picture I wanted-$20 or $24 for a 5x7” or something like that- I balked.  I would have preferred a 4x6” or a digital download but I don’t think that was an option and I couldn’t find anyone to help me.  I didn’t end up purchasing the picture.

On the Legend, I purchased a package of 4 photos- our boarding shot, the boys’ pictures with the “Alaskan Blind Bear” and a picture of me that Mark liked from our first day.  When I was deciding about the pictures, the person at the counter was very helpful and offered to put aside the pictures I was considering, which is not the usual procedure. I think it was around $40 for 4 photos, a MUCH better deal than the Disney cruise photo prices.

We never checked to see if there is an unlimited photo package through Carnival, because getting my family to pose for pictures is like pulling teeth.  I know Disney has a package, but it is uber-expensive.


*Muster:*

As experienced cruisers know, Coast Guard regulations require that all passengers gather at a muster station to familiarize themselves with emergency and safety procedures before the cruise ship can set sail.

The muster drill on the Legend sucked!  We got to our station, which was on one of the decks by the lifeboats, when called.  We lined up and then had to stay on deck for about 45 minutes, in the heat, crowded against a wall, prohibited from using any electronic devices, while we waited for everyone to check-in.  It seemed like people in the know realized that others would be late, so to avoid having to wait around, many people did not show up until the last minute.

The muster on the Fantasy was so much better.  Our assigned station was in the Tube nightclub-  INSIDE! AIR-CONDITIONED- WITH SEATS!


*Wifi:*

For me, Carnival actually wins on this one.  With Carnival, you can get an unlimited package for around $70/week.  Only 1 person in the cabin can be online at a time (unless you make one of the devices a hotspot).  You could purchase in advance before the cruise for a discount, which we did.  Instructions for logging on were in the cabin when we arrived.  The advantage to this plan is you didn’t have to remember to logout or be concerned about what was running and consuming data.  You could be connected as long you wanted or until someone else in the cabin wanted to use the ‘net.

The Connect@Sea package with Disney is more confusing.   You purchase a certain amount of data.  The more data you pay for, the cheaper it is per unit, BUT you won’t get a refund for any unused data.  It can be tough to know how much data you will need.  If you run out of the data and need to purchase more, you don’t get the advantage of the bulk pricing.  You also needed to be careful about automatic update to apps on your device, or uploading/downloading apps like One Drive or DropBox that could use your data in the background without you knowing it.  Do not forget to logout when you are not using your device. I believe I took an old phone with the sim card removed to use on the ship.  

I tried for the past 15 minutes or so to find the prices so I could post here, but I couldn’t find them on the Disney Cruise site or doing a simple search. I checked my receipt and I paid $39.00, I think for 300 MB of data.  I think that was the least expensive plan.  At the time I sailed, there was an option to purchase 1,000 MB of data for $89 

Note-  I also received 50 MB of free data for signing on the first day.  I think every cabin can get this, whether or not you sign up for a plan.  The data I purchased ended up being sufficient for me.  I was able to keep in touch with my family and friends back home through WhatsApp and Facebook while I was away for a week. 


I think that is a decent overview for now.  As I am writing the report about my Fantasy trip, if I think of anything to add, I’ll update this post.

​


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

natebenma said:


> Carnival Legend (Alaska, August 2017) vs. Disney Fantasy (Western Caribbean, October 2017)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In 2017, I had the opportunity to go on two cruises within two month’s time.  My family- my husband, two teen boys and I took a Carnival cruise on the Legend to Alaska in August.  In early October, I traveled with a dear friend Teena, my first time on a Disney cruise.  This was a Western Caribbean itinerary on the Fantasy.
> 
> I just finished up the trip report for the Alaska Cruise (see the link in my signature).  I will be starting the report for the Disney Fantasy Western Caribbean trip soon.
> 
> Everyone who hears about these two trips has been curious about how the two cruises compare, so I will do my best to point out the pros and cons of both experiences.  To some extent, the analysis will be difficult because the destinations and traveling parties were so different.
> 
> I also need to add that although both of these trips were spectacular, cruising is not my favorite form of vacation.  I prefer a land-based trip, where I am able to walk on the beach when the mood hits me and where I don’t have the pressure of  a deadline for returning to a ship that will sail away without me if I miss it.
> 
> 
> *Price:*
> 
> For this piece, I will compare the Carnival/Disney Alaska itineraries so that we have an apples to apples comparison.  Which is more like a Kia to Rolls Royce analysis.  My husband researched and booked the Alaska cruise for our family.  The cost for the Carnival cruise (not including airfare or tips/other expenses) one week, one cabin, 4 adults, extended balcony room was $4,500.  I believe he ever-so-briefly checked what a similar Disney cruise would cost and it was at least double that.
> 
> Since the highlight of a trip to Alaska is the destination, and the bells and whistles offered by Disney were not important to us, Carnival is the clear winner here. No regrets about booking with “The Fun Ship” for our family’s trip to Alaska.
> 
> 
> Except for a couple of other features, Disney takes the win in every other category.
> 
> 
> *Ship:*
> 
> 
> Carnival Legend
> First Sailed in August 2002
> 963 feet long, 12 decks
> 2,124 passengers/930 crew members
> Ship's Godmother: Dame Judi Dench
> 
> Disney Fantasy
> First Sailed in March 2012
> 1,115 feet, 16 decks
> 4,000 passengers/1,458 cast members
> Ship's Godmother: Mariah Carey
> (Neil Patrick Harris hosted the Christening ceremony and Jerry Seinfeld performed)
> 
> 
> The Carnival Legend is an older ship, and in fact will be going into dry-dock soon for a refurbishment.  It is a (relatively) small ship, compared to the Disney Fantasy, but I still found it difficult to navigate.
> 
> I am directionally challenged, so I had trouble finding my cabin on both ships when I was alone, but it was ESPECIALLY bad on the Legend.  I got lost for several minutes more than once.  It was so bad that at one point my family forbade me from wandering alone (AWWW!  They DO care!)
> 
> The directional signs on the Fantasy were clearer and easier to understand.  I did still have trouble getting from the theatre area back to my cabin on the Fantasy when I was alone-  not all of the elevators went to the floor I needed, and I really had to study the maps to find my way around.   Is the adult Serenity area at the front or back of the ship?  I don’t know, but I could eventually find it given enough time.
> 
> The Disney Fantasy is newer, brighter and the Disney touches are fantastic.  Disney does details! Both ships were kept clean, but the crew on the Fantasy makes sure it is immaculate!  A few days before we boarded the Fantasy, the ship had hit a dock, but I’m pretty sure the scratch was repaired before they even left that port.
> 
> The theming for the Legend is Greek/Roman mythology, which is cool and all, but DISNEY!!! From the Minnie statue in the lobby to the movie artwork on the stairways and throughout the ship and the added bonus of the Halloween touches, the décor of the Fantasy wins ears-down!
> 
> 
> *Lobbies:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fantasy Lobby, Halloween on the High Seas decor
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Cabin:*
> 
> I am not sure if the cabins on the Legend and the Fantasy were the same category of room.  Both of the cabins I stayed in had balconies.  The Disney cabin was larger, or at least seemed to be.  The bedding we had on the Fantasy was a large bed and a sleeper couch, with a curtain that divided the spaces.  On the Legend, we had a cabin with a large bed and bunk beds for the boys.
> 
> The Fantasy had two bathrooms, one with a shower but on the Legend the four of us had to share a single bathroom.  The second bathroom was a huge advantage because someone could be showering while someone else was brushing teeth or whatever.
> 
> The storage seemed pretty comparable in the two cabins. But there was one feature I really loved in the Fantasy.  Next to my sleeper couch was a large storage chest where I put all my beach gear and snorkel stuff.
> 
> 
> *Carnival Legend Cabin 7178*
> 
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> Disney Fantasy Cabin 8678
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> Battle of the Towel Elephants:
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> Dumbo:
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> *Entertainment:  *
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> This one is a slam dunk!
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> Disclaimer-  on previous cruises, and on the Legend Alaska cruise, we have not attended shows.  Well, one afternoon ice skating show on a Royal Caribbean ship, but I think that’s it.  We are just not that into it, and we are also early-to-bed, early-to-rise, so the entertainment is usually too late for us.
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> On the Fantasy, I did not miss any of the nightly shows.  The performers in all of the shows were super talented.
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> Aladdin was incredible!  Costumes and staging were awesome, Genie was hilarious.
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> The other custom shows- The Welcome Fantasy Show, Wishes, Believe and An Unforgettable Journey were all excellent, with original stories interspersed with Broadway-style vignettes from popular Disney movies.
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> But what impressed me most of all were the live performers on the show.  The hypnotist Kicky Kalmon blew my mind (although he failed to control it).  I liked his performance so much that I went to see his adult-themed show another night at a lounge.  Again, I did not get hypnotized, but the guy sitting next to me did and it was unbelievable.
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> Another night, juggler Max Winfrey entertained and amazed me.  4 tennis racket.  Kitchen sink. Hilarious audience participation.  What else is there to say?
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> Oh, and the Pirate Party followed by fireworks at sea?  BOOM!
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> In contrast, our only experience with the entertainment on the Legend was during our dinner one night.  A guy wearing a tuxedo came over to our table and asked “Do you recognize me?  I’m on tv!”  Then he proceeded to do some card tricks at our table.  He then invited us to his magic show the next day.  This was SO CRINGY and awkward!  The next night he was working more tables at dinner but fortunately, he didn’t make it back to ours.
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> *On Board Activities:*
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> On the Legend, in Alaska, the focus was really on excursions in port, and observing the scenery while we were at sea.  We played trivia a couple of times.  One was general trivia, the other was Harry Potter-themed.  Both sessions had challenging questions and cramped conditions. The lounge where we played was much too small for everyone who was playing.  They would have been better off doing it in the theatre.
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> We also went to a sushi making demo on the Legend-  There were only two rows of seats for about 20 people, so we watched from spot overlooking the lobby.
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> On the Fantasy, there were always interesting things to do during any downtime:
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> Ship tour, animation class, characters to meet, movies at poolside and in the theatre, an interactive detective game.  Trivia was held in a large lounge and there was plenty of room to be comfortable.
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> *Food:*
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> On the Legend, we chose the YTD: Your Time Dining-  where we could arrive for dinner at a time that was convenient for us.  This was great, especially with the port itineraries that had us on crazy time schedules.  The only times we experienced a wait to be seated was on the first sea day/formal night and on the night we were docking in Victoria since anyone who wanted to get off the ship at 7:30 needed to dine early.
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> We also liked that we could choose to dine with our family only, instead of being at a table with others we didn’t know.
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> One of the downsides of this style of dining is that we didn’t have the same waitstaff from night to night.  Service varied from professional and excellent (once), to adequate, to poor.
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> The food was mostly decent.  We are not picky eaters, so we were always able to find something we wanted to eat.  On the menu, they call the appetizers “Entrees” and the dinners “Mains” which screwed us up for a couple of nights.
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> Carnival offers an “if you dare” appetizer each night- things like frogs legs, beef tongue, rabbit.  We would often get this appetizer, or another “for the table” to share in addition to each ordering our own.
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> Standouts we had during the week were an Indian vegetarian dinner that Mark got and a fantastic chocolate cake.  The dining low point was during the lunch where we were served inedible sushi and a pepper pot soup that had no flavor.
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> Note: Traditional cruise dining, at set times, was also available in the lower dining room for anyone who wanted to do that.
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> The food on the Fantasy was incredible, service was impeccable, the dining room theming was really cool! More about all that when I am writing my report, but I do want to comment on the exceptional job our waitstaff did in dealing with the extreme dietary restrictions of one of our friends who dined with us.  The assistant waitress reviewed the menu for the following night with M to ensure her meal would be prepared as she needed it.  Every night she was able to enjoy a custom-made dessert that was safe for her.  KUDOS!
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> *Buffets: *
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> We didn’t eat at the buffets much at either ship.
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> Disney had much better offerings and selections-  shrimp and crab claws at the lunch buffet!
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> I didn’t like the set-up on the Legend.  There were too many stations, and they were spread out on deck, in more than one room.  Made it difficult if you wanted to sample a lot of different things.  I did enjoy the Chopstick buffet station that offered delicious Asian food.
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> One morning on the Fantasy I ordered an omelet.  They gave me a number and asked where I was seated so they could deliver it to me when it was ready!  That rocked!!!
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> *Specialty Dining*
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> We dined at the Nouveau Steakhouse on the Legend on our arrival night.  At $35 per person, plus tip, I found this to be a pricey meal.  There was plenty of food, though.  The appetizers and salads were all excellent.  Nate got a huge steak.  We were served Caribbean lobster even though the menu promised Maine lobster.  The desserts were good, although we were already full by the time they were served.
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> Palo on the Fantasy rocked!  Here you order mini main courses (as many as you want) and there is also a serve-yourself buffet with serveral stations.  The seafood selections- OMG!  I could have just been happy with just that.  There were many tempting desserts, too.
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> Nouveau Steak House:
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> Palo:
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> *Pools:*
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> Because we were in Alaska, we didn’t try out the pools on the Legend.  They were surprisingly crowded with families, though.
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> The Fantasy pools were always crowded as well, both the family pool and the adult pool.  I took a couple of dips in the adult pool to cool off, but there was no place for me to “swim”
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> I never tried the slide on the Legend, but I did have a few rides on the Fantasy’s Aquaduck.  So fun! My wait times ranged from about 10 -30 minutes.  I regret that I never got the chance to ride at night.
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> Fantasy:
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> Excursions-  it is not really fair to compare excursions between these two cruises since the destinations were so different, but I will make two comments:
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> At Carnival, you book and pay in advance.  With Disney, you reserve your spot and then you are charged when you are onboard.  This is very convenient and allows for last minute changes if you want to do something else (within a certain timeframe)
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> Also, I would be remiss not to mention that Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island stop, is paradise!
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> *Photos: *
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> This one is a mixed bag.
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> The photographers on the Legend were voracious!  They were pushy about trying to take our pictures frequently.  Every port had costumed characters or mascots as we were leaving the ship.  The photographers also roamed the dining rooms.  We eventually figured out we just needed to say “No, thanks”, but on the Disney ship, there was absolutely no pressure by the photographers because plenty of families had purchased photo packages and wanted keepsake pictures.
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> The environmentalist in me hates that all photos are printed out for display and then are destroyed if not purchased.  I like the procedure at Disney, where you can look at the screens, edit and choose the pictures you want.
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> HOWEVER, the one time I wanted to purchase a picture on the Fantasy (a picture of me in front of the Fantasy on Castaway Cay), it was difficult to find a working monitor due to the crowds.  A Cast Member needed to help me figure out what to do, but he was stretched thin and couldn’t stay with me.  When I saw the price for the single picture I wanted-$20 or $24 for a 5x7” or something like that- I balked.  I would have preferred a 4x6” or a digital download but I don’t think that was an option and I couldn’t find anyone to help me.  I didn’t end up purchasing the picture.
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> On the Legend, I purchased a package of 4 photos- our boarding shot, the boys’ pictures with the “Alaskan Blind Bear” and a picture of me that Mark liked from our first day.  When I was deciding about the pictures, the person at the counter was very helpful and offered to put aside the pictures I was considering, which is not the usual procedure. I think it was around $40 for 4 photos, a MUCH better deal than the Disney cruise photo prices.
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> We never checked to see if there is an unlimited photo package through Carnival, because getting my family to pose for pictures is like pulling teeth.  I know Disney has a package, but it is uber-expensive.
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> *Muster:*
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> As experienced cruisers know, Coast Guard regulations require that all passengers gather at a muster station to familiarize themselves with emergency and safety procedures before the cruise ship can set sail.
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> The muster drill on the Legend sucked!  We got to our station, which was on one of the decks by the lifeboats, when called.  We lined up and then had to stay on deck for about 45 minutes, in the heat, crowded against a wall, prohibited from using any electronic devices, while we waited for everyone to check-in.  It seemed like people in the know realized that others would be late, so to avoid having to wait around, many people did not show up until the last minute.
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> The muster on the Fantasy was so much better.  Our assigned station was in the Tube nightclub-  INSIDE! AIR-CONDITIONED- WITH SEATS!
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> *Wifi:*
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> For me, Carnival actually wins on this one.  With Carnival, you can get an unlimited package for around $70/week.  Only 1 person in the cabin can be online at a time (unless you make one of the devices a hotspot).  You could purchase in advance before the cruise for a discount, which we did.  Instructions for logging on were in the cabin when we arrived.  The advantage to this plan is you didn’t have to remember to logout or be concerned about what was running and consuming data.  You could be connected as long you wanted or until someone else in the cabin wanted to use the ‘net.
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> The Connect@Sea package with Disney is more confusing.   You purchase a certain amount of data.  The more data you pay for, the cheaper it is per unit, BUT you won’t get a refund for any unused data.  It can be tough to know how much data you will need.  If you run out of the data and need to purchase more, you don’t get the advantage of the bulk pricing.  You also needed to be careful about automatic update to apps on your device, or uploading/downloading apps like One Drive or DropBox that could use your data in the background without you knowing it.  Do not forget to logout when you are not using your device. I believe I took an old phone with the sim card removed to use on the ship.
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> I tried for the past 15 minutes or so to find the prices so I could post here, but I couldn’t find them on the Disney Cruise site or doing a simple search. I checked my receipt and I paid $39.00, I think for 300 MB of data.  I think that was the least expensive plan.  At the time I sailed, there was an option to purchase 1,000 MB of data for $89
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> Note-  I also received 50 MB of free data for signing on the first day.  I think every cabin can get this, whether or not you sign up for a plan.  The data I purchased ended up being sufficient for me.  I was able to keep in touch with my family and friends back home through WhatsApp and Facebook while I was away for a week.
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> I think that is a decent overview for now.  As I am writing the report about my Fantasy trip, if I think of anything to add, I’ll update this post.
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> ​


Thanks for taking the time to write your review. I would like to point out regarding Muster drills, both cruise lines use indoor and outdoor Muster stations, you could have very easily experienced the exact opposite had your cabins been in different locations. 

The Fantasy certainly is an amazing ship, she was my favorite until we sailed on the Carnival Vista, now it’s a tie. I definitely like the newer, larger ships and am not a fan of the older, smaller ships - I think of the ship as my destination.


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## mevelandry

natebenma said:


> Carnival Legend (Alaska, August 2017) vs. Disney Fantasy (Western Caribbean, October 2017)
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> In 2017, I had the opportunity to go on two cruises within two month’s time.  My family- my husband, two teen boys and I took a Carnival cruise on the Legend to Alaska in August.  In early October, I traveled with a dear friend Teena, my first time on a Disney cruise.  This was a Western Caribbean itinerary on the Fantasy.
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> I just finished up the trip report for the Alaska Cruise (see the link in my signature).  I will be starting the report for the Disney Fantasy Western Caribbean trip soon.
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> Everyone who hears about these two trips has been curious about how the two cruises compare, so I will do my best to point out the pros and cons of both experiences.  To some extent, the analysis will be difficult because the destinations and traveling parties were so different.
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> I also need to add that although both of these trips were spectacular, cruising is not my favorite form of vacation.  I prefer a land-based trip, where I am able to walk on the beach when the mood hits me and where I don’t have the pressure of  a deadline for returning to a ship that will sail away without me if I miss it.
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> *Price:*
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> For this piece, I will compare the Carnival/Disney Alaska itineraries so that we have an apples to apples comparison.  Which is more like a Kia to Rolls Royce analysis.  My husband researched and booked the Alaska cruise for our family.  The cost for the Carnival cruise (not including airfare or tips/other expenses) one week, one cabin, 4 adults, extended balcony room was $4,500.  I believe he ever-so-briefly checked what a similar Disney cruise would cost and it was at least double that.
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> Since the highlight of a trip to Alaska is the destination, and the bells and whistles offered by Disney were not important to us, Carnival is the clear winner here. No regrets about booking with “The Fun Ship” for our family’s trip to Alaska.
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> Except for a couple of other features, Disney takes the win in every other category.
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> *Ship:*
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> Carnival Legend
> First Sailed in August 2002
> 963 feet long, 12 decks
> 2,124 passengers/930 crew members
> Ship's Godmother: Dame Judi Dench
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> Disney Fantasy
> First Sailed in March 2012
> 1,115 feet, 16 decks
> 4,000 passengers/1,458 cast members
> Ship's Godmother: Mariah Carey
> (Neil Patrick Harris hosted the Christening ceremony and Jerry Seinfeld performed)
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> The Carnival Legend is an older ship, and in fact will be going into dry-dock soon for a refurbishment.  It is a (relatively) small ship, compared to the Disney Fantasy, but I still found it difficult to navigate.
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> I am directionally challenged, so I had trouble finding my cabin on both ships when I was alone, but it was ESPECIALLY bad on the Legend.  I got lost for several minutes more than once.  It was so bad that at one point my family forbade me from wandering alone (AWWW!  They DO care!)
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> The directional signs on the Fantasy were clearer and easier to understand.  I did still have trouble getting from the theatre area back to my cabin on the Fantasy when I was alone-  not all of the elevators went to the floor I needed, and I really had to study the maps to find my way around.   Is the adult Serenity area at the front or back of the ship?  I don’t know, but I could eventually find it given enough time.
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> The Disney Fantasy is newer, brighter and the Disney touches are fantastic.  Disney does details! Both ships were kept clean, but the crew on the Fantasy makes sure it is immaculate!  A few days before we boarded the Fantasy, the ship had hit a dock, but I’m pretty sure the scratch was repaired before they even left that port.
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> The theming for the Legend is Greek/Roman mythology, which is cool and all, but DISNEY!!! From the Minnie statue in the lobby to the movie artwork on the stairways and throughout the ship and the added bonus of the Halloween touches, the décor of the Fantasy wins ears-down!
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> *Lobbies:*
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> Fantasy Lobby, Halloween on the High Seas decor
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> *Cabin:*
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> I am not sure if the cabins on the Legend and the Fantasy were the same category of room.  Both of the cabins I stayed in had balconies.  The Disney cabin was larger, or at least seemed to be.  The bedding we had on the Fantasy was a large bed and a sleeper couch, with a curtain that divided the spaces.  On the Legend, we had a cabin with a large bed and bunk beds for the boys.
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> The Fantasy had two bathrooms, one with a shower but on the Legend the four of us had to share a single bathroom.  The second bathroom was a huge advantage because someone could be showering while someone else was brushing teeth or whatever.
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> The storage seemed pretty comparable in the two cabins. But there was one feature I really loved in the Fantasy.  Next to my sleeper couch was a large storage chest where I put all my beach gear and snorkel stuff.
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> *Carnival Legend Cabin 7178*
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> Disney Fantasy Cabin 8678
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> Battle of the Towel Elephants:
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> *Entertainment:  *
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> This one is a slam dunk!
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> Disclaimer-  on previous cruises, and on the Legend Alaska cruise, we have not attended shows.  Well, one afternoon ice skating show on a Royal Caribbean ship, but I think that’s it.  We are just not that into it, and we are also early-to-bed, early-to-rise, so the entertainment is usually too late for us.
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> On the Fantasy, I did not miss any of the nightly shows.  The performers in all of the shows were super talented.
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> Aladdin was incredible!  Costumes and staging were awesome, Genie was hilarious.
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> The other custom shows- The Welcome Fantasy Show, Wishes, Believe and An Unforgettable Journey were all excellent, with original stories interspersed with Broadway-style vignettes from popular Disney movies.
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> But what impressed me most of all were the live performers on the show.  The hypnotist Kicky Kalmon blew my mind (although he failed to control it).  I liked his performance so much that I went to see his adult-themed show another night at a lounge.  Again, I did not get hypnotized, but the guy sitting next to me did and it was unbelievable.
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> Another night, juggler Max Winfrey entertained and amazed me.  4 tennis racket.  Kitchen sink. Hilarious audience participation.  What else is there to say?
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> Oh, and the Pirate Party followed by fireworks at sea?  BOOM!
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> In contrast, our only experience with the entertainment on the Legend was during our dinner one night.  A guy wearing a tuxedo came over to our table and asked “Do you recognize me?  I’m on tv!”  Then he proceeded to do some card tricks at our table.  He then invited us to his magic show the next day.  This was SO CRINGY and awkward!  The next night he was working more tables at dinner but fortunately, he didn’t make it back to ours.
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> *On Board Activities:*
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> On the Legend, in Alaska, the focus was really on excursions in port, and observing the scenery while we were at sea.  We played trivia a couple of times.  One was general trivia, the other was Harry Potter-themed.  Both sessions had challenging questions and cramped conditions. The lounge where we played was much too small for everyone who was playing.  They would have been better off doing it in the theatre.
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> We also went to a sushi making demo on the Legend-  There were only two rows of seats for about 20 people, so we watched from spot overlooking the lobby.
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> On the Fantasy, there were always interesting things to do during any downtime:
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> Ship tour, animation class, characters to meet, movies at poolside and in the theatre, an interactive detective game.  Trivia was held in a large lounge and there was plenty of room to be comfortable.
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> *Food:*
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> On the Legend, we chose the YTD: Your Time Dining-  where we could arrive for dinner at a time that was convenient for us.  This was great, especially with the port itineraries that had us on crazy time schedules.  The only times we experienced a wait to be seated was on the first sea day/formal night and on the night we were docking in Victoria since anyone who wanted to get off the ship at 7:30 needed to dine early.
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> We also liked that we could choose to dine with our family only, instead of being at a table with others we didn’t know.
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> One of the downsides of this style of dining is that we didn’t have the same waitstaff from night to night.  Service varied from professional and excellent (once), to adequate, to poor.
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> The food was mostly decent.  We are not picky eaters, so we were always able to find something we wanted to eat.  On the menu, they call the appetizers “Entrees” and the dinners “Mains” which screwed us up for a couple of nights.
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> Carnival offers an “if you dare” appetizer each night- things like frogs legs, beef tongue, rabbit.  We would often get this appetizer, or another “for the table” to share in addition to each ordering our own.
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> Standouts we had during the week were an Indian vegetarian dinner that Mark got and a fantastic chocolate cake.  The dining low point was during the lunch where we were served inedible sushi and a pepper pot soup that had no flavor.
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> Note: Traditional cruise dining, at set times, was also available in the lower dining room for anyone who wanted to do that.
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> The food on the Fantasy was incredible, service was impeccable, the dining room theming was really cool! More about all that when I am writing my report, but I do want to comment on the exceptional job our waitstaff did in dealing with the extreme dietary restrictions of one of our friends who dined with us.  The assistant waitress reviewed the menu for the following night with M to ensure her meal would be prepared as she needed it.  Every night she was able to enjoy a custom-made dessert that was safe for her.  KUDOS!
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> *Buffets: *
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> We didn’t eat at the buffets much at either ship.
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> Disney had much better offerings and selections-  shrimp and crab claws at the lunch buffet!
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> I didn’t like the set-up on the Legend.  There were too many stations, and they were spread out on deck, in more than one room.  Made it difficult if you wanted to sample a lot of different things.  I did enjoy the Chopstick buffet station that offered delicious Asian food.
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> One morning on the Fantasy I ordered an omelet.  They gave me a number and asked where I was seated so they could deliver it to me when it was ready!  That rocked!!!
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> *Specialty Dining*
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> We dined at the Nouveau Steakhouse on the Legend on our arrival night.  At $35 per person, plus tip, I found this to be a pricey meal.  There was plenty of food, though.  The appetizers and salads were all excellent.  Nate got a huge steak.  We were served Caribbean lobster even though the menu promised Maine lobster.  The desserts were good, although we were already full by the time they were served.
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> Palo on the Fantasy rocked!  Here you order mini main courses (as many as you want) and there is also a serve-yourself buffet with serveral stations.  The seafood selections- OMG!  I could have just been happy with just that.  There were many tempting desserts, too.
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> Nouveau Steak House:
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> Palo:
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> *Pools:*
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> Because we were in Alaska, we didn’t try out the pools on the Legend.  They were surprisingly crowded with families, though.
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> The Fantasy pools were always crowded as well, both the family pool and the adult pool.  I took a couple of dips in the adult pool to cool off, but there was no place for me to “swim”
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> I never tried the slide on the Legend, but I did have a few rides on the Fantasy’s Aquaduck.  So fun! My wait times ranged from about 10 -30 minutes.  I regret that I never got the chance to ride at night.
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> Excursions-  it is not really fair to compare excursions between these two cruises since the destinations were so different, but I will make two comments:
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> At Carnival, you book and pay in advance.  With Disney, you reserve your spot and then you are charged when you are onboard.  This is very convenient and allows for last minute changes if you want to do something else (within a certain timeframe)
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> Also, I would be remiss not to mention that Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island stop, is paradise!
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> *Photos: *
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> This one is a mixed bag.
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> The photographers on the Legend were voracious!  They were pushy about trying to take our pictures frequently.  Every port had costumed characters or mascots as we were leaving the ship.  The photographers also roamed the dining rooms.  We eventually figured out we just needed to say “No, thanks”, but on the Disney ship, there was absolutely no pressure by the photographers because plenty of families had purchased photo packages and wanted keepsake pictures.
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> The environmentalist in me hates that all photos are printed out for display and then are destroyed if not purchased.  I like the procedure at Disney, where you can look at the screens, edit and choose the pictures you want.
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> HOWEVER, the one time I wanted to purchase a picture on the Fantasy (a picture of me in front of the Fantasy on Castaway Cay), it was difficult to find a working monitor due to the crowds.  A Cast Member needed to help me figure out what to do, but he was stretched thin and couldn’t stay with me.  When I saw the price for the single picture I wanted-$20 or $24 for a 5x7” or something like that- I balked.  I would have preferred a 4x6” or a digital download but I don’t think that was an option and I couldn’t find anyone to help me.  I didn’t end up purchasing the picture.
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> On the Legend, I purchased a package of 4 photos- our boarding shot, the boys’ pictures with the “Alaskan Blind Bear” and a picture of me that Mark liked from our first day.  When I was deciding about the pictures, the person at the counter was very helpful and offered to put aside the pictures I was considering, which is not the usual procedure. I think it was around $40 for 4 photos, a MUCH better deal than the Disney cruise photo prices.
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> We never checked to see if there is an unlimited photo package through Carnival, because getting my family to pose for pictures is like pulling teeth.  I know Disney has a package, but it is uber-expensive.
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> *Muster:*
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> As experienced cruisers know, Coast Guard regulations require that all passengers gather at a muster station to familiarize themselves with emergency and safety procedures before the cruise ship can set sail.
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> The muster drill on the Legend sucked!  We got to our station, which was on one of the decks by the lifeboats, when called.  We lined up and then had to stay on deck for about 45 minutes, in the heat, crowded against a wall, prohibited from using any electronic devices, while we waited for everyone to check-in.  It seemed like people in the know realized that others would be late, so to avoid having to wait around, many people did not show up until the last minute.
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> The muster on the Fantasy was so much better.  Our assigned station was in the Tube nightclub-  INSIDE! AIR-CONDITIONED- WITH SEATS!
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> *Wifi:*
> 
> For me, Carnival actually wins on this one.  With Carnival, you can get an unlimited package for around $70/week.  Only 1 person in the cabin can be online at a time (unless you make one of the devices a hotspot).  You could purchase in advance before the cruise for a discount, which we did.  Instructions for logging on were in the cabin when we arrived.  The advantage to this plan is you didn’t have to remember to logout or be concerned about what was running and consuming data.  You could be connected as long you wanted or until someone else in the cabin wanted to use the ‘net.
> 
> The Connect@Sea package with Disney is more confusing.   You purchase a certain amount of data.  The more data you pay for, the cheaper it is per unit, BUT you won’t get a refund for any unused data.  It can be tough to know how much data you will need.  If you run out of the data and need to purchase more, you don’t get the advantage of the bulk pricing.  You also needed to be careful about automatic update to apps on your device, or uploading/downloading apps like One Drive or DropBox that could use your data in the background without you knowing it.  Do not forget to logout when you are not using your device. I believe I took an old phone with the sim card removed to use on the ship.
> 
> I tried for the past 15 minutes or so to find the prices so I could post here, but I couldn’t find them on the Disney Cruise site or doing a simple search. I checked my receipt and I paid $39.00, I think for 300 MB of data.  I think that was the least expensive plan.  At the time I sailed, there was an option to purchase 1,000 MB of data for $89
> 
> Note-  I also received 50 MB of free data for signing on the first day.  I think every cabin can get this, whether or not you sign up for a plan.  The data I purchased ended up being sufficient for me.  I was able to keep in touch with my family and friends back home through WhatsApp and Facebook while I was away for a week.
> 
> 
> I think that is a decent overview for now.  As I am writing the report about my Fantasy trip, if I think of anything to add, I’ll update this post.
> 
> ​




Thank you so much for your very complete review!

It's all a matter of taste I guess but based on pictures,  I prefer the lobby of the Legend between the two. I have a feeling the Legend is going to be magnificent after dry dock.

The new cabins on Carnival look so much better now that the beige/yellow/orange they used to have. Still, DCL ones look a little bit more luxurious (it's the headboard that makes the difference, I think.) but Carnival is getting there.


I just have a few comments to make:

- "Entrée is the french term for "appetizer". It's how we've always had it here. You can imagine that we are confused too when we see main dishes being called "entrées" LOL

- Each time a Carnival ship goes under dry dock, the printed photos system is replaced with touch screens. The printed pictures are slowly disappearing from Carnival ships. The new system is very nice. I actually like it better than DCL and will have to update my section regarding pictures too.

- I agree that there are too much pictures taken on Carnival. I don't like having to say no 4-5 times when we disembark in a port.

-Having a muster inside or outside depends on the size of the ship. We've had our fire drill outside on the Disney Wonder and Carnival Victory And inside on the Carnival Vista and Disney Dream. The wait only has to do with how other passengers in your group take this seriously.


Question: They did not present movies during the sailing of the legend? I'm surprised as the Victory and Vista always present movies and dive-in movies during their sailings.


----------



## cyclenut

Really liked your review.  Thanks so much for posting.  I've been to Alaska (on the Wonder) and sailed the Caribbean on the RCL Freedom and the Disney Fantasy.  I loved the Freedom but really loved the Fantasy.  My favorite ship of all ships I've sailed.  I think you made a good choice to sail "the fun ship" in Alaska.  I love the Wonder (sailing her again in April) but it's so expensive and Alaska is really about the ports, so we should have saved the money.

I'll agree with mevelandry on the lobbies.  I think the Disney lobbies are just OK.  Several other ships have really spectacular lobbies and your pictures suggest that the Legend lobby is very nice too.  I think it's because Disney uses the lobby differently.  It really is the central hub, so they leave it as a broad and open space with clear sight lines.  Just a different style.

With respect to muster, I don't remember having to be outside for Disney's muster drill. I suppose it could depend on cabin location.  Carnival seems to always take you outside to stand near your lifeboat loading area, even if you start inside.  Oh, and down that drink because you can't take it with you.


----------



## Pens Fan

Reading these last few posts made me chuckle.  We have taken 7 cruises in our lifetime (1 Carnival, 5 Disney and 1 NCL).  Every single time our muster station has been outside.  I read posts of mustering in the theater or a lounge - ahh to have AC and a seat!!  Every cruise I hope that finally we will have a cabin with an indoor muster station.  Nope, we are back out on deck smashed together like sardines in the hot sun.  Oh well, there's always next time!! 

Instead of bemoaning our bad luck, we just tell ourselves that in the event of a real emergency we are getting on the lifeboats ahead of the folks gathering in the theater .


----------



## mevelandry

Pens Fan said:


> Reading these last few posts made me chuckle.  We have taken 7 cruises in our lifetime (1 Carnival, 5 Disney and 1 NCL).  Every single time our muster station has been outside.  I read posts of mustering in the theater or a lounge - ahh to have AC and a seat!!  Every cruise I hope that finally we will have a cabin with an indoor muster station.  Nope, we are back out on deck smashed together like sardines in the hot sun.  Oh well, there's always next time!!
> 
> Instead of bemoaning our bad luck, we just tell ourselves that in the event of a real emergency we are getting on the lifeboats ahead of the folks gathering in the theater .



Yeah. Exactly. I'm telling myself "we're closer to the lifeboats!" ...


----------



## natebenma

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Thanks for taking the time to write your review. I would like to point out regarding Muster drills, both cruise lines use indoor and outdoor Muster stations, you could have very easily experienced the exact opposite had your cabins been in different locations.
> 
> The Fantasy certainly is an amazing ship, she was my favorite until we sailed on the Carnival Vista, now it’s a tie. I definitely like the newer, larger ships and am not a fan of the older, smaller ships - I think of the ship as my destination.



Valid point! 

Thanks for reading and responding.


----------



## natebenma

mevelandry said:


> Thank you so much for your very complete review!
> 
> It's all a matter of taste I guess but based on pictures,  I prefer the lobby of the Legend between the two. I have a feeling the Legend is going to be magnificent after dry dock.
> 
> The new cabins on Carnival look so much better now that the beige/yellow/orange they used to have. Still, DCL ones look a little bit more luxurious (it's the headboard that makes the difference, I think.) but Carnival is getting there.
> 
> 
> I just have a few comments to make:
> 
> - "Entrée is the french term for "appetizer". It's how we've always had it here. You can imagine that we are confused too when we see main dishes being called "entrées" LOL
> 
> - Each time a Carnival ship goes under dry dock, the printed photos system is replaced with touch screens. The printed pictures are slowly disappearing from Carnival ships. The new system is very nice. I actually like it better than DCL and will have to update my section regarding pictures too.
> 
> - I agree that there are too much pictures taken on Carnival. I don't like having to say no 4-5 times when we disembark in a port.
> 
> -Having a muster inside or outside depends on the size of the ship. We've had our fire drill outside on the Disney Wonder and Carnival Victory And inside on the Carnival Vista and Disney Dream. The wait only has to do with how other passengers in your group take this seriously.
> 
> 
> Question: They did not present movies during the sailing of the legend? I'm surprised as the Victory and Vista always present movies and dive-in movies during their sailings.



Glad you enjoyed the review! 

A few people have mentioned they prefer the look of the Legend lobby, with a good point being the use of the space.  I did spend more time in the Fantasy lobby-  I went to a pin trading event and I happened upon a character dance party one afternoon at sea.  There is a popular bar in the Legend lobby, but we don't really spend any time at bars, especially when traveling with the boys. The entertainment in the lobby was literally the same duo of singers every time we walked through.  Hardest working couple on the seas! 

Yeah, I know that entrée for appetizer makes more linguistic sense, but since we are used to entrée referring to the main course instead of a starter, it really threw us off.  "What would you like for an entrée?" and we would tell the waiter our main course selection.

Oh, I love that Carnival is switching over to the photo ordering screens instead of printing!  Thanks for sharing that.

I agree that the main issue with our Carnival muster was the people who did not show up until well after the announcements were made. 

I don't think there were any dive-in movies during the Alaska cruise.  I don't remember seeing a screen at the pool.  I just looked at the Fun Times from my cruise.  There were 3 movies shown during the cruise.  On our Skagway (Friday) day, Boss Baby in the afternoon and Rogue One at 10:30.  On our final day, Beauty & the Beast was shown.  On the Fantasy, Disney movies were playing non-stop when the pool was open and other first-run movies were being shown a couple of times a day in one of the theatres. 


Thanks so much for sharing your expertise!


----------



## natebenma

cyclenut said:


> Really liked your review.  Thanks so much for posting.  I've been to Alaska (on the Wonder) and sailed the Caribbean on the RCL Freedom and the Disney Fantasy.  I loved the Freedom but really loved the Fantasy.  My favorite ship of all ships I've sailed.  I think you made a good choice to sail "the fun ship" in Alaska.  I love the Wonder (sailing her again in April) but it's so expensive and Alaska is really about the ports, so we should have saved the money.
> 
> I'll agree with mevelandry on the lobbies.  I think the Disney lobbies are just OK.  Several other ships have really spectacular lobbies and your pictures suggest that the Legend lobby is very nice too.  I think it's because Disney uses the lobby differently.  It really is the central hub, so they leave it as a broad and open space with clear sight lines.  Just a different style.
> 
> With respect to muster, I don't remember having to be outside for Disney's muster drill. I suppose it could depend on cabin location.  Carnival seems to always take you outside to stand near your lifeboat loading area, even if you start inside.  Oh, and down that drink because you can't take it with you.



Thanks for your comments! 

The friend that I cruised with on Disney is uber-platinum (*made up designation) on DCL and has cruised with many of the other lines while living in Florida.  Of all the ships she has been on, the Fantasy is her favorite.  Sounds like I sailed on the best of the best. 

The Legend was just right for our Alaska trip.  My teen boys would not have appreciated the Disney touches.  We have sailed a few times on Royal, and that seems to be a good mix of price/luxury for us. 

I didn't really pay attention to where other muster stations were on the Fantasy.  I'll have to ask my friend.


----------



## natebenma

Pens Fan said:


> Reading these last few posts made me chuckle.  We have taken 7 cruises in our lifetime (1 Carnival, 5 Disney and 1 NCL).  Every single time our muster station has been outside.  I read posts of mustering in the theater or a lounge - ahh to have AC and a seat!!  Every cruise I hope that finally we will have a cabin with an indoor muster station.  Nope, we are back out on deck smashed together like sardines in the hot sun.  Oh well, there's always next time!!
> 
> Instead of bemoaning our bad luck, we just tell ourselves that in the event of a real emergency we are getting on the lifeboats ahead of the folks gathering in the theater .



I have been on 5 Cruises- 1 Disney, 1 Carnival, 3 Royal.  We mustered outside for 3 and inside for the Disney and 1 of the Royals.  Sorry you haven't experienced it, but *spoilier alert*  inside is better! 






mevelandry said:


> Yeah. Exactly. I'm telling myself "we're closer to the lifeboats!" ...



That's a "Lifeboat half-full" philosophy!


----------



## mevelandry

natebenma said:


> Glad you enjoyed the review!
> 
> A few people have mentioned they prefer the look of the Legend lobby, with a good point being the use of the space.  I did spend more time in the Fantasy lobby-  I went to a pin trading event and I happened upon a character dance party one afternoon at sea.  There is a popular bar in the Legend lobby, but we don't really spend any time at bars, especially when traveling with the boys. The entertainment in the lobby was literally the same duo of singers every time we walked through.  Hardest working couple on the seas!
> 
> Yeah, I know that entrée for appetizer makes more linguistic sense, but since we are used to entrée referring to the main course instead of a starter, it really threw us off.  "What would you like for an entrée?" and we would tell the waiter our main course selection.
> 
> Oh, I love that Carnival is switching over to the photo ordering screens instead of printing!  Thanks for sharing that.
> 
> I agree that the main issue with our Carnival muster was the people who did not show up until well after the announcements were made.
> 
> I don't think there were any dive-in movies during the Alaska cruise.  I don't remember seeing a screen at the pool.  I just looked at the Fun Times from my cruise.  There were 3 movies shown during the cruise.  On our Skagway (Friday) day, Boss Baby in the afternoon and Rogue One at 10:30.  On our final day, Beauty & the Beast was shown.  On the Fantasy, Disney movies were playing non-stop when the pool was open and other first-run movies were being shown a couple of times a day in one of the theatres.
> 
> 
> Thanks so much for sharing your expertise!



I wonder what they do on DCL in Alaska for the movies? Don't know how the main deck (exterior) is used? (and compared to other cruise lines).


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I wonder what they do on DCL in Alaska for the movies? Don't know how the main deck (exterior) is used? (and compared to other cruise lines).


I’ll try to remember to come back and report it, we’ll be on the Wonder in June to Alaska. 

BTW, we’re booked on the Carnival Magic for June 2019 for B2B eastern and western Caribbean cruises. I’m not real crazy about the ship though so we may switch to the 8 day Southern on Horizon. We did that same cruise this year on Vista so I’m not thrilled about that but...........I think we may have my wife talked into doing a Havana Cabana and Havana inside across the hall for the kids. If she agrees I’ll definitely switch, I want to try Havana sooooo bad.


----------



## Pens Fan

mevelandry said:


> I wonder what they do on DCL in Alaska for the movies? Don't know how the main deck (exterior) is used? (and compared to other cruise lines).



It's been a long time since we sailed on the Wonder in Alaska.  But I seem to recall the typical movies playing on the pool deck.  I also recall the audience being one or two kids and an incredibly uncomfortable CM up there overseeing the pool area and shivering in the cold. 

It's kind of funny.  As much as we have been happy to move on from Disney until the new ships come online due to several factors (price, our son is almost 20, and being bored with their itineraries), one thing I miss is the pool deck movies and the dedicated movie theater.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’ll try to remember to come back and report it, we’ll be on the Wonder in June to Alaska.
> 
> BTW, we’re booked on the Carnival Magic for June 2019 for B2B eastern and western Caribbean cruises. I’m not real crazy about the ship though so we may switch to the 8 day Southern on Horizon. We did that same cruise this year on Vista so I’m not thrilled about that but...........I think we may have my wife talked into doing a Havana Cabana and Havana inside across the hall for the kids. If she agrees I’ll definitely switch, I want to try Havana sooooo bad.



Can you believe my husband and I completly forgot to visit the Havana section during our Vista cruise?


----------



## cyclenut

mevelandry said:


> I wonder what they do on DCL in Alaska for the movies? Don't know how the main deck (exterior) is used? (and compared to other cruise lines).



Our Wonder Alaska cruise had movies playing on deck in the evening.  They passed out blankets for you to use to keep warm.  There were not many out there, but they showed them.  It really made me feel like Disney didn't have a clue about how to sail Alaska.  This was 2011, their first season, so I was willing to give them a partial pass.  There was not enough indoor seating at the buffet.  Most of the time it was comfortable in Alaska, but mornings and evenings were noticeably colder and when the ship is moving, it generates it's own "wind chill" even on the aft decks.  It was also frequently moist with either some sort of drizzle or light rain.  

They still stuck to their original plans though.  Movies on deck, Pirate night (Pirates IN the Caribbean just didn't have the same affect in Alaska) without fireworks (not allowed in Alaska) and the usual other events.  One thing they did do that was amazing was the BBQ on one of the sea days where they had fresh salmon fillets on on open grill.  YUM!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Can you believe my husband and I completly forgot to visit the Havana section during our Vista cruise?


Nooooooooo, that’s horrible!  I guess you’ll have to go on her again. We decided to do 2 inside Havana rooms for our 2019 cruise on Horizon. I’m pretty excited about it!!


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I wonder what they do on DCL in Alaska for the movies? Don't know how the main deck (exterior) is used? (and compared to other cruise lines).


I'm pretty sure there were no movies on deck  on our cruise. They have a frozen night not pirates. The first sea day was 80 degrees and the pool was packed. Once you get to Alaska the pools are empty.


----------



## mevelandry

I always wondered how an Alaska cruise was. In the caribbean, the main deck is so busy. 

My husband doesn't want to go to Alaska because it's colder.


----------



## mevelandry

I've started looking for cruises for 2019... I kinda have my heart set on Aruba & Curaçao BUT... 

I kinda have the fear of missing out. I mean... Other ports must have their own charm, right? 

What are the best ports you have visited?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

My favorites are Curaçao and Grand Turk. GC because of the amazing beach right next to the ship and Curaçao because of the charm and cleanliness


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> My favorites are Curaçao and Grand Turk. GC because of the amazing beach right next to the ship and Curaçao because of the charm and cleanliness



The Aruba & Curaçao cruises usually stop at GT (With Amber Cove OR La Romana). Of course, GT is on my list too!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

If you sail Dream or Vista class all the muster stations are indoors. I've also sailed a couple older Fantasy class and was inside.  Guess I have been very lucky!

Getting closer to our Southern Caribbean/WDW vacation and I am getting antsy.  I hate winter.

We are also rethinking the British Isles cruise we have booked for 2019.  It's a pretty penny and I am just not sure if I can make it work.  Waiting on NCL to see if they will offer anything similar.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Getting closer to our Southern Caribbean/WDW vacation and I am getting antsy.  I hate winter.



Me too!   Winter here in Canada has been way colder than in the previous years (the heating bill is going to hurt!) and we have received record amounts of snow. 

Our cruise cannot happen fast enough!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I've started looking for cruises for 2019... I kinda have my heart set on Aruba & Curaçao BUT...
> 
> I kinda have the fear of missing out. I mean... Other ports must have their own charm, right?
> 
> What are the best ports you have visited?



We loved Aruba and also Grand Cayman.  Both felt really safe and had lots of excursion options.   But we are also suckers for private islands: Castaway, Great Stirrup.  Looking forward to going to Half Moon in 4 weeks.  Next year we are going to Harvest Caye.  And actually we love Nassau, kind of feels like a second home.  Lol.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We loved Aruba and also Grand Cayman.  Both felt really safe and had lots of excursion options.   But we are also suckers for private islands: Castaway, Great Stirrup.  Looking forward to going to Half Moon in 4 weeks.  Next year we are going to Harvest Caye.  And actually we love Nassau, kind of feels like a second home.  Lol.



Ohhhh I loved Grand Cayman. I would go back in a heartbeat but it's hard to do so without repeating the same itinerary with Jamaica and Cozumel over and over.

I would love to see GSC, HC, Princess Cays and HMC. Loved Castaway Cay. 

However, we've done the Bahamas itinerary 4 times so we are trying to avoid Nassau as much as possible.


----------



## cyclenut

Was looking at Southern Caribbean cruises last night.  Want to include St. Lucia as so many have talked about how beautiful it is. The Freedom of the Seas has a New Years Eve cruise sailing Dec 2019 from Puerto Rico that includes St. Lucia that is VERY intriguing.  We've sailed the Freedom before and really loved it.  Second favorite ship behind the Disney Fantasy I've ever sailed.  

Sailing Panama Canal and Fall Canada from NYC this year.  Have done Alaska, Caribbean and the Bahamas.  I think Southern Caribbean should be next on our list.  Maybe target a European in 2020.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Ohhhh I loved Grand Cayman. I would go back in a heartbeat but it's hard to do so without repeating the same itinerary with Jamaica and Cozumel over and over.
> 
> I would love to see GSC, HC, Princess Cays and HMC. Loved Castaway Cay.
> 
> However, we've done the Bahamas itinerary 4 times so we are trying to avoid Nassau as much as possible.


I feel the same way about GC, Jamaica and Cozumel. The first time we were there I was amazed by how huge the anchor chains were on the Fantasy as we floated by in the tender boats. 

When we were there last year on the Vista I noticed there were no anchors holding us in place so I figured they must have some below the waterline anchors. We had the privilege of doing the Behind the Fun tour on that cruise and got to go to the engineering room and, bridge to meet the captain, and several other non-guest areas.  I asked the engineer about the lack of visible anchors and he informed me that Vista is equipped with stationary GPS, so they no longer dropped anchors. They just program where they want to stay into the GPS and the ship automatically stays put using the thrusters to keep her in place. For extreme weather, she still has anchors to drop but they don’t use them often. If you ever get a chance to do the Behind the Fun Tour, do it!!!  You have to sign up as soon as you board the ship at the excursion desk and it’s about $95/person, but it’s so worth it.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Just found out yesterday that the Carnival Panorama, (Vista 3), is setting sail in late 2019, is going to be home ported in Long Beach doing 7 night Mexico cruises. Speculation is she’ll also be doing 15 night round trip cruises to Hawaii a couple times per year. LB is only 6 hours by car from my door step in AZ so I can drive to Disneyland for a couple days then jump on Panorama for 7 nights and head home, I’m so excited!  Hopefully DCL whill have a ship over on the west coast year round too when the new ships start being delivered.


----------



## cyclenut

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Just found out yesterday that the Carnival Panorama, (Vista 3), is setting sail in late 2019, is going to be home ported in Long Beach doing 7 night Mexico cruises. Speculation is she’ll also be doing 15 night round trip cruises to Hawaii a couple times per year. LB is only 6 hours by car from my door step in AZ so I can drive to Disneyland for a couple days then jump on Panorama for 7 nights and head home, I’m so excited!  Hopefully DCL whill have a ship over on the west coast year round too when the new ships start being delivered.


I used to live in SoCal, about 30 minutes from Long Beach port.  We sailed from there a few times.  Just a little jealous they will finally have a nice ship sailing out of Long Beach now that I've moved to Texas.  Galveston is just a few hours away from me though, so I'll be getting my fill of the Caribbean.  

I've never done the Mexican Riviera 7 day itinerary though.  I've not heard good things about safety and security (cartels).  Some lines pulled out altogether because of the liability.  There are not many options for West Coast sailings.  Will be interested to watch whether or not a new ship creates enough of a draw.  Also, the Long Beach port will need to make some adjustments to handle this larger capacity.  There is room to do so, but the current cruise check in area is too small to process that many passengers on and off efficiently.  Have they done any port upgrades recently?


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> Was looking at Southern Caribbean cruises last night.  Want to include St. Lucia as so many have talked about how beautiful it is. The Freedom of the Seas has a New Years Eve cruise sailing Dec 2019 from Puerto Rico that includes St. Lucia that is VERY intriguing.  We've sailed the Freedom before and really loved it.  Second favorite ship behind the Disney Fantasy I've ever sailed.
> 
> Sailing Panama Canal and Fall Canada from NYC this year.  Have done Alaska, Caribbean and the Bahamas.  I think Southern Caribbean should be next on our list.  Maybe target a European in 2020.



I have a huge crush on St. Lucia too but it sounds like it's only on 9 nights + itineraries.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I feel the same way about GC, Jamaica and Cozumel. The first time we were there I was amazed by how huge the anchor chains were on the Fantasy as we floated by in the tender boats.
> 
> When we were there last year on the Vista I noticed there were no anchors holding us in place so I figured they must have some below the waterline anchors. We had the privilege of doing the Behind the Fun tour on that cruise and got to go to the engineering room and, bridge to meet the captain, and several other non-guest areas.  I asked the engineer about the lack of visible anchors and he informed me that Vista is equipped with stationary GPS, so they no longer dropped anchors. They just program where they want to stay into the GPS and the ship automatically stays put using the thrusters to keep her in place. For extreme weather, she still has anchors to drop but they don’t use them often. If you ever get a chance to do the Behind the Fun Tour, do it!!!  You have to sign up as soon as you board the ship at the excursion desk and it’s about $95/person, but it’s so worth it.



I know I'll shock most people on DISboards but: I love tendering. 

Ok, you got me intrigued by this Behind the fun tour.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Just found out yesterday that the Carnival Panorama, (Vista 3), is setting sail in late 2019, is going to be home ported in Long Beach doing 7 night Mexico cruises. Speculation is she’ll also be doing 15 night round trip cruises to Hawaii a couple times per year. LB is only 6 hours by car from my door step in AZ so I can drive to Disneyland for a couple days then jump on Panorama for 7 nights and head home, I’m so excited!  Hopefully DCL whill have a ship over on the west coast year round too when the new ships start being delivered.



This is so nice. 

Would love to do Hawaii someday...


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cyclenut said:


> I used to live in SoCal, about 30 minutes from Long Beach port.  We sailed from there a few times.  Just a little jealous they will finally have a nice ship sailing out of Long Beach now that I've moved to Texas.  Galveston is just a few hours away from me though, so I'll be getting my fill of the Caribbean.
> 
> I've never done the Mexican Riviera 7 day itinerary though.  I've not heard good things about safety and security (cartels).  Some lines pulled out altogether because of the liability.  There are not many options for West Coast sailings.  Will be interested to watch whether or not a new ship creates enough of a draw.  Also, the Long Beach port will need to make some adjustments to handle this larger capacity.  There is room to do so, but the current cruise check in area is too small to process that many passengers on and off efficiently.  Have they done any port upgrades recently?


Good news for you - the Vista is moving to Galveston this fall and that will be her home port. Carnival Just reopened the cruise terminal and expanded it to almost 200,000 square feet to accommodate her size and number of passengers. They are also investing millions into Mexico ports to hopefully create a safer or more secure environment. Honestly, with how much I love the Vista Class ships, I could be on her for a week and not care if I stepped on land at any port. They are some amazing ships with so much to do and the Carnival Fun Squad does a great job of keeping us entertained on port days.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I know I'll shock most people on DISboards but: I love tendering.
> 
> Ok, you got me intrigued by this Behind the fun tour.


I like to tender too! We were only able to sign up for the tour because we were on a B2B. We were on the waitlist for it on our first leg, but on the last day of that cruise, they allowed us to sign up for it on the second leg. I believe they do it on every Carnival ship.


----------



## tinkerone

I'm not a huge fan of tender.  I get slightly sea sick on smaller boats so just in the few minutes it takes to get to shore I'm queasy.  Not the best way to start exploring an island.  Then, going back, I need to have a quick lay down after getting back on the ship and to me that's time wasted.  

We have a B2B booked on the new RCCL ship Symphony and I can't wait for that.  Looks amazing.  There are a few restaurants that I really want, something we seldom do as nothing is usually of interest.  We won't be back to DCL till the new ships come out and our DGS turns 5.  Then we it will be a family cruise.  Till then, so many exciting ships to experience!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> This is so nice.
> 
> Would love to do Hawaii someday...


We like tendering too.  But we have never experienced a situation where we had to wait long for a boat.  Our kids love it-- for them it is like an extra excursion!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Just found out yesterday that the Carnival Panorama, (Vista 3), is setting sail in late 2019, is going to be home ported in Long Beach doing 7 night Mexico cruises. Speculation is she’ll also be doing 15 night round trip cruises to Hawaii a couple times per year. LB is only 6 hours by car from my door step in AZ so I can drive to Disneyland for a couple days then jump on Panorama for 7 nights and head home, I’m so excited!  Hopefully DCL whill have a ship over on the west coast year round too when the new ships start being delivered.


We are dying to do Hawaii but only a roundtrip. I love the idea of having more options on this.  Everytime we look into it we cannot find good dates for us with any of the lines that do it.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

cyclenut said:


> Was looking at Southern Caribbean cruises last night.  Want to include St. Lucia as so many have talked about how beautiful it is. The Freedom of the Seas has a New Years Eve cruise sailing Dec 2019 from Puerto Rico that includes St. Lucia that is VERY intriguing.  We've sailed the Freedom before and really loved it.  Second favorite ship behind the Disney Fantasy I've ever sailed.
> 
> Sailing Panama Canal and Fall Canada from NYC this year.  Have done Alaska, Caribbean and the Bahamas.  I think Southern Caribbean should be next on our list.  Maybe target a European in 2020.


We would  love to see St Lucia and also St Kitts. It is so hard to find an itinerary with either island that isn't out of Puerto Rico.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

@cyclenut heres a pic of the new expanded terminal in Long Beach. 

BTW, are you a cyclist ‍?


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We would  love to see St Lucia and also St Kitts. It is so hard to find an itinerary with either island that isn't out of Puerto Rico.



I'd like to see Puerto Rico too. It's intriguing.


----------



## HappilyEverAfter80

mevelandry said:


> I've started looking for cruises for 2019... I kinda have my heart set on Aruba & Curaçao BUT...
> 
> I kinda have the fear of missing out. I mean... Other ports must have their own charm, right?
> 
> What are the best ports you have visited?



We just did a southern Caribbean sailing from Puerto Rico.
My faves in the order of most to least liked islands:
1. St.Kitts
2. Aruba
3. Puerto Rico
4. Antigua
5. Martinique

Now to be fair, Martinique was the only Port we stayed near the ship due to inclement weather so it might have been #4 if we ventured out. It was most expensive though.
I expected Antigua to be my fav but it was near the bottom. Found people rude and pushy there. Beautiful beaches, but not nearly as friendly as St.Kitts or Aruba.




mevelandry said:


> Me too!   Winter here in Canada has been way colder than in the previous years (the heating bill is going to hurt!) and we have received record amounts of snow.
> 
> Our cruise cannot happen fast enough!



Most of North America has been colder than usual this winter... not just Canada.
Even Florida has had several cold/frost alerts this year with WDW closing all pools etc.
Northern Florida had some snow for the first time in 40 years? And Texas...
It's just been crazy. Everyone says oh well this is Canada... oh no, SW Ontario shouldn't get as cold as it had been.
Just crazy and unpredictable everywhere. Not even enough to go as far south as Florida, Cuba or Bahamas. Need to go a lot further south for guaranteed warmth   Well until April, then FL gets hot enough.
Hope you enjoy your cruise!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I'd like to see Puerto Rico too. It's intriguing.


We love Puerto Rico (would love to retire there) but our kids hate flying, so we try to avoid flights to get to cruises.  Not always possible...


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

HappilyEverAfter80 said:


> We just did a southern Caribbean sailing from Puerto Rico.
> My faves in the order of most to least liked islands:
> 1. St.Kitts
> 2. Aruba
> 3. Puerto Rico
> 4. Antigua
> 5. Martinique
> 
> Now to be fair, Martinique was the only Port we stayed near the ship due to inclement weather so it might have been #4 if we ventured out. It was most expensive though.
> I expected Antigua to be my fav but it was near the bottom. Found people rude and pushy there. Beautiful beaches, but not nearly as friendly as St.Kitts or Aruba.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Most of North America has been colder than usual this winter... not just Canada.
> Even Florida has had several cold/frost alerts this year with WDW closing all pools etc.
> Northern Florida had some snow for the first time in 40 years? And Texas...
> It's just been crazy. Everyone says oh well this is Canada... oh no, SW Ontario shouldn't get as cold as it had been.
> Just crazy and unpredictable everywhere. Not even enough to go as far south as Florida, Cuba or Bahamas. Need to go a lot further south for guaranteed warmth   Well until April, the FL gets warm enough.
> Hope you enjoy your cruise!


That sounds like a great cruise.  What ship were u on?


----------



## HappilyEverAfter80

we"reofftoneverland said:


> That sounds like a great cruise.  What ship were u on?


Disney Wonder 
Loved the itinerary. 
Some weeks they went to St.Lucia, Curaçao or Bonaire - so we’d love to sail Southern again to hit these ports.
Loved Puerto Rico and would like to stay longer next time too.


----------



## robinb

HappilyEverAfter80 said:


> We just did a southern Caribbean sailing from Puerto Rico.
> My faves in the order of most to least liked islands:
> 1. St.Kitts
> 2. Aruba
> 3. Puerto Rico
> 4. Antigua
> 5. Martinique
> 
> Now to be fair, Martinique was the only Port we stayed near the ship due to inclement weather so it might have been #4 if we ventured out. It was most expensive though.
> I expected Antigua to be my fav but it was near the bottom. Found people rude and pushy there. Beautiful beaches, but not nearly as friendly as St.Kitts or Aruba.


The Carnival Fascination has a similar itinerary.


----------



## HappilyEverAfter80

robinb said:


> The Carnival Fascination has a similar itinerary.



Yes and also Royal jewel of the Seas, but we got a great rate on the Wonder within $300 of the jewel. We have young kids coming so I thought Wonder would have more to do for them.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

HappilyEverAfter80 said:


> We just did a southern Caribbean sailing from Puerto Rico.
> My faves in the order of most to least liked islands:
> 1. St.Kitts
> 2. Aruba
> 3. Puerto Rico
> 4. Antigua
> 5. Martinique
> 
> Now to be fair, Martinique was the only Port we stayed near the ship due to inclement weather so it might have been #4 if we ventured out. It was most expensive though.
> I expected Antigua to be my fav but it was near the bottom. Found people rude and pushy there. Beautiful beaches, but not nearly as friendly as St.Kitts or Aruba.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Most of North America has been colder than usual this winter... not just Canada.
> Even Florida has had several cold/frost alerts this year with WDW closing all pools etc.
> Northern Florida had some snow for the first time in 40 years? And Texas...
> It's just been crazy. Everyone says oh well this is Canada... oh no, SW Ontario shouldn't get as cold as it had been.
> Just crazy and unpredictable everywhere. Not even enough to go as far south as Florida, Cuba or Bahamas. Need to go a lot further south for guaranteed warmth   Well until April, then FL gets hot enough.
> Hope you enjoy your cruise!


I agree about the weather, on ground hog day we got hit with we’d have 6 more weeks of winter in AZ, that day our high was 81, oh the humanity. 
We’ve been really lucky this year, winter was about 2 days, high in the high 50’s, mostly been in the 70’s and 80’s since Christmas.


----------



## cyclenut

@Club Disney Chandler 
Wow ... that is amazing.  Looks like they are getting serious about revitalizing west coast cruising.  Too bad I'm no longer there.  
I am not riding now, but yes, I am a cyclist.  Used to ride the OC Wheelman Amtrak Century when I lived in town.  Some of my favorite rides were along PCH to Dana Point or just along the Santa Ana River Trail from Green River to the beach and back before the homeless encampments.  A a big guy so I don't do climbing well, but I've taken a few treks up Newport Mesa drive and into Irvine too.  Those were the days.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cyclenut said:


> @Club Disney Chandler
> Wow ... that is amazing.  Looks like they are getting serious about revitalizing west coast cruising.  Too bad I'm no longer there.
> I am not riding now, but yes, I am a cyclist.  Used to ride the OC Wheelman Amtrak Century when I lived in town.  Some of my favorite rides were along PCH to Dana Point or just along the Santa Ana River Trail from Green River to the beach and back before the homeless encampments.  A a big guy so I don't do climbing well, but I've taken a few treks up Newport Mesa drive and into Irvine too.  Those were the days.


I just started riding about 18 months ago, about 100 miles/week. Predominantly road but I just added a cyclocross bike to the collection and have been doing some gravel which is a blast.


----------



## Bethany10

This is one of those is she serious? Questions, but here goes. 

We're looking at the 2019 Key West - Cozumel trip in early May, hoping to find the sweet spot between spring break rush and kids are out of school (including ours) rush. Just DH and I on a 20th Anniversary trip. DCL has an option, but Carnival is just so. much. cheaper. I've spent the evening looking at this thread and am really warming to the idea of going with Carnival. 

On to my off the beaten path question. We're both big soda people (I know, I know but it is what it is) but we both prefer fountain soda. If we go with the Cheers program do we get a mug/ have access to self serve fountain soda? Or do you get cans from the bar?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Bethany10 said:


> This is one of those is she serious? Questions, but here goes.
> 
> We're looking at the 2019 Key West - Cozumel trip in early May, hoping to find the sweet spot between spring break rush and kids are out of school (including ours) rush. Just DH and I on a 20th Anniversary trip. DCL has an option, but Carnival is just so. much. cheaper. I've spent the evening looking at this thread and am really warming to the idea of going with Carnival.
> 
> On to my off the beaten path question. We're both big soda people (I know, I know but it is what it is) but we both prefer fountain soda. If we go with the Cheers program do we get a mug/ have access to self serve fountain soda? Or do you get cans from the bar?


They don’t have self serve fountains, but depending on where you get it, you’ll receive a can with ice or from a fountain. Also, just to be clear, the Cheers program is for the alcohol package, Bottomless Bubbles is for the unlimited soda package.


----------



## Bethany10

I assumed Cheers included soda along with alcohol? Or do I need to order virgin cuba libres?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Bethany10 said:


> I assumed Cheers included soda along with alcohol? Or do I need to order virgin cuba libres?


Gotcha, soda is included with Cheers, as well as specialty coffee from the coffee shops, smoothies may be included too, I can’t remember.


----------



## mevelandry

HappilyEverAfter80 said:


> We just did a southern Caribbean sailing from Puerto Rico.
> My faves in the order of most to least liked islands:
> 1. St.Kitts
> 2. Aruba
> 3. Puerto Rico
> 4. Antigua
> 5. Martinique
> 
> Now to be fair, Martinique was the only Port we stayed near the ship due to inclement weather so it might have been #4 if we ventured out. It was most expensive though.
> I expected Antigua to be my fav but it was near the bottom. Found people rude and pushy there. Beautiful beaches, but not nearly as friendly as St.Kitts or Aruba.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Most of North America has been colder than usual this winter... not just Canada.
> Even Florida has had several cold/frost alerts this year with WDW closing all pools etc.
> Northern Florida had some snow for the first time in 40 years? And Texas...
> It's just been crazy. Everyone says oh well this is Canada... oh no, SW Ontario shouldn't get as cold as it had been.
> Just crazy and unpredictable everywhere. Not even enough to go as far south as Florida, Cuba or Bahamas. Need to go a lot further south for guaranteed warmth   Well until April, then FL gets hot enough.
> Hope you enjoy your cruise!



I just realized I don't know St. Kitts... Have n. Idea what it looks like. I should look it up.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Gotcha, soda is included with Cheers, as well as specialty coffee from the coffee shops, smoothies may be included too, I can’t remember.



I'm pretty sure they are.


----------



## mevelandry

Bethany10 said:


> This is one of those is she serious? Questions, but here goes.
> 
> We're looking at the 2019 Key West - Cozumel trip in early May, hoping to find the sweet spot between spring break rush and kids are out of school (including ours) rush. Just DH and I on a 20th Anniversary trip. DCL has an option, but Carnival is just so. much. cheaper. I've spent the evening looking at this thread and am really warming to the idea of going with Carnival.
> 
> On to my off the beaten path question. We're both big soda people (I know, I know but it is what it is) but we both prefer fountain soda. If we go with the Cheers program do we get a mug/ have access to self serve fountain soda? Or do you get cans from the bar?



Which ship are you looking at?

I think that what is important is to understand that Carnival is not DCL. But just because it is different does not mean it's bad. DH and I like it more than DCL now. For my husband and I, the comedy shows really make the difference. There are too types of shows. The PG and the 18+. If you are not sure the 18+ will be for you, you can try the PG first and see how it goes... Depending on which ship you are looking at, I might be able to recommend certain musical shows as well.

I was so scared to not enjoy the cruise the first time I went from DCL to Carnival that I booked a verandah thinking "if it sucks that much, I'll spend the whole cruise gazing at the sea and I'll be fine!". Turns out we barely spent time on the verandah.

If you like to get close to your staff during dining, I recommend you book a precise time for dining, otherwise when you pick Your Time Dining, you might end up with different servers every night.

Carnival have self-serve frozen yogourt instead of ice cream but IMO it's just as good and I am obsessed with the strawberry one.

Most ship include a library with a lot of board games available if you are into that. This is something we wished DCL had. 

If you have any questions, let us know. 

P.s.: I wish Carnival had self-serve machines for sodas. But I wouldn't be surprised to see them add that in the future.


----------



## cyclenut

Bethany10 said:


> This is one of those is she serious? Questions, but here goes.
> 
> We're looking at the 2019 Key West - Cozumel trip in early May, hoping to find the sweet spot between spring break rush and kids are out of school (including ours) rush. Just DH and I on a 20th Anniversary trip. DCL has an option, but Carnival is just so. much. cheaper. I've spent the evening looking at this thread and am really warming to the idea of going with Carnival.
> 
> On to my off the beaten path question. We're both big soda people (I know, I know but it is what it is) but we both prefer fountain soda. If we go with the Cheers program do we get a mug/ have access to self serve fountain soda? Or do you get cans from the bar?



A few thoughts here that could help you out on a final decision on which line to choose.
1) @mevelandry is right to ask about the ship you are considering.  Carnival has a lot of ships on the water and they can be very different based on age and where they are in their renovation cycle.  They don't all have the amenities listed in this thread and some are getting pretty long in the tooth.  Disney only has four ships and they keep them in very good order.  Most Carnival ships look very nice, but some can make you feel like you're at a cheap motel.
2) I really like Carnival and will sail them again, but I can't recommend their big production/musical shows.  They try.  They really do.  They just don't put the same level of talent on the stage and the show designs lack the polish you find at the best musical theater venues around the country.  It's not really fair to compare.  Disney is an entertainment company.  It's in their DNA.  The Carnival production shows are much more enjoyable if you remind yourself how much you saved.

You will have a great time as long as you don't start comparing the differences and making a list.  A Carnival cruise is a different experience than a Disney cruise.  It isn't a worse experience.  It's a different experience.  The Carnival product and pricing benefit from their large scale.


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> A few thoughts here that could help you out on a final decision on which line to choose.
> 1) @mevelandry is right to ask about the ship you are considering.  Carnival has a lot of ships on the water and they can be very different based on age and where they are in their renovation cycle.  They don't all have the amenities listed in this thread and some are getting pretty long in the tooth.  Disney only has four ships and they keep them in very good order.  Most Carnival ships look very nice, but some can make you feel like you're at a cheap motel.
> 2) I really like Carnival and will sail them again, but I can't recommend their big production/musical shows.  They try.  They really do.  They just don't put the same level of talent on the stage and the show designs lack the polish you find at the best musical theater venues around the country.  It's not really fair to compare.  Disney is an entertainment company.  It's in their DNA.  The Carnival production shows are much more enjoyable if you remind yourself how much you saved.
> 
> You will have a great time as long as you don't start comparing the differences and making a list.  A Carnival cruise is a different experience than a Disney cruise.  It isn't a worse experience.  It's a different experience.  The Carnival product and pricing benefit from their large scale.



Regarding 1: John Heald mentioned recently that they want all ships to be updated with 2.0 by the end of 2019. It's good news. 

Regarding 2: Have you seen Vrooom on the Carnival Victory? It is fantastic. When we saw it, we were very impressed.

I've seen part of the show Flick on the Vista. Visually, it was magnificient but unfortunately, one of the principal male singers' pitch wasn't perfect and... well, many music teachers in my life thought I may have "perfect ear" (I'm not sure if it's true, all I know is it makes me ultra picky and I notice every single note that it flat or sharp...) I couldn't handle it.   That's too bad because the show has the potential to be amazing.


----------



## Bethany10

Looking at the Victory. I know she's an older ship but looks like she just came out of dry dock. 

We've never cruised before, so I have nothing to compare it to. Since we'll be going sans kids our needs are different. I need an adults only area where DH can plop down with his book, only getting up for meals and disembarkation. (I'm kidding, but not by much). 

The drink program appeals to me as we will be sans kids. I am looking at more to do that's aimed at adults (for me) as I can read my book for only so long before I start getting antsy.  I'm neutral on the shows, I suspect given the choice between Disney and any other programing, DH would choose the latter.  Neither of us are gamblers, nor do we smoke so the casino doesn't interest us, and my only concern is smoke smell there. 

thank you all for your insight, I appreciate it.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Vista (and probably Horizon and Panorama) has self-serve beer!  Just sayin'.


----------



## mevelandry

Bethany10 said:


> Looking at the Victory. I know she's an older ship but looks like she just came out of dry dock.
> 
> We've never cruised before, so I have nothing to compare it to. Since we'll be going sans kids our needs are different. I need an adults only area where DH can plop down with his book, only getting up for meals and disembarkation. (I'm kidding, but not by much).
> 
> The drink program appeals to me as we will be sans kids. I am looking at more to do that's aimed at adults (for me) as I can read my book for only so long before I start getting antsy.  I'm neutral on the shows, I suspect given the choice between Disney and any other programing, DH would choose the latter.  Neither of us are gamblers, nor do we smoke so the casino doesn't interest us, and my only concern is smoke smell there.
> 
> thank you all for your insight, I appreciate it.



I think it's an excellent ship to start cruising.

I'll be on the Victory again in April and will take a lot of pictures and videos and post them here. I loved her pre-dry dock and I believe they added good stuff on her. I'm very excited to sail on her again.

You will love the Serenity section on the ship as it is adult only. In the library, your could borrow books there to if you finish your own.

I find the Cheers package to be one of the most affordable drink package on the market. It's worth the investment if you are going to drink at least 6 drinks (I hear it happens fast if you get Evian water + specialty coffee at the coffee shop on top of that).

I'm not a fan of the smoke either so when I go through the promenade, I hold my breath.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Vista (and probably Horizon and Panorama) has self-serve beer!  Just sayin'.



It's on the Victory as well!  My DH is a fan.


----------



## Bethany10

My only concern is will there be a party atmosphere? Can we escape it in the Serenity section?  I'm hoping by going in early May we're in between spring break and summer break. I don't want to be gone more than 4 nights (5 when you take into account the night before) as my MIL is generously coming to stay with our kids and we've never been gone this long before. I know everyone will be fine, but I don't want to burn out my MIL either. 

We're both big readers so I fully intend to stock my kindle before boarding. 

What kinds of activities are available during the day? Is there a place I can see the Carnival equivalent of a Navigator?


----------



## robinb

HappilyEverAfter80 said:


> Yes and also Royal jewel of the Seas, but we got a great rate on the Wonder within $300 of the jewel. We have young kids coming so I thought Wonder would have more to do for them.


That's a WIN!


----------



## mevelandry

Bethany10 said:


> My only concern is will there be a party atmosphere? Can we escape it in the Serenity section?  I'm hoping by going in early May we're in between spring break and summer break. I don't want to be gone more than 4 nights (5 when you take into account the night before) as my MIL is generously coming to stay with our kids and we've never been gone this long before. I know everyone will be fine, but I don't want to burn out my MIL either.
> 
> We're both big readers so I fully intend to stock my kindle before boarding.
> 
> What kinds of activities are available during the day? Is there a place I can see the Carnival equivalent of a Navigator?



The "party atmosphere" is probably the most common fear among those who have never sailed Carnival. For some reason, the "party" reputation seem to stick. I've sailed on a 4 nights before and had no problem whatsoever.

There's a good way to avoid the party atmosphere: avoiding the deck party at night and the clubs at night. The Aft pool is usually much more quiet than the main pool. The Serenity section is usually very quiet.

The Carnival journal is called the Fun Times and if you google, you can find many of them online. There are a lot of trivia games, there's bingo (for a fee, it's expensive but it's the most fun I've had in a bingo game), DH and I loved the mini-putt on the Victory. There is an afternoon tea during the sea day and many other activities but I recommend you read Fun Times as I can't remember them all. 

You can also plan excursions ($) in Key West and in Cozumel during port days. I think they are very well organized.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Regarding 1: John Heald mentioned recently that they want all ships to be updated with 2.0 by the end of 2019. It's good news.
> 
> Regarding 2: Have you seen Vrooom on the Carnival Victory? It is fantastic. When we saw it, we were very impressed.
> 
> I've seen part of the show Flick on the Vista. Visually, it was magnificient but unfortunately, one of the principal male singers' pitch wasn't perfect and... well, many music teachers in my life thought I may have "perfect ear" (I'm not sure if it's true, all I know is it makes me ultra picky and I notice every single note that it flat or sharp...) I couldn't handle it.   That's too bad because the show has the potential to be amazing.


I’ve seen Flick 3 times on the Vista, the first time was the inaugural entertainment staff and they were excellent, especially Flick himself, (his real name is Brett), - he had an injury and has been doing developing choreography but will be on the Horizon when she sets sail in a couple months. I don’t know if Horizon will have Flick or not, but it would be be worth sailing her just to see him in that role. This past year the singers weren’t nearly as strong but I still love the show.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’ve seen Flick 3 times on the Vista, the first time was the inaugural entertainment staff and they were excellent, especially Flick himself, (his real name is Brett), - he had an injury and has been doing developing choreography but will be on the Horizon when she sets sail in a couple months. I don’t know if Horizon will have Flick or not, but it would be be worth sailing her just to see him in that role. This past year the singers weren’t nearly as strong but I still love the show.



Visually, it was beautiful. Very high quality.


----------



## mevelandry

Breaking news my friends!

Always pending on how life treats us (well, I hope) we have just booked a cruise with NCL for March 2019. 

Departing from San Juan on the Norwegian Dawn (Which I know NOTHING ABOUT!) on a 7 nights round-trip cruise visiting: 

-Barbados
-Antigua
-Dominica (which I have just learned has nothing to do with Dominican Republic LOL)
-St. Lucia
-Tortola

Based on travel advisories I have read that with the exception of San Juan where you have to be a little bit more careful, all those islands are pretty safe. 

Hopefully, life treats us well until then. OMG!


----------



## Pens Fan

mevelandry said:


> Breaking news my friends!
> 
> Always pending on how life treats us (well, I hope) we have just booked a cruise with NCL for March 2019.
> 
> Departing from San Juan on the Norwegian Dawn (Which I know NOTHING ABOUT!) on a 7 nights round-trip cruise visiting:
> 
> -Barbados
> -Antigua
> -Dominica (which I have just learned has nothing to do with Dominican Republic LOL)
> -St. Lucia
> -Tortola
> 
> Based on travel advisories I have read that with the exception of San Juan where you have to be a little bit more careful, all those islands are pretty safe.
> 
> Hopefully, life treats us well until then. OMG!



Gotcha covered!  

Here is a link to a hilarious live review of the NCL Dawn.  Now, this poster likes to live it up, and from what I've read on your posts, he probably cruises a little differently than you do (or we do for that matter) .  But it should still give you a good feel for the ship and honestly his live reviews are hilarious and pretty legendary on the NCL Cruise Critic board.  It's long, so grab a cup of coffee, settle in and be prepared to laugh!  

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2426171


----------



## trvlgirlmq

San Juan is one of my favorite ports. I never felt unsafe and we walked everywhere.  So much history and beautiful architecture.


----------



## mevelandry

Pens Fan said:


> Gotcha covered!
> 
> Here is a link to a hilarious live review of the NCL Dawn.  Now, this poster likes to live it up, and from what I've read on your posts, he probably cruises a little differently than you do (or we do for that matter) .  But it should still give you a good feel for the ship and honestly his live reviews are hilarious and pretty legendary on the NCL Cruise Critic board.  It's long, so grab a cup of coffee, settle in and be prepared to laugh!
> 
> https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2426171



Thank you so much. I'm going to check it out!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> San Juan is one of my favorite ports. I never felt unsafe and we walked everywhere.  So much history and beautiful architecture.



Not gonna lie, it's one of the ports that intrigues me the most. I originally booked because I've had a crush on St. Lucia & Tortola for a while but I'm very excited with the idea of visiting Old San Juan.


----------



## robinb

What do people think of the Carnival Dream?  I’m thinking of doing a cruise out of NOLA.  We were originally looking at a respositioning cruise through Royal but my DH can’t get that much time off.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

It was our first cruise back in 2012.  I can't say how the ship has held up but it should be in good shape. There were some upgrades in dining locations added during it's last drydock and there is a ropes course and water park.  Cruising down the Mississippi is very cool too!


----------



## mevelandry

Second breaking news of the day...

After seeing how beautiful San Juan, Antigua, Dominica, St.Lucia & Tortola look... We started to realize that Bermuda are VERY EXPENSIVE for what we were getting. 

And although we were very excited to try the Anthem of the Seas, we really felt like the cruise wasn't the best value for the price (like for the same price you can have a 7 nights cruise on the Oasis or the new Symphony, which we would love to try in 2019 or 2020)!

Conclusion: Cancelled the Anthem/Bermuda, booked the Carnival Sensation and we are now going to Half Moon Cay & Grand Turk! We have never been there, both were on my bucket list so... Here we go!

What a crazy day!!!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I adore Grand Turk.  Going for the 3rd time in June.  It's kind of like a private island, but not!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I adore Grand Turk.  Going for the 3rd time in June.  It's kind of like a private island, but not!



Tell me more!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

The ship docks right at the beach.  There is a big shopping plaza and then Margaritaville where you have use of the giant swimming pool (no charge,don't have to purchase food or anything).  The beach has some chairs for rent (closest to water) and some for free (further back under the trees). You can walk along the beach to Jack's Bar or go shell collecting.  Its just a nice, relaxing day where you don't have to spend any money (my kind of day).

The ship from the GT Beach. It's that close.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> The ship docks right at the beach.  There is a big shopping plaza and then Margaritaville where you have use of the giant swimming pool (no charge,don't have to purchase food or anything).  The beach has some chairs for rent (closest to water) and some for free (further back under the trees). You can walk along the beach to Jack's Bar or go shell collecting.  Its just a nice, relaxing day where you don't have to spend any money (my kind of day).
> 
> The ship from the GT Beach. It's that close.



Nice! I went to see videos and I love the look of it. It looks like Puerta Maya but ... Nicer? 

If you are hungry, what happens? My guess is the food isn't free...?

Does it get really crowded?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

The food is not free but you can go back on the ship easily. We did have some great nachos from Margaritaville.  It does get crowded so you have to get off the ship early to grab a chair. Or wait for a few hours for the first wave to get sunburned and head back to the ship. Then you swoop in and claim their chairs!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> The food is not free but you can go back on the ship easily. We did have some great nachos from Margaritaville.  It does get crowded so you have to get off the ship early to grab a chair. Or wait for a few hours for the first wave to get sunburned and head back to the ship. Then you swoop in and claim their chairs!



I already booked a cabana in Grand Turk.  

There is no tendering in Grand Turk?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> I already booked a cabana in Grand Turk.
> 
> There is no tendering in Grand Turk?



No tender.  There is a real dock and you just walk off. Only 2 ships can port their at a time.


----------



## mevelandry

I'm going to need help for our March 2019. I know NOTHING about San Juan. Don't know where I should stay, how to get from the airport to the hotel and/or the port, etc.  Scary. It's good that we still have a whole year to figure that out. LOL


----------



## Pens Fan

mevelandry said:


> I'm going to need help for our March 2019. I know NOTHING about San Juan. Don't know where I should stay, how to get from the airport to the hotel and/or the port, etc.  Scary. It's good that we still have a whole year to figure that out. LOL



The only time we've been to San Juan was on our honeymoon cruise (in 1985 !!), so whatever I'd actually remember about it would be useless to you.  But I have found the Cruise Critic port specific pages to be filled with great info.  Here is the one for San Juan:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=131

Hope this helps.


----------



## mevelandry

Pens Fan said:


> The only time we've been to San Juan was on our honeymoon cruise (in 1985 !!), so whatever I'd actually remember about it would be useless to you.  But I have found the Cruise Critic port specific pages to be filled with great info.  Here is the one for San Juan:
> 
> https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=131
> 
> Hope this helps.



Oh, thank you so much!


----------



## MickeyD

So, I have been dying to see the Southern Carib. Priced the Fantasy (DCL), even though they only cruise in June . The price for two of us in a veranda...ready for this....$10,843.30!!! That is over $500 a day pp. So, I went on Carnival's site and I can do the Conquest 8 day for about $1139pp TOTAL, in a similar balcony room. My question for Carnival people, has anyone been on Conquest? Is it a sister ship to Vista, or smaller? Also, @mevelandry the Sensation was the first Carnival ship I ever sailed. Nice ship, hope she is still in good shape. Super easy to get around and not as "loud" in appointments as some of the Carnival ships.


----------



## mevelandry

MickeyD said:


> So, I have been dying to see the Southern Carib. Priced the Fantasy (DCL), even though they only cruise in June . The price for two of us in a veranda...ready for this....$10,843.30!!! That is over $500 a day pp. So, I went on Carnival's site and I can do the Conquest 8 day for about $1139pp TOTAL, in a similar balcony room. My question for Carnival people, has anyone been on Conquest? Is it a sister ship to Vista, or smaller? Also, @mevelandry the Sensation was the first Carnival ship I ever sailed. Nice ship, hope she is still in good shape. Super easy to get around and not as "loud" in appointments as some of the Carnival ships.



Wow. The prices gap is INSANE. 

Based on pictures and videos I have seen, the Conquest seem to be in a pretty good shape still and looks beautiful. It's on the list of ships that I would love to sail on someday.  

The Sensation was refurbished in 2016 or 2017 I think. So it is a fun ship 2.0 which I know my husband and I will appreciate. I sailed the Victory when it was in "bad" shape and managed to have a lot of fun so at this point, I am not worried at all. I'm curious to see how it feels to sail a smaller ship as it will be our smallest ship so far. 

I also noticed we'll be the only ship in Grand Turk when we go there (weather permits, as we are sailing during hurricane season).


----------



## MickeyD

mevelandry said:


> Wow. The prices gap is INSANE.
> 
> Based on pictures and videos I have seen, the Conquest seem to be in a pretty good shape still and looks beautiful. It's on the list of ships that I would love to sail on someday.
> 
> The Sensation was refurbished in 2016 or 2017 I think. So it is a fun ship 2.0 which I know my husband and I will appreciate. I sailed the Victory when it was in "bad" shape and managed to have a lot of fun so at this point, I am not worried at all. I'm curious to see how it feels to sail a smaller ship as it will be our smallest ship so far.
> 
> I also noticed we'll be the only ship in Grand Turk when we go there (weather permits, as we are sailing during hurricane season).



I couldn't believe the difference! I really liked the size of the Sensation, that is why I am nervous about the size of the Conquest. Hope the weather is great for you. The Conquest stops at Grand Turk with the itinerary I am looking at as well. (in February)


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Conquest is bigger than Sensation but smaller than Vista. I would check the Carnival site to see if it has the 2.0 upgrades like Guy’s Burgers and Blue Iguana. We are doing the Southern on Vista this June. If you don’t mind GTY there are some good prices.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Conquest is bigger than Sensation but smaller than Vista. I would check the Carnival site to see if it has the 2.0 upgrades like Guy’s Burgers and Blue Iguana. We are doing the Southern on Vista this June. If you don’t mind GTY there are some good prices.



Yes, the Conquest is 2.0


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

MickeyD said:


> So, I have been dying to see the Southern Carib. Priced the Fantasy (DCL), even though they only cruise in June . The price for two of us in a veranda...ready for this....$10,843.30!!! That is over $500 a day pp. So, I went on Carnival's site and I can do the Conquest 8 day for about $1139pp TOTAL, in a similar balcony room. My question for Carnival people, has anyone been on Conquest? Is it a sister ship to Vista, or smaller? Also, @mevelandry the Sensation was the first Carnival ship I ever sailed. Nice ship, hope she is still in good shape. Super easy to get around and not as "loud" in appointments as some of the Carnival ships.


We did the 8 night Southern Caribbean on the Vista this past June and loved it, especially Curaçao!  What a beautiful and clean Island, it’s truly the jewel of the Caribbean. Grand Turk was pretty dang awesome also. We loved it so much we’re doing it again on Horizon for June 2019, this time we’re doing it in the Havana area, for 4 of us, my wife and I in a Havana Cabana and the teens in a Havana inside, cost is about $8000 including insurance and prepaid gratuity. If you’re not opposed to the big ships, I’d really look into this itinerary on Vista or Horizon, especially the Havana area, it’s really a special part of the ship.


----------



## cyclenut

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We did the 8 night Southern Caribbean on the Vista this past June and loved it, especially Curaçao!  What a beautiful and clean Island, it’s truly the jewel of the Caribbean. Grand Turk was pretty dang awesome also. We loved it so much we’re doing it again on Horizon for June 2019, this time we’re doing it in the Havana area, for 4 of us, my wife and I in a Havana Cabana and the teens in a Havana inside, cost is about $8000 including insurance and prepaid gratuity. If you’re not opposed to the big ships, I’d really look into this itinerary on Vista or Horizon, especially the Havana area, it’s really a special part of the ship.


Co-worker of mine sailed the Vista in a Havana room and had nothing but great things to say about the entire experience.  A member of my team, who knows I love cruising, had reservations about Carnival as the last time they sailed with them was a 4 day out of Long Beach to Ensenada and really didn't like the frat party atmosphere.  I talked to him about our experience on the Breeze, the comments here and the comments from our co-worker who recently returned from a cruise on the Vista.  He decided to give it a try and booked the Vista.

Those who don't understand the reputation Carnival gets for the party ships have not had the experience a number of people have had on some of those older ships and their 3-4 day, one port cruises.  I've seen it personally.  Friends and family have seen it too, as recently as January of this year.  

Fortunately there are enough experiences on the newer ships that are more positive, even those who have experienced this frat party atmosphere are willing to give them another shot.


----------



## cyclenut

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’ve seen Flick 3 times on the Vista, the first time was the inaugural entertainment staff and they were excellent, especially Flick himself, (his real name is Brett), - he had an injury and has been doing developing choreography but will be on the Horizon when she sets sail in a couple months. I don’t know if Horizon will have Flick or not, but it would be be worth sailing her just to see him in that role. This past year the singers weren’t nearly as strong but I still love the show.


This is the issue with Carnival production shows.  They can put together some visually appealing shows with great themes that should be awesome, but just fall flat.  A lot of the reason is the talent is good, but not great.  Our last experience on the Breeze was exactly that.  I posted much earlier in this thread how the show concept and music was great, but the staging and execution were poor.  For example, there was a large piano on stage.  It was on wheels and a few minutes in they rolled it to front center stage blocking the view of what are usually considered to be premium seats (first few rows in the center).  All you could see was the piano, which was central to the show at that point, but not the only thing going on.  In fact, you couldn't even see the lead half the time and virtually none of the company.  The lead was very good, but was the only one who could really carry a tune.  This kind of thing occurred throughout the show with the piano moving around stage, blocking different views of anyone in the first 5-7 rows.  People were getting up and moving around just to see the show.  Fortunately the theater wasn't too full.

We have friends that are in the live theater industry.  Performers who go to auditions know what they are auditioning for.  Those that aspire to Broadway, will sometimes get their start on a cruise ship.  Most of those steer away from Carnival.  They don't pay as well and don't have a good reputation among producers and directors.  You have Carnival on your resume and it won't leave a positive impression.  It's unfortunate, but it explains some of why the talent is spotty.  Make no mistake, the performers do work hard and are really pretty good.  They just are not at the same level as the performers Disney hires.


----------



## MickeyD

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We did the 8 night Southern Caribbean on the Vista this past June and loved it, especially Curaçao! What a beautiful and clean Island, it’s truly the jewel of the Caribbean. Grand Turk was pretty dang awesome also. We loved it so much we’re doing it again on Horizon for June 2019, this time we’re doing it in the Havana area, for 4 of us, my wife and I in a Havana Cabana and the teens in a Havana inside, cost is about $8000 including insurance and prepaid gratuity. If you’re not opposed to the big ships, I’d really look into this itinerary on Vista or Horizon, especially the Havana area, it’s really a special part of the ship.


So I looked at those ships so I could do the Havana. I was getting $6990 for 2 people for the lowest level, which I think is the spa cabins?? So you got a great deal!  I like the idea of the pool area and the lounge exclusive to Havana guests. I like the itinerary of the ABC islands and Grand Turk, but I do not want to do the Caribbean in June..LOL. I want to get out of here in Jan/Feb when it is cold and go warm. We get plenty of heat in the summer. I loved your review of the Vista and headed over now to re-read it because I forgot some of the particulars like how you compare the Vista to the Disney ships...size-wise and crowd control- wise.


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> This is the issue with Carnival production shows.  They can put together some visually appealing shows with great themes that should be awesome, but just fall flat.  A lot of the reason is the talent is good, but not great.  Our last experience on the Breeze was exactly that.  I posted much earlier in this thread how the show concept and music was great, but the staging and execution were poor.  For example, there was a large piano on stage.  It was on wheels and a few minutes in they rolled it to front center stage blocking the view of what are usually considered to be premium seats (first few rows in the center).  All you could see was the piano, which was central to the show at that point, but not the only thing going on.  In fact, you couldn't even see the lead half the time and virtually none of the company.  The lead was very good, but was the only one who could really carry a tune.  This kind of thing occurred throughout the show with the piano moving around stage, blocking different views of anyone in the first 5-7 rows.  People were getting up and moving around just to see the show.  Fortunately the theater wasn't too full.
> 
> We have friends that are in the live theater industry.  Performers who go to auditions know what they are auditioning for.  Those that aspire to Broadway, will sometimes get their start on a cruise ship.  Most of those steer away from Carnival.  They don't pay as well and don't have a good reputation among producers and directors.  You have Carnival on your resume and it won't leave a positive impression.  It's unfortunate, but it explains some of why the talent is spotty.  Make no mistake, the performers do work hard and are really pretty good.  They just are not at the same level as the performers Disney hires.



I don't know... Vrooom on the Victory in October 2016 had GREAT singers. We were impressed.


----------



## mevelandry

MickeyD said:


> So I looked at those ships so I could do the Havana. I was getting $6990 for 2 people for the lowest level, which I think is the spa cabins?? So you got a great deal!  I like the idea of the pool area and the lounge exclusive to Havana guests. I like the itinerary of the ABC islands and Grand Turk, but I do not want to do the Caribbean in June..LOL. I want to get out of here in Jan/Feb when it is cold and go warm. We get plenty of heat in the summer. I loved your review of the Vista and headed over now to re-read it because I forgot some of the particulars like how you compare the Vista to the Disney ships...size-wise and crowd control- wise.



I also made a comparison and review of the Vista here if you are interested. The link is on the first page. 

I love when people come back with reviews, it gives a good idea of the experience.


----------



## mevelandry

Thoughts regarding the incident on the Carnival Legend:

-Bad passengers can happen everywhere.

-I'm surprised by the intervention of some security guards...  (EDIT: I don't know where they have been trained but I don't think kicking someone who's on the floor is part of the training). 

-I heard they were prison cells in cruise ships. Don't know if is true or was the protocol is.

-I am slightly irritated but not surprised to see Carnival haters jumping on the band wagon going at it and seizing the opportunity to trash talk the cruise line.

Looking forward to get official statements from Carnival regarding this.


----------



## MickeyD

mevelandry said:


> I also made a comparison and review of the Vista here if you are interested. The link is on the first page.
> 
> I love when people come back with reviews, it gives a good idea of the experience.



Wow, I hadn't re-looked through all the original pages to see the updates! Love it! You did a great job with this thread. I, too, love when people come back with reviews. Even though everyone's experience is their own, you can usually pick out key things that you would like or not like based on their descriptions.
One thing, I didn't see, except in a passing comment, is how bad is the smoking on the Carnival ships? Do they allow smoking in the casinos? One thing I like about Celebrity is they have banned smoking in the casinos so one can be in there without choking.


----------



## mevelandry

MickeyD said:


> Wow, I hadn't re-looked through all the original pages to see the updates! Love it! You did a great job with this thread. I, too, love when people come back with reviews. Even though everyone's experience is their own, you can usually pick out key things that you would like or not like based on their descriptions.
> One thing, I didn't see, except in a passing comment, is how bad is the smoking on the Carnival ships? Do they allow smoking in the casinos? One thing I like about Celebrity is they have banned smoking in the casinos so one can be in there without choking.



Thanks! I do my best... 

They do allow the smoking in the Casino. I'm certainly no fan of it but I can't say I noticed the smell anywhere else than inside the Casino and in the stairs leading to the Casino.

I'm hopeful they will change their policy someday.


----------



## robinb

mevelandry said:


> Thoughts regarding the incident on the Carnival Legend:
> 
> -Bad passengers can happen everywhere.
> 
> -I'm surprised by the intervention of some security guards...
> 
> -I heard they were prison cells in cruise ships. Don't know if is true or was the protocol is.
> 
> -I am slightly irritated but not surprised to see Carnival haters jumping on the band wagon going at it and seizing the opportunity to trash talk the cruise line.
> 
> Looking forward to get official statements from Carnival regarding this.


I read the thread over on Cruise Critic.  My biggest issue with the whole thing was that the security was obviously not trained appropriately to handle a rukkus like that.  I understand that they were pretty frustrated after 3 days of bad behaviour but there are other ways to gain control of two people who are fighting than to kick them like they are dogs.  I see this as a huge failure on the part of Carnival. 

The unruly passengers were locked in their cabins.  I think some ships have a brig but I don't think any of them can hold that many people!

FWIW, I am not a Carnival hater and I am in the process of planning a cruise on the Dream out of NOLA.


----------



## mevelandry

Has anybody seen the pictures John Heald posted today from the new Carnival Horizon? OMG! It's going to look even better than the Vista!


----------



## mevelandry

robinb said:


> I read the thread over on Cruise Critic.  My biggest issue with the whole thing was that the security was obviously not trained appropriately to handle a rukkus like that.  I understand that they were pretty frustrated after 3 days of bad behaviour but there are other ways to gain control of two people who are fighting than to kick them like they are dogs.  I see this as a huge failure on the part of Carnival.
> 
> The unruly passengers were locked in their cabins.  I think some ships have a brig but I don't think any of them can hold that many people!
> 
> FWIW, I am not a Carnival hater and I am in the process of planning a cruise on the Dream out of NOLA.



I agree with you. I don't think the security guards were properly trained to handle that kind of situation... But we live in a violent world and they should be. 

I'm hoping Carnival will react to this incident by taking specific measures.


----------



## Tikitoi

mevelandry said:


> Has anybody seen the pictures John Heald posted today from the new Carnival Horizon? OMG! It's going to look even better than the Vista!



This is the ship we are planning for a Cruise to Cuba...


----------



## robinb

Tikitoi said:


> This is the ship we are planning for a Cruise to Cuba...


Really?  Isn't it huge?  I thought there were size restrictions on ships that can dock in Cuba due to the size of the harbors.


----------



## mevelandry

Tikitoi said:


> This is the ship we are planning for a Cruise to Cuba...



I only see the Paradise going to Cuba on the listing...?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Horizon will not be going to Cuba.  After it's initial deployment to NY it is moving to Miami to take of the 6/8 Caribbean runs from Vista.


----------



## mevelandry

The good news is... 


Ship: Carnival Paradise

Dates: February 22 - March 25, 2018  (DRY DOCK)


----------



## mevelandry

Here's a copy-paste from John Heald's page on Dacebook... Great news for the Carnival Paradise!  



_CARNIVAL PARADISE UNDERGOING MASSIVE, MONTH-LONG RENOVATION THAT WILL ADD NEW WATER PARK, NEW CABINS,
BALCONIES TO EXISTING STATEROOMS AND EXCITING FOOD AND BEVERAGE INNOVATIONS


MIAMI (February 22, 2018) – Carnival Paradise is undergoing an extensive, multi-million-dollar refurbishment that will add a wide variety of spaces and innovations, including a spectacular water park, 38 new cabins, 98 balconies to existing staterooms, and an a host of exciting food and beverage concepts.
Following the month-long dry dock, which takes place in Freeport, The Bahamas, Carnival Paradise will resume its year-round schedule of four- to eight-day cruises from Tampa, Fla., March 26, 2018. 
The new features include:
· Guy’s Burger Joint: a free-of-charge poolside venue developed in partnership with Food Network personality Guy Fieri serving hand-crafted burgers and fresh-cut fries enjoyed amidst a décor that celebrates the chef’s California roots and love of car culture.
· RedFrog Rum Bar: a poolside watering hole offering the quintessential Caribbean vacation vibe with refreshing Caribbean rum-based frozen drinks and beers, including Carnival’s own private label draught brew, ThirstyFrog Red.

· BlueIguana Cantina: a complimentary poolside Mexican eatery where guests can enjoy authentic freshly made burritos and tacos on homemade tortillas, as well as an elaborate toppings and salsa bar.

· BlueIguana Tequila Bar: a fun and festive outdoor bar offering a laid-back Mexican-themed atmosphere and tequila-based frozen drinks and beers, perfect for chillin’ by the pool.

· Camp Ocean: a colorful marine-inspired play area designed for kids ages 2-11 that showcases the wonders of the sea through fun and engaging interiors and more than 200 ocean-themed activities, including arts and crafts, science-oriented programming, and more.

· New Cabins, Stateroom Enhancements: Thirty-eight cabins have been added – two Grand Vista suites offering floor-to-ceiling windows, 22 junior suites, two scenic ocean view cabins and 12 interior accommodations. Additionally, private verandahs have been added to 98 existing staterooms, creating spacious new 230-square-foot balcony staterooms. All staterooms will offer new island-inspired interiors with bright colors and soothing pastels inspired by Carnival Paradise’s tropical itineraries.

· WaterWorks Aqua Park: Located on Verandah Deck, this expansive all-ages water park features an enclosed 300-foot-long Twister water slide full of exhilarating twists and turns, two 82-foot-long racing slides, and a splash zone for kids.

· Miniature Golf Course: A nine-hole miniature golf course has been relocated to Deck 14, providing a fun and relaxing pastime for families to enjoy in the fresh sea air.

· Retail and Photo Enhancements: The ship’s retail shops are being completely reimagined with a new design and enhanced product offerings with multiple brand boutiques, including Pandora and Guess. A guest favorite, the Cherry on Top sweets shop, is also being added, while the printed photo gallery is being replaced with a digital Pixels-branded platform that allows guests to identify and purchase images via their smartphones or at a nearby kiosk._


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Great news about the photo gallery.  I love the digital one on Vista.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Great news about the photo gallery.  I love the digital one on Vista.



Yes! And I loved being able to see our pictures on the TV, too!


----------



## Tikitoi

robinb said:


> Really?  Isn't it huge?  I thought there were size restrictions on ships that can dock in Cuba due to the size of the harbors.





mevelandry said:


> I only see the Paradise going to Cuba on the listing...?



Oops my bad...Trying to plan too many cruises   Was actually going to go with NCL for the Cruise to Cuba because I like the way they do it overnight.   The Carnival Horizon was going to be for a Caribbean Cruise to Mexico Jamaica and Cayman Islands. 

But may look into that Carnival Paradise.


----------



## mevelandry

Tikitoi said:


> Oops my bad...Trying to plan too many cruises   Was actually going to go with NCL for the Cruise to Cuba because I like the way they do it overnight.   The Carnival Horizon was going to be for a Caribbean Cruise to Mexico Jamaica and Cayman Islands.
> 
> But may look into that Carnival Paradise.



If you sail on the Horizon I will officially be jealous... 

I could be wrong but I think the Carnival Paradise does overnight as well sometimes.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Thoughts regarding the incident on the Carnival Legend:
> 
> -Bad passengers can happen everywhere.
> 
> -I'm surprised by the intervention of some security guards...  (EDIT: I don't know where they have been trained but I don't think kicking someone who's on the floor is part of the training).
> 
> -I heard they were prison cells in cruise ships. Don't know if is true or was the protocol is.
> 
> -I am slightly irritated but not surprised to see Carnival haters jumping on the band wagon going at it and seizing the opportunity to trash talk the cruise line.
> 
> Looking forward to get official statements from Carnival regarding this.



I don't think security helped with the situation and in some instances made it worse.  A couple of the passengers they interviewed said that they saw one security guard punch a 16-year-old in the face. 

This "family" group dynamic of 23 were acting insane throughout the ship, including bullying kids and families.  It is unfortunate that they chose to act that way, but that can happen on any cruise line -- you never know what you're going to get with the passenger crowd.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> I don't think security helped with the situation and in some instances made it worse.  A couple of the passengers they interviewed said that they saw one security guard punch a 16-year-old in the face.
> 
> This "family" group dynamic of 23 were acting insane throughout the ship, including bullying kids and families.  It is unfortunate that they chose to act that way, but that can happen on any cruise line -- you never know what you're going to get with the passenger crowd.



I have a feeling that story will create a precedent regarding security on board cruise ships.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> I have a feeling that story will create a precedent regarding security on board cruise ships.



Hopefully -- and that can only be a good thing.


----------



## mevelandry

Oh, here's a follow-up on the story: 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5416489/Family-kicked-Carnival-Legend-cruise-sore-sorry.html


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Oh, here's a follow-up on the story:
> 
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5416489/Family-kicked-Carnival-Legend-cruise-sore-sorry.html



OH YAY -- nice pictures of them with assault rifles.  UGH


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> OH YAY -- nice pictures of them with assault rifles.  UGH



Yeah...


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

I was just reading a bit on some other dcl threads-- I did a couple of days ago too, after not going over there for a while, and boy is it nice to catch up again over here and read this thread!! People are so nice on this thread!  I started looking at some dcl main threads because we put a dcl cruise on hold, but reading over there turned me off of dcl again.  Lol.  So we are dropping the dcl hold and have booked an 8 night Eastern Caribbean on the Carnival Magic instead!  We were very tempted by the Horizon but the dates we wanted would have put us on the 6 night Western and we really wanted Eastern.  In 2 weeks we are on the Conquest, so I will report back on that.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I was just reading a bit on some other dcl threads-- I did a couple of days ago too, after not going over there for a while, and boy is it nice to catch up again over here and read this thread!! People are so nice on this thread!  I started looking at some dcl main threads because we put a dcl cruise on hold, but reading over there turned me off of dcl again.  Lol.  So we are dropping the dcl hold and have booked an 8 night Eastern Caribbean on the Carnival Magic instead!  We were very tempted by the Horizon but the dates we wanted would have put us on the 6 night Western and we really wanted Eastern.  In 2 weeks we are on the Conquest, so I will report back on that.



Thank you for this comment. While we do encounter a few haters once in a while, I strongly believe that most people commenting here have a good attitude regarding choices of vacation, are open minded and are open to discussion as long as everybody is respectful. 

Travelling is a priviledge so I don't understand the negativity on some threads. IMO, attitude has a big part in the success of a cruise. 

That being said... 

What are the ports on your 8 nights?  

As for your next cruise: Ahhhh I'm a bit jealous. The Conquest looks so good (at least on pictures!).


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Thank you for this comment. While we do encounter a few haters once in a while, I strongly believe that most people commenting here have a good attitude regarding choices of vacation, are open minded and are open to discussion as long as everybody is respectful.
> 
> Travelling is a priviledge so I don't understand the negativity on some threads. IMO, attitude has a big part in the success of a cruise.
> 
> That being said...
> 
> What are the ports on your 8 nights?
> 
> As for your next cruise: Ahhhh I'm a bit jealous. The Conquest looks so good (at least on pictures!).



Yes, I love your thread!  I was reading some other dcl threads and felt awful for various posters being attacked.  I wanted to defend them but also didn't want to get too involved.  Yuck! 

The Carnival Magic is 8 nights August 2019.  St.Maarten, St. Kitts, San Juan, and Grand Turk.  We picked it because we have never been to St. Maarten or Kitts.  We put a Caribbean map on a pinboard on our wall and have been sticking pins in all of our destinations.  We are a bit bummed out that we did not book Horizon, but we have just not done enough Eastern Caribbean.  So many great cruises to choose from!

The Conquest is a 6 night.  Amber Cove, Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, Nassau.  We booked it a long time ago and it was origionally 3 ports, but they added Nassau a few months ago.   We have never been on a cruise where a port was added!  On this one Amber Cove and HMC are new for us.

This summer we are on the Carnival Dream.  Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay.  MB new for us.

We had booked an NCL cruise on the Gem next December, but it got switched to the Breakaway and then they dropped a port.  After rethinking the entire cruise we replaced it with a better deal on the Celebrity Equinox spring break 2019.  Key West, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Grand Cayman. Costa Maya new here.

We usually book early because we travel at busier times and then hope for price drops.  Not with DCL- we have never experienced a price drop on DCL.  But with other lines, specifically CCL and NCL, we have been able to get some price drops. We also sometimes cancel and rebook since we book so far out.  We have never cancelled with CCL (knock on wood), as we have  booked easysaver nonrefundable deposits.  Our kids LOVE Carnival, so we are focused on Carnival right now.  I was talking up DCL with them when I had the hold booked, and the kids were like switch it to Carnival!  I started to laugh thinking I was trying to sell DCL to them.  I thought it was supposed to be the other way around!  It is also a bit crazy to realize that our next 3 cruises cost less combined than one with DCL.

 I love hearing about peoples' cruising experiences and hope others will keep sharing theirs!


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Yes, I love your thread!  I was reading some other dcl threads and felt awful for various posters being attacked.  I wanted to defend them but also didn't want to get too involved.  Yuck!
> 
> The Carnival Magic is 8 nights August 2019.  St.Maarten, St. Kitts, San Juan, and Grand Turk.  We picked it because we have never been to St. Maarten or Kitts.  We put a Caribbean map on a pinboard on our wall and have been sticking pins in all of our destinations.  We are a bit bummed out that we did not book Horizon, but we have just not done enough Eastern Caribbean.  So many great cruises to choose from!
> 
> The Conquest is a 6 night.  Amber Cove, Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, Nassau.  We booked it a long time ago and it was origionally 3 ports, but they added Nassau a few months ago.   We have never been on a cruise where a port was added!  On this one Amber Cove and HMC are new for us.
> 
> This summer we are on the Carnival Dream.  Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay.  MB new for us.
> 
> We had booked an NCL cruise on the Gem next December, but it got switched to the Breakaway and then they dropped a port.  After rethinking the entire cruise we replaced it with a better deal on the Celebrity Equinox spring break 2019.  Key West, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Grand Cayman. Costa Maya new here.
> 
> We usually book early because we travel at busier times and then hope for price drops.  Not with DCL- we have never experienced a price drop on DCL.  But with other lines, specifically CCL and NCL, we have been able to get some price drops. We also sometimes cancel and rebook since we book so far out.  We have never cancelled with CCL (knock on wood), as we have  booked easysaver nonrefundable deposits.  Our kids LOVE Carnival, so we are focused on Carnival right now.  I was talking up DCL with them when I had the hold booked, and the kids were like switch it to Carnival!  I started to laugh thinking I was trying to sell DCL to them.  I thought it was supposed to be the other way around!  It is also a bit crazy to realize that our next 3 cruises cost less combined than one with DCL.
> 
> I love hearing about peoples' cruising experiences and hope others will keep sharing theirs!



I did try to defend some people but I was told not to...

OMG! I've been thinking of doing the map and pins thing lately! It's so cool!

It's great that they added a port to your cruise. I could be wrong but I think cruises with a lot of ports are getting more and more popular. To each their own and I respect those who would prefer cruises to nowhere but to me, the ports are the most important part of my cruise otherwise, I would save a lot of money by booking back-to-back cruises to the Bahamas because they are cheaper. (Yes, I know we can never take the ports for granted.)

Can you post some pictures on the thread of Half Moon Cay when you come back? Since it is Carnival's private Island, I could add a "private island section" and then  put the link to your pictures on the first page!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I did try to defend some people but I was told not to...
> 
> OMG! I've been thinking of doing the map and pins thing lately! It's so cool!
> 
> It's great that they added a port to your cruise. I could be wrong but I think cruises with a lot of ports are getting more and more popular. To each their own and I respect those who would prefer cruises to nowhere but to me, the ports are the most important part of my cruise otherwise, I would save a lot of money by booking back-to-back cruises to the Bahamas because they are cheaper. (Yes, I know we can never take the ports for granted.)
> 
> Can you post some pictures on the thread of Half Moon Cay when you come back? Since it is Carnival's private Island, I could add a "private island section" and then  put the link to your pictures on the first page!



Yes!  I will get photos of hmc.  I think i have some of great stirrip cay (ncl) and will look for them. 

You should do the map!  It is a fun way to remember and look forward to cruises.  My kids stare at the map for hours.  I "stole" the idea from a trip report I read on CC.  I need to get another map that also has Mexican beaches.  I only have the standard Caribbean one.

I like ports too.  The way I see it, more ports = more options.  You can still hang out on the ship if you want and there will be less people.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

we"reofftoneverland said:


> The Carnival Magic is 8 nights August 2019.  St.Maarten, St. Kitts, San Juan, and Grand Turk.  We picked it because we have never been to St. Maarten or Kitts.  We put a Caribbean map on a pinboard on our wall and have been sticking pins in all of our destinations.  We are a bit bummed out that we did not book Horizon, but we have just not done enough Eastern Caribbean.  So many great cruises to choose from!



We did that itinerary on Breeze.  It is wonderful.  We've been to St Maarten twice and it's one of our favorites along with San Juan.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> We did that itinerary on Breeze.  It is wonderful.  We've been to St Maarten twice and it's one of our favorites along with San Juan.


Awesome!  We would love to try the Breeze.  It seems like most people like her even more than the Vista.  Unfortunately, she is doing a Western that week.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

How do I get photos on here?  Can I take them straight from my computer?  I can't figure it out.


----------



## Tikitoi

mevelandry said:


> If you sail on the Horizon I will officially be jealous...
> 
> I could be wrong but I think the Carnival Paradise does overnight as well sometimes.



Yes saw that.  But like that NCL leaves out of Miami.  Easy way to extend a vacation...


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Yes, I love your thread!  I was reading some other dcl threads and felt awful for various posters being attacked.  I wanted to defend them but also didn't want to get too involved.  Yuck!
> 
> The Carnival Magic is 8 nights August 2019.  St.Maarten, St. Kitts, San Juan, and Grand Turk.  We picked it because we have never been to St. Maarten or Kitts.  We put a Caribbean map on a pinboard on our wall and have been sticking pins in all of our destinations.  We are a bit bummed out that we did not book Horizon, but we have just not done enough Eastern Caribbean.  So many great cruises to choose from!
> 
> The Conquest is a 6 night.  Amber Cove, Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, Nassau.  We booked it a long time ago and it was origionally 3 ports, but they added Nassau a few months ago.   We have never been on a cruise where a port was added!  On this one Amber Cove and HMC are new for us.
> 
> This summer we are on the Carnival Dream.  Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay.  MB new for us.
> 
> We had booked an NCL cruise on the Gem next December, but it got switched to the Breakaway and then they dropped a port.  After rethinking the entire cruise we replaced it with a better deal on the Celebrity Equinox spring break 2019.  Key West, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Grand Cayman. Costa Maya new here.
> 
> We usually book early because we travel at busier times and then hope for price drops.  Not with DCL- we have never experienced a price drop on DCL.  But with other lines, specifically CCL and NCL, we have been able to get some price drops. We also sometimes cancel and rebook since we book so far out.  We have never cancelled with CCL (knock on wood), as we have  booked easysaver nonrefundable deposits.  Our kids LOVE Carnival, so we are focused on Carnival right now.  I was talking up DCL with them when I had the hold booked, and the kids were like switch it to Carnival!  I started to laugh thinking I was trying to sell DCL to them.  I thought it was supposed to be the other way around!  It is also a bit crazy to realize that our next 3 cruises cost less combined than one with DCL.
> 
> I love hearing about peoples' cruising experiences and hope others will keep sharing theirs!


We were going to do that same 8 night itinerary on the Magic in June 2019, but decided to switch to the Horizon 8 night instead. We did the same cruise on the Vista last year and absolutely loved Curaçao, this time on the Horizon we will be there until 10:30 at night so I’m really looking forward to that. I also was able to talk to my wife into booking inside Havana cabins, I’m so excited. 

You’re going to love the CD on the Dream!  His name is Chris Williams but goes by The Flying Scotsman. He is awesome, be sure to catch his show the night it’s in the theater. He has an amazing voice, mostly does rock but throws in an opera piece that will give you goose bumps. I really like the prominent role the Carnival CD’s play on their ships. Please come back and let us know how the cruises go!!


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> How do I get photos on here?  Can I take them straight from my computer?  I can't figure it out.



When you make a post or post a reply, at the right of the "post reply" button you'll find "upload a file" button. There you will find an option to download pictures than you can post as a thumbnail or directly in the message (I suggest the latter, it's easier to see on phones).


----------



## cruiser21

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We were going to do that same 8 night itinerary on the Magic in June 2019, but decided to switch to the Horizon 8 night instead. We did the same cruise on the Vista last year and absolutely loved Curaçao, this time on the Horizon we will be there until 10:30 at night so I’m really looking forward to that. I also was able to talk to my wife into booking inside Havana cabins, I’m so excited.
> 
> You’re going to love the CD on the Dream!  His name is Chris Williams but goes by The Flying Scotsman. He is awesome, be sure to catch his show the night it’s in the theater. He has an amazing voice, mostly does rock but throws in an opera piece that will give you goose bumps. I really like the prominent role the Carnival CD’s play on their ships. Please come back and let us know how the cruises go!!


You need to talk her into a Havana Cabana.


----------



## mevelandry

Tikitoi said:


> Yes saw that.  But like that NCL leaves out of Miami.  Easy way to extend a vacation...



Yes, The Paradise leaves out of Tampa but I have never been to Tampa... So I can't compare. 

I'm not the biggest fan of Miami (except for some of their restaurants) so to me it is more like a place to sleep before a cruise. Lol


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> When you make a post or post a reply, at the right of the "post reply" button you'll find "upload a file" button. There you will find an option to download pictures than you can post as a thumbnail or directly in the message (I suggest the latter, it's easier to see on phones).


Ahhh... that is pretty easy!  I just scrolled through the 5000 or so photos on the sim card on my phone and of course there are none on there of GSC, but I know I have them on my computer so I will do it soon.  Of course about 2000 if the photos on my phone are from Castaway Cay lol.  Thank you


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We were going to do that same 8 night itinerary on the Magic in June 2019, but decided to switch to the Horizon 8 night instead. We did the same cruise on the Vista last year and absolutely loved Curaçao, this time on the Horizon we will be there until 10:30 at night so I’m really looking forward to that. I also was able to talk to my wife into booking inside Havana cabins, I’m so excited.
> 
> You’re going to love the CD on the Dream!  His name is Chris Williams but goes by The Flying Scotsman. He is awesome, be sure to catch his show the night it’s in the theater. He has an amazing voice, mostly does rock but throws in an opera piece that will give you goose bumps. I really like the prominent role the Carnival CD’s play on their ships. Please come back and let us know how the cruises go!!



It was tough to choose the Magic over the Horizon, although I am sure the Magic is great too.  If the Horizon had been doing the 8 night Southern the week we needed, we would have chosen it in a heartbeat!  I agree that itinerary with Aruba and Curacao is awesome.  You guys will have a blast and I hope you report back too!
I also love how Carnival CD's are so vibrant and have such individual personalities.  It really adds to the entire experience.  Can't wait to meet their other CDs, although it will be hard to top Matt.    The Flying Scottsman sounds like a riot!


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Yes, The Paradise leaves out of Tampa but I have never been to Tampa... So I can't compare.
> 
> I'm not the biggest fan of Miami (except for some of their restaurants) so to me it is more like a place to sleep before a cruise. Lol


It looks like from your ticker you've changed a few of your plans. I have too. I think I'm going to do the TA over Quebec. I'll get see Ireland and Northern Canada. Halifax, Sydney and New Brunswick. Longer cruise for about the same amount of money. I'm a little nervous about weather and sad about Quebec, but it's a great itinerary. 

I've been checking out ABD for 2019 or 20120. Wow this make DCL look cheap. It seems like an amazing way to see China though. Thinking about it, but lots of money. I'm starting to get a little burnt out on cruising and I'm looking for something new to do. I guess that's understandable considering the number of cruises I've been on. 

If I ever do go back to the Caribbean it's going to be in Havana Cabana or the Haven. Those are on my bucket list.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> It looks like from your ticker you've changed a few of your plans. I have too. I think I'm going to do the TA over Quebec. I'll get see Ireland and Northern Canada. Halifax, Sydney and New Brunswick. Longer cruise for about the same amount of money. I'm a little nervous about weather and sad about Quebec, but it's a great itinerary.
> 
> I've been checking out ABD for 2019 or 20120. Wow this make DCL look cheap. It seems like an amazing way to see China though. Thinking about it, but lots of money. I'm starting to get a little burnt out on cruising and I'm looking for something new to do. I guess that's understandable considering the number of cruises I've been on.
> 
> If I ever do go back to the Caribbean it's going to be in Havana Cabana or the Haven. Those are on my bucket list.



Yes, we did. We found a Southern itinerary for 2019 that sounds amazing... So amazing that we lost interest for the Bermuda a little bit. The fact that longer Oasis class cruises were cheaper than cruises on the Anthem played a role in our decision as well.

We decided to invest the money for the Southern Caribbean itinerary for March 2019 and then pick a more affordable cruise for October 2018 instead.

There was two other options that were on our bucket list: A southern with Aruba/Curaçao or Half Moon Cay & Grand Turk.

HMC & GT was quite cheap. The total including taxes was 422$/pp for 5 nights, so we decided to book that one.


If the TA is more interesting and cheaper, I say: go for it. Ireland looks amazing.


DH and I always try to put one land trips or getaway between cruises. We used to do WDW but we needed a break.

Last year, we went for a week-end in NYC, then a Kingston/Niagara Fall/Niagara-on-the-Lake/Toronto getaway.

Someday, I would like to see Washington/Philadelphia... Dublin & Cork, Reikjavik, London or Paris.


----------



## Tikitoi

mevelandry said:


> Yes, The Paradise leaves out of Tampa but I have never been to Tampa... So I can't compare.
> 
> I'm not the biggest fan of Miami (except for some of their restaurants) so to me it is more like a place to sleep before a cruise. Lol



It's been a while since we've been to Miami but we had a good time there.  And hoping to spend some time in Key West as well. Enjoy your Southern Caribbean Cruise.  We enjoyed ours tremendously.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> It was tough to choose the Magic over the Horizon, although I am sure the Magic is great too.  If the Horizon had been doing the 8 night Southern the week we needed, we would have chosen it in a heartbeat!  I agree that itinerary with Aruba and Curacao is awesome.  You guys will have a blast and I hope you report back too!
> I also love how Carnival CD's are so vibrant and have such individual personalities.  It really adds to the entire experience.  Can't wait to meet their other CDs, although it will be hard to top Matt.    The Flying Scottsman sounds like a riot!


We were bummed when we found out Matt was not going to be on our 2nd Vista Cruise, we loved him on our first. We were shocked that we liked the Flying Scotsman more than him, but my teenage daughter still thinks Matt is “way hotter!”


----------



## mevelandry

Tikitoi said:


> It's been a while since we've been to Miami but we had a good time there.  And hoping to spend some time in Key West as well. Enjoy your Southern Caribbean Cruise.  We enjoyed ours tremendously.



Thank you. 

I can't wait. But I have a Western and then Eastern Caribbean cruises to do before that. I'm looking forward to all of them.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We were bummed when we found out Matt was not going to be on our 2nd Vista Cruise, we loved him on our first. We were shocked that we liked the Flying Scotsman more than him, but my teenage daughter still thinks Matt is “way hotter!”



I had Schwartz on the Vista and he was great.

I only heard great reviews regarding the Flying Scotsman.

I have never heard of the two next CD I will have on the Victory & Sensation but I'm open minded.

Fun fact: I did not give a damn about CDs before I sailed with Carnival. Now I see them as an added value.


----------



## quickcat

trvlgirlmq said:


> We did that itinerary on Breeze.  It is wonderful.  We've been to St Maarten twice and it's one of our favorites along with San Juan.



I tried searching so if you already posted about the Breeze sorry for asking again but what did you think of it? It leaves out of PC in Dec and I am strongly considering it. Our youngest is 9 and oldest is 17. For price in Dec, there isn’t even a comparasion between the Breeze and Fantasy as you can imagine!  My DH  and I have sailed on carnival before, pre- kids so it was a long time ago!  We are not big food people, so I am more looking at the things to do- waterslides, shows, etc on the ship. TIA!!


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Yes, we did. We found a Southern itinerary for 2019 that sounds amazing... So amazing that we lost interest for the Bermuda a little bit. The fact that longer Oasis class cruises were cheaper than cruises on the Anthem played a role in our decision as well.
> 
> We decided to invest the money for the Southern Caribbean itinerary for March 2019 and then pick a more affordable cruise for October 2018 instead.
> 
> There was two other options that were on our bucket list: A southern with Aruba/Curaçao or Half Moon Cay & Grand Turk.
> 
> HMC & GT was quite cheap. The total including taxes was 422$/pp for 5 nights, so we decided to book that one.
> 
> 
> If the TA is more interesting and cheaper, I say: go for it. Ireland looks amazing.
> 
> 
> DH and I always try to put one land trips or getaway between cruises. We used to do WDW but we needed a break.
> 
> Last year, we went for a week-end in NYC, then a Kingston/Niagara Fall/Niagara-on-the-Lake/Toronto getaway.
> 
> Someday, I would like to see Washington/Philadelphia... Dublin & Cork, Reikjavik, London or Paris.


That's a good strategy. The four of us cruised out NYC in November. We had a blast the three days we were NYC. It didn't hurt that my MIL comped us a suite in times square. My older son loved NYC wants to move there. The cruise was just meh for him. My younger son was like "get me out of this crazy city and on to a boat". Total opposites.

 I was just cold. I don't know how you guys live in that cold weather, but now I understand why so many people love the Caribbean.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

quickcat said:


> I tried searching so if you already posted about the Breeze sorry for asking again but what did you think of it? It leaves out of PC in Dec and I am strongly considering it. Our youngest is 9 and oldest is 17. For price in Dec, there isn’t even a comparasion between the Breeze and Fantasy as you can imagine!  My DH  and I have sailed on carnival before, pre- kids so it was a long time ago!  We are not big food people, so I am more looking at the things to do- waterslides, shows, etc on the ship. TIA!!


We haven't been on the Breeze, but we have been on the Vista which is great.  Most people I have spoken with say the Breeze is their favorite ccl ship.  Apparently the layout and flow of the ship just really work.  It also has almost everything the Vista has in terms of things to do/entertainment.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

quickcat said:


> I tried searching so if you already posted about the Breeze sorry for asking again but what did you think of it? It leaves out of PC in Dec and I am strongly considering it. Our youngest is 9 and oldest is 17. For price in Dec, there isn’t even a comparasion between the Breeze and Fantasy as you can imagine!  My DH  and I have sailed on carnival before, pre- kids so it was a long time ago!  We are not big food people, so I am more looking at the things to do- waterslides, shows, etc on the ship. TIA!!



The Breeze is my absolute favorite and if wasn't in Galveston we would have sailed it instead of Vista again. The ropes course is so much fun and of course the waterslides.  We like the layout of the ship. If your kids love burgers then Guy's is the place for them.  I usually find out my teens have had one about 4 and then aren't hungry when we get to dinner.  I adore the tacos for lunch and have them everyday pretty much.  I usually go to the aft pool because it's a bit more quiet without the Lido bigscreen and music. The pool is a bit less crowded too.  It's just a great ship for families.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> That's a good strategy. The four of us cruised out NYC in November. We had a blast the three days we were NYC. It didn't hurt that my MIL comped us a suite in times square. My older son loved NYC wants to move there. The cruise was just meh for him. My younger son was like "get me out of this crazy city and on to a boat". Total opposites.
> 
> I was just cold. I don't know how you guys live in that cold weather, but now I understand why so many people love the Caribbean.



You would probably not like living in Canada. NYC is not that cold in November compared to winter (And Canada is even colder). Not gonna lie, we hate winter but free healthcare is the main reason we stay in Canada (that and because this part of Canada is very safe too).

We have a lot of snowbirds here. They spend winter in Florida (they stay as long as they can without losing Canadian's Healthcare) and they create small communities over there.

As you can imagine, all-included vacation in Caribbean resorts are extremely popular too! 

And now you all understand why my husband refuses to go on a Alaska cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> The Breeze is my absolute favorite and if wasn't in Galveston we would have sailed it instead of Vista again. The ropes course is so much fun and of course the waterslides.  We like the layout of the ship. If your kids love burgers then Guy's is the place for them.  I usually find out my teens have had one about 4 and then aren't hungry when we get to dinner.  I adore the tacos for lunch and have them everyday pretty much.  I usually go to the aft pool because it's a bit more quiet without the Lido bigscreen and music. The pool is a bit less crowded too.  It's just a great ship for families.



Tried the rope course on the Vista. Never been so terrified...  My husband still jokes about it. I have a weak knee since we've been hit by a car while crossing the street. Seems like my muscles are not quite strong enough yet.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Tried the rope course on the Vista. Never been so terrified...  My husband still jokes about it. I have a weak knee since we've been hit by a car while crossing the street. Seems like my muscles are not quite strong enough yet.



The ropes course on Vista is a lot more difficult.  I had no problems on Breeze and could not finish Vista (I had to be "rescued"). I am so ashamed   I asked the person working the course and she said, that yes, they did design it to be harder.  Such a shame because I enjoy doing stuff like that but I am short and a bit fluffy and middle-aged!


----------



## mevelandry

Dear members of this thread: please take note that I have just added a "Private Islands" of Carnival section. 

I added a little informations regarding Half Moon Cay! 

... And also Princess Cays since some of Carnival sailings stop at this port. 

I will add pictures as soon as someone post pictures of Half Moon Cay! 


If hurricane season takes her chamomile, DH and I should visit Half Moon Cay in October and I will bring back some pictures and informations as well.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> The ropes course on Vista is a lot more difficult.  I had no problems on Breeze and could not finish Vista (I had to be "rescued"). I am so ashamed   I asked the person working the course and she said, that yes, they did design it to be harder.  Such a shame because I enjoy doing stuff like that but I am short and a bit fluffy and middle-aged!



No worries. I've been swearing all along (in french, so it was okay for the kids around LOL) ... The worst thing is I took the easiest path.


----------



## robinb

cruiser21 said:


> It looks like from your ticker you've changed a few of your plans. I have too. I think I'm going to do the TA over Quebec. I'll get see Ireland and Northern Canada. Halifax, Sydney and New Brunswick. Longer cruise for about the same amount of money. I'm a little nervous about weather and sad about Quebec, but it's a great itinerary.
> 
> I've been checking out ABD for 2019 or 20120. Wow this make DCL look cheap. It seems like an amazing way to see China though. Thinking about it, but lots of money. I'm starting to get a little burnt out on cruising and I'm looking for something new to do. I guess that's understandable considering the number of cruises I've been on.
> 
> If I ever do go back to the Caribbean it's going to be in Havana Cabana or the Haven. Those are on my bucket list.


We have also been looking into a transatlantic cruise.  Unfortunately, we started to make plans too late and my DH needs more lead time to take 3 weeks off: two weeks for the cruise and another week in Europe.  The DCL Magic TA looks amazing!  I've always wanted to visit Halifax.  I've been to Scotland and the landscape looks very similar.  I also want to visit Ireland.  But ... that cruise is totally out of my price range. 

I think we'll probably end up with a TA next spring on Royal or Norwegian.  The pricing is pretty close between RCCL and NCL "Sail Away" pricing and then adding the free drinks package costs only $20-$40 more per person per day and with sooooo many sea days I would come out ahead while the regularly priced drink packages don't even come close to breaking even.  I had been pricing this spring until my DH told me that he couldn't take that much time off and we could be on a TA from Tampa to Barcelona on Rhapsody of the Seas for about $1600 for 14 days in May for BOTH of us in an outside cabin.  It was $2300 on the NCL Jade for 13 days in April with free drinks and specialty dining.  I'm sure that prices have changed a bit since I stopped tracking .  In any case, I'm looking at Spring 2019 now and I think that we'll go south to Italy instead of London.  We've never been to Spain or Italy so I'd probably be able to visit both on the same trip.

BTW, we went to China in 2007 and it was AMAZING.  We are not "tour" people so we did everything ourselves.  We visited Hong Kong (and Disneyland), Beijing, then off to Japan and Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Yokohama and Toyko Disneyland.  We saw a lot in China on our own but I do regret not having the time to see the terracotta warriors in Xi'an.

ETA: In the meantime, we're looking at a 5-7 day Carnival or RCCL cruise in April.  I'm a last minute planner when it comes to most of my cruising .  So, that's why I'm posting and reading on the thread.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> You would probably not like living in Canada. NYC is not that cold in November compared to winter (And Canada is even colder). Not gonna lie, we hate winter but free healthcare is the main reason we stay in Canada (that and because this part of Canada is very safe too).
> 
> We have a lot of snowbirds here. They spend winter in Florida (they stay as long as they can without losing Canadian's Healthcare) and they create small communities over there.
> 
> As you can imagine, all-included vacation in Caribbean resorts are extremely popular too!
> 
> And now you all understand why my husband refuses to go on a Alaska cruise.


Don't you pay really high taxes for that "free healthcare". 
Anything under 60 is too cold for me. 
 We have a lot of Canadian snowbirds here too. Some buy homes. Some come in RVS. It probably depend s on which side of Canada  you live in wether you go to Florida or Arizona.


----------



## cruiser21

robinb said:


> We have also been looking into a transatlantic cruise.  Unfortunately, we started to make plans too late and my DH needs more lead time to take 3 weeks off: two weeks for the cruise and another week in Europe.  The DCL Magic TA looks amazing!  I've always wanted to visit Halifax.  I've been to Scotland and the landscape looks very similar.  I also want to visit Ireland.  But ... that cruise is totally out of my price range.
> 
> I think we'll probably end up with a TA next spring on Royal or Norwegian.  The pricing is pretty close between RCCL and NCL "Sail Away" pricing and then adding the free drinks package costs only $20-$40 more per person per day and with sooooo many sea days I would come out ahead while the regularly priced drink packages don't even come close to breaking even.  I had been pricing this spring until my DH told me that he couldn't take that much time off and we could be on a TA from Tampa to Barcelona on Rhapsody of the Seas for about $1600 for 14 days in May for BOTH of us in an outside cabin.  It was $2300 on the NCL Jade for 13 days in April with free drinks and specialty dining.  I'm sure that prices have changed a bit since I stopped tracking .  In any case, I'm looking at Spring 2019 now and I think that we'll go south to Italy instead of London.  We've never been to Spain or Italy so I'd probably be able to visit both on the same trip.
> 
> BTW, we went to China in 2007 and it was AMAZING.  We are not "tour" people so we did everything ourselves.  We visited Hong Kong (and Disneyland), Beijing, then off to Japan and Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Yokohama and Toyko Disneyland.  We saw a lot in China on our own but I do regret not having the time to see the terracotta warriors in Xi'an.
> 
> ETA: In the meantime, we're looking at a 5-7 day Carnival or RCCL cruise in April.  I'm a last minute planner when it comes to most of my cruising .  So, that's why I'm posting and reading on the thread.


Your China trips sounds amazing. There's only one other person in my family that wants to do this. I'm not a tour person but it sounds so much easier doing ABD. Cost wise I'm not sure, but it does include the flights around Asia and they put you up in some swanky hotels like the Ritz. 
I'm a last minute planner and a changer. I keep looking at the IGT rate on the TA in May and thinking maybe I should move my WDW trip to Sept.


----------



## cruiser21

The TA is cheaper in May then September and WDW is cheaper in Sept then April, but wow that's a lot of sea days. 6 in a row. I might lose my mind. The ports are pretty awesome though.


----------



## robinb

cruiser21 said:


> Your China trips sounds amazing. There's only one other person in my family that wants to do this. I'm not a tour person but it sounds so much easier doing ABD. Cost wise I'm not sure, but it does include the flights around Asia and they put you up in some swanky hotels like the Ritz.


I stayed, no kidding, at the Holiday Inn Haidain in Beijing and it was _wonderful_.  I think we paid less than $90 per night in USD.  We had an amazing concierge that arranged for private tours, including a private car to the Great Wall and back for less than $80 and a private dinner for our anniversary complete with authentic folk singers for less than $100.  It was off the beaten path and we did have to taxi or subway everywhere but that was OK.  We also stayed at the Conrad in Hong Kong on points.  Wowsa!  My DH is Hilton Diamond and we were upgraded to the executive floor.  It was probably the "swankiest" hotel I've ever been to.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Don't you pay really high taxes for that "free healthcare".
> Anything under 60 is too cold for me.
> We have a lot of Canadian snowbirds here too. Some buy homes. Some come in RVS. It probably depend s on which side of Canada  you live in wether you go to Florida or Arizona.



That question is not easy to answer as I am not an expert in taxes... But, here's what I understand:

Just like in the US, not everyone pays the same amount of taxes. If I am not mistaken U.S. tax brackets range from 10% to 35% for individuals? --Please correct me if I am wrong! --.  In Canada, the range goes from 15% to 33%. Each year, the government of each province decides how much of that tax money will go into health care. I see it as a collective effort.

When my mom had bone cancer her chemo at 90 000$ per week had absolutely no impact on her budget. Like, outside of the taxes taken from her paycheck (like everybody else), she paid 0$.

So, last year, I paid around 8000$ in taxes. Not sure how much of this 8000$ went for health care, tbh. But if the most part of my 8000$ helps paying to cure someone's cancer, or hearth surgery or baby delivery, I'm very proud to contribute.   (p.s.: I know my vision is not very popular as people don't like to pay taxes... but... I like to contribute to the wellness of others as much as I can...)


----------



## RedSox68

robinb said:


> BTW, we went to China in 2007 and it was AMAZING.  We are not "tour" people so we did everything ourselves.  We visited Hong Kong (and Disneyland), Beijing, then off to Japan and Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Yokohama and Toyko Disneyland.  We saw a lot in China on our own but I do regret not having the time to see the terracotta warriors in Xi'an..



Did you do this via a cruise, or all on your own?  We are thinking of a Princess cruise in 2020 wihch covers all the ports you mentioned, and then some extra days in Toyko.


----------



## robinb

RedSox68 said:


> Did you do this via a cruise, or all on your own?  We are thinking of a Princess cruise in 2020 wihch covers all the ports you mentioned, and then some extra days in Toyko.


Sorry to be confusing.  It was on our own but a cruise in Asia would be wonderful!


----------



## RedSox68

robinb said:


> Sorry to be confusing.  It was on our own but a cruise in Asia would be wonderful!



I was thinking it might work better for us with my husband's mobility issues, rather than try to get around 2-3 countries on our own.  If you have any tips though, I'll gladly take them


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> That question is not easy to answer as I am not an expert in taxes... But, here's what I understand:
> 
> Just like in the US, not everyone pays the same amount of taxes. If I am not mistaken U.S. tax brackets range from 10% to 35% for individuals? --Please correct me if I am wrong! --.  In Canada, the range goes from 15% to 33%. Each year, the government of each province decides how much of that tax money will go into health care. I see it as a collective effort.
> 
> When my mom had bone cancer her chemo at 90 000$ per week had absolutely no impact on her budget. Like, outside of the taxes taken from her paycheck (like everybody else), she paid 0$.
> 
> So, last year, I paid around 8000$ in taxes. Not sure how much of this 8000$ went for health care, tbh. But if the most part of my 8000$ helps paying to cure someone's cancer, or hearth surgery or baby delivery, I'm very proud to contribute.   (p.s.: I know my vision is not very popular as people don't like to pay taxes... but... I like to contribute to the wellness of others as much as I can...)



Interesting. The tax brackets are 0% to 35%, Someone that is in the 25% bracket may have enough right offs that they are only paying 5-10% fed income tax, but then we have SS tax and property taxes. Some people pay nothing. It's kind of a weird system. 

  We pay around 4k a year for health insurance for the 4 of us. Of course our employer pays the rest.  

Well anyway your tax rate doesn't sound so bad. I was curious because I overhead some Canadians complaining about it on our last cruise. They were from Toronto. I guess the cost of living and taxes are pretty high there.


----------



## Tikitoi

mevelandry said:


> Thank you.
> 
> I can't wait. But I have a Western and then Eastern Caribbean cruises to do before that. I'm looking forward to all of them.



Omg awesome!  Good for you.  Now I'm very jealous...


----------



## mevelandry

Tikitoi said:


> Omg awesome!  Good for you.  Now I'm very jealous...



We're all jealous of each other here (but not in a bad way)...


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Interesting. The tax brackets are 0% to 35%, Someone that is in the 25% bracket may have enough right offs that they are only paying 5-10% fed income tax, but then we have SS tax and property taxes. Some people pay nothing. It's kind of a weird system.
> 
> We pay around 4k a year for health insurance for the 4 of us. Of course our employer pays the rest.
> 
> Well anyway your tax rate doesn't sound so bad. I was curious because I overhead some Canadians complaining about it on our last cruise. They were from Toronto. I guess the cost of living and taxes are pretty high there.



Toronto and Vancouver rent and housing prices are insane. I don't know how they do it, honestly.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Toronto and Vancouver rent and housing prices are insane. I don't know how they do it, honestly.


I think that was pretty much the consensus of the group. I don't know how my family in California does it either, but I know they aren't traveling.


----------



## mevelandry

Trying to focus on positivity here... 

Would you share with me some of your favorite memories that happened during a Carnival cruise?

Here's mine...

First Carnival cruise on the Victory : I remember sitting in front of the huge windows, right behind the AFT pool. Eating strawberry frozen yogourt with my husband. The sun had just disappeared but we could still see the horizon very clearly. Feeling so happy, content and grateful that we took a chance on the cruise line because we were having such a good time. Like, time stopped. It was so perfect. 

Second Carnival cruise on the Vista: I remember how each time we were taking the elevator, people were talking to each other and joking. Fellow passengers were so friendly.

Oh and there was a proposal right before a comedy show. I teared up.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Looking out over the Mediterranean from this vantage point, it was amazing!
 
Sitting on the beach in Grand Turk, drinking Fruit Punch from a coconut


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler  - I've got those exact same pictures (except with my kids!).


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Seeing this huge cruise ship up close for the first time. Kind of scary but exciting also.





Meeting Matt Mitcham! He's so dreamy.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I have no idea how to make the pictures smaller.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> I have no idea how to make the pictures smaller.


Don’t make them smaller, I like when you don’t have to click on them to see them. But if you really do want to make them smaller, after you upload them it will ask if you want to post them as a thumbnail or full size.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I have no idea how to make the pictures smaller.



It's ok. It adds some colors to the thread. Love it.


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I was just reading a bit on some other dcl threads-- I did a couple of days ago too, after not going over there for a while, and boy is it nice to catch up again over here and read this thread!! People are so nice on this thread!  I started looking at some dcl main threads because we put a dcl cruise on hold, but reading over there turned me off of dcl again.  Lol.  So we are dropping the dcl hold and have booked an 8 night Eastern Caribbean on the Carnival Magic instead!  We were very tempted by the Horizon but the dates we wanted would have put us on the 6 night Western and we really wanted Eastern.  In 2 weeks we are on the Conquest, so I will report back on that.




I don’t understand how other people can turn you off a Disney cruise. I go because I love Disney and the service I get. I’ve never met a mean person on the actual cruise ship.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

skittlesfirehawk said:


> I don’t understand how other people can turn you off a Disney cruise. I go because I love Disney and the service I get. I’ve never met a mean person on the actual cruise ship.


There is a lot we love about dcl, but we have found some snobbery on dcl and it was really nice to get away from it when we tried other cruise lines.   We do not find that attitude at WDW or DL.  That is just our perspective.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Teatime on the Vista!!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

One of my favourite memories:







And this was a nice touch. The toilet wasn't working for a couple of hours and so they sent some goodies - never had that on any other line (including DCL where we were without water for almost a full day).


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> View attachment 305293 View attachment 305293 Teatime on the Vista!!



YESSSS. I'm obsessed with afternoon teas in general. I love that they offer Tea Time on their cruises and I plan to attend in April with my MIL.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> YESSSS. I'm obsessed with afternoon teas in general. I love that they offer Tea Time on their cruises and I plan to attend in April with my MIL.



If you are a tea snob like me bring your own. They only provide Lipton complimentary.  Other selections cost $1.25 per tea bag I believe.  I only drink Twinings so always pack a few English Breakfast and Earl Grey's in my bag.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

OK, found another of my favorite pictures. I made them recreate Titanic.  Couldn't get them to touch each other with a ten foot pole now.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> If you are a tea snob like me bring your own. They only provide Lipton complimentary.  Other selections cost $1.25 per tea bag I believe.  I only drink Twinings so always pack a few English Breakfast and Earl Grey's in my bag.



When I go, I pay for the tea that has a fee (good selection!). I usually drink Davidstea, Kushmi & even Mariage Frères when it's available (some tea rooms in Montreal import them from France) when I am at home. I'm a tea snob too!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> OK, found another of my favorite pictures. I made them recreate Titanic.  Couldn't get them to touch each other with a ten foot pole now.



OMG, that's adorable!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> OK, found another of my favorite pictures. I made them recreate Titanic.  Couldn't get them to touch each other with a ten foot pole now.


So cute!!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Havana Bar on Elegant Night

 

Serenity Deck


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I was just looking through a bunch of our pictures from our Vista cruises and was reminiscing about the 22 amazing nights we’ve spent on her and some of the great people we’ve met. As I was thinking and looking, it made me realize how diverse all the Carnival guests are, we really have met people from all walks of life, from every corner of the earth and at every stage in their life. The average guest just wants to let loose and have some fun for a few days. There really is a reason they call them the FUN ships. 

I also think one of the major differences between DCL and CCL is on DCL, the staff does an amazing job of entertaining us the whole time. Whereas on CCL, they provide us with a setting to entertain ourselves and gives a lot more opportunities to let loose. It seems there is always some type of party going on, whether it be an 80’s or other decade party on deck, or a party in the atrium with Mardi Gras beads after one of the nightly shows. We just have so much fun and laugh all the time on CCL. On DCL, we still have fun but it’s a scripted fun, not an impromptu fun.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I was just looking through a bunch of our pictures from our Vista cruises and was reminiscing about the 22 amazing nights we’ve spent on her and some of the great people we’ve met. As I was thinking and looking, it made me realize how diverse all the Carnival guests are, we really have met people from all walks of life, from every corner of the earth and at every stage in their life. The average guest just wants to let loose and have some fun for a few days. There really is a reason they call them the FUN ships.
> 
> I also think one of the major differences between DCL and CCL is on DCL, the staff does an amazing job of entertaining us the whole time. Whereas on CCL, they provide us with a setting to entertain ourselves and gives a lot more opportunities to let loose. It seems there is always some type of party going on, whether it be an 80’s or other decade party on deck, or a party in the atrium with Mardi Gras beads after one of the nightly shows. We just have so much fun and laugh all the time on CCL. On DCL, we still have fun but it’s a scripted fun, not an impromptu fun.



I'll second what you said about diversity. My DH and I joke a lot about the lack of diversity of DCL guests. Feeling much more comfortable with the Carnival crowd. I feel more "at home" too. 

I also agree with what you said regarding the entertainment. And I would add that parts of the biggest difference for me is that With the exception of alcohol tasting, all entertainment on DCL is Disney themed while there is more variety on Carnival. This is what appeals to us the most.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Havana Bar on Elegant Night
> 
> 
> 
> Serenity Deck



What a good looking family!

And boy, do I miss that Serenity deck!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Havana Bar on Elegant Night
> 
> View attachment 305388
> 
> Serenity Deck
> 
> View attachment 305389


Awesome!


----------



## RedSox68

skittlesfirehawk said:


> I don’t understand how other people can turn you off a Disney cruise. I go because I love Disney and the service I get. I’ve never met a mean person on the actual cruise ship.



Then you have been very fortunate.


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

RedSox68 said:


> Then you have been very fortunate.


I Doubt that. It’s families looking to have fun and Parents looking to get drunk.


----------



## RedSox68

skittlesfirehawk said:


> I Doubt that. It’s families looking to have fun and Parents looking to get drunk.



In 10 Disney cruises, we have met some not very nice people, both children and adults, and one or two not very nice crew members!  It happens on any ship with that many people, but Disney is not above it's passenger problems    We've even seen disruptions in the terminal pre-cruise by rowdy "privileged" passengers who are making a scene over simple things.  Funny thing is, we've seen far more drunks on Disney than we have on Carnival, NCL, Princess or HAL!


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

My only reservation besides not getting the quality and same level of service Disney provides is every time the cruise industry is in the news it’s almost always something horrible has happened like the whole ship getting noro and it’s carnival


----------



## RedSox68

skittlesfirehawk said:


> My only reservation besides not getting the quality and same level of service Disney provides is every time the cruise industry is in the news it’s almost always something horrible has happened like the whole ship getting noro and it’s carnival



Disney Wonder had an outbreak of Norovirus in 2016 -- they just cover it up better   If you check out this site, Carnival is listed very little compared to other lines like HAL and Princess.  https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/GIlist.htm


----------



## DynamicDisneyDuo

skittlesfirehawk said:


> My only reservation besides not getting the quality and same level of service Disney provides is every time the cruise industry is in the news it’s almost always something horrible has happened like the whole ship getting noro and it’s carnival



This is caused by several things.  One, Carnival operates one of the largest (if not the largest) fleets of cruise ships so they are statistically more likely to encounter issues.  Two, Carnival generally has a bad reputation so the news is going to go looking for things like that.  Third, in the era of social media anyone can complain to a worldwide audience about their issue even if it was in the larger view a minor thing.


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

So my jaw just dropped I can get almost same dates I have on dcl for 1k less in a “grand master suite” on the carnival liberty. So where’s do they get “get you” so to speak?


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Then you have been very fortunate.



Right? We even had a moody server on our first cruise!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

skittlesfirehawk said:


> So my jaw just dropped I can get almost same dates I have on dcl for 1k less in a “grand master suite” on the carnival liberty. So where’s do they get “get you” so to speak?


They really don’t. On our Mediterranean cruise on the Vista, we had a final bill of $160.00, that was for a couple souvenirs, some bingo and a couple non-alcoholic drinks. We also pre-paid gratuity, so that wasn’t added on. Also, with Carnival, you pay for your excursions when you book them online ahead of time, so that isn’t added on at the end. If you do need to cancel them, you get it all back as long as you cancel with proper notice. 

The single biggest thing you have to do with a Carnival cruise is pick a good ship and go into it with an open mind. You cannot go in thinking it’s going to be the same experience as DCL. You don’t have to lower your expectations, just know it’s going to be a different experience, but a good one at the same time.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Right? We even had a moody server on our first cruise!



Yeah -- we had one server who was so obsessed that this was his last cruise before his leave, that he spent most of the dinner hours missing -- many nights we left without dessert and other nights he was too busy running around telling other servers and guests how he was leaving and couldn't wait that our dinner orders were waylayed!


----------



## RedSox68

Club Disney Chandler said:


> They really don’t. On our Mediterranean cruise on the Vista, we had a final bill of $160.00, that was for a couple souvenirs, some bingo and a couple non-alcoholic drinks. We also pre-paid gratuity, so that wasn’t added on. Also, with Carnival, you pay for your excursions when you book them online ahead of time, so that isn’t added on at the end. If you do need to cancel them, you get it all back as long as you cancel with proper notice.
> 
> The single biggest thing you have to do with a Carnival cruise is pick a good ship and go into it with an open mind. You cannot go in thinking it’s going to be the same experience as DCL. You don’t have to lower your expectations, just know it’s going to be a different experience, but a good one at the same time.



And if you get the Carnival Visa, you can earn some good onboard credit!


----------



## mevelandry

skittlesfirehawk said:


> My only reservation besides not getting the quality and same level of service Disney provides is every time the cruise industry is in the news it’s almost always something horrible has happened like the whole ship getting noro and it’s carnival



Don't believe that: it's 100% fake news.

If you want to know the real informations regarding noro outbreaks, you will find it here:

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/gilist.htm

EDIT: I just noticed the link has been posted before. But, you can never share the right informations enough these days!


----------



## mevelandry

skittlesfirehawk said:


> So my jaw just dropped I can get almost same dates I have on dcl for 1k less in a “grand master suite” on the carnival liberty. So where’s do they get “get you” so to speak?



Some options have fees, like soda pop packages instead of free soda.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> The single biggest thing you have to do with a Carnival cruise is pick a good ship and go into it with an open mind. You cannot go in thinking it’s going to be the same experience as DCL. You don’t have to lower your expectations, just know it’s going to be a different experience, but a good one at the same time.



I second that. They work differently but when you know what to expect and the main differences, you can appreciate the product even though it's different from what you know (from DCL).


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

skittlesfirehawk said:


> So my jaw just dropped I can get almost same dates I have on dcl for 1k less in a “grand master suite” on the carnival liberty. So where’s do they get “get you” so to speak?



If you are asking why is it so inexpensive... I would argue that DCL is the outlier, DCL is the expensive line.  All other lines in the same class are less expensive than Disney.  If you love Disney, you will miss it if you take another line, but probably not enough to justify the price.  But your kids will probably not miss Disney. Lol.


----------



## RedSox68

we"reofftoneverland said:


> If you are asking why is it so inexpensive... I would argue that DCL is the outlier, DCL is the expensive line.  All other lines in the same class are less expensive than Disney.  If you love Disney, you will miss it if you take another line, but probably not enough to justify the price.  But your kids will probably not miss it. Lol.



We have been able to get 2-3 cruises on other lines for the price we would have paid for one Disney cruise.  Once we took the leap and got our footing, we never looked back.  I have yet to be able to afford another Disney cruise. Our last one was in 2014, but had been booked 12 months out.  We look (with hope) every year that an itinerary we are interested in will open up at a price we can afford (and justify), but it isn't happening and I don't see that changing any time soon


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

we"reofftoneverland said:


> If you are asking why is it so inexpensive... I would argue that DCL is the outlier, DCL is the expensive line.  All other lines in the same class are less expensive than Disney.  If you love Disney, you will miss it if you take another line, but probably not enough to justify the price.  But your kids will probably not miss Disney. Lol.


Have no kids but am a Disney addict.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

skittlesfirehawk said:


> Have no kids but am a Disney addict.



So you will miss it.  And since you do not have kids, the price difference may not be as huge.  Our first cruise with Carnival was about $6000 for an 8 night southern caribbean (aruba, etc) where we had a balcony and a window cabin.  Same week with Disney with 2 inside cabins on an Eastern Caribbean 7 night was about $13000.  We figured Carnival was worth a try!  Everyone loved it!  But I get the Disney touches.  I am a Disney nut and love all things Disney.  We go to the parks at least once a year, so I get my fix there.  It also helps if you can travel off season with DCL.


----------



## cruiser21

we"reofftoneverland said:


> There is a lot we love about dcl, but we have found some snobbery on dcl and it was really nice to get away from it when we tried other cruise lines.   We do not find that attitude at WDW or DL.  That is just our perspective.


What do you mean by snobbery?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

cruiser21 said:


> What do you mean by snobbery?


If you do not see it, I am hesitant to go on about it and ruin dcl for you!


----------



## cruiser21

skittlesfirehawk said:


> My only reservation besides not getting the quality and same level of service Disney provides is every time the cruise industry is in the news it’s almost always something horrible has happened like the whole ship getting noro and it’s carnival


 Why would they report on a normal sailing? That would not be news worthy.


----------



## cruiser21

we"reofftoneverland said:


> If you do not see it, I am hesitant to go on about it and ruin dcl for you!


I didn't say I didn't see it. I was just curious how you defined it. I like to get other peoples take on things. My opinion about something would never be ruined by someone elses opinion.


----------



## mevelandry

skittlesfirehawk said:


> Have no kids but am a Disney addict.



Oh well, you have a lot of reasons to be optimistic, then. Excluding all Disney, the "cruising part" needs can easily be met in other and/or cheaper cruise lines. Also, one thing I appreciate of cheaper cruise lines is that they will offer options to upgrade pretty much everything (food, drinks, rooms, etc.) and it's still going to be less expensive than DCL.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> So you will miss it.  And since you do not have kids, the price difference may not be as huge.  Our first cruise with Carnival was about $6000 for an 8 night southern caribbean (aruba, etc) where we had a balcony and a window cabin.  Same week with Disney with 2 inside cabins on an Eastern Caribbean 7 night was about $13000.  We figured Carnival was worth a try!  Everyone loved it!  But I get the Disney touches.  I am a Disney nut and love all things Disney.  We go to the parks at least once a year, so I get my fix there.  It also helps if you can travel off season with DCL.



We don't have kids but we find the price difference very interesting. If I am not mistaken our Western Caribbean Cruise on the Vista was at least 1000$ less than DCL.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I'll second what you said about diversity. My DH and I joke a lot about the lack of diversity of DCL guests. Feeling much more comfortable with the Carnival crowd. I feel more "at home" too.
> 
> I also agree with what you said regarding the entertainment. And I would add that parts of the biggest difference for me is that With the exception of alcohol tasting, all entertainment on DCL is Disney themed while there is more variety on Carnival. This is what appeals to us the most.


I haven't noticed the lack of diversity on DCL. I guess I don't pay attention.

 I've noticed a difference in the vibe on the ship depending on where you sail out of. If you like friendly people with southern accents sail out of Galveston. My Galveson cruises have been the funnest.  Florida lots of kids. Europe is an aloof crowd.  NYC a mixture of everything. All my perceptions based on zero fact.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I haven't noticed the lack of diversity on DCL. I guess I don't pay attention.
> 
> I've noticed a difference in the vibe on the ship depending on where you sail out of. If you like friendly people with southern accents sail out of Galveston. My Galveson cruises have been the funnest.  Florida lots of kids. Europe is an aloof crowd.  NYC a mixture of everything. All my perceptions based on zero fact.



We do not pay a particular attention to that in general... but happened to notice.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

cruiser21 said:


> I didn't say I didn't see it. I was just curious how you defined it. I like to get other peoples take on things. My opinion about something would never be ruined by someone elses opinion.



Good point.  And it is hard to define, that's probably why I bailed!  So now I will give it a go... at the risk of offending, and this is just my perspective.... but for me the biggest area is with the kids.  And I think my kids picked up on this on their own when they tried Carnival especially. I have never said anything negative to them about dcl.  The kids on Carnival are a lot nicer.  The kids on DCL (just my opinion) tend to be more self-centered.  There was an interaction with a server in the dining room where one of our kids was whining about something and the server was going to run and fix it and I stopped her.  I said something like, no, please don't give him what he wants (I don't remember what it was but it was something ridiculous). And the server said you are the first parent on dcl I have encountered to say that.  She said dcl parents treat their kids like little princes and princesses.  Well, that is not us.  We are old school.  Lol.
I think other things are clicky on dcl, again just my perspective, the fish extender thing for example, and all the FB stuff before the cruise.  It sometimes becomes really obvious to me who is inthe FB group and who isn't.  They stick together and get their kids to play together.  Well, we are not FB people either.  I do not get that on other lines at all.  These are not things that make or break my cruise.  Not at all.  For me it is price.  But it does feel very high school over there on dcl and much more grown up out beyond dcl.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> We don't have kids but we find the price difference very interesting. If I am not mistaken our Western Caribbean Cruise on the Vista was at least 1000$ less than DCL.


That is a lot.


----------



## cruiser21

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Good point.  And it is hard to define, that's probably why I bailed!  So now I will give it a go... at the risk of offending, and this is just my perspective.... but for me the biggest area is with the kids.  And I think my kids picked up on this on their own when they tried Carnival especially. I have never said anything negative to them about dcl.  The kids on Carnival are a lot nicer.  The kids on DCL (just my opinion) tend to be more self-centered.  There was an interaction with a server in the dining room where one of our kids was whining about something and the server was going to run and fix it and I stopped her.  I said something like, no, please don't give him what he wants (I don't remember what it was but it was something ridiculous). And the server said you are the first parent on dcl I have encountered to say that.  She said dcl parents treat their kids like little princes and princesses.  Well, that is not us.  We are old school.  Lol.
> I think other things are clicky on dcl, again just my perspective, the fish extender thing for example, and all the FB stuff before the cruise.  It sometimes becomes really obvious to me who is inthe FB group and who isn't.   I do not get that on other lines at all.  These are not things that make or break my cruise.  Not at all.  For me it is price.  But it does feel very high school over there on dcl and much more grown up out beyond dcl.


I don't get into the FB or fish extender stuff. I'm not on Facebook. I'm a private person when it comes to social media. There's something about having my picture all over the internet that kind of freaks me out. Maybe I'm just too old for that stuff, but my kids tell me Facebook is for old people. LoL. I don't know about the kids. My kids have never complained about it. They have a lot of funny stories, and some interesting takes on the counselors. I try to stay out of the teen drama. We're kind of family that jokes around a lot, were sarcastic, we make fun of one another, and were not particularly PC. I don't think anything really bothers them.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

cruiser21 said:


> I don't get into the FB or fish extender stuff. I'm not on Facebook. I'm a private person when it comes to social media. There's something about having my picture all over the internet that kind of freaks me out. Maybe I'm just too old for that stuff, but my kids tell me Facebook is for old people. LoL. I don't know about the kids. My kids have never complained about it. They have a lot of funny stories, and some interesting takes on the counselors. I try to stay out of the teen drama. We're kind of family that jokes around a lot, were sarcastic, we make fun of one another, and were not particularly PC. I don't think anything really bothers them.


You sound like us.  It isn't that we have not met anyone nice on dcl.  We have, definitely.


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Good point.  And it is hard to define, that's probably why I bailed!  So now I will give it a go... at the risk of offending, and this is just my perspective.... but for me the biggest area is with the kids.  And I think my kids picked up on this on their own when they tried Carnival especially. I have never said anything negative to them about dcl.  The kids on Carnival are a lot nicer.  The kids on DCL (just my opinion) tend to be more self-centered.  There was an interaction with a server in the dining room where one of our kids was whining about something and the server was going to run and fix it and I stopped her.  I said something like, no, please don't give him what he wants (I don't remember what it was but it was something ridiculous). And the server said you are the first parent on dcl I have encountered to say that.  She said dcl parents treat their kids like little princes and princesses.  Well, that is not us.  We are old school.  Lol.
> I think other things are clicky on dcl, again just my perspective, the fish extender thing for example, and all the FB stuff before the cruise.  It sometimes becomes really obvious to me who is inthe FB group and who isn't.  They stick together and get their kids to play together.  Well, we are not FB people either.  I do not get that on other lines at all.  These are not things that make or break my cruise.  Not at all.  For me it is price.  But it does feel very high school over there on dcl and much more grown up out beyond dcl.


As someone with no kids that has zero affect on me or my cruise. If you have observed anything else not kid related you think is “snobbery” I would honestly be interested to hear it. In 4 cruises I have yet to meet anyone nasty. There was one lady part of a couple who seemed to have her nose in the air but it was fine because after first night we never saw them and I just talked to others at the table. I loved my cruise group. We all hung out together at the sail away party and did a group mixology which was fun. I ended up hanging out with the leader of ours on castaway cay. A few saw me at check in on the terminal and said happy birthday to me.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

skittlesfirehawk said:


> As someone with no kids that has zero affect on me or my cruise. If you have observed anything else not kid related you think is “snobbery” I would honestly be interested to hear it. In 4 cruises I have yet to meet anyone nasty. There was one lady part of a couple who seemed to have her nose in the air but it was fine because after first night we never saw them and I just talked to others at the table. I loved my cruise group. We all hung out together at the sail away party and did a group mixology which was fun. I ended up hanging out with the leader of ours on castaway cay. A few saw me at check in on the terminal and said happy birthday to me.



When you say your group, do you mean fb group?  There are people who like fb- which is great.  And people who do not like fb- which is also great.  I am a big supporter of free association, so I have no issue with people forming groups before the cruise.  No big deal.  It just isn't us.  I prefer more open groups.


----------



## hdrolfe

I am really looking forward to my Carnival Magic western cruise in April (along with two nights at Disney!). I have two more I want to book, Horizon 6-night Western in early 2019 and Magic 8-night Southern in early 2020 after it moves to FLL. However I also wanted to get another full week at Disney before kiddo turns 10 at the end of 2019, preferably after Star Wars land opens (though perhaps that is crazy). I need to make more money... or win the lottery! If either Horizon or Magic were out of Port Canaveral we could get a fix by adding on a few days, but with them being Miami and Fort Lauderdale, I'm not sure it's feasible. What to do!

We want to do the Horizon because it goes to Ocho Rios (I know, not everyone is fond of Jamaica, I went there with my parents so many years ago and didn't climb Dunn's, now I regret that and have to go!). We could do a 5-night on Sensation instead, for less money of course, but that brand new ship just seems to appealing! And the 8-night on Magic goes to Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Aruba and Curacao. Sounds so amazing!

I had wanted to do a Star Wars cruise for kiddo, but I can do both the other ones for the same price as that one... I just don't know what to do. I want to take all the trips!


----------



## mevelandry

skittlesfirehawk said:


> As someone with no kids that has zero affect on me or my cruise. If you have observed anything else not kid related you think is “snobbery” I would honestly be interested to hear it. (...)



For me, it's in the small things... Like people trying to avoid looking at each other in the elevators... The guy who snapped at me, saying "_why don't you get in line_?" to me because I went to an empty station to pick up something I had forgotten very rapidly while he was apparently waiting for the messiah at the previous station (of course, I had previously checked to make sure that he wasn't waiting for "my" station before I went!)... Or hearing complaints to the staff starting with "I paid X thousands dollars for this cruise, I should have this/access to this!", etc.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I am really looking forward to my Carnival Magic western cruise in April (along with two nights at Disney!). I have two more I want to book, Horizon 6-night Western in early 2019 and Magic 8-night Southern in early 2020 after it moves to FLL. However I also wanted to get another full week at Disney before kiddo turns 10 at the end of 2019, preferably after Star Wars land opens (though perhaps that is crazy). I need to make more money... or win the lottery! If either Horizon or Magic were out of Port Canaveral we could get a fix by adding on a few days, but with them being Miami and Fort Lauderdale, I'm not sure it's feasible. What to do!
> 
> We want to do the Horizon because it goes to Ocho Rios (I know, not everyone is fond of Jamaica, I went there with my parents so many years ago and didn't climb Dunn's, now I regret that and have to go!). We could do a 5-night on Sensation instead, for less money of course, but that brand new ship just seems to appealing! And the 8-night on Magic goes to Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Aruba and Curacao. Sounds so amazing!
> 
> I had wanted to do a Star Wars cruise for kiddo, but I can do both the other ones for the same price as that one... I just don't know what to do. I want to take all the trips!



Ocho Rios can be creepy if you go "by yourself" (seriously... don't do that! Those vendors are something!) but if you stick to an excursion, you'll be fine.   Ocho Rios backgrounds are absolutely breathtaking.


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

we"reofftoneverland said:


> When you say your group, do you mean fb group?  There are people who like fb- which is great.  And people who do not like fb- which is also great.  I am a big supporter of free association, so I have no issue with people forming groups before the cruise.  No big deal.  It just isn't us.  I prefer more open groups.


Well it started  here and went to fb


----------



## cruiser21

we"reofftoneverland said:


> You sound like us.  It isn't that we have not met anyone nice on dcl.  We have, definitely.


One thing I bet you see a lot more of on DCL is stressed out, miserable parents. I chose not to work during the baby/ toddler stage. We couldn't afford to travel and now I'm glad we couldn't.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

skittlesfirehawk said:


> As someone with no kids that has zero affect on me or my cruise. If you have observed anything else not kid related you think is “snobbery” I would honestly be interested to hear it. In 4 cruises I have yet to meet anyone nasty. There was one lady part of a couple who seemed to have her nose in the air but it was fine because after first night we never saw them and I just talked to others at the table. I loved my cruise group. We all hung out together at the sail away party and did a group mixology which was fun. I ended up hanging out with the leader of ours on castaway cay. A few saw me at check in on the terminal and said happy birthday to me.



DCL is one of the few lines where we don't tend to mention any more that we cruise on other lines as well. It's been met with a lot of attitude and "Aren't you glad that you can _finally_ afford a DCL cruise." Which is funny since DCL was our first cruise line; but no longer our favoured line.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

skittlesfirehawk said:


> Well it started  here and went to fb


Right, and this is an open forum.  Like cruise critic, open forum.


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Good point.
> I think other things are clicky on dcl, again just my perspective, the fish extender thing for example, and all the FB stuff before the cruise.  It sometimes becomes really obvious to me who is inthe FB group and who isn't.  They stick together and get their kids to play together.  Well, we are not FB people either.  I do not get that on other lines at all.  These are not things that make or break my cruise.  Not at all.  For me it is price.  But it does feel very high school over there on dcl and much more grown up out beyond dcl.



I don’t understand this. You could join the Facebook groups and be apart of the “clique” but chose not to. I also don’t get how it’s any different than a family that’s crushing together.


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

PrincessTrisha said:


> DCL is one of the few lines where we don't tend to mention any more that we cruise on other lines as well. It's been met with a lot of attitude and "Aren't you glad that you can _finally_ afford a DCL cruise." Which is funny since DCL was our first cruise line; but no longer our favoured line.


When at ports I see the envy in their eyes when they are like oh your on the Disney ship. Our ship just always looks better in my opinion and we get greeted with water and stuff while the other cruise lines don’t get that. I just count that kind of stuff as the “Disney difference”


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

skittlesfirehawk said:


> When at ports I see the envy in their eyes when they are like oh your on the Disney ship. Our ship just always looks better in my opinion and we get greeted with water and stuff while the other cruise lines don’t get that. I just count that kind of stuff as the “Disney difference”



That makes me remember another example... on one of our dcl cruises the cd was making fun of other lines every time we pulled into a port.  It just felt unnecesaary and mean.... and snotty.  It made me wonder what dcl is so insecure about.  Like I tell my kids, generally when other kids make fun of you, it is because they are jealous of something.  Lol.


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

we"reofftoneverland said:


> That makes me remember another example... on one of our dcl cruises the cd was making fun of other lines every time we pulled into a port.  It just felt unnecesaary and mean.... and snotty.  It made me wonder what dcl is so insecure about.  Like I tell my kids, generally when other kids make fun of you, it is because they are jealous of something.  Lol.


I think Disney in general has an air of we are better. I’m okay with that because I believe it.. that’s kinda rude of the cruise director. I mean I’m sure I would giggle though.


----------



## cruiser21

PrincessTrisha said:


> DCL is one of the few lines where we don't tend to mention any more that we cruise on other lines as well. It's been met with a lot of attitude and "Aren't you glad that you can _finally_ afford a DCL cruise." Which is funny since DCL was our first cruise line; but no longer our favoured line.


Whenever the counselors ask my son what his favorite ships is he say's "The Breeze" he actually prefers DCL, but he thinks it funny to see the shocked look on their faces. Ok he's a little smart $%$#@. I have no idea where he get's it from. 

People see my platinum lanyard and they'll ask me how many cruises I've been on. Sometimes I mention that I've cruised on Carnival and NCL and were very happy with their product. I've gotten shocked reactions, but I've also gotten looks of relief. Like I've given them an out....they don't have to spend all this money.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

skittlesfirehawk said:


> I don’t understand this. You could join the Facebook groups and be apart of the “clique” but chose not to. I also don’t get how it’s any different than a family that’s crushing together.



Because not all fb groups are open groups.   I find the venue itself exclusionary... but this is just my opinion on it.  I have very good friends who love fb.  It is just a personal preference.  As I mentioned it doesn't make or break my cruise experience.  I have moved away from dcl primarily for price, but... it is one thing I do not like about dcl.  If you like it, then it would go in the plus column for you.


----------



## cruiser21

skittlesfirehawk said:


> When at ports I see the envy in their eyes when they are like oh your on the Disney ship. Our ship just always looks better in my opinion and we get greeted with water and stuff while the other cruise lines don’t get that. I just count that kind of stuff as the “Disney difference”


I've never gotten that reaction from cruisers on other ships or seen "envy in their eyes". Especially when you're docked next to ships like the Oasis, or Celebrity Eclipse and you're on the Magic. Honestly there's some pretty nice ships out there. I hope the Wonder doesn't have to dock next the NCL Bliss in Alaska. Those go carts on top of the Bliss are going to make the Wonder look pretty old and shabby. I think the kids on the Wonder would be jealous. I know my son would.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> DCL is one of the few lines where we don't tend to mention any more that we cruise on other lines as well. It's been met with a lot of attitude and "Aren't you glad that you can _finally_ afford a DCL cruise." Which is funny since DCL was our first cruise line; but no longer our favoured line.



What?!?!?! Someone told you that?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cruiser21 said:


> I've never gotten that reaction from cruisers on other ships or seen "envy in their eyes". Especially when you're docked next to ships like the Oasis, or Celebrity Eclipse and you're on the Magic. Honestly there's some pretty nice ships out there. I hope the Wonder doesn't have to dock next the NCL Bliss in Alaska. Those go carts on top of the Bliss are going to make the Wonder look pretty old and shabby. I think the kids on the Wonder would be jealous. I know my son would.


I’ll be one of those people with the jealous look in his eyes!!!  I wanted to go in the Bliss so bad this June but since my son is graduating high school we told him he could pick out whatever cruise he wants, on whatever line, and the Wonder won. I really love the look looks, (except the painted hulls, I hate those), of the NCL ships but we just haven’t but the bullet and tried them yet.


----------



## mevelandry

skittlesfirehawk said:


> When at ports I see the envy in their eyes when they are like oh your on the Disney ship. Our ship just always looks better in my opinion and we get greeted with water and stuff while the other cruise lines don’t get that. I just count that kind of stuff as the “Disney difference”



Yeah, I totally understand. I had the same thoughts the first time I sailed on the DCL Dream: DCL sure has good looks... but the truth is you when you look at other ships that are docked, you only see their exterior and you don't get to experiment their activities or as I like to say, "their soul".

While we were on our 2nd DCL cruise, I was looking at Carnival and RCCL ships and I told my husband:  "_Maybe it's not THAT bad. We could  give it a try. If it ends up being a mistake then at least it won't be an expensive mistake"_.

My third cruise --which lead to the creation of this thread-- was finally on Carnival Victory. Of course, we met the Victory with a mix of fear and excitement. At this point, I had done so much research on Carnival that I was definitely expecting something different and my mind/heart werte wide open. Once we were docked in Nassau, we had had so much fun already that I weren't even jealous of DCL's guests. We just waved at them when they left. LOL

Our third cruise was with Disney (Disney Wonder, not long after the dry dock) and we ended up missing Carnival a lot. I felt like we were only repeating cruise #1 and #2. :/

Our last cruise was on the Carnival Vista, which I ended liking more than the Dream (the Dream was still my #1 up until that day). Now my husband doesn't want to sail with DCL ever again.

We have three cruises coming in 2018 and 2019. We'll be trying NCL for the first time in March 2019. I'm very excited. Trying Carnival after DCL has definitely opened my mind to different experiences! 

p.s.: I'm actually jealous of the NCL ships because of their designs. They look SO GOOD.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> That makes me remember another example... on one of our dcl cruises the cd was making fun of other lines every time we pulled into a port.  It just felt unnecesaary and mean.... and snotty.  It made me wonder what dcl is so insecure about.  Like I tell my kids, generally when other kids make fun of you, it is because they are jealous of something.  Lol.



I would have had a chat with that CD if it was mine... LOL But you know. Competition. When your product is much more expensive, you have to find a way to sell it.


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

cruiser21 said:


> I've never gotten that reaction from cruisers on other ships or seen "envy in their eyes". Especially when you're docked next to ships like the Oasis, or Celebrity Eclipse and you're on the Magic. Honestly there's some pretty nice ships out there. I hope the Wonder doesn't have to dock next the NCL Bliss in Alaska. Those go carts on top of the Bliss are going to make the Wonder look pretty old and shabby. I think the kids on the Wonder would be jealous. I know my son would.


The last few times when we have talked to other cruisers and said how much we love dcl food and Palo they seemed upset at having to pay more for good food on the other ships where as with dcl it’s included. I’ve seen what looked like them repainting or washing the front of our ship while docked before.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I've never gotten that reaction from cruisers on other ships or seen "envy in their eyes". Especially when you're docked next to ships like the Oasis, or Celebrity Eclipse and you're on the Magic. Honestly there's some pretty nice ships out there. I hope the Wonder doesn't have to dock next the NCL Bliss in Alaska. Those go carts on top of the Bliss are going to make the Wonder look pretty old and shabby. I think the kids on the Wonder would be jealous. I know my son would.





Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’ll be one of those people with the jealous look in his eyes!!!  I wanted to go in the Bliss so bad this June but since my son is graduating high school we told him he could pick out whatever cruise he wants, on whatever line, and the Wonder won. I really love the look looks, (except the painted hulls, I hate those), of the NCL ships but we just haven’t but the bullet and tried them yet.



OMG! The Bliss is one of NCL's beauties I'm talking about!


----------



## mevelandry

skittlesfirehawk said:


> The last few times when we have talked to other cruisers and said how much we love dcl food and Palo they seemed upset at having to pay more for good food on the other ships where as with dcl it’s included. I’ve seen what looked like them repainting or washing the front of our ship while docked before.



You like the food in the MDR? What did you get? Outside of the Chateaubriand steak and the Champagne pursettes, I'm not a fan. If I had to sail with DCL again, I would stick to Palo and Remy every night.


----------



## iamporch

I wasn't sure where else to ask this so hoping I can get some feedback here.  My parents are taking the whole family on a cruise.  Destination isn't priority.  We are looking at summer 2019. Once prices are out we will look at Disney but we are also looking at other lines.  We will need 6-7 rooms.  23 of us total.  Kids ages go from age 4 to 18. Pretty much one of every age in between!  Obviously if we choose Disney it will be a shorter cruise due to price. We all love Disney.  My family and parents are the only ones who have every cruised before.  I have only done Disney. May parents have done others years ago. Anyway what ships from Carnival or RCCL would you suggest?  Looking more for pools/activities outside of kids clubs/shows/food.  

Is there much of a difference between the Breeze, Vista and Magic for Carnival or are those similar?  What about the Carnival Dream?  That would be our 5 night option for Carnival but is the ship as nice as the newer ones?

For RCCL I imagine anything from the oasis class?

Between Carnival and RCCL which would you go with with kids of all ages?

Thanks for anyone who read!


----------



## cruiser21

we"reofftoneverland said:


> When you say your group, do you mean fb group?  There are people who like fb- which is great.  And people who do not like fb- which is also great.  I am a big supporter of free association, so I have no issue with people forming groups before the cruise.  No big deal.  It just isn't us.  I prefer more open groups.


The cruise meet threads on here are pretty dead. I would love to discuss  ports, excursions,hotels etc .It would be helpful to share information especially on the less common itinerarys such as Europe. Like you I don't want to join a private group. It's just not my thing.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

hdrolfe said:


> I am really looking forward to my Carnival Magic western cruise in April (along with two nights at Disney!). I have two more I want to book, Horizon 6-night Western in early 2019 and Magic 8-night Southern in early 2020 after it moves to FLL. However I also wanted to get another full week at Disney before kiddo turns 10 at the end of 2019, preferably after Star Wars land opens (though perhaps that is crazy). I need to make more money... or win the lottery! If either Horizon or Magic were out of Port Canaveral we could get a fix by adding on a few days, but with them being Miami and Fort Lauderdale, I'm not sure it's feasible. What to do!
> 
> We want to do the Horizon because it goes to Ocho Rios (I know, not everyone is fond of Jamaica, I went there with my parents so many years ago and didn't climb Dunn's, now I regret that and have to go!). We could do a 5-night on Sensation instead, for less money of course, but that brand new ship just seems to appealing! And the 8-night on Magic goes to Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Aruba and Curacao. Sounds so amazing!
> 
> I had wanted to do a Star Wars cruise for kiddo, but I can do both the other ones for the same price as that one... I just don't know what to do. I want to take all the trips!



You can do WDW with a cruise from FLL or MIA.  We are doing it this year.  Fly into your cruise departure city, cruise, rent a car one way to drive to WDW, do Disney, fly home from MCO.  Easy peasy.  We got a one day rental for $60 from Alamo (I think) with a pick up at MIA and drop off at the Disney Car Care Center right on property.  Once we drop the car off they will shuttle us back to our resort.  You could do this in reverse too (WDW first, cruise second).


----------



## trvlgirlmq

skittlesfirehawk said:


> The last few times when we have talked to other cruisers and said how much we love dcl food and Palo they seemed upset at having to pay more for good food on the other ships where as with dcl it’s included. I’ve seen what looked like them repainting or washing the front of our ship while docked before.



Never paid for up charge restaurants on Carnival and have had some very nice meals in the MDR.  Go ahead and keep cheerleading for DCL.  I'll be laughing all the way to the bank with all my savings.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

iamporch said:


> I wasn't sure where else to ask this so hoping I can get some feedback here.  My parents are taking the whole family on a cruise.  Destination isn't priority.  We are looking at summer 2019. Once prices are out we will look at Disney but we are also looking at other lines.  We will need 6-7 rooms.  23 of us total.  Kids ages go from age 4 to 18. Pretty much one of every age in between!  Obviously if we choose Disney it will be a shorter cruise due to price. We all love Disney.  My family and parents are the only ones who have every cruised before.  I have only done Disney. May parents have done others years ago. Anyway what ships from Carnival or RCCL would you suggest?  Looking more for pools/activities outside of kids clubs/shows/food.
> 
> Is there much of a difference between the Breeze, Vista and Magic for Carnival or are those similar?  What about the Carnival Dream?  That would be our 5 night option for Carnival but is the ship as nice as the newer ones? Not much difference in the Magic and Breeze, Vista has the SkyRide.  Dream is a bit older and doesn't have the ropes course or SkyRide, they do have the Waterpark as all the others do too.
> 
> For RCCL I imagine anything from the oasis class?
> 
> Between Carnival and RCCL which would you go with with kids of all ages? We love Carnival so that would be our choice. I think the Oasis ships are too big.  I like the fact that the CCL ships have a lot of outdoor spaces where you can be close to the water or see the water.  I don't think that is as possible on Oasis type ships.
> 
> Thanks for anyone who read!



I've answered in the quote. Ask more questions as needed.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I've joined the FB groups for a few cruises and it has been fun to meet people on the ship who have also been anticipating the cruise.  We don't tend to do the planned activities except the initial meet up to put live faces with names. If we run into folks on the ship we can say hi or chat for a few minutes and move on. The time it was helpful was planning our Med cruise.  We were able to put together some private excursions that were fun and much less expensive than booking through the ship or even on our own.


----------



## iamporch

trvlgirlmq said:


> I've answered in the quote. Ask more questions as needed.



Thank you.  I like that you pointed out the outdoor spaces because that is what I love about cruising. I wish I could see the water all day!

I had never really thought about Carnival as my second option after Disney until reading threads like these. What are the shows like on the Carnival?  kid friendly or more for adults?  Are they first come first serve or do you need to get tickets in advance?

Also does Carnival have a movie theater and if so what types of movies do they play?


----------



## mevelandry

iamporch said:


> I wasn't sure where else to ask this so hoping I can get some feedback here.  My parents are taking the whole family on a cruise.  Destination isn't priority.  We are looking at summer 2019. Once prices are out we will look at Disney but we are also looking at other lines.  We will need 6-7 rooms.  23 of us total.  Kids ages go from age 4 to 18. Pretty much one of every age in between!  Obviously if we choose Disney it will be a shorter cruise due to price. We all love Disney.  My family and parents are the only ones who have every cruised before.  I have only done Disney. May parents have done others years ago. Anyway what ships from Carnival or RCCL would you suggest?  Looking more for pools/activities outside of kids clubs/shows/food.
> 
> Is there much of a difference between the Breeze, Vista and Magic for Carnival or are those similar?  What about the Carnival Dream?  That would be our 5 night option for Carnival but is the ship as nice as the newer ones?
> 
> For RCCL I imagine anything from the oasis class?
> 
> Between Carnival and RCCL which would you go with with kids of all ages?
> 
> Thanks for anyone who read!



Welcome to this thread. You are definitely at the right place. 

I can't answer about kids but if you liked DCL I think you might enjoy the Carnival Breeze, Vista (2016) or Horizon (2018). If I am not mistaken they are only doing 6-7 nights BUT they will cost you less than a 7 nights Disney cruise for sure. 

From what I know they are quite similar but I have only sailed the Vista (which I recommend) and I am hoping to try the Horizon someday. There are more activities than the Disney Dream. 

RCCL should be a little bit more expensive than Carnival (but still less expensive than DCL) and your brain will explode when you read the list of activities they have. I'm hoping to try RCCL soon because the Oasis class looks awesome.


----------



## mevelandry

iamporch said:


> Thank you.  I like that you pointed out the outdoor spaces because that is what I love about cruising. I wish I could see the water all day!
> 
> I had never really thought about Carnival as my second option after Disney until reading threads like these. What are the shows like on the Carnival?  kid friendly or more for adults?  Are they first come first serve or do you need to get tickets in advance?
> 
> Also does Carnival have a movie theater and if so what types of movies do they play?



If you like outdoor spaces, you might like the Vista and horizon. They have a lot of outdoor spaces. Love their design.

Musical shows (first come, first served) are for all the family. Comedy shows (fcfs too) can be a bit rough for young kids but they have PG & 18+. 

Most medium and big ship on Carnival will have dive in movies in front of the pool. Movie theaters or thrill theater (it's like a 4D ride) have a charge but they present all the blockbusters.


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

trvlgirlmq said:


> Never paid for up charge restaurants on Carnival and have had some very nice meals in the MDR.  Go ahead and keep cheerleading for DCL.  I'll be laughing all the way to the bank with all my savings.


To each their own. I’m happy with Disney because I love Disney and to me it’s money well spent.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Cc is really invaluable for that.  They have an entire section within boards about ports.  If you have not been to that section, you would love it.  At this point I am just a lurker over there but I do read a lot.   The only reason I really still come over here is this thread.  And then once I am over here I sometimes look at other dcl threads whuch is bad because I feel like sometimes people are argumentative over there and since I am an idiot I get sucked right in.  Lol.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

cruiser21 said:


> The cruise meet threads on here are pretty dead. I would love to discuss  ports, excursions,hotels etc .It would be helpful to share information especially on the less common itinerarys such as Europe. Like you I don't want to join a private group. It's just not my thing.


Sorry
That last response was for this quote.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

skittlesfirehawk said:


> To each their own. I’m happy with Disney because I love Disney and to me it’s money well spent.



Then I am not sure what you are contributing here if you have never cruised on Carnival and don’t plan on it in the future.


----------



## cruiser21

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Cc is really invaluable for that.  They have an entire section within boards about ports.  If you have not been to that section, you would love it.  At this point I am just a lurker over there but I do read a lot.   The only reason I really still come over here is this thread.  And then once I am over here I sometimes look at other dcl threads whuch is bad because I feel like sometimes people are argumentative over there and since I am an idiot I get sucked right in.  Lol.


I've been a member of there for years. There port of call section is very helpful. The cruise meets threads aren't very active over there either everyone goes to that other place.


----------



## cruiser21

skittlesfirehawk said:


> The last few times when we have talked to other cruisers and said how much we love dcl food and Palo they seemed upset at having to pay more for good food on the other ships where as with dcl it’s included. I’ve seen what looked like them repainting or washing the front of our ship while docked before.


How many times have you cruised on DCL?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

iamporch said:


> I wasn't sure where else to ask this so hoping I can get some feedback here.  My parents are taking the whole family on a cruise.  Destination isn't priority.  We are looking at summer 2019. Once prices are out we will look at Disney but we are also looking at other lines.  We will need 6-7 rooms.  23 of us total.  Kids ages go from age 4 to 18. Pretty much one of every age in between!  Obviously if we choose Disney it will be a shorter cruise due to price. We all love Disney.  My family and parents are the only ones who have every cruised before.  I have only done Disney. May parents have done others years ago. Anyway what ships from Carnival or RCCL would you suggest?  Looking more for pools/activities outside of kids clubs/shows/food.
> 
> Is there much of a difference between the Breeze, Vista and Magic for Carnival or are those similar?  What about the Carnival Dream?  That would be our 5 night option for Carnival but is the ship as nice as the newer ones?
> 
> For RCCL I imagine anything from the oasis class?
> 
> Between Carnival and RCCL which would you go with with kids of all ages?
> 
> Thanks for anyone who read!


I would recommend the Vista or Horizon for sure. In 2019 Vista will be doing alternating 7 night eastern and western itineraries out of Galveston. Horizon will be doing 6 night western and 8 night Southern itineraries out of Miami. I highly recommend the 8 night Southern, we loved that on the Vista last year. Next behind that, is recommend the Breeze, I believe she’ll be doing alternating 7 night western and easterns out of Port Canaveral. From what I’ve read the Magic and Dream are also great ships but I’ve yet to try them. Ive spent 22 nights on Vista and have yet to try everything that she has to offer, there is so much to do. We’re hoping to finally try it all when we board Horizon in June 2019. 

BTW, when exploring room options, Vista and Horizon have way more connecting rooms than all the other Carnival rooms. They also have Family Ocean View rooms that have a full 3 piece bathroom, plus a second 1/2 bath that has a shower and sink. The Family Harbor area also has some great features, especially for large groups like yours. There’s an exclusive lounge with snacks, breakfast and 24 hour soft serve ice cream. There are also video and board games in the lounge. The Family Harbor Suites are really great cabins as well. They are considered Cove Balconies that many Carnival cruisers just love. They are on the 2nd deck so you’re very close to the ocean and people just love them.

The Disney Fantasy used to be my favorite ship until I sailed the Vista, now she is my favorite ship, by far. I still love DCL, but definitely love CCL as much.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

iamporch said:


> Thank you.  I like that you pointed out the outdoor spaces because that is what I love about cruising. I wish I could see the water all day!
> 
> I had never really thought about Carnival as my second option after Disney until reading threads like these. What are the shows like on the Carnival?  kid friendly or more for adults?  Are they first come first serve or do you need to get tickets in advance?
> 
> Also does Carnival have a movie theater and if so what types of movies do they play?


If you like outdoor space, Vista and Horizon are sooooo for you!


----------



## mevelandry

skittlesfirehawk said:


> To each their own. I’m happy with Disney because I love Disney and to me it’s money well spent.



Huh... Good for you?  (I'm confused.) 

Not trying to argue with you here (because this is a zen thread) but I'm just trying to understand where we are going with this... 

Most participants to this thread now alternate between DCL and other cruise lines. In many cases, it's not a question of wallet but a choice/a preference. 

Also, we did not simply judge other ships from the dock: we tried them and found value in them.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

View from cove balcony on Vista!


----------



## iamporch

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I would recommend the Vista or Horizon for sure. In 2019 Vista will be doing alternating 7 night eastern and western itineraries out of Galveston. Horizon will be doing 6 night western and 8 night Southern itineraries out of Miami. I highly recommend the 8 night Southern, we loved that on the Vista last year. Next behind that, is recommend the Breeze, I believe she’ll be doing alternating 7 night western and easterns out of Port Canaveral. From what I’ve read the Magic and Dream are also great ships but I’ve yet to try them. Ive spent 22 nights on Vista and have yet to try everything that she has to offer, there is so much to do. We’re hoping to finally try it all when we board Horizon in June 2019.
> 
> BTW, when exploring room options, Vista and Horizon have way more connecting rooms than all the other Carnival rooms. They also have Family Ocean View rooms that have a full 3 piece bathroom, plus a second 1/2 bath that has a shower and sink. The Family Harbor area also has some great features, especially for large groups like yours. There’s an exclusive lounge with snacks, breakfast and 24 hour soft serve ice cream. There are also video and board games in the lounge. The Family Harbor Suites are really great cabins as well. They are considered Cove Balconies that many Carnival cruisers just love. They are on the 2nd deck so you’re very close to the ocean and people just love them.
> 
> The Disney Fantasy used to be my favorite ship until I sailed the Vista, now she is my favorite ship, by far. I still love DCL, but definitely love CCL as much.


Do any of the balconies open up like they can on Disney?


----------



## PrincessTrisha

skittlesfirehawk said:


> When at ports I see the envy in their eyes when they are like oh your on the Disney ship. Our ship just always looks better in my opinion and we get greeted with water and stuff while the other cruise lines don’t get that. I just count that kind of stuff as the “Disney difference”



You've clearly not cruised on other lines. Water and lemonade, comfortable furniture under a tent - I've seen these frequently on many cruise lines on their dock (including Carnival ships).

If you're seeing a lot of envy, you're looking at your reflection in the mirror. We were on the Carnival Pride in January (14 night Journey cruise so full of mostly adults with very few kids on board), trust me, there was no envy there. In fact, there was a lot of comments about kids running amok, and rats running the ship


----------



## PrincessTrisha

iamporch said:


> I wasn't sure where else to ask this so hoping I can get some feedback here.  My parents are taking the whole family on a cruise.  Destination isn't priority.  We are looking at summer 2019. Once prices are out we will look at Disney but we are also looking at other lines.  We will need 6-7 rooms.  23 of us total.  Kids ages go from age 4 to 18. Pretty much one of every age in between!  Obviously if we choose Disney it will be a shorter cruise due to price. We all love Disney.  My family and parents are the only ones who have every cruised before.  I have only done Disney. May parents have done others years ago. Anyway what ships from Carnival or RCCL would you suggest?  Looking more for pools/activities outside of kids clubs/shows/food.
> 
> Is there much of a difference between the Breeze, Vista and Magic for Carnival or are those similar?  What about the Carnival Dream?  That would be our 5 night option for Carnival but is the ship as nice as the newer ones?
> 
> For RCCL I imagine anything from the oasis class?
> 
> Between Carnival and RCCL which would you go with with kids of all ages?
> 
> Thanks for anyone who read!



By summer 2019 the Carnival Panorama (their brand new ship) will also be sailing from Florida. Any of the ships you mention are great ships with a lot of the Carnival bells and whistles so I think you'd be happy on any of them. My recommendation would be to look at price and ports.

Your parents are really nice to be doing this for the family.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

iamporch said:


> Do any of the balconies open up like they can on Disney?


I know they do on Vista and Horizon but don’t know for sure about the Dream class ships, (although I’m about 90% sure those do).


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

PrincessTrisha said:


> By summer 2019 the Carnival Panorama (their brand new ship) will also be sailing from Florida. Any of the ships you mention are great ships with a lot of the Carnival bells and whistles so I think you'd be happy on any of them. My recommendation would be to look at price and ports.
> 
> Your parents are really nice to be doing this for the family.


Actually, Panorama isn’t sailing until fall of 2019.  When she does get to the US, she’ll be home ported in Long Beach, doing Mexican Riviera and possibly Hawaii cruises. 7 night Mexico cruises have been confirmed, but longer Hawaiian cruises are just speculation at this point.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I know they do on Vista and Horizon but don’t know for sure about the Dream class ships, (although I’m about 90% sure those do).



You can open balcony dividers on Dream, Magic, Breeze also.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Actually, Panorama isn’t sailing until fall of 2019.  When she does get to the US, she’ll be home ported in Long Beach, doing Mexican Riviera and possibly Hawaii cruises. 7 night Mexico cruises have been confirmed, but longer Hawaiian cruises are just speculation at this point.



I was thinking the Horizon and wrote Panorama. The poster mentioned the Vista, Breeze and Magic - I meant to say that the Horizon will be sailing from Florida by that time. It has the Dr Seuss waterpark and some other new features (some announced, some which will be announced closer to the inaugural sailing).


----------



## mevelandry

iamporch said:


> Do any of the balconies open up like they can on Disney?



Yes they can open them up.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> You can open balcony dividers on Dream, Magic, Breeze also.



I think you can open them on the Victory as well. I remember the maintenance lady having a "key" to lock and unlock them.


----------



## RedSox68

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Good point.  And it is hard to define, that's probably why I bailed!  So now I will give it a go... at the risk of offending, and this is just my perspective.... but for me the biggest area is with the kids.  And I think my kids picked up on this on their own when they tried Carnival especially. I have never said anything negative to them about dcl.  The kids on Carnival are a lot nicer.  The kids on DCL (just my opinion) tend to be more self-centered.  There was an interaction with a server in the dining room where one of our kids was whining about something and the server was going to run and fix it and I stopped her.  I said something like, no, please don't give him what he wants (I don't remember what it was but it was something ridiculous). And the server said you are the first parent on dcl I have encountered to say that.  She said dcl parents treat their kids like little princes and princesses.  Well, that is not us.  We are old school.  Lol.
> I think other things are clicky on dcl, again just my perspective, the fish extender thing for example, and all the FB stuff before the cruise.  It sometimes becomes really obvious to me who is inthe FB group and who isn't.  They stick together and get their kids to play together.  Well, we are not FB people either.  I do not get that on other lines at all.  These are not things that make or break my cruise.  Not at all.  For me it is price.  But it does feel very high school over there on dcl and much more grown up out beyond dcl.



We found this too the first time my DD went to the kids club.  She was treated horribly and wouldn't go back.  The next year she was older and went to the teen club, same thing -- it seemed liked they all knew each other already and she was left out of most things -- so didn't go back.  I actually had a kid say to me once "get out of my way,  my parents paid a lot of money for this cruise"!!!  Never ever had that on any of the other lines we have cruised on.  Just personal experiences, some but not all of the kids on DCL act very privileged and it's sad.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> You've clearly not cruised on other lines. Water and lemonade, comfortable furniture under a tent - I've seen these frequently on many cruise lines on their dock (including Carnival ships).
> (...)



I could swear they put a shaded seating area when I sailed on the Carnival Vista... I thought that was cool. I should have taken pictures.


----------



## RedSox68

skittlesfirehawk said:


> When at ports I see the envy in their eyes when they are like oh your on the Disney ship. Our ship just always looks better in my opinion and we get greeted with water and stuff while the other cruise lines don’t get that. I just count that kind of stuff as the “Disney difference”



We've been on some truly beautiful ships on other lines, and have been greeted onboard with Mimosas and drinks (free) upon boarding and many beverages when returning from port, also had free cookies delivered to our room and some NCL ships hand them out as you leave the ship on debarkation day.  We've had lots of amenities on other lines, too, including some nice repeat cruiser gifts. 

I understand the loyalty to the Disney ships, they are beautiful and an industry standard for class, but if we want to see as much of the world as possible, we had to look elsewhere -- their pricing is just way out of our comfort zone now.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> We found this too the first time my DD went to the kids club.  She was treated horribly and wouldn't go back.  The next year she was older and went to the teen club, same thing -- it seemed liked they all knew each other already and she was left out of most things -- so didn't go back.  I actually had a kid say to me once "get out of my way,  my parents paid a lot of money for this cruise"!!!  Never ever had that on any of the other lines we have cruised on.  Just personal experiences, some but not all of the kids on DCL act very privileged and it's sad.



I would love to know what you replied. 

I, for myself, would have lost it.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> I would love to know what you replied.
> 
> I, for myself, would have lost it.



"Well, aren't you special" (re: Dana Carvey as the Church Lady).


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> "Well, aren't you special" (re: Dana Carvey as the Church Lady).



(I'm looking for a high-five emoticon but can't find one.)


----------



## robinb

mevelandry said:


> Huh... Good for you?  (I'm confused.)
> 
> Not trying to argue with you here (because this is a zen thread) but I'm just trying to understand where we are going with this...
> 
> Most participants to this thread now alternate between DCL and other cruise lines. In many cases, it's not a question of wallet but a choice/a preference.
> 
> Also, we did not simply judge other ships from the dock: we tried them and found value in them.



I just wanted to make sure that I am welcome on this thread.  I do not intend to sail on DCL.  It's really way too expensive IMO.  I could afford it if I wished to, but I don't want to spend 2-3 times more to sail with The Mouse.  I guess I won't say "never" (although I did type out the word and then deleted it) because I have a daughter who may have kids in the next 10-15 years and I won't totally discount being _that _grandmother that pays for a DCL cruise.   I enjoy reading about the differences between the two cruise line and I don't mean to bash DCL over price because it does looks wonderful .


----------



## trvlgirlmq

robinb said:


> I just wanted to make sure that I am welcome on this thread.  I do not intend to sail on DCL.  It's really way too expensive IMO.  I could afford it if I wished to, but I don't want to spend 2-3 times more to sail with The Mouse.  I guess I won't say "never" (although I did type out the word and then deleted it) because I have a daughter who may have kids in the next 10-15 years and I won't totally discount being _that _grandmother that pays for a DCL cruise.   I enjoy reading about the differences between the two cruise line and I don't mean to bash DCL over price because it does looks wonderful .



No worries. I have never sailed DCL because I can't afford it!  We have an 8 night Carnival cruise in a balcony and 6 nights at Pop! with 5 day tickets, all excursions, food, etc and we are paying the same as a 7 night cruise in an inside room on Fantasy.  So 2 weeks for the price of 1 on DCL. The ships do look nice and we love Disney but we get our fix at WDW.  Plus I won't ever sail a ship that doesn't have anytime dining.  I don't want to sit with strangers or be told when to eat.


----------



## mevelandry

robinb said:


> I just wanted to make sure that I am welcome on this thread.  I do not intend to sail on DCL.  It's really way too expensive IMO.  I could afford it if I wished to, but I don't want to spend 2-3 times more to sail with The Mouse.  I guess I won't say "never" (although I did type out the word and then deleted it) because I have a daughter who may have kids in the next 10-15 years and I won't totally discount being _that _grandmother that pays for a DCL cruise.   I enjoy reading about the differences between the two cruise line and I don't mean to bash DCL over price because it does looks wonderful .



Of course you are welcome on this thread. 

I'll speak for myself, I'm uncomfortable with a certain type of comments: interventions from people who have no intentions to ever try Carnival and just come on the thread to post condescending messages about the line/Carnival cruisers when they have never been on a Carnival cruise.

To me, it's like giving a 1/5 note on tripadvisor to a restaurant you've never eaten at, just because you did not like the color of their marquee... aka totally absurd.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> To me, it's like giving a 1/5 note on tripadvisor to a restaurant you've never eaten at, just because you did not like the color of their marquee... aka totally absurd.



Or because you "heard" from your neighbours friend at work that the food wasn't that good.


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

trvlgirlmq said:


> Then I am not sure what you are contributing here if you have never cruised on Carnival and don’t plan on it in the future.


I never said  didn’t plan on it. I’m pretty sure after this cruise my bf is gonna wanna try another cruise line. I’m used to Disney and like Disney and what I’ve heard  has made me weary.


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

cruiser21 said:


> How many times have you cruised on DCL?


4 times


----------



## trvlgirlmq

skittlesfirehawk said:


> I never said  didn’t plan on it. I’m pretty sure after this cruise my bf is gonna wanna try another cruise line. I’m used to Disney and like Disney and what I’ve heard  has made me weary.



I would suggest that instead of bashing other CL and praising DCL that you really read through this thread and others on the RCCL board to get a better picture. I would not take my children on a ship that wasn't safe, clean and family-friendly.  Many people have spent a lot of time contributing to this thread and have a lot of combined experience on all the cruise lines.  If you want to live in the Disney bubble that is of no importance to me but don't comment until you have first-hand experience about something.


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

trvlgirlmq said:


> I would suggest that instead of bashing other CL and praising DCL that you really read through this thread and others on the RCCL board to get a better picture. I would not take my children on a ship that wasn't safe, clean and family-friendly.  Many people have spent a lot of time contributing to this thread and have a lot of combined experience on all the cruise lines.  If you want to live in the Disney bubble that is of no importance to me but don't comment until you have first-hand experience about something.


I’ve only commented on my experiences and things I’ve heard from other cruisers.


----------



## mevelandry

skittlesfirehawk said:


> I’ve only commented on my experiences and things I’ve heard from other cruisers.



From what I understand you did not have experienced Carnival ... therefore you cannot give a review or a valid comparison, except for the aestetics of the exterior of the ship you were docked beside of.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

skittlesfirehawk said:


> I’ve only commented on my experiences and things I’ve heard from other cruisers.



Hearsay is not admissible. As I stated if you would read the thread you would find many people with actual experience on other lines who had good experiences and in some cases liked it better than DCL. Or go try it yourself and form your own opinion.


----------



## mevelandry

Anyways... Let's move on, please.


----------



## MickeyD

In other news...., did any of you happen to catch the documentary on the Carnival Vista last night on the Smithsonian channel? I just missed it, but will dvr it for next time.


----------



## BCV23

mevelandry said:


> From what I understand you did not have experienced Carnival ... therefore you cannot give a review or a valid comparison, except for the aestetics of the exterior of the ship you were docked beside of.



But she can share her opinions and impressions. This is a free board and all are welcome last I knew....as long as they treat others with respect.



trvlgirlmq said:


> Hearsay is not admissible. As I stated if you would read the thread you would find many people with actual experience on other lines who had good experiences and in some cases liked it better than DCL. Or go try it yourself and form your own opinion.



Is there some reason you can decide what it "admissible" on the DIS?

Most people on this thread are friendly and helpful just like most of the DIS. However, there are a few who seem to slam anyone who has doubts about Carnival or just different opinions for that matter. There also seems to be a double standard. People who have not sailed on DCL but have sailed on Carnival are welcome to post their opinions but those of us who have not sailed on Carnival should not share ours. 

My latest non-experience with Carnival was in January in Nassau. We were enjoying a B2B cruise on the Disney Magic but had the misfortune to be docked next to a Carnival ship that blasted music for hours. I enjoy sitting on our verandah reading but could not stand the noise pollution. It was even audible in our cabin. So very inconsiderate IMO.

This thread is a great resource for people to share their experiences with DCL, Carnival and other lines but it is hardly Zen like when fellow DISsers are discouraged from posting.

Happy sailing to all.


----------



## mevelandry

MickeyD said:


> In other news...., did any of you happen to catch the documentary on the Carnival Vista last night on the Smithsonian channel? I just missed it, but will dvr it for next time.



I don't have access to that channel but I've seen a documentary on the Vista. Maybe it's the same?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

BCV23 said:


> But she can share her opinions and impressions. This is a free board and all are welcome last I knew....as long as they treat others with respect.
> 
> 
> 
> Is there some reason you can decide what it "admissible" on the DIS?
> 
> Most people on this thread are friendly and helpful just like most of the DIS. However, there are a few who seem to slam anyone who has doubts about Carnival or just different opinions for that matter. There also seems to be a double standard. People who have not sailed on DCL but have sailed on Carnival are welcome to post their opinions but those of us who have not sailed on Carnival should not share ours.
> 
> My latest non-experience with Carnival was in January in Nassau. We were enjoying a B2B cruise on the Disney Magic but had the misfortune to be docked next to a Carnival ship that blasted music for hours. I enjoy sitting on our verandah reading but could not stand the noise pollution. It was even audible in our cabin. So very inconsiderate IMO.
> 
> This thread is a great resource for people to share their experiences with DCL, Carnival and other lines but it is hardly Zen like when fellow DISsers are discouraged from posting.
> 
> Happy sailing to all.



I don't go on DCL threads and bash the things I have heard about it that I don't like and the kind of people that sail so it's not the same. If you want to learn about Carnival then come with an open mind.  If you just want to spew vitriol and hearsay then take my mom's advice and if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all.


----------



## mevelandry

BCV23 said:


> But she can share her opinions and impressions. This is a free board and all are welcome last I knew....as long as they treat others with respect.
> 
> (...)
> 
> Happy sailing to all.



I'm fine with different opinions (bad experience can happen)  but I feel like some people can be quite condescending or seem to be looking for argument and I question their motivations behind the things they say. And I don't feel the respect. (As it was the case with the person I replied to.)

I try to remain nice and polite as much as I can (also I'll refer you to my signature... I really do my best to try to explain myself without roughing feathers but sometimes my intentions are lost in translation) as I never want to be mean when I try to respectfully "put people in their place" because they are pushing other people buttons.

Sometimes I wish I could pv the person to try to have a chat and explaining that their comments are hurtful but I'm afraid to be invasive or that would come of as intimidating when it's not my intentions. Should I do that instead of replying to them publicly? Should I just ignore them? Should I report them?  I really don't know what the best option is to be honest.

What are you suppose to say when you tell someone that their "opinion" is hurtful and all they reply is "Truth hurts!" ? (This is not rhetorical, I'm asking...)

Trust me, I want to place to be informative and friendly. Not a warzone.


----------



## MickeyD

mevelandry said:


> I don't have access to that channel but I've seen a documentary on the Vista. Maybe it's the same?


I am not sure who did it, and I watch via their app too. They also did one on NCL Epic and Breakaway, and RCCL Quantum and Oasis of the Seas, and MSC Divinia. It is the Mighty Ships series


----------



## mevelandry

BCV23 said:


> (...)
> My latest non-experience with Carnival was in January in Nassau. We were enjoying a B2B cruise on the Disney Magic but had the misfortune to be docked next to a Carnival ship that blasted music for hours. I enjoy sitting on our verandah reading but could not stand the noise pollution. It was even audible in our cabin. So very inconsiderate IMO. (...)



I'm very happy to chat with you about this and I think this is a very interesting question. 

I am not sure what the rules are when it comes to decibels while you are docked in a port and have no knowledge of sounds vs winds... Therefore I can't tell if Carnival is acting rude or if they are simply taking their right to put the volume as loud as the rule permits to (Note: Does that sentence even make sense? Not sure of my syntax/vocabulary here). 

I do think the music is a bit loud sometimes.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Chocolate desserts on Vista!  So many of the files I have tried to upload say too big.


----------



## mevelandry

MickeyD said:


> I am not sure who did it, and I watch via their app too. They also did one on NCL Epic and Breakaway, and RCCL Quantum and Oasis of the Seas, and MSC Divinia. It is the Mighty Ships series



I think I've seen it!


----------



## mevelandry

Trying to go back to the positivity... Here are a few of my favorite memories...

Carnival Victory: My DH, gazing at the ocean... (in the aft pool section, our favorite).



Still Carnival Victory: DH playing mini-golf while docked in Nassau. I just LOVE mini-golf and I love it even more on cruiseships... Although it can be quite windy over there. LOL


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

Is there a mod for this thread? I find it pretty ridiculous I’m being attacked by members on this thread in other threads  in the cruise forum that have nothing to do with here. For people who think dcl cruisers are snobs and mean I’ve never previously been attacked on the disboards only since I posted here.


----------



## BCV23

trvlgirlmq said:


> I don't go on DCL threads and bash the things I have heard about it that I don't like and the kind of people that sail so it's not the same. If you want to learn about Carnival then come with an open mind.  If you just want to spew vitriol and hearsay then take my mom's advice and if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all.



Your mother certainly gave you great advice. 

My point was that none of us have the authority to decide what is allowed on this thread. That is up to the moderators and of course the owner of the DIS.

It is not a Carnival thread. It is a thread comparing DCL *and* Carnival located on the DCL forum.



mevelandry said:


> I'm fine with different opinions (bad experience can happen)  but I feel like some people can be quite condescending or seem to be looking for argument and I question their motivations behind the things they say. And I don't feel the respect. (As it was the case with the person I replied to.)
> 
> I try to remain nice and polite as much as I can (also I'll refer you to my signature... I really do my best to try to explain myself without roughing feathers but sometimes my intentions are lost in translation) as I never want to be mean when I try to respectfully "put people in their place" because they are pushing other people buttons.
> 
> Sometimes I wish I could pv the person to try to have a chat and explaining that their comments are hurtful but I'm afraid to be invasive or that would come of as intimidating when it's not my intentions. Should I do that instead of replying to them publicly? Should I just ignore them? Should I report them?  I really don't know what the best option is to be honest.
> 
> What are you suppose to say when you tell someone that their "opinion" is hurtful and all they reply is "Truth hurts!" ? (This is not rhetorical, I'm asking...)
> 
> Trust me, I want to place to be informative and friendly. Not a warzone.



I've noticed that you are generally very respectful and friendly. I wouldn't worry too much about "putting people in their place."  You started this thread and work hard at updating it but aren't a moderator so have no need to concern yourself with policing it.

Again happy sailing to all!


----------



## RedSox68

skittlesfirehawk said:


> Is there a mod for this thread? I find it pretty ridiculous I’m being attacked by members on this thread in other threads  in the cruise forum that have nothing to do with here. For people who think dcl cruisers are snobs and mean I’ve never previously been attacked on the disboards only since I posted here.



Having read through the last few pages, I don't see it as an "attack" but rather posters questioning why you are dissing a cruise line you have no first-hand knowledge of   Instead of using this thread as a learning opportunity or to ask questions, you are only referring to second-hand information from others who didn't like Carnival.  I think they just want you to check out the ships and cruise reviews for informative information.  I don't think they meant for you to be censored or shut out.


----------



## skittlesfirehawk

RedSox68 said:


> Having read through the last few pages, I don't see it as an "attack" but rather posters questioning why you are dissing a cruise line you have no first-hand knowledge of   Instead of using this thread as a learning opportunity or to ask questions, you are only referring to second-hand information from others who didn't like Carnival.  I think they just want you to check out the ships and cruise reviews for informative information.  I don't think they meant for you to be censored or shut out.


I’m talking about posters coming into other threads I’m posting in and bringing up stuff that has zero to do with that thread but is about this thread.


----------



## BCV23

mevelandry said:


> I'm very happy to chat with you about this and I think this is a very interesting question.
> 
> I am not sure what the rules are when it comes to decibels while you are docked in a port and have no knowledge of sounds vs winds... Therefore I can't tell if Carnival is acting rude or if they are simply taking their right to put the volume as loud as the rule permits to (Note: Does that sentence even make sense? Not sure of my syntax/vocabulary here).
> 
> I do think the music is a bit loud sometimes.



Whoops forgot to add this one. That is an interesting question. I have no idea either but it was terrible IMO. It is also the first time I have experienced it including other times we have been docked by Carnival ships. I hope it was a one off and not a new trend.


----------



## cruiser21

I think it's fine for people to come here and give their opinions about Carnival or ask questions. It fine if they hate Carnival. Every once in a while it seem like we get a poster that just wants to troll the thread. They will just keep stating over and over that dcl is better the Carnival when they have no first hand knowledge. It happens frequently. 
It's fine if they feel that way but it's not really contributing to the conversation. I'm sure there are people that look at this thread to get honest reviews on Carnival.


----------



## tigerchic89

So.... I've read a many paged here and there on this thread (I missed the drama though)... but hubby and I are taking out 1st Carnival cruise in a few weeks.  a 3 day on the liberty out of PC.  We've only cruised DCL with our kids, but we will already be in Orlando together, want a quick get a way, and this cruise was 1/4 the price of DCL... so we're trying it.

Give me tips... we're leaning toward NOT paying for FTTF even though it's available.  Also we are not doing CHEERS.  I can't imagine drinking $300 worth.. we drink a lot on DCL but never spend $300.  We will carry on 2 bottles, what other Carnival tips can you guys give us???  Leaning toward the middle wifi package.. good idea????

I'm a bit nervous as I LOVE LOVE LOVE DCL, but I really want a quick, cheap get away!


----------



## RedSox68

tigerchic89 said:


> So.... I've read a many paged here and there on this thread (I missed the drama though)... but hubby and I are taking out 1st Carnival cruise in a few weeks.  a 3 day on the liberty out of PC.  We've only cruised DCL with our kids, but we will already be in Orlando together, want a quick get a way, and this cruise was 1/4 the price of DCL... so we're trying it.
> 
> Give me tips... we're leaning toward NOT paying for FTTF even though it's available.  Also we are not doing CHEERS.  I can't imagine drinking $300 worth.. we drink a lot on DCL but never spend $300.  We will carry on 2 bottles, what other Carnival tips can you guys give us???  Leaning toward the middle wifi package.. good idea????
> 
> I'm a bit nervous as I LOVE LOVE LOVE DCL, but I really want a quick, cheap get away!



If you ship as Guy's Burger or the Blue Iguana Taco Bar -- they're a must.  We love them each and every time.


----------



## mevelandry

tigerchic89 said:


> So.... I've read a many paged here and there on this thread (I missed the drama though)... but hubby and I are taking out 1st Carnival cruise in a few weeks.  a 3 day on the liberty out of PC.  We've only cruised DCL with our kids, but we will already be in Orlando together, want a quick get a way, and this cruise was 1/4 the price of DCL... so we're trying it.
> 
> Give me tips... we're leaning toward NOT paying for FTTF even though it's available.  Also we are not doing CHEERS.  I can't imagine drinking $300 worth.. we drink a lot on DCL but never spend $300.  We will carry on 2 bottles, what other Carnival tips can you guys give us???  Leaning toward the middle wifi package.. good idea????
> 
> I'm a bit nervous as I LOVE LOVE LOVE DCL, but I really want a quick, cheap get away!



Hi! Welcome to the thread. 

As long as you are expecting something different than DCL, I think your chances to have a good time are great. 

I haven't tried the Liberty but I have done a short cruise from PC and had lots of fun. I think the Liberty is already a funship 2.0 ... I have tried Carnival before I tried funship 2.0 and I don't think I could go back. 

In order to really take advantage of Cheers, you must drink at least 6 drinks per day. Some people use it with Evian water and specialty coffee in order to make Cheers worth it but ... I don't know. I wish Carnival offered a smaller/cheaper package. 

I'm a fan of the social media wifi package. I buy it every time. It can be spotty sometimes (depending on where you are on the ship) but I can't said I've ever regretted buying it. 

Regarding the look of the Carnival Liberty, you have to expect an older ship (with real wood floor) and a little less color on the main deck. Also, the look is gonna be more "vegas" than the classic look you are used to on DCL. 

I'm a big picky so at first I was a bit uneasy on the old look of the Victory but once I went passed that and concentrated on what the ship had to offer regarding food and entertainment, I was completely sold. 

My husband and I love the comedy shows and the food on Carnival but I know opinions can differ from person to person. 

Regarding FTTF, opinions may vary. We did not have it on our short cruise and just picked an early PAT and we were fine. 

Although DH and I are fans of My Time Dining, if you enjoy getting to know your servers a little better, you can pick a fixed time for dinner. 

My two favorite drinks on Carnival are the Funship Special (usually the drink of the day on the first day) and the Punchliner which is only available in the comedy show room I think. 

I find that Cruise Director take a little bit more room on Carnival than DCL. 

Where is your room on the ship? If you are near mid-ship, bring hearplugs just in case guests tend to party a little bit on the first night. 

The cabins haven't been renovated yet I think so they could be bring orange. 

If you don't like your mattress, remember that you can ask your steward for a foam matress topper. 

I'm not a fan of the shower gel and shampoo so I bring my own.  

If you have any other question, feel free to ask.


----------



## mevelandry

BCV23 said:


> Whoops forgot to add this one. That is an interesting question. I have no idea either but it was terrible IMO. It is also the first time I have experienced it including other times we have been docked by Carnival ships. I hope it was a one off and not a new trend.



If I get the chance I will try to look into the decibel rules. I really find than question interesting. If we think it's annoying, I can't imagine what the locals think of the noise. :/


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

tigerchic89 said:


> So.... I've read a many paged here and there on this thread (I missed the drama though)... but hubby and I are taking out 1st Carnival cruise in a few weeks.  a 3 day on the liberty out of PC.  We've only cruised DCL with our kids, but we will already be in Orlando together, want a quick get a way, and this cruise was 1/4 the price of DCL... so we're trying it.
> 
> Give me tips... we're leaning toward NOT paying for FTTF even though it's available.  Also we are not doing CHEERS.  I can't imagine drinking $300 worth.. we drink a lot on DCL but never spend $300.  We will carry on 2 bottles, what other Carnival tips can you guys give us???  Leaning toward the middle wifi package.. good idea????
> 
> I'm a bit nervous as I LOVE LOVE LOVE DCL, but I really want a quick, cheap get away!



I personally do not think FTTF is worth it.  We also do not do Cheers, but we barely drink soft drinks or alcohol, so it would not be worth it for us.  It is a great deal if you drink.  We buy bottled water for the cabin in the fun shops on their website before we cruise.  It is inexpensive and waiting for you in your cabin.  We always bring lysol spray and wipes to sanitize the cabin, but we do that on dcl too.  One of my kids used to always get a sore throat or cold when we first started cruising on dcl and since we started doing the sanitizer stuff a couple of years ago, he has been fine.  Not sure if it is a coincidence or not!  The desserts at the coffee shop are awesome.  They charge for them but it is minimal.  Your cabin steward  might ask if you want morning or evening service.  Do not be afraid to say you want both.  We asked for both because we said we might need new towels.  Our steward was awesome.
Forgot.. the steak and eggs on sea day brunch are amazing.  Enjoy your cruise!!


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I personally do not think FTTF is worth it.  We also do not do Cheers, but we barely drink soft drinks or alcohol, so it would not be worth it for us.  It is a great deal if you drink.  We buy bottled water for the cabin in the fun shops on their website before we cruise.  It is inexpensive and waiting for you in your cabin.  We always bring lysol spray and wipes to sanitize the cabin, but we do that on dcl too.  One of my kids used to always get a sore throat or cold when we first started cruising on dcl and since we started doing the sanitizer stuff a couple of years ago, he has been fine.  Not sure if it is a coincidence or not!  The desserts at the coffee shop are awesome.  They charge for them but it is minimal.  Your cabin steward  might ask if you want morning or evening service.  Do not be afraid to say you want both.  We asked for both because we said we might need new towels.  Our steward was awesome.
> Forgot.. the steak and eggs on sea day brunch are amazing.  Enjoy your cruise!!



+1 on the desserts at the coffee shop. You pay about 2,50$ for a dessert you'd pay around 9$ on land. I loved the Blue Velvet cake and people rave about the White Forest Cake as well. 

+1 on the Sea Day brunch and Steak and egg as well. 

I also love the port days breakfast menu in the dining room. I ordered the avocado toasts and the french toast every morning on my last cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

skittlesfirehawk said:


> I’m talking about posters coming into other threads I’m posting in and bringing up stuff that has zero to do with that thread but is about this thread.



Who and where? I haven't seen this thread mentionned elsewhere recently.


----------



## mevelandry

So, apparently the explosion on a ferry in Playa Del Carmen wasn't accidental so Carnival cancelled excursions including ferries in Cozumel for the next few days and recommends their guests to avoid them at all costs.

I have one including a ferry going to Isla Pasion next month. No news from Carnival yet but... Now I am wondering if I should change it for Chankanaab... (that use bus instead of ferry).

Or just remain in the port (which would disappoint my family very much).

I wish Carnival would just send us to Grand Cayman instead.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> +1 on the desserts at the coffee shop. You pay about 2,50$ for a dessert you'd pay around 9$ on land. I loved the Blue Velvet cake and people rave about the White Forest Cake as well.
> 
> +1 on the Sea Day brunch and Steak and egg as well.
> 
> I also love the port days breakfast menu in the dining room. I ordered the avocado toasts and the french toast every morning on my last cruise.



Oh, I loved the new breakfast menu on Carnival when we sailed the Pride in January. The new cornbeef hash breakfast is awesome - they cook the egg wrapped in bacon and then serve hash and sautéed veggies on the side. Super good - as was all the new stuff we tried - well, except for the new yogurt parfait - it's made with dates and I realized that I really don't like them. But the granola you can get is great - it's mostly all nuts, grains and fruit - no "filler" .


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> Oh, I loved the new breakfast menu on Carnival when we sailed the Pride in January. The new cornbeef hash breakfast is awesome - they cook the egg wrapped in bacon and then serve hash and sautéed veggies on the side. Super good - as was all the new stuff we tried - well, except for the new yogurt parfait - it's made with dates and I realized that I really don't like them. But the granola you can get is great - it's mostly all nuts, grains and fruit - no "filler" .



They also have an open face sandwich that looks amazing.


----------



## cruiser21

NCL is offering 1 dollar deposits until Monday. Just letting you all know.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> NCL is offering 1 dollar deposits until Monday. Just letting you all know.



Thanks! 

What are the latest dates we can book?


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Thanks!
> 
> What are the latest dates we can book?


Any cruise that's available. I don't think they have cruises out past the end of 2019.


----------



## KalamityJane

Looking at booking Carnival - any preference towards Vista class versus Breeze/Magic? We have 5 people (2A, 3K) if that sways it. Kids are 5, 6 and 9 currently and we didn't find as much to do on the Disney Magic as we had hoped for the kids.


----------



## bbel

mevelandry said:


> So, apparently the explosion on a ferry in Playa Del Carmen wasn't accidental so Carnival cancelled excursions including ferries in Cozumel for the next few days and recommends their guests to avoid them at all costs.
> 
> I have one including a ferry going to Isla Pasion next month. No news from Carnival yet but... Now I am wondering if I should change it for Chankanaab... (that use bus instead of ferry).
> 
> Or just remain in the port (which would disappoint my family very much).
> 
> I wish Carnival would just send us to Grand Cayman instead.



Well I know a Carnival ship (Valour, I think) was in Cozumel that day and a couple of guests were caught up in it so that doesn't surprise me too much. 
Cozumel itself doesn't feel any different after the explosion and all the local people in the area aren't too worried as it was aimed at the ferry company, not the island itself, they're just using the other two ferry companies if they have to haha!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

KalamityJane said:


> Looking at booking Carnival - any preference towards Vista class versus Breeze/Magic? We have 5 people (2A, 3K) if that sways it. Kids are 5, 6 and 9 currently and we didn't find as much to do on the Disney Magic as we had hoped for the kids.



I'd do the Vista Class (either Vista or Horizon) and book a family ocean view cabin in the Family Harbour area. They have lots of cabins that sleep 5, and have some extra amenities.

Access to Family Harbor Lounge featuring breakfast, snacks during the day, concierge service… plus Hasbro board games, family movies, video games and more. Kids eat free in most specialty onboard restaurants and get a free evening of Night Owls babysitting service.

The rooms have:
Two twin beds (convert to king), two upper pullmans and single sofa bed. Privacy curtain. Sofa and coffee table. Desk and seat. Full bathroom with shower plus separate washroom with sink and junior tub. 3 closets. Picture window.


----------



## mevelandry

KalamityJane said:


> Looking at booking Carnival - any preference towards Vista class versus Breeze/Magic? We have 5 people (2A, 3K) if that sways it. Kids are 5, 6 and 9 currently and we didn't find as much to do on the Disney Magic as we had hoped for the kids.



I can't answer your question on Vista vs Breeze/Magic as I have only tried the Vista but I can tell you that I have done the Vista a few months after the Disney Wonder (which is quite similar to the Magic Magic) and Vista was definitely my favorite out of the two. I can't imagine kids being bored on that ship, ever! 

They have a rope course, a mini-golf, soccer pool, pool tables, foosball tables, ping pong tables, a mini-bowling, an exterior gym, waterworks and two big waterslides, arcades, thrill theater (it's a 4D ride, it's 5$ and in my opinion totally worth the money), they have an Imax movie which I haven't tried (they charge a fee for it) but if you want to see free movies they have Dive-In Movies every night with free pop corn... On top of all the kids club has to offer that I am not even aware of as I don't have kids. 

When I came back, I recommended the ship to all my friends with kids (aka all of them LOL).


----------



## mevelandry

bbel said:


> Well I know a Carnival ship (Valour, I think) was in Cozumel that day and a couple of guests were caught up in it so that doesn't surprise me too much.
> Cozumel itself doesn't feel any different after the explosion and all the local people in the area aren't too worried as it was aimed at the ferry company, not the island itself, they're just using the other two ferry companies if they have to haha!



I read they found 2 other explosive devices on other ferries and most cruiselines cancelled excursions involving ferries. 

I'm just not sure if they only cancelled those going to mainland or those for activities hapenning on Cozumel as well. 

For now, we decided to keep the excursion booked and follow the recommendations of Carnival (if we receive any). 

To be continued...


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> I'd do the Vista Class (either Vista or Horizon) and book a family ocean view cabin in the Family Harbour area. They have lots of cabins that sleep 5, and have some extra amenities.
> 
> Access to Family Harbor Lounge featuring breakfast, snacks during the day, concierge service… plus Hasbro board games, family movies, video games and more. Kids eat free in most specialty onboard restaurants and get a free evening of Night Owls babysitting service.
> 
> The rooms have:
> Two twin beds (convert to king), two upper pullmans and single sofa bed. Privacy curtain. Sofa and coffee table. Desk and seat. Full bathroom with shower plus separate washroom with sink and junior tub. 3 closets. Picture window.



Doesn't the Family Habour have cove balconies as well?


----------



## tigerchic89

Thanks for the replies

Can someone possibly explain the day that you leave the ship?  We booked our fights before booking our carnival cruise. With our DCL experience, we assumed that any flight after noon would be okay.  But Carnival recommends flights after 1:00, we have 12:15 flights.

Liberty out of PC, flying out of MCO.  We can't take Carnival bus bc our flight is too early, so I booked a private shuttle that picks us up at 9:30.  WHat's the best way to ensure we make that shuttle?  Carry our bags off ourselves?  What announcement do we listen for?  Where is the best spot to wait to get into "the line"? we do not have FTTF


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Doesn't the Family Habour have cove balconies as well?


Yes there are cove balconies as well


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

KalamityJane said:


> Looking at booking Carnival - any preference towards Vista class versus Breeze/Magic? We have 5 people (2A, 3K) if that sways it. Kids are 5, 6 and 9 currently and we didn't find as much to do on the Disney Magic as we had hoped for the kids.


I would go with Vista or Horizon in a heartbeat. There is so much to do in those ships. Also, Horizon will have the entire water park themed to Dr. Seuss. I think your kids with love the Family Harbor area. Also, be sure to book the Dr. Seuss breakfast once you get on board. It’s $5/person but is totally worth it, especially for the Froot Loops encrusted French toast. The free brunch on sea days is great too, wonderful steak and eggs.

I highly recommend JiJi’s and Cucina del Capitan for lunch. It’s free at lunch and is excellent. Also, in the Lido buffet, only during lunch they have hand churned fresh ice cream in the dessert area. There are two flavors every day and it is awesome ice cream, tastes more like Gelato or frozen custard. Vista truly is an amazing ship.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> Doesn't the Family Habour have cove balconies as well?



Yes, but not for 5 people; the Cove Balconies hold a maximum of 4 people as far as I know.



tigerchic89 said:


> Thanks for the replies
> 
> Can someone possibly explain the day that you leave the ship?  We booked our fights before booking our carnival cruise. With our DCL experience, we assumed that any flight after noon would be okay.  But Carnival recommends flights after 1:00, we have 12:15 flights.
> 
> Liberty out of PC, flying out of MCO.  We can't take Carnival bus bc our flight is too early, so I booked a private shuttle that picks us up at 9:30.  WHat's the best way to ensure we make that shuttle?  Carry our bags off ourselves?  What announcement do we listen for?  Where is the best spot to wait to get into "the line"? we do not have FTTF



You can go to guest services and tell them you have an early flight, they'll give you early luggage tags (we've gotten number 3-4 in the past). That way (barring any issues with debarkation), you should be able to make your 12:15 flight. Remember that MCO is almost an hour away from Port Canaveral and it's a very busy airport where sometimes security can take a while.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

tigerchic89 said:


> Thanks for the replies
> 
> Can someone possibly explain the day that you leave the ship?  We booked our fights before booking our carnival cruise. With our DCL experience, we assumed that any flight after noon would be okay.  But Carnival recommends flights after 1:00, we have 12:15 flights.
> 
> Liberty out of PC, flying out of MCO.  We can't take Carnival bus bc our flight is too early, so I booked a private shuttle that picks us up at 9:30.  WHat's the best way to ensure we make that shuttle?  Carry our bags off ourselves?  What announcement do we listen for?  Where is the best spot to wait to get into "the line"? we do not have FTTF


If you do self assist you’ll easily be off the ship by 8:00, (if things run normally).  They night before you leave the ship you’ll be given luggage tag numbers from 1-15 or so. They call you in numerical order, if you get a number above 6, just go to guest services and ask for a lower number and let them know you have an early flight. They’ll probably give you 3 or 4. We like to depart our cabin as early as possible so the room steward can get in there early and wait in Ocean Plaza for our number to be called. Ocean plaza is on the promenade deck on Vista and is where they do all the trivia and have the specialty coffee bar, I don’t know what it’s called on Liberty. I think you’ll easily make a 9:30 car service.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

PrincessTrisha said:


> Yes, but not for 5 people; the Cove Balconies hold a maximum of 4 people as far as I know.



The Family Harbor Suites sleep 5 and are cove balconies.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

KalamityJane said:


> Looking at booking Carnival - any preference towards Vista class versus Breeze/Magic? We have 5 people (2A, 3K) if that sways it. Kids are 5, 6 and 9 currently and we didn't find as much to do on the Disney Magic as we had hoped for the kids.



You can't go wrong with either.  The smaller kids probably won't be tall enough for SkyRide, ropes course and possibly one or both of the waterslides but everything else is the same. Your 9 yo will love everything and there is a smaller splash/slide area for the other kids.  The


----------



## bbel

mevelandry said:


> I read they found 2 other explosive devices on other ferries and most cruiselines cancelled excursions involving ferries.
> 
> I'm just not sure if they only cancelled those going to mainland or those for activities hapenning on Cozumel as well.
> 
> For now, we decided to keep the excursion booked and follow the recommendations of Carnival (if we receive any).
> 
> To be continued...



From talking to the locals they were found on different ferries but the same company (Barcos Caribe). I was on their ferries a few weeks back and personally wouldn't use them again anyway and that was before this drama lol.

But my main point was that the vibe in Cozumel is still the same as its always been (a little more security at the port, as in they ask for your photo ID as well as the key card and not just the cruise key card haha) - Im there every week at the moment, at the time we only knew about it because we there that day too...


----------



## mevelandry

tigerchic89 said:


> Thanks for the replies
> 
> Can someone possibly explain the day that you leave the ship?  We booked our fights before booking our carnival cruise. With our DCL experience, we assumed that any flight after noon would be okay.  But Carnival recommends flights after 1:00, we have 12:15 flights.
> 
> Liberty out of PC, flying out of MCO.  We can't take Carnival bus bc our flight is too early, so I booked a private shuttle that picks us up at 9:30.  WHat's the best way to ensure we make that shuttle?  Carry our bags off ourselves?  What announcement do we listen for?  Where is the best spot to wait to get into "the line"? we do not have FTTF



I'm certain you'll be fine and get on time for your flights. I haven't tried the self-check out yet but I plan to use it on our next cruise. We picked Faster to the Fun for that reason because our flight is quite early.

Normally, they start announcing who can disembark and I think the order depends on the deck you are staying on. Ex: if you are on deck 2, you get to disembark earlier than if your cabin is on deck 11.

One or two days before disembarkation, you will receive a letter in your room with all the informations regarding your disembarkation and you can have your luggage checked out in advance and ready for an early pick-up (I think they use special tags).

The best spot to wait for disembarkation is usually the lobby, unless they recommend express check-out to meet somewhere else.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> If you do self assist you’ll easily be off the ship by 8:00, (if things run normally).  They night before you leave the ship you’ll be given luggage tag numbers from 1-15 or so. They call you in numerical order, if you get a number above 6, just go to guest services and ask for a lower number and let them know you have an early flight. They’ll probably give you 3 or 4. We like to depart our cabin as early as possible so the room steward can get in there early and wait in Ocean Plaza for our number to be called. Ocean plaza is on the promenade deck on Vista and is where they do all the trivia and have the specialty coffee bar, I don’t know what it’s called on Liberty. I think you’ll easily make a 9:30 car service.



Thanks for the infos. 



bbel said:


> From talking to the locals they were found on different ferries but the same company (Barcos Caribe). I was on their ferries a few weeks back and personally wouldn't use them again anyway and that was before this drama lol.
> 
> But my main point was that the vibe in Cozumel is still the same as its always been (a little more security at the port, as in they ask for your photo ID as well as the key card and not just the cruise key card haha) - Im there every week at the moment, at the time we only knew about it because we there that day too...



Thanks for the insider point of view.

Right now, Canada has modified their travel advisories and recommend travellers to avoid all ferries.

Will stay tuned.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Well............after seeing some of the opening day prices today, I gotta say I’m so excited that we’ve found Carnival and can stomach the prices so much easier.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Well............after seeing some of the opening day prices today, I gotta say I’m so excited that we’ve found Carnival and can stomach the prices so much easier.



It's that bad? Any examples?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Dive in movies on Vista!


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> It's that bad? Any examples?



There is a whole Opening Day Pricing thread at the top of the page.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> There is a whole Opening Day Pricing thread at the top of the page.



Is it the one on Mediterranean 2019 cruises?


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> View attachment 307125
> Dive in movies on Vista!



One of my biggest regrets. I have never found the time to watch a Dive-in movie when I was on the Vista.


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> Is it the one on Mediterranean 2019 cruises?



No. Opening Day Pricing Thread...

https://www.disboards.com/threads/opening-day-pricing-mid-2019-magic-wonder-dream-fantasy.3667670/


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> No. Opening Day Pricing Thread...
> 
> https://www.disboards.com/threads/opening-day-pricing-mid-2019-magic-wonder-dream-fantasy.3667670/



Oh I had not seen this!  

Thanks for the link!


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> Oh I had not seen this!
> 
> Thanks for the link!



You’re welcome. They are always at the top when new itineraries are released.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Well............after seeing some of the opening day prices today, I gotta say I’m so excited that we’ve found Carnival and can stomach the prices so much easier.



OMG.  

You were not kidding.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> It's that bad? Any examples?





zmom said:


> Gold booking- No obb, tranfers, insurance
> 
> June 22, 2019 8 night Fantasy Cat 11a (1A, 1C 17) $6272.06



This for example is for 2 people. We’re booked on Carnival Horizon for that summer on the 8 night Southern Caribbean. We currently have 2 Havana insides which is $8000 total for 4 people, including insurance and pre-paid gratuity. It’s my 50th birthday cruise so I may be upgrading to 2 Havana Cabanas which will bring the total for the 4 of us to about $10,400.


----------



## RedSox68

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Well............after seeing some of the opening day prices today, I gotta say I’m so excited that we’ve found Carnival and can stomach the prices so much easier.



Oh, boy do I agree!  Just when you think you're prepared for the pricing, it gets more shocking than the year before!  I got four quotes for different dates and none of them are even within range of what we can get on Carnival or NCL!  Even Princess has better pricing.



mevelandry said:


> One of my biggest regrets. I have never found the time to watch a Dive-in movie when I was on the Vista.



We never have either on any of our sailings


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> This for example is for 2 people. We’re booked on Carnival Horizon for that summer on the 8 night Southern Caribbean. We currently have 2 Havana insides which is $8000 total for 4 people, including insurance and pre-paid gratuity. It’s my 50th birthday cruise so I may be upgrading to 2 Havana Cabanas which will bring the total for the 4 of us to about $10,400.



If I am not mistaken, 11A is an inside cabin?


----------



## RedSox68

This is Disney's price for next year for the 7-Night British Isles Cruise from Dover [Dover, Dublin, Belfast, Greenock, Liverpool, Dover] P 7A 3A $6,646.68 [2458|2458|770] no OBB yes ins/trans

Our price in 2015 on Princess for a 10-night British Isles cruise, which left Southhampton and included the above ports plus two in Scotland, for 3A in a full balcony, was $7,155, but that price included pre-paid gratuity, all transportation to and from the port and airport, two specialty restaurants, free drink package and free internet.  It's not a huge difference, but for three extra nights and all the amenities, it was a good deal.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

I just do not even call in early to get pricing anymore. I hate the whole feedy frenzy thing they do by releasing after everyone else.  I find it off putting.  I feel like, sure Disney, I'll get around to checking out your pricing on my schedule.   Or maybe I won't.


----------



## iamporch

I have been trying to play around with multiple cruises for next summer. Am I late in the game for RCCL and Carnival?  I am looking at July out of Florida or even TX. I need 7 rooms for extended family. I have not been able to find any cruise that has that many rooms open in the same category.


----------



## Pens Fan

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I just do not even call in early to get pricing anymore. I hate the whole feedy frenzy thing they do by releasing after everyone else.  I find it off putting.  I feel like, sure Disney, I'll get around to checking out your pricing on my schedule.   Or maybe I won't.



I pretty much feel the same way.  I think the whole thing is ridiculous and not just for cruises.  We are planning a WDW trip right before Christmas and every time I sit down to plan something, I get annoyed and quit.   Having to figure out which park we are going to be in each day six months in advance (for dining reservations ) and plotting what rides we want to be on two months in advance is just crazy.  We want to do some backstage tours, so we've got to plan that out and be on the phone at a certain time on a certain day or we might not get them .....  It never ends.  We will be on a cruise when our fast pass booking window opens up.  So instead of getting off early and exploring Portland, I will be sitting on our balcony cursing my cell phone reception and Disney's app trying to make fast pass reservations.  My husband has already made plans to be far away from me and good for him !!!  There's no need for both of us to be miserable.

But I digress - this is the cruise board.    I just completely agree with your "feeding frenzy" assessment of the Disney product.  They have built up this environment where everything must.be.done.now or your whole vacation is ruined.  I'm pretty much over it.  I'm sure we will have a blast at WDW, but as much as I love planning trips, I'm done treating vacation planning like it's a military operation.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Pens Fan said:


> I pretty much feel the same way.  I think the whole thing is ridiculous and not just for cruises.  We are planning a WDW trip right before Christmas and every time I sit down to plan something, I get annoyed and quit.   Having to figure out which park we are going to be in each day six months in advance (for dining reservations ) and plotting what rides we want to be on two months in advance is just crazy.  We want to do some backstage tours, so we've got to plan that out and be on the phone at a certain time on a certain day or we might not get them .....  It never ends.  We will be on a cruise when our fast pass booking window opens up.  So instead of getting off early and exploring Portland, I will be sitting on our balcony cursing my cell phone reception and Disney's app trying to make fast pass reservations.  My husband has already made plans to be far away from me and good for him !!!  There's no need for both of us to be miserable.
> 
> But I digress - this is the cruise board.    I just completely agree with your "feeding frenzy" assessment of the Disney product.  They have built up this environment where everything must.be.done.now or your whole vacation is ruined.  I'm pretty much over it.  I'm sure we will have a blast at WDW, but as much as I love planning trips, I'm done treating vacation planning like it's a military operation.



The image of someone docked in a port booking fastpasses for an upcoming wdw trip is hysterical and sums it up completely!!  That would be me too.  The things we do for Disney!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> If I am not mistaken, 11A is an inside cabin?


That is correct, inside cabin


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

iamporch said:


> I have been trying to play around with multiple cruises for next summer. Am I late in the game for RCCL and Carnival?  I am looking at July out of Florida or even TX. I need 7 rooms for extended family. I have not been able to find any cruise that has that many rooms open in the same category.


You should be fine for Carnival, you’ll just have to do some digging, we just barely booked our Horizon 2019 cruise and there’s a lot of stuff available, just not everything shows online. I’d definitely recommend Horizon, (Miami), or Vista, (Galveston).


----------



## hdrolfe

iamporch said:


> I have been trying to play around with multiple cruises for next summer. Am I late in the game for RCCL and Carnival?  I am looking at July out of Florida or even TX. I need 7 rooms for extended family. I have not been able to find any cruise that has that many rooms open in the same category.



You would probably be best off to call both if you want to book so many cabins at once, they would be able to help you get them all together rather than digging through the sites. Do you mean 2018 or 2019? 2019 you should have lots of options! perhaps not be able to get cabins all in a row at this point, but likely near each other or on the same floor. I believe both RCL and Carnival show you 10 or so cabins in the category and floor you select so you wouldn't be able to see everything available at once.


----------



## mevelandry

iamporch said:


> I have been trying to play around with multiple cruises for next summer. Am I late in the game for RCCL and Carnival?  I am looking at July out of Florida or even TX. I need 7 rooms for extended family. I have not been able to find any cruise that has that many rooms open in the same category.



I can't answer regarding the 7 rooms but you are definitely not too late to book a Carnival cruise. I'm part of groups on FB and I have noticed that many people take advantage of sales to book last minute (2 months in advance, sometimes less.)

I would also recommend the Vista or the Horizon.


----------



## DisneyPiPhi

iamporch said:


> I have been trying to play around with multiple cruises for next summer. Am I late in the game for RCCL and Carnival?  I am looking at July out of Florida or even TX. I need 7 rooms for extended family. I have not been able to find any cruise that has that many rooms open in the same category.



Definitely not too late!  Seven cabins may be tricky, though.  Consider farming this out to a TA who can do the searching for you.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

iamporch said:


> I have been trying to play around with multiple cruises for next summer. Am I late in the game for RCCL and Carnival?  I am looking at July out of Florida or even TX. I need 7 rooms for extended family. I have not been able to find any cruise that has that many rooms open in the same category.



You are not too late.  Both lines only show a small percentage of rooms in any category for online bookings. Your best bet is to call and get a PVP (like a personal TA from the cruise line).  They can work with you.  Or, if you can get it to 8 cabins you can do a group booking and work with the groups department.


----------



## Sergel02

I remember enjoying my carnival cruise in the past. I always wanted to go because of their iconic funnel lol. They upgraded us to a balcony too which was awesome. I remember having a lot of fun as a tween on there.

The controversy with the Katrina charters, the wages for the employees, and other issues kind of leave a sour taste in my mouth though, plus other cruise lines like Disney, royal Caribbean and ncl seem to do more to lessen their environmental impact. All these factors come into play for me.

Can't beat some of their prices though.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Sergel02 said:


> I remember enjoying my carnival cruise in the past. I always wanted to go because of their iconic funnel lol. They upgraded us to a balcony too which was awesome. I remember having a lot of fun as a tween on there.
> 
> The controversy with the Katrina charters, the wages for the employees, and other issues kind of leave a sour taste in my mouth though, plus other cruise lines like Disney, royal Caribbean and ncl seem to do more to lessen their environmental impact. All these factors come into play for me.
> 
> Can't beat some of their prices though.


While I can’t really comment on some of the things you’ve mentioned about Carnival, the 3 new Mega-ships they are building which begin sailing in 2020 will be powered by liquid natural gas which is much cleaner than the currently powered ships. All their ships after will be powered that way as well.


----------



## Sergel02

Club Disney Chandler said:


> While I can’t really comment on some of the things you’ve mentioned about Carnival, the 3 new Mega-ships they are building which begin sailing in 2020 will be powered by liquid natural gas which is much cleaner than the currently powered ships. All their ships after will be powered that way as well.



I was wondering if they were going to. Disney and royal are going to be doing it too which is nice. 

LNG has some downsides but it does seem better than current fuel being used.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> While I can’t really comment on some of the things you’ve mentioned about Carnival, the 3 new Mega-ships they are building which begin sailing in 2020 will be powered by liquid natural gas which is much cleaner than the currently powered ships. All their ships after will be powered that way as well.



Ugh, for me this is another example of "environmentalists" going off the deep end.  I know most people will not agree with me, but LNG is dangerous.  Whereas diesel is very difficult to ignite, LNG is very flammable and an explosion will eviscerate a cruise ship and all 7000 people on it.  DH works in the industry and has expressed surprise that cruise ships would use LNG because of the amount of people on board.  When, not if, a cruise ship blows up, it will be as dramatic as the towers on 9/11 with even more death.  We will stay on the old ships!


----------



## Sergel02

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Ugh, for me this is another example of "environmentalists" going off the deep end.  I know most people will not agree with me, but LNG is dangerous.  Whereas diesel is very difficult to ignite, LNG is very flammable and an explosion will eviscerate a cruise ship and all 7000 people on it.  DH works in the industry and has expressed surprise that cruise ships would use LNG because of the amount of people on board.  When, not if, a cruise ship blows up, it will be as dramatic as the towers on 9/11 with even more death.  We will stay on the old ships!


Hmm I've heard this criticism as well, but looking at data, there are a lot of standards that go into LNG that make it safer than conventional diesel. It's been transported regularly since the 60s, and if I recall the only major U.S. incident with it on a ship was in the 40s.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/liquefied-natural-gas-potential-terrorist-target

There is no question to  me that there will be a cruise ship incident with so many new ships switching to LNG.  I even suspect environmentalists may be using the push to try to shut down or curtail the cruising industry.   But this is my opinion on it, and I do not expect most people to agree.  My views are not trendy.  Let's get back to more fun topics!



Sergel02 said:


> Hmm I've heard this criticism as well, but looking at data, there are a lot of standards that go into LNG that make it safer than conventional diesel. It's been transported regularly since the 60s, and if I recall the only major U.S. incident with it on a ship was in the 40s.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/liquefied-natural-gas-potential-terrorist-target
> 
> There is no question to  me that there will be a cruise ship incident with so many new ships switching to LNG.  I even suspect environmentalists may be using the push to try to shut down or curtail the cruising industry.   But this is my opinion on it, and I do not expect most people to agree.  My views are not trendy.  Let's get back to more fun topics!



Freaking out now. 

I'd rather not think about it since I tend to be anxious regarding this subject to begin with.


----------



## mevelandry

I have received an e-mail offering me an upgrade (it's the second time I receive one of them, I'm getting hooked!) for our October cruise on the Carnival Sensation. 

They offered me to go from my inside room to an ocean view for a small price difference. I priced it out and going to an ocean view without the offer would have cost me 180$. 

I got the upgrade for 54$. It's an aft view (which is my favorite view). Same deck.


----------



## mousefanmichelle

I am going on the Vista in May and after looking at all your pics mevelandry I am so excited!!!!  I have read some really good things about this ship and some really lame things (amazing how 2 people can be on the same ship/trip and have completely different opinions).  We have a balcony on the 7th deck booked and I am looking forward to the 8 day Southern itinerary.  Thanks for all the pics and the food ones have made me hungry now for a burger ;-)


----------



## mevelandry

mousefanmichelle said:


> I am going on the Vista in May and after looking at all your pics mevelandry I am so excited!!!!  I have read some really good things about this ship and some really lame things (amazing how 2 people can be on the same ship/trip and have completely different opinions).  We have a balcony on the 7th deck booked and I am looking forward to the 8 day Southern itinerary.  Thanks for all the pics and the food ones have made me hungry now for a burger ;-)



OMG! I'm totally jealous right now... I would go back on that ship in a heartbeat. I'm in love with the Vista. 

A cruise is what you make of it. I love bad reviews because it keeps my expectations lower and from there it can be better than expected.  Lol 

That being said, I'm hoping you're going to fall in love with it as much as I did.  

Feel free to ask as many questions as you need... 

We'll be happy to help!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mousefanmichelle said:


> I am going on the Vista in May and after looking at all your pics mevelandry I am so excited!!!!  I have read some really good things about this ship and some really lame things (amazing how 2 people can be on the same ship/trip and have completely different opinions).  We have a balcony on the 7th deck booked and I am looking forward to the 8 day Southern itinerary.  Thanks for all the pics and the food ones have made me hungry now for a burger ;-)


That itinerary is awesome, especially Curaçao, but this view on Grand Turk was pretty awesome too!


----------



## mrs. magoo

I am in the beginning stages of pricing out cruises for next August.  We have never cruised before and I am a bit overwhelmed by all the choices.  We are a family of six but 3 of the kids are now considered adults (will be 21, 20, 18, and 16) on the trip.  We are very tight with dates so my choices are limited, but my question is do they allow smoking on the boats besides in smoking areas.  My 20 is very allergic to smoke when we flew in to Vegas from the time she got off the plane until we left the city she was a hot mess even with allergy meds.  People smoked everywhere (stores, pools).  It really turned me off from the whole city and she was so miserable.  So what has been your experience with smoking on the ships - really any cruise line.  They would love Disney but I think we are going to go with a Carnival.  Thank you


----------



## mevelandry

mrs. magoo said:


> I am in the beginning stages of pricing out cruises for next August.  We have never cruised before and I am a bit overwhelmed by all the choices.  We are a family of six but 3 of the kids are now considered adults (will be 21, 20, 18, and 16) on the trip.  We are very tight with dates so my choices are limited, but my question is do they allow smoking on the boats besides in smoking areas.  My 20 is very allergic to smoke when we flew in to Vegas from the time she got off the plane until we left the city she was a hot mess even with allergy meds.  People smoked everywhere (stores, pools).  It really turned me off from the whole city and she was so miserable.  So what has been your experience with smoking on the ships - really any cruise line.  They would love Disney but I think we are going to go with a Carnival.  Thank you



Hi!

Welcome!

Smoking is restricted to certain areas and the casino.

My husband (who has asthma) and I only noticed a smell in the stairs leading to the casino. On the Vista, we spent some time in the casino and found that it wasn't that bad. Ibthink they added a system to remove the smoke or something. But of course, none of us is "allergic" to it so I can't promise you that it will be perfect.

Depending on the ship you'll be interested in, I am sure it's possible to avoid the smoking sections.

One thing I liked from the Vista is that the casino on deck 4 was separated by glass from deck 5. The ship also has a lot of exterior seating, so you can get fresh air easily.


----------



## mrs. magoo

mevelandry said:


> Hi!
> 
> Welcome!
> 
> Smoking is restricted to certain areas and the casino.
> 
> My husband (who has asthma) and I only noticed a smell in the stairs leading to the casino. On the Vista, we spent some time in the casino and found that it wasn't that bad. Ibthink they added a system to remove the smoke or something. But of course, none of us is "allergic" to it so I can't promise you that it will be perfect.
> 
> Depending on the ship you'll be interested in, I am sure it's possible to avoid the smoking sections.
> 
> One thing I liked from the Vista is that the casino on deck 4 was separated by glass from deck 5. The ship also has a lot of exterior seating, so you can get fresh air easily.



Thank you for your reply.  I don't think she would be spending much time in the casino.  Vegas just turned us off so much I could not believe that people were smoking in the pool for heaven's sake.  I also was so surprised when I was asked about smoking and non smoking sections at restaurants.  We live in NY and that has not been an option for over 2 decades now.  The boat that seems to fit my dates is the Liberty not sure if anyone has any experiences with it.  I can't beat the price though for rooms with Verandas it is 2, 815 for the 3 days vs. 6,092 for the same dates on the Disney Cruise Line.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mrs. magoo said:


> Thank you for your reply.  I don't think she would be spending much time in the casino.  Vegas just turned us off so much I could not believe that people were smoking in the pool for heaven's sake.  I also was so surprised when I was asked about smoking and non smoking sections at restaurants.  We live in NY and that has not been an option for over 2 decades now.  The boat that seems to fit my dates is the Liberty not sure if anyone has any experiences with it.  I can't beat the price though for rooms with Verandas it is 2, 815 for the 3 days vs. 6,092 for the same dates on the Disney Cruise Line.



From the Carnival website:

*Carnival Liberty*
Cigarette smoking (including electronic cigarettes and personal vaporizers) are permitted in the following areas:

Czar’s Palace Casino: Smoking is permitted while playing at designated slot machines and table games.
Promenade Casino Bar:  Smoking is permitted in designated area.
Hot & Cool Nightclub:  Smoking is permitted but not on the dance floor.
Outdoors: Smoking is permitted in designated areas on Deck 3 (starboard side) and Deck 10 (starboard side, midship and aft).
Note: Cigar and tobacco pipes are only permitted in the above designated outdoor smoking areas on Deck 10. 

So it is pretty limited and very much in line with smoking on other ships.


----------



## mevelandry

mrs. magoo said:


> Thank you for your reply.  I don't think she would be spending much time in the casino.  Vegas just turned us off so much I could not believe that people were smoking in the pool for heaven's sake.  I also was so surprised when I was asked about smoking and non smoking sections at restaurants.  We live in NY and that has not been an option for over 2 decades now.  The boat that seems to fit my dates is the Liberty not sure if anyone has any experiences with it.  I can't beat the price though for rooms with Verandas it is 2, 815 for the 3 days vs. 6,092 for the same dates on the Disney Cruise Line.



I have not tried the Liberty (yet) but have seen videos and I have a crush on that ship. 

Carnival prices are hard to beat, that's for sure. 

When you say your dates are limited, do you mean you have to stick to 3 days? 

Because I find that some longer cruises (4 days +) are not that much more expensive and have the reputation to be a bit more quiet than the 3 nights which may appeal more to certain people.


----------



## mousefanmichelle

mevelandry said:


> OMG! I'm totally jealous right now... I would go back on that ship in a heartbeat. I'm in love with the Vista.
> 
> A cruise is what you make of it. I love bad reviews because it keeps my expectations lower and from there it can be better than expected.  Lol
> 
> That being said, I'm hoping you're going to fall in love with it as much as I did.
> 
> Feel free to ask as many questions as you need...
> 
> We'll be happy to help!



Will do thanks!!!  I can't wait - we are under 60 days now and I day dream about it a lot since it's cold and wintery here in MI.


----------



## mousefanmichelle

Club Disney Chandler said:


> That itinerary is awesome, especially Curaçao, but this view on Grand Turk was pretty awesome too!
> View attachment 307541



That view is amazing!  Glad to hear it's a great itinerary!!  All places we have never been so I look forward to just exploring and seeing beautiful waters and the sites!


----------



## mevelandry

mousefanmichelle said:


> Will do thanks!!!  I can't wait - we are under 60 days now and I day dream about it a lot since it's cold and wintery here in MI.



I hear you. I'm from Canada.


----------



## mrs. magoo

mevelandry said:


> I have not tried the Liberty (yet) but have seen videos and I have a crush on that ship.
> 
> Carnival prices are hard to beat, that's for sure.
> 
> When you say your dates are limited, do you mean you have to stick to 3 days?
> 
> Because I find that some longer cruises (4 days +) are not that much more expensive and have the reputation to be a bit more quiet than the 3 nights which may appeal more to certain people.



I am very limited due to sports schedules and those returning to college.  My 16 year old plays football and can only miss a limited number of days and the two girls will be headed to college and I am not sure about the 21 year old since he will graduate in June of 2019.  It is difficult to plan with all these things but from what I can gather it is better to book early.  I need a sailing date during the first week and a 3 day cruise would be mostly over a weekend so it will mean limited missed days for sports.  Thank you for all the information.  Like I said it is a bit overwhelming.


----------



## mevelandry

mrs. magoo said:


> I am very limited due to sports schedules and those returning to college.  My 16 year old plays football and can only miss a limited number of days and the two girls will be headed to college and I am not sure about the 21 year old since he will graduate in June of 2019.  It is difficult to plan with all these things but from what I can gather it is better to book early.  I need a sailing date during the first week and a 3 day cruise would be mostly over a weekend so it will mean limited missed days for sports.  Thank you for all the information.  Like I said it is a bit overwhelming.



FYI, you are still early for Carnival bookings (a see a lot of people booking less than 2 months in advance)... 

If I may suggest. If you chose to book under "Early Saver": 

-Pros: It's less expensive to begin with AND if the price of your room category gets lower as you approach the date of your sailing, you can get an upgrade OR get On Board Credit (as a kind of refund) by filing a price protection form (and they usually answer within two hours). 

-Cons: If you have to cancel, they keep the money as a credit and they ask a 50$ fee per person to rebook... However, I have found out that if you leave your guests name under "TBA", you will only pay the fee for 1 person which is why I only add my husband name at the last minute).


----------



## trvlgirlmq

We've switched up our 2019 plans (of course as DS would say with an eye roll).  We canceled the RCCL cruise and have booked a Princess cruise to British Isles (still in the Carnival family!).  It has a much better itinerary.  It also costs more but I am crossing fingers for price drops.  We have an OV booked but can move down to an inside if we need to save more too. Here's hoping it's our last switch.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> We've switched up our 2019 plans (of course as DS would say with an eye roll).  We canceled the RCCL cruise and have booked a Princess cruise to British Isles (still in the Carnival family!).  It has a much better itinerary.  It also costs more but I am crossing fingers for price drops.  We have an OV booked but can move down to an inside if we need to save more too. Here's hoping it's our last switch.



British Isles... 

What are the ports?


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## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> British Isles...
> 
> What are the ports?



Southampton (arrive/depart) - St Peter Port, Guernsey - Edinburgh - Invergordon/Inverness - Greenock/Glasgow - Belfast - Dublin (overnight) - Cobh (Cork) - Le Havre (I can smell the croissant and baguettes)


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Southampton (arrive/depart) - St Peter Port, Guernsey - Edinburgh - Invergordon/Inverness - Greenock/Glasgow - Belfast - Dublin (overnight) - Cobh (Cork) - Le Havre (I can smell the croissant and baguettes)



Amazing itinerary! Dublin and Cork have been on my bucket list forever...


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Amazing itinerary! Dublin and Cork have been on my bucket list forever...



It was our first choice when we began planning but it's also $$$$$$ (although still several thousand less than DCL).  So we moved on.  But, we just couldn't let it go either as the other itinerary didn't go to Edinburgh or start/end in UK.  The whole premise of this trip was that the kids wanted to see London and the other trip would not have got us there.  I'm hoping my planning, scrimping and saving will make it work.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> It was our first choice when we began planning but it's also $$$$$$ (although still several thousand less than DCL).  So we moved on.  But, we just couldn't let it go either as the other itinerary didn't go to Edinburgh or start/end in UK.  The whole premise of this trip was that the kids wanted to see London and the other trip would not have got us there.  I'm hoping my planning, scrimping and saving will make it work.



I hope you can make it work and/or that the price will get lower.


----------



## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> It was our first choice when we began planning but it's also $$$$$$ (although still several thousand less than DCL).  So we moved on.  But, we just couldn't let it go either as the other itinerary didn't go to Edinburgh or start/end in UK.  The whole premise of this trip was that the kids wanted to see London and the other trip would not have got us there.  I'm hoping my planning, scrimping and saving will make it work.


Are you comparing it to DCL's British Isle's? I didn't think DCL's was that bad price wise since it's in September. 

Check out the Premier Inns in London. We stayed at the Premier Inn at Aldgate. It's near the the Tower of London and they have family rooms. We loved the location and the hotel.

 London is not cheap. The tourist sights are ridiculous. They make Disney World look cheap. We did not go in any of the buildings...just looked from the outside. A waitress at the Rose and Crown at WDW told me that a lot of the museums are free. It's something I'm going to research time next we go to London.

 If you can take a train to the port do so it's a lot cheaper then a private transfer. It's also pretty easy.  We also took the metro from LHR to the hotel and schlepped are bags the last few blocks.  Although we've cruised DCL a lot I'm kind of a budget traveler when it comes to hotels, transfers and excursions.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

cruiser21 said:


> Are you comparing it to DCL's British Isle's? I didn't think DCL's was that bad price wise since it's in September.
> 
> Check out the Premier Inns in London. We stayed at the Premier Inn at Aldgate. It's near the the Tower of London and they have family rooms. We loved the location and the hotel.
> 
> London is not cheap. The tourist sights are ridiculous. They make Disney World look cheap. We did not go in any of the buildings...just looked from the outside. A waitress at the Rose and Crown at WDW told me that a lot of the museums are free. It's something I'm going to research time next we go to London.
> 
> If you can take a train to the port do so it's a lot cheaper then a private transfer. It's also pretty easy.  We also took the metro from LHR to the hotel and schlepped are bags the last few blocks.  Although we've cruised DCL a lot I'm kind of a budget traveler when it comes to hotels, transfers and excursions.



I compared to the 11 day Northern Europe itinerary which is more comparable.  We can only travel from Memorial Day weekend until mid July due to marching band camp and school schedules so comparing to a cruise in September is not feasible.

12 night BI OV cabin for 4 on Princess: $8176.00
11 night Northern Eurpoe Inside cabin for 4 on DCL: $12540 CRAZY

Three of us have been to London before but my niece has not and she really wanted to visit.  Yes, there are tons of free museums and we will go to a couple of them.  The British Museum is free and they have the Elgin Marbles and lots of ancient Greek and Egyptian items which are very cool.  We'll probably stay a bit more central in Covent Garden so we can walk to more places.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I compared to the 11 day Northern Europe itinerary which is more comparable.  We can only travel from Memorial Day weekend until mid July due to marching band camp and school schedules so comparing to a cruise in September is not feasible.
> 
> 12 night BI OV cabin for 4 on Princess: $8176.00
> 11 night Northern Eurpoe Inside cabin for 4 on DCL: $12540 CRAZY
> 
> Three of us have been to London before but my niece has not and she really wanted to visit.  Yes, there are tons of free museums and we will go to a couple of them.  The British Museum is free and they have the Elgin Marbles and lots of ancient Greek and Egyptian items which are very cool.  We'll probably stay a bit more central in Covent Garden so we can walk to more places.



4000$ less. Wow.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> 4000$ less. Wow.



And a higher room category and 1 extra night.  This was just base fare without port fees, taxes and gratuities so you can imagine how much the end total would be.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

trvlgirlmq said:


> We've switched up our 2019 plans (of course as DS would say with an eye roll).  We canceled the RCCL cruise and have booked a Princess cruise to British Isles (still in the Carnival family!).  It has a much better itinerary.  It also costs more but I am crossing fingers for price drops.  We have an OV booked but can move down to an inside if we need to save more too. Here's hoping it's our last switch.



Keep an eye out - I have 2 Princess cruises booked for November/December 2018. While I haven't seen price drops, I was able to switch when the "3 for free" sale came out - free upgrade, free gratuities and free OBC (10 night cruise was $100 per person, 14 night cruise was $150 per person). While not a price drop, it means that I anticipate very little on board costs so it makes the cruises more "all inclusive".


----------



## mevelandry

I'm totally out of subject but have you seen what Royal Caribbean is doing with Coco Cay?

Huh... Castaway who????

It's incredible. It actually makes me wanna go back to the Bahamas.


----------



## mevelandry

Oh well... My husband and I fell in love with the plans of the new Coco Cay 2019 & the Mariner of the Seas (which will be refurbished in 2018) and just booked a Bahamas cruise for October 2019 with RCCL! 



Another day, another cruise booked. LOL 

That's right. 4 cruises booked for the next 2 years.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I'm totally out of subject but have you seen what Royal Caribbean is doing with Coco Cay?
> 
> Huh... Castaway who????
> 
> It's incredible. It actually makes me wanna go back to the Bahamas.


Wow!  That looks like it’s going to be pretty cool. 

I do have to say, I really believe that we all have Disney to thank for changing the face of cruising to the family event it now is. Before they entered into the cruising industry it really wasn’t the family thing to do. I can honestly say, we would never had tried cruising for our family if it wasn’t for Disney. We’ve always been a Disney vacation family, then we turned into a Disney Cruise vacation family, and now we’re just a Cruise vacation family. We’re very open to other cruise lines and are happy with any line as long as we’re on a ship. 

I guess my point is as much as I hate DCL’s crazy pricing these days, I’m so grateful they weren’t as expensive back in 2011 when we tried the Dream on our first cruise. I’m also equally as grateful for Carnival’s pricing for our first Vista cruise in 2016. 

Now the big question is, when am I going to try the new CocoCay????


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Oh well... My husband and I fell in love with the plans of the new Coco Cay 2019 & the Mariner of the Seas (which will be refurbished in 2018) and just booked a Bahamas cruise for October 2019 with RCCL!
> 
> 
> 
> Another day, another cruise booked. LOL
> 
> That's right. 4 cruises booked for the next 2 years.


That’s awesome! So happy for you.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Wow!  That looks like it’s going to be pretty cool.
> 
> I do have to say, I really believe that we all have Disney to thank for changing the face of cruising to the family event it now is. Before they entered into the cruising industry it really wasn’t the family thing to do. I can honestly say, we would never had tried cruising for our family if it wasn’t for Disney. We’ve always been a Disney vacation family, then we turned into a Disney Cruise vacation family, and now we’re just a Cruise vacation family. We’re very open to other cruise lines and are happy with any line as long as we’re on a ship.
> 
> I guess my point is as much as I hate DCL’s crazy pricing these days, I’m so grateful they weren’t as expensive back in 2011 when we tried the Dream on our first cruise. I’m also equally as grateful for Carnival’s pricing for our first Vista cruise in 2016.
> 
> Now the big question is, when am I going to try the new CocoCay????



Same here. It's Disney who really got us interested in cruising. It will also always be my point of reference when I compare cruise ships and cruise lines as they offer a very good product who brought me a lot of joy (no matter how high the price is).


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> That’s awesome! So happy for you.



Thank you. We are very excited. 

Also, the cruise itself just cost us 500$ Canadian dollars each (today it's 385$ US each because we paid a little bit more to get a refundable deposit)... which is the second cheapest rates we've had so far!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> I'm totally out of subject but have you seen what Royal Caribbean is doing with Coco Cay?
> 
> Huh... Castaway who????
> 
> It's incredible. It actually makes me wanna go back to the Bahamas.



I showed my son (he's 8) pictures and now he wants to go back. We have been to Coco Cay and he wasn't that impressed, he loved Labadee. So now I'm looking to book a 4-nighter in Nov/Dec next year (on the newly refurbed Mariner soon with waterslides and a virtual reality trampoline), and hopefully go down a couple nights early to stay at Disney (and maybe go to a Christmas party? check out Hollywood Studios after it's updates?). Just waiting to get back from our next cruise (29 days!) to make the decision on dates. Even a balcony we were looking at $1200 or so for two! CAD! Crazy...


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I showed my son (he's 8) pictures and now he wants to go back. We have been to Coco Cay and he wasn't that impressed, he loved Labadee. So now I'm looking to book a 4-nighter in Nov/Dec next year (on the newly refurbed Mariner soon with waterslides and a virtual reality trampoline), and hopefully go down a couple nights early to stay at Disney (and maybe go to a Christmas party? check out Hollywood Studios after it's updates?). Just waiting to get back from our next cruise (29 days!) to make the decision on dates. Even a balcony we were looking at $1200 or so for two! CAD! Crazy...



Are you looking at dates around thanksgiving? It would be cheaper if you avoid those, I think.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Are you looking at dates around thanksgiving? It would be cheaper if you avoid those, I think.



My son's birthday is Dec 9 so around then would be ideal. Although the deal is if we cruise on his birthday again we get to go on a cruise for my birthday again too. Mine's in February. Otherwise we can split the difference and go in January but I'd like to do the Christmas party.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> My son's birthday is Dec 9 so around then would be ideal. Although the deal is if we cruise on his birthday again we get to go on a cruise for my birthday again too. Mine's in February. Otherwise we can split the difference and go in January but I'd like to do the Christmas party.



I hope you'll find what you are looking for.


----------



## mevelandry

Yesterday, I learned that Carnival raised the prices for Faster to the Fun:


*Prices for FTTF starting from... *

*Cruise Durations*
$39.95 USD - 3 day cruises on Carnival Inspiration
$49.95 USD - 3 day cruises (excluding Carnival Liberty and Carnival Inspiration)
$59.95 USD - 3 day cruises on Carnival Liberty
$49.95 USD - 4 day cruises on Carnival Imagination, Carnival Inspiration and Carnival Sensation
$59.95 USD - 4 day cruises on Carnival Elation, Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Victory
$69.95 USD - 4 day cruises on Carnival Conquest, Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Paradise, Carnival Triumph, Carnival Valor and Carnival Vista
$59.95 USD - 5 day cruises on Carnival Sensation
$79.95 USD - 5 day cruises (excluding Carnival Sensation)
$89.95 USD - 6 day and 7 day cruises
$99.95 USD - 8 day and longer cruises (excluding Carnival Journeys departures)


P.s.: Take note that I decided to add a Faster To The Fun section in my first post as it can be an interesting option for some cruisers.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Carnival Conquest trip report!

Day 1: Embarkation and sail away
First time at Port Everglades-- excellent and took literally less than ten minutes from luggage drop off to ship. The port parking is steps from the terminal entrance and $15 /day. I have read that there is less expensive parking a shuttle away.
Heavy police presence at the port terminal (not security, but police) and travelling with the ship out of the port area (coast guard boats with machine guns going up and down from front to back of ship until it left port area). Not sure if this is just Port Everglades, or if we have not noticed it before at other ports. Pretty sure we've never seen it before. Also police checked ID and boarding pass before we could even drive into port area.

Ship is more like a DCL classic ship than the Vista. Almost seems like a different line from Vista. Theme is a celebration of Impressionist art (Monet and Renoir are main dining rooms). Lots of details and hidden mickey type messages. Read a quick survey of impressionism before you get on this ship to pick up on details! Some areas of the ship have a disney alice in wonderland feel.
Totally different cruisers on the Conquest than the Vista. Few young children. Plenty kids in 5+ range, but there were definitely more kids on Vista. I was a bit worried about "spring break cruisers," but no issue at all. I suspect that every CCL cruise will be different and random in terms of cruisers.

Food almost identical to Vista, excellent. Air conditioning "walls"/blowers at entrances to buffet area so nice and cool! Second level of seating in buffet area. Lots of space.

Cruise director Chloe nice but not half as good as Matt!! Much less of a presence, toned down.

Steward on Vista was excellent. This time also excellent but poor social skills.  Was not very happy that we asked for bed to be made to sofa during the day, but everything was well done.

Ocean view room great, but decor off (pink and tan?!). Drain problem in shower on first day. Maintenance came to fix after quick call. Solved. Air Conditioning in room works great. Bed very comfortable. Free bottles of large water for return guests.

No lines at coffee bar. Small line at pizza. No lines beyond a few people for events or anytime dining. Totally different on Vista. Conquest has much more laid back vibe. Doesn't feel crowded at all but ship is fully booked because we tried to upgrade to balcony a few weeks before sailing.

Amazing violin musicians in atrium. Later band with saxophones in atrium. Steel drum played by one artist on deck 5. Dj on pool deck. Awesome dining staff in mdr. Coconut shrimp entree delicious. Vietnamese shrimp roll app not for me. Effy jewelry push. No gold by the inch push like on Vista. Cherry on top 1/3 of the size of Vista's but still have giant smartees.

Skipped welcome show for daddy's home 2 dive in movie. Lol. 
Going home today, will send more later.  Have to figure out how to make pictures smaller to upload.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Carnival Conquest trip report!
> 
> Day 1: Embarkation and sail away
> First time at Port Everglades-- excellent and took literally less than ten minutes from luggage drop off to ship. The port parking is steps from the terminal entrance and $15 /day. I have read that there is less expensive parking a shuttle away.
> Heavy police presence at the port terminal (not security, but police) and travelling with the ship out of the port area (coast guard boats with machine guns going up and down from front to back of ship until it left port area). Not sure if this is just Port Everglades, or if we have not noticed it before at other ports. Pretty sure we've never seen it before. Also police checked ID and boarding pass before we could even drive into port area.
> 
> Ship is more like a DCL classic ship than the Vista. Almost seems like a different line from Vista. Theme is a celebration of Impressionist art (Monet and Renoir are main dining rooms). Lots of details and hidden mickey type messages. Read a quick survey of impressionism before you get on this ship to pick up on details! Some areas of the ship have a disney alice in wonderland feel.
> Totally different cruisers on the Conquest than the Vista. Few young children. Plenty kids in 5+ range, but there were definitely more kids on Vista. I was a bit worried about "spring break cruisers," but no issue at all. I suspect that every CCL cruise will be different and random in terms of cruisers.
> 
> Food almost identical to Vista, excellent. Air conditioning "walls"/blowers at entrances to buffet area so nice and cool! Second level of seating in buffet area. Lots of space.
> 
> Cruise director Chloe nice but not half as good as Matt!! Much less of a presence, toned down.
> 
> Steward on Vista was excellent. This time also excellent but poor social skills.  Was not very happy that we asked for bed to be made to sofa during the day, but everything was well done.
> 
> Ocean view room great, but decor off (pink and tan?!). Drain problem in shower on first day. Maintenance came to fix after quick call. Solved. Air Conditioning in room works great. Bed very comfortable. Free bottles of large water for return guests.
> 
> No lines at coffee bar. Small line at pizza. No lines beyond a few people for events or anytime dining. Totally different on Vista. Conquest has much more laid back vibe. Doesn't feel crowded at all but ship is fully booked because we tried to upgrade to balcony a few weeks before sailing.
> 
> Amazing violin musicians in atrium. Later band with saxophones in atrium. Steel drum played by one artist on deck 5. Dj on pool deck. Awesome dining staff in mdr. Coconut shrimp entree delicious. Vietnamese shrimp roll app not for me. Effy jewelry push. No gold by the inch push like on Vista. Cherry on top 1/3 of the size of Vista's but still have giant smartees.
> 
> Skipped welcome show for daddy's home 2 dive in movie. Lol.
> Going home today, will send more later.  Have to figure out how to make pictures smaller to upload.



Thanks for your review! Would you say you liked the Conquest more than the Vista?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Day 2: Sea day
Went to craft making at 9am. Sea day brunch around 10am. Froot loop french toast. Steak and eggs. Dropped children at kids club for magician show. Went to coffee bar. Checked back on them but they were emersed. Walked around ship. Groove for st. Jude on pool deck. Checked back again, still emersed. Read on loungers on deck 4. Reminds me of DCL. Picked up kids. One made a piggy bank. The other one got into trouble for not sharing. Ugh. Tea time at 3pm. Really empty! Then pizza pirate-- delicious. Never tried any on Vista but kids ate a lot. Mini golf very windy and sunny on top deck. Conquest has amazing pool area in the back. Retractable roof over pool. Always available seating in the area.

One child (the good one) wanted to go to kiddie club while we went to mdr. Learning about Picasso in kid club and drawing Picasso style art. Elegant night. Lobster. Staff danced to justin Timberlake, "dance, dance, dance." Lol. Full band in atrium. Lots of picture taking. Everyone dressed up. They sat us with same wait staff even though we are anytime dining. Waitstaff really, really awesome. Anytime dining just walk up to dining room-- not like Vista where you have to check in at a different location. Much more seemless on Conquest. Live music every where on ship. Love it.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Thanks for your review! Would you say you liked the Conquest more than the Vista?


spoiler alert:  close call but yes


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Day 3: Amber Cove
Went to buffet for breakfast. Crowded but plenty of seating. Food was ok, standard breakfast. Picked up daily puzzle. Crown Princess parked next to us at Amber Cove. Got off at Amber Cove. Forgot one child's sail and sign and dh had to go back to get it. At exit, Carnival already had water and tent set up on dock. Lots of photographers and no lines. Walked through developed area of Amber Cove and bought sunscreen and hat. $10 each. Lots of shopping there. Amber Cove is interesting because it is a gated resort area developed specifically for cruisers by Carnival, almost like a private island, but has no beach access right by the port. There is a free pool complex with a bar/food ($) and zip line over the pool ($) and lots of shopping and a bay where I think you can rent kayaks. Plenty of excursions and car rentals available on site, but we took a taxi to Malacombe beach ($70 roundtrip for 5 for "all day" anywhere). Recommended by dispatcher. Nice beach and had statue of Neptune (famous) but I would recommend a different beach. Kids enjoyed it but after about an hour one started freaking out about sand. We were planning on going to playa plata as well (city), but had to go back to ship with difficult child. Our driver had also offered to take us to a better beach. He was great and gave us mini tour, but one of the kids was just disagreeable so we went back to port. We talked to some Princess cruisers in Amber Cove who said ship was VERY QUIET! Said they missed Carnival. They said much older crowd on Princess. Our teen son did zip line in Amber Cove ($20). Free pool area there very nice. We spent a few minutes there before getting back on the ship.
Showered and kids to club. Went to Hasbro game show and DH picked as contestant! But he lost.  They did give him a Hasbro card game. Lol. Went to Punchliner comedy, Mark Sweeney, great. Picked up kids who made rubber band bracelets and scratch card drawings. They were very happy with the arts and crafts.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

pool at back of ship.  beautiful at night.  never crowded.  i am still trying to figure out photos.  it will only let me upload certain ones that are apparently smaller files


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## we"reofftoneverland

back pool at night


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

cabin decor?!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

light in cabin.  I thought this light was a bizarre light.   We loved the ship decor but not the cabin decor.  Not a big deal, just pointing out observations.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

desserts at coffee bar!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Day 4: Grand Turk
Ordered room service for breakfast for first time this cruise. Coffee, hot chocolate, cereal, yogurt, croissants.  All excellent.. Got off at about 7:45am and headed to beach. Crown Princess docking while we were getting off. This would be our last joint port stop. Beautiful day just lying on beach. One child insisted on staying in kid camp while other one went to beach with us. People next to us on beach found 4 conch shells and gave us 2! Beautiful. Margaritaville rocking. Shopped at port area before getting back on boat about 1pm. Picked up child at club. Showered and ate at Pizza Pirate and Guy's Burgers. Snacks at Sweet Spot (rum cake, hazelnut cake, strawberry marshmellows) and Coffee Bar. Pulled away from Grand Turk and ran into rough seas. Bought 2 t-shirts at the 2 for $20 t-shirt sale. Almost won $100 pack with "the claw" game. Dropped $$ at last second. Lol. Napped in room, ship rocking up and down. Kids watched Despicable Me 3 on TV. Music in atrium. Awesome 7 person band. Mdr where waiters danced to uptown funk. One child made small bag at club. Other played a series of games including the ever fun gaga ball. Everyone very happy.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Day 5: Half Moon Cay

Ugh! Carnival does not seem to have the tender system down. Or at least did not on this day. Plan was to go to Alchemy Bar to pick up tickets with group number to get off. We took our time getting there and wound up with group 32. A half hour later they were handing out tickets for around group 60. Soon after they ran out of tickets (?!) and told remaining people to show up to tender after everyone else. There were a fair amount of unhappy people. The process started late and it went downhill from there. It took us about an hour and a half to be called to tender. When we got there we realized that half the people getting on the tender did not have tickets. So there was no order to the process. No one was checking tickets. We have tendered 2x with ncl (none with dcl) and ncl has the system down. On NCL, you are called by room/floor and it is fast. Like we are ready early and they were already on general boarding before we made it to the tender. NCL has several boats running both times. When they call you, it is to a staging area near the gangway (like one time it was the theater) where you are lead by staff row by row to the tender. It is very organized and constantly moving. Not on CCL. CCL had only 2 boats running (!!), even though there were other boats in the port they could have used. There was no point to the tender tickets since they were letting on anyone at any time. The process was also painfully slow. But... the island was fabulous. Easily rivals Castaway. Better in that it is larger and has more remote areas. The island is also landscaped in an idylic way like Castaway. We stayed on the island about five hours, mostly hanging on the beach, but also exploring and walking to a tip of the island.  Free food on the island was also nearly identical to Castaway, except no soft serve.
That night DH and I went to The Point steakhouse ($35 pp). We felt like the cost was well worth it. Very old fashioned and relaxing atmosphere and food excellent. We did not do this on the Vista but decided to go on Conquest. Definitely a steakhouse, although they had a few other dishes besides steak, and the food was not as "complex" as Palo. For us the atmosphere beat Palo because it was more private and romantic.  I feel like you are more on display at Palo. The waitstaff was very attentive but not as "overbearing" as at Palo. This is a personal preference. We have only done Remy once and are not huge fans. We are just not into eating enough for a restaurant like Remy.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

I have a lot of pictures of HMC and will figure out how to upload!!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Day 5: Half Moon Cay
> 
> Ugh! Carnival does not seem to have the tender system down. Or at least did not on this day. Plan was to go to Alchemy Bar to pick up tickets with group number to get off. We took our time getting there and wound up with group 32. A half hour later they were handing out tickets for around group 60. Soon after they ran out of tickets (?!) and told remaining people to show up to tender after everyone else. There were a fair amount of unhappy people. The process started late and it went downhill from there. It took us about an hour and a half to be called to tender. When we got there we realized that half the people getting on the tender did not have tickets. So there was no order to the process. No one was checking tickets. We have tendered 2x with ncl (none with dcl) and ncl has the system down. On NCL, you are called by room/floor and it is fast. Like we are ready early and they were already on general boarding before we made it to the tender. NCL has several boats running both times. When they call you, it is to a staging area near the gangway (like one time it was the theater) where you are lead by staff row by row to the tender. It is very organized and constantly moving. Not on CCL. CCL had only 2 boats running (!!), even though there were other boats in the port they could have used. There was no point to the tender tickets since they were letting on anyone at any time. The process was also painfully slow. But... the island was fabulous. Easily rivals Castaway. Better in that it is larger and has more remote areas. The island is also landscaped in an idylic way like Castaway. We stayed on the island about five hours, mostly hanging on the beach, but also exploring and walking to a tip of the island.  Free food on the island was also nearly identical to Castaway, except no soft serve.
> That night DH and I went to The Point steakhouse ($35 pp). We felt like the cost was well worth it. Very old fashioned and relaxing atmosphere and food excellent. We did not do this on the Vista but decided to go on Conquest. Definitely a steakhouse, although they had a few other dishes besides steak, and the food was not as "complex" as Palo. For us the atmosphere beat Palo because it was more private and romantic.  I feel like you are more on display at Palo. The waitstaff was very attentive but not as "overbearing" as at Palo. This is a personal preference. We have only done Remy once and are not huge fans. We are just not into eating enough for a restaurant like Remy.


We loved the steakhouse on Vista, never been to Remy or Palo on DCL. When we tendered at Grand Cayman on Vista it was very organized and painless, pretty quick. I’m really looking forward to the rest of your review, thanks for doing this.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> View attachment 309542 View attachment 309544 View attachment 309545 desserts at coffee bar!


That is a White Forest cake, right? How is it? That's the next cake I want to try. (I tried the Blue Velvet and loved it).


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Day 5: Half Moon Cay
> 
> Ugh! Carnival does not seem to have the tender system down. Or at least did not on this day. Plan was to go to Alchemy Bar to pick up tickets with group number to get off. We took our time getting there and wound up with group 32. A half hour later they were handing out tickets for around group 60. Soon after they ran out of tickets (?!) and told remaining people to show up to tender after everyone else. There were a fair amount of unhappy people. The process started late and it went downhill from there. It took us about an hour and a half to be called to tender. When we got there we realized that half the people getting on the tender did not have tickets. So there was no order to the process. No one was checking tickets. We have tendered 2x with ncl (none with dcl) and ncl has the system down. On NCL, you are called by room/floor and it is fast. Like we are ready early and they were already on general boarding before we made it to the tender. NCL has several boats running both times. When they call you, it is to a staging area near the gangway (like one time it was the theater) where you are lead by staff row by row to the tender. It is very organized and constantly moving. Not on CCL. CCL had only 2 boats running (!!), even though there were other boats in the port they could have used. There was no point to the tender tickets since they were letting on anyone at any time. The process was also painfully slow. But... the island was fabulous. Easily rivals Castaway. Better in that it is larger and has more remote areas. The island is also landscaped in an idylic way like Castaway. We stayed on the island about five hours, mostly hanging on the beach, but also exploring and walking to a tip of the island.  Free food on the island was also nearly identical to Castaway, except no soft serve.
> That night DH and I went to The Point steakhouse ($35 pp). We felt like the cost was well worth it. Very old fashioned and relaxing atmosphere and food excellent. We did not do this on the Vista but decided to go on Conquest. Definitely a steakhouse, although they had a few other dishes besides steak, and the food was not as "complex" as Palo. For us the atmosphere beat Palo because it was more private and romantic.  I feel like you are more on display at Palo. The waitstaff was very attentive but not as "overbearing" as at Palo. This is a personal preference. We have only done Remy once and are not huge fans. We are just not into eating enough for a restaurant like Remy.




The lack of discipline regarding the tendering is definitely something I would write down on the survey AND would complain about on John Heald's page in order for them to give more attention to the problem.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We loved the steakhouse on Vista, never been to Remy or Palo on DCL. When we tendered at Grand Cayman on Vista it was very organized and painless, pretty quick. I’m really looking forward to the rest of your review, thanks for doing this.


That is great to hear about tendering.  We figured our experience was probably not the norm because it seemed so strange.  We were not upset about it, just surprised.   We will definitely do the steakhouse on CCL for every cruise now!  Loved it.  Glad you guys are reading.  I will finish today.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> That is a White Forest cake, right? How is it? That's the next cake I want to try. (I tried the Blue Velvet and loved it).


Yes!  White forest and I forgot the name of the other one.  The base was made of chocolate.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> The lack of discipline regarding the tendering is definitely something I would write down on the survey AND would complain about on John Heald's page in order for them to give more attention to the problem.


I will let them know.  Their overall operations are excellent.  
We got home late last night.  I have already received the OBB offer.  It is the standard one:




GET *50% OFF OF YOUR DEPOSIT*, 
*$50 ONBOARD CASH*, *FREE UPGRADES*,
AND *PRICE PROTECTION*.

OR

*BOOK A SUITE *

GET 50% OFF OF YOUR DEPOSIT, 
*$100 ONBOARD CASH*

I also received an email from ncl and they have $1 deposits right now.


----------



## lovin'fl

We have done 1 Disney, 1 Royal and 8 Carnival cruises. Getting off and on the ship with Carnival is my sole complaint. We just did the Royal cruise and I felt it did not compare to Carnival in most areas...like food and bar service and activities...Carnival does it better IMO. But the one thing going for Royal, IMO, was they knew how to promptly get folks on and off the ship. Except disembark day...that was mass chaos. Carnival always has long lines to get off and back on in port...and tendering is worse.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

1 of the 2 for $20 t-shirts


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

craft morning


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## MickeyD

Ok, I am loving the Conquest review! Thank you we'reofftoneverland! This is one of the ships we are looking at booking. I thought it interesting that the people from Crown Princess were saying it was too quiet and a much older crowd. Good to know, since we also looked at that one. I don't remember if Half Moon Cay was the private island we went to with Carnival or not? Does anyone remember how long they have been going there? Can't wait to see pics.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Great review we'reofftoneverland.  I've only tendered once and it was easy so hoping you just had a one-off bad experience.  We are booked on Crown Princess for 2019 but it's a European cruise so we will fit right in!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Day 6: Nassau
We ordered continental breakfast to the room again. They always call about ten minutes after they deliver it to make sure everything is as ordered and to ask if you need anything else. They did this for us on the Vista too. Very good service. Our ship was first in port but not for long-- DCL Magic was pulling in. We got ready quickly and got off the ship at about 8:30 am. It was a gorgeous day. We walked to the queens staircase (free) and up to the fort (can't remember, but about $3 pp to enter). We have done this before but maybe 4 years ago when we left the younger kids in DCL kids club. So it was new for them. We originally got the "self walking tour" idea from the DCL unofficial guide. They have a Nassau self walking tour in there which is great. The unofficial guide tour goes beyond the fort and continues to other sites... but today one of the kids said he had had enough and wanted to go to the kids club. Of course! So we walked back to port, stopping at a gift shop to get a mini snow globe made in China that said Nassau on it and had a dolphin inside ($4.50). Junk! When we got back to port, the party had begun. DCL Wonder was now also docked (those pushy DCL ships got the first 2 slots closest to the city. lol), along with CCL Liberty and NCL Escape, which DH said, "looked right out of the box." Talk about a pristine looking ship. They were next to us and getting their party music and red carpet set up! Funny, because people on Dis always say that everyone not on the DCL ships wishes they were on the DCL ships when in port with them. Well... After walking past all the ships, I could tell we were all thinking the same thing, and finally the 8 year old busted out with it. "Boy, I'd love to go on that ship," he said, pointing at the NCL Escape, "Book that one for our next vacation." Lol, Disney, you've lost the 8 year old boy market. So we dropped him off at kids club and took off again for Nassau and the Pirate Museum (about $13 adults, $6 kids up to 18- love that). This was new for us and if you have younger kids, I recommend it. The museum is in a beautiful building and very well done, but it is a short exhibition and if you are just going with adults you may feel like you did not get your money's worth. The theme continues with an attached bar/restaurant, Smuggler's Bar, and also a Starbucks. We did not go to them, but they looked cool.  The entire area is nice. After the museum we decided to call it a day and headed back to the ship. We stopped at a place that had 3 for $25 t-shirts and Tortuga Rum shop to buy a cake ($20). The shopping streets were packed at this point and we headed back for a Guy's burger and the Chocolate Dessert bar on our last day.
I just want to mention if you do the Queen's Staircase on your own, you might get people trying to appoint themselves to be your tour guide.   They do not work there and are just entrepreneurial (gotta love it).  Both times we have walked the staircase, we just said that we were fine alone, thank you.  No issue.
That night we hit one more comedy show, mdr which had prime rib and baked Alaska (waitstaff did fire show with Baked Alaska-- awesome), picked up a couple of photos at Pixels, watched the balloon drop where "Harvey" from a room on deck 1 won the giveaway even though my kids had stacked the deck and did 3 balloons each. lol. The kids went to the kids club at about 8 and came out at about 9 with a bunch of swag, saying they were "so sad." It is awful, that last night, and the only thing that makes it better is booking another cruise, or thinking about the one you have already booked. We went back to pack and gave our Jordan Schlansky type (Conan Obrien utube) steward an extra tip (not huge $40 total for 2 rooms)  because he was also awesome and he said, "God bless you," which a steward has never said to me and made me want to cry even though I am not really religious because it was so sweet of him to say and I was going to miss him and the ship and all of it.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Final observations:
No issues with drinking on Vista or Conquest cruise. Drinking level same as DCL on both cruises. Dh preferred Conquest to Vista because the ship felt much less crowded than Vista even though fully booked. But DH also thinks DCL Dream and Fantasy feel too crowded at times in the buffet and kids club hallway. The Conquest has so many venues for events. Felt like more than on both Vista and all DCL ships. We always found seating at the buffet no matter how crowded. This was not always the case for us on any DCL ship. Our teen preferred the Vista to the Conquest because of the extra activities on the top deck like the sky ride. Our younger kids did not miss those things, or anything on DCL, but one still talks about some top deck activities that were on NCL. Our two younger kids simply loved Camp Ocean on both ships and wanted to go there frequently. I forgot to mention one of our kids won a ship on a stick in the kids club for a lipsinc contest. He was beyond thrilled. This cracks me up, because he is not the type and told us not to mention how he won it to anyone back home. The kids club CCL (Camp Ocean) is really wonderful.
One of our kids was in the older camp ocean group (sharks) and this group often went to a conference room on deck 4. Camp Ocean is on deck 12. I read about this before the cruise on CC and thought it might be an issue but ds preferred this venue to the regular club. Lots of organized activities, crafts and games for all age groups in Camp Ocean. More than on DCL and our younger kids still prefer Camp Ocean to the DCL clubs. They were happy with DCL until around age 6 after which point they started to say they were board and spent a lot of time watching the Mickey cartoon loop in the stateroom. Lol. I know those new Mickey cartoons by heart. Teen club was more similar to DCL in terms of activities. Very cool theming of French cafe in the arts district of Paris. Rivals oh la la bar on DCL for theming. Our teen has never been interested in the teen clubs on DCL and is not interested in them on CCL. This is probably a personality thing. He is very social but I guess just not on vacation? At least not yet! We saw lots of scavenger hunts going on with that age group and it looked like a lot of fun.
He hangs out with us and his brothers but he is very interested in photography (like kids that age) and we can always find him on a top deck when we are leaving or coming into port filming time lapses. He also reads on loungers in the sun and brought a library book from home but also found a Dan Brown book in the ship library which he borrowed. He loves the Dive in Movies and sat for a double feature one night they were showing Justice League and then Thor. That night they also showed Bladerunner at midnight but we convinced him to ditch it because we were going to the beach early the next morning. The last night they were showing Coco and he wanted us all to go watch it but we all got swept up in last night activities. We checked for it at every redbox we saw on the way home but it was always out.

We missed Matt and when we go on CCL Dream this summer we cannot wait for the Flying Scotsman as we love the more engaged cruise director on the Vista. But we still felt like there was always something going on and we did not get to do everything we wanted because there were so many things to choose from. I think Matt sets the bar very high. We missed the headliner show Flick which we had read is good and planned on seeing. Everything just gets so busy. The comedians on this cruise were hysterical, especially Mark Sweeney.
There was a larger dessert choice on the Vista at the coffee bar (no blue velvet on Conquest at least not our cruise) which we missed but the bar itself (not the dessert case) was larger and had almost no lines. On the Vista there were always lines for the coffee bar. We ended up meeting a lot of fun people in those lines, but the "empty" feel on the Conquest was very relaxing. The coffee bar has the buy 6 get one free card.

The buffet and food offerings elsewhere throughout the ship are identical to the Vista as far as we could tell.
We are not big tv people, but Carnival's decision to drop so many channels is a bummer. I suspect they will revisit this sometime in the future. Also the kids watched the channel Boomerang occasionally on the Vista and loved it- it was all old tom and jerry and old bugs bunny cartoons. Well now it is new Tom and Jerry and new Bugs bunny which I did not know even existed but the kids did not like them and kept asking for the "old" boomerang channel.

At this point I am the only one in the family still tempted by DCL and so I cannot see us going back in the forseeable future. It has to be an off season cruise to begin even justifying the price. But even with similar pricing, the kids are not interested (I tried lobbying with them for one in 2019 and lost. Pricing was not similar for that one and pretty awful but I was still lobbying. DH said okay, but kids said no. Lol Disney, what's up with that?). DH is REALLY not interested and would only go with DCL again for me. Now that he has experienced the food options on other lines, he is very critical of DCL regardless of pricing. The kids do still ask to go to wdw. We love cruising mostly because we are beach people and it allows us to see beaches all over the Caribbean. DCL is more limited on that front too. We will eventually do Alaska and Panama Canal but we are most happy bouncing around the Caribbean. Every time we look at Alaska, DH says let's do it another time. Not a fan of cold. Kind of funny but we had an Alaska cruise booked with DCL for 2015 and ended up cancelling because, well, the beach called. But that cruise was right at $8000 and I have looked at pricing for kicks for 2019... close to $14k. Good lord. Same week, same people, same ship, same cabins. We have looked into Panama Canal and always assumed we would do DCL for that one, but other lines have much more calendar availability and better itineraries there too... not to mention the elephant in the room, $$$. I won't say never say never, but we really really love Carnival and want to try other lines too. We also love NCL, but the kids did not like the kids club half as much as on CCL.

If pushed I would probably pick the Conquest over the Vista because I am a sucker for theming of any kind and agree that there is a lot of space on the Conquest. But there are things I love about both ships. One thing DH pointed out was that the Conquest was in exceptional condition, and it was. He really notices stuff like that.

I am being dragged to costco right now. No food in the house.  More photos will be coming soon.  I really wanted to put them in the text to do a "proper" review but they are coming...


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

lovin'fl said:


> We have done 1 Disney, 1 Royal and 8 Carnival cruises. Getting off and on the ship with Carnival is my sole complaint. We just did the Royal cruise and I felt it did not compare to Carnival in most areas...like food and bar service and activities...Carnival does it better IMO. But the one thing going for Royal, IMO, was they knew how to promptly get folks on and off the ship. Except disembark day...that was mass chaos. Carnival always has long lines to get off and back on in port...and tendering is worse.


Embarkation on Vista last summer was chaos for us, but embarkation on Conquest was very smooth.  It will be interesting to see how it is this summer with CCL out of NOLA.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

MickeyD said:


> Ok, I am loving the Conquest review! Thank you we'reofftoneverland! This is one of the ships we are looking at booking. I thought it interesting that the people from Crown Princess were saying it was too quiet and a much older crowd. Good to know, since we also looked at that one. I don't remember if Half Moon Cay was the private island we went to with Carnival or not? Does anyone remember how long they have been going there? Can't wait to see pics.


We want to try Princess too!  I have heard they have old love boat episodes on a loop on one tv channel.  That's enough to get us on.  A princess ship (Regal) followed us out of Port Everglades and was playing the Love Boat theme on it's horn.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> Great review we'reofftoneverland.  I've only tendered once and it was easy so hoping you just had a one-off bad experience.  We are booked on Crown Princess for 2019 but it's a European cruise so we will fit right in!


I am sure you will love Princess.  I also heard they have Discovery Channel theme activities at the kids club-- sounds great.  Some people in the coffee line when we were on the Vista last summer said the pastries at the coffee bar on Princess were amazing-- and free!


----------



## lovin'fl

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Embarkation on Vista last summer was chaos for us, but embarkation on Conquest was very smooth.  It will be interesting to see how it is this summer with CCL out of NOLA.


We have the new Horizon booked for Oct. Hope embark goes well. They aren't offering FTTF for it since it will be new to the port. Bummed about that.


----------



## mevelandry

Are you embarking in Miami? 

When we boarded the Vista, it went very well: they called a group every minute or two. There was a lot of seats in the waiting room. Staff was nice. It was a good experience.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

lovin'fl said:


> We have the new Horizon booked for Oct. Hope embark goes well. They aren't offering FTTF for it since it will be new to the port. Bummed about that.


The Horizon looks amazing!!


----------



## lovin'fl

mevelandry said:


> Are you embarking in Miami?
> 
> When we boarded the Vista, it went very well: they called a group every minute or two. There was a lot of seats in the waiting room. Staff was nice. It was a good experience.


On the Horizon...we get on in Miami.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

one photo uploaded from half moon cay.  More coming


----------



## MickeyD

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We want to try Princess too!  I have heard they have old love boat episodes on a loop on one tv channel.  That's enough to get us on.  A princess ship (Regal) followed us out of Port Everglades and was playing the Love Boat theme on it's horn.



We have done Grand Princess and really loved it. Did not feel like it was an older crowd at all, so not sure why the Crown would be so different? I think you would like Princess because you mentioned you like theming and their ships are gorgeous. I have seen the Regal in pics and would love to sail it, or her sister ship, the Royal.


----------



## mevelandry

My husband is second guessing our decision to book a 7 nights southern caribbean cruise with NCL. He says he'd rather do 2 (shorter) cruises instead of a long one and try different ships and cruise lines. I guess I do care more about destinations than he does. 

In his mind, nothing is ever gonna beat Grand Cayman. 

I have to admit that the idea of cruising more often is appealing.... 

Hmmmm.... 

Decisions, decisions...


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> My husband is second guessing our decision to book a 7 nights southern caribbean cruise with NCL. He says he'd rather do 2 (shorter) cruises instead of a long one and try different ships and cruise lines. I guess I do care more about destinations than he does.
> 
> In his mind, nothing is ever gonna beat Grand Cayman.
> 
> I have to admit that the idea of cruising more often is appealing....
> 
> Hmmmm....
> 
> Decisions, decisions...


Curaçao really beats Grand Cayman by a huge margin, I’m just sayin’


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## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Curaçao really beats Grand Cayman by a huge margin, I’m just sayin’



Taking notes.


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## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Taking notes.


Why don’t you join us on Horizon for the 8 night Southern on 6/1/19?


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## mevelandry

Oh well. After a long discussion, we decided to cancel the NCL southern Caribbean cruise we had planned for 2019 (which would have been awesome but a bit expensive for us right now with all the renovations we need to do on the house + some incertainties)...

We went for a cruise that should cost us 1000$ less. 

We replaced it with a 5 nights Eastern (Grand Turk and Amber Cove) ... In a Cloud 9 spa cabin (OMG OMG OMG!) ... On the Carnival Sunshine, which is one of the Carnival ships I've been dying to try!

I'm not sad. Southern is just postponed.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Why don’t you join us on Horizon for the 8 night Southern on 6/1/19?



I wish I could!  It will depend on how things are regarding work! (Lots of incertainties regarding DH work as the company he works for should be sold in 2018). 

But DH and I always book for our birthdays in April and our anniversary in October... We usually add a Trip to NYC or else in between... So I never say never!


----------



## mevelandry

Anybody ever stopped at Amber Cove? 

What did you think of it? 

I've seen videos and I think it looks beautiful with the mountains in the background. It reminds me of Jamaica a bit. 

Does anybody know what is included and what isn't included?


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> Anybody ever stopped at Amber Cove?
> 
> What did you think of it?
> 
> I've seen videos and I think it looks beautiful with the mountains in the background. It reminds me of Jamaica a bit.
> 
> Does anybody know what is included and what isn't included?



I stopped there on fathom and was NOT impressed. It is small and definitely contained within gates that are guarded by armed guards.

Zero food is included. 

There is a pool, which I think is included - but meh, I don't do pools. They gross me out.

There is no beach - you have to do an excursion out of the armed-guarded gates to get to a beach (and most of those are about 30 minutes away in an armed-guarded collection of resorts. 

They have "cabanas" you can buy for the day - either hillside, poolside, or over water. But the furniture looked like cheap lawn stuff - not nice teak furniture.

There's a shopping area within the gates that has your standard stuff and some local stuff. Meh. Nothing special IMHO.

It is manufactured to be a port, and it FEELS manufactured - complete with fake amber ornamentation all over the place.

Honestly if I was ever on a ship going there (not likely unless I decided to give Princess a try and they went there) I would make it a "docked sea day" and not bother getting off the ship.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> I stopped there on fathom and was NOT impressed. It is small and definitely contained within gates that are guarded by armed guards.
> 
> Zero food is included.
> 
> There is a pool, which I think is included - but meh, I don't do pools. They gross me out.
> 
> There is no beach - you have to do an excursion out of the armed-guarded gates to get to a beach (and most of those are about 30 minutes away in an armed-guarded collection of resorts.
> 
> They have "cabanas" you can buy for the day - either hillside, poolside, or over water. But the furniture looked like cheap lawn stuff - not nice teak furniture.
> 
> There's a shopping area within the gates that has your standard stuff and some local stuff. Meh. Nothing special IMHO.
> 
> It is manufactured to be a port, and it FEELS manufactured - complete with fake amber ornamentation all over the place.
> 
> Honestly if I was ever on a ship going there (not likely unless I decided to give Princess a try and they went there) I would make it a "docked sea day" and not bother getting off the ship.



I was expecting the place to be heavily guarded as it is in Dominican Republic.

I don't plan to get out of there since I love pools (I'm usually not grossed out by them) and heard DR is quite unsafe.

TBH, I'm not expecting to do anything more than I did in Jamaica which is: having a drink in a bar surrounded by cute mountains and a little vegetation. Let's just say I have higher expectations from Grand Turk and I chose this cruise for the ship & because it was not Nassau. LOL

Thanks for the information regarding the food. I'll make sure to bring cash... (Do they take cash?)


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> I was expecting the place to be heavily guarded as it is in Dominican Republic.
> 
> I don't plan to get out of there since I love pools (I'm usually not grossed out by them) and heard DR is quite unsafe.
> 
> TBH, I'm not expecting to do anything more than I did in Jamaica which is: having a drink in a bar surrounded by cute mountains and a little vegetation. Let's just say I have higher expectations from Grand Turk and I chose this cruise for the ship & because it was not Nassau. LOL
> 
> Thanks for the information regarding the food. I'll make sure to bring cash... (Do they take cash?)



Yes, it's cash or credit card. You can't charge back to the ship.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> Yes, it's cash or credit card. You can't charge back to the ship.



Do you remember what kind of restaurants you can find there? Any of them worth of mention?


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> Do you remember what kind of restaurants you can find there? Any of them worth of mention?



I only remember one that was a restaurant and bar. Nothing to write home about, but it beat another night of steak or chicken on the ship (P&O - which was really the operating force of the food and beverage on fathom - is NOT gluten-free friendly). It was clean and the service was fine though.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> I only remember one that was a restaurant and bar. Nothing to write home about, but it beat another night of steak or chicken on the ship (P&O - which was really the operating force of the food and beverage on fathom - is NOT gluten-free friendly). It was clean and the service was fine though.



Thanks. I've just started looking up for infos regarding Amber Cove and wasn't sure what to find there.


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## mevelandry

@PrincessTrisha Any interesting tips you could give me regarding the Sunshine? 

I think I remember you saying that they had something similar to Pig & Anchor on the ship? Do you remember what it was called and where to find it?


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> @PrincessTrisha Any interesting tips you could give me regarding the Sunshine?
> 
> I think I remember you saying that they had something similar to Pig & Anchor on the ship? Do you remember what it was called and where to find it?



First day they had the BBQ at the taste bar for embarkation lunch - it wasn't crowded and the food was good. They also had pitchers of ice tea, lemonade and water (plus tea and coffee).

The taste bar was used for breakfast everyday and lunch on sea days. They also have Cucina's and JiJi's at the back of the ship which is a great place if you like omelets in the morning or the fresh made pasta or wok for lunch. The Havana bar is also in the same place and it has little bites at both breakfast and lunch which are cool to check out.

The Serenity area on the Sunshine is probably the most popular one in the fleet - it's 3 decks and has a waterfall from the top that goes from the hot tub at the top to the pool down below.

They have the Java Café and Shake Spot on deck 5 and the milkshakes are amazing! They have a huge variety of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic types.

The comedy club is popular - if you can't see the stage, they have jumbo screens on the sides of the room so you can see and hear the comedian.

The ship has so many of the bells and whistles of the big new ships but it's not overly big - easy to get from one place to another quickly.

The ocean plaza on deck 5 (where there is the Red Frog Pub, Alchemy bar, Taste Bar and Java Café / Shake Spot) holds many of the daytime events. It's a great place to just be in the centre of the indoor activities.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> First day they had the BBQ at the taste bar for embarkation lunch - it wasn't crowded and the food was good. They also had pitchers of ice tea, lemonade and water (plus tea and coffee).
> 
> The taste bar was used for breakfast everyday and lunch on sea days. They also have Cucina's and JiJi's at the back of the ship which is a great place if you like omelets in the morning or the fresh made pasta or wok for lunch. The Havana bar is also in the same place and it has little bites at both breakfast and lunch which are cool to check out.
> 
> The Serenity area on the Sunshine is probably the most popular one in the fleet - it's 3 decks and has a waterfall from the top that goes from the hot tub at the top to the pool down below.
> 
> They have the Java Café and Shake Spot on deck 5 and the milkshakes are amazing! They have a huge variety of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic types.
> 
> The comedy club is popular - if you can't see the stage, they have jumbo screens on the sides of the room so you can see and hear the comedian.
> 
> The ship has so many of the bells and whistles of the big new ships but it's not overly big - easy to get from one place to another quickly.
> 
> The ocean plaza on deck 5 (where there is the Red Frog Pub, Alchemy bar, Taste Bar and Java Café / Shake Spot) holds many of the daytime events. It's a great place to just be in the centre of the indoor activities.



Thank you so much for your answers! 

Ok, So the BBQ you had was at the Taste Bar... Ok, will look for that. The ship will be on dry dock in October though. Hopefully they are going to add Pig & Anchor or the À la carte Guy Fieri restaurant like they have on the Horizon. (Yes, I'm willing to pay for that BBQ, that's how much I love it). 

I already booked the Steakhouse and Jiji for dinner! I loved them so much on the Vista that I can't wait to repeat the experience.  While I liked Cucina del Capitano, I have a soft spot for the free lunch (the lasagna was so good!) so I think I'll stick to lunch time.  

I am obsessed with the Serenity pool. It's the main reason why the Sunshine has always been on my "bucket list". 

My DH and I are very excited for this cruise... but we have two more to go before that one. LOL


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I just made reservations for Bonsai Teppenaki for our Horizon cruise in 2019, I can hardly wait to try it. I’m trying to decide if I should make reservations for JiJi’s too. We love the free lunch there and everyone talks about how amazing the dinner is so I want to try it, but I’m really cheap when it comes to paying extra for food on a cruise. 

I have decided to upgrade my wife’s and I cabin from Havana interior to Havana Cabana. We’ll be across the hall from our teens instead of next door. I only turn 50 once right???


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I just made reservations for Bonsai Teppenaki for our Horizon cruise in 2019, I can hardly wait to try it. I’m trying to decide if I should make reservations for JiJi’s too. We love the free lunch there and everyone talks about how amazing the dinner is so I want to try it, but I’m really cheap when it comes to paying extra for food on a cruise.
> 
> I have decided to upgrade my wife’s and I cabin from Havana interior to Havana Cabana. We’ll be across the hall from our teens instead of next door. I only turn 50 once right???



If the Teppanyaki is as good as what I had with Bonsai Sushi on the Vista, I'm sure you'll have a great experience. 

Jiji Asian Kitchen is absolutely wonderful. To us, it was like an "asian Remy"... Outstanding! For 15$/pp it's an excellent value. I already booked it for my Sunshine cruise. I recommend it.

Congrats on your Havana Cabana!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I just made reservations for Bonsai Teppenaki for our Horizon cruise in 2019, I can hardly wait to try it. I’m trying to decide if I should make reservations for JiJi’s too. We love the free lunch there and everyone talks about how amazing the dinner is so I want to try it, but I’m really cheap when it comes to paying extra for food on a cruise.
> 
> I have decided to upgrade my wife’s and I cabin from Havana interior to Havana Cabana. We’ll be across the hall from our teens instead of next door. I only turn 50 once right???



I second the JiJi's recommendation - go for it - it's a small extra fee you won't regret. It is our favourite specialty restaurant at sea on any cruise line.

And yes - you only turn 50 once so enjoy it (and I'm sure you will in a Havana Cabana!)


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I just made reservations for Bonsai Teppenaki for our Horizon cruise in 2019, I can hardly wait to try it. I’m trying to decide if I should make reservations for JiJi’s too. We love the free lunch there and everyone talks about how amazing the dinner is so I want to try it, but I’m really cheap when it comes to paying extra for food on a cruise.
> 
> I have decided to upgrade my wife’s and I cabin from Havana interior to Havana Cabana. We’ll be across the hall from our teens instead of next door. I only turn 50 once right???



Oh, man I want to try a Havana room!  I hate to pay extra for food too but we are also trying JiJi this time because I have $50 OBC and that will almost cover it for the 4 of us.  I have heard really good things about it.


----------



## mevelandry

Here's my hommage of the day to Jiji Asian Kitchen... Or as I like to call it "Carnival's Asian Remy". 



Rose Crème Brulée... 
Chicken Kong Pao

Appetizers while we were waiting for our food... 
Nice table dressing...

The Duck...


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

In case anyone is interested, John Heald just announced, Carnival is releasing itineraries and booking for Panorama, (Vista 3), tomorrow. It will be homeported out of Long Beach. We are definitely booking something tomorrow! I’m so excited to be able to drive to a port that has a great ship, and we’ll probably add on a couple days at Disneyland!!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> In case anyone is interested, John Heald just announced, Carnival is releasing itineraries and booking for Panorama, (Vista 3), tomorrow. It will be homeported out of Long Beach. We are definitely booking something tomorrow! I’m so excited to be able to drive to a port that has a great ship, and we’ll probably add on a couple days at Disneyland!!



I'll take a look but our plans for summer 2020 were supposed to be my niece's sweet 16 at WDW.  Maybe we can move that to her graduation trip. 

I have not been following the build at all.  Are there changes to some of the Vista things that are so wrong like the theatre set up?  Just wondering if it is worth it to even look at if the ship is just a replica of Vista.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> In case anyone is interested, John Heald just announced, Carnival is releasing itineraries and booking for Panorama, (Vista 3), tomorrow. It will be homeported out of Long Beach. We are definitely booking something tomorrow! I’m so excited to be able to drive to a port that has a great ship, and we’ll probably add on a couple days at Disneyland!!



In your opinion, what kind of itineraries can we expect from Long Beach?


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I'll take a look but our plans for summer 2020 were supposed to be my niece's sweet 16 at WDW.  Maybe we can move that to her graduation trip.
> 
> I have not been following the build at all.  Are there changes to some of the Vista things that are so wrong like the theatre set up?  Just wondering if it is worth it to even look at if the ship is just a replica of Vista.



The Horizon seems very different from the Vista but with some similarities. I'm expecting the Panorama to have some similarities but with its own personality as well.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> In your opinion, what kind of itineraries can we expect from Long Beach?


Rumor is 7 night Mexico every week, but there is also some speculation of alternating 6 and 8 night Mexico cruises. Also, has been talk of 14 night round trip to Hawaii periodically throughout the year.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Rumor is 7 night Mexico every week, but there is also some speculation of alternating 6 and 8 night Mexico cruises. Also, has been talk of 14 night round trip to Hawaii periodically throughout the year.



Ahhhhh Hawaii... Someday.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Ahhhhh Hawaii... Someday.


I would love that cruise so much. I saw a couple years ago, Princess had one advertised for about $1000/person for a 14 day round trip. It was at a time I couldn’t go though so I couldn’t take advantage of the price. I saw it advertised in August for an October cruise. I’d love that itinerary, Sea days are my favorite.


----------



## wanderlust7

Club Disney Chandler said:


> In case anyone is interested, John Heald just announced, Carnival is releasing itineraries and booking for Panorama, (Vista 3), tomorrow. It will be homeported out of Long Beach. We are definitely booking something tomorrow! I’m so excited to be able to drive to a port that has a great ship, and we’ll probably add on a couple days at Disneyland!!



Thanks for the heads up!  Not a whole lot of choices for ships with more bells and whistles sailing from California.  Will definitely be taking a look tomorrow.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I would love that cruise so much. I saw a couple years ago, Princess had one advertised for about $1000/person for a 14 day round trip. It was at a time I couldn’t go though so I couldn’t take advantage of the price. I saw it advertised in August for an October cruise. I’d love that itinerary, Sea days are my favorite.



You can sometimes score very good deals when you book at the last minute. 

I just saw this morning that Princess offers an Alaska cruise (with an excellent itinerary) in May for 400$/pp in an inside room (it must be cold at that time of the year but who cares)... 

It's something I wish I could do.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Woo Hoo!  We’re booked for 2 connecting Havana Cabanas for Panorama 6/6/20.  It’s my daughters graduation cruise, we can drive from AZ to the port and spend a couple days at Disneyland before.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Woo Hoo!  We’re booked for 2 connecting Havana Cabanas for Panorama 6/6/20.  It’s my daughters graduation cruise, we can drive from AZ to the port and spend a couple days at Disneyland before.
> View attachment 310221



WOW. My jaw just dropped. 

What is your itinerary?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> WOW. My jaw just dropped.
> 
> What is your itinerary?


One Sea day at the beginning and 2 at the end. The two cabins for 4 people is $6000. Kind of expensive for Mexico, but compared to the $8800 we’re spending for 2 insides on the Wonder to Alaska, it seems really cheap.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> One Sea day at the beginning and 2 at the end. The two cabins for 4 people is $6000. Kind of expensive for Mexico, but compared to the $8800 we’re spending for 2 insides on the Wonder to Alaska, it seems really cheap.
> View attachment 310231



Nice! It sounds like a great value!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I’ve got May 30, 2020 on hold for a Havana Cabana. We would do Disneyland too!


----------



## mevelandry

I would book for 2020 but... I'm the kind of person who changes plans a thousand times. I don't think I could keep a booking for 2 years.


----------



## mevelandry

Does anyone have experience with the "new" decoration kits on Carnival? Did you like it? Do you have pictures? 

I remember being very satisfied with what I have received on our first Carnival cruise. The kits were soooo affordable in 2016! They upgraded them since and of course the cost is now a bit more closer to what DCL charges. 

I just ordered one for my cabin for our upcoming trip. The package I picked has four magnetic danglers, one magnetic hanging banner, one 5" x 7" picture frame, and one 30" x 60" beach towel. And a cake! (We picked the chocolate one because DH and I really liked the one we ordered the last time (also, for 6$ more, it's quite the bargain!)


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Holy moly I have paid our deposit!  I have never booked anything this early.  I am so excited to try the Havana area, visit Mexico and go back to Disneyland (haven't been since 2006).


----------



## wanderlust7

Any recommendation for who to book with?  Our DCL ones have been with Costco.  Is that still the best bet?  The Panorama sailings aren't loaded yet.  Not sure if they'll have the refundable rates.

The Havana Cabanas look great!  Too bad my kids are under 12.  Thinking about the Family Harbor, but worried about the noise issues reported with some of those cabins.  Guess I'd have to look at Vista reviews and hope the cabin numbers are exactly the same.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

wanderlust7 said:


> Any recommendation for who to book with?  Our DCL ones have been with Costco.  Is that still the best bet?  The Panorama sailings aren't loaded yet.  Not sure if they'll have the refundable rates.
> 
> The Havana Cabanas look great!  Too bad my kids are under 12.  Thinking about the Family Harbor, but worried about the noise issues reported with some of those cabins.  Guess I'd have to look at Vista reviews and hope the cabin numbers are exactly the same.



I would just book directly with Carnival.  I like to be in control of my reservation so never use a TA. 

It looks like the rooms are pretty similar numbering so you could look at Vista to gauge where you may want to be located.


----------



## RedSox68

Club Disney Chandler said:


> One Sea day at the beginning and 2 at the end. The two cabins for 4 people is $6000. Kind of expensive for Mexico, but compared to the $8800 we’re spending for 2 insides on the Wonder to Alaska, it seems really cheap.
> View attachment 310231



WOW, what a gorgeous room!  I didn't even know Carnival had a ship named Panorama.  Gotta check that one out.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

RedSox68 said:


> WOW, what a gorgeous room!  I didn't even know Carnival had a ship named Panorama.  Gotta check that one out.



Not much to check out yet as they just started building her in January!  She is a sister to Vista and Horizon though (closer to Horizon) with a few modifications we have heard (no IMAX).  I am so pumped to try a Havana room.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> Holy moly I have paid our deposit!  I have never booked anything this early.  I am so excited to try the Havana area, visit Mexico and go back to Disneyland (haven't been since 2006).


When are you going?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

So my wife booked our family on Panorama for the first week of June 2020 yesterday. Today she’s booking the 3rd week for her and a bunch of her teacher friends, I think she may have a cruising addiction!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> When are you going?



May 30.  My mom is not into heat so she said the earlier the better. We'll do DL after the cruise.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

part of kids club on CCL Conquest
desperately trying to figure out photos...


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

deck five with glass flower lights that remind me of Alice in Wonderland.  I have better photos of them.  This area is part of a huge seating area that lines the windows on deck 5 .  It was never full, very spacious, relaxing.  At night they used part of the area for photos.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Crazy to read what y'all have been talking about on this thread-- We too have booked Panorama!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Amber Cove, Dominican Republic  Hasbro Game show lol


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Half Moon Cay
huge, plenty of more remote places to spend the day.  Lots of areas along the beach with natural shade from trees.  Lots of loungers stacked  to take to more remote areas. Third and last photos are approaching Half Moon Cay.  4th photo is just a view of the sea from our cabin.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Half Moon Cay, so not crowded!  DS in his RonJon Grand Turk clearance rack shirt (bottom photo).  We only do clearance rack which is why we pretty much never bought anything on dcl.  lol.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Crazy to read what y'all have been talking about on this thread-- We too have booked Panorama!



What is your date?  I read on CC that someone had booked October 2020!  I though 26 months was a long wait but man that is closer to 3 years!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

We are the last date available in June (I think it is June 27).  We usually book earlier in June or late August but our school district and a neighboring district (that our district likes to copy) have been playing around with school dates kind of dramatically the last couple of years, so annoying, and we just do not know what they will do with the calendar so we tried to pick right in the center of summer to be safe so far out.  I hate doing that because it is a bit more expensive but the rates are so good, we went for it.  We also got the rebooking offer, not a big deal but something.  The rate was actually cheaper per night than we got for the same rooms on the Vista in August 2017.  lol.  CCL is definitely not DCL.  Thank goodness.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Crazy to read what y'all have been talking about on this thread-- We too have booked Panorama!



Apparently I'm the only one who has not booked the Panorama.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Apparently I'm the only one who has not booked the Panorama.


\

Well, come on join the party.  We would all love to meet our fearless leader so pick a sailing!


----------



## robinb

mevelandry said:


> Apparently I'm the only one who has not booked the Panorama.


I have not booked either .


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> View attachment 310644 View attachment 310644 Half Moon Cay, so not crowded!  DS in his RonJon Grand Turk clearance rack shirt (bottom photo).  We only do clearance rack which is why we pretty much never bought anything on dcl.  lol.View attachment 310641 View attachment 310641 View attachment 310642 View attachment 310640



WOW. Half Moon Cay looks like a mash up between Castaway Cay & Grand Cayman!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> \
> 
> Well, come on join the party.  We would all love to meet our fearless leader so pick a sailing!



You'll have to convince my husband first. He's already dizzy because of my 4th booking.


----------



## mevelandry

Ok, maybe after our April cruise, when they have a 49$/pp or 99$/pp promo? LOL


Now, I've been looking the "Amazing prices" thread and all cruises seem to be at least 500 to 1000$ more (for inside cabin) than Carnival. They could easily get Havana cabins for the prices they pay on DCL.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Ok, maybe after our April cruise, when they have a 49$/pp or 99$/pp promo? LOL
> 
> 
> Now, I've been looking the "Amazing prices" thread and all cruises seem to be at least 500 to 1000$ more (for inside cabin) than Carnival. They could easily get Havana cabins for the prices they pay on DCL.


I’ve got to say, I’m a little scared that after we experience Havana next year that I’m not going to want to go back to anything else. The Cloud 9 Spa rooms do look pretty nice though, just seems like such a wonderful way to relax on a cruise. I really love the decor of them. I’m anxious to here what you think of them.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Ok, maybe after our April cruise, when they have a 49$/pp or 99$/pp promo? LOL
> 
> 
> Now, I've been looking the "Amazing prices" thread and all cruises seem to be at least 500 to 1000$ more (for inside cabin) than Carnival. They could easily get Havana cabins for the prices they pay on DCL.



I think there is a deal on now for Panorama - lower deposits, get OBC, for past guests only. You might want to check it out  Not to enable you or anything...


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’ve got to say, I’m a little scared that after we experience Havana next year that I’m not going to want to go back to anything else. The Cloud 9 Spa rooms do look pretty nice though, just seems like such a wonderful way to relax on a cruise. I really love the decor of them. I’m anxious to here what you think of them.



Oh but we had a Cloud 9 Spa cabin on the Vista. I LOVED it! They were decorated a bit differently but they replaced the products with the Elemis products (which I happen to love), we had robes and slipers in the room. It gives you acces to one or two free classes of yoga or pilates (unfortunately, we did not have the chance to attend them) + a % off treatments on port days (the more you buy, the bigger % off).

 I have experimented a "15 seconds sample" of hot stone massage. If I had not already splurged on a Royal Palm Cabana in Grand Cayman, I would have booked it. OMG it was amazing. I recommend it. 

The thermal suite is nice. There was a thalasso pool (unfortunately not all ships have them), perfumed showers (big fan), saunas & different rooms, heated chairs & a beautiful lounge with the best ocean view, teas and fruits infused water. I heard you also receive a free package of scrub but I totally forgot to ask. You can access the suite from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. 

The cabins are situated on a small deck. The hallways are very quiet. 

The only downside of the Cloud 9 Spa is, when you check-in on the first day, they give you a little tour, which mean you'll have to visit every room and learn about all the products and treatment they are selling. It last 30 minutes  which feels like forever BUT once you're off the hook, you can relax for the rest of the week.


----------



## goofygal531

wanderlust7 said:


> Any recommendation for who to book with?  Our DCL ones have been with Costco.  Is that still the best bet?  The Panorama sailings aren't loaded yet.  Not sure if they'll have the refundable rates.
> 
> The Havana Cabanas look great!  Too bad my kids are under 12.  Thinking about the Family Harbor, but worried about the noise issues reported with some of those cabins.  Guess I'd have to look at Vista reviews and hope the cabin numbers are exactly the same.



Loved Family Harbor on the Vista. However, the room location was awful! We were in cabin 2429. Every night from 1am to 5am we heard pots and pans dropping on the floor above our bed. It was a nightmare! We complained along with other cabins around us and Carnival compensated us. Lesson learned! DO NOT SLEEP UNDER THE GALLEY!

We're sailing the Horizon next year and really thought about our room location! As much as we enjoyed the convenience of the Family Harbor breakfast buffet, we are far away from it on the Horizon!


----------



## mevelandry

I can't remember if I shared them but here's a few pictures of our Cloud 9 Spa inside cabin on the Carnival Vista... And the thermal suite! 

 The Spa Lounge where you can get fruit infused water & tea.


Thalasso pool and heated chairs.


One of the three or four saunas/infra heat/other rooms.

*I don't have pictures of the perfumed showers*


----------



## wanderlust7

goofygal531 said:


> Loved Family Harbor on the Vista. However, the room location was awful! We were in cabin 2429. Every night from 1am to 5am we heard pots and pans dropping on the floor above our bed. It was a nightmare! We complained along with other cabins around us and Carnival compensated us. Lesson learned! DO NOT SLEEP UNDER THE GALLEY!



Thank you!  I've been scouring CC reviews, threads, YouTube videos, etc and came to the same conclusion.    The layout looks so great though with the separate area for kids and split bath (looks even better than DCL since shower on one side, bathtub on the other).  Oh well...think we'll just book a regular balcony.


----------



## mevelandry

You may have noticed that the head of the beds are at the wrong place. Typically, this room is supposed to be twin beds non-convertible. But since it was our anniversary, our steward put them together anyway. We lost a big of space in front of the closet and the use of one of the the lamps but that's it.  I should have taken a picture of the other side of the room, we had plenty of space to get around. At the right of the closet was a cute little desk with a mirror. 

The room is usually not that dark, we had not open the lights. XD


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I think there is a deal on now for Panorama - lower deposits, get OBC, for past guests only. You might want to check it out  Not to enable you or anything...



You are right. That's a good deal. 

But last night I promised my husband I wouldn't book anything else for now. 

Hopefully, by October 2019, the ship will still have cabins available.


----------



## goofygal531

wanderlust7 said:


> Thank you!  I've been scouring CC reviews, threads, YouTube videos, etc and came to the same conclusion.    The layout looks so great though with the separate area for kids and split bath (looks even better than DCL since shower on one side, bathtub on the other).  Oh well...think we'll just book a regular balcony.



I didn’t have a family suite with the split baths, we had one of four family cove balcony rooms.

We love the cove staterooms. We enjoying being close to the water line. Plus we like the close proximity to the MDR for breakfast. It’s also handy being on deck 2 returning from excursions.


----------



## mevelandry

Hi guys,

For many reasons, we have decided to change our Isla Pasion excursion in Cozumel for a beach day in Chankanaab. We wanted something closer to the port and seats closer to the ocean (it's a mobility issue).

Anybody tried it? (I really trust your judgment) Any tips or recommendations?


----------



## goofygal531

mevelandry said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> For many reasons, we have decided to change our Isla Pasion excursion in Cozumel for a beach day in Chankanaab. We wanted something closer to the port and seats closer to the ocean (it's a mobility issue).
> 
> Anybody tried it? (I really trust your judgment) Any tips or recommendations?




We’ve never considered Chankanaab because I’ve heard they do not have a beach. They have a cliff (I’m exaggerating) where you jump off of to snorkel. They might have a sandy area but it’s not a beach where people go to spend the day.

If you want a beach and a pool, I’d recommend Paradise Beach. We loved it! 10 mins from the Port, pay as you go. $3 entry fee per person. They have a very detailed website with a menu listed. Food was delicious. 

Over on the cruise forum (cc) there’s a poster named “mitsugirly”. She has detailed reviews of all her excursions. She’s been to many! I highly recommend her reports. They are very enjoyable reads. In Cozumel, she’s been to passion island, Chankanaab, Paradise Beach, Mr Sanchos, Nachi Cocon, Playa Mia etc....


----------



## mevelandry

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep it in mind. You never know.  

It's actually thanks to Mitsugirly's review I knew we needed to change excursions. 

We know Chankanaab doesn't have "beach beach" (there are stairs) but we feel like it's going to fit our needs.


----------



## wanderlust7

mevelandry said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> For many reasons, we have decided to change our Isla Pasion excursion in Cozumel for a beach day in Chankanaab. We wanted something closer to the port and seats closer to the ocean (it's a mobility issue).
> 
> Anybody tried it? (I really trust your judgment) Any tips or recommendations?



We enjoyed Chankanaab.  But I think it depends on what you're looking for.  The dolphin encounter was a good deal not going through Disney.  The sea lion show was cute.  The "beach" area has palapas and drink service, but the sand seems to be only the top layer and it's hard underneath.  The snorkeling is easy access with a metal ladder and pretty good according to DH and DS.  There is a little cove that should be a true beach, but we didn't stop there (don't remember seeing any chairs).  The pool is nice with a swim up bar and the food there was good (especially the fish tacos).


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep it in mind. You never know.
> 
> It's actually thanks to Mitsugirly's review I knew we needed to change excursions.
> 
> We know Chankanaab doesn't have "beach beach" (there are stairs) but we feel like it's going to fit our needs.


We've been to Chankanaab. Another thumbs up from me. It's very clean, nice beach, chairs with umbrellas, great food. There's a some Mayan ruins, a little zoo with some big gators. A sea lion show. The snorkeling was great. You can also rent kayaks if you want. I actually like it better then castaway. Of course unlike Castaway there's a fee to get in and everything cost extra.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

We are trying Chankanaab the next time we go to Cozumel too.  We have been to Paradise Beach and we thought it was nice and a great deal, but the beach is very rocky when you walk into the water.


----------



## wanderlust7

I booked 2 Panorama sailings about a year apart.  Eek!

The first one is one of the first sailings, which I'm a little nervous about.  I'll be following the Horizon roll out.  If things seem problematic, I might think about cancelling.  But if not, I'll be sure to report back!  

I used www.cruisecompete.com and went with the TA with OBC that comes out to about 12% of cruise fare (which he just subtracted from the total).  PLUS it's a completely refundable rate.  When it gets closer, I plan to look for the 10% off Carnival gift cards.  Good deal!


----------



## cruiser21

I this new ship only sailing to Mexico?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cruiser21 said:


> I this new ship only sailing to Mexico?


At this point it is. They may be adding some Hawaii sailings from time to time.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

wanderlust7 said:


> I booked 2 Panorama sailings about a year apart.  Eek!
> 
> The first one is one of the first sailings, which I'm a little nervous about.  I'll be following the Horizon roll out.  If things seem problematic, I might think about cancelling.  But if not, I'll be sure to report back!
> 
> I used www.cruisecompete.com and went with the TA with OBC that comes out to about 12% of cruise fare (which he just subtracted from the total).  PLUS it's a completely refundable rate.  When it gets closer, I plan to look for the 10% off Carnival gift cards.  Good deal!


Vista rolled out with zero issues, we were on the 4th sailing and it was flawless.


----------



## cruiser21

Club Disney Chandler said:


> At this point it is. They may be adding some Hawaii sailings from time to time.


The Bliss will be doing Mexican Riviera cruises too. It's nice to have some new ships on the West coast. I wonder if DCL will put a new ship on the Pacific.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cruiser21 said:


> The Bliss will be doing Mexican Riviera cruises too. It's nice to have some new ships on the West coast. I wonder if DCL will put a new ship on the Pacific.


I didn’t know Bliss was doing Mexico!  That’s awesome news, I really want to try that ship so bad, couldn’t talk the family into it this summer for Alaska. I think DCL will keep a ship on the west coast year round. It really makes sense to do that once they have more ships.


----------



## cruiser21

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I didn’t know Bliss was doing Mexico!  That’s awesome news, I really want to try that ship so bad, couldn’t talk the family into it this summer for Alaska. I think DCL will keep a ship on the west coast year round. It really makes sense to do that once they have more ships.


Just in October and April the next 1 1/2 years. The Bliss will  have a couple of Panama cruises each year. I'm not sure where she is in the winter I'm guessing Miami.
Just checked Miami in the Winter next year and New York in 2020,


----------



## wanderlust7

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Vista rolled out with zero issues, we were on the 4th sailing and it was flawless.



That's so great to hear, thank you!  Especially impressive considering it's first of its class.



Club Disney Chandler said:


> I didn’t know Bliss was doing Mexico!  That’s awesome news, I really want to try that ship so bad, couldn’t talk the family into it this summer for Alaska. I think DCL will keep a ship on the west coast year round. It really makes sense to do that once they have more ships.



I seriously considered the Bliss to Mexico for spring break 2019.  It would have been about the same cost per day as a Wonder Baja non-school break.  There happened to be a week where my kids had a random teacher-in-service day off AND it would be my birthday, so that tipped the scales (plus I had a placeholder to use).  We NEVER travel on my birthday (kids are in school!), so really looking forward to it.


----------



## mevelandry

Has anyone seen pictures of the Carnival Paradise post dry dock? It looks nice. 

It reminds me of the recent pictures I've seen from the Carnival Sensation. It's not the Vista but I think I would be happy sailing on her. Maybe someday. 

p.s.: ARGHHHHHH The last days before a cruise are ... agonizing!


----------



## tigerchic89

Here's my 3 day trip report just off Carnival Liberty.  It's long sorry, feel free to skip.  It was a fun cheap trip but I still love DCL 100 times more.

I'm going to write up a trip report here, so just move on if that kind of thing bores you!  In January, I was sick of the cold weather in Atlanta and wanted to go somewhere to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I started looking at vacations and we really struggled with taking too much time and money away from our family vacations, which are still our favorite way to spend.  Allen figured out that he would already be in Orlando for work in March, My mom would already be in town to see Elizabeth's drama performance, and my flight to Orlando was super cheap.

I left Orlando on a Tuesday.  Allen was already in Orlando. I planned for some ATL traffic getting to he airport, but it was worse than normal and it took me 2 hours to get to the parking shuttle spot. I went to check my bag at the self kiosk, and it wanted to charge me $25.  I don't travel much so I'm confused, but we pay for that Delta AMEX so your 1st bag can fly free.  So I stand in line to talk to someone.  She says that since Allen is the primary cardholder I have to be traveling with him to get my bag free.  But I can call AMEX later. Ok that was aggravating, charge my Delta AMEX the $25, so I can go.  By this time the window for my bag has passed, but she says my bag is not "late" but it's ok she'll put it through it will make it.
TSA line, sign says 15 minutes.  No problem, I check my phone, catch up on facebook, finish my water.  I check the time and I've been waiting 30 minutes and I'm not even up to the screeners.  Needless to say, I got to the gate 3 minutes late, and the plane had left without me.   They put me standby on the next flight to Orlando (every hour), with no charge, I cleared no problem, grabbed lunch from Chipotle and even got a window exit row seat (yay!).
I land in Orlando and I’m happy to know that I should just be able to grab my bag that’s been waiting on me from the earlier flight.   I don’t see my bag waiting so I assume that it also missed the early flight.  All of the bags from my standby flight come off and I still have no bag.  My bag has all of my favorite swim suits, shoes, stuff to wear on cruises, and all of Allen’s cruise clothes.  My luggage was not a designer piece (a huge High Sierra rolling duffle in black), but this was the 2nd time that I’ve used it and I think it’s a good looking and could look like it’s full of nice things.  I just *knew* that it had been stolen.  AND I had to may $25 to check it.
To the lost luggage counter I went.  My 1st time there,  I had to wait behind 3 people.
 I did not realize this, but apparently people use the lost luggage counter as an opportunity to go shopping to upgrade their luggage.  I couldn’t understand all of the conversation as some was spoken in another language, but the customer’s luggage got snagged in a few spots and so the lady went to the back a few times and brought out 3 different suitcases for him to choose from.  So he found one the he liked better than “his” and moves his stuff into his “new” suitcase.  Sorry, I think that is so gross!!!
Ok it’s my turn. She looks up my bag and it shows that it did arrive on the early flight.  Yes, I looked everywhere, it’s not in there.  She asked if I was headed to Disney.  I said, “I wish, not this time but I’m staying at an off property hotel.”  So then she asked, “BY chance did you have a Disney luggage tag on it?".  The last time that I used the luggage was on our Thanksgiving DCL Fantasy cruise.   We drove that trip, but they give you barcoded luggage tags to get your luggage to your stateroom. I had not removed that tag.  She called the Disney luggage area but they could not find my bag. She said that I could hand around the airport a few hours (!!), or come back later (we had no car), but she could not deliver my bag when it surfaced because it was a late check bag!

I leave her office kind of freaking out.  I decide that my bag must be headed to the Fantasy (maybe I can find it and crawl inside!).  I asked and found the Disney desk in the airport. Actually, I found the busses that are loading people to take them to their cruises or WDW resorts.  And I start visually scanning the bus luggage holds looking for my black bag.  I probably looked a little crazy stalking the luggage.  So someone directed me away from the busses to the desk.  I nice lady picked up the phone, called and said, ”Hi, do you have a bag down there for Harper?  Yes.  Yes.  No bring it now to me because I also have to aske you something.”  And within 3 minutes my bag was being rolled out by a Disney luggage guy.  Magical.

I didn’t want to spend $80 on a car service or $60 on a cab and I’ve heard that Uber can be high and hard to use from the Orlando airport, so I booked a Shared Shuttle through Mears.  One way was $23.  I had to wait about 15 minutes to be picked up, but the van was clean and nice.  It stopped at one resort and dropped 5 people, the took me to the Wyndham Grand Bonnet Creek.
Allen was staying here for work and I was able to get a key to his room.   The room was nice and really large.  It had a cute alcove with twin bunks that would be perfect for kids.  When his meetings ended, we met his co workers in the hotel bar for happy hour.  They had a work dinner event that evening, so they left and I ate dinner at the bar (which was *really* nice).  The Wyndham Grand is part of 5 or 6 high rises that make up a complex the over look a lake.  I took a walk around the lake and checked out the mini golf, pools, lazy river, ect.  Then I headed back to the room, caught up on the internet and watched 3 Friends re-runs and fell asleep early (Isn’t this every mom’s dream???)
The next day, Allen had some meetings and then some work emails to return.  I hung out at the pool.  It was a windy and cold day, but in the sunshine it felt warm.  
Around 3, I made Allen shut off his PC and we caught the free shuttle into Disney Springs (Downtown Disney).  The hotel offers a free shuttle there, which I thought was awesome.  But it only runs 3 times a day which was really not.  A van picked us up, and it was kind of gross.  There were 3 of us that got on at the Grand.  Then it stopped at another Wyndham and picked up 3 more.  There was no 3rd seat in the van so the 6 of us really had to squish into the 2 bench seats.  So that part was kind of icky.
We walked around and grabbed a late lunch at the Mexican restaurant by Rick Bayless.  It was good but expensive for what we got.  We walked around and shopped some more.  Then headed to the House of Blues where they had live music on the patio.  We had a few drinks there and then headed for the return shuttle.  The return shuttle was a pretty nice Coach bus.  There were 5 of us on it, so I’m not sure what was up with the sketch van that took us there because the 2 rides were very different.

The next morning we needed to head to Port Canaveral.  I could have hired a car service for $130.  Or we could have spent $50-$80 getting back to the airport and then spend $40-$70 on a shuttle.  Instead, we got an Uber ($10) to Avis in the Hilton lobby near DtD.  Our rental car was $70 ish for the day.  Allen thinks the guy was going to give him the red convertable Camero SS (?) but when Allen answered, “no I’m not traveling alone I’m with my wife” and he saw all of our luggage we got upgraded to an SUV instead of the intermediate that he reserved.  We left the Disney area and stopped at McDonalds for breakfast.   I had scoped out a Publix right off the turnpike near the port.  We stopped there, picked up 2 bottles of wine, a 6 pack of Dr. Pepper,  a 6 pack of LaCroix, some sunscreen and chapstick.  We also refilled the car with gas.
We dropped the car at Avis and took the Avis shuttle to get to the port.
We looked into just extending a land vacation in Florida after his work conference, but nothing looked perfect.  We didn’t want to do theme parks without the kids, the Florida beaches were not super cheap and the weather could still be cool, ect.  So I looked into cruises.  Of course I checked every DCL option and came close to booking one.  But in the end, we decided to try Carnival as it was 1/3 the price.  I read reviews on the Liberty and overall the Liberty got good reviews.  So we booked a Carnival 3 night for $850ish (!!!)  I decided against FTTF and against the Cheers! Package (glad I made both choices).   I ordered 1 12pack of water which was the perfect amount.
I selected a check in time of 11:30-non, thinking that if we got there early we could check in.  But after doing some reading, I decided we should arrive at the port around 1, then we could drop off our carry ons and heavy beverages as our room would be ready at 1:30, then we would go to lunch.  Our Avis driver got us to the port area around 12:30 (right on schedule) the lines were long.  As we were waiting in the traffic, she asked in broken English if we were ok walking with our luggage, which we were … “I make it easy for you”… she went though some other gates… I think she dropped up off at the pick up zone becuase the area was deserted.  Anyway, we tipped her and headed up an empty escalator.  
There was a long line and a short line.  I thought that we could get in the short line since our port arrival time had already passed, but the short line was only if for the 30 minute window.  So we got in the long line with all of the early and the late people.  It did move pretty fast, and then I realized that we were checking in.  I asked a carnival lady if we could still check our bags, and she said “Sure you can get out of line and go back downstairs”… so apparently we bypassed bag check and we were carrying on our luggage.  Which ended up being perfect.  The check in was quick and easy.  Compared to DCL, it felt more like checking into a football game or concert than checking into a hotel.  No desk, just little mobile scanners, etc.  Not a big deal, just different.
We were on the ship by 12:50.  Stopped by guest services (line was short, we were right there) to ask about the cost of upgrading our room, but none were available.  Tons of elevators, never a problem getting an empty one.  We took our luggage to deck 7 and were prepared to wait until 1:30.  AT 1:10 Allen suggested that I just run and see if our room might be ready.  They leave your key cards in a sealed envelope outside your door when the room is ready.  Sure enough, ours was ready so we got all of our luggage, carryons, and drinks settled then headed to lunch.  
We chose the Lido deck buffet.  It was fine.  Typical buffet food.  DCL buffet on sail away day is much much better.  We did not have Cheers, so we drank water.  Allen tried  the tea but hated it.  The lemonade was okay, and the coffee was ok too, probably better than DCL free coffee.  For desserts, I think I liked the carnival buffet desserts better.  They had servers who sliced cheesecake and it was really good, so that was a +1 for Carnival. Allen tried the soft serve but didn’t like it, it was very “icy” and not creamy like DCL.
I loved our room location, Deck 7 right in the middle of the ship.  2 flights up to the open deck and buffet, 2 flights down to the casino and clubs, 3 flights down to the resturants.  Our room was tiny.  But fine for the 2 of us.  Plenty of closet space.  Colors were ugly, pinks and teals and oranges.  It was clean. Bathroom counter was large, I think larger than DCL.  The shower stall was tiny, I hated it.  Our stateroom host Eva was awesome, we asked for extra towels, 2x daily service, ice, wine glasses and bottle opener.  I had to do a load of laundry the 1st night as I had forgotten to pack a few things.  $3 each on your room key.
We had Anytime Dining which we liked.   We went around 7 each night and had to wait  minutes the 1st night.  We were seated alone.  We bought the 3 bottle wine package so we had 1 bottle each dinner.  The dinner meals were good, but we like DCL food better.  Service was fine.  We like DCL servers better.  I found it very difficult to understand the servers’ accents.  Even when they were from the same countries as our DCL servers.  
For 2 adults, there was much more stuff for us to do.  We went to the comedy show one night and it was okay.  Pretty typical.  We didn’t go back.  We saw all 3 main shows we loved them.  Very talented performers.  And we liked the music.  We went to the 10:15 show every night.  I liked the big dual seats with drink and arm rests in the theatre.  It was more comfy than the single seats.  We went to the piano bar once and like it.  We planned to go back but never made it.
We did spend a lot of time in the casino.  It sucks that that allow smoking but it wasn’t too bad.  I play craps and Allen watched.  Of course, I think that I have mad dice rolling skills and that I am super lucky.  Allen kept quoting me stats and probability theories.  Whatever.  I came out ahead $68.  I played slots while waiting for the craps table to open and ended up losing $10.  I wish DCL had a casino.  We were able to buy used and cut decks of cards for the kids for $1 each.
Our only port was Nassau.  We booked an excursion through Carnival to Balmoral Island ($80ish for both of us).  The Ferry included a lot of waiting around getting there and back.  And the water and sand were beautiful.  But I think the set up there is very sketch.  DCL had their own area so the DCL excursion may be nicer.  But the food and drink prices were a rip off.  And the sting ray and dolphin areas looked just.. very sad.  I had heard that the ocean side of the island was beautiful, but we were kind of roped off from accessing anything other than our areas.  Which was fine.  I’m glad that we got to go to a beach area, and I didn’t expect much for $80, but nothing special about Balmoral!!  It honestly seemed like they were trying to recreat Castaway Cay... and not too well!

We bought a few beverages in Nassau, (3 longnecks for $6), grabbed some gifts for the girls (3 leather bracelets/anklets for $10), and headed back into the port gates.  The port officer stopped us and said that we had to finish our beer outside the gate.  We were then approached by a man who offered to sell us something to enhance our beer-buzz, which we politely declined.  Headed into port area and I decided that I wanted to have some braids in my hair.  The prices were high ($4 per braid), but a nice lady told me that, "All prices are negotiable".. and that she's do my 4 full braids for $10. We shared the 3rd beer while she did my hair (and I prayed for a lice free experience!), I gave her $15 cash and we were back on the ship.

We went straight up to try Guys burgers.  The line was 10 minutes long, and we each ordered the Ringer.  Allen likes 5 guys better, I though Guys was pretty tasty, especially the fries. The next day we had tacos from Blue Iguana.  They were good, but I think we've had better in Atlanta.  We did not get to try the pizza as the lines were always 20-40 deep.  We did not try the Deli, BBQ, sushi, or upgrade seafood.  We also did not do the upcharge Steakhouse or Chefs Table.  Sea day we found a space on deck near a satellite bubble that provided Allen's lounger full shade and mine full sun.  There were some pretty raunchy on deck festivities.... we did not participate.  We did share a bucket of beers, about $28 with tip for 4.

We carried off our luggage on the last morning, no lines, super easy.  We hired a shared shuttle, Cortans, to take us to the airport.  $20 each and it was nice and such a value.

Overall it was a great trip at for not too much money.  I'm glad we went as we had fun.  We wouldn't take our kids though


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

tigerchic89 said:


> Here's my 3 day trip report just off Carnival Liberty.  It's long sorry, feel free to skip.  It was a fun cheap trip but I still love DCL 100 times more.
> 
> I'm going to write up a trip report here, so just move on if that kind of thing bores you!  In January, I was sick of the cold weather in Atlanta and wanted to go somewhere to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I started looking at vacations and we really struggled with taking too much time and money away from our family vacations, which are still our favorite way to spend.  Allen figured out that he would already be in Orlando for work in March, My mom would already be in town to see Elizabeth's drama performance, and my flight to Orlando was super cheap.
> 
> I left Orlando on a Tuesday.  Allen was already in Orlando. I planned for some ATL traffic getting to he airport, but it was worse than normal and it took me 2 hours to get to the parking shuttle spot. I went to check my bag at the self kiosk, and it wanted to charge me $25.  I don't travel much so I'm confused, but we pay for that Delta AMEX so your 1st bag can fly free.  So I stand in line to talk to someone.  She says that since Allen is the primary cardholder I have to be traveling with him to get my bag free.  But I can call AMEX later. Ok that was aggravating, charge my Delta AMEX the $25, so I can go.  By this time the window for my bag has passed, but she says my bag is not "late" but it's ok she'll put it through it will make it.
> TSA line, sign says 15 minutes.  No problem, I check my phone, catch up on facebook, finish my water.  I check the time and I've been waiting 30 minutes and I'm not even up to the screeners.  Needless to say, I got to the gate 3 minutes late, and the plane had left without me.   They put me standby on the next flight to Orlando (every hour), with no charge, I cleared no problem, grabbed lunch from Chipotle and even got a window exit row seat (yay!).
> I land in Orlando and I’m happy to know that I should just be able to grab my bag that’s been waiting on me from the earlier flight.   I don’t see my bag waiting so I assume that it also missed the early flight.  All of the bags from my standby flight come off and I still have no bag.  My bag has all of my favorite swim suits, shoes, stuff to wear on cruises, and all of Allen’s cruise clothes.  My luggage was not a designer piece (a huge High Sierra rolling duffle in black), but this was the 2nd time that I’ve used it and I think it’s a good looking and could look like it’s full of nice things.  I just *knew* that it had been stolen.  AND I had to may $25 to check it.
> To the lost luggage counter I went.  My 1st time there,  I had to wait behind 3 people.
> I did not realize this, but apparently people use the lost luggage counter as an opportunity to go shopping to upgrade their luggage.  I couldn’t understand all of the conversation as some was spoken in another language, but the customer’s luggage got snagged in a few spots and so the lady went to the back a few times and brought out 3 different suitcases for him to choose from.  So he found one the he liked better than “his” and moves his stuff into his “new” suitcase.  Sorry, I think that is so gross!!!
> Ok it’s my turn. She looks up my bag and it shows that it did arrive on the early flight.  Yes, I looked everywhere, it’s not in there.  She asked if I was headed to Disney.  I said, “I wish, not this time but I’m staying at an off property hotel.”  So then she asked, “BY chance did you have a Disney luggage tag on it?".  The last time that I used the luggage was on our Thanksgiving DCL Fantasy cruise.   We drove that trip, but they give you barcoded luggage tags to get your luggage to your stateroom. I had not removed that tag.  She called the Disney luggage area but they could not find my bag. She said that I could hand around the airport a few hours (!!), or come back later (we had no car), but she could not deliver my bag when it surfaced because it was a late check bag!
> 
> I leave her office kind of freaking out.  I decide that my bag must be headed to the Fantasy (maybe I can find it and crawl inside!).  I asked and found the Disney desk in the airport. Actually, I found the busses that are loading people to take them to their cruises or WDW resorts.  And I start visually scanning the bus luggage holds looking for my black bag.  I probably looked a little crazy stalking the luggage.  So someone directed me away from the busses to the desk.  I nice lady picked up the phone, called and said, ”Hi, do you have a bag down there for Harper?  Yes.  Yes.  No bring it now to me because I also have to aske you something.”  And within 3 minutes my bag was being rolled out by a Disney luggage guy.  Magical.
> 
> I didn’t want to spend $80 on a car service or $60 on a cab and I’ve heard that Uber can be high and hard to use from the Orlando airport, so I booked a Shared Shuttle through Mears.  One way was $23.  I had to wait about 15 minutes to be picked up, but the van was clean and nice.  It stopped at one resort and dropped 5 people, the took me to the Wyndham Grand Bonnet Creek.
> Allen was staying here for work and I was able to get a key to his room.   The room was nice and really large.  It had a cute alcove with twin bunks that would be perfect for kids.  When his meetings ended, we met his co workers in the hotel bar for happy hour.  They had a work dinner event that evening, so they left and I ate dinner at the bar (which was *really* nice).  The Wyndham Grand is part of 5 or 6 high rises that make up a complex the over look a lake.  I took a walk around the lake and checked out the mini golf, pools, lazy river, ect.  Then I headed back to the room, caught up on the internet and watched 3 Friends re-runs and fell asleep early (Isn’t this every mom’s dream???)
> The next day, Allen had some meetings and then some work emails to return.  I hung out at the pool.  It was a windy and cold day, but in the sunshine it felt warm.
> Around 3, I made Allen shut off his PC and we caught the free shuttle into Disney Springs (Downtown Disney).  The hotel offers a free shuttle there, which I thought was awesome.  But it only runs 3 times a day which was really not.  A van picked us up, and it was kind of gross.  There were 3 of us that got on at the Grand.  Then it stopped at another Wyndham and picked up 3 more.  There was no 3rd seat in the van so the 6 of us really had to squish into the 2 bench seats.  So that part was kind of icky.
> We walked around and grabbed a late lunch at the Mexican restaurant by Rick Bayless.  It was good but expensive for what we got.  We walked around and shopped some more.  Then headed to the House of Blues where they had live music on the patio.  We had a few drinks there and then headed for the return shuttle.  The return shuttle was a pretty nice Coach bus.  There were 5 of us on it, so I’m not sure what was up with the sketch van that took us there because the 2 rides were very different.
> 
> The next morning we needed to head to Port Canaveral.  I could have hired a car service for $130.  Or we could have spent $50-$80 getting back to the airport and then spend $40-$70 on a shuttle.  Instead, we got an Uber ($10) to Avis in the Hilton lobby near DtD.  Our rental car was $70 ish for the day.  Allen thinks the guy was going to give him the red convertable Camero SS (?) but when Allen answered, “no I’m not traveling alone I’m with my wife” and he saw all of our luggage we got upgraded to an SUV instead of the intermediate that he reserved.  We left the Disney area and stopped at McDonalds for breakfast.   I had scoped out a Publix right off the turnpike near the port.  We stopped there, picked up 2 bottles of wine, a 6 pack of Dr. Pepper,  a 6 pack of LaCroix, some sunscreen and chapstick.  We also refilled the car with gas.
> We dropped the car at Avis and took the Avis shuttle to get to the port.
> We looked into just extending a land vacation in Florida after his work conference, but nothing looked perfect.  We didn’t want to do theme parks without the kids, the Florida beaches were not super cheap and the weather could still be cool, ect.  So I looked into cruises.  Of course I checked every DCL option and came close to booking one.  But in the end, we decided to try Carnival as it was 1/3 the price.  I read reviews on the Liberty and overall the Liberty got good reviews.  So we booked a Carnival 3 night for $850ish (!!!)  I decided against FTTF and against the Cheers! Package (glad I made both choices).   I ordered 1 12pack of water which was the perfect amount.
> I selected a check in time of 11:30-non, thinking that if we got there early we could check in.  But after doing some reading, I decided we should arrive at the port around 1, then we could drop off our carry ons and heavy beverages as our room would be ready at 1:30, then we would go to lunch.  Our Avis driver got us to the port area around 12:30 (right on schedule) the lines were long.  As we were waiting in the traffic, she asked in broken English if we were ok walking with our luggage, which we were … “I make it easy for you”… she went though some other gates… I think she dropped up off at the pick up zone becuase the area was deserted.  Anyway, we tipped her and headed up an empty escalator.
> There was a long line and a short line.  I thought that we could get in the short line since our port arrival time had already passed, but the short line was only if for the 30 minute window.  So we got in the long line with all of the early and the late people.  It did move pretty fast, and then I realized that we were checking in.  I asked a carnival lady if we could still check our bags, and she said “Sure you can get out of line and go back downstairs”… so apparently we bypassed bag check and we were carrying on our luggage.  Which ended up being perfect.  The check in was quick and easy.  Compared to DCL, it felt more like checking into a football game or concert than checking into a hotel.  No desk, just little mobile scanners, etc.  Not a big deal, just different.
> We were on the ship by 12:50.  Stopped by guest services (line was short, we were right there) to ask about the cost of upgrading our room, but none were available.  Tons of elevators, never a problem getting an empty one.  We took our luggage to deck 7 and were prepared to wait until 1:30.  AT 1:10 Allen suggested that I just run and see if our room might be ready.  They leave your key cards in a sealed envelope outside your door when the room is ready.  Sure enough, ours was ready so we got all of our luggage, carryons, and drinks settled then headed to lunch.
> We chose the Lido deck buffet.  It was fine.  Typical buffet food.  DCL buffet on sail away day is much much better.  We did not have Cheers, so we drank water.  Allen tried  the tea but hated it.  The lemonade was okay, and the coffee was ok too, probably better than DCL free coffee.  For desserts, I think I liked the carnival buffet desserts better.  They had servers who sliced cheesecake and it was really good, so that was a +1 for Carnival. Allen tried the soft serve but didn’t like it, it was very “icy” and not creamy like DCL.
> I loved our room location, Deck 7 right in the middle of the ship.  2 flights up to the open deck and buffet, 2 flights down to the casino and clubs, 3 flights down to the resturants.  Our room was tiny.  But fine for the 2 of us.  Plenty of closet space.  Colors were ugly, pinks and teals and oranges.  It was clean. Bathroom counter was large, I think larger than DCL.  The shower stall was tiny, I hated it.  Our stateroom host Eva was awesome, we asked for extra towels, 2x daily service, ice, wine glasses and bottle opener.  I had to do a load of laundry the 1st night as I had forgotten to pack a few things.  $3 each on your room key.
> We had Anytime Dining which we liked.   We went around 7 each night and had to wait  minutes the 1st night.  We were seated alone.  We bought the 3 bottle wine package so we had 1 bottle each dinner.  The dinner meals were good, but we like DCL food better.  Service was fine.  We like DCL servers better.  I found it very difficult to understand the servers’ accents.  Even when they were from the same countries as our DCL servers.
> For 2 adults, there was much more stuff for us to do.  We went to the comedy show one night and it was okay.  Pretty typical.  We didn’t go back.  We saw all 3 main shows we loved them.  Very talented performers.  And we liked the music.  We went to the 10:15 show every night.  I liked the big dual seats with drink and arm rests in the theatre.  It was more comfy than the single seats.  We went to the piano bar once and like it.  We planned to go back but never made it.
> We did spend a lot of time in the casino.  It sucks that that allow smoking but it wasn’t too bad.  I play craps and Allen watched.  Of course, I think that I have mad dice rolling skills and that I am super lucky.  Allen kept quoting me stats and probability theories.  Whatever.  I came out ahead $68.  I played slots while waiting for the craps table to open and ended up losing $10.  I wish DCL had a casino.  We were able to buy used and cut decks of cards for the kids for $1 each.
> Our only port was Nassau.  We booked an excursion through Carnival to Balmoral Island ($80ish for both of us).  The Ferry included a lot of waiting around getting there and back.  And the water and sand were beautiful.  But I think the set up there is very sketch.  DCL had their own area so the DCL excursion may be nicer.  But the food and drink prices were a rip off.  And the sting ray and dolphin areas looked just.. very sad.  I had heard that the ocean side of the island was beautiful, but we were kind of roped off from accessing anything other than our areas.  Which was fine.  I’m glad that we got to go to a beach area, and I didn’t expect much for $80, but nothing special about Balmoral!!  It honestly seemed like they were trying to recreat Castaway Cay... and not too well!
> 
> We bought a few beverages in Nassau, (3 longnecks for $6), grabbed some gifts for the girls (3 leather bracelets/anklets for $10), and headed back into the port gates.  The port officer stopped us and said that we had to finish our beer outside the gate.  We were then approached by a man who offered to sell us something to enhance our beer-buzz, which we politely declined.  Headed into port area and I decided that I wanted to have some braids in my hair.  The prices were high ($4 per braid), but a nice lady told me that, "All prices are negotiable".. and that she's do my 4 full braids for $10. We shared the 3rd beer while she did my hair (and I prayed for a lice free experience!), I gave her $15 cash and we were back on the ship.
> 
> We went straight up to try Guys burgers.  The line was 10 minutes long, and we each ordered the Ringer.  Allen likes 5 guys better, I though Guys was pretty tasty, especially the fries. The next day we had tacos from Blue Iguana.  They were good, but I think we've had better in Atlanta.  We did not get to try the pizza as the lines were always 20-40 deep.  We did not try the Deli, BBQ, sushi, or upgrade seafood.  We also did not do the upcharge Steakhouse or Chefs Table.  Sea day we found a space on deck near a satellite bubble that provided Allen's lounger full shade and mine full sun.  There were some pretty raunchy on deck festivities.... we did not participate.  We did share a bucket of beers, about $28 with tip for 4.
> 
> We carried off our luggage on the last morning, no lines, super easy.  We hired a shared shuttle, Cortans, to take us to the airport.  $20 each and it was nice and such a value.
> 
> Overall it was a great trip at for not too much money.  I'm glad we went as we had fun.  We wouldn't take our kids though


Thanks for the report! Never heard of Balmoral @ Nassau.  Very funny about your bag.


----------



## mevelandry

tigerchic89 said:


> Here's my 3 day trip report just off Carnival Liberty.  It's long sorry, feel free to skip.  It was a fun cheap trip but I still love DCL 100 times more.
> 
> I'm going to write up a trip report here, so just move on if that kind of thing bores you!  In January, I was sick of the cold weather in Atlanta and wanted to go somewhere to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I started looking at vacations and we really struggled with taking too much time and money away from our family vacations, which are still our favorite way to spend.  Allen figured out that he would already be in Orlando for work in March, My mom would already be in town to see Elizabeth's drama performance, and my flight to Orlando was super cheap.
> 
> I left Orlando on a Tuesday.  Allen was already in Orlando. I planned for some ATL traffic getting to he airport, but it was worse than normal and it took me 2 hours to get to the parking shuttle spot. I went to check my bag at the self kiosk, and it wanted to charge me $25.  I don't travel much so I'm confused, but we pay for that Delta AMEX so your 1st bag can fly free.  So I stand in line to talk to someone.  She says that since Allen is the primary cardholder I have to be traveling with him to get my bag free.  But I can call AMEX later. Ok that was aggravating, charge my Delta AMEX the $25, so I can go.  By this time the window for my bag has passed, but she says my bag is not "late" but it's ok she'll put it through it will make it.
> TSA line, sign says 15 minutes.  No problem, I check my phone, catch up on facebook, finish my water.  I check the time and I've been waiting 30 minutes and I'm not even up to the screeners.  Needless to say, I got to the gate 3 minutes late, and the plane had left without me.   They put me standby on the next flight to Orlando (every hour), with no charge, I cleared no problem, grabbed lunch from Chipotle and even got a window exit row seat (yay!).
> I land in Orlando and I’m happy to know that I should just be able to grab my bag that’s been waiting on me from the earlier flight.   I don’t see my bag waiting so I assume that it also missed the early flight.  All of the bags from my standby flight come off and I still have no bag.  My bag has all of my favorite swim suits, shoes, stuff to wear on cruises, and all of Allen’s cruise clothes.  My luggage was not a designer piece (a huge High Sierra rolling duffle in black), but this was the 2nd time that I’ve used it and I think it’s a good looking and could look like it’s full of nice things.  I just *knew* that it had been stolen.  AND I had to may $25 to check it.
> To the lost luggage counter I went.  My 1st time there,  I had to wait behind 3 people.
> I did not realize this, but apparently people use the lost luggage counter as an opportunity to go shopping to upgrade their luggage.  I couldn’t understand all of the conversation as some was spoken in another language, but the customer’s luggage got snagged in a few spots and so the lady went to the back a few times and brought out 3 different suitcases for him to choose from.  So he found one the he liked better than “his” and moves his stuff into his “new” suitcase.  Sorry, I think that is so gross!!!
> Ok it’s my turn. She looks up my bag and it shows that it did arrive on the early flight.  Yes, I looked everywhere, it’s not in there.  She asked if I was headed to Disney.  I said, “I wish, not this time but I’m staying at an off property hotel.”  So then she asked, “BY chance did you have a Disney luggage tag on it?".  The last time that I used the luggage was on our Thanksgiving DCL Fantasy cruise.   We drove that trip, but they give you barcoded luggage tags to get your luggage to your stateroom. I had not removed that tag.  She called the Disney luggage area but they could not find my bag. She said that I could hand around the airport a few hours (!!), or come back later (we had no car), but she could not deliver my bag when it surfaced because it was a late check bag!
> 
> I leave her office kind of freaking out.  I decide that my bag must be headed to the Fantasy (maybe I can find it and crawl inside!).  I asked and found the Disney desk in the airport. Actually, I found the busses that are loading people to take them to their cruises or WDW resorts.  And I start visually scanning the bus luggage holds looking for my black bag.  I probably looked a little crazy stalking the luggage.  So someone directed me away from the busses to the desk.  I nice lady picked up the phone, called and said, ”Hi, do you have a bag down there for Harper?  Yes.  Yes.  No bring it now to me because I also have to aske you something.”  And within 3 minutes my bag was being rolled out by a Disney luggage guy.  Magical.
> 
> I didn’t want to spend $80 on a car service or $60 on a cab and I’ve heard that Uber can be high and hard to use from the Orlando airport, so I booked a Shared Shuttle through Mears.  One way was $23.  I had to wait about 15 minutes to be picked up, but the van was clean and nice.  It stopped at one resort and dropped 5 people, the took me to the Wyndham Grand Bonnet Creek.
> Allen was staying here for work and I was able to get a key to his room.   The room was nice and really large.  It had a cute alcove with twin bunks that would be perfect for kids.  When his meetings ended, we met his co workers in the hotel bar for happy hour.  They had a work dinner event that evening, so they left and I ate dinner at the bar (which was *really* nice).  The Wyndham Grand is part of 5 or 6 high rises that make up a complex the over look a lake.  I took a walk around the lake and checked out the mini golf, pools, lazy river, ect.  Then I headed back to the room, caught up on the internet and watched 3 Friends re-runs and fell asleep early (Isn’t this every mom’s dream???)
> The next day, Allen had some meetings and then some work emails to return.  I hung out at the pool.  It was a windy and cold day, but in the sunshine it felt warm.
> Around 3, I made Allen shut off his PC and we caught the free shuttle into Disney Springs (Downtown Disney).  The hotel offers a free shuttle there, which I thought was awesome.  But it only runs 3 times a day which was really not.  A van picked us up, and it was kind of gross.  There were 3 of us that got on at the Grand.  Then it stopped at another Wyndham and picked up 3 more.  There was no 3rd seat in the van so the 6 of us really had to squish into the 2 bench seats.  So that part was kind of icky.
> We walked around and grabbed a late lunch at the Mexican restaurant by Rick Bayless.  It was good but expensive for what we got.  We walked around and shopped some more.  Then headed to the House of Blues where they had live music on the patio.  We had a few drinks there and then headed for the return shuttle.  The return shuttle was a pretty nice Coach bus.  There were 5 of us on it, so I’m not sure what was up with the sketch van that took us there because the 2 rides were very different.
> 
> The next morning we needed to head to Port Canaveral.  I could have hired a car service for $130.  Or we could have spent $50-$80 getting back to the airport and then spend $40-$70 on a shuttle.  Instead, we got an Uber ($10) to Avis in the Hilton lobby near DtD.  Our rental car was $70 ish for the day.  Allen thinks the guy was going to give him the red convertable Camero SS (?) but when Allen answered, “no I’m not traveling alone I’m with my wife” and he saw all of our luggage we got upgraded to an SUV instead of the intermediate that he reserved.  We left the Disney area and stopped at McDonalds for breakfast.   I had scoped out a Publix right off the turnpike near the port.  We stopped there, picked up 2 bottles of wine, a 6 pack of Dr. Pepper,  a 6 pack of LaCroix, some sunscreen and chapstick.  We also refilled the car with gas.
> We dropped the car at Avis and took the Avis shuttle to get to the port.
> We looked into just extending a land vacation in Florida after his work conference, but nothing looked perfect.  We didn’t want to do theme parks without the kids, the Florida beaches were not super cheap and the weather could still be cool, ect.  So I looked into cruises.  Of course I checked every DCL option and came close to booking one.  But in the end, we decided to try Carnival as it was 1/3 the price.  I read reviews on the Liberty and overall the Liberty got good reviews.  So we booked a Carnival 3 night for $850ish (!!!)  I decided against FTTF and against the Cheers! Package (glad I made both choices).   I ordered 1 12pack of water which was the perfect amount.
> I selected a check in time of 11:30-non, thinking that if we got there early we could check in.  But after doing some reading, I decided we should arrive at the port around 1, then we could drop off our carry ons and heavy beverages as our room would be ready at 1:30, then we would go to lunch.  Our Avis driver got us to the port area around 12:30 (right on schedule) the lines were long.  As we were waiting in the traffic, she asked in broken English if we were ok walking with our luggage, which we were … “I make it easy for you”… she went though some other gates… I think she dropped up off at the pick up zone becuase the area was deserted.  Anyway, we tipped her and headed up an empty escalator.
> There was a long line and a short line.  I thought that we could get in the short line since our port arrival time had already passed, but the short line was only if for the 30 minute window.  So we got in the long line with all of the early and the late people.  It did move pretty fast, and then I realized that we were checking in.  I asked a carnival lady if we could still check our bags, and she said “Sure you can get out of line and go back downstairs”… so apparently we bypassed bag check and we were carrying on our luggage.  Which ended up being perfect.  The check in was quick and easy.  Compared to DCL, it felt more like checking into a football game or concert than checking into a hotel.  No desk, just little mobile scanners, etc.  Not a big deal, just different.
> We were on the ship by 12:50.  Stopped by guest services (line was short, we were right there) to ask about the cost of upgrading our room, but none were available.  Tons of elevators, never a problem getting an empty one.  We took our luggage to deck 7 and were prepared to wait until 1:30.  AT 1:10 Allen suggested that I just run and see if our room might be ready.  They leave your key cards in a sealed envelope outside your door when the room is ready.  Sure enough, ours was ready so we got all of our luggage, carryons, and drinks settled then headed to lunch.
> We chose the Lido deck buffet.  It was fine.  Typical buffet food.  DCL buffet on sail away day is much much better.  We did not have Cheers, so we drank water.  Allen tried  the tea but hated it.  The lemonade was okay, and the coffee was ok too, probably better than DCL free coffee.  For desserts, I think I liked the carnival buffet desserts better.  They had servers who sliced cheesecake and it was really good, so that was a +1 for Carnival. Allen tried the soft serve but didn’t like it, it was very “icy” and not creamy like DCL.
> I loved our room location, Deck 7 right in the middle of the ship.  2 flights up to the open deck and buffet, 2 flights down to the casino and clubs, 3 flights down to the resturants.  Our room was tiny.  But fine for the 2 of us.  Plenty of closet space.  Colors were ugly, pinks and teals and oranges.  It was clean. Bathroom counter was large, I think larger than DCL.  The shower stall was tiny, I hated it.  Our stateroom host Eva was awesome, we asked for extra towels, 2x daily service, ice, wine glasses and bottle opener.  I had to do a load of laundry the 1st night as I had forgotten to pack a few things.  $3 each on your room key.
> We had Anytime Dining which we liked.   We went around 7 each night and had to wait  minutes the 1st night.  We were seated alone.  We bought the 3 bottle wine package so we had 1 bottle each dinner.  The dinner meals were good, but we like DCL food better.  Service was fine.  We like DCL servers better.  I found it very difficult to understand the servers’ accents.  Even when they were from the same countries as our DCL servers.
> For 2 adults, there was much more stuff for us to do.  We went to the comedy show one night and it was okay.  Pretty typical.  We didn’t go back.  We saw all 3 main shows we loved them.  Very talented performers.  And we liked the music.  We went to the 10:15 show every night.  I liked the big dual seats with drink and arm rests in the theatre.  It was more comfy than the single seats.  We went to the piano bar once and like it.  We planned to go back but never made it.
> We did spend a lot of time in the casino.  It sucks that that allow smoking but it wasn’t too bad.  I play craps and Allen watched.  Of course, I think that I have mad dice rolling skills and that I am super lucky.  Allen kept quoting me stats and probability theories.  Whatever.  I came out ahead $68.  I played slots while waiting for the craps table to open and ended up losing $10.  I wish DCL had a casino.  We were able to buy used and cut decks of cards for the kids for $1 each.
> Our only port was Nassau.  We booked an excursion through Carnival to Balmoral Island ($80ish for both of us).  The Ferry included a lot of waiting around getting there and back.  And the water and sand were beautiful.  But I think the set up there is very sketch.  DCL had their own area so the DCL excursion may be nicer.  But the food and drink prices were a rip off.  And the sting ray and dolphin areas looked just.. very sad.  I had heard that the ocean side of the island was beautiful, but we were kind of roped off from accessing anything other than our areas.  Which was fine.  I’m glad that we got to go to a beach area, and I didn’t expect much for $80, but nothing special about Balmoral!!  It honestly seemed like they were trying to recreat Castaway Cay... and not too well!
> 
> We bought a few beverages in Nassau, (3 longnecks for $6), grabbed some gifts for the girls (3 leather bracelets/anklets for $10), and headed back into the port gates.  The port officer stopped us and said that we had to finish our beer outside the gate.  We were then approached by a man who offered to sell us something to enhance our beer-buzz, which we politely declined.  Headed into port area and I decided that I wanted to have some braids in my hair.  The prices were high ($4 per braid), but a nice lady told me that, "All prices are negotiable".. and that she's do my 4 full braids for $10. We shared the 3rd beer while she did my hair (and I prayed for a lice free experience!), I gave her $15 cash and we were back on the ship.
> 
> We went straight up to try Guys burgers.  The line was 10 minutes long, and we each ordered the Ringer.  Allen likes 5 guys better, I though Guys was pretty tasty, especially the fries. The next day we had tacos from Blue Iguana.  They were good, but I think we've had better in Atlanta.  We did not get to try the pizza as the lines were always 20-40 deep.  We did not try the Deli, BBQ, sushi, or upgrade seafood.  We also did not do the upcharge Steakhouse or Chefs Table.  Sea day we found a space on deck near a satellite bubble that provided Allen's lounger full shade and mine full sun.  There were some pretty raunchy on deck festivities.... we did not participate.  We did share a bucket of beers, about $28 with tip for 4.
> 
> We carried off our luggage on the last morning, no lines, super easy.  We hired a shared shuttle, Cortans, to take us to the airport.  $20 each and it was nice and such a value.
> 
> Overall it was a great trip at for not too much money.  I'm glad we went as we had fun.  We wouldn't take our kids though



FWIW I thought your review was fun and I read it all.  

IMO DCL still has the edge on Carnival when it comes to the cabins. They should definitely refurbish them all. The new cabins are awesome and almost just as good but the old cabins have the worst colors. 

What do you mean by "DCL having a better set up"? You mean near the ship? Because the cruise lines all use the same companies during excursions so I don't think it would have changed much had you done this excursion with DCL... 

Was the comedy show you saw PG or 18+?  DH and I prefer the 18+ shows. We find them more entertaining. That being said, it can be hit or miss depending on who does it. There are some comedians we loved and some we liked and others that were just ok. My DH and I don't always like the same comedians. 

I wish you had tried the Steakhouse. So worth it in my opinion!   

I wasn't expecting you to like a 3 nights Carnival cruise to Nassau as much as DCL but I'm glad you had a good time. 

Based on what you said, there's a possibility you would enjoy a longer cruise on a new Carnival ship: better cabins, better food options, more activities (more for the kids too). It would most likely cost you half the price of a DCL cruise for that one too.


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## PrincessTrisha

thanks for the report.

One issue stands out for me though - I think Allen had frozen yogurt and not the ice cream. Carnival's soft serve isn't different than DCL's. The Frozen yogurt though is the one that seems a bit icy and not so creamy. If you don't look at the sign above the machine, it's easy to get the wrong one (I've done it many times myself).


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## tigerchic89

I hope I'm replying to this quote correctly, I've never tried before <blush> _i'll reply in itallics_



mevelandry said:


> FWIW I thought your review was fun and I read it all.
> 
> IMO DCL still has the edge on Carnival when it comes to the cabins. They should definitely refurbish them all. The new cabins are awesome and almost just as good but the old cabins have the worst colors. _... agreed, we just spent a lot less time in the room than on DCL.  _
> 
> What do you mean by "DCL having a better set up"? You mean near the ship? Because the cruise lines all use the same companies during excursions so I don't think it would have changed much had you done this excursion with DCL...  _I know that DCL offers this "private island excursion" too, we've never booked it b/c it seems like duplication with CC.  Once we got on the island with Carnival, I could see the roped off area of the island with loungers with people with white DCL beach towels as oppposed to the rest of us with blue carnival or striped norwegian.  Oh, one set of bathrooms were un useable when we arrived.  There was a 2nd set for us to use but I did not realize it until later.  Anyway, the DCL section of the beach was roped off, they also had a roped off section of the resturant, bathrooms and they probably could access the back ocean side of the island.  The DCL excursion was probably more expensive than $40 per person, so I'm not necessarially complaining, just comparing!_
> 
> Was the comedy show you saw PG or 18+?  DH and I prefer the 18+ shows. We find them more entertaining. That being said, it can be hit or miss depending on who does it. There are some comedians we loved and some we liked and others that were just ok. My DH and I don't always like the same comedians.  _we saw the 18+.  there also was an Explicit show later that night, which we did not make and some PG shows the next day...  It was funny, just lots of raunchy jokes about medical terms of female body parts._
> 
> I wish you had tried the Steakhouse. So worth it in my opinion!   _ok, next time <wink>_
> 
> I wasn't expecting you to like a 3 nights Carnival cruise to Nassau as much as DCL but I'm glad you had a good time.  _we knew that it was not going to be "as good" as DCL.  But for the money is was good.  we are happy that we did it.  Just glad that we did not bring our kids.  I do think that that ship or any other would be a little less "wild" on a longer than 3 day and not spring break.  If anything, it made us realize that as high as DCL prices have climbed, we would enjoy family cruises elsewhere, maybe Royal or NCL or a long Carnival.  100% agree_
> 
> Based on what you said, there's a possibility you would enjoy a longer cruise on a new Carnival ship: better cabins, better food options, more activities (more for the kids too). It would most likely cost you half the price of a DCL cruise for that one too.


----------



## tigerchic89

PrincessTrisha said:


> thanks for the report.
> 
> One issue stands out for me though - I think Allen had frozen yogurt and not the ice cream. Carnival's soft serve isn't different than DCL's. The Frozen yogurt though is the one that seems a bit icy and not so creamy. If you don't look at the sign above the machine, it's easy to get the wrong one (I've done it many times myself).



yes, as he was eating it I was like "that looks like frozen yogurt".. so maybe he did get the wrong machine!


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## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> thanks for the report.
> 
> One issue stands out for me though - I think Allen had frozen yogurt and not the ice cream. Carnival's soft serve isn't different than DCL's. The Frozen yogurt though is the one that seems a bit icy and not so creamy. If you don't look at the sign above the machine, it's easy to get the wrong one (I've done it many times myself).



Yes! I noticed that too on the Vista. The ice cream I had was just as good as DCL's ... but to be honest, I love them both (Yogourt & Ice Cream) even though they are very different.


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## mevelandry

tigerchic89 said:


> I hope I'm replying to this quote correctly, I've never tried before <blush> _i'll reply in itallics_



Everything is in Italic but I have found your replies. 


(Part regarding Balmoral Island edited/removed)

Do you remember the names of the comedians on your sailing?  So far I never got female body parts jokes in a set. Don't think I'd love that very much.

I'm very happy you had a good experience. I can say trying Carnival after DCL really opened my mind to other experiences too.


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## tigerchic89

It was the signed and labeled VIP... but every DCL passenger was over there, and I did not see a single DCL towel on our side.  I'm not complaining, I'm sure the DCL excursion costs more (I think I looked at the prices in the past).  But I had read on a past DCL review of that excursion about walking around to the back of the island... well we couldn't get there b/c to the right was blocked off by the VIP area, and to the left was blocked off for only the stingray and dolphin excursion extras. The back was walled off by walls surrounding the pool and some new construction they are doing.  And I will admit, we did not try very hard or ask anyone.. it was kind of like "hey do you want to try to walk around to see the other side? Sure, ok this side is roped off, that side is roped off, let's just just head back to the ship"

I threw away our fun times, I do not remember the comedian names. I was not offended or anything, I like raunchy movies like Bridesmaids and The Hangover.. I was just kind of rolling my eyes as I giggled during the show.....


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## tigerchic89

sorry one more thing about Balmoral..... I definitely think that we got what we paid for.  I am glad that we booked it.  If we had not, we would not have seen the ocean and beach up close.  But, since I am in love with DCL, I was looking for the differences, so I noticed.  I don't think that Balmoral slighted the carnival guests over th DCL guests, I think they sell a different product (at a different price).  If we were to go ack, I might try Blue Lagoon instead, but Balmoral was cheapest  so that's why I chose it 1st.  I hope this helps explain and helps you make you choice for when you visit Nassau


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## we"reofftoneverland

I know for me (not saying this is true for other people!) it is sometimes hard to separate out the emotional component of Disney.  They do such an amazing job of getting you to have emotional experiences and associations in the everyday.  The ice cream to me is a great example because it is one of the things I have compared also.  And I am almost positive that it is the same crappy soft serve on both DCL and CCL.  Iol.  But the DCL soft serve area is so much cuter!  And well... Disney.  (It sounds like your beach visit was of lesser quality than the one offered by DCL).  I still go soft for Disney, but the last couple of times we were on DCL (after trying other lines) I just felt ripped off and even though I love Disney, it ruined it for me.  I am not worried about money at all on Carnival and it feels really liberating.  Plus, I was shocked to learn my kids like it more than DCL.


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## tigerchic89

yes, off to NL, you summed it up nicely.  It didn't help that our CCL itinerary mirrored DCL Wonder this trip... arriving at PC, I see the Wonder, eating lunch aboard carnival, I have a clear view of Wonder, during sail away.. oh look there's the Wonder.  We wake in Nassau, there's 4 ships in port.  Who are we parked next to and sharing a dock????  the Wonder.  Which is fine, I actually loved looking at the ship, the Wonder is in the background of most of our pics.  

Again, the carnival cost us about $800 after our OB credit... the same trip for the 2 of us on the Wonder would have been over $1800, and we could not justify it!  After the cruise, I am happy with our choice.. my heart loves DCL but my head is happy with the +$1K in the checking account LOL


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## Club Disney Chandler

tigerchic89 said:


> Here's my 3 day trip report just off Carnival Liberty.  It's long sorry, feel free to skip.  It was a fun cheap trip but I still love DCL 100 times more.
> 
> I'm going to write up a trip report here, so just move on if that kind of thing bores you!  In January, I was sick of the cold weather in Atlanta and wanted to go somewhere to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I started looking at vacations and we really struggled with taking too much time and money away from our family vacations, which are still our favorite way to spend.  Allen figured out that he would already be in Orlando for work in March, My mom would already be in town to see Elizabeth's drama performance, and my flight to Orlando was super cheap.
> 
> I left Orlando on a Tuesday.  Allen was already in Orlando. I planned for some ATL traffic getting to he airport, but it was worse than normal and it took me 2 hours to get to the parking shuttle spot. I went to check my bag at the self kiosk, and it wanted to charge me $25.  I don't travel much so I'm confused, but we pay for that Delta AMEX so your 1st bag can fly free.  So I stand in line to talk to someone.  She says that since Allen is the primary cardholder I have to be traveling with him to get my bag free.  But I can call AMEX later. Ok that was aggravating, charge my Delta AMEX the $25, so I can go.  By this time the window for my bag has passed, but she says my bag is not "late" but it's ok she'll put it through it will make it.
> TSA line, sign says 15 minutes.  No problem, I check my phone, catch up on facebook, finish my water.  I check the time and I've been waiting 30 minutes and I'm not even up to the screeners.  Needless to say, I got to the gate 3 minutes late, and the plane had left without me.   They put me standby on the next flight to Orlando (every hour), with no charge, I cleared no problem, grabbed lunch from Chipotle and even got a window exit row seat (yay!).
> I land in Orlando and I’m happy to know that I should just be able to grab my bag that’s been waiting on me from the earlier flight.   I don’t see my bag waiting so I assume that it also missed the early flight.  All of the bags from my standby flight come off and I still have no bag.  My bag has all of my favorite swim suits, shoes, stuff to wear on cruises, and all of Allen’s cruise clothes.  My luggage was not a designer piece (a huge High Sierra rolling duffle in black), but this was the 2nd time that I’ve used it and I think it’s a good looking and could look like it’s full of nice things.  I just *knew* that it had been stolen.  AND I had to may $25 to check it.
> To the lost luggage counter I went.  My 1st time there,  I had to wait behind 3 people.
> I did not realize this, but apparently people use the lost luggage counter as an opportunity to go shopping to upgrade their luggage.  I couldn’t understand all of the conversation as some was spoken in another language, but the customer’s luggage got snagged in a few spots and so the lady went to the back a few times and brought out 3 different suitcases for him to choose from.  So he found one the he liked better than “his” and moves his stuff into his “new” suitcase.  Sorry, I think that is so gross!!!
> Ok it’s my turn. She looks up my bag and it shows that it did arrive on the early flight.  Yes, I looked everywhere, it’s not in there.  She asked if I was headed to Disney.  I said, “I wish, not this time but I’m staying at an off property hotel.”  So then she asked, “BY chance did you have a Disney luggage tag on it?".  The last time that I used the luggage was on our Thanksgiving DCL Fantasy cruise.   We drove that trip, but they give you barcoded luggage tags to get your luggage to your stateroom. I had not removed that tag.  She called the Disney luggage area but they could not find my bag. She said that I could hand around the airport a few hours (!!), or come back later (we had no car), but she could not deliver my bag when it surfaced because it was a late check bag!
> 
> I leave her office kind of freaking out.  I decide that my bag must be headed to the Fantasy (maybe I can find it and crawl inside!).  I asked and found the Disney desk in the airport. Actually, I found the busses that are loading people to take them to their cruises or WDW resorts.  And I start visually scanning the bus luggage holds looking for my black bag.  I probably looked a little crazy stalking the luggage.  So someone directed me away from the busses to the desk.  I nice lady picked up the phone, called and said, ”Hi, do you have a bag down there for Harper?  Yes.  Yes.  No bring it now to me because I also have to aske you something.”  And within 3 minutes my bag was being rolled out by a Disney luggage guy.  Magical.
> 
> I didn’t want to spend $80 on a car service or $60 on a cab and I’ve heard that Uber can be high and hard to use from the Orlando airport, so I booked a Shared Shuttle through Mears.  One way was $23.  I had to wait about 15 minutes to be picked up, but the van was clean and nice.  It stopped at one resort and dropped 5 people, the took me to the Wyndham Grand Bonnet Creek.
> Allen was staying here for work and I was able to get a key to his room.   The room was nice and really large.  It had a cute alcove with twin bunks that would be perfect for kids.  When his meetings ended, we met his co workers in the hotel bar for happy hour.  They had a work dinner event that evening, so they left and I ate dinner at the bar (which was *really* nice).  The Wyndham Grand is part of 5 or 6 high rises that make up a complex the over look a lake.  I took a walk around the lake and checked out the mini golf, pools, lazy river, ect.  Then I headed back to the room, caught up on the internet and watched 3 Friends re-runs and fell asleep early (Isn’t this every mom’s dream???)
> The next day, Allen had some meetings and then some work emails to return.  I hung out at the pool.  It was a windy and cold day, but in the sunshine it felt warm.
> Around 3, I made Allen shut off his PC and we caught the free shuttle into Disney Springs (Downtown Disney).  The hotel offers a free shuttle there, which I thought was awesome.  But it only runs 3 times a day which was really not.  A van picked us up, and it was kind of gross.  There were 3 of us that got on at the Grand.  Then it stopped at another Wyndham and picked up 3 more.  There was no 3rd seat in the van so the 6 of us really had to squish into the 2 bench seats.  So that part was kind of icky.
> We walked around and grabbed a late lunch at the Mexican restaurant by Rick Bayless.  It was good but expensive for what we got.  We walked around and shopped some more.  Then headed to the House of Blues where they had live music on the patio.  We had a few drinks there and then headed for the return shuttle.  The return shuttle was a pretty nice Coach bus.  There were 5 of us on it, so I’m not sure what was up with the sketch van that took us there because the 2 rides were very different.
> 
> The next morning we needed to head to Port Canaveral.  I could have hired a car service for $130.  Or we could have spent $50-$80 getting back to the airport and then spend $40-$70 on a shuttle.  Instead, we got an Uber ($10) to Avis in the Hilton lobby near DtD.  Our rental car was $70 ish for the day.  Allen thinks the guy was going to give him the red convertable Camero SS (?) but when Allen answered, “no I’m not traveling alone I’m with my wife” and he saw all of our luggage we got upgraded to an SUV instead of the intermediate that he reserved.  We left the Disney area and stopped at McDonalds for breakfast.   I had scoped out a Publix right off the turnpike near the port.  We stopped there, picked up 2 bottles of wine, a 6 pack of Dr. Pepper,  a 6 pack of LaCroix, some sunscreen and chapstick.  We also refilled the car with gas.
> We dropped the car at Avis and took the Avis shuttle to get to the port.
> We looked into just extending a land vacation in Florida after his work conference, but nothing looked perfect.  We didn’t want to do theme parks without the kids, the Florida beaches were not super cheap and the weather could still be cool, ect.  So I looked into cruises.  Of course I checked every DCL option and came close to booking one.  But in the end, we decided to try Carnival as it was 1/3 the price.  I read reviews on the Liberty and overall the Liberty got good reviews.  So we booked a Carnival 3 night for $850ish (!!!)  I decided against FTTF and against the Cheers! Package (glad I made both choices).   I ordered 1 12pack of water which was the perfect amount.
> I selected a check in time of 11:30-non, thinking that if we got there early we could check in.  But after doing some reading, I decided we should arrive at the port around 1, then we could drop off our carry ons and heavy beverages as our room would be ready at 1:30, then we would go to lunch.  Our Avis driver got us to the port area around 12:30 (right on schedule) the lines were long.  As we were waiting in the traffic, she asked in broken English if we were ok walking with our luggage, which we were … “I make it easy for you”… she went though some other gates… I think she dropped up off at the pick up zone becuase the area was deserted.  Anyway, we tipped her and headed up an empty escalator.
> There was a long line and a short line.  I thought that we could get in the short line since our port arrival time had already passed, but the short line was only if for the 30 minute window.  So we got in the long line with all of the early and the late people.  It did move pretty fast, and then I realized that we were checking in.  I asked a carnival lady if we could still check our bags, and she said “Sure you can get out of line and go back downstairs”… so apparently we bypassed bag check and we were carrying on our luggage.  Which ended up being perfect.  The check in was quick and easy.  Compared to DCL, it felt more like checking into a football game or concert than checking into a hotel.  No desk, just little mobile scanners, etc.  Not a big deal, just different.
> We were on the ship by 12:50.  Stopped by guest services (line was short, we were right there) to ask about the cost of upgrading our room, but none were available.  Tons of elevators, never a problem getting an empty one.  We took our luggage to deck 7 and were prepared to wait until 1:30.  AT 1:10 Allen suggested that I just run and see if our room might be ready.  They leave your key cards in a sealed envelope outside your door when the room is ready.  Sure enough, ours was ready so we got all of our luggage, carryons, and drinks settled then headed to lunch.
> We chose the Lido deck buffet.  It was fine.  Typical buffet food.  DCL buffet on sail away day is much much better.  We did not have Cheers, so we drank water.  Allen tried  the tea but hated it.  The lemonade was okay, and the coffee was ok too, probably better than DCL free coffee.  For desserts, I think I liked the carnival buffet desserts better.  They had servers who sliced cheesecake and it was really good, so that was a +1 for Carnival. Allen tried the soft serve but didn’t like it, it was very “icy” and not creamy like DCL.
> I loved our room location, Deck 7 right in the middle of the ship.  2 flights up to the open deck and buffet, 2 flights down to the casino and clubs, 3 flights down to the resturants.  Our room was tiny.  But fine for the 2 of us.  Plenty of closet space.  Colors were ugly, pinks and teals and oranges.  It was clean. Bathroom counter was large, I think larger than DCL.  The shower stall was tiny, I hated it.  Our stateroom host Eva was awesome, we asked for extra towels, 2x daily service, ice, wine glasses and bottle opener.  I had to do a load of laundry the 1st night as I had forgotten to pack a few things.  $3 each on your room key.
> We had Anytime Dining which we liked.   We went around 7 each night and had to wait  minutes the 1st night.  We were seated alone.  We bought the 3 bottle wine package so we had 1 bottle each dinner.  The dinner meals were good, but we like DCL food better.  Service was fine.  We like DCL servers better.  I found it very difficult to understand the servers’ accents.  Even when they were from the same countries as our DCL servers.
> For 2 adults, there was much more stuff for us to do.  We went to the comedy show one night and it was okay.  Pretty typical.  We didn’t go back.  We saw all 3 main shows we loved them.  Very talented performers.  And we liked the music.  We went to the 10:15 show every night.  I liked the big dual seats with drink and arm rests in the theatre.  It was more comfy than the single seats.  We went to the piano bar once and like it.  We planned to go back but never made it.
> We did spend a lot of time in the casino.  It sucks that that allow smoking but it wasn’t too bad.  I play craps and Allen watched.  Of course, I think that I have mad dice rolling skills and that I am super lucky.  Allen kept quoting me stats and probability theories.  Whatever.  I came out ahead $68.  I played slots while waiting for the craps table to open and ended up losing $10.  I wish DCL had a casino.  We were able to buy used and cut decks of cards for the kids for $1 each.
> Our only port was Nassau.  We booked an excursion through Carnival to Balmoral Island ($80ish for both of us).  The Ferry included a lot of waiting around getting there and back.  And the water and sand were beautiful.  But I think the set up there is very sketch.  DCL had their own area so the DCL excursion may be nicer.  But the food and drink prices were a rip off.  And the sting ray and dolphin areas looked just.. very sad.  I had heard that the ocean side of the island was beautiful, but we were kind of roped off from accessing anything other than our areas.  Which was fine.  I’m glad that we got to go to a beach area, and I didn’t expect much for $80, but nothing special about Balmoral!!  It honestly seemed like they were trying to recreat Castaway Cay... and not too well!
> 
> We bought a few beverages in Nassau, (3 longnecks for $6), grabbed some gifts for the girls (3 leather bracelets/anklets for $10), and headed back into the port gates.  The port officer stopped us and said that we had to finish our beer outside the gate.  We were then approached by a man who offered to sell us something to enhance our beer-buzz, which we politely declined.  Headed into port area and I decided that I wanted to have some braids in my hair.  The prices were high ($4 per braid), but a nice lady told me that, "All prices are negotiable".. and that she's do my 4 full braids for $10. We shared the 3rd beer while she did my hair (and I prayed for a lice free experience!), I gave her $15 cash and we were back on the ship.
> 
> We went straight up to try Guys burgers.  The line was 10 minutes long, and we each ordered the Ringer.  Allen likes 5 guys better, I though Guys was pretty tasty, especially the fries. The next day we had tacos from Blue Iguana.  They were good, but I think we've had better in Atlanta.  We did not get to try the pizza as the lines were always 20-40 deep.  We did not try the Deli, BBQ, sushi, or upgrade seafood.  We also did not do the upcharge Steakhouse or Chefs Table.  Sea day we found a space on deck near a satellite bubble that provided Allen's lounger full shade and mine full sun.  There were some pretty raunchy on deck festivities.... we did not participate.  We did share a bucket of beers, about $28 with tip for 4.
> 
> We carried off our luggage on the last morning, no lines, super easy.  We hired a shared shuttle, Cortans, to take us to the airport.  $20 each and it was nice and such a value.
> 
> Overall it was a great trip at for not too much money.  I'm glad we went as we had fun.  We wouldn't take our kids though


Thanks for the trip report. We’ve only gone on the Vista so far and absolutely love it, so do our kids, (teens).  We’ee Booked on Horizon next year and Panorama in 2020 and I really want to try one of the 3 night cruises out of Long Beach on Imagination or Inspiration. My wife isn’t in agreement with that though, maybe after she reads your trip report she might agree to give it a try. Long Beach is only a 5.5 hour drive for us and the fares are pretty inexpensive so I’m willing to throw caution to the wind. Thanks again and I really think you’d enjoy the Vista class ships, and your husband would fall in love with the fresh homemade ice cream they serve at lunch time only in the dessert section of Lido, it’s fricking amazing!!


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## we"reofftoneverland

tigerchic89 said:


> yes, off to NL, you summed it up nicely.  It didn't help that our CCL itinerary mirrored DCL Wonder this trip... arriving at PC, I see the Wonder, eating lunch aboard carnival, I have a clear view of Wonder, during sail away.. oh look there's the Wonder.  We wake in Nassau, there's 4 ships in port.  Who are we parked next to and sharing a dock????  the Wonder.  Which is fine, I actually loved looking at the ship, the Wonder is in the background of most of our pics.
> 
> Again, the carnival cost us about $800 after our OB credit... the same trip for the 2 of us on the Wonder would have been over $1800, and we could not justify it!  After the cruise, I am happy with our choice.. my heart loves DCL but my head is happy with the +$1K in the checking account LOL



You will love NCL.  It is my husband's favorite line (so far).  Their buffet is amazing.  They have home made ice cream on the buffet every day.  The flavors are usually different and I have seen up to 8 at once.  My favorite was coconut!  Their Deal or no Deal game show is a riot.  Their guest services area is huge and never has a line (or if it does, it moves very, very quickly).  If you buy a cruise next certificate it is $250 for $500 in credit towards your next cruise.  You can buy multiple certificates.  They are good for 4 years.


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## mevelandry

tigerchic89 said:


> It was the signed and labeled VIP... but every DCL passenger was over there, and I did not see a single DCL towel on our side.  I'm not complaining, I'm sure the DCL excursion costs more (I think I looked at the prices in the past).  But I had read on a past DCL review of that excursion about walking around to the back of the island... well we couldn't get there b/c to the right was blocked off by the VIP area, and to the left was blocked off for only the stingray and dolphin excursion extras. The back was walled off by walls surrounding the pool and some new construction they are doing.  And I will admit, we did not try very hard or ask anyone.. it was kind of like "hey do you want to try to walk around to see the other side? Sure, ok this side is roped off, that side is roped off, let's just just head back to the ship"
> 
> I threw away our fun times, I do not remember the comedian names. I was not offended or anything, I like raunchy movies like Bridesmaids and The Hangover.. I was just kind of rolling my eyes as I giggled during the show.....



Oh, ok. That's reassuring in a way. Didn't Carnival have a "VIP" option in their excursion?


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## mevelandry

tigerchic89 said:


> sorry one more thing about Balmoral..... I definitely think that we got what we paid for.  I am glad that we booked it.  If we had not, we would not have seen the ocean and beach up close.  But, since I am in love with DCL, I was looking for the differences, so I noticed.  I don't think that Balmoral slighted the carnival guests over th DCL guests, I think they sell a different product (at a different price).  If we were to go ack, I might try Blue Lagoon instead, but Balmoral was cheapest so that's why I chose it 1st.  I hope this helps explain and helps you make you choice for when you visit Nassau



I just noticed there are many different excursions for Balmoral Island: 

-NASSAU 360 & BEACH
-PRIVATE ISLAND BEACH DAY
-PRIVATE ISLAND BEACH DAY WITH LUNCH
-PRIVATE ISLAND BEACH DAY DELUXE
-VIP CHAMPAGNE CABANA AND BEACH
-PRIVATE ISLAND STINGRAY ENCOUNTER & BEACH
-PRIVATE ISLAND DOLPHIN SWIM & BEACH DAY
-VIP DOLPHIN SWIM & BEACH DAY WITH LUNCH

I have tried Blue Lagoon and loved it.


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## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I know for me (not saying this is true for other people!) it is sometimes hard to separate out the emotional component of Disney.  They do such an amazing job of getting you to have emotional experiences and associations in the everyday.  The ice cream to me is a great example because it is one of the things I have compared also.  And I am almost positive that it is the same crappy soft serve on both DCL and CCL. (...)



I could be wrong but I think Carnival's soft serve is Nestlé?


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## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I could be wrong but I think Carnival's soft serve is Nestlé?



Unfortunately I can't remember, and I know I have seen them put it in.  I have seen them do it on DCL too and I can't remember what they use either.  I asked DH and he can't remember either, which is weird, because I can usually count on him to notice random details like that.  lol.


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## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Unfortunately I can't remember, and I know I have seen them put it in.  I have seen them do it on DCL too and I can't remember what they use either.  I asked DH and he can't remember either, which is weird, because I can usually count on him to notice random details like that.  lol.



Nestlé being Coca-Cola & most juices and soft drinks on Carnival being Coca-Cola... that would make sense. I remember seeing an employee filling a machine with the product for yogurt, seeing the name and telling myself that it was a "reliable" product.


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## nrteer

*Turns out this is pretty long. Sorry!!

My family recently returned from a cruise on the Vista to the Southern Caribbean and I just wanted to share my thoughts since I found this thread reassuring during my planning.

Background: We are a family of 3 (dd9) and live in the Tampa area. We have have cruised on Princess, Celebrity, NCL, and DCL. Our 2 DCL were on the Wonder and the Dream. I originally booked a 5 nt on the Magic out of Miami, but was not excited about it, so I started looking into other options for Spring Break. Disclaimer: We are Disney people, especially dd. We have WDW APs, and have been to DL, DLP, and Aulani. We love the family vibe and culture of Disney, but we have been to most of the destinations that DCL sails to in the Caribbean and wanted to see some new places. 

I narrowed it down to 2 options: The NCL Getaway and the Carnival Vista. I will admit that I once declared that I would never sail on Carnival! Both ships looked like fun for dd, but it came down to itinerary. NCL went to the Western Caribbean and the Vista went to the Southern. Vista won. We booked 2 Cloud 9 Spa Balcony cabins in July (MIL came with us and dd shared with her). 

We are not complainers and don't expect perfection on vacation, however, I feel like we had really low expectations because it was Carnival and not DCL. We drove to Miami the night before and stayed at the Intercontinental. We woke up to a view of several ships and were really excited. Our PAT was 12-12:30. Parking was pretty full, but we found a space and got in the long line of people waiting to embark. The line was always moving and it took about an hour to get on the ship. Our cabins were ready, so we dropped our carry-ons and off we went. 

I liked the colors in the Spa Cabins and found it was plenty of space for the 2 of us. We have our dd in our cabin on DCL, so the split bathroom is a bonus there. Our room steward opened the divider on the balcony to connect our rooms which was great since there is not a connecting door in the cabin. The cabin came with Elemis products that were really nice and access to the Spa thermal suite. The heated loungers were so relaxing and the whirlpool was nice and hot. I tried the scented showers as well, but not the saual. I didn't go as often as I would have liked, but when I did go, it was empty. My MIL had I the thermal suite to ourselves! It was always very quiet in our hallway and we loved the proximity to Water Works. We could hop down two flights outside and be at the beach pool, Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana, and the Lido Buffet. There are only 2 elevators that go to deck 14, so it is easier to walk down one flight to deck 12 where there are several more elevators. We usually just did the stairs. Our room steward was always around and very helpful. We loved the towel animals and really enjoyed when they took over all of the deck chairs at the pool! He even made a cat and held it together with rubber bands so my daughter could bring it home.

I never felt the ship was overly crowded, but we aren't sun worshippers, so we didn't have to battle for a pool lounger. We found shady loungers on deck 14 next to Water Works to relax while dd enjoyed the slides. There were lines for Guys and BI, but they always seemed to move. There are some shops on the ship (mostly jewelry and clothing). We spend a ton of money and time in the shops on DCL, so it was really nice just pop in and buy dd a shirt and off we went.

Food: My favorite item on DCL is the pasta pursettes! Other than that, I think the food is decent. We like Cabanas for breakfast and I think it is a little better than the Lido buffet. However, I loved the french toast on Carnival. The Lido got a little old on an 8nt cruise (I have been on 4&5nt DCL). One thing I loved on Carnival was Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana Cantina. We never eat at the restaurants by the pool on DCL, so this was different for us. The MDR on Vista was relaxing. We actually decided that we liked anytime dining better than rotational on DCL. While it is nice that your servers get to know you, they make us feel obligated to go to dinner. We got to meet many different servers on Carnival and they were all incredibly friendly. Also, we didn't get the "Please give us excellent ratings" speech which was nice. The MDR on Carnival was ok. I liked that the portion sizes weren't enormous and the variety on the menu. We tried all 3 specialty restaurants, but JIJI was the standout. It was so tasty and a fun experience. The Italian restaurant was ok and the Steakhouse was pretty good. I would probably try the Steakhouse again, but would skip the Italian one. We have dined at Palo brunch twice. The first time was excellent and the second was eh. I liked that we could bring dd to the specialty restaurants on Carnival. We did the Dr. Suess character breakfast and it was quite fun. The characters were very fun and the dining room was all decked out. The menu had all kinds of fun takes on breakfast foods, but we are pretty healthy eaters and couldn't bring ourselves to order the crazy creations. Luckily regular versions are available to order. The characters do not come to the table, the kids go to them. It is very organized and dd loved meeting new characters.

We visited Grand Turk, La Romana DR, Curacao, and Aruba. We are big water people and prefer to do private boating/snorkeling excursions while on vacation. In La Romana I decided to book through Carnival bc I there were not a lot of private options. We did the VIP Saona Island excursion. It started by taking a tour bus to Bayahibe to get on a motomaran. I am not a fan of the group tour thing, but the guide was ok. We boarded the boat and headed to the natural pool. It looked like a party in the water. The area was beautiful, but there were a lot of boats and people just drinking rum punch in the water. My family went in the water, but I stayed on the boat and took pics of them. We were there for about 45 min and then headed to Saona Island. The island was beautiful. We found loungers under palm trees and just relaxed before lunch. There were people selling things, but if you said "No thank you" they didn't seem to ask again. Lunch was grilled chicken, grilled fish, paella, and salads. It was really tasty. We had about 2 hours on the island before heading back to the ship. We had to be back on board at 4 and the bus pulled in at 350. We have never taken a DCL excursion, so I can't compare.

We loved the relaxing vibe of the Vista. It felt like vacation. I feel like when we are on DCL, we are always doing something and have little down time (Obviously by choice). DD loves the character meets, Mid Ship Detective Agency, and the kids clubs. On Carnival we enjoyed Water Works with its multiple slides and water play area. The lines weren't long, so she spent more time playing than waiting. We also did the ropes course and played mini golf and foosball. We visited the arcade which we haven't done on Disney (not even sure if they have one) and saw 2 Imax movies as well as Dive-In movies. We did not go to any of the comedy shows or dance shows. We have seen many of the DCL shows, but have been known to skip them. I would agree that they are the best at sea!

DD loved Camp Ocean, but also loves the DCL clubs. She is not a fan of the organized activites, so she just checked the schedule and knew when to go. The staff was super friendly and helpful. There have been instances when she needed help in a DCL club and didn't receive it. I felt like the staff were very engaged with the kids on the Vista. This was a spring break cruise, so there were lots of kids. I have to say that they were very well behaved and parents were on top of them. I feel like on DCL kids are everywhere (to be expected), but many are not supervised. I also feel like due to the cost of a DCL cruise, families feel like they have to do it all and it causes cranky parents and melting down kids (just like in the parks).

So, it turns out we LOVED the Carnival Vista! We decided that it was the best cruise we have ever been on. It cost our family of 4 less than half of the price of the 7nt Fantasy for the same week. We had a ton of fun and had time to relax as well. We have a cruise on the Dream in May for DD's 10th birthday and I am interested to hear her comparison of the 2 ships so close together. As much as we love Disney, seeing what else is out there was a good thing for us.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

nrteer said:


> *Turns out this is pretty long. Sorry!!
> 
> My family recently returned from a cruise on the Vista to the Southern Caribbean and I just wanted to share my thoughts since I found this thread reassuring during my planning.
> 
> Background: We are a family of 3 (dd9) and live in the Tampa area. We have have cruised on Princess, Celebrity, NCL, and DCL. Our 2 DCL were on the Wonder and the Dream. I originally booked a 5 nt on the Magic out of Miami, but was not excited about it, so I started looking into other options for Spring Break. Disclaimer: We are Disney people, especially dd. We have WDW APs, and have been to DL, DLP, and Aulani. We love the family vibe and culture of Disney, but we have been to most of the destinations that DCL sails to in the Caribbean and wanted to see some new places.
> 
> I narrowed it down to 2 options: The NCL Getaway and the Carnival Vista. I will admit that I once declared that I would never sail on Carnival! Both ships looked like fun for dd, but it came down to itinerary. NCL went to the Western Caribbean and the Vista went to the Southern. Vista won. We booked 2 Cloud 9 Spa Balcony cabins in July (MIL came with us and dd shared with her).
> 
> We are not complainers and don't expect perfection on vacation, however, I feel like we had really low expectations because it was Carnival and not DCL. We drove to Miami the night before and stayed at the Intercontinental. We woke up to a view of several ships and were really excited. Our PAT was 12-12:30. Parking was pretty full, but we found a space and got in the long line of people waiting to embark. The line was always moving and it took about an hour to get on the ship. Our cabins were ready, so we dropped our carry-ons and off we went.
> 
> I liked the colors in the Spa Cabins and found it was plenty of space for the 2 of us. We have our dd in our cabin on DCL, so the split bathroom is a bonus there. Our room steward opened the divider on the balcony to connect our rooms which was great since there is not a connecting door in the cabin. The cabin came with Elemis products that were really nice and access to the Spa thermal suite. The heated loungers were so relaxing and the whirlpool was nice and hot. I tried the scented showers as well, but not the saual. I didn't go as often as I would have liked, but when I did go, it was empty. My MIL had I the thermal suite to ourselves! It was always very quiet in our hallway and we loved the proximity to Water Works. We could hop down two flights outside and be at the beach pool, Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana, and the Lido Buffet. There are only 2 elevators that go to deck 14, so it is easier to walk down one flight to deck 12 where there are several more elevators. We usually just did the stairs. Our room steward was always around and very helpful. We loved the towel animals and really enjoyed when they took over all of the deck chairs at the pool! He even made a cat and held it together with rubber bands so my daughter could bring it home.
> 
> I never felt the ship was overly crowded, but we aren't sun worshippers, so we didn't have to battle for a pool lounger. We found shady loungers on deck 14 next to Water Works to relax while dd enjoyed the slides. There were lines for Guys and BI, but they always seemed to move. There are some shops on the ship (mostly jewelry and clothing). We spend a ton of money and time in the shops on DCL, so it was really nice just pop in and buy dd a shirt and off we went.
> 
> Food: My favorite item on DCL is the pasta pursettes! Other than that, I think the food is decent. We like Cabanas for breakfast and I think it is a little better than the Lido buffet. However, I loved the french toast on Carnival. The Lido got a little old on an 8nt cruise (I have been on 4&5nt DCL). One thing I loved on Carnival was Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana Cantina. We never eat at the restaurants by the pool on DCL, so this was different for us. The MDR on Vista was relaxing. We actually decided that we liked anytime dining better than rotational on DCL. While it is nice that your servers get to know you, they make us feel obligated to go to dinner. We got to meet many different servers on Carnival and they were all incredibly friendly. Also, we didn't get the "Please give us excellent ratings" speech which was nice. The MDR on Carnival was ok. I liked that the portion sizes weren't enormous and the variety on the menu. We tried all 3 specialty restaurants, but JIJI was the standout. It was so tasty and a fun experience. The Italian restaurant was ok and the Steakhouse was pretty good. I would probably try the Steakhouse again, but would skip the Italian one. We have dined at Palo brunch twice. The first time was excellent and the second was eh. I liked that we could bring dd to the specialty restaurants on Carnival. We did the Dr. Suess character breakfast and it was quite fun. The characters were very fun and the dining room was all decked out. The menu had all kinds of fun takes on breakfast foods, but we are pretty healthy eaters and couldn't bring ourselves to order the crazy creations. Luckily regular versions are available to order. The characters do not come to the table, the kids go to them. It is very organized and dd loved meeting new characters.
> 
> We visited Grand Turk, La Romana DR, Curacao, and Aruba. We are big water people and prefer to do private boating/snorkeling excursions while on vacation. In La Romana I decided to book through Carnival bc I there were not a lot of private options. We did the VIP Saona Island excursion. It started by taking a tour bus to Bayahibe to get on a motomaran. I am not a fan of the group tour thing, but the guide was ok. We boarded the boat and headed to the natural pool. It looked like a party in the water. The area was beautiful, but there were a lot of boats and people just drinking rum punch in the water. My family went in the water, but I stayed on the boat and took pics of them. We were there for about 45 min and then headed to Saona Island. The island was beautiful. We found loungers under palm trees and just relaxed before lunch. There were people selling things, but if you said "No thank you" they didn't seem to ask again. Lunch was grilled chicken, grilled fish, paella, and salads. It was really tasty. We had about 2 hours on the island before heading back to the ship. We had to be back on board at 4 and the bus pulled in at 350. We have never taken a DCL excursion, so I can't compare.
> 
> We loved the relaxing vibe of the Vista. It felt like vacation. I feel like when we are on DCL, we are always doing something and have little down time (Obviously by choice). DD loves the character meets, Mid Ship Detective Agency, and the kids clubs. On Carnival we enjoyed Water Works with its multiple slides and water play area. The lines weren't long, so she spent more time playing than waiting. We also did the ropes course and played mini golf and foosball. We visited the arcade which we haven't done on Disney (not even sure if they have one) and saw 2 Imax movies as well as Dive-In movies. We did not go to any of the comedy shows or dance shows. We have seen many of the DCL shows, but have been known to skip them. I would agree that they are the best at sea!
> 
> DD loved Camp Ocean, but also loves the DCL clubs. She is not a fan of the organized activites, so she just checked the schedule and knew when to go. The staff was super friendly and helpful. There have been instances when she needed help in a DCL club and didn't receive it. I felt like the staff were very engaged with the kids on the Vista. This was a spring break cruise, so there were lots of kids. I have to say that they were very well behaved and parents were on top of them. I feel like on DCL kids are everywhere (to be expected), but many are not supervised. I also feel like due to the cost of a DCL cruise, families feel like they have to do it all and it causes cranky parents and melting down kids (just like in the parks).
> 
> So, it turns out we LOVED the Carnival Vista! We decided that it was the best cruise we have ever been on. It cost our family of 4 less than half of the price of the 7nt Fantasy for the same week. We had a ton of fun and had time to relax as well. We have a cruise on the Dream in May for DD's 10th birthday and I am interested to hear her comparison of the 2 ships so close together. As much as we love Disney, seeing what else is out there was a good thing for us.



Thanks for the report!  We almost did the Sanoa island excursion but hesitated because we were not sure one of our kids would "cooperate" on it.   It seems like it gets good reviews, and there were not a lot of choices in La Romana.  It is interesting to get your take on it because we will probably do that itinerary again someday.  We loved the itinerary and also loved the Vista.


----------



## mevelandry

Yuck yuck yuck...

My FIL is currently in the hospital regarding possible cardiac arythmia (he'll pass some medical exams today) after feeling weak in the last days.

At this time, we don't know whether our upcoming family cruise will happen as we don't really know what is up with his heart.

We don't know if the family trip will happen as it was supposed to, if it's going to turn into a romantic trip or no trip at all (because my DH is very close to his parents and might be tempted to cancel if his father is not well). 

A lots of uncertainties...

Oh well... This life is never boring, isn't it?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Yuck yuck yuck...
> 
> My FIL is currently in the hospital regarding possible cardiac arythmia (he'll pass some medical exams today) after feeling weak in the last days.
> 
> At this time, we don't know whether our upcoming family cruise will happen as we don't really know what is up with his heart.
> 
> We don't know if the family trip will happen as it was supposed to, if it's going to turn into a romantic trip or no trip at all (because my DH is very close to his parents and might be tempted to cancel his father is not well).
> 
> A lots of uncertainties...
> 
> Oh well... This life is never boring, isn't it?


Sorry to hear this


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

nrteer said:


> *Turns out this is pretty long. Sorry!!
> 
> My family recently returned from a cruise on the Vista to the Southern Caribbean and I just wanted to share my thoughts since I found this thread reassuring during my planning.
> 
> Background: We are a family of 3 (dd9) and live in the Tampa area. We have have cruised on Princess, Celebrity, NCL, and DCL. Our 2 DCL were on the Wonder and the Dream. I originally booked a 5 nt on the Magic out of Miami, but was not excited about it, so I started looking into other options for Spring Break. Disclaimer: We are Disney people, especially dd. We have WDW APs, and have been to DL, DLP, and Aulani. We love the family vibe and culture of Disney, but we have been to most of the destinations that DCL sails to in the Caribbean and wanted to see some new places.
> 
> I narrowed it down to 2 options: The NCL Getaway and the Carnival Vista. I will admit that I once declared that I would never sail on Carnival! Both ships looked like fun for dd, but it came down to itinerary. NCL went to the Western Caribbean and the Vista went to the Southern. Vista won. We booked 2 Cloud 9 Spa Balcony cabins in July (MIL came with us and dd shared with her).
> 
> We are not complainers and don't expect perfection on vacation, however, I feel like we had really low expectations because it was Carnival and not DCL. We drove to Miami the night before and stayed at the Intercontinental. We woke up to a view of several ships and were really excited. Our PAT was 12-12:30. Parking was pretty full, but we found a space and got in the long line of people waiting to embark. The line was always moving and it took about an hour to get on the ship. Our cabins were ready, so we dropped our carry-ons and off we went.
> 
> I liked the colors in the Spa Cabins and found it was plenty of space for the 2 of us. We have our dd in our cabin on DCL, so the split bathroom is a bonus there. Our room steward opened the divider on the balcony to connect our rooms which was great since there is not a connecting door in the cabin. The cabin came with Elemis products that were really nice and access to the Spa thermal suite. The heated loungers were so relaxing and the whirlpool was nice and hot. I tried the scented showers as well, but not the saual. I didn't go as often as I would have liked, but when I did go, it was empty. My MIL had I the thermal suite to ourselves! It was always very quiet in our hallway and we loved the proximity to Water Works. We could hop down two flights outside and be at the beach pool, Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana, and the Lido Buffet. There are only 2 elevators that go to deck 14, so it is easier to walk down one flight to deck 12 where there are several more elevators. We usually just did the stairs. Our room steward was always around and very helpful. We loved the towel animals and really enjoyed when they took over all of the deck chairs at the pool! He even made a cat and held it together with rubber bands so my daughter could bring it home.
> 
> I never felt the ship was overly crowded, but we aren't sun worshippers, so we didn't have to battle for a pool lounger. We found shady loungers on deck 14 next to Water Works to relax while dd enjoyed the slides. There were lines for Guys and BI, but they always seemed to move. There are some shops on the ship (mostly jewelry and clothing). We spend a ton of money and time in the shops on DCL, so it was really nice just pop in and buy dd a shirt and off we went.
> 
> Food: My favorite item on DCL is the pasta pursettes! Other than that, I think the food is decent. We like Cabanas for breakfast and I think it is a little better than the Lido buffet. However, I loved the french toast on Carnival. The Lido got a little old on an 8nt cruise (I have been on 4&5nt DCL). One thing I loved on Carnival was Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana Cantina. We never eat at the restaurants by the pool on DCL, so this was different for us. The MDR on Vista was relaxing. We actually decided that we liked anytime dining better than rotational on DCL. While it is nice that your servers get to know you, they make us feel obligated to go to dinner. We got to meet many different servers on Carnival and they were all incredibly friendly. Also, we didn't get the "Please give us excellent ratings" speech which was nice. The MDR on Carnival was ok. I liked that the portion sizes weren't enormous and the variety on the menu. We tried all 3 specialty restaurants, but JIJI was the standout. It was so tasty and a fun experience. The Italian restaurant was ok and the Steakhouse was pretty good. I would probably try the Steakhouse again, but would skip the Italian one. We have dined at Palo brunch twice. The first time was excellent and the second was eh. I liked that we could bring dd to the specialty restaurants on Carnival. We did the Dr. Suess character breakfast and it was quite fun. The characters were very fun and the dining room was all decked out. The menu had all kinds of fun takes on breakfast foods, but we are pretty healthy eaters and couldn't bring ourselves to order the crazy creations. Luckily regular versions are available to order. The characters do not come to the table, the kids go to them. It is very organized and dd loved meeting new characters.
> 
> We visited Grand Turk, La Romana DR, Curacao, and Aruba. We are big water people and prefer to do private boating/snorkeling excursions while on vacation. In La Romana I decided to book through Carnival bc I there were not a lot of private options. We did the VIP Saona Island excursion. It started by taking a tour bus to Bayahibe to get on a motomaran. I am not a fan of the group tour thing, but the guide was ok. We boarded the boat and headed to the natural pool. It looked like a party in the water. The area was beautiful, but there were a lot of boats and people just drinking rum punch in the water. My family went in the water, but I stayed on the boat and took pics of them. We were there for about 45 min and then headed to Saona Island. The island was beautiful. We found loungers under palm trees and just relaxed before lunch. There were people selling things, but if you said "No thank you" they didn't seem to ask again. Lunch was grilled chicken, grilled fish, paella, and salads. It was really tasty. We had about 2 hours on the island before heading back to the ship. We had to be back on board at 4 and the bus pulled in at 350. We have never taken a DCL excursion, so I can't compare.
> 
> We loved the relaxing vibe of the Vista. It felt like vacation. I feel like when we are on DCL, we are always doing something and have little down time (Obviously by choice). DD loves the character meets, Mid Ship Detective Agency, and the kids clubs. On Carnival we enjoyed Water Works with its multiple slides and water play area. The lines weren't long, so she spent more time playing than waiting. We also did the ropes course and played mini golf and foosball. We visited the arcade which we haven't done on Disney (not even sure if they have one) and saw 2 Imax movies as well as Dive-In movies. We did not go to any of the comedy shows or dance shows. We have seen many of the DCL shows, but have been known to skip them. I would agree that they are the best at sea!
> 
> DD loved Camp Ocean, but also loves the DCL clubs. She is not a fan of the organized activites, so she just checked the schedule and knew when to go. The staff was super friendly and helpful. There have been instances when she needed help in a DCL club and didn't receive it. I felt like the staff were very engaged with the kids on the Vista. This was a spring break cruise, so there were lots of kids. I have to say that they were very well behaved and parents were on top of them. I feel like on DCL kids are everywhere (to be expected), but many are not supervised. I also feel like due to the cost of a DCL cruise, families feel like they have to do it all and it causes cranky parents and melting down kids (just like in the parks).
> 
> So, it turns out we LOVED the Carnival Vista! We decided that it was the best cruise we have ever been on. It cost our family of 4 less than half of the price of the 7nt Fantasy for the same week. We had a ton of fun and had time to relax as well. We have a cruise on the Dream in May for DD's 10th birthday and I am interested to hear her comparison of the 2 ships so close together. As much as we love Disney, seeing what else is out there was a good thing for us.


Thanks for the report, we love the Vista and that 8 night itinerary is amazing. I just loved how clean and awesome Curaçao is, we’re actually doing the same itinerary again in 2019 on the Horizon. I’m not a fan of repeating itineraries but we really want to check out Horizon. I’m so happy to read that you enjoyed your cruise so much.


----------



## mevelandry

mevelandry said:


> Yuck yuck yuck...
> 
> My FIL is currently in the hospital regarding possible cardiac arythmia (he'll pass some medical exams today) after feeling weak in the last days.
> 
> At this time, we don't know whether our upcoming family cruise will happen as we don't really know what is up with his heart.
> 
> We don't know if the family trip will happen as it was supposed to, if it's going to turn into a romantic trip or no trip at all (because my DH is very close to his parents and might be tempted to cancel if his father is not well).
> 
> A lots of uncertainties...
> 
> Oh well... This life is never boring, isn't it?




Update: FIL has been discharged. Back home with some pills to take to control arythmia. If the situation remains stable, he should be cleared by the doc on monday to come and cruise with us as it was originally plan. 

I have a feeling there will be many tears of joy when we finally board that ship.


----------



## mevelandry

Thoughts on the new YTD system they want to put on the Horizon? 

I find it practical ... but I just don't like the idea of using my phone. I'm the kind of person who still misses the "large" Personal Navigator!  (I can imagine the Fun Times was also larger before?)


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Thoughts on the new YTD system they want to put on the Horizon?
> 
> I find it practical ... but I just don't like the idea of using my phone. I'm the kind of person who still misses the "large" Personal Navigator!  (I can imagine the Fun Times was also larger before?)


What is the new system of which you speak?  It’s not like on Vista?


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> What is the new system of which you speak?  It’s not like on Vista?



On the Horizon, you will be able to go on your app and book your table (YTD), when your table is ready you'll receive a notice telling you can go. 

That way you don't have to check in person and then wait for your table to be ready (or like on the Vista, to check-in on Deck 5 before you go to the Dining Room).


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Interesting... I was not a huge fan of the check in for any time dining on the Vista.  On the Conquest you literally walk in to any time dining.  I think we had to wait about 5 min once on Conquest.  We didn't really have any more than 15 min waits on the Vista either, but I just did not really like having to sign in at another location.  Just felt weird and sort of sloppy.  So maybe they are trying to do it another way.  I am not a huge fan of everything being on phones either... but it seems like I that is a "battle" I have already lost.  lol.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Interesting... I was not a huge fan of the check in for any time dining on the Vista.  On the Conquest you literally walk in to any time dining.  I think we had to wait about 5 min once on Conquest.  We didn't really have any more than 15 min waits on the Vista either, but I just did not really like having to sign in at another location.  Just felt weird and sort of sloppy.  So maybe they are trying to do it another way.  I am not a huge fan of everything being on phones either... but it seems like I that is a "battle" I have already lost.  lol.



Can't say I've  ever had a problem on the Victory or the Vista when it comes to YTD. Never had to wait more than 10 min and it only happened once.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Can't say I've  ever had a problem on the Victory or the Vista when it comes to YTD. Never had to wait more than 10 min and it only happened once.


But did it bother you at all that on the Vista you had to go check in at the cafe on a different floor to get a reservation?  For me this wasn't a huge deal, but it just didn't seem like the most logical or efficient system.  I am wondering if they have already done away with this system anyway.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> But did it bother you at all that on the Vista you had to go check in at the cafe on a different floor to get a reservation?  For me this wasn't a huge deal, but it just didn't seem like the most logical or efficient system.  I am wondering if they have already done away with this system anyway.



It wasn't that bad but I don't really get why they are doing it that way...


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> It wasn't that bad but I don't really get why they are doing it that way...


That's how I felt too.  Not really a big deal, but I did notice it and thought, that is a strange way to do it.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> On the Horizon, you will be able to go on your app and book your table (YTD), when your table is ready you'll receive a notice telling you can go.
> 
> That way you don't have to check in person and then wait for your table to be ready (or like on the Vista, to check-in on Deck 5 before you go to the Dining Room).


I have to say, I think I like this way better. We use our phones on cruises for pics and texting with the teens, so to set up our dining time, I’m ok with it. I still will stay offline and have no contact with the outside world while on the ship.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> On the Horizon, you will be able to go on your app and book your table (YTD), when your table is ready you'll receive a notice telling you can go.
> 
> That way you don't have to check in person and then wait for your table to be ready (or like on the Vista, to check-in on Deck 5 before you go to the Dining Room).



Interesting.  I wonder if you can make a "reservation" for a specific time or if you just "check in" when you are ready?  We were very lucky that we did not have to go to the Deck 5 check in on our cruise as I guess there were less P/D on our sailing and they opened the come when you want to Golds.  Only the Blue/Reds had to check in at Deck 5.  We probably will not be so lucky this time!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Did y'all see the video John Heald put up of the Horizon crew dancing around getting the ship ready?!  So fun.  Makes me wish we were booked on it!  Sounds like it left Barcelona  today?  So exciting.


----------



## mevelandry

Sure wish I could. The Horizon looks amazing! 

However, we already have 5 trips planned from April 2018 to October 2019!


----------



## mevelandry

@tinkerjo I took the chance to tag you in here. 

You will find every information you need on this thread... Most of us love DCL (it's the price they charge we don't like LOL) & also love Carnival. 

On page 1, in the first post, you will find some infos but also the links to several reviews and pictures of Carnival cruise ships and we'll do our best to answer all your questions. 

There are no stupid questions. We'll be glad to help you. 

So if you want to hang with us a bit: Welcome!


----------



## mevelandry

@tigerchic89  I have put a link to your Carnival Liberty review on the first post of this thread.


----------



## tinkerjo

mevelandry said:


> @tinkerjo I took the chance to tag you in here.
> 
> You will find every information you need on this thread... Most of us love DCL (it's the price they charge we don't like LOL) & also love Carnival.
> 
> On page 1, in the first post, you will find some infos but also the links to several reviews and pictures of Carnival cruise ships and we'll do our best to answer all your questions.
> 
> There are no stupid questions. We'll be glad to help you.
> 
> So if you want to hang with us a bit: Welcome!


Thank you. That other thread had my head spinning a little. I will definitely take time and read everything


----------



## sdjen

Can I vent for a second? I can tell you right now difference with carnival and DCL that is not very customer friendly. I have a carnival cruise booked currently for my daughter and myself. I was trying to get a cabin that would have a king/queen bed for myself and a bunk or sofa bed for my daughter but they won’t allow that. If there’s only two of you in the room they will only allow you to book a cabin with two beds. On Disney I was Able to book a room for just the two of us that actually had five beds only because it was connecting with my family’s room. This is quite frustrating to me I know it’s a silly thing but still I should be able to get the type of room that I want to get


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

sdjen said:


> Can I vent for a second? I can tell you right now difference with carnival and DCL that is not very customer friendly. I have a carnival cruise booked currently for my daughter and myself. I was trying to get a cabin that would have a king/queen bed for myself and a bunk or sofa bed for my daughter but they won’t allow that. If there’s only two of you in the room they will only allow you to book a cabin with two beds. On Disney I was Able to book a room for just the two of us that actually had five beds only because it was connecting with my family’s room. This is quite frustrating to me I know it’s a silly thing but still I should be able to get the type of room that I want to get


I agree this is frustrating.   We cancelled someone from a CCL cruise and they insisted on moving us to a room on the other end of the ship because we now have less people in the room.


----------



## mevelandry

sdjen said:


> Can I vent for a second? I can tell you right now difference with carnival and DCL that is not very customer friendly. I have a carnival cruise booked currently for my daughter and myself. I was trying to get a cabin that would have a king/queen bed for myself and a bunk or sofa bed for my daughter but they won’t allow that. If there’s only two of you in the room they will only allow you to book a cabin with two beds. On Disney I was Able to book a room for just the two of us that actually had five beds only because it was connecting with my family’s room. This is quite frustrating to me I know it’s a silly thing but still I should be able to get the type of room that I want to get



They won't let you book a cabin with bunk beds at all? :/ 

Because if you can, I'd say book one and ask your steward to do it like you want it to be. 

We had booked a room with 2 separate beds with a mention that we could not put them together to makea queen bed. Well our steward did it anyway.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I agree this is frustrating.   We cancelled someone from a CCL cruise and they insisted on moving us to a room on the other end of the ship because we now have less people in the room.



On the bright side, because they do that, Carnival gives us a lot of opportunities to upgrade room category for a lower rate... Which I don't hate at all.


----------



## hdrolfe

sdjen said:


> Can I vent for a second? I can tell you right now difference with carnival and DCL that is not very customer friendly. I have a carnival cruise booked currently for my daughter and myself. I was trying to get a cabin that would have a king/queen bed for myself and a bunk or sofa bed for my daughter but they won’t allow that. If there’s only two of you in the room they will only allow you to book a cabin with two beds. On Disney I was Able to book a room for just the two of us that actually had five beds only because it was connecting with my family’s room. This is quite frustrating to me I know it’s a silly thing but still I should be able to get the type of room that I want to get



I was able to get one when I was offered an upgrade, I had to pay a bit more but was able to book a room that holds 4 people, for just my son and I. I am hoping he'll like sleeping in the bunk so I can have the big bed  I do wish they would let you book the bigger cabins for just two as well, but I suspect it is because most do not sleep more than 2 (unlike Disney, from what I can tell almost all their cabins sleep at least 3 people). At least on Carnival the beds do separate. I don't know about you but my son is miserable to share a bed with! So while I do have to sleep in a twin, at least I don't have him kicking me or pushing me out of the bed. Of course it's small enough I feel like I'm going to roll out any way.


----------



## sdjen

mevelandry said:


> They won't let you book a cabin with bunk beds at all? :/
> 
> Because if you can, I'd say book one and ask your steward to do it like you want it to be.
> 
> We had booked a room with 2 separate beds with a mention that we could not put them together to makea queen bed. Well our steward did it anyway.



I currently have a room with a twin and a sofa bed. I haven’t slept on a twin for awhile so I would like to find a room with a full size bed for me and a couch or bunk for my kid. They wouldn’t let me move to a room like that because it holds 3 people. Kind of silly!


----------



## sdjen

hdrolfe said:


> I was able to get one when I was offered an upgrade, I had to pay a bit more but was able to book a room that holds 4 people, for just my son and I. I am hoping he'll like sleeping in the bunk so I can have the big bed  I do wish they would let you book the bigger cabins for just two as well, but I suspect it is because most do not sleep more than 2 (unlike Disney, from what I can tell almost all their cabins sleep at least 3 people). At least on Carnival the beds do separate. I don't know about you but my son is miserable to share a bed with! So while I do have to sleep in a twin, at least I don't have him kicking me or pushing me out of the bed. Of course it's small enough I feel like I'm going to roll out any way.



I offered to move to a higher category room but they still wouldn’t give me a room with what I want. I’m like you with my kid. I’d rather suffer in a twin than fight for bed space


----------



## hdrolfe

sdjen said:


> I offered to move to a higher category room but they still wouldn’t give me a room with what I want. I’m like you with my kid. I’d rather suffer in a twin than fight for bed space



Are you still far out from the cruise? You may get an upgrade offer later, I actually got two but it was only a month or two before the cruise (going April 14!!! cannot wait). So you may still get an offer.


----------



## mevelandry

sdjen said:


> I currently have a room with a twin and a sofa bed. I haven’t slept on a twin for awhile so I would like to find a room with a full size bed for me and a couch or bunk for my kid. They wouldn’t let me move to a room like that because it holds 3 people. Kind of silly!



I agree.

Maybe if you call them back, you might end up with someone reasonable who will get you the type of room you want? Or maybe ask John Heald for advice on FB? Who knows!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Are you still far out from the cruise? You may get an upgrade offer later, I actually got two but it was only a month or two before the cruise (going April 14!!! cannot wait). So you may still get an offer.



Remind me on which ship you are sailing?

I'm sailing on April 16th so we won't be on the same ship but I'm still curious.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

My impression is that CCL does not let people stay in rooms allotted for more people.  We had four in a cove balcony, now we have three.  They made us switch to another cove balcony that could only accommodate 3.  Since all the 3 person rooms now available in the category are aft, they moved us from forward to aft.  This made it so that we were now across the ship from the other room we had booked.  At our request, they rebooked the other room aft too.  Luckily that room was not "supersaver" fare (the cove balcony was ) or we would have been charged to do this because even though the room was still an interior room, it was listed as a different room category.  We were lucky that it "worked out," but I am a bit annoyed because the cabins we are in now are under the galley and I have read that these rooms are noisy.  We will bring ear plugs and hopefully they will be enough, but annoying non the less.  Also, when we first started booking with DCL, if we booked 2 rooms, we always tried to get 2 bunks, even though we did not have four in the rooms because 2 of our kids would fight over the bunks.  It was a big issue for a couple of years, and DCL always accommodated us with this.  So yes, this is definitely an issue where DCL gets the points and CCL gets thumbs down.
Just one more point, I do understand why Carnival does this, so I am not "angry" about it, just annoyed (fine distinction I know.  lol).  But it does seem to be enforced quite rigidly, so I do prefer DCL'S policy on it.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Remind me on which ship you are sailing?
> 
> I'm sailing on April 16th so we won't be on the same ship but I'm still curious.



Carnival Magic. We are really excited about it (and all the food, and water slides, and ports, and all of it!) Plus we're going to POP for two nights at the end


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Carnival Magic. We are really excited about it (and all the food, and water slides, and ports, and all of it!) Plus we're going to POP for two nights at the end



The Magic looks amazing. 

Also, I haven't stayed at Pop but I visited while I stayed at Art of Animation and loved it.


----------



## sdjen

hdrolfe said:


> Are you still far out from the cruise? You may get an upgrade offer later, I actually got two but it was only a month or two before the cruise (going April 14!!! cannot wait). So you may still get an offer.



Cruise isn't until April next year. So I am hoping to get an upgrade offer to a better room. If not, I will be okay with what we have but it is still annoying. Not going to ruin the trip but is something that shouldn't even be an issue if they were more flexible.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> The Magic looks amazing.
> 
> Also, I haven't stayed at Pop but I visited while I stayed at Art of Animation and loved it.



We've stayed at AoA and POP for a couple nights and enjoyed them both, and Yacht Club this past summer. I look forward to getting back to POP though. A friend and her family planned their vacation at the same time (also staying at POP!) so we'll overlap. Hopefully we will see them! And then the kids can play together in the pool while I can sit and relax 

We went on Carnival Liberty our first cruise and it was nice but lacked the water slides/splash park area. I didn't know any better then, now I look for more of that stuff on the ships, and where we will stop. Grand Turk was awesome and I want to go back, Half Moon Cay is on my list of must go places. We are doing so much this coming trip I can't wait, swimming with dolphins, cave tubing, holding sloths/monkeys and just general beach time. I'm glad there are two sea days to enjoy all the ship has to offer as well. I've agreed to try the ropes course once, though I am terrified of heights so we'll see if I freeze up before I get up there. And each water slide once. I'll happily wait at the bottom while kiddo does those over and over again  We plan on getting the BBQ as soon as we get on since I know it gets busy on the sea days. And looking forward to Guys and Blue Iguana, kiddo discovered tacos on a cruise and now loves them. He also wants to try lobster this time, hey if he doesn't like it I will  I love that he will try new things on the ship. He had calamari on the last one and is looking forward to getting it again.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> My impression is that CCL does not let people stay in rooms allotted for more people.  We had four in a cove balcony, now we have three.  They made us switch to another cove balcony that could only accommodate 3.  Since all the 3 person rooms now available in the category are aft, they moved us from forward to aft.  This made it so that we were now across the ship from the other room we had booked.  At our request, they rebooked the other room aft too.  Luckily that room was not "supersaver" fare (the cove balcony was ) or we would have been charged to do this because even though the room was still an interior room, it was listed as a different room category.  We were lucky that it "worked out," but I am a bit annoyed because the cabins we are in now are under the galley and I have read that these rooms are noisy.  We will bring ear plugs and hopefully they will be enough, but annoying non the less.  Also, when we first started booking with DCL, if we booked 2 rooms, we always tried to get 2 bunks, even though we did not have four in the rooms because 2 of our kids would fight over the bunks.  It was a big issue for a couple of years, and DCL always accommodated us with this.  So yes, this is definitely an issue where DCL gets the points and CCL gets thumbs down.
> Just one more point, I do understand why Carnival does this, so I am not "angry" about it, just annoyed (fine distinction I know.  lol).  But it does seem to be enforced quite rigidly, so I do prefer DCL'S policy on it.


I totally agree with you on this. It is one of the things that annoys me about Carnival. I also hate the fact that if you want to change rooms after you’ve booked, you have to cancel the first and book the second in 2 separate transactions. I like how on Disney, you just go online, change rooms and pay a little more.

Oh well, could be worse, at least I still get to spend time on the open seas with my family.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> We've stayed at AoA and POP for a couple nights and enjoyed them both, and Yacht Club this past summer. I look forward to getting back to POP though. A friend and her family planned their vacation at the same time (also staying at POP!) so we'll overlap. Hopefully we will see them! And then the kids can play together in the pool while I can sit and relax
> 
> We went on Carnival Liberty our first cruise and it was nice but lacked the water slides/splash park area. I didn't know any better then, now I look for more of that stuff on the ships, and where we will stop. Grand Turk was awesome and I want to go back, Half Moon Cay is on my list of must go places. We are doing so much this coming trip I can't wait, swimming with dolphins, cave tubing, holding sloths/monkeys and just general beach time. I'm glad there are two sea days to enjoy all the ship has to offer as well. I've agreed to try the ropes course once, though I am terrified of heights so we'll see if I freeze up before I get up there. And each water slide once. I'll happily wait at the bottom while kiddo does those over and over again  We plan on getting the BBQ as soon as we get on since I know it gets busy on the sea days. And looking forward to Guys and Blue Iguana, kiddo discovered tacos on a cruise and now loves them. He also wants to try lobster this time, hey if he doesn't like it I will  I love that he will try new things on the ship. He had calamari on the last one and is looking forward to getting it again.



Ahhhh The Yacht Club is one of my favorites... because of the pool.  But let's be honest, I've stayed at AOA, Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quarter, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Polynesian Resort and Grand Floridian and I loved all of them for different reasons.  

I'm supposed to visit Half Moon Cay & Grand Turk in October and I can't wait! 

Tried the Rope Course on the Carnival Vista. I took the easy route and I was TERRIFIED. 

I'm jealous of you having the BBQ. I ate there three times on my last cruise, I was obsessed with it.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I totally agree with you on this. It is one of the things that annoys me about Carnival. I also hate the fact that if you want to change rooms after you’ve booked, you have to cancel the first and book the second in 2 separate transactions. I like how on Disney, you just go online, change rooms and pay a little more.
> 
> Oh well, could be worse, at least I still get to spend time on the open seas with my family.




I wish Carnival gave us the option to change rooms online! 

I wish Disney Cruise Line had the possibility to separate beds into two twins. If I ever go on a "ladies" trip, I would prefer not having to share a queen bed with one of them. LOL


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Just found out that on the Horizon they are making fresh cotton candy on board and serving it at the dessert area of the Lido Buffet.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I wish Carnival gave us the option to change rooms online!
> 
> I wish Disney Cruise Line had the possibility to separate beds into two twins. If I ever go on a "ladies" trip, I would prefer not having to share a queen bed with one of them. LOL


I hate this too!  CCL gets points for twin beds!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Just found out that on the Horizon they are making fresh cotton candy on board and serving it at the dessert area of the Lido Buffet.


I also saw a video of the Lido Buffet on Horizon where there appears to be 2 sets of doors at the entrance to keep the air conditioning inside!  Like DCL has on deck 4.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

lido on Horizon


----------



## cruiser21

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I totally agree with you on this. It is one of the things that annoys me about Carnival. I also hate the fact that if you want to change rooms after you’ve booked, you have to cancel the first and book the second in 2 separate transactions. I like how on Disney, you just go online, change rooms and pay a little more.
> 
> Oh well, could be worse, at least I still get to spend time on the open seas with my family.


I think you can change rooms if your booking with the same promotion. Of course Carnival changes promotions so often that's almost impossible. You can transfer the funds from one reservation to another. I've done that on Carnival it just takes a supervisor....same as with DCL. You still have to cancel and rebook, but you don't have to  repay and wait for a refund.

 I like the fact that you cancel online on Carnival and just rebook. It's possible to just bypass calling at all... you can't do that on DCL. As long as you don't book with an non-refundable deposit you're OK. I learned my lesson on that one.

Carnival is also much faster at refunding money than DCL is. I always had the money back in 48 hours with Carnival. DCl always takes 5-7 days.


----------



## cruiser21

we"reofftoneverland said:


> My impression is that CCL does not let people stay in rooms allotted for more people.  We had four in a cove balcony, now we have three.  They made us switch to another cove balcony that could only accommodate 3.  Since all the 3 person rooms now available in the category are aft, they moved us from forward to aft.  This made it so that we were now across the ship from the other room we had booked.  At our request, they rebooked the other room aft too.  Luckily that room was not "supersaver" fare (the cove balcony was ) or we would have been charged to do this because even though the room was still an interior room, it was listed as a different room category.  We were lucky that it "worked out," but I am a bit annoyed because the cabins we are in now are under the galley and I have read that these rooms are noisy.  We will bring ear plugs and hopefully they will be enough, but annoying non the less.  Also, when we first started booking with DCL, if we booked 2 rooms, we always tried to get 2 bunks, even though we did not have four in the rooms because 2 of our kids would fight over the bunks.  It was a big issue for a couple of years, and DCL always accommodated us with this.  So yes, this is definitely an issue where DCL gets the points and CCL gets thumbs down.
> Just one more point, I do understand why Carnival does this, so I am not "angry" about it, just annoyed (fine distinction I know.  lol).  But it does seem to be enforced quite rigidly, so I do prefer DCL'S policy on it.


If you really wanted that room you could just leave it at 4 since it's probably only a couple hundred dollars. I get what you're saying though, but considering the price difference between DCL and Carnival I get it. I'm sure this is why DCL leaves so many rooms as GTY status now. They can assign rooms  based on number of people in the cabin. If you book opening day with DCL they will accommodate you on whatever you want.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Thanks @we”reofftoneverland for the video, I like the new layout of Lido


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Thanks @we”reofftoneverland for the video, I like the new layout of Lido



You probably already saw but there are a bunch of videos on utube by that same person-- seems like a CCL employee- showing a lot of the ship.  Very cool.
Beth


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

cruiser21 said:


> If you really wanted that room you could just leave it at 4 since it's probably only a couple hundred dollars. I get what you're saying though, but considering the price difference between DCL and Carnival I get it. I'm sure this is why DCL leaves so many rooms as GTY status now. They can assign rooms  based on number of people in the cabin. If you book opening day with DCL they will accommodate you on whatever you want.


I thought of that right after I had switched it!  I had no idea we would be moved, and I wasn't thinking quickly when it happened.  Not a deal breaker anyway, but you are right it would have only been a few hundred.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Just found out that on the Horizon they are making fresh cotton candy on board and serving it at the dessert area of the Lido Buffet.



I KNOW!!! Free cotton candy is awesome. I hope they will bring that to all ships!!!


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I also saw a video of the Lido Buffet on Horizon where there appears to be 2 sets of doors at the entrance to keep the air conditioning inside!  Like DCL has on deck 4.



Nice! 

Also I notice they have those hand washing machines... DH and I love them. The water jets massages your hands at the same time and it feels great.


----------



## lovin'fl

We booked the Horizon for Oct 6. I was booked in an aft extended balcony in Harbor Family section. We are cruising with friends who wanted the Harbor Family section for their kids. But yesterday, DH and I were looking at adding the drink package and for 8 nights it is a hefty cost. So we decided to downgrade to an inside cabin so we could add the drink package and a cabana at Grand Turk. Sad to not have my fave cabin but are we really in our cabins all that much anyway. Thanks for the Lido info. Going to watch that video now.


----------



## lovin'fl

sdjen said:


> Can I vent for a second? I can tell you right now difference with carnival and DCL that is not very customer friendly. I have a carnival cruise booked currently for my daughter and myself. I was trying to get a cabin that would have a king/queen bed for myself and a bunk or sofa bed for my daughter but they won’t allow that. If there’s only two of you in the room they will only allow you to book a cabin with two beds. On Disney I was Able to book a room for just the two of us that actually had five beds only because it was connecting with my family’s room. This is quite frustrating to me I know it’s a silly thing but still I should be able to get the type of room that I want to get


you can book a cabin for 3 online with just two guests. I had an aft extended balcony on the Horizon that had the 2twins/king plus sofa bed booked for just DH and I. And our friends booked two suites side by side that each sleep 4 but they have 3 guests listed on each cabin. When they called Carnival to book, the guy would not allow them to but then they could do it online. Yes, there's a chance of getting bumped but they wanted harbor family suites....one for 4 and one for 2 and there were none that only slept 2 so my guess is they can't get bumped.


----------



## mevelandry

lovin'fl said:


> We booked the Horizon for Oct 6. I was booked in an aft extended balcony in Harbor Family section. We are cruising with friends who wanted the Harbor Family section for their kids. But yesterday, DH and I were looking at adding the drink package and for 8 nights it is a hefty cost. So we decided to downgrade to an inside cabin so we could add the drink package and a cabana at Grand Turk. Sad to not have my fave cabin but are we really in our cabins all that much anyway. Thanks for the Lido info. Going to watch that video now.



The Vista and the Horizon have a lot of outdoor spaces. DH and I had an interior cabin on the Vista and honestly we didn't suffer from it at all. We always found room to relax outside while drinking our coffee in the morning.


----------



## mevelandry

We get on board the Victory next monday!!! (Departing on sunday, staying in FLL that night!)

This week is going to be the longest week ever... Bleh.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> We get on board the Victory next monday!!! (Departing on sunday, staying in FLL that night!)
> 
> This week is going to be the longest week ever... Bleh.



We get on the Carnival Magic Saturday!  4 work days then we fly to Orlando... longest week ever  I'll try to post a review when I get back but I'm not sure how to do pictures on here so it may be lacking those.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> We get on board the Victory next monday!!! (Departing on sunday, staying in FLL that night!)
> 
> This week is going to be the longest week ever... Bleh.





hdrolfe said:


> We get on the Carnival Magic Saturday!  4 work days then we fly to Orlando... longest week ever  I'll try to post a review when I get back but I'm not sure how to do pictures on here so it may be lacking those.



I hope both of you have absolutely wonderful vacations! Enjoy your trips and safe travels.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> We get on the Carnival Magic Saturday!  4 work days then we fly to Orlando... longest week ever  I'll try to post a review when I get back but I'm not sure how to do pictures on here so it may be lacking those.



When you hit the reply button, there is a "upload a file" button just beside "Post Reply".


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> I hope both of you have absolutely wonderful vacations! Enjoy your trips and safe travels.



Thank you so much. I'll keep you updated. 

EDIT: Just found a new resizing app for my phone so I should be able to post a few pics on embarkation day!


----------



## lovin'fl

Have great trips, you guys. And safe travels! I have been on the Magic....great ship. And on the Glory, similar to Victory, and she's not a bad ship just weird to navigate with MDR blocking walking from aft to forward (have to go up or down and then over). But once you figure it out, it's easy.


----------



## mevelandry

Test... Save a Sea Turtle excursion in Cozumel.


lovin'fl said:


> Have great trips, you guys. And safe travels! I have been on the Magic....great ship. And on the Glory, similar to Victory, and she's not a bad ship just weird to navigate with MDR blocking walking from aft to forward (have to go up or down and then over). But once you figure it out, it's easy.



I have sailed the Victory in 2016 (it was in fact the reason this thread was started)... Once I'm back home, I will update all the infos to make them up to date with new pictures.

I loved her before but I have a feeling that with all the new additions they made during dry dock in January, I'm going to love her even more.


----------



## mevelandry

*Testing a new resizing app on phone*

My favorite pic from Save a Sea Turtle Experience in Cozumel. 


EDIT: YESSSSS!!! It's working!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> *Testing a new resizing app on phone*
> 
> My favorite pic from Save a Sea Turtle Experience in Cozumel.
> View attachment 315066
> 
> EDIT: YESSSSS!!! It's working!


That is so cute!!!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> We get on the Carnival Magic Saturday!  4 work days then we fly to Orlando... longest week ever  I'll try to post a review when I get back but I'm not sure how to do pictures on here so it may be lacking those.





mevelandry said:


> We get on board the Victory next monday!!! (Departing on sunday, staying in FLL that night!)
> 
> This week is going to be the longest week ever... Bleh.



Enjoy your cruises, I look forward to reading all about them when you return. 

Jack


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> That is so cute!!!



Honestly, one of the best experiences of my life (I love animals and nature). I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Cozumel.


----------



## Weezerette

tigerchic89 said:


> Here's my 3 day trip report just off Carnival Liberty.  It's long sorry, feel free to skip.  It was a fun cheap trip but I still love DCL 100 times more.



Thank you for your review! We are doing this same itinerary in June after our Disney trip.  I had a question about kids on the boat.  We've done CCL before, but only long itineraries.  I have been hearing a lot about the shorter cruises being more adult.  Were there a lot of kids on the boat?  Our week long cruises were overflowing with kids, we want to be sure that there are other kids there for our daughter to play with in the kids club.  I feel comfortable enough we can keep her away from some of the more crazy behavior (and hopefully we can join in a bit if she's in kids club  ). Thanks!


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> *Testing a new resizing app on phone*
> 
> My favorite pic from Save a Sea Turtle Experience in Cozumel.
> View attachment 315066
> 
> EDIT: YESSSSS!!! It's working!


That had to have been amazing!  I am going to look in to that!!


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> That had to have been amazing!  I am going to look in to that!!



It was. I highly recommend it.

 I know it is seasonal but if your cruise happens during that time...


----------



## tigerchic89

Weezerette said:


> Thank you for your review! We are doing this same itinerary in June after our Disney trip.  I had a question about kids on the boat.  We've done CCL before, but only long itineraries.  I have been hearing a lot about the shorter cruises being more adult.  Were there a lot of kids on the boat?  Our week long cruises were overflowing with kids, we want to be sure that there are other kids there for our daughter to play with in the kids club.  I feel comfortable enough we can keep her away from some of the more crazy behavior (and hopefully we can join in a bit if she's in kids club  ). Thanks!



We did see kids.. but not nearly as many as on DCL.  I would say that 10% of our passengers were kids under 17.  But it was Mid march.... our kids were in school, in June when everyone is out of school I'll bet you will see more kids.  And our cruise did have a lot of spring break (college) groups and a few groups of bachelorette parties (imagine 7 girls in matching black thong swim suits with 'squad'  on the front surrounding the girl in the white suit with 'bride' on the front of hers.. which is fine, just not something that I've seen on DCL).  So I think those all added to the overall wild atmosphere on our sailing.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Can't wait to hear about all of the upcoming trips.  We have 52 days to go still.  Tomorrow is Fast Pass day for the WDW portion of our trip so that is something!

Those turtles are adorable.  We saw giant sea turtles in Hawaii and it was amazing.


----------



## Weezerette

tigerchic89 said:


> We did see kids.. but not nearly as many as on DCL.  I would say that 10% of our passengers were kids under 17.  But it was Mid march.... our kids were in school, in June when everyone is out of school I'll bet you will see more kids.  And our cruise did have a lot of spring break (college) groups and a few groups of bachelorette parties (imagine 7 girls in matching black thong swim suits with 'squad'  on the front surrounding the girl in the white suit with 'bride' on the front of hers.. which is fine, just not something that I've seen on DCL).  So I think those all added to the overall wild atmosphere on our sailing.


Thanks so much for the info.  We are already booked so fingers crossed!  I'll have to report back our experience in June.  Thanks again for your trip report.
:ulls out the thong and adds to the packing pile::


----------



## mevelandry

Since some of you have expressed some interests regarding my excursion in Cozumel, here's a little video I have taken.


----------



## mevelandry

*This week is taking forever...  *


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Since some of you have expressed some interests regarding my excursion in Cozumel, here's a little video I have taken.



OMG -- on my bucket list!  I would cry to see them off -- we've  owned pet turtles and I just love them.  Were you worried a bird would get them before they got to the water?


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> OMG -- on my bucket list!  I would cry to see them off -- we've  owned pet turtles and I just love them.  Were you worried a bird would get them before they got to the water?



It was quite the experience... You dig the nest yourself (in teams, we were 4 ppl per nest). They show you how to do it. When you get them out of the nest, they are asleep. We thought our first baby turtle was dead but it wasn't... it was just asleep. When they actually start moving, they are very hyper. You put the turtles you find in a basket until the nest is completely empty. You put the egg shells aside as you dig. There is a possibility to find empty turtle shell aka dead turtles (it's natural selection) but we got lucky and got 5 baby turtles in ours which we shared with a family who didn't have any turtle in their nest.

There was a guide who would tell us when to let them go. We had to wait a few minutes because there was a predator near. When the predator left, we could let them go. (Please take note that if the predators won't leave, it's possible that you might not get to release them that day). 

Also, the first minutes, you can actually see their little heads trying to stay out of the water as they are swimming. That's adorable.


I was very emotional when I did this: my mother (who passed 11 years ago from cancer) absolutely loved turtles and used to collect every little turtle statues, towels, t-shirt, jewelry she would find...

The first turtle that I'm releasing in the video, I actually nicknamed "Mommy" in her honor.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> It was quite the experience... You dig the nest yourself (in teams, we were 4 ppl per nest). They show you how to do it. When you get them out of the nest, they are asleep. We thought our first baby turtle was dead but it wasn't... it was just asleep. When they actually start moving, they are very hyper. You put the turtles you find in a basket until the nest is completely empty. You put the egg shells aside as you dig. There is a possibility to find empty turtle shell aka dead turtles (it's natural selection) but we got lucky and got 5 baby turtles in ours which we shared with a family who didn't have any turtle in their nest.
> 
> There was a guide who would tell us when to let them go. We had to wait a few minutes because there was a predator near. When the predator left, we could let them go. (Please take note that if the predators won't leave, it's possible that you might not get to release them that day).
> 
> Also, the first minutes, you can actually see their little heads trying to stay out of the water as they are swimming. That's adorable.
> 
> 
> I was very emotional when I did this: my mother (who passed 11 years ago from cancer) absolutely loved turtles and used to collect every little turtle statues, towels, t-shirt, jewelry she would find...
> 
> The first turtle that I'm releasing in the video, I actually nicknamed "Mommy" in her honor.



That is so special.  Thanks for sharing.  I, too, have collected turtle figures for decades -- I love to get them at places we visit because they can be so unique.


----------



## daisyx3

quick question if anyone has gone on the Carnival Magic...do you know if the cloud 9 spa looks over the ocean?   Thinking if we sail on their in summer of 2019 we will get cloud 9 spa rooms because we love the heated loungers, etc.  I have been looking at this vs. a 4 night double dip on the Dream.  $4000 roughly for DH and I, $5000 if we add my son who will be 21.  The Magic would be 2 extra days for $3000.  It's hard to make the jump (and if I was on my Fantasy cruise in July I probably never would) but you can't argue with the math.


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> It was quite the experience... You dig the nest yourself (in teams, we were 4 ppl per nest). They show you how to do it. When you get them out of the nest, they are asleep. We thought our first baby turtle was dead but it wasn't... it was just asleep. When they actually start moving, they are very hyper. You put the turtles you find in a basket until the nest is completely empty. You put the egg shells aside as you dig. There is a possibility to find empty turtle shell aka dead turtles (it's natural selection) but we got lucky and got 5 baby turtles in ours which we shared with a family who didn't have any turtle in their nest.
> 
> There was a guide who would tell us when to let them go. We had to wait a few minutes because there was a predator near. When the predator left, we could let them go. (Please take note that if the predators won't leave, it's possible that you might not get to release them that day).
> 
> Also, the first minutes, you can actually see their little heads trying to stay out of the water as they are swimming. That's adorable.
> 
> 
> I was very emotional when I did this: my mother (who passed 11 years ago from cancer) absolutely loved turtles and used to collect every little turtle statues, towels, t-shirt, jewelry she would find...
> 
> The first turtle that I'm releasing in the video, I actually nicknamed "Mommy" in her honor.



So, wait... Do they capture the baby turtles when they hatch and re-bury them???

Because I've seen sea turtle nests boil - the eggs are buried by the mother, and the baby turtles hatch and make their way to the surface. They are not "sleeping in the sand" but are in eggs to hatch and then get themselves to the surface.

I cannot imagine the terror those poor babies must feel to hatch and dig their way to the surface only to be captured and reburied.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> So, wait... Do they capture the baby turtles when they hatch and re-bury them???
> 
> Because I've seen sea turtle nests boil - the eggs are buried by the mother, and the baby turtles hatch and make their way to the surface. They are not "sleeping in the sand" but are in eggs to hatch and then get themselves to the surface.
> 
> I cannot imagine the terror those poor babies must feel to hatch and dig their way to the surface only to be captured and reburied.



I'd like to know what part made you think they re-buried them. (I know my english sucks so I would use this as an english lesson).

The babies we "dig" are out of their eggs and are already on their way to get out of the nest --my guess in that they did not manage to get out during the "boil"--  and we find them before they make it to the surface. We are actually helping them going to the water faster.

P.s.: It's a conservation program.


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> I'd like to know what part made you think they re-buried them. (I know my english sucks so I would use this as an english lesson).
> 
> The babies we "dig" are out of their eggs and are already on their way to get out of the nest --my guess in that they did not manage to get out during the "boil"--  and we find them before they make it to the surface. We are actually helping them going to the water faster.
> 
> P.s.: It's a conservation program.



When you said "you dig the nest yourself" and "they are asleep when you dig them up". Nothing in that indicated that they had even been in eggs.

Very odd. I have talked extensively with people who patrol the nests at Ocean Isle Beach in NC and all the people who work with the turtles and who have studied them and their habits are adamant that while humans can help along by digging a little trench to help guide them to the water that ultimately it is up to them. They will not handle them at all - IF one goes off course and cannot be guided back in with red lights, they are scooped in a cooler with a large amount of sand and that is carried to the water, but getting out of the nest is all on them. Also, they have the best chance of survival when they hit the water at night to begin their long swim. 

I guess it's a way to sell an excursion though...


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> When you said "you dig the nest yourself" and "they are asleep when you dig them up". Nothing in that indicated that they had even been in eggs.
> 
> Very odd. I have talked extensively with people who patrol the nests at Ocean Isle Beach in NC and all the people who work with the turtles and who have studied them and their habits are adamant that while humans can help along by digging a little trench to help guide them to the water that ultimately it is up to them. They will not handle them at all - IF one goes off course and cannot be guided back in with red lights, they are scooped in a cooler with a large amount of sand and that is carried to the water, but getting out of the nest is all on them. Also, they have the best chance of survival when they hit the water at night to begin their long swim.
> 
> I guess it's a way to sell an excursion though...



Well, we collect the empty egg shells inside the nest as well. They must come from them? 

From what I understand a percentage of the excursion goes to the organization (in this case Comité municipal de proteccion a la tortuga marina).

Each organizations has its own way to do things I guess...?


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> Well, we collect the empty egg shells inside the nest as well. They must come from them?
> 
> From what I understand a percentage of the excursion goes to the organization (in this case Comité municipal de proteccion a la tortuga marina).
> 
> Each organizations has its own way to do things I guess...?



Maybe it's a Caribbean nation thing. 

I mean, it's great that they're doing protection, but there is a reason they were "asleep"...their natural way is to go to the surface at night. And no, boils don't complete in one night, but the "leftovers" make their way out over the next couple of nights.

Everywhere I know of here in the US that does turtle protection/watch here it is all volunteers who receive training in "nest parenting". People gather to watch, but the turtles are in no way touched. Except as I noted if they are scooped with much sand into a cooler for transport to the water. (That happened to one little tiny guy (all of them were tiny - like much smaller than the one in your picture) in the first nest I saw boil - he had done all the work digging to the top and then his brothers and sisters trampled him. He just had sand in his eyes and could not see so that is why he would not go towards the water.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> Maybe it's a Caribbean nation thing.
> 
> I mean, it's great that they're doing protection, but there is a reason they were "asleep"...their natural way is to go to the surface at night. And no, boils don't complete in one night, but the "leftovers" make their way out over the next couple of nights.
> 
> Everywhere I know of here in the US that does turtle protection/watch here it is all volunteers who receive training in "nest parenting". People gather to watch, but the turtles are in no way touched. Except as I noted if they are scooped with much sand into a cooler for transport to the water. (That happened to one little tiny guy (all of them were tiny - like much smaller than the one in your picture) in the first nest I saw boil - he had done all the work digging to the top and then his brothers and sisters trampled him. He just had sand in his eyes and could not see so that is why he would not go towards the water.



Boil can happen during the day too (but yes, mostly at night). During the day they are way more at risk to be caught by predators though.


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> Boil can happen during the day too (but yes, mostly at night). During the day they are way more at risk to be caught by predators though.



Yes, it *can* happen, but it usually happens at night. Nature finds a way to take care of her own.


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> Yes, it *can* happen, but it usually happens at night.



That's exactly what I said... 

Now, let's go back to the original program (Carnival), if you don't mind.


----------



## mevelandry

Not sure @hdrolfe will get to see this before saturday's sailing but...

 I hope you get a wonderful vacation and I can't wait to read your review!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

daisyx3 said:


> quick question if anyone has gone on the Carnival Magic...do you know if the cloud 9 spa looks over the ocean?   Thinking if we sail on their in summer of 2019 we will get cloud 9 spa rooms because we love the heated loungers, etc.  I have been looking at this vs. a 4 night double dip on the Dream.  $4000 roughly for DH and I, $5000 if we add my son who will be 21.  The Magic would be 2 extra days for $3000.  It's hard to make the jump (and if I was on my Fantasy cruise in July I probably never would) but you can't argue with the math.



Yes, the room with the heated loungers over looks the ocean.

Zydecocruiser sailed on the Carnival Magic and has some great pictures:

The ones from the spa are on this day:
http://www.zydecocruiser.net/CarnivalMagic/May_10_2011/01Barcelona/index3.htm

The index so you can see the whole trip (with tons of pictures of the ship) is here:
http://www.zydecocruiser.net/CarnivalMagic/May_10_2011/index.htm


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> Yes, the room with the heated loungers over looks the ocean.
> 
> Zydecocruiser sailed on the Carnival Magic and has some great pictures:
> 
> The ones from the spa are on this day:
> http://www.zydecocruiser.net/CarnivalMagic/May_10_2011/01Barcelona/index3.htm
> 
> The index so you can see the whole trip (with tons of pictures of the ship) is here:
> http://www.zydecocruiser.net/CarnivalMagic/May_10_2011/index.htm



That ship looks amazing!


----------



## daisyx3

OK, I have some questions.   DH and I are going on the short Fantasy cruise in July so I will have my DCL grand slam.  We don't know if we enjoy these because it's Disney (his opinion) or because we love the water (My opinion).  Obviously we can't determine that until we go on another line, right?  
My son will be 21 in the summer of 2019.  If we do the 4 night CC double dip and take him, it will cost $5000 for a balcony room.  If we take a cruise on Breeze or Magic, it will be between $3000-$3500 in a cloud 9 spa room (still less than if only two of us on the Dream). Plus we haven't been to the ports for the weeks I've found.  We love CC, but we're not even going to Nassau on the Fantasy because we've been there twice and don't really like it.
1)  Cruise Critics reviews say those ships tend to be crowded with lines for everything, and difficulty getting a chair on the adult deck.  We have to go in summer because I teach, son is in college.  is this a valid criticism
2)  will a 21 year old with his parents be bored?  Don't want to get him a drink package because DH and I don't drink enough to make it worthwhile for us, and I understand if one person gets it, all do.


----------



## Chrissy-Mickey

We went on the Breeze first week of June (summer break starts the last week of May in Florida). We enjoyed it, and we did not experience "lines for everything." The longest line was 15 minutes for Guy's Burger. 
The entertainment and service wasn't up to par with DCL, but we went for the ports and had a still very enjoyable time on the ship. No regrets! 
We're actually looking at a summer 2019 cruise on either the Breeze or Magic as well, but I think we'll end up going for Celebrity instead (we're not cruising with a 21 year old though)


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Breeze is my favorite ship! I think there is a lot to do on Breeze and Magic. The ropes course is fun and there is also waterworks and mini golf. My kids liked the 5D theatre on Breeze. 

I’ve never been in Serenity but have had no issues with a seat on Lido if I get there by 10. The aft pool is less crowded though. 

Lines. Well, you are in a small space with over 4000 people so you may stand ina line or 2. It’s never been horrible for us. They mostly move fast and if it doesn’t I don’t sweat the small stuff. 

Either ship would be great and I would go with the itinerary you want first.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

daisyx3 said:


> OK, I have some questions.   DH and I are going on the short Fantasy cruise in July so I will have my DCL grand slam.  We don't know if we enjoy these because it's Disney (his opinion) or because we love the water (My opinion).  Obviously we can't determine that until we go on another line, right?
> My son will be 21 in the summer of 2019.  If we do the 4 night CC double dip and take him, it will cost $5000 for a balcony room.  If we take a cruise on Breeze or Magic, it will be between $3000-$3500 in a cloud 9 spa room (still less than if only two of us on the Dream). Plus we haven't been to the ports for the weeks I've found.  We love CC, but we're not even going to Nassau on the Fantasy because we've been there twice and don't really like it.
> 1)  Cruise Critics reviews say those ships tend to be crowded with lines for everything, and difficulty getting a chair on the adult deck.  We have to go in summer because I teach, son is in college.  is this a valid criticism
> 2)  will a 21 year old with his parents be bored?  Don't want to get him a drink package because DH and I don't drink enough to make it worthwhile for us, and I understand if one person gets it, all do.



Any cruise will be "crowded" in the summer (DCL included); will it have a big negative impact on your cruise? Only if you let it. It's not really that different the WDW - even with all of the planning and FP, etc. occasionally, you'll still have to stand in a line or wait your turn for something. Adult decks on all cruise lines fill up fast (in my experience). Carnival's Serenity area is very nice and yes, it does fill up. That being said, the Magic and Breeze also have loungers on Deck 5 - and hot tubs. You'll find this area less crowded and very convenient to other inside activities.

If your 21 likes to cruise, there'll be lots for him to do - just like any adult. Carnival has a variety of active stuff (waterslides, rope courses, sports square) and non-active stuff (trivia, games, comedy club, live music). Carnival also has a dance club in the night and numerous deck parties.

Even without the drink package, he can still drink. If you want to gift him something, you can pre-buy drink credit for him (if you had been thinking of getting him Cheers but won't because you don't want to buy it for everyone, you could gift him $50 a day bar credit - or just regular onboard credit for him to spend).

There's also bingo, the casino, Red Frog Pub, pool games, a game room, an arcade, not to mention my favourite cruise past time - Eating (and let me say, Carnival has a wonderful array of daytime options - from the Sea Day Brunch, to Guy's Burgers, to the Blue Iguana, to afternoon tea, to just about anything you could think of - and these are all included in your cruise fare).

I can't recommend checking out Zydecocruiser's page enough: http://www.zydecocruiser.net/zc_cruise_page.htm

He's cruised so many carnival ships and does a great job with capturing everything (yes everything) in pictures. He also has copies of each of the funtimes and menus from his cruises.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

daisyx3 said:


> OK, I have some questions.   DH and I are going on the short Fantasy cruise in July so I will have my DCL grand slam.  We don't know if we enjoy these because it's Disney (his opinion) or because we love the water (My opinion).  Obviously we can't determine that until we go on another line, right?
> My son will be 21 in the summer of 2019.  If we do the 4 night CC double dip and take him, it will cost $5000 for a balcony room.  If we take a cruise on Breeze or Magic, it will be between $3000-$3500 in a cloud 9 spa room (still less than if only two of us on the Dream). Plus we haven't been to the ports for the weeks I've found.  We love CC, but we're not even going to Nassau on the Fantasy because we've been there twice and don't really like it.
> 1)  Cruise Critics reviews say those ships tend to be crowded with lines for everything, and difficulty getting a chair on the adult deck.  We have to go in summer because I teach, son is in college.  is this a valid criticism
> 2)  will a 21 year old with his parents be bored?  Don't want to get him a drink package because DH and I don't drink enough to make it worthwhile for us, and I understand if one person gets it, all do.


I think your son will have a great time on either ship and definitely will not be bored at all. As others have said, summer cruises are busy and there are lines and crowds everywhere at times. That being said, there are certainly ways to avoid some crowds on Carnival ships. Carnival cruisers tend to wake up later than DCL so we hit breakfast before 8:30 and never experience lines on sea days. Port days, we hit breakfast a little later as Carnival cruisers tend to debark the ship ASAP. 

Just for the heck of it, I priced out a 6 night Western on the new Horizon for late June 2019 for you. You can get a Havana Cabana for the 3 of you for $3800. I’d urge you to check out the Havana area on Vista and read some reviews of that area, you’ll fall in love. We haven’t experienced Havana yet but have it booked for 2019 on Horizon and 2020 on the new Panorama. I can hardly wait for these cruises.


----------



## mevelandry

We're on her...

My old friend the Victory. 

P.s.: I'm the photograph you can see in the reflection. Lol


----------



## lovin'fl

mevelandry said:


> View attachment 317020 We're on her...
> 
> My old friend the Victory.
> 
> P.s.: I'm the photograph you can see in the reflection. Lol


Have a great trip!


----------



## mevelandry

lovin'fl said:


> Have a great trip!



Thank you!!!


----------



## mevelandry

By the way... The ice cream and frozen yogurt brand isTiller Foods.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Wishing you and your family a wonderful vacation!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Have a ton of fun


----------



## daisyx3

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think your son will have a great time on either ship and definitely will not be bored at all. As others have said, summer cruises are busy and there are lines and crowds everywhere at times. That being said, there are certainly ways to avoid some crowds on Carnival ships. Carnival cruisers tend to wake up later than DCL so we hit breakfast before 8:30 and never experience lines on sea days. Port days, we hit breakfast a little later as Carnival cruisers tend to debark the ship ASAP.
> 
> Just for the heck of it, I priced out a 6 night Western on the new Horizon for late June 2019 for you. You can get a Havana Cabana for the 3 of you for $3800. I’d urge you to check out the Havana area on Vista and read some reviews of that area, you’ll fall in love. We haven’t experienced Havana yet but have it booked for 2019 on Horizon and 2020 on the new Panorama. I can hardly wait for these cruises.


Wow, am totally in love with this option.  Thanks!
One question....while my son would love to come, and we would love to have him, what are my options if he finds out between now and spring of 2019 that he can't come?  For example, has to take a summer class to graduate on time, or gets an internship, etc.  (he will be entering his last year in fall of 19).  Can we keep the room and just cancel him?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

daisyx3 said:


> Wow, am totally in love with this option.  Thanks!
> One question....while my son would love to come, and we would love to have him, what are my options if he finds out between now and spring of 2019 that he can't come?  For example, has to take a summer class to graduate on time, or gets an internship, etc.  (he will be entering his last year in fall of 19).  Can we keep the room and just cancel him?



First, you will need to book a refundable fare (NOT Early Saver, Super Saver, etc).  If you book a room for 3 and then want to change they will probably make you switch to a 2 person capacity room.  If there are no more in Havana you will either have to pay for the third person or give up that area.  They might also let you stay in that room as double.  Everything is capacity controlled so until a situation arises no one really knows what will happen.  Things aren't always cut and dried but those are the 2 likeliest scenarios.


----------



## daisyx3

trvlgirlmq said:


> First, you will need to book a refundable fare (NOT Early Saver, Super Saver, etc).  If you book a room for 3 and then want to change they will probably make you switch to a 2 person capacity room.  If there are no more in Havana you will either have to pay for the third person or give up that area.  They might also let you stay in that room as double.  Everything is capacity controlled so until a situation arises no one really knows what will happen.  Things aren't always cut and dried but those are the 2 likeliest scenarios.


I just checked by sample booking, and there are only 2 rooms open that hold 3, and about 10 that hold 2.  In all honesty the Havana option is why that is my favorite of the cruises I've looked at.  Without it, my favorite is a 6 night on the Magic in a spa room.  even paying for a spa pass for my son (only 2 are included) it's a good deal on ports I haven't seen.  So I guess when I book I would have to make sure I could stay in a Havana room even if my son couldn't come.  I did find refundable fares too; thanks for the tip.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

daisyx3 said:


> I just checked by sample booking, and there are only 2 rooms open that hold 3, and about 10 that hold 2.  In all honesty the Havana option is why that is my favorite of the cruises I've looked at.  Without it, my favorite is a 6 night on the Magic in a spa room.  even paying for a spa pass for my son (only 2 are included) it's a good deal on ports I haven't seen.  So I guess when I book I would have to make sure I could stay in a Havana room even if my son couldn't come.  I did find refundable fares too; thanks for the tip.



Make sure you are checking all decks. They have made rooms on Deck 6 and 7 Aft a part of Havana on Vista.  On Horizon and the new Panorama all the Aft rooms from 5-9 are designated Havana.  Unfortunately, they are geared to couples and not families or groups.


----------



## daisyx3

trvlgirlmq said:


> Make sure you are checking all decks. They have made rooms on Deck 6 and 7 Aft a part of Havana on Vista.  On Horizon and the new Panorama all the Aft rooms from 5-9 are designated Havana.  Unfortunately, they are geared to couples and not families or groups.



No rooms on any deck but 5 left.


----------



## cruiser21

daisyx3 said:


> Wow, am totally in love with this option.  Thanks!
> One question....while my son would love to come, and we would love to have him, what are my options if he finds out between now and spring of 2019 that he can't come?  For example, has to take a summer class to graduate on time, or gets an internship, etc.  (he will be entering his last year in fall of 19).  Can we keep the room and just cancel him?


What is the fare for the third person? I've found on Carnival it's usually not much. It might cost more for you to cancel him and switch to a new rate plus you might lose your room. Carnival is kind of weird like that. It's not like Disney where you can cancel a person and keep the same rate and room. Like pp stated I would stay away from the non-refundable deposits. It's almost impossible to make a change with those rooms. It will require paying a penalty, waiting on hold, and dealing with bad customer service agents.

The good thing about Carnival is that if you don't book with a non- refundable rate you can cancel online and rebook... not need to call at all. Carnival is very fast with the refunds too.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

daisyx3 said:


> Wow, am totally in love with this option.  Thanks!
> One question....while my son would love to come, and we would love to have him, what are my options if he finds out between now and spring of 2019 that he can't come?  For example, has to take a summer class to graduate on time, or gets an internship, etc.  (he will be entering his last year in fall of 19).  Can we keep the room and just cancel him?


I don’t like the way Carnival makes you move if you change occupancy of their rooms and I definitely don’t think they should make you change categories if there is a change. I agree with @cruiser21, I’d just not tell them he can’t go and be a no show. His fare is only about $700, it would be worth it to me to eat that money to keep the Havana room. Good luck on your decision!


----------



## daisyx3

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I don’t like the way Carnival makes you move if you change occupancy of their rooms and I definitely don’t think they should make you change categories if there is a change. I agree with @cruiser21, I’d just not tell them he can’t go and be a no show. His fare is only about $700, it would be worth it to me to eat that money to keep the Havana room. Good luck on your decision!


I settled the issue last night, LOL.  We decided to take all my kids on a WDW trip in 2021 when hopefully all the new things will be open.  My son can stay home next summer (if he doesn't get an internship) and watch my dog.  And I'm even more excited to plan a the first trip with all the kids (and the son in law and grandson, and maybe grandbaby #2 by that time) since 2010!
Now, havana cabana or havana balcony room?


----------



## PrincessTrisha

daisyx3 said:


> I settled the issue last night, LOL.  We decided to take all my kids on a WDW trip in 2021 when hopefully all the new things will be open.  My son can stay home next summer (if he doesn't get an internship) and watch my dog.  And I'm even more excited to plan a the first trip with all the kids (and the son in law and grandson, and maybe grandbaby #2 by that time) since 2010!
> Now, havana cabana or havana balcony room?



Sounds like a great compromise.

Havana Cabana. It's far more unique of a ship feature.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

daisyx3 said:


> I settled the issue last night, LOL.  We decided to take all my kids on a WDW trip in 2021 when hopefully all the new things will be open.  My son can stay home next summer (if he doesn't get an internship) and watch my dog.  And I'm even more excited to plan a the first trip with all the kids (and the son in law and grandson, and maybe grandbaby #2 by that time) since 2010!
> Now, havana cabana or havana balcony room?


Both have benefits but we’re doong Cabana, I really like the idea of being able to walk out the patio door and being able to move around to other places on the ship. The cabana rooms are only on deck 5 and that is a great deck for strolling along or laying on a sun bed, Inlike to be outside as much as possible on ships and those cabins you don’t have to enter through the hallway, you’ll have a special key card that will unlock the patio doors so you can enter from the lanai.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> View attachment 317020 We're on her...
> 
> My old friend the Victory.
> 
> P.s.: I'm the photograph you can see in the reflection. Lol


Have a great trip!


----------



## mevelandry

Here we are, back from our Carnival Victory cruise, waiting to board the plane...

Before my official review and pictures... 

First of all, let me just tell you that we have booked Faster To The Fun (FTTF) and it won't be the last time. We have boarded 45 minutes before the rest of the passengers, as promised our cabins were ready right away. 

We never had to wait to talk to a staff member to guest services. We were served right away. 

Also, we thought we were going to be very tight to make it to the Fort Lauderdale Airport (from the port of Miami) and turns out we were in the cab by 7:40 AM and 3 hours in advance for our 11:20 flight! 

*************************

The Victory looks even better now that she did when we sailed on her in 2016. They did a good job during dry dock. While it doesn't look "brand new" like the Disney Ships, most sections were in excellent condition. 

The addition of funship 2.0 was a good call. Everything was fresh and delicious, the new restaurants and bars were super cute and added a lot of colors to the main deck.  

Now, what did my FIL & MIL think of Carnival after loving Disney Cruise Line so much? Well... It's a home run for Carnival! 

They both said that the musical revue Vroom and the comedy shows were their favorite over the Disney Shows --performers were high caliber-- and that the food (Chopsticks, Guy's Burgers, etc) was just as good or better, with the exception of Palo which is still their favorite. 

Both said that while they would enjoy sailing on DCL again, Carnival would be their first choice. While I still think DCL and Carnival are even when it comes to service, MIL & FIL found the staff more friendly on Carnival. 

Our cabin hostess, Sari, was the best we've had in all our six cruises (DCL & Carnival). She was always nice, helpful and friendly and our cabins were absolutely spotless. We gave her extra tips on top of the pre-paid gratuity for both cabins (we had never done this before). 

If this was a party cruise I guess we missed the party again. LOL I did not encounter heavily intoxicated or obnoxious people, guests were all polite, pleasant and in a good mood. We always found seats and loungers everywhere we went even thought the ship was sold out. 

They did put the AFT pool adult only which we appreciated very much and they were strict about it. 

The lines were usually short but when they were longer, they usually went very fast. 

Disembarkation in Key West & Cozumel was a breeze. We did not wait at all and the excursions were very well organized. 

Overall, this Carnival Victory cruise was even better than our first one on the same ship. 

Pictures coming soon.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Here we are, back from our Carnival Victory cruise, waiting to board the plane...
> 
> Before my official review and pictures...
> 
> First of all, let me just tell you that we have booked Faster To The Fun (FTTF) and it won't be the last time. We have boarded 45 minutes before the rest of the passengers, as promised our cabins were ready right away.
> 
> We never had to wait to talk to a staff member to guest services. We were served right away.
> 
> Also, we thought we were going to be very tight to make it to the Fort Lauderdale Airport (from the port of Miami) and turns out we were in the cab by 7:40 AM and 3 hours in advance for our 11:20 flight!



I'm going to hazard a guess that the FTTF costs extra?


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> Here we are, back from our Carnival Victory cruise, waiting to board the plane...
> 
> Before my official review and pictures...
> 
> First of all, let me just tell you that we have booked Faster To The Fun (FTTF) and it won't be the last time. We have boarded 45 minutes before the rest of the passengers, as promised our cabins were ready right away.
> 
> We never had to wait to talk to a staff member to guest services. We were served right away.
> 
> Also, we thought we were going to be very tight to make it to the Fort Lauderdale Airport (from the port of Miami) and turns out we were in the cab by 7:40 AM and 3 hours in advance for our 11:20 flight!
> 
> *************************
> 
> The Victory looks even better now that she did when we sailed on her in 2016. They did a good job during dry dock. While it doesn't look "brand new" like the Disney Ships, most sections were in excellent condition.
> 
> The addition of funship 2.0 was a good call. Everything was fresh and delicious, the new restaurants and bars were super cute and added a lot of colors to the main deck.
> 
> Now, what did my FIL & MIL think of Carnival after loving Disney Cruise Line so much? Well... It's a home run for Carnival!
> 
> They both said that the musical revue Vroom and the comedy shows were their favorite over the Disney Shows --performers were high caliber-- and that the food (Chopsticks, Guy's Burgers, etc) was just as good or better, with the exception of Palo which is still their favorite.
> 
> Both said that while they would enjoy sailing on DCL again, Carnival would be their first choice. While I still think DCL and Carnival are even when it comes to service, MIL & FIL found the staff more friendly on Carnival.
> 
> Our cabin hostess, Sari, was the best we've had in all our six cruises (DCL & Carnival). She was always nice, helpful and friendly and our cabins were absolutely spotless. We gave her extra tips on top of the pre-paid gratuity for both cabins (we had never done this before).
> 
> If this was a party cruise I guess we missed the party again. LOL I did not encounter heavily intoxicated or obnoxious people, guests were all polite, pleasant and in a good mood. We always found seats and loungers everywhere we went even thought the ship was sold out.
> 
> They did put the AFT pool adult only which we appreciated very much and they were strict about it.
> 
> The lines were usually short but when they were longer, they usually went very fast.
> 
> Disembarkation in Key West & Cozumel was a breeze. We did not wait at all and the excursions were very well organized.
> 
> Overall, this Carnival Victory cruise was even better than our first one on the same ship.
> 
> Pictures coming soon.



Glad to hear you had another great Carnival cruise and that the in laws enjoyed themselves.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> I'm going to hazard a guess that the FTTF costs extra?



At the time we paid 60$ per cabin (varies per ships, length of cruise and season I think) and we really appreciated the perk. 

Thinking of booking it for DH and I since our next cruise has destinations where we have to tender.


----------



## mevelandry

Carnival Victory 2018 review

Part 1: The Cabin

The cabins were all refurbished by the end of 2016. They used to have pink and rusty bathrooms and be beige and yellow.

I like the new colors and cupboards. The bed (new mattresses) was more comfortable. You can have them as twin beds or put together for a queen bed.

The sound proofing is still not perfect as you hear what is happening in the hallways but I have never been satisfied with cruise ships cabin soundproofing anyway. I always bring earplugs.

Our neighbours were mostly quiet except for a couple who fought for a few minutes one evening.

Our cabin host Sari was the best we've had in six cruises (DCL & Carnival)... A real gem. Always smiling and helpful. We've never had a cabin so clean.

There was A LOT of space to store our clothes and suitcases.

Our cabin was ocean view with obstructed view. Access to that secret deck was just 2 doors further and it was empty 99% of the time. There was a bench there too. 

While DCL still has my favorite cabins (interior) but Carnival offers a very versatile and comfortable cabin. Not a fan of their shampoos and products. I'm hoping they will upgrade them or offer the possibility to order a little basket of upgraded products at some point.


----------



## mevelandry

Carnival Victory

Part 2: The Ship

Most of the exterior of the ship has been refurbished since 2016 (especially during the 2018 dry dock).

They replaced most of the floors, added Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana, Red Frog Rum Bar, Blue Iguana Tequila Bar... (Which adds a lot of colors) The pools & Slide were painted or replaced. I think they replaced some of the jacuzzis as well.

Overall, the ship looks much better now.


----------



## mevelandry

Carnival Victory

Part 3: The Food

Once again, the food was great. While the MDR was a little bit more hit or miss depending on the dish (not a fan of their chicken dishes but big fan of their red meat), however they still nail desserts. Also the Pizza, Guy's, Chopsticks were amazing and we simply could not stop stuffing our faces with food all day long. LOL Loved the Chocolate Extravaganza at the buffet on the last day too.

The Afternoon Tea (included) was great this time. I always pick the 2$ tea upgrade because I am picky. 

Oh and did I mention that the Coral Seas Coffee Shop has Ghirardelli Mocha Frappes? Best frappe in the whole world. (4,25$ but soooo worth it).

For me, Carnival wins again.


----------



## mevelandry

Carnival Victory

Part 4: The Boarding, the disembarking, the excursions and Faster To The Fun.

Since my FIL and MIL are seniors with a little mobility problem (they are in bad shape and my FIL has problems with his knees) we decided to book Faster To The Fun in order to limit the wait.

It cost us 60$ per cabin and it was fantastic. First of all, we went right through the security without any wait.

Then, we were seated in a section very close to the "entry" for the boarding. I think we were called around 11:00. We boarded so early that the materials for family pictures wasn't even up yet. Still, I noticed they now have added a path you can take in order to avoid the "first picture" which I appreciated very much. 

We got on the ship and went immediately to our cabins, which were ready. We met our cabin steward almost right away. We dropped our luggage and went to the buffet. There was no line and the Lido was almost empty.

We did not have destination with tendering so we did not use FTTF there (but hey guess what: yesterday I booked it for our next cruise which has two destinations who need tendering)...

We were out within 5 minutes in Key West were a shuttle was waiting for us (we ended up in the naval dockyard in Key West because the Breeze had the Mallory Square dock --booh!!!-- but they dropped us right in Mallory Square. They had checked us in for the Old Town Trolley excursion just as we got off the ship.

When we came back there was a huge line. But there wasso manny shuttles picking us up that we waited about 15 minutes only which is surprising considering the amount of people in line. We took the train back to the ship. They gave us fruits infused water as we were boarding.

Cozumel was much more popular and there are many excursions but once again it was short and easy. We were off the ship in less than 10 min and found our excursion very fast thanks to the signs at the entrance. We seated on the beach under a tree while waiting for our excursion leader to bring us to the transportation.

The mini vans were very pretty and clean. We were in Chankanaab within 10 minutes. They picked us up at the exact time they promised at the end of the day with the same mini-vans.

Overall, extremely well organized excursions.

Abd then finally, we needed to get off the ship ASAP on the last day because I booked flights before noon which is a big no-no apparently.

Since we had Faster To The Fun, they gave us a letter asking us to go to the Caribbean lounge for 7:30 AM. We went there early and actually got to disembark at 7:30, FTTF people getting off first and by 7:40 we were on the sidewalk putting luggage in our taxi cab. 8:20 we were dropped at the airport for 11:20 flight. Phew!

Next time I won't book before noon but still... I was blown away by how efficient the disembarking process was with Faster To The Fun.

I honestly think I will book it for all my future Carnival cruise and as soon as I got home, I did for our next cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

Carnival Victory

Part 5: Magic happens with Carnival too...

I was celebrating my birthday this week and I received many surprises. 

First of all, both my husband and I received a 50$ gift card (applicable on treatments) at the spa. Unfortunately, our schedule was so tight that we couldn't use them.  

On my birthday, I received a card dans a plate of cookies from the Casino (where I played a total of 10$ during the whole cruise... Oh and I won and came back home with 23$! LOL) 

During dinner, they sang happy birthday to me and I received a unicorn-colored small birthday cake... It was very pretty for a free birthday cake! 

Happy Birthday to Me!


----------



## mevelandry

Carnival Victory 

Part 6: Service and friendliness of staff

While we do not need to be buddies with the staff, we do appreciate a nice smile and friendliness. We encountered great servers every time but my husband found that due to the fact that we had Your Time Dining and changed sections a lot, he missed having the same servers every night. But that doesn't make or break a cruise for him... 

We still had time to chat a bit with the staff here and there. We chat with a server who said he prefered smaller ships because they had more time to give to the guests while on bigger ships they keep running around. 

I asked him about our next cruise ship (the Sensation) and he said it's a great ship and we are going to enjoy it. He liked working on it.


----------



## mevelandry

Carnival Victory

Part 7 : The entertainment

Our cruise director was Felipe. He was a lot of fun.

We decided to go to the Love and Marriage Show. It was a lot of fun... We definitely enjoyed it.

(Fun story: At the beginning of the show Felipe trained us to do a buzzer sound during the show when someone had a wrong answer and mentioned that during an announcement he was going to do at a certain time the next day, at a certain cue, everybody that had assisted to the show should do a buzzer sound, no matter where we were on the ship.

Well... The next day we did and some other people too (with a little too much enthusiasm)! It was absolutely absurd and funny. We were laughing so hard about it we had tears in our eyes. We still joke about it.)

There was a proposal at the beginning of the show. It's the second proposal I witness during a cruise and I tear up every time.

We went to see the show Vroom. The two lead performers were great (the lady had more of a country voice but she was very good but the guy... OMG! He was phenomenal!) I think the show was even better now than the last time we've seen it and my MIL and FIL were ecstatic.

Even the singers in the smaller venues were excellent.

For the comedy shows, we had Jason Andors and Thea Vidale. We loved both of them but Thea is something. I mean: that woman deserves her own Netflix special. We have only one regret: the shows were happening late in the evening (up until 11:30) so we missed a lot of them because we basically lose conciousness by 10:00 PM.

Both my FIL and MIL told us that they loved the Disney shows but while they were "magical", they felt they were more destined to kids while on Carnival the musical revue (Vroom) and the comedy shows (even the family friendly) were more "adults"...  so they much much prefer Carnival's entertainment and they told us so without any hesitation and that entertainment is the very specific reason why Carnival stole the number one spot in their heart.

I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. 


IN CONCLUSION:  DH and I have now done 6 cruises. 3 with DCL and 3 with Carnival.

As I said... It's a home run for Carnival for my DH & FIL.

My MIL and I are still 50%-50% as we hold DCL close to our hearts as well but OMG we do have so much fun on Carnival and they give us much more bang for our bucks...


----------



## mevelandry

Alright, I added my Carnival Victory 2018 review link in the first post... 

Now moving on to my next project: Carnival Sensation, stopping in Nassau, Half Moon Cay & Grand Turk (in October, if weather permits of course). 

DH and I have no idea what to do in Nassau since we don't want to do a beach day (2 beach day will follow) and don't wanna do activities involving animals. We've done Blue Lagoon (nice) before and walked in the port (yuck)... 

Have you done anything interesting in Nassau?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Have you climbed the Queen’s staircase?


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Have you climbed the Queen’s staircase?



Never. It looks nice. I know there's a tour who does it. 

I could also be interested in Atlantis but it is soooo expensive!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Never. It looks nice. I know there's a tour who does it.
> 
> I could also be interested in Atlantis but it is soooo expensive!


I wasn’t impressed with Atlantis. My wife and I had wanted to take a week long trip there for years until we were there for a day on our Dream cruise in 2011. We’re very happy we didn’t waste the money on a trip specifically to Atlantis. The food was amusement park quality, service was lacking and the grounds weren’t as clean as they show on commercials. The one great thing was the lazy river, it was fantastic.


----------



## lovin'fl

mevelandry said:


> Alright, I added my Carnival Victory 2018 review link in the first post...
> 
> Now moving on to my next project: Carnival Sensation, stopping in Nassau, Half Moon Cay & Grand Turk (in October, if weather permits of course).
> 
> DH and I have no idea what to do in Nassau since we don't want to do a beach day (2 beach day will follow) and don't wanna do activities involving animals. We've done Blue Lagoon (nice) before and walked in the port (yuck)...
> 
> Have you done anything interesting in Nassau?


We have done this cruise. We stayed on the ship in Nassau, sat in the hot tub and watched everything going on at the port. Another time we stopped in Nassau, we did Atlantis and it was not worth the money. Our last visit to Nassau, last Sept on Royal Caribbean cruise, we got off and bar hopped by the port. Was fun.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I wasn’t impressed with Atlantis. My wife and I had wanted to take a week long trip there for years until we were there for a day on our Dream cruise in 2011. We’re very happy we didn’t waste the money on a trip specifically to Atlantis. The food was amusement park quality, service was lacking and the grounds weren’t as clean as they show on commercials. The one great thing was the lazy river, it was fantastic.



Yeah, I really don't see myself spending 185$/pp to spend a day there. 

I thought maybe pay 60$/pp for a visit... Maybe. The Chihuly work looks nice and my husband likes Casinos. Lol   I have a feeling it's overrated and your review kinda confirm it.


----------



## mevelandry

lovin'fl said:


> We have done this cruise. We stayed on the ship in Nassau, sat in the hot tub and watched everything going on at the port. Another time we stopped in Nassau, we did Atlantis and it was not worth the money. Our last visit to Nassau, last Sept on Royal Caribbean cruise, we got off and bar hopped by the port. Was fun.



We are not fans of Nassau to begin with so ... it sounds like it's going to be a "pool and hot tub day".

DH said we can always go shopping rum cakes if I want but... Meh! 

Also, I told my husband I missed having a nap during the day on our last cruise (on a 4 nights cruise, there is no time to sleep!) Sounds like the perfect day to do that.


----------



## cruiser21

I agree with pp posters about Atlantis. It looks a lot better on the commercials. I'd rather spend a week at the Boardwalk Inn, Beach Club, Wilderness lodge or Animal Kingdom for that money. I'm not a huge fan of Disney parks, but I love the deluxe resorts and the theming.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I agree with pp posters about Atlantis. It looks a lot better on the commercials. I'd rather spend a week at the Boardwalk Inn, Beach Club, Wilderness lodge or Animal Kingdom for that money. I'm not a huge fan of Disney parks, but I love the deluxe resorts and the theming.



Honestly I am glad all of you gave me your honest opinion (and I value your opinions) as I had heard mixed reviews but was (still) fooled by the commercials...

You just made me save money.


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## mevelandry

Weird...

I've been on a thread where people talk about adult activities... And some of them sound a lot like those you can find on a Carnival cruise.

Match your Mate = Love and Marriage Show

Adult Scavenger Hunt = The Quest

There are alcohol tastings on both cruise lines...

An adult sections with pools and/or jacuzzis on both cruise lines...

Cafés ont both cruise lines...

Bars on both cruise lines...

I'm surprised some people still talk trash about Carnival regarding entertainment when there are so many similarities. 

Talking about talking trash: I was annoyed by Bill Maher's joke regarding Carnival on friday. Of course I knew he was refering to the Triumph incident from 2013 but I feel like it is dishonest to refer to "poop cruise" when describing a whole cruise line 5 years later after a single incident.

People have drowned on Castaway Cay, should we start calling it "the island where people drown"? :/  (I don't think so!)

Oh, well...


----------



## Chrissy-Mickey

mevelandry said:


> Weird...
> 
> I've been on a thread where people talk about adult activities... And some of them sound a lot like those you can find on a Carnival cruise.
> 
> 
> I'm surprised some people still talk trash about Carnival regarding entertainment when there are so many similarities.



I don't think anyone is saying that these activities are not on other ships or that they're better on DCL. People are just pointing out that it's available and, in their experience, fun.

When I'm comparing entertainment, I'm comparing the main stage evening shows, and I prefer DCL. Though I'm sure there are people who prefer the Carnival entertainment.

That said, I too am not fond of name calling and trash talking from the employees of one cruise line towards another cruise line. It seems unprofessional.


----------



## oklamomof4boys

Carnival Valor 5 night cruise June 2017


Last summer I took my first Carnival cruise. It was a trip with my girlfriends. Let me start with I love all things Disney. I realize that part of what I like about DCL is just because it is disney. I love seeing the Disney touches and hearing the Disney music. But I did try to keep an open mind. We were on a 5 night cruise on the Valor. 

Things I preferred on Carnival- I really liked the Faster to the Fun option. We are the type who love to be on the ship ASAP. I really liked that with FTTF we were able to go to our room immediately and out our stuff down. Some of the food I really liked, some I didn’t. I’m the same way on Disney. But I did LOVE the pizza on deck on Carnival. 

Now for what I didn’t like as much- service is much better on Disney. Our room steward only serviced our room once a day- which wasn’t a big deal but one day he didn’t come at all. Yes we could have called but we didn’t. Most of the time we never saw a room steward. One day part of our door knob fell off and they just taped it back on. I thought maybe they didn’t have the part to fix it but it was fixed about 36 hours later- so they had the part it just took a while for them to fix it. 



I didn’t really care for a lot of the decor. If I had little kids with me I’m not sure I would have cared for these pictures in the elevator landings  

I thought the smell of the smoke from the casino spread to other parts of the ship (but I’m very sensitive to smoke). But the main thing was everything just seemed more crowded and I’ve been on Disney when the ship was full. Every bar was packed with people and it took forever to get a drink.  One of the pools was jam packed with people
standing in it with drinks (I also didn’t like that you had to bring a towel from your room and take it back from the pool).  Everywhere just felt crowded. 

We only went to one show so I can’t really compare those. Also the “entertainment” at dinner was the servers dancing suggestively on the tables. For us it was hysterical but not sure I would have loved my kids seeing that when they were little. 

We still had a good time. Maybe the Valor is an older ship. One of my friends only sails Carnival and she loves it (and takes her little kids). Maybe I’m too picky or I just love Disney too much to be open minded.


----------



## mevelandry

Chrissy-Mickey said:


> I don't think anyone is saying that these activities are not on other ships or that they're better on DCL. People are just pointing out that it's available and, in their experience, fun.
> 
> When I'm comparing entertainment, I'm comparing the main stage evening shows, and I prefer DCL. Though I'm sure there are people who prefer the Carnival entertainment.
> 
> That said, I too am not fond of name calling and trash talking from the employees of one cruise line towards another cruise line. It seems unprofessional.



Big fail on my part as it wasn't the point I was trying to make... (and it is 100% okay to express a preference no matter what that preference is) I wanted to express my surprise that I've heard so much trash talk when cruise lines share lots of similarities. 

And I 100% agree with you regarding employees, I think it's not professional. There are ways to sell your product without putting down other companies.


----------



## mevelandry

oklamomof4boys said:


> Carnival Valor 5 night cruise June 2017
> 
> 
> Last summer I took my first Carnival cruise. It was a trip with my girlfriends. Let me start with I love all things Disney. I realize that part of what I like about DCL is just because it is disney. I love seeing the Disney touches and hearing the Disney music. But I did try to keep an open mind. We were on a 5 night cruise on the Valor.
> 
> Things I preferred on Carnival- I really liked the Faster to the Fun option. We are the type who love to be on the ship ASAP. I really liked that with FTTF we were able to go to our room immediately and out our stuff down. Some of the food I really liked, some I didn’t. I’m the same way on Disney. But I did LOVE the pizza on deck on Carnival.
> 
> Now for what I didn’t like as much- service is much better on Disney. Our room steward only serviced our room once a day- which wasn’t a big deal but one day he didn’t come at all. Yes we could have called but we didn’t. Most of the time we never saw a room steward. One day part of our door knob fell off and they just taped it back on. I thought maybe they didn’t have the part to fix it but it was fixed about 36 hours later- so they had the part it just took a while for them to fix it.
> 
> View attachment 318690
> 
> I didn’t really care for a lot of the decor. If I had little kids with me I’m not sure I would have cared for these pictures in the elevator landings  View attachment 318688View attachment 318689
> 
> I thought the smell of the smoke from the casino spread to other parts of the ship (but I’m very sensitive to smoke). But the main thing was everything just seemed more crowded and I’ve been on Disney when the ship was full. Every bar was packed with people and it took forever to get a drink.  One of the pools was jam packed with people
> standing in it with drinks (I also didn’t like that you had to bring a towel from your room and take it back from the pool).  Everywhere just felt crowded.
> 
> We only went to one show so I can’t really compare those. Also the “entertainment” at dinner was the servers dancing suggestively on the tables. For us it was hysterical but not sure I would have loved my kids seeing that when they were little.
> 
> We still had a good time. Maybe the Valor is an older ship. One of my friends only sails Carnival and she loves it (and takes her little kids). Maybe I’m too picky or I just love Disney too much to be open minded.



Thanks for your review.

Big fan of Faster to the Fun here!  

Same for the Carnival pizza. I'm currently trying to find a restaurant in Montreal that would offer a similar product because I already miss it.

The room steward seems to be hit or miss. Ours on our two last Carnival cruises offered to service our room twice (but we chose only once). I never met my last DCL steward. I was surprised to be honest. I kinda like meeting them as it motivates me to keep my cabin cleaner. Sorry you did not get to have your doorknob fixed right away. Hope you complained about that after your cruise as it is not acceptable. 

I love the dancing on the tables too. It's hilarious. 

Have you tried the comedy shows?


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## mevelandry

Hey, I just realized... I noticed a big difference with the handling of the smoke in the Casino on the Victory vs the Vista. While I could spend some times in the Casino on the Vista without being to incommodated by the smoke, I was very annoyed with the smoke in the Victory casino.

So I don't know what they use on the Vista but they should put it on every ship.


----------



## hdrolfe

Home! Well at work. No Internet at home so I'm cheating and using work's  I will post a bit better once I get internet back at home but we really enjoyed the cruise. My son loved the water slides and the ropes course. I didn't like the layout of the buffet, or the buffet food outside of Guy's and the Blue Iguana. I really enjoyed the MDR, the service was great, and kiddo enjoyed trying some new foods.

Check in was a breeze, and getting off was super quick (we walked off). My son wants to try the Breeze now because we really liked the ship, but he thinks we should try new ships. He would be happy to do the same ports again though. He also enjoyed the kids club, especially the "open choice" as he was able to play some video games.

The room steward was fine, he asked if we wanted morning, evening or both. I chose both but since he usually came at around 1pm we really only got it once a day. I was a little disappointed in that, we don't require a lot of cleaning but it's nice to have the room tidy, and the beds made.

All-in-all it was a very fun cruise, and I look forward to going again. Our cabin was noisy during events in the lobby because we were right beside the glass elevators, I'd avoid that area unless you are a stay up late traveller  it did quiet down before 11 but kiddo was often in bed well before then. Cookie as the cruise director was good, people seemed to really enjoy him. We don't do a lot that involves him but the kids were part of the lip sync battle so we went to that show and he was funny there.

Any questions about Magic, or the ports I'm happy to answer (Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay, Costa Maya).


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## trvlgirlmq

Welcome home travelers.  

hdrolfe - The Breeze is my favorite ship.  I know it's not much different from Magic but I just love it anyway.  I'm not a fan of buffet's in general so it's a good thing there is plenty to choose from that is made to order now.  I'm anxiously awaiting my boarding day Guy's burger!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> Home! Well at work. No Internet at home so I'm cheating and using work's  I will post a bit better once I get internet back at home but we really enjoyed the cruise. My son loved the water slides and the ropes course. I didn't like the layout of the buffet, or the buffet food outside of Guy's and the Blue Iguana. I really enjoyed the MDR, the service was great, and kiddo enjoyed trying some new foods.
> 
> Check in was a breeze, and getting off was super quick (we walked off). My son wants to try the Breeze now because we really liked the ship, but he thinks we should try new ships. He would be happy to do the same ports again though. He also enjoyed the kids club, especially the "open choice" as he was able to play some video games.
> 
> The room steward was fine, he asked if we wanted morning, evening or both. I chose both but since he usually came at around 1pm we really only got it once a day. I was a little disappointed in that, we don't require a lot of cleaning but it's nice to have the room tidy, and the beds made.
> 
> All-in-all it was a very fun cruise, and I look forward to going again. Our cabin was noisy during events in the lobby because we were right beside the glass elevators, I'd avoid that area unless you are a stay up late traveller  it did quiet down before 11 but kiddo was often in bed well before then. Cookie as the cruise director was good, people seemed to really enjoy him. We don't do a lot that involves him but the kids were part of the lip sync battle so we went to that show and he was funny there.
> 
> Any questions about Magic, or the ports I'm happy to answer (Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay, Costa Maya).


Cookie is a crack up!  He was part of the entertainment staff on the Vista last year and I knew he’d be a CD on some ship, he’s a very personable guy with a ton of energy. 

Happy to hear you enjoyed the Magic


----------



## daisyx3

I'm about to book a Horizon cruise for 2019...thanks for the previous tip about Havana Cabanas!  Anything I need to know before I book?  They have a deal right now for less of a deposit.  Going to Ocho Rios (never been), Cayman and Cozumel (been, but in 2004).


----------



## mevelandry

Talking about entertainment staff who should become CD... Brad "Baby Gap" on the Victory should be a cruise director. He's way too funny and talented not to become a CD.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Home! Well at work. No Internet at home so I'm cheating and using work's  I will post a bit better once I get internet back at home but we really enjoyed the cruise. My son loved the water slides and the ropes course. I didn't like the layout of the buffet, or the buffet food outside of Guy's and the Blue Iguana. I really enjoyed the MDR, the service was great, and kiddo enjoyed trying some new foods.
> 
> Check in was a breeze, and getting off was super quick (we walked off). My son wants to try the Breeze now because we really liked the ship, but he thinks we should try new ships. He would be happy to do the same ports again though. He also enjoyed the kids club, especially the "open choice" as he was able to play some video games.
> 
> The room steward was fine, he asked if we wanted morning, evening or both. I chose both but since he usually came at around 1pm we really only got it once a day. I was a little disappointed in that, we don't require a lot of cleaning but it's nice to have the room tidy, and the beds made.
> 
> All-in-all it was a very fun cruise, and I look forward to going again. Our cabin was noisy during events in the lobby because we were right beside the glass elevators, I'd avoid that area unless you are a stay up late traveller  it did quiet down before 11 but kiddo was often in bed well before then. Cookie as the cruise director was good, people seemed to really enjoy him. We don't do a lot that involves him but the kids were part of the lip sync battle so we went to that show and he was funny there.
> 
> Any questions about Magic, or the ports I'm happy to answer (Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay, Costa Maya).



Nice! 

Regarding the cabin steward, my FIL (not knowing how this works on Carnival), told our steward that he wanted his room to be serviced between 9:00 and 10:00 AM. *Blushes* ...   But she did! LOL

Good to know regarding the location of your cabin. I usually book completely aft or forward because I find the cabins to be more quiet over there and I always bring earplugs just in case. I will keep it that way! 

I thought I could link your review on the first post so if you want to add pictures, it would be great and a nice addition to your review.


----------



## mevelandry

daisyx3 said:


> I'm about to book a Horizon cruise for 2019...thanks for the previous tip about Havana Cabanas!  Anything I need to know before I book?  They have a deal right now for less of a deposit.  Going to Ocho Rios (never been), Cayman and Cozumel (been, but in 2004).



Yay!!! Congrats in advance! I'm jealous! 

Recommendation: Book an excursion in Ocho Rios... don't venture by yourself. Those vendors are... how could I put this... "Intense"? 

Royal Palms in Grand Cayman is fantastic, just 2$/pp to get in (you can rent chairs and umbrellas over there) and just a 4$/pp shared-cab drive each way, about 5-10 minutes from the cruise terminal. This beach was heaven on hearth. 

Regarding Cozumel, I can't stop talking about our Save a sea turtle experience excursion. I would recommend that if you are looking for something different.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

daisyx3 said:


> I'm about to book a Horizon cruise for 2019...thanks for the previous tip about Havana Cabanas!  Anything I need to know before I book?  They have a deal right now for less of a deposit.  Going to Ocho Rios (never been), Cayman and Cozumel (been, but in 2004).



If they are offering a reduced deposit that means it is an Early Saver rate.  If you make any changes (different sailing date, etc) you will be charged a $50 per person fee that must be paid at the time of the change.  You also can't downgrade your room without paying the same fee.  If you cancel you will be charged the $50 per person fee from your deposit and the rest of the funds are held for you to use towards a future cruise that must be sailed within 24 months.  These funds will not go toward a new deposit.  ES has lots of restrictions but it's usually the lowest rate available.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> If they are offering a reduced deposit that means it is an Early Saver rate.  If you make any changes (different sailing date, etc) you will be charged a $50 per person fee that must be paid at the time of the change.  You also can't downgrade your room without paying the same fee.  If you cancel you will be charged the $50 per person fee from your deposit and the rest of the funds are held for you to use towards a future cruise that must be sailed within 24 months.  These funds will not go toward a new deposit.  ES has lots of restrictions but it's usually the lowest rate available.



I would like to add for @daisyx3   : 

In the past, I was told by someone from Carnival that if I kept all my guests "TBA" and have to cancel, I will only pay a 50$ fee --removed from the credit kept for 24 months-- when I do the change. I tested it and it worked. I've paid only 50$ fee instead of 50$ fee/pp (which used to be 100$/pp in my case). 

*************************

Also, when you book with Early Saver, you cannot "downgrade" your room category in order to save money. You can only upgrade. 

That being said, if the price of the type of room you picked gets lower than it was when you originally booked, you can fill a price protection form and they will either upgrade your room or give you a refund in form of OBC. We got back 25$/pp on our last cruise thanks to that.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

We saved about $300 on our August cruise with early saver/price drops.  To claim the price drop, you have to monitor the price yourself and fill out a form on line.  The form is very easy and Carnival responds very quickly.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We saved about $300 on our August cruise with early saver/price drops.  To claim the price drop, you have to monitor the price yourself and fill out a form on line.  The form is very easy and Carnival responds very quickly.



300$??? Impressive.


----------



## mevelandry

Hey guys,

I got a little survey for you. Which are your favorite dishes in the dining room?

Mine are...

Port Days Breakfast:

-The French Toast with caramelized bananas
-The Avocado Toast with poached eggs


The Sea Day Brunch:

-The (Filet Mignon) Steak and Eggs


The Dinner:

Appetizers
-Cesar Salad without anchovy

Main dish
-The beef brisket
-The Meat Lasagna
-The Chicken Breast (my husband)

The Side Dish
-The Bacon Mac'n'Cheese (loooooove it!)
-The Oven Baked Potato

Dessert

-The Cheese Dish
-The Exotic Fruit Plate
-The Baked Alaska

(Can you believe that after three cruises I still haven't tried their Molten Lava Cake?)


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> 300$??? Impressive.


I was surprised too.  It was the first price drop we have experienced.  It was for 2 cabins, one was about $180 and the other was about $120.  I saw one of them was $10 more off about a week later but did not get a chance to ask for the price drop until later that night.  Of course at that point it had gone up past our price.  So apparently the prices can change quickly!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I got a little survey for you. Which are your favorite dishes in the dining room?
> 
> Mine are...
> 
> Port Days Breakfast:
> 
> -The French Toast with caramelized bananas
> -The Avocado Toast with poached eggs
> 
> 
> The Sea Day Brunch:
> 
> -The (Filet Mignon) Steak and Eggs
> 
> 
> The Dinner:
> 
> Appetizers
> -Cesar Salad without anchovy
> 
> Main dish
> -The beef brisket
> -The Meat Lasagna
> -The Chicken Breast (my husband)
> 
> The Side Dish
> -The Bacon Mac'n'Cheese (loooooove it!)
> -The Oven Baked Potato
> 
> Dessert
> 
> -The Cheese Dish
> -The Exotic Fruit Plate
> -The Baked Alaska
> 
> (Can you believe that after three cruises I still haven't tried their Molten Lava Cake?)



Breakfast/brunch:  Raisin Bran covered French toast  and steak and eggs
Dinner: coconut shrimp and flat iron steak


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I got a little survey for you. Which are your favorite dishes in the dining room?
> 
> Mine are...
> 
> Port Days Breakfast:
> 
> -The French Toast with caramelized bananas
> -The Avocado Toast with poached eggs
> 
> 
> The Sea Day Brunch:
> 
> -The (Filet Mignon) Steak and Eggs
> 
> 
> The Dinner:
> 
> Appetizers
> -Cesar Salad without anchovy
> 
> Main dish
> -The beef brisket
> -The Meat Lasagna
> -The Chicken Breast (my husband)
> 
> The Side Dish
> -The Bacon Mac'n'Cheese (loooooove it!)
> -The Oven Baked Potato
> 
> Dessert
> 
> -The Cheese Dish
> -The Exotic Fruit Plate
> -The Baked Alaska
> 
> (Can you believe that after three cruises I still haven't tried their Molten Lava Cake?)


Sea Day Brunch and Dr Seuss breakfast:

Steak and eggs!  One of the best filets I’ve ever had. 

Regular breakfast: corned beef hash, disney’s Is actually a little better but I still love it

Dinner: shrimp cocktail appetizer, chilled soups, teriyaki salmon and for dessert - Bitter ‘n Blanc!  That is some amazing bread pudding, unfortunately they only have it on the 8 night cruises.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Sea Day Brunch and Dr Seuss breakfast:
> 
> Steak and eggs!  One of the best filets I’ve ever had.
> 
> Regular breakfast: corned beef hash, disney’s Is actually a little better but I still love it
> 
> Dinner: shrimp cocktail appetizer, chilled soups, teriyaki salmon and for dessert - Bitter ‘n Blanc!  That is some amazing bread pudding, unfortunately they only have it on the 8 night cruises.



Bitter'n'blanc is never on the menu for us. We need to do an 8 nights in 2020!


----------



## hdrolfe

I had bitter n blanc in my 7 night cruise and it was good. The best dessert was the first night and I can't even remember what it was called but it was very yummy. Kiddo says the pineapple sorbet was the best dessert. And getting lunch at the pasta place was his favourite meal. I enjoyed all the mdr meals I ate. The steak and eggs at breakfast was good.  I had the lava cake twice and it was a little too runny for me. But did come looking like the Mouse so that made me happy


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Breakfast/brunch:  Raisin Bran covered French toast  and steak and eggs
> Dinner: coconut shrimp and flat iron steak


I find that Carnival nails French Toasts. I've had some at the buffet as well and they were amazing. I would love to get their recipe.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I had bitter n blanc in my 7 night cruise and it was good. The best dessert was the first night and I can't even remember what it was called but it was very yummy. Kiddo says the pineapple sorbet was the best dessert. And getting lunch at the pasta place was his favourite meal. I enjoyed all the mdr meals I ate. The steak and eggs at breakfast was good.  I had the lava cake twice and it was a little too runny for me. But did come looking like the Mouse so that made me happy



Pineapple sorbet sounds nice!


----------



## daisyx3

mevelandry said:


> I would like to add for @daisyx3   :
> 
> In the past, I was told by someone from Carnival that if I kept all my guests "TBA" and have to cancel, I will only pay a 50$ fee --removed from the credit kept for 24 months-- when I do the change. I tested it and it worked. I've paid only 50$ fee instead of 50$ fee/pp (which used to be 100$/pp in my case).
> 
> *************************
> 
> Also, when you book with Early Saver, you cannot "downgrade" your room category in order to save money. You can only upgrade.
> 
> That being said, if the price of the type of room you picked gets lower than it was when you originally booked, you can fill a price protection form and they will either upgrade your room or give you a refund in form of OBC. We got back 25$/pp on our last cruise thanks to that.



I have no intention of downgrading...in fact the Havana area made my decision a lot easier about which non-DCL cruise to try!  If we have to move things around it might just be pushing it back a couple of weeks.  I'm still waffling between cabana or aft balcony, but ready to pull the trigger in the next couple of days.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

The Portobello mushroom entrée is out of this world good.





And the Indian Vegetarian dish is always great.





And yes, that "funniest French toast" (this one with frosted flakes) - yummy!





And the little fried hash browns in the dining room - golden pucks of delicious!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I love, adore, would marry Bitter 'n Blanc   I think the molten lava cake is disgusting. It is always under cooked and just runny batter.  Yuck.

Brunch: Filet mignon and eggs.
Lunch: tacos from Blue Iguana
Dinner: Brisket/short ribs, creamed spinach, banana split from the kid's menu, bitter 'n blanc, s'mores parfait


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> At the time we paid 60$ per cabin (varies per ships, length of cruise and season I think) and we really appreciated the perk.
> 
> Thinking of booking it for DH and I since our next cruise has destinations where we have to tender.



That is very reasonable considering the perks.  

Your pictures of the food onboard and Guy's burgers makes me long to get back on a Carnival cruise!  Thanks for posting your journey.  

Question:  Your stateroom looks lovely, but did you have problems with people looking in the window?


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> That is very reasonable considering the perks.
> 
> Your pictures of the food onboard and Guy's burgers makes me long to get back on a Carnival cruise!  Thanks for posting your journey.
> 
> Question:  Your stateroom looks lovely, but did you have problems with people looking in the window?



No problem at all. The window becomes a mirror when the sun is out. 

If you go back to April 16th, the first picture I took on the Victory when I was just boarding (the one with the Carnival Victory bench) where I say you can see me in the reflection... is our cabin porthole! 

Thanks for your nice comments.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I love, adore, would marry Bitter 'n Blanc   I think the molten lava cake is disgusting. It is always under cooked and just runny batter.  Yuck.
> 
> Brunch: Filet mignon and eggs.
> Lunch: tacos from Blue Iguana
> Dinner: Brisket/short ribs, creamed spinach, banana split from the kid's menu, bitter 'n blanc, s'mores parfait




S'mores parfait?!?!?!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> S'mores parfait?!?!?!



So yummy.  It's probably another that is on the longer cruises.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> So yummy.  It's probably another that is on the longer cruises.



OMG. It's looks amazing!!!! Hopefully, they'll have them on our 5 nights cruises...


----------



## mevelandry

Interesting... 

This week, my husband admitted to me that between going on excursions on land and being on the ship... He now likes being on the ship more!  He likes that there are pools, hot tubs, included food. He doesn't like buy food during excursions when we have free food on the ship. That being said, he is very intrigued by Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk and Amber Cove because they are right of the ship. 

I'm still 50%-50% .... While I have a passion for ships and the sea, I wouldn't be as interested in a cruise to nowhere, the ports are important for me. And when I visit a new country, trying local food in important (as long as it's not fish or sea food). Discovering Taquito de pollo, Cochinita Pibil, chimichungas, eating freshly made tortillas (that are not Tostitos) and freshly made guacamole was an important part of my vacation. I bought rum cakes in Grand Cayman, etc. 

Also, I usually don't buy much souvenirs but this time I brought back home a skull (dia de los muertos) because I'm in love with their perspective of death. (And the movie Coco just made me love it x1000. My whole family cried watching the movie...) 

I just love visiting new places.


----------



## hdrolfe

I love the ports, but I do hate paying for food while on excursions! I try to avoid that, though I do love to get guacamole in Mexico  I like when the meals are included in the excursion. Though sometimes it's not the best food (and kiddo is very picky so that makes it hard). I normally grab a box or two of cereal that can be eaten dry and usually pack some granola bars in my suitcase to take as well. We tend to buy simple souvenirs, usually a magnet or small thing. 

HMC has buffet (ship food) included. Grand Turk is a free beach but you'd want to go back to the ship to eat (or pay) and Mahogany Bay would be the same (Roatan, Honduras). It was lovely there, two ships in port but the beach was still not super crowded, and it was nice for swimming. I've never been to Amber Cove but there is a pool at the port, no beach walking distance. 

I like to go to at least one new port on each cruise, but there are some that I've already been two twice, and some that I would love to go back to.


----------



## mevelandry

Ok, it's official: I have a crush on the Horizon... 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...-cruise-lines-new-carnival-horizon/555281002/


----------



## daisyx3

I DID IT!  Booked the 6 night cruise on the Carnival Horizon for 6/23/19.  Havana Cabana!  Got anytime dining and clicked King bed.  Now, where do I check every day for FTTF availability?  Is it under "manage"?  
I'm so excited, I have to refocus on our Fantasy 3 nighter in July of THIS year!


----------



## mevelandry

daisyx3 said:


> I DID IT!  Booked the 6 night cruise on the Carnival Horizon for 6/23/19.  Havana Cabana!  Got anytime dining and clicked King bed.  Now, where do I check every day for FTTF availability?  Is it under "manage"?
> I'm so excited, I have to refocus on our Fantasy 3 nighter in July of THIS year!



It's under Excursions. Select the port from where you are departing.

Congratulations!!!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

daisyx3 said:


> I DID IT!  Booked the 6 night cruise on the Carnival Horizon for 6/23/19.  Havana Cabana!  Got anytime dining and clicked King bed.  Now, where do I check every day for FTTF availability?  Is it under "manage"?
> I'm so excited, I have to refocus on our Fantasy 3 nighter in July of THIS year!


So excited for you, we can hardly wait to try Havana that same year!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Interesting...
> 
> This week, my husband admitted to me that between going on excursions on land and being on the ship... He now likes being on the ship more!  He likes that there are pools, hot tubs, included food. He doesn't like buy food during excursions when we have free food on the ship. That being said, he is very intrigued by Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk and Amber Cove because they are right of the ship.
> 
> I'm still 50%-50% .... While I have a passion for ships and the sea, I wouldn't be as interested in a cruise to nowhere, the ports are important for me. And when I visit a new country, trying local food in important (as long as it's not fish or sea food). Discovering Taquito de pollo, Cochinita Pibil, chimichungas, eating freshly made tortillas (that are not Tostitos) and freshly made guacamole was an important part of my vacation. I bought rum cakes in Grand Cayman, etc.
> 
> Also, I usually don't buy much souvenirs but this time I brought back home a skull (dia de los muertos) because I'm in love with their perspective of death. (And the movie Coco just made me love it x1000. My whole family cried watching the movie...)
> 
> I just love visiting new places.


We’re more into the ship as the destination, we spend very little time on the islands or ports. I really enjoy getting off the ship for a little bit, grabbing a couple of useless souvenirs and then enjoying an empty ship. Even at Castaway Cay, we’re back on the ship as soon as we finish lunch on the island.


----------



## mevelandry

Good news!

FIL & MIL liked their Carnival cruise so much that they have decided to come with us in April 2019 to Amber Cove and Grand Turk (Carnival Sunshine). We have booked their cruise an hour ago. We have been able to book them a Cloud 9 spa cabin directly beside ours!

We are going to have a very short WDW pre-cruise stay.


----------



## belle032

Fun thread to read! DH & I are avid cruisers.We just got married on the Carnival Magic this past year and we just booked the Conquest for this September. It's an 8 day going to St. Maarten, San Juan, St. Kitts, & Grand Turk! We've never been to St. Kitts and it's been a lonnnggg time since I've been to San Juan or St. Maarten so we are super excited! 

We are also planning our 1st DCL for next September-the 7 Nt. British Isles cruise. I'm happy to give advice on Carnival, but I look forward to learning everything I can about DCL from ya'll!!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Fun thread to read! DH & I are avid cruisers.We just got married on the Carnival Magic this past year and we just booked the Conquest for this September. It's an 8 day going to St. Maarten, San Juan, St. Kitts, & Grand Turk! We've never been to St. Kitts and it's been a lonnnggg time since I've been to San Juan or St. Maarten so we are super excited!
> 
> We are also planning our 1st DCL for next September-the 7 Nt. British Isles cruise. I'm happy to give advice on Carnival, but I look forward to learning everything I can about DCL from ya'll!!



Welcome to the Fun thread!  

Advices are always very much appreciated. 

If you feel like posting a review of the Conquest when you come back, I would be very interested.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> Fun thread to read! DH & I are avid cruisers.We just got married on the Carnival Magic this past year and we just booked the Conquest for this September. It's an 8 day going to St. Maarten, San Juan, St. Kitts, & Grand Turk! We've never been to St. Kitts and it's been a lonnnggg time since I've been to San Juan or St. Maarten so we are super excited!
> 
> We are also planning our 1st DCL for next September-the 7 Nt. British Isles cruise. I'm happy to give advice on Carnival, but I look forward to learning everything I can about DCL from ya'll!!


.

We did that itinerary on Breeze and it was great.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Welcome to the Fun thread!
> 
> Advices are always very much appreciated.
> 
> If you feel like posting a review of the Conquest when you come back, I would be very interested.



I'll make sure to do that. Reading other cruiser's reviews is super helpful so I'd be happy to help if I can. We have been on her sister ship, the Glory, and loved her so I have high hopes for the Conquest.



trvlgirlmq said:


> .
> 
> We did that itinerary on Breeze and it was great.



Yay, great to hear! The itinerary was pretty much the deciding factor for us this time. Do you have any excursion recommendations? We've done snorkeling/stingrays on Grand Turk and had a great time, but we're trying to figure out what we want to do at the other ports.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> Yay, great to hear! The itinerary was pretty much the deciding factor for us this time. Do you have any excursion recommendations? We've done snorkeling/stingrays on Grand Turk and had a great time, but we're trying to figure out what we want to do at the other ports.



We are pretty much DIY or local excursion folks. We had been to all the ports except St Kitts when we did this itinerary.

Grand Turk - We like to go to the pool at Margaritaville
San Juan - Walk to one of the forts, wander around and watch the street artists
St Maarten - taxi to Orient Beach
St Kitts - Prearranged an island tour with Thenford Grey Tours.  There are several to choose from on his website.  It was affordable and very enjoyable.


----------



## cruiser21

I wish Carnival would have had different itinerary's in Europe I would have sailed on the this ship. I'm more about the destination, but I like a nice new..ish type ship. I might consider the Caribbean again for a Havana Cabana if the price was right.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I wish Carnival would have had different itinerary's in Europe I would have sailed on the this ship. I'm more about the destination, but I like a nice new..ish type ship. I might consider the Caribbean again for a Havana Cabana if the price was right.



You don't like Carnival's itinerary? (in Europe)


----------



## trvlgirlmq

cruiser21 said:


> I wish Carnival would have had different itinerary's in Europe I would have sailed on the this ship. I'm more about the destination, but I like a nice new..ish type ship. I might consider the Caribbean again for a Havana Cabana if the price was right.



We had been planning since the announcement of Horizon to sail her in Europe.  Then they announced they were only doing like 4 sailings without a full season.  So bummed since we can't take the kids out of school anymore.  Oh well.  We'll be back in Europe next year but on Princess.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> You don't like Carnival's itinerary? (in Europe)


What Europe itinerary's?


----------



## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> We had been planning since the announcement of Horizon to sail her in Europe.  Then they announced they were only doing like 4 sailings without a full season.  So bummed since we can't take the kids out of school anymore.  Oh well.  We'll be back in Europe next year but on Princess.


This was  us. The time of year was OK, but I didn't want to repeat the Med.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> What Europe itinerary's?



You said "I wish Carnival would have had different itinerary's in Europe" ...

And I just realized that outside of the transatlantics, Carnival doesn't really sail in Europe.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> You said "I wish Carnival would have had different itinerary's in Europe" ...
> 
> And I just realized that outside of the transatlantics, Carnival doesn't really sail in Europe.


I was expecting them to launch their new ships in Europe with different itinerarys. It must not be lucrative for them since they don't have a big European fan base.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I was expecting them to launch their new ships in Europe with different itinerarys. It must not be lucrative for them since they don't have a big European fan base.



I wish they would offer some sailings from Canada too. Departing from Montreal or Quebec. I would absolutely do a Canada and New England cruise with them!


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I wish they would offer some sailings from Canada too. Departing from Montreal or Quebec. I would absolutely do a Canada and New England cruise with them!


They have New England cruises, but I think they leave out of  NYC. I think their bread and butter is the Caribbean. Probably try for most  cruiseline that's where they put the new ships. It's nice to see some new ships on the west coast.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> They have New England cruises, but I think they leave out of  NYC. I think their bread and butter is the Caribbean. Probably try for most  cruiseline that's where they put the new ships. It's nice to see some new ships on the west coast.



Yeah, they do leave out of NYC. I just wish they would do "one way" once in a while that starts or ends near my home town and save on the flights and hotels.


----------



## daisyx3

Hey, check your future cruises if you are looking for FTTF.  I looked today for my cruise that is 418 days away and there it was....booked it!


----------



## mevelandry

daisyx3 said:


> Hey, check your future cruises if you are looking for FTTF.  I looked today for my cruise that is 418 days away and there it was....booked it!



FTTF is sometimes popular, sometimes not... It varies. 

I booked FTTF for my past cruise and my next cruise less that 180 days before the cruise... But maybe I got lucky  

I enjoy the perks!


----------



## mevelandry

We came back home from our cruise 13 days ago and I'm already ready for another adventure! 

There's a chance I might book a little getaway two hours away from here in Quebec City because I haven't been there in in 10 years (!!!) and use this occasion to offer more informations to the DIS members who hang out on my other thread. Other than that, I don't know how I will be able to wait until October! LOL   (My husband won't have vacations until next fall so it is what it is...)


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> We came back home from our cruise 13 days ago and I'm already ready for another adventure!
> 
> There's a chance I might book a little getaway two hours away from here in Quebec City because I haven't been there in in 10 years (!!!) and use this occasion to offer more informations to the DIS members who hang out on my other thread. Other than that, I don't know how I will be able to wait until October! LOL   (My husband won't have vacations until next fall so it is what it is...)



We only take 1 vacation a year.  It is usually 2 weeks though and has to see us through the other 50 weeks of the year! Maybe once I am done financially providing for both kids I can take more than 1 trip a year.


----------



## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> We only take 1 vacation a year.  It is usually 2 weeks though and has to see us through the other 50 weeks of the year! Maybe once I am done financially providing for both kids I can take more than 1 trip a year.


How old are your kids? I'll probably be down to one trip a year soon. Not because I'm not financially supporting them, but because the older they get the more expensive they get.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

cruiser21 said:


> How old are your kids? I'll probably be down to one trip a year soon. Not because I'm not financially supporting them, but because the older they get the more expensive they get.



Oldest DS is 22 and will be graduating college in August. He hasn't traveled with us since his HS graduation trip as he wants to work over breaks to save money.  My youngest DS is 15 and a Freshman (for 3 more weeks).  I also take my niece on all vacations as she is an only child and more like a sister to my DS than a cousin.  My sister and BIL can't help financially so they trade pet care while we are gone.  She is almost 14 and will start HS next year.  Not sure if they will want to continue to travel with us once they are in college.  If they do we will make it work still!

Yes, it is a lot more expensive it seems even though we are down to 4 instead of 5.  No more children's prices or kid's meals!  Our cruise in 2019 is so expensive since we went with 2 rooms on Princess.  It's an old ship with no teen friendly fun stuff but it's the most we will have ever paid.  I'm trying not to think too much about it.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> We only take 1 vacation a year.  It is usually 2 weeks though and has to see us through the other 50 weeks of the year! Maybe once I am done financially providing for both kids I can take more than 1 trip a year.



DH and I both get 4 weeks that we have to take separately (so 4 distinct vacations)... But since we do not know what's going to happen with my husband's job (the company is for sale right now) until the end of this year, he decided to push back all his vacations between fall 2018 and spring 2019.

If he gets a new job, who knows what kind of vacation deal he'll end up with?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> DH and I both get 4 weeks that we have to take separately (so 4 distinct vacations)... But since we do not know what's going to happen with my husband's job (the company is for sale right now) until the end of this year, he decided to push back all his vacations between fall 2018 and spring 2019.
> 
> If he gets a new job, who knows what kind of vacation deal he'll end up with?



I get 200 hours PTO (5 weeks) per year for all time off to include sick, vacation, whatever.  I'm capped out now with my company but I can also roll over 40 hours if I haven't used them by Dec 31.  I did that from last year and so I haven't even started on this years hours. My mom has 15 days to use for any time off.  We are pretty lucky to be above the national average for time off.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I get 200 hours PTO (5 weeks) per year for all time off to include sick, vacation, whatever.  I'm capped out now with my company but I can also roll over 40 hours if I haven't used them by Dec 31.  I did that from last year and so I haven't even started on this years hours. My mom has 15 days to use for any time off.  We are pretty lucky to be above the national average for time off.



That's nice!


----------



## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> Oldest DS is 22 and will be graduating college in August. He hasn't traveled with us since his HS graduation trip as he wants to work over breaks to save money.  My youngest DS is 15 and a Freshman (for 3 more weeks).  I also take my niece on all vacations as she is an only child and more like a sister to my DS than a cousin.  My sister and BIL can't help financially so they trade pet care while we are gone.  She is almost 14 and will start HS next year.  Not sure if they will want to continue to travel with us once they are in college.  If they do we will make it work still!
> 
> Yes, it is a lot more expensive it seems even though we are down to 4 instead of 5.  No more children's prices or kid's meals!  Our cruise in 2019 is so expensive since we went with 2 rooms on Princess.  It's an old ship with no teen friendly fun stuff but it's the most we will have ever paid.  I'm trying not to think too much about it.


 Keeping two teenage boys fed and clothed cost as much per year as a couple of DCL cruises. I can't imagine having 5.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

NCL finally released their British Isles, Iceland and Baltic cruises for summer 2019 in case anyone was waiting.  We could save quite a bit of money by switching from Princess but the itinerary and port times are not as good.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> NCL finally released their British Isles, Iceland and Baltic cruises for summer 2019 in case anyone was waiting.  We could save quite a bit of money by switching from Princess but the itinerary and port times are not as good.



Which ports vs which ports?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Which ports vs which ports?



If we switched to NCL we would lose 2 hours for Edinburgh, 1 hour for Invergordon, 3 hours for Greenock/Glasgow, 3 hours in Belfast and 1.5 hours for Cork.  The other ports do not match but times are wonky like afternoon arrival with later departure making private excursions a bit more difficult.


----------



## Monykalyn

Well-booked Carnival Valor for 4 days this October. It is supposed to be our Sertoma regional meeting too-so hoping we have a large group. Flying into Houston night before cruise and likely out the day after (seems to be best prices for flights). The challenge now seems to be getting from Houston to Galveston and back.
My first cruise ever and hubs second (although last time he was on a cruise was senior trip in HS).

This thread has been very helpful in seeing the options on cruises.

Also-Cozumel is only port-decisions must be made on excursions now...



oklamomof4boys said:


> Carnival Valor 5 night cruise June 2017


Thanks for review!



cruiser21 said:


> Not because I'm not financially supporting them, but because the older they get the more expensive they get.


oh yeah! Have wanted to do cruise for years, then oldest got a disney college program internship last fall, and now is going back for the summer. The Mouse has gotten alot of our money past year. But looking forward to exploring other options now too. And hoping hubs wants to book another cruise while on cruise this fall...


Thanks for the CDC links on cruise ship inspections. DCL looks to be a very good line, but Carnival seems to be right up there as well (not as many perfects year after year but still very high).

Trying to not wish the summer/fall away but I am more excited for the (short) cruise than I am for more Disney this summer LOL!


----------



## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> If we switched to NCL we would lose 2 hours for Edinburgh, 1 hour for Invergordon, 3 hours for Greenock/Glasgow, 3 hours in Belfast and 1.5 hours for Cork.  The other ports do not match but times are wonky like afternoon arrival with later departure making private excursions a bit more difficult.


I priced out the Getaway Baltic cruise for 2019 It's about 2700 dollars more than it was in 2017. Dcl's not the only one raising prices. It's still half the price of dcl, but I was still kind of surprised.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

cruiser21 said:


> I priced out the Getaway Baltic cruise for 2019 It's about 2700 dollars more than it was in 2017. Dcl's not the only one raising prices. It's still half the price of dcl, but I was still kind of surprised.



Life is just getting more expensive! I am keeping fingers crossed that the prices drop on Princess as we booked 2 cabins for more room.  We may be stuffed like a sausage in 1 if they don't.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> Oldest DS is 22 and will be graduating college in August. He hasn't traveled with us since his HS graduation trip as he wants to work over breaks to save money.  My youngest DS is 15 and a Freshman (for 3 more weeks).  I also take my niece on all vacations as she is an only child and more like a sister to my DS than a cousin.  My sister and BIL can't help financially so they trade pet care while we are gone.  She is almost 14 and will start HS next year.  Not sure if they will want to continue to travel with us once they are in college.  If they do we will make it work still!
> 
> Yes, it is a lot more expensive it seems even though we are down to 4 instead of 5.  No more children's prices or kid's meals!  Our cruise in 2019 is so expensive since we went with 2 rooms on Princess.  It's an old ship with no teen friendly fun stuff but it's the most we will have ever paid.  I'm trying not to think too much about it.



It is so amazing that you take your niece with your family on vacation.  Your niece will have memories to last a lifetime and although she probably realizes how lucky she is, when she is older, she will feel eternally grateful.  One of my friends growing up did the same for me.  I was very lucky that her family vacation "adopted" me, and I traveled with them every year from about age 12 to 17.   Now that I am "old" (lol), I fully realize how generous her family was to share their vacations with me!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

We are on the Dream in August and just saw that it got flooded!  Lol.  I also saw that we will not have the flying Scottsman for a cruise director!  I read that it has been switched to Lee Mason.  Not sure if this is true, but he looks good too.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We are on the Dream in August and just saw that it got flooded!  Lol.  I also saw that we will not have the flying Scottsman for a cruise director!  I read that it has been switched to Lee Mason.  Not sure if this is true, but he looks good too.



John Heald has reported that everything is already fixed on the Dream - new carpets installed, walls fixed.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

PrincessTrisha said:


> John Heald has reported that everything is already fixed on the Dream - new carpets installed, walls fixed.


awesome


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> Well-booked Carnival Valor for 4 days this October. It is supposed to be our Sertoma regional meeting too-so hoping we have a large group. Flying into Houston night before cruise and likely out the day after (seems to be best prices for flights). The challenge now seems to be getting from Houston to Galveston and back.
> My first cruise ever and hubs second (although last time he was on a cruise was senior trip in HS).
> 
> This thread has been very helpful in seeing the options on cruises.
> 
> Also-Cozumel is only port-decisions must be made on excursions now...
> 
> 
> Thanks for review!
> 
> 
> oh yeah! Have wanted to do cruise for years, then oldest got a disney college program internship last fall, and now is going back for the summer. The Mouse has gotten alot of our money past year. But looking forward to exploring other options now too. And hoping hubs wants to book another cruise while on cruise this fall...
> 
> 
> Thanks for the CDC links on cruise ship inspections. DCL looks to be a very good line, but Carnival seems to be right up there as well (not as many perfects year after year but still very high).
> 
> Trying to not wish the summer/fall away but I am more excited for the (short) cruise than I am for more Disney this summer LOL!




We've docked next to the Valor once. It looks nice! Reminds me of the Victory a bit. 

Cozumel has so many options when it comes to excursions... I have a hard time believing someone could get bored there. And I have a soft spot for Puerta Maya.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We are on the Dream in August and just saw that it got flooded!  Lol.  I also saw that we will not have the flying Scottsman for a cruise director!  I read that it has been switched to Lee Mason.  Not sure if this is true, but he looks good too.



No change for us. We'll have Kevin Donohue on the Sensation in October.


----------



## mevelandry

I've done the test: 

Now I like Guy's burgers more than Five Guys burgers. 

:/


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> I've done the test:
> 
> Now I like Guy's burgers more than Five Guys burgers.
> 
> :/


Five Guys is so expensive. It cost almost 50 dollars for the 4 of us to eat there. I'm a big fan of In an Out. I'm sure they don't have those in Canada.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Five Guys is so expensive. It cost almost 50 dollars for the 4 of us to eat there. I'm a big fan of In an Out. I'm sure they don't have those in Canada.


8$ for just a small cheeseburger with bacon at Five Guys, no fries and no drink. 
We don't have In and Out but in Ontario they have Sunset Grill which is the best burger I've ever had. Unfortunately, I don't travel in Ontario much. 
That would make Guy's burgers close second.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cruiser21 said:


> Five Guys is so expensive. It cost almost 50 dollars for the 4 of us to eat there. I'm a big fan of In an Out. I'm sure they don't have those in Canada.


I love the burgers at In and Out but can’t stand the fries. We get burgers from In and Out at work sometimes, but have to stop by this little independent drive thru by my restaurant called Lenny’s Burgers, for their fries. They have really good fries!  Burgers are pretty good too but not quite as good as In and Out.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

We do chick fil a  but we also do a lot of McDonald's especially if we are on the road.


----------



## cruiser21

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I love the burgers at In and Out but can’t stand the fries. We get burgers from In and Out at work sometimes, but have to stop by this little independent drive thru by my restaurant called Lenny’s Burgers, for their fries. They have really good fries!  Burgers are pretty good too but not quite as good as In and Out.


My kids favorite is Freddy's. They love the frys sauce. It's just mayo and ketchup, but it doesn't quite taste the same when I make it.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cruiser21 said:


> My kids favorite is Freddy's. They love the frys sauce. It's just mayo and ketchup, but it doesn't quite taste the same when I make it.


Yeah, I love Freddy’s too, their hot dogs are the best.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We do chick fil a  but we also do a lot of McDonald's especially if we are on the road.


I’m a huge fan of chick fil a sandwiches for breakfast, great source of protein after a work out or long bike ride, and they taste amazing.


----------



## jenf22

trvlgirlmq said:


> NCL finally released their British Isles, Iceland and Baltic cruises for summer 2019 in case anyone was waiting.  We could save quite a bit of money by switching from Princess but the itinerary and port times are not as good.



I decided to try this thread since the last one I was on wasn't so nice   Hope you guys don't mind if I hang out and follow along.

I booked the NCL British Isles cruise in July 2019.  I had read on the chat boards that the July one was better than the June one.  Princess is about $800 more than NCL.  Are all the Princess itineraries the same?  I know nothing about the British Isles, other than I want to go   We spent 10 nights on the Spirit last March and had a great time.  The room was pretty small, but the 3 of us made it work.  Do you think Princess would be better than NCL?  I'm really hoping the NCL price drops since it's a lot more than I was looking to spend.  Thanks!


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We do chick fil a  but we also do a lot of McDonald's especially if we are on the road.



OMG! I LOVE Chick fil A but it feels like I only encounter them on sundays... Booooooh!


----------



## mevelandry

jenf22 said:


> I decided to try this thread since the last one I was on wasn't so nice   Hope you guys don't mind if I hang out and follow along.
> 
> I booked the NCL British Isles cruise in July 2019.  I had read on the chat boards that the July one was better than the June one.  Princess is about $800 more than NCL.  Are all the Princess itineraries the same?  I know nothing about the British Isles, other than I want to go   We spent 10 nights on the Spirit last March and had a great time.  The room was pretty small, but the 3 of us made it work.  Do you think Princess would be better than NCL?  I'm really hoping the NCL price drops since it's a lot more than I was looking to spend.  Thanks!



Can't reply since I haven't tried NCL or Princess yet but... 

Welcome on this thread!!!


----------



## mevelandry

I am in talk with my lady friends to book a short DCL cruise in December 2020 (with a MVMCP party the day before, a Little Mermaid room. Yep we are looking for a Disney overdose). 

One of them nearly choked when I told her the price tag. We talked about the Disney Dream because she's a Beauty & the Beast fan. 

Let's just say it's going to take A LOT of efforts in the next 2 years to afford this one. 

The bill per person is not going to be lower because we'll be three adults in 1 cabin, right? 

Sharing a queen bed will be fun. Lol


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’m a huge fan of chick fil a sandwiches for breakfast, great source of protein after a work out or long bike ride, and they taste amazing.



I want to be you. I want to be the person who works out in the morning. (And eats the Chick fil A afterwards lol).


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

jenf22 said:


> I decided to try this thread since the last one I was on wasn't so nice   Hope you guys don't mind if I hang out and follow along.
> 
> I booked the NCL British Isles cruise in July 2019.  I had read on the chat boards that the July one was better than the June one.  Princess is about $800 more than NCL.  Are all the Princess itineraries the same?  I know nothing about the British Isles, other than I want to go   We spent 10 nights on the Spirit last March and had a great time.  The room was pretty small, but the 3 of us made it work.  Do you think Princess would be better than NCL?  I'm really hoping the NCL price drops since it's a lot more than I was looking to spend.  Thanks!



We haven't been on Princess yet.  We will get to them one day I am sure!  We have been on NCL but nothing European, just Caribbean.   I would just go with the better deal.  On which NCL ship are you booked?  I think there are other people who post on this thread who are doing Europe summer 2019.  They probably have better advice!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

jenf22 said:


> I decided to try this thread since the last one I was on wasn't so nice   Hope you guys don't mind if I hang out and follow along.
> 
> I booked the NCL British Isles cruise in July 2019.  I had read on the chat boards that the July one was better than the June one.  Princess is about $800 more than NCL.  Are all the Princess itineraries the same?  I know nothing about the British Isles, other than I want to go   We spent 10 nights on the Spirit last March and had a great time.  The room was pretty small, but the 3 of us made it work.  Do you think Princess would be better than NCL?  I'm really hoping the NCL price drops since it's a lot more than I was looking to spend.  Thanks!



My family is booked in Princess BI June 2019. It is quite a bit more expensive than NCL for us for a couple of reasons. We are 4 adult size people now so an inside or OV is too tight. The balcony options on Crown have odd bed configuration. That leaves 2 rooms or a mini suite. BUT, the itinerary is great. I compared with NCL and port times are longer by 1.5-3 hours. This is huge when sites are far from the port and you have to cover a lot of ground on excursions. 

The July NCL is slightly better because it stops at Cobh (cute town last stop for Titanic) as opposed to Ringaskiddy ( industrial no cute town). 

For us on NCL we can’t have a balcony as they only sleep 3. That means 2 rooms. The cabins in Spirit are the smallest @ 157 sq ft! Crazy small. Also Spirit has less included food options, only 1 pool (in case it’s warm enough to swim), no MUTS, a smaller ship overall. 

Even if I have to sell a kidney we will be on Princess!


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> OMG! I LOVE Chick fil A but it feels like I only encounter them on sundays... Booooooh!


Good for them for closing on Sundays. I think we need a fast food thread.LOL


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> My family is booked in Princess BI June 2019. It is quite a bit more expensive than NCL for us for a couple of reasons. We are 4 adult size people now so an inside or OV is too tight. The balcony options on Crown have odd bed configuration. That leaves 2 rooms or a mini suite. BUT, the itinerary is great. I compared with NCL and port times are longer by 1.5-3 hours. This is huge when sites are far from the port and you have to cover a lot of ground on excursions.
> 
> The July NCL is slightly better because it stops at Cobh (cute town last stop for Titanic) as opposed to Ringaskiddy ( industrial no cute town).
> 
> For us on NCL we can’t have a balcony as they only sleep 3. That means 2 rooms. The cabins in Spirit are the smallest @ 157 sq ft! Crazy small. Also Spirit has less included food options, only 1 pool (in case it’s warm enough to swim), no MUTS, a smaller ship overall.
> 
> Even if I have to sell a kidney we will be on Princess!



I'm laughing because my living room, which used to be my bedroom for a while, is 90 sq ft!  (And we put a king bed in it) 

I guess I'd be fine with a very very small cabin.


----------



## jenf22

trvlgirlmq said:


> My family is booked in Princess BI June 2019. It is quite a bit more expensive than NCL for us for a couple of reasons. We are 4 adult size people now so an inside or OV is too tight. The balcony options on Crown have odd bed configuration. That leaves 2 rooms or a mini suite. BUT, the itinerary is great. I compared with NCL and port times are longer by 1.5-3 hours. This is huge when sites are far from the port and you have to cover a lot of ground on excursions.
> 
> The July NCL is slightly better because it stops at Cobh (cute town last stop for Titanic) as opposed to Ringaskiddy ( industrial no cute town).
> 
> For us on NCL we can’t have a balcony as they only sleep 3. That means 2 rooms. The cabins in Spirit are the smallest @ 157 sq ft! Crazy small. Also Spirit has less included food options, only 1 pool (in case it’s warm enough to swim), no MUTS, a smaller ship overall.
> 
> Even if I have to sell a kidney we will be on Princess!



Yeah, the rooms on Spirit are crazy small.  We did a 10 night Med on them last March and I can't imagine any more than 3 people in there.  Originally the bed was right next to the couch.  So when the couch was pulled out, it was basically a very wide bed with no access on one side.  So we moved the tiny nightstand to be between the couch and bed and pushed the bed against the wall.  This worked great for us.  But our kiddo was 9 then.  I honestly don't know how we'll fit when he's a teenager.  He's going to be 6ft in no time!

We sailed a mini-suite on Princess last October and the room was HUGE.  I loved it.  Do you mid me asking what date in June?  I've looked at them but don't remember if they're all the same.

We have an 11-night Canary Islands cruise booked on the Spirit in March of next year that I just may end up keeping.  It's an amazing price and the ports look good too.  Too many options!


----------



## mevelandry

jenf22's comment regarding her upcoming 11 days Canary Island cruise reminds me that John Heald hinted this week about a possible 24 nights voyage? :O 

Carnival Journeys always sound awesome... I just wish my husband could have more than 9 days off in a row. I wish I could take more than a week without feeling like I've been gone for three months at work.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

jenf22 said:


> Yeah, the rooms on Spirit are crazy small.  We did a 10 night Med on them last March and I can't imagine any more than 3 people in there.  Originally the bed was right next to the couch.  So when the couch was pulled out, it was basically a very wide bed with no access on one side.  So we moved the tiny nightstand to be between the couch and bed and pushed the bed against the wall.  This worked great for us.  But our kiddo was 9 then.  I honestly don't know how we'll fit when he's a teenager.  He's going to be 6ft in no time!
> 
> We sailed a mini-suite on Princess last October and the room was HUGE.  I loved it.  Do you mid me asking what date in June?  I've looked at them but don't remember if they're all the same.
> 
> We have an 11-night Canary Islands cruise booked on the Spirit in March of next year that I just may end up keeping.  It's an amazing price and the ports look good too.  Too many options!



There 3 variations of the itineraries. Everything is the same except 1 stops at Kirkwall, 1 at Liverpool and 1 has a Dublin overnight. We chose the June 18 with Dublin overnight. My DS is very interested in Ireland. 

I actually would switch to NCL is we could do the July sailing but DS has marching band camp and our schools start back the first week of August. We are limited to about 6 weeks when we can travel from end of May to first week of July.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I don’t think I can wait this long!  We’re leaving 3 weeks from today for our Alaska cruise on the Wonder, but I need the beach!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I don’t think I can wait this long!  We’re leaving 3 weeks from today for our Alaska cruise on the Wonder, but I need the beach!
> View attachment 322170



Go on a short cruise!


----------



## mevelandry

Been pricing out short 4 nights Bahamas cruise for my girls trip in December 2020. I checked December 2018 and 2019 to get an idea... 

For 3 Adults in an inside cabin: 

Disney Cruise Line/Dream: 2900$ For Nassau & Castaway Cay 
Royal Carribean/Mariner: 1050$ For Nassau & CocoCay (re-imagined)
Carnival/Liberty: 830$ For Nassau & Half Moon Cay 

Everyone is in disbelief regarding the DCL prices vs the others.

 One of them has already crossed DCL off the list and says she doesn't know if she will be able to afford the trip if the other two pick DCL. I can afford any of those cruises but I see her point and value her presence more than Mickey's.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Been pricing out short 4 nights Bahamas cruise for my girls trip in December 2020. I checked December 2018 and 2019 to get an idea...
> 
> For 3 Adults in an inside cabin:
> 
> Disney Cruise Line/Dream: 2900$ For Nassau & Castaway Cay
> Royal Carribean/Mariner: 1050$ For Nassau & CocoCay (re-imagined)
> Carnival/Liberty: 830$ For Nassau & Half Moon Cay
> 
> Everyone is in disbelief regarding the DCL prices vs the others.
> 
> One of them has already crossed DCL off the list and says she doesn't know if she will be able to afford the trip if the other two pick DCL. I can afford any of those cruises but I see her point and value her presence more than Mickey's.


While I know absolutely nothing about Mariner of the Seas, I think that would be my pick for the 3 of you. Tne “new” CocoCay looks awesome and the beds on both CCL and RCCL separate, so I think that would be nice. Where is the third bed on both Mariner and Liberty? Is it a bunk from the ceiling or converted sofa bed?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Go on a short cruise!


We may.  Our son starts college this year so it will be the first time in about 14 years that we aren’t taking a fall vacation, (our school district has a 2 week break every October).  We are considering driving to Long Beach, (5.5 hours away), for a 3-4 day Mexico cruise on either Imagination or Inspiration. It just depends on what his school schedule ends up being like. I’m also really not sold on the Fantasy class ships but the prices are so inexpensive it’s kind of a “how bad could it be” decision for me.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

lol.  We can't wait either!  

@mevelandry:  I'd do RCCL too!  Just because I haven't tried RCCL, so it would be an adventure

@Club Disney Chandler :  Awesome that your family is going to Alaska!  Have you been on the Wonder since Tiana's place?  We have not, but we would like to sometime because the Wonder was our first ship ever and has a special place in our hearts.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> While I know absolutely nothing about Mariner of the Seas, I think that would be my pick for the 3 of you. Tne “new” CocoCay looks awesome and the beds on both CCL and RCCL separate, so I think that would be nice. Where is the third bed on both Mariner and Liberty? Is it a bunk from the ceiling or converted sofa bed?



Not sure, I have to look. I paid more attention to the price. I'm expecting bunk beds. 

I'm supposed to do the Mariner to CocoCay with my husband next year. I don't mind doing it again with the ladies if this is the option they prefer. 

I also talked to one of my friends and asked what she would think of absorbing the extra cost for the first two persons on DCL so the third person --our friend with a tighter budget which is also a mom of two and likes Disney the most-- would pay only the price for the 3rd person on DCL (which is about 450$ instead of 850$). To be honest, if we were only two on DCL, we would pay the whole amount anyway. 

One friend only cruised once on NCL and the other (the mom) has never cruised and it would most likely be a once in a lifetime experience for her since her husband is afraid of the ocean. 


I also proposed a Plan D: Just doing a short stay in WDW. Sharing a LM room at Art of Animation is so cheap that it would basically cut the price of the vacation in half if we don't do too many park days. 

We'll see what happens.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We may.  Our son starts college this year so it will be the first time in about 14 years that we aren’t taking a fall vacation, (our school district has a 2 week break every October).  We are considering driving to Long Beach, (5.5 hours away), for a 3-4 day Mexico cruise on either Imagination or Inspiration. It just depends on what his school schedule ends up being like. I’m also really not sold on the Fantasy class ships but the prices are so inexpensive it’s kind of a “how bad could it be” decision for me.



You could do like I have done for my first Carnival cruise? I have booked a balcony and brought board games (I did not know they had some in the library) and told my husband that if the ship was that bad, we'd spend the sea days on the balcony playing board games, gazing at the ocean.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> View attachment 322179 lol.  We can't wait either!
> 
> @mevelandry:  I'd do RCCL too!  Just because I haven't tried RCCL, so it would be an adventure




I'll tell you more about it in October 2019. I'm supposed to go with my husband.  

I'm expecting cruising with my husband vs with girl friends to be very different.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Been pricing out short 4 nights Bahamas cruise for my girls trip in December 2020. I checked December 2018 and 2019 to get an idea...
> 
> For 3 Adults in an inside cabin:
> 
> Disney Cruise Line/Dream: 2900$ For Nassau & Castaway Cay
> Royal Carribean/Mariner: 1050$ For Nassau & CocoCay (re-imagined)
> Carnival/Liberty: 830$ For Nassau & Half Moon Cay
> 
> Everyone is in disbelief regarding the DCL prices vs the others.
> 
> One of them has already crossed DCL off the list and says she doesn't know if she will be able to afford the trip if the other two pick DCL. I can afford any of those cruises but I see her point and value her presence more than Mickey's.



Disney is expensive, it's why I always look at them and end up booking elsewhere.  

Liberty is a nice ship, it was our first. HMC is supposed to be really nice and relaxing. I guess it would be what you and your friends want, relaxing or lots of activity. There would be more to do at the new Coco Cay. Mariner you would have the two lower beds a bunk above, there should be a couch. Liberty it would most likely be a bunk above one of the beds, no couch in an inside. If that makes a difference  One thing I like about booking with RCL is that I can do so in CAD, so I know the price and even if the exchange rate fluctuates it's the same price. 

I like that RCL and Disney do Monday to Friday for the 4-nights out of Port Canaveral, Carnival is Sunday to Thursday. I have a harder time finding direct flights home on Thursday than Friday, but that depends on where you are of course! Carnival will have Elation in PC as well doing 4 and 5 night cruises. Smaller ship than Liberty, but being updated (or possibly already have been?). Just another option.


----------



## mevelandry

Update: After comparisons between different pictures of the three ships and cost per night (DCL Dream, Mariner of the Seas and Carnival Liberty)...

The winner is Mariner of the Seas!

+We liked the fact we can pay in canadian money and avoid conversion fees.

Now the dates are not opened yet.


----------



## tinkerone

mevelandry said:


> +We liked the fact we can pay in canadian money and avoid conversion fees.


That is a huge bonus isn't it?  I love that we can book RCCL in Canadian and know just where we stand at any given time.  DCL really should look at this option however we all know they won't.  Tack the exchange rate onto the extra cost of DCL and its just one more reason why we have switched our cruising from DCL to RCCL.  
Happy planning.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Update: After comparisons between different pictures of the three ships and cost per night (DCL Dream, Mariner of the Seas and Carnival Liberty)...
> 
> The winner is Mariner of the Seas!
> 
> +We liked the fact we can pay in canadian money and avoid conversion fees.
> 
> Now the dates are not opened yet.


Do u have a travel agent?  Because I think if you go through Dreams Unlimited (or another agent) you can get some onboard credit.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Do u have a travel agent?  Because I think if you go through Dreams Unlimited (or another agent) you can get some onboard credit.



I usually do everthing by myself because I'm a control freak.   But we'll probably check our options when the time to book will come.


----------



## mevelandry

tinkerone said:


> That is a huge bonus isn't it?  I love that we can book RCCL in Canadian and know just where we stand at any given time.  DCL really should look at this option however we all know they won't.  Tack the exchange rate onto the extra cost of DCL and its just one more reason why we have switched our cruising from DCL to RCCL.
> Happy planning.



Thank you!

Yeah, every single payment comes with a "surprise price tag" when we pay in USD. And it can be brutal. I miss 2011 when CND and USD were at par.

That 850$/pp DCL wants to charge us means 1175$ for us. That's a lot for 3 nights!

But if we go for RCCL, the money saved covers the flights, the hotel and the MVMCP we want to attend!


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Thank you!
> 
> Yeah, every single payment comes with a "surprise price tag" when we pay in USD. And it can be brutal. I miss 2011 when CND and USD were at par.
> 
> That 850$/pp DCL wants to charge us means 1175$ for us. That's a lot for 3 nights!
> 
> But if we go for RCCL, the money saved covers the flights, the hotel and the MVMCP we want to attend!


It's funny when I go to Canada I find food prices and other things to be more expensive despite the favorable exchange rate. I would hate to go to Vancouver if the exchange was even. Yikes.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> View attachment 322179 lol.  We can't wait either!
> 
> @mevelandry:  I'd do RCCL too!  Just because I haven't tried RCCL, so it would be an adventure
> 
> @Club Disney Chandler :  Awesome that your family is going to Alaska!  Have you been on the Wonder since Tiana's place?  We have not, but we would like to sometime because the Wonder was our first ship ever and has a special place in our hearts.


Tiana’s Place is what we are most looking forward to about the trip, love me some Beignet’s!  The only time we’ve been on the Wonder was just before her drydock and unfortunately, she’s my least favorite ship. I want to like her but I just haven’t been able to say I do, hopefully this cruise will change that for me.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cruiser21 said:


> It's funny when I go to Canada I find food prices and other things to be more expensive despite the favorable exchange rate. I would hate to go to Vancouver if the exchange was even. Yikes.


I hate Vancouver prices, but wow, what a beautiful city! I fell in love with that place and the residents were so nice.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> It's funny when I go to Canada I find food prices and other things to be more expensive despite the favorable exchange rate. I would hate to go to Vancouver if the exchange was even. Yikes.



It depends on where you go and during which season. The more you go north, the worst it's going to be. And I am talking 5$ for a box of Kraft Mac'n'Cheese kind of price.

But yeah, Vancouver is know for their insane  prices...


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Tiana’s Place is what we are most looking forward to about the trip, love me some Beignet’s!  The only time we’ve been on the Wonder was just before her drydock and unfortunately, she’s my least favorite ship. I want to like her but I just haven’t been able to say I do, hopefully this cruise will change that for me.



TP is awesome. It's the only thing that would bring me back to the Wonder. Other than that, I found the Dream better. I missed the mini-golf and Remy.


----------



## Monykalyn

mevelandry said:


> Disney Cruise Line/Dream: 2900$ For Nassau & Castaway Cay
> Royal Carribean/Mariner: 1050$ For Nassau & CocoCay (re-imagined)
> Carnival/Liberty: 830$ For Nassau & Half Moon Cay


 Holy smokes is that a difference! I get brand loyalty to Disney but sheesh!

Where did you guys get your carnival cruise countdown? Is it an app? 
Have 150 days to my very first cruise! Be gentle with the newbie


----------



## mevelandry

DH and I had a conversation last night regarding the price of cruising. Unless there is a new cruiseship that I'd be dying to try in the future, we really don't see ourselves coming back to DCL unless they reduce their prices dramatically and offer a better value for us than other cruise lines. 

We don't blame DCL for this one. We blame the other cruise lines for being so affordable and excellent.  

I'm grateful that the money we are saving right now on vacations will most likely permit to afford a trip with my friends, when I usually wouldn't have the money to do so (most of my budget going for family vacations).


----------



## hdrolfe

There is a Carnival Hub App, you should get it before you get on a ship  It is how you can check your account on the trip, among other things (buy pictures, check the daily schedule). Also allows you get a cool count down timer pre-cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> Holy smokes is that a difference! I get brand loyalty to Disney but sheesh!
> 
> Where did you guys get your carnival cruise countdown? Is it an app?
> Have 150 days to my very first cruise! Be gentle with the newbie



Yes, the price difference is shocking. I couldn't believe my eyes either. My first DCL cruise was in 2015, we paid 600$/pp for a 3 nights in the Bahamas and now it seems to be between 700 and 850$/pp... Which is a lot of money for such a short cruise.

There's an app if you want a countdown on your phone and computers (Carnival Hub) but if you are talking about my tickers, you can make your own here and you just have to include it in your signature... http://distickers.com/ticker/


----------



## Monykalyn

Thanks all-I got the Carnival app! will have DH get it too as it looks like it is useful onboard!


----------



## hdrolfe

Monykalyn said:


> Thanks all-I got the Carnival app! will have DH get it too as it looks like it is useful onboard!



I believe you can pay $5 each and use it to communicate on the ship. My son is too young for his own phone so I didn't try that out but it sounds great if you both have phones.


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> Thanks all-I got the Carnival app! will have DH get it too as it looks like it is useful onboard!



It's nice. You have everything on it. Even the different menus and activities happening for your entire cruise! It really helped us with our planning once we were on board!


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Been pricing out short 4 nights Bahamas cruise for my girls trip in December 2020. I checked December 2018 and 2019 to get an idea...
> 
> For 3 Adults in an inside cabin:
> 
> Disney Cruise Line/Dream: 2900$ For Nassau & Castaway Cay
> Royal Carribean/Mariner: 1050$ For Nassau & CocoCay (re-imagined)
> Carnival/Liberty: 830$ For Nassau & Half Moon Cay
> 
> Everyone is in disbelief regarding the DCL prices vs the others.
> 
> One of them has already crossed DCL off the list and says she doesn't know if she will be able to afford the trip if the other two pick DCL. I can afford any of those cruises but I see her point and value her presence more than Mickey's.



WOW, at those prices you could do three cruises for the price of one Disney!


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> WOW, at those prices you could do three cruises for the price of one Disney!



Yep. Two RCCL and three Carnival!


----------



## tinkerone

mevelandry said:


> Yep. Two RCCL and three Carnival!





RedSox68 said:


> WOW, at those prices you could do three cruises for the price of one Disney!


We went from B2B's with DCL (14 days) to B2B's on RCCL.  I almost fell over when I realized what I was saving.  I was pretty much getting the 2 RCCL for the cost of 1 DCL plus saving the 35% exchange rate.  Win win!
I think we will be back on DCL one more time in three years, once the grandson turns 5.  Disney is a right of passage for my wee one's.  Once they hit 5 they get to meet the mouse in one way or another.  With the parks being so crowded now we thought DCL may be the way to go for this one.


----------



## RedSox68

tinkerone said:


> We went from B2B's with DCL (14 days) to B2B's on RCCL.  I almost fell over when I realized what I was saving.  I was pretty much getting the 2 RCCL for the cost of 1 DCL plus saving the 35% exchange rate.  Win win!
> I think we will be back on DCL one more time in three years, once the grandson turns 5.  Disney is a right of passage for my wee one's.  Once they hit 5 they get to meet the mouse in one way or another.  With the parks being so crowded now we thought DCL may be the way to go for this one.



My friend has a daughter who works at WDW.  She wants to take 2 of her grandchildren on a Disney Cruise, but could only afford the 3-night even WITH her daughter's discount!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> I believe you can pay $5 each and use it to communicate on the ship. My son is too young for his own phone so I didn't try that out but it sounds great if you both have phones.


Yes, it’s $5 per device for the entire cruise and just an FYI, if you have an old smart phone that you no longer use but still is capable of WiFi, you can let your son use that on board to text with you. You can also use an iPod Touch.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> DH and I had a conversation last night regarding the price of cruising. Unless there is a new cruiseship that I'd be dying to try in the future, we really don't see ourselves coming back to DCL unless they reduce their prices dramatically and offer a better value for us than other cruise lines.
> 
> We don't blame DCL for this one. We blame the other cruise lines for being so affordable and excellent.
> 
> I'm grateful that the money we are saving right now on vacations will most likely permit to afford a trip with my friends, when I usually wouldn't have the money to do so (most of my budget going for family vacations).


After our Alaska cruise in June on the Wonder I know we won’t be on another Disney ship until at least 2021 when the new one comes out. Even my 16 year old daughter who was the biggest DCL cheerleader in the family only wants the Carnival ships until the Disney ship sets sail.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> After our Alaska cruise in June on the Wonder I know we won’t be on another Disney ship until at least 2021 when the new one comes out. Even my 16 year old daughter who was the biggest DCL cheerleader in the family only wants the Carnival ships until the Disney ship sets sail.



I hope you'll do a trip report from your trip to Alaska with a lot of pictures. 

I've been dying to cruise Alaska but when there are no beaches, my husband is not interested. My Alaska 40th birthday cruise project for 2019 turned into Amber Cove-Grand Turk because of that. :/   Not that I don't want to go to Amber Cove or Grand Turk but it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for.


----------



## daisyx3

I booked the Carnival Horizon for our 2019 cruise.  I think the July 3 night on the Fantasy will be our last DCL for a while; at least it's my grand slam.  I am getting close to retirement and can't justify the extra cost when it is just DH and I.


----------



## mevelandry

Communication posted on John Heald's page on Facebook...


*CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE TO OFFER THREE EXCITING LONGER LENGTH CARNIVAL JOURNEYS SAILINGS IN 2019, INCLUDING 24-DAY TRANS-PACIFIC CROSSING, 13-DAY PANAMA CANAL TRANSIT AND 14-DAY HAWAII CRUISE*
_
Carnival Miracle to Also Operate Series of Seven-Day Mexican Riviera Cruises from Long Beach Beginning Next Year

MIAMI (May 15, 2018) – As Carnival Cruise Line continues to expand its itinerary offerings, the company today announced that it will offer three special longer length Carnival Journeys cruises in 2019. 
*The voyages include a unique 24-day trans-Pacific crossing aboard Carnival Splendor from Long Beach to Singapore, as well as two voyages aboard Carnival Miracle – a 13-day Panama Canal transit from Tampa to Long Beach and a 14-day Hawaii cruise round-trip from Long Beach.*

The 24-day voyage is the longest single departure in Carnival Cruise Line’s history and marks the first time that the line will visit Guam, Vietnam and Malaysia on a North American departure.
In addition to visiting some of the world’s most beautiful destinations, guests sailing on Carnival Journeys cruises enjoy unique on-board activities during which they can sample local cuisine and enjoy entertainment and cultural opportunities within the various ports of call. Activities focusing on topics such as photography, cooking, arts and crafts and celestial navigation, along with a 1980s-themed “Throwback Sea Day,” are also offered.
“We’re delighted to expand upon our itinerary choices with these three exciting Carnival Journeys, including an unforgettable 24-day voyage trans-Pacific transit featuring our first-ever calls to spectacular ports in the Far East,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

*24-Day Transpacific Crossing on Carnival Splendor*
The 3,012-passenger Carnival Splendor will operate an unprecedented 24-day trans-Pacific crossing that will depart Long Beach, Calif., on Oct. 5 and arrive in Singapore Oct. 30, 2019. 
The voyage will feature extended port calls at Maui and Honolulu, Hawaii, before crossing the International Date Line, then visit Guam, and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – the first time the line has visited these destinations on a ship departing from North America. On this fantastic seagoing adventure guests can visit ancient temples and other centuries-old landmarks and attractions and immerse themselves in Far East culture. 
The 24-day voyage will also offer a traditional ceremony held when mariners cross the International Date Line which essentially adds an extra day to the cruise.

*13-day Panama Canal, 14-Day Hawaii Carnival Journeys Cruises*

Carnival Miracle will operate a *13-day Carnival Journeys Panama Canal transit that will depart Tampa Sept. 29 and arrive in Long Beach Oct. 12, 2019, positioning the vessel for a series of seven- and 14-day cruises from that port.*

The 13-day cruise will include an overnight stay in Cartagena, Colombia; prior to the Panama Canal transit followed by calls at Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, all home to magnificent architecture and unforgettable shopping, dining and cultural experiences. 
Carnival Miracle will also operate a *14-day Carnival Journeys cruise to Hawaii round-trip from Long Beach* Oct. 19 to Nov. 2, 2019, featuring stops at four breathtaking destinations within the Aloha State – Maui, Honolulu, Kona and Hilo – along with a call at Ensenada, Mexico. On this cruise, guests can enjoy world-class beaches, savor local cuisine, explore the lush Hawaiian countryside and get an “up close and personal look” at colorful Polynesian culture._

_The ship will also offer a series of seven-day Mexican Riviera cruises from Long Beach beginning Oct. 12, 2019. The week-long voyages visit Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas, all home to gorgeous white-sand beaches, excellent snorkeling and a variety of water sports.

Please share this would you.

Cheers_


----------



## trvlgirlmq

They always do the longer cruises during the school year.  I love my kid but sometimes I can't wait until he doesn't travel with us anymore!


----------



## RedSox68

trvlgirlmq said:


> They always do the longer cruises during the school year.  I love my kid but sometimes I can't wait until he doesn't travel with us anymore!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> They always do the longer cruises during the school year.  I love my kid but sometimes I can't wait until he doesn't travel with us anymore!



Sending him to Grandma is not an option?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Sending him to Grandma is not an option?



Grandma lives with us and she is the other adult in our travel party.  She also can't wait to travel in the off season.


----------



## belle032

I'm glad they're expanding their itineraries! I wish they would branch out into Europe though. Would love to see that in the future.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

daisyx3 said:


> I booked the Carnival Horizon for our 2019 cruise.  I think the July 3 night on the Fantasy will be our last DCL for a while; at least it's my grand slam.  I am getting close to retirement and can't justify the extra cost when it is just DH and I.


When are you sailing?  We’re on the 6/1/19 8 night Southern Caribbean on Horizon. 



mevelandry said:


> I hope you'll do a trip report from your trip to Alaska with a lot of pictures.
> 
> I've been dying to cruise Alaska but when there are no beaches, my husband is not interested. My Alaska 40th birthday cruise project for 2019 turned into Amber Cove-Grand Turk because of that. :/   Not that I don't want to go to Amber Cove or Grand Turk but it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for.



I will definitely do a trip report when I get back. Being brutally honest, I’m really not looking forward to this cruise, I’d be much happier if we were doing a beach/sun cruise. I’m a native of AZ and don’t enjoy cold weather at all. This is my son’s pick for his graduation and he’s been wanting to do Alaska since 2013. I’m sure once I get on the ship, I’ll be excited about it.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> I'm glad they're expanding their itineraries! I wish they would branch out into Europe though. Would love to see that in the future.


They are introducing a new mega class ship in 2020, in addition to the 3rd Vista class ship. The mega ship is being built in Finland so speculation is it will spend the summer doing Northern Europe cruises. There might be some hope for you. 

I’d love to do the 24 day transpacific, that would be amazing!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I will definitely do a trip report when I get back. Being brutally honest, I’m really not looking forward to this cruise, I’d be much happier if we were doing a beach/sun cruise. I’m a native of AZ and don’t enjoy cold weather at all. This is my son’s pick for his graduation and he’s been wanting to do Alaska since 2013. I’m sure once I get on the ship, I’ll be excited about it.



I get that. Living in Canada where we have a very cold Winter, my DH thinks it's absurd to pay in order to go somewhere that will be colder than Montreal during summer. 

That being said, icebergs and bears and whales are not something we see every day. I wish I could do this at least once in my life.


----------



## RedSox68

trvlgirlmq said:


> Grandma lives with us and she is the other adult in our travel party.  She also can't wait to travel in the off season.



Depending on the grade he is in, we took our daughter out at age 9 and age 12 for two off-season cruises and they were great.  She  just took her schoolwork with her -- but what a great place to do schoolwork


----------



## trvlgirlmq

RedSox68 said:


> Depending on the grade he is in, we took our daughter out at age 9 and age 12 for two off-season cruises and they were great.  She  just took her schoolwork with her -- but what a great place to do schoolwork



After next week he will officially be a Sophomore.  He is in honor's classes and has marching band August - October (unless they make playoffs and then it just goes on and on!).  I took oldest DS out for a week in 6th grade and even though we brought the work he had a tough time catching up especially in math.  It's only another 3 years.  My mom did mention sneaking in an adult only trip to Paris after he graduates (2021) and before we take my niece on her graduation trip (2022).  We'll both survive and have plenty of empty nest years to travel at our leisure.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I will definitely do a trip report when I get back. Being brutally honest, I’m really not looking forward to this cruise, I’d be much happier if we were doing a beach/sun cruise. I’m a native of AZ and don’t enjoy cold weather at all. This is my son’s pick for his graduation and he’s been wanting to do Alaska since 2013. I’m sure once I get on the ship, I’ll be excited about it.



I feel the same way!  I really want to see the beauty of Alaska but I hate the cold.  Packing my hat, gloves and parka is not how I envision my vacation.  I know I will do it one day but it just keeps getting pushed back.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> They are introducing a new mega class ship in 2020, in addition to the 3rd Vista class ship. The mega ship is being built in Finland so speculation is it will spend the summer doing Northern Europe cruises. There might be some hope for you.



Hmm, I wonder if they will launch another ship so soon after Panorama.  It debuts December 2019 and if the next one is up in 2020 I am not sure they would launch it in time for summer in Europe.  I would love to know though as we are booked on Princess for N. Europe in 2019 and the prices are giving me heart palpitations.  I wouldn't mind putting it off until 2020 if I could get Carnival prices!


----------



## mevelandry

Currently trying to convince my husband to change our Amber Cove - Grand Turk cruise for a stay at Aulani in Hawaii.

I have a feeling it's not going to work... 

Oh well, I tried... 

EDIT: He said no for 2019 but yes for 2020. Now I have to get the in-laws on board (I actually thought about it because it's my FIL lifetime dream).


----------



## jenf22

RedSox68 said:


> Depending on the grade he is in, we took our daughter out at age 9 and age 12 for two off-season cruises and they were great.  She  just took her schoolwork with her -- but what a great place to do schoolwork



That's good to hear.  Our son starts middle school this year and my husband has it in his head that we can't take him out of middle school.  I'm not that concerned and think he'd be fine.  We've got the 11-night Canary Islands cruise booked in March 2019 and he'd have to miss a week of school for that.  The summer British Isles cruise would be good because he wouldn't miss any school.  But the Canary Islands cruise is $3600 for 11-nights and the British Isles is $8400 for 12-nights.  Same ship, same room even.

mevelandry and trvlgirlmq - go to Alaska!  Seriously!  It's amazing!   One of the best cruises ever!  We went the last cruise of the season, beginning of September, and it wasn't that cold.  We only wore our "big" coats one day.  We went to Fairbanks last March - now that was cold!


----------



## mevelandry

jenf22 said:


> That's good to hear.  Our son starts middle school this year and my husband has it in his head that we can't take him out of middle school.  I'm not that concerned and think he'd be fine.  We've got the 11-night Canary Islands cruise booked in March 2019 and he'd have to miss a week of school for that.  The summer British Isles cruise would be good because he wouldn't miss any school.  But the Canary Islands cruise is $3600 for 11-nights and the British Isles is $8400 for 12-nights.  Same ship, same room even.
> 
> mevelandry and trvlgirlmq - go to Alaska!  Seriously!  It's amazing!   One of the best cruises ever!  We went the last cruise of the season, beginning of September, and it wasn't that cold.  We only wore our "big" coats one day.  We went to Fairbanks last March - now that was cold!



It's not me you have to convince, but my DH!


----------



## daisyx3

Club Disney Chandler said:


> When are you sailing?  We’re on the 6/1/19 8 night Southern Caribbean on Horizon.
> We are on the 6/23 6 night.  Looking forward to it!


----------



## mevelandry

Hi group,

Have you done the Atlantis Beach Day & Discover Atlantis through Carnival?

DH and I decided to get Atlantis out of our system but couldn't see ourselves booking Aquaventure as it is way too expensive (100$ than the beach day but includes lunch). 

We decided to opt for the "Beach Day" after reading reviews who seemed to indicate that you can also swim at the lagoon (which is exclusive to Atlantis and surrounded by the grounds of Atlantis... I kinda have a crush on the lagoon, go figure!) ... and The Cove beach?

I though of having lunch at the Lagoon Bar (lunch isn't included in the excursion) but I wonder if it's the best "cheap eat" inside the resort? Heard mixed reviews regarding the Marina Village restaurants so I think I'd like to eat inside the resort. 

How long did it take for the transportation to get there? How did it go?

How does it work when you want to come back? Does your guide meet you somewhere?

Any tips from you would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!


----------



## GrnMtnMan

I'm not stalking, I promise. I just do an 'Atlantis' search occasionally to see if I can answer any questions.


mevelandry said:


> I though of having lunch at the Lagoon Bar (lunch isn't included in the excursion) but I wonder if it's the best "cheap eat" inside the resort? Heard mixed reviews regarding the Marina Village restaurants so I think I'd like to eat inside the resort.


Most of the Marina Village food venues aren't open for lunch. The few that are open aren't really worth leaving the beach area to go to.

For lunch, there are two sit-down places that are convenient to the beach/lagoon: The Lagoon Bar and Grill and Virgil's Real BBQ. Both are fine. Lagoon is nice setting (that's it under the shell dome):






And they usually open the outdoor dining area at Virgil's for lunch:






Otherwise lunch at Atlantis is from counter service places sprinkled throughout the pool and beach areas. Lunch at the sit-downs is probably $15-$20 for and entree with a side, plus $4-$5 for a soft drink. Think Disney sit-down prices at lunch. The counter service places all have value combos, that are $10-$12 that include, a burger, fries, and soda. Again, a lot like Disney counter service prices. Though the 15% mandatory gratuity is changed at the counter service places.

A typical counter service menu, with ala carte prices and several value meals (sorry its blurry...best i could find):


----------



## mevelandry

GrnMtnMan said:


> I'm not stalking, I promise. I just do an 'Atlantis' search occasionally to see if I can answer any questions.
> Most of the Marina Village food venues aren't open for lunch. The few that are open aren't really worth leaving the beach area to go to.
> 
> For lunch, there are two sit-down places that are convenient to the beach/lagoon: The Lagoon Bar and Grill and Virgil's Real BBQ. Both are fine. Lagoon is nice setting (that's it under the shell dome):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And they usually open the outdoor dining area at Virgil's for lunch:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Otherwise lunch at Atlantis is from counter service places sprinkled throughout the pool and beach areas. Lunch at the sit-downs is probably $15-$20 for and entree with a side, plus $4-$5 for a soft drink. Think Disney sit-down prices at lunch. The counter service places all have value combos, that are $10-$12 that include, a burger, fries, and soda. Again, a lot like Disney counter service prices. Though the 15% mandatory gratuity is changed at the counter service places.



(OMG, SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!) 

Thanks for the informations. This is the kind of price I was expecting. And we always tip 20% but we'll check if the gratuity is included on the bill first.


----------



## mevelandry

Totally out of subject because it's not a cruise and it's not with Carnival but... 

... we talked to FIL and MIL last night and AULANI 2020 is on!!!   (I was just excited to share the news with you because I like you guys!)


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I need your help everyone. Has anyone been on Anthem of the Seas?  We are booked on Carnival Horizon for June 2019, 8 night Southern Caribbean. We’ve already done the exact same same itinerary on Vista last year. We were planning on doing Havana but now have a 5th person so cannot do Havana. We can do connecting balconies on deck 8 for $7500. For the heck of it, I looked into RCCL. We can do a 9 night Bermuda and Caribbean cruise which hits Bermuda, St Maarten, San Juan and Labadee. We’ve only been to St Maarten before so the other 3 ports are brand new. The Royal Cruise is also 2 connecting balconies on deck 8 for $42 more. We love Carnival and don’t know if we’ll like Royal.

Anthem looks like an awesome ship but there are some things I don’t like about her, like the food options. It seems food is very spread out and not a lot of it near the pools. I’m also not sure they have all the trivia and activities that we enjoy so much on Carnival. 

I don’t know what to do, any help from RCCL cruisers????


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I need your help everyone. Has anyone been on Anthem of the Seas?  We are booked on Carnival Horizon for June 2019, 8 night Southern Caribbean. We’ve already done the exact same same itinerary on Vista last year. We were planning on doing Havana but now have a 5th person so cannot do Havana. We can do connecting balconies on deck 8 for $7500. For the heck of it, I looked into RCCL. We can do a 9 night Bermuda and Caribbean cruise which hits Bermuda, St Maarten, San Juan and Labadee. We’ve only been to St Maarten before so the other 3 ports are brand new. The Royal Cruise is also 2 connecting balconies on deck 8 for $42 more. We love Carnival and don’t know if we’ll like Royal.
> 
> Anthem looks like an awesome ship but there are some things I don’t like about her, like the food options. It seems food is very spread out and not a lot of it near the pools. I’m also not sure they have all the trivia and activities that we enjoy so much on Carnival.
> 
> I don’t know what to do, any help from RCCL cruisers????



I 've never been on Royal but that sounds like an amazing itinerary!  Bremuda, St. Maarten, San Juan and Labadee-- awesome.  We are interested in trying Royal too and almost booked the Allure end of May 2019 for a 7 night Caribbean.  We are still on the fence.  Make sure you are booking refundable if that's important to your party.  That was confusing to me on Royal's website.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I 've never been on Royal but that sounds like an amazing itinerary!  Bremuda, St. Maarten, San Juan and Labadee-- awesome.  We are interested in trying Royal too and almost booked the Allure end of May 2019 for a 7 night Caribbean.  We are still on the fence.  Make sure you are booking refundable if that's important to your party.  That was confusing to me on Royal's website.


We always book refundable, we change our minds all the time!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I need your help everyone. Has anyone been on Anthem of the Seas?  We are booked on Carnival Horizon for June 2019, 8 night Southern Caribbean. We’ve already done the exact same same itinerary on Vista last year. We were planning on doing Havana but now have a 5th person so cannot do Havana. We can do connecting balconies on deck 8 for $7500. For the heck of it, I looked into RCCL. We can do a 9 night Bermuda and Caribbean cruise which hits Bermuda, St Maarten, San Juan and Labadee. We’ve only been to St Maarten before so the other 3 ports are brand new. The Royal Cruise is also 2 connecting balconies on deck 8 for $42 more. We love Carnival and don’t know if we’ll like Royal.
> 
> Anthem looks like an awesome ship but there are some things I don’t like about her, like the food options. It seems food is very spread out and not a lot of it near the pools. I’m also not sure they have all the trivia and activities that we enjoy so much on Carnival.
> 
> I don’t know what to do, any help from RCCL cruisers????



You said food near the pool. When I was originally booked on the Anthem of the Sea for Oct 2018 (before switching for an Eastern with Carnival) I have booked the Solarium Bistro (it's included but smaller so it has to be booked) which is near the Solarium pool. However, I'm not sure kids can go eat there.

People in the RCCL section are quite useful when it comes to infos like that.

 Unfortunately my first RCCL cruise will only happen in October 2019.

Wonderful itinerary by the way.


----------



## RedSox68

jenf22 said:


> That's good to hear.  Our son starts middle school this year and my husband has it in his head that we can't take him out of middle school.  I'm not that concerned and think he'd be fine.  We've got the 11-night Canary Islands cruise booked in March 2019 and he'd have to miss a week of school for that.  The summer British Isles cruise would be good because he wouldn't miss any school.  But the Canary Islands cruise is $3600 for 11-nights and the British Isles is $8400 for 12-nights.  Same ship, same room even.
> 
> mevelandry and trvlgirlmq - go to Alaska!  Seriously!  It's amazing!   One of the best cruises ever!  We went the last cruise of the season, beginning of September, and it wasn't that cold.  We only wore our "big" coats one day.  We went to Fairbanks last March - now that was cold!



yeah, their British Isles prices are nuts.  We booked our 12-night with Princess and saved thousands.  You'll enjoy the Canary Islands.  We went to Tenerife and a tour of the island and lunch and it was just gorgeous.  If you stop at Gibraltar, watch those monkeys.  We saw one jump off a roof to take an ice cream out of a kid's hands.  He wasn't hurt, just scared, but they warn you NOT to eat food in the open.  We didn't even open our water bottles around the, otherwise they just stayed on the side and didn't bother you.  So amazing to see the mothers and babies though.


----------



## RedSox68

We did an excursion to Atlantis through DCL -- so no info about Carnival's.  But we loved the area, spent the day walking around and got a tour of the hotel and aquarium.  We brought snacks as the restaurant pictured above was very pricey for lunch.  We could not find anything like a snack bar or anything simple, but it really was a great day and the grounds are amazing.  Be sure to check out the stingray and turtle pools and waterfall.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Well, we bit the bullet and are trying RCCL. I know this is the Carnival page but figured you’d all appreciate info on other cruiselines. We’re booked for 6/6/19 on Anthem if the Seas for a 9 night Bermuda and Caribbean out of Cape Liberty, NJ. We originally booked 2 connecting balcony cabins for 5 of us, but then I found this “family suite”
 
It’s a cluster of 3 separate rooms with a common vestibule entrance off the main hallway. My son will have the studio with his own bathroom on the left, it has the virtual balcony. My daughter and her friend will have the regular balcony cabin on the right, and my wife and I will have the Jr Suite with extended balcony straight ahead. This option was about $2500 more than the 2 connecting balconies. It also means our college age son doesn’t have to share a room with us or our daughter and her friend. I’ve got a lot of research to do on RCCL, because they are a lot different than DCL and CCL. I love the decor of RCCL’s rooms and am really excited to give them a try, I’ll definitely report back here when we return.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Well, we bit the bullet and are trying RCCL. I know this is the Carnival page but figured you’d all appreciate info on other cruiselines. We’re booked for 6/6/19 on Anthem if the Seas for a 9 night Bermuda and Caribbean out of Cape Liberty, NJ. We originally booked 2 connecting balcony cabins for 5 of us, but then I found this “family suite”
> View attachment 324172
> It’s a cluster of 3 separate rooms with a common vestibule entrance off the main hallway. My son will have the studio with his own bathroom on the left, it has the virtual balcony. My daughter and her friend will have the regular balcony cabin on the right, and my wife and I will have the Jr Suite with extended balcony straight ahead. This option was about $2500 more than the 2 connecting balconies. It also means our college age son doesn’t have to share a room with us or our daughter and her friend. I’ve got a lot of research to do on RCCL, because they are a lot different than DCL and CCL. I love the decor of RCCL’s rooms and am really excited to give them a try, I’ll definitely report back here when we return.


What a great room set up!  And it is great to have all that room for such  a long cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Well, we bit the bullet and are trying RCCL. I know this is the Carnival page but figured you’d all appreciate info on other cruiselines. We’re booked for 6/6/19 on Anthem if the Seas for a 9 night Bermuda and Caribbean out of Cape Liberty, NJ. We originally booked 2 connecting balcony cabins for 5 of us, but then I found this “family suite”
> View attachment 324172
> It’s a cluster of 3 separate rooms with a common vestibule entrance off the main hallway. My son will have the studio with his own bathroom on the left, it has the virtual balcony. My daughter and her friend will have the regular balcony cabin on the right, and my wife and I will have the Jr Suite with extended balcony straight ahead. This option was about $2500 more than the 2 connecting balconies. It also means our college age son doesn’t have to share a room with us or our daughter and her friend. I’ve got a lot of research to do on RCCL, because they are a lot different than DCL and CCL. I love the decor of RCCL’s rooms and am really excited to give them a try, I’ll definitely report back here when we return.



This ship sounds amazing. I was sad to cancel my booking because I was so excited for it. Spend a lot of time in the solarium for me please.  

Great suite by the way! Did not know they even existed (probably because I usually book for 2). 

Can't wait to read your review.


----------



## RedSox68

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Well, we bit the bullet and are trying RCCL. I know this is the Carnival page but figured you’d all appreciate info on other cruiselines. We’re booked for 6/6/19 on Anthem if the Seas for a 9 night Bermuda and Caribbean out of Cape Liberty, NJ. We originally booked 2 connecting balcony cabins for 5 of us, but then I found this “family suite”
> View attachment 324172
> It’s a cluster of 3 separate rooms with a common vestibule entrance off the main hallway. My son will have the studio with his own bathroom on the left, it has the virtual balcony. My daughter and her friend will have the regular balcony cabin on the right, and my wife and I will have the Jr Suite with extended balcony straight ahead. This option was about $2500 more than the 2 connecting balconies. It also means our college age son doesn’t have to share a room with us or our daughter and her friend. I’ve got a lot of research to do on RCCL, because they are a lot different than DCL and CCL. I love the decor of RCCL’s rooms and am really excited to give them a try, I’ll definitely report back here when we return.



This is an awesome room set up.  I've never seen anything  like it.  Good research.  Have a great time.


----------



## SonyaShay

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I love the decor of RCCL’s rooms and am really excited to give them a try, I’ll definitely report back here when we return.



We are making the jump to RCCL for a Southern Cruise on Freedom of the Seas in June 2019. I was able to book my family of 3 in an Oceanview Panoramic room and just happened to get the corner room that has 5 windows instead of the normal 2 and has over 280 sq ft. I am not sure I will be able to go back to my 9b on DCL after having this room while viewing the blue waters in the Southern Caribbean. Not to mention that this 7 day Southern is only $3K in JUNE! Sailing on the Wonder in January would be just as much for a much lesser room. 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/...amic-ocean-view-stateroom-freedom-of-the-seas


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

SonyaShay said:


> We are making the jump to RCCL for a Southern Cruise on Freedom of the Seas in June 2019. I was able to book my family of 3 in an Oceanview Panoramic room and just happened to get the corner room that has 5 windows instead of the normal 2 and has over 280 sq ft. I am not sure I will be able to go back to my 9b on DCL after having this room while viewing the blue waters in the Southern Caribbean. Not to mention that this 7 day Southern is only $3K in JUNE! Sailing on the Wonder in January would be just as much for a much lesser room.
> 
> https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/...amic-ocean-view-stateroom-freedom-of-the-seas
> View attachment 324468


amazing!


----------



## mevelandry

SonyaShay said:


> We are making the jump to RCCL for a Southern Cruise on Freedom of the Seas in June 2019. I was able to book my family of 3 in an Oceanview Panoramic room and just happened to get the corner room that has 5 windows instead of the normal 2 and has over 280 sq ft. I am not sure I will be able to go back to my 9b on DCL after having this room while viewing the blue waters in the Southern Caribbean. Not to mention that this 7 day Southern is only $3K in JUNE! Sailing on the Wonder in January would be just as much for a much lesser room.
> 
> https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/...amic-ocean-view-stateroom-freedom-of-the-seas
> View attachment 324468



Those are simply amazing. Would love to try one of these. 

I wonder how much is the price difference for a panoramic view cabin VS a balcony cabin?


----------



## SonyaShay

mevelandry said:


> I wonder how much is the price difference for a panoramic view cabin VS a balcony cabin?



On my cruise (June 9, 2019) my Ocean View Panoramic is $2,964 for 2 adults and 1 child (age 11). I just priced the lowest category balcony and it is $3,500. The OV Pano is also not the most expensive in the OV category. There are still spacious family OV rooms that are more expensive. 

No brainer for me on cabin choice. As much as I would love the fresh air, this cabin will allow me to have better views while inside in the AC. I will be able to get ready for dinner after a full day of being in the heat and not miss any of the scenery.  This cruise can not come soon enough.


----------



## mevelandry

SonyaShay said:


> On my cruise (June 9, 2019) my Ocean View Panoramic is $2,964 for 2 adults and 1 child (age 11). I just priced the lowest category balcony and it is $3,500. The OV Pano is also not the most expensive in the OV category. There are still spacious family OV rooms that are more expensive.
> 
> No brainer for me on cabin choice. As much as I would love the fresh air, this cabin will allow me to have better views while inside in the AC. I will be able to get ready for dinner after a full day of being in the heat and not miss any of the scenery.  This cruise can not come soon enough.



Wow. That's a great value!   As you said... No brainer!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

SonyaShay said:


> We are making the jump to RCCL for a Southern Cruise on Freedom of the Seas in June 2019. I was able to book my family of 3 in an Oceanview Panoramic room and just happened to get the corner room that has 5 windows instead of the normal 2 and has over 280 sq ft. I am not sure I will be able to go back to my 9b on DCL after having this room while viewing the blue waters in the Southern Caribbean. Not to mention that this 7 day Southern is only $3K in JUNE! Sailing on the Wonder in January would be just as much for a much lesser room.
> 
> https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/...amic-ocean-view-stateroom-freedom-of-the-seas
> View attachment 324468


That is a fantastic looking room!  I’m anxious to hear about it when you get back.


----------



## RedSox68

SonyaShay said:


> We are making the jump to RCCL for a Southern Cruise on Freedom of the Seas in June 2019. I was able to book my family of 3 in an Oceanview Panoramic room and just happened to get the corner room that has 5 windows instead of the normal 2 and has over 280 sq ft. I am not sure I will be able to go back to my 9b on DCL after having this room while viewing the blue waters in the Southern Caribbean. Not to mention that this 7 day Southern is only $3K in JUNE! Sailing on the Wonder in January would be just as much for a much lesser room.
> 
> https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/...amic-ocean-view-stateroom-freedom-of-the-seas
> View attachment 324468



WOW -- on both room and price!


----------



## Neptune's Fork

Does anybody know if any details about how the guy fell off Paradise this week?  The whole thing sounded very strange.  Not sure why Carnival seems to have more people go overboard than the other lines.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Neptune's Fork said:


> Does anybody know if any details about how the guy fell off Paradise this week?  The whole thing sounded very strange.  Not sure why Carnival seems to have more people go overboard than the other lines.


Haven’t heard anything about it at all, didn’t even know it happened. They probably have more incidents because that have more ships and passengers than any other cruise line. Kind of like the same way there are more Chevy’s involved in traffic accidents than Volvo’s.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

One week from today we will be flying to Miami to start our 2 week vacation.  I can hardly wait.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> One week from today we will be flying to Miami to start our 2 week vacation.  I can hardly wait.



Can't wait to read your report!


----------



## mevelandry

Neptune's Fork said:


> Does anybody know if any details about how the guy fell off Paradise this week?  The whole thing sounded very strange.  Not sure why Carnival seems to have more people go overboard than the other lines.



I won't sugarcoat this: One does not simply "fall" from cruiseships. They jump.

(They have cameras everywhere and rarely do we hear about those missing people being pushed off the cruise ships and resulting in murder investigations)...

 Suicide is very very sad ...

...and IMO the choice of cruise lines have nothing to do with it. It would be like blaming a rope company for people commiting suicide by hanging.


----------



## abitagirl916

mevelandry said:


> I am in talk with my lady friends to book a short DCL cruise in December 2020 (with a MVMCP party the day before, a Little Mermaid room. Yep we are looking for a Disney overdose).
> 
> One of them nearly choked when I told her the price tag. We talked about the Disney Dream because she's a Beauty & the Beast fan.
> 
> Let's just say it's going to take A LOT of efforts in the next 2 years to afford this one.
> 
> The bill per person is not going to be lower because we'll be three adults in 1 cabin, right?
> 
> Sharing a queen bed will be fun. Lol



The third person in a cabin is at a reduced price, even if it is an adult.


----------



## mevelandry

abitagirl916 said:


> The third person in a cabin is at a reduced price, even if it is an adult.


 You are right. The third person was half the price. However, it was still very expensive and all three of us did not find the value good enough to pay that amount (more or less 1000$ more for DCL) so we decided to book with RCCL instead.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> I won't sugarcoat this: One does not simply "fall" from cruiseships. They jump.
> 
> (They have cameras everywhere and rarely do we hear about those missing people being pushed off the cruise ships and resulting in murder investigations)...
> 
> Suicide is very very sad ...
> 
> ...and IMO the choice of cruise lines have nothing to do with it. It would be like blaming a rope company for people commiting suicide by hanging.



Or, as some have reported, they get stinking drunk and do stupid things -- like sit on the rail of their balcony, etc.  Still, that doesn't just happen on certain cruiselines -- I  have honestly seen more drunks on Disney than I did on our two Carnival cruises!


----------



## cruiser21

Neptune's Fork said:


> Does anybody know if any details about how the guy fell off Paradise this week?  The whole thing sounded very strange.  Not sure why Carnival seems to have more people go overboard than the other lines.


I was on the Disney Dream last year when someone jumped overboard. I'm not sure why Carniaval has so many, but they do have a lot more ships then Disney. I agree with most posters I really doubt it's accidental. It's a terrible way to kill yourself though. I'm thinking if you survive the initial fall the natural instinct to survive would kick in...making it a horrible and impossible struggle to live.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> I was on the Disney Dream last year when someone jumped overboard. I'm not sure why Carniaval has so many, but they do have a lot more ships then Disney. I agree with most posters I really doubt it's accidental. It's a terrible way to kill yourself though. I'm thinking if you survive the initial fall the natural instinct to survive would kick in...making it a horrible and impossible struggle to live.



Especially at nighttime -- just a hopeless feeling I would imagine


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Or, as some have reported, they get stinking drunk and do stupid things -- like sit on the rail of their balcony, etc.  Still, that doesn't just happen on certain cruiselines -- I  have honestly seen more drunks on Disney than I did on our two Carnival cruises!



Oh yeah, there's that too. (Parts of me call that "natural selection", however I feel so bad for their loved ones.)

Same here, the most unpleasant people/drunk people I saw were on DCL ships. 

The only "drunk" encounter I've had on Carnival (was during our last cruise) was a guy at 2:00 PM, at the shop, who said he already his 15 drinks of the day... Honestly, it didn't even show. He was chatty with the cashier but not obnoxious. 

I've seen people laughin with drinks in their hands but nobody every seemed completely intoxicated on the Carnival cruise I've been on. 

I heard so much about the booze cruise, I almost feel cheated because I never witnessed it. Lol


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I was on the Disney Dream last year when someone jumped overboard. I'm not sure why Carniaval has so many, but they do have a lot more ships then Disney. I agree with most posters I really doubt it's accidental. It's a terrible way to kill yourself though. I'm thinking if you survive the initial fall the natural instinct to survive would kick in...making it a horrible and impossible struggle to live.



We don't know why people do this... So many reasons  If it's partially caused by the lack of money, then you have a possible answer (if you can afford DCL you MAY have a good wallet)... I also always though casinos could be a motive. People with gambling problems can lose control and then just decide to end it. There are police cars parked near the bridge close to the Montreal Casino for that specific reason!


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Oh yeah, there's that too. (Parts of me call that "natural selection", however I feel so bad for their loved ones.)
> 
> Same here, the most unpleasant people/drunk people I saw were on DCL ships.
> 
> The only "drunk" encounter I've had on Carnival (was during our last cruise) was a guy at 2:00 PM, at the shop, who said he already his 15 drinks of the day... Honestly, it didn't even show. He was chatty with the cashier but not obnoxious.
> 
> I've seen people laughin with drinks in their hands but nobody every seemed completely intoxicated on the Carnival cruise I've been on.
> 
> I heard so much about the booze cruise, I almost feel cheated because I never witnessed it. Lol



We've only done 2 Carnival cruises so far (plan to do more), but we never ran into a single drunk crowd or person, or any rowdy behavior or loud passengers.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I was on the Disney Dream last year when someone jumped overboard. I'm not sure why Carniaval has so many, but they do have a lot more ships then Disney. I agree with most posters I really doubt it's accidental. It's a terrible way to kill yourself though. I'm thinking if you survive the initial fall the natural instinct to survive would kick in...making it a horrible and impossible struggle to live.



Same here but on the Wonder. It nearly ruined my day. I felt SO BAD about it.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Same here but on the Wonder. It nearly ruined my day. I felt SO BAD about it.


After taking care of people that do this. I'm pretty desensitized to it. Most of the time it's an impulse reaction to an event.  People create a lot problems for themselves albeit drugs, financial, extra marital  affairs etc. Life is hard enough with the thing you can't control and people find was to make it harder. I have a hard time finding sympathy for most people.


----------



## Alicefan

Thank you for the report! I've booked my first cruise for September on the Carnival Elation out of Jacksonville. I'm so excited but I have no idea what to expect. I've never cruised on any line before.


----------



## mevelandry

Alicefan said:


> Thank you for the report! I've booked my first cruise for September on the Carnival Elation out of Jacksonville. I'm so excited but I have no idea what to expect. I've never cruised on any line before.



(Side note: OMG! I love Rick Flair!)

Congratulations on booking your first cruise! The Elation is a small cruise ship that has been refurbished recently so it now has Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana, the Red Frog Rum Bar, The Blue Iguana Tequila Bar, a new mini-golf course and waterworks!

What type of cabin did you pick? What is your itinerary? 

Welcome on this thread!  

Feel free to ask any questions you have in mind. There are no stupid questions.


----------



## Alicefan

mevelandry said:


> (Side note: OMG! I love Rick Flair!)
> 
> Congratulations on booking your first cruise! The Elation is a small cruise ship that has been refurbished recently so it now has Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana, the Red Frog Rum Bar, The Blue Iguana Tequila Bar, a new mini-golf course and waterworks!
> 
> What type of cabin did you pick?


We chose a room with a window for about $350pp with king bed for a 5 day cruise to Nassau and Half Moon Cay. I can't wait!  I've known Ric Flair since I was a teen ager and used to wrestle in the independent circuit myself. His son David was in every show I wrestled in along with a few of my idols from the 80's like The Rock n Roll Express and the Midnight Express! Good times! lol


----------



## mevelandry

Alicefan said:


> We chose a room with a window for about $350pp with king bed for a 5 day cruise to Nassau and Half Moon Cay. I can't wait!  I've known Ric Flair since I was a teen ager and used to wrestle in the independent circuit myself. His son David was in every show I wrestled in along with a few of my idols from the 80's like The Rock n Roll Express and the Midnight Express! Good times! lol



Regarding wrestling: Wow! I'm impressed! :O  I'm a "new" fan of wrestling because I started watching it in 2011, I do know a little bit more about the legends now because I watch documentaries about them. So impressed by that discipline. 

Regarding cruising: Great price! I think having a porthole is a great way to introduce yourself to cruising. You say you have a king bed, so I supposed you already asked the beds to be put together. 

I've never been to Half Moon Cay but I'll be visiting in October. Can't wait to hear what you think about it.  

I'm sure you already know but choosing to cruise during hurricane season is always a bit of a gamble. You never know if you're going to end up going where you were supposed to go... You have to be resilient.


----------



## Alicefan

mevelandry said:


> Regarding wrestling: Wow! I'm impressed! :O  I'm a "new" fan of wrestling because I started watching it in 2011, I do know a little bit more about the legends now because I watch documentaries about them. So impressed by that discipline.
> 
> Regarding cruising: Great price! I think having a porthole is a great way to introduce yourself to cruising. You say you have a king bed, so I supposed you already asked the beds to be put together.
> 
> I've never been to Half Moon Cay but I'll be visiting in October. Can't wait to hear what you think about it.
> 
> I'm sure you already know but choosing to cruise during hurricane season is always a bit of a gamble. You never know if you're going to end up going where you were supposed to go... You have to be resilient.



I was wondering about the porthole/window thing. Supposedly the options were interior, porthole, full window and then balcony. ARE there windows or is it all just portholes? In the pic it's a window.  My sister said when they went on their first cruise the window was just a porthole.  We did get the insurance just in case and we really don't care where we end up being that we've never been anywhere anyway lol.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Alicefan said:


> I was wondering about the porthole/window thing. Supposedly the options were interior, porthole, full window and then balcony. ARE there windows or is it all just portholes? In the pic it's a window.  My sister said when they went on their first cruise the window was just a porthole.  We did get the insurance just in case and we really don't care where we end up being that we've never been anywhere anyway lol.



There are both kinds of windows; porthole and large square. The portholes are usually located in the front of the ship on the lower levels.


----------



## mevelandry

Alicefan said:


> I was wondering about the porthole/window thing. Supposedly the options were interior, porthole, full window and then balcony. ARE there windows or is it all just portholes? In the pic it's a window.  My sister said when they went on their first cruise the window was just a porthole.  We did get the insurance just in case and we really don't care where we end up being that we've never been anywhere anyway lol.



I use the word "porthole" when I talk about windows on a ship but on Carnival I know there are the small portholes (round ones) and the "windows" are square and a bit larger. If your cabin says "window", you'll have a real window. 

Having insurance is always a smart move.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> I use the word "porthole" when I talk about windows on a ship but on Carnival I know there are the small portholes (round ones) and the "windows" are square and a bit larger. If your cabin says "window", you'll have a real window.
> 
> Having insurance is always a smart move.



Yes, we had a window on Glory and it was big enough for me to sit on the ledge and look out.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Yes, we had a window on Glory and it was big enough for me to sit on the ledge and look out.



Our last cabin was like this on the Victory. It was an obstructed view. It was a 24$ total "upgrade" offer after we booked an inside view. No complaint!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Here is our OV room on Elation.


----------



## mevelandry

Totally out of subject...

I just retired my cat's avatar. Now you have to deal with my castaway-cay-way-too-happy face! 

I have a feeling I won't be able to recognize my own replies for a while.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Totally out of subject...
> 
> I just retired my cat's avatar. Now you have to deal with my castaway-cay-way-too-happy face!
> 
> I have a feeling I won't be able to recognize my own replies for a while.



WOW, nice avatar!  Lookin' good.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> WOW, nice avatar!  Lookin' good.



Awwww... Thank you very much.   

(Where do I send the cheque?)


----------



## tampabrat22

I will have to go back and read through all 104 pages on this thread but for now I just wanted to say that I love both Disney & Carnival cruise lines! We have sailed on Disney twice, Royal Caribbean twice and Carnival 16 times. We have sailed during Spring Break, Halloween, Thanksgiving and around Christmas. I am always defending Carnival because they do have a bad reputation with some people, but the most vulgar and drunken crowds I have every witnessed were on Royal Caribbean. Drunks, obnoxious people and people displaying way too much "public displays of affection" than we ever needed to see. On our few Carnival spring break cruises the crowd was younger and lively but nothing too bad. Either way, everyone has a preference but I love seeing this thread and hope it opens more people to trying Carnival, because they really are The Fun Ships!


----------



## mevelandry

tampabrat22 said:


> I will have to go back and read through all 104 pages on this thread but for now I just wanted to say that I love both Disney & Carnival cruise lines! We have sailed on Disney twice, Royal Caribbean twice and Carnival 16 times. We have sailed during Spring Break, Halloween, Thanksgiving and around Christmas. I am always defending Carnival because they do have a bad reputation with some people, but the most vulgar and drunken crowds I have every witnessed were on Royal Caribbean. Drunks, obnoxious people and people displaying way too much "public displays of affection" than we ever needed to see. On our few Carnival spring break cruises the crowd was younger and lively but nothing too bad. Either way, everyone has a preference but I love seeing this thread and hope it opens more people to trying Carnival, because they really are The Fun Ships!



Welcome!    Among those 104 pages you will find interesting reviews. I like what this thread has become with time. In the beginning, there were some arguments between some hardcore DCL fans and us but please be patient as the thread is now zen and we like it that way. 

It's sad that Carnival still has a bad reputation because my experience has been the opposite.

It's my third Carnival cruise so far (two more Carnival cruises to come and two RCCL. Unfortunately no plans to go back to DCL for now as nobody around me is interested in paying those prices).

I still haven't witness anything shocking or disruptive drunk people. Au contraire, we've had a fantastic experience every time.

At this point my husband and I will be sailing on one of the oldest ship (Sensation) and while we know it won't look brand new, we are now very confident that we'll have a great cruise.

You are right, they really are the fun ships!

P.s.: We are interested in your reviews and experiences if you wanna share.


----------



## mevelandry

I can't remember if I told you about this but when I cruised on the Victory, I had a chat with one of the waiters near the Aft Pool and he was telling me how he liked working on small ships and how they had more time to give to the guests on small ships.

On Carnival, I have only sailed on the Victory and the Vista. I honestly did not feel a difference as everybody was extremely nice and friendly on both.

As I am about to sail on a smaller ship, I wonder if those who sailed on different sizes of ship have noticed a difference?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## cruiser21

tampabrat22 said:


> I will have to go back and read through all 104 pages on this thread but for now I just wanted to say that I love both Disney & Carnival cruise lines! We have sailed on Disney twice, Royal Caribbean twice and Carnival 16 times. We have sailed during Spring Break, Halloween, Thanksgiving and around Christmas. I am always defending Carnival because they do have a bad reputation with some people, but the most vulgar and drunken crowds I have every witnessed were on Royal Caribbean. Drunks, obnoxious people and people displaying way too much "public displays of affection" than we ever needed to see. On our few Carnival spring break cruises the crowd was younger and lively but nothing too bad. Either way, everyone has a preference but I love seeing this thread and hope it opens more people to trying Carnival, because they really are The Fun Ships!


Do you have to pay for a lot of the extra stuff on Royal? Someone just told me that by the time you pay for all the extras it cost as much as Disney. My first thought was all that extra stuff is optional and DCL doesn't have rock walls, ice rinks etc...so it's not like your getting that stuff for free on DCL. I try to wrap my brain around people's logic, but sometimes it's hard. Yes everything is included on DCL...but wait what is there besides a pool, slide and mini golf. I think sometimes people will come up with the most illogical reasons how other cruiselines are comparable in price. Even so far as to calculate room size down to the square inch.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

cruiser21 said:


> Do you have to pay for a lot of the extra stuff on Royal? Someone just told me that by the time you pay for all the extras it cost as much as Disney. My first thought was all that extra stuff is optional and DCL doesn't have rock walls, ice rinks etc...so it's not like your getting that stuff for free on DCL. I try to wrap my brain around people's logic, but sometimes it's hard. Yes everything is included on DCL...but wait what is there besides a pool, slide and mini golf. I think sometimes people will come up with the most illogical reasons how other cruiselines are comparable in price. Even so far as to calculate room size down to the square inch.



I have only once paid for anything extra on Carnival and that was some chocolate covered strawberries.  All the cruise lines provide food, entertainment, etc that is included. They also all offer paid extras.  I don't feel the need to pay for anything over my cruise fare at this time. Most of the extra pay stuff on ships can also be found on land so I don't feel left out or cheated because they want to make a profit from something.  I don't believe for one minute that adding a bunch of extra stuff on RCCL or CCL or NCL will ever come up to the base price of DCL.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> I can't remember if I told you about this but when I cruised on the Victory, I had a chat with one of the waiters near the Aft Pool and he was telling me how he liked working on small ships and how they had more time to give to the guests on small ships.
> 
> On Carnival, I have only sailed on the Victory and the Vista. I honestly did not feel a difference as everybody was extremely nice and friendly on both.
> 
> As I am about to sail on a smaller ship, I wonder if those who sailed on different sizes of ship have noticed a difference?
> 
> Thanks in advance.



I have been on small ships (Elation, Fascination) and the biggies (Breeze, Vista).  I have noticed that dining room service can be a bit more chaotic and slower on the big ships.  It has never affected our vacation or experience in a negative way.  The staff on all our cruises has always been great.

We leave tomorrow for Miami and then board Vista on Saturday!


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Do you have to pay for a lot of the extra stuff on Royal? Someone just told me that by the time you pay for all the extras it cost as much as Disney. My first thought was all that extra stuff is optional and DCL doesn't have rock walls, ice rinks etc...so it's not like your getting that stuff for free on DCL. I try to wrap my brain around people's logic, but sometimes it's hard. Yes everything is included on DCL...but wait what is there besides a pool, slide and mini golf. I think sometimes people will come up with the most illogical reasons how other cruiselines are comparable in price. Even so far as to calculate room size down to the square inch.



I agree with you as from what I see as I am slowly preparing my first RCCL cruise (and the preliminary planning I had done when I was supposed to sail on the Anthem), my impression is that what is not included on RCCL (north star, indoor skydiving, skating rink, etc.) don't even exist on DCL anyway! 

As for the square footage of the cabins... I would probably sleep in a closet if they charged me half the price of a cabin so I am not very influenced by "bigger cabin" defence. LOL


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I have been on small ships (Elation, Fascination) and the biggies (Breeze, Vista).  I have noticed that dining room service can be a bit more chaotic and slower on the big ships.  It has never affected our vacation or experience in a negative way.  The staff on all our cruises has always been great.
> 
> We leave tomorrow for Miami and then board Vista on Saturday!



Lucky you! Have a great cruise!


----------



## mevelandry

SURVEY

Are you interested in a ROLL CALL section a the beginning of this thread?

A) Yes!!! I like to send wishes to people before their cruise and read their reviews.

B) I'm fine with or without it.

C) I don't care about other people's cruises and reviews and I don't want to give you my dates either.


P.s.: As you can imagine, I would vote A.


----------



## hdrolfe

I'd vote A as well. I think it would be fun to see who is going when and on what ships


----------



## daisyx3

I have seen some price posts lately, and I just wanted to add to that.  My DH and I are booked on the 3 night Fantasy this July and this will be our DCL grand slam trip.  Next June I booked a 6 night caribbean cruise on the Carnival Horizon in a Havana Cabana (meaning no one under 12 allowed in that area until at least 7PM) for the same price.  So double the nights, newer room category, same $.  I hope to still be on here to report the differences at the end of next June (and of course on the Fantasy cruise mid July).


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Sure, I would participate so A.


----------



## SonyaShay

cruiser21 said:


> Do you have to pay for a lot of the extra stuff on Royal?



I am still in early stages of research for Royal but from what I can tell there is not enough extras to jump to the cost level of DCL. There are more restaurants for a cost but you don't have to eat in those. You do pay for sodas but it isn't that much for a length of cruise package. You are going to pay for spa services on either line so that doesn't come in to play, unless there are people comparing costs of services. And from what I have seen the prices of adult drinks seem to be a little lower than DCL (this might not be the case across the entire fleet but from what I have spot checked it is valid).

I am excited to try a new line but nervous at the same time.



mevelandry said:


> SURVEY
> Are you interested in a ROLL CALL section a the beginning of this thread?
> 
> A) Yes!!! I like to send wishes to people before their cruise and read their reviews.
> B) I'm fine with or without it.
> C) I don't care about other people's cruises and reviews and I don't want to give you my dates either.
> 
> P.s.: As you can imagine, I would vote A.



If it is there I will participate 



mevelandry said:


> Totally out of subject...
> 
> I just retired my cat's avatar. Now you have to deal with my castaway-cay-way-too-happy face!
> 
> I have a feeling I won't be able to recognize my own replies for a while.



I am having a hard time remembering it is you with this new photo!


----------



## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> I have only once paid for anything extra on Carnival and that was some chocolate covered strawberries.  All the cruise lines provide food, entertainment, etc that is included. They also all offer paid extras.  I don't feel the need to pay for anything over my cruise fare at this time. Most of the extra pay stuff on ships can also be found on land so I don't feel left out or cheated because they want to make a profit from something.  I don't believe for one minute that adding a bunch of extra stuff on RCCL or CCL or NCL will ever come up to the base price of DCL.


I wanted to challenge the guy on it, but people get so defensive about dcl I think they lose the ability to do simple math. I think one thing that contributes to it that cruises are paid for so far in advance they forget what they actually paid. The just know when the walk on the ship there will be very lfew extra charges. They lose sight of the fact that the paid double or triple up front. People love all inclusive. I think the easiest way to remedy that is to put enough on your onboard account to cover all the extras you want to do.


----------



## mevelandry

daisyx3 said:


> I have seen some price posts lately, and I just wanted to add to that.  My DH and I are booked on the 3 night Fantasy this July and this will be our DCL grand slam trip.  Next June I booked a 6 night caribbean cruise on the Carnival Horizon in a Havana Cabana (meaning no one under 12 allowed in that area until at least 7PM) for the same price.  So double the nights, newer room category, same $.  I hope to still be on here to report the differences at the end of next June (and of course on the Fantasy cruise mid July).



What type of cabin do you have on the Fantasy? ... Because while I haven't tried it for myself, I have heard that Havana Cabana were pure heaven and I've watched it from the Aft Pool on the Vista: nice and quiet place.   I'm curious to see how you think they compare.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I wanted to challenge the guy on it, but people get so defensive about dcl I think they lose the ability to do simple math. I think one thing that contributes to it that cruises are paid for so far in advance they forget what they actually paid. The just know when the walk on the ship there will be very lfew extra charges. They lose sight of the fact that the paid double or triple up front. People love all inclusive. I think the easiest way to remedy that is to put enough on your onboard account to cover all the extras you want to do.



I think I know who you are referring to.

When someone says:  "I want Disney & cruising at the same time and I'll pay the price they ask for."  I'm perfectly fine with it. No other cruise line can give you Mickey. That is incontestable.

I only have a problem when someone criticizes other cruise lines (when they have not tried them) in order to justify their choice to sail with DCL. It doesn't make any sense to me. 

When someone uses weird arguments like calculating square ft in a similar room category (when we all know that for the price you pay for that cabin on DCL, you can pretty much get a bigger cabin, a suite or some extra perk on another cruise line...!) I honestly don't know what to make of it.

***

On side note, I always buy some "cruise cash" in advance in order to cover my expenses before a cruise. That way, everything feels "included" while I am cruising.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

So we had a $50 OBC for our room and now it looks like some of the port taxes/fees were refunded to us.  We now have $97 plus change in OBC.  We aren't big spenders on board but I could go for an extra mocha chocolate getaway!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> So we had a $50 OBC for our room and now it looks like some of the port taxes/fees were refunded to us.  We now have $97 plus change in OBC.  We aren't big spenders on board but I could go for an extra mocha chocolate getaway!



Pssstttt! If you like Mocha... I recommend the Ghirardelli Mocha Frappe they have at the Café.


----------



## jenf22

cruiser21 said:


> I wanted to challenge the guy on it, but people get so defensive about dcl I think they lose the ability to do simple math. I think one thing that contributes to it that cruises are paid for so far in advance they forget what they actually paid. The just know when the walk on the ship there will be very lfew extra charges. They lose sight of the fact that the paid double or triple up front. People love all inclusive. I think the easiest way to remedy that is to put enough on your onboard account to cover all the extras you want to do.



I'm all about the math and don't get why people are so defensive about it.  We're sailing Royal in October for 7 nights in a balcony room, 2 adults, 1 child for $2300.  But, but... DCL's room is 20 sq ft bigger!   But... soda is free on DCL!  Seriously people.  If you want Disney, just say it.  We'll have characters on Allure.  And for $10pp we get a character breakfast.  We didn't have a character breakfast on the Magic or Fantasy.  And DCL is FAR from all inclusive.  We've had the biggest last day bills on DCL.  Sorry for the rant


----------



## daisyx3

[QUOTE="What type of cabin do you have on the Fantasy? ... Because while I haven't tried it for myself, I have heard that Havana Cabana were pure heaven and I've watched it from the Aft Pool on the Vista: nice and quiet place.   I'm curious to see how you think they compare.[/QUOTE]

We are in a 5A cabin on deck 9.  On our cruises so far we have stayed center, closer to the top.  We were on deck 8 on the Wonder in 03, deck 6 on the magic in 04 (my parents anniversary trip so they picked the deck, although we were midship), deck 9 on the Dream in 16.  I was going to try to get an aft cabin but they were gone before we hatched this plan.
Our thing is this...do we love the DCL cruises because it's DCL, or because it's a cruise?  My logic is we can't be sure until we cruise another line, and what better one to try than one with a whole kid-free area?  (i've done my time, my youngest is 20).   We will be at WDW in March anyway.


----------



## hdrolfe

I have only cruised Carnival and Royal and haven't paid for much extra. Nothing that wouldn't be extra on other lines from what I understand. I pay gratuities, excursions, I usually buy a few drinks, and we shop in the stores for something fun to remember the ship. We did do specialty dining on our last RCL cruise, one night in the Mexican place, but doesn't DCL have specialty dining as well? Our cabins have all been pretty big except on Majesty of the Seas which had tiny cabins! I love that they will split the beds apart for us since I travel with my son. I don't think you can do that on DCL? Though I guess he'd have a couch-bed or something? You don't pay for the ice skating, flow rider, or rock climbing, unless you want lessons or something, but we haven't been on the big ships. Any way. I really really want to do a DCL cruise while my son is still young enough to appreciate it, he wants to do a Star Wars cruise. But oh the cost... I have such a hard time justifying it when we can go on another line for half the price. We loved the last Carnival cruise, the ships was perfect for us (except the buffet layout which we did not like). I really want to go on Horizon and stay in the Family Harbor area, and when he's older perhaps the Havana area. 

When I look at the cost of the cruise, I could do a 13 night on Carnival Sunshine for about $1000 less than 7 nights on Disney, in an Outside cabin on Sunshine vs Interior on Disney. That would cover gratuities and excursions! Or perhaps a day or two at Disney before or after. Any way. Everyone gets to make their own choices, and I've been happy with ours so far! As long as I get to keep cruising


----------



## mevelandry

daisyx3 said:


> [QUOTE="What type of cabin do you have on the Fantasy? ... Because while I haven't tried it for myself, I have heard that Havana Cabana were pure heaven and I've watched it from the Aft Pool on the Vista: nice and quiet place.   I'm curious to see how you think they compare.



We are in a 5A cabin on deck 9.  On our cruises so far we have stayed center, closer to the top.  We were on deck 8 on the Wonder in 03, deck 6 on the magic in 04 (my parents anniversary trip so they picked the deck, although we were midship), deck 9 on the Dream in 16.  I was going to try to get an aft cabin but they were gone before we hatched this plan.
Our thing is this...do we love the DCL cruises because it's DCL, or because it's a cruise?  My logic is we can't be sure until we cruise another line, and what better one to try than one with a whole kid-free area?  (i've done my time, my youngest is 20).   We will be at WDW in March anyway.[/QUOTE]

Trying something else is the best way to find out what you like the most.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> SURVEY
> 
> Are you interested in a ROLL CALL section a the beginning of this thread?
> 
> A) Yes!!! I like to send wishes to people before their cruise and read their reviews.
> 
> B) I'm fine with or without it.
> 
> C) I don't care about other people's cruises and reviews and I don't want to give you my dates either.
> 
> 
> P.s.: As you can imagine, I would vote A.



A for me! I love seeing who's sailing where and on what.



hdrolfe said:


> When I look at the cost of the cruise, I could do a 13 night on Carnival Sunshine for about $1000 less than 7 nights on Disney, in an Outside cabin on Sunshine vs Interior on Disney. That would cover gratuities and excursions! Or perhaps a day or two at Disney before or after. Any way. Everyone gets to make their own choices, and I've been happy with ours so far! As long as I get to keep cruising



Agreed! DH & I have only sailed Carnival, including get married on Carnival last year and honeymoon this year. I've sailed once on RCCL (w/an ex-boyfriend and I don't remember much! ) We looked at NCL, RCCL & DCL for our cruise this year and honestly, Carnival just seems like the best bang for our buck. We've always had an amazing time. And sure, everyone has a preference, but it does annoy me that people badmouth the line when they've never tried it. I hate when people ask what line we're cruising and I respond "Carnival" and I get like a look of pity. 

We are planning on the DCL British Isles cruise next year. Mainly because the itinerary, cruise length and dates work great for us. And this will be our first time on DCL. I have ALWAYS wanted to do a Disney cruise & go back to Europe so this is our excuse. Yes, we know it will be expensive so that will be our vacation next year. But bottom line? if it comes down to cruising 3 times a year on Carnival (or whatever line) vs. maybe once a year on DCL...it's a no brainer for us.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Awwww... Thank you very much.
> 
> (Where do I send the cheque?)


----------



## mevelandry

Alright guys! ROLL CALL!!!!! 

I have just started the roll call at the end of post #1!

Let me know what Carnival cruises you have coming in 2018-2019-2020 and I will add them!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Alright guys! ROLL CALL!!!!!
> 
> I have just started the roll call at the end of post #1!
> 
> Let me know what Carnival cruises you have coming in 2018-2019-2020 and I will add them!



Well you can start me off with Carnival Vista June 2 2018!

Next up for us is Carnival Panorama May 30 2020


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Alright guys! ROLL CALL!!!!!
> 
> I have just started the roll call at the end of post #1!
> 
> Let me know what Carnival cruises you have coming in 2018-2019-2020 and I will add them!



Cool! Put me down for the Carnival Conquest on Sept. 29, 2018!


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> Well you can start me off with Carnival Vista June 2 2018!


So jealous that’s tomorrow!  I’m eager to hear how you like the ship, I know it’s different than any of the others and I’d like to give it a try in the near future!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Well you can start me off with Carnival Vista June 2 2018!
> 
> Next up for us is Carnival Panorama May 30 2020



Added!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Cool! Put me down for the Carnival Conquest on Sept. 29, 2018!



Added!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> So jealous that’s tomorrow!  I’m eager to hear how you like the ship, I know it’s different than any of the others and I’d like to give it a try in the near future!



I have sailed on the Vista in October. Some of the long time fans of Carnival don't like it but I loved it. I absolutely loved the layout and how they focused on the outdoor sections on deck 5. We picked an inside Cloud 9 Spa cabin but somehow always found a quiet place to sit down and have our "ocean view coffee" every morning.


----------



## Monykalyn

Newbie cruiser here
Carnival Valor Oct 11-15.


----------



## hdrolfe

I need to book a trip... I keep wavering on what to book! Horizon 6-night? Breeze 7-night? Sunshine? Too many trips I want to take... So many ports I want to visit and ships I want to try! Plus of course get to Disney to check out Toy Story Land when it opens.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

Just got an incredible price drop on my January 12 2019 Carnival Sunshine cruise - saved $442 plus $600 casino cash (plus some gifts, welcome aboard cocktail party, and drinks on us card for the casino from day 1). I had already booked that cruise and the fact that they made it a Casino Premiere cruise is truly icing on the cake.

the downside is I did the costing for all of my fall 2018 - early 2019 cruises and realized that the DCL cruises are twice as much per day (or more) than the other stuff I have booked. I really want to do a Star Wars day at sea cruise and a Marvel days at sea cruise but the cost 

I'm about to make a whole bunch of people crazy when I tell you our plans:

14 N / 10 N / 14 N - Caribbean Princess (total 38 days);
5 N - Celebrity Infinity;
13 N - Carnival Sunshine;
7 N - Disney Fantasy;
5 N - Disney Magic.

total 68 days of cruising between November 25 2018 and February 7 2019.


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> Newbie cruiser here
> Carnival Valor Oct 11-15.



Added! ... And Welcome!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I need to book a trip... I keep wavering on what to book! Horizon 6-night? Breeze 7-night? Sunshine? Too many trips I want to take... So many ports I want to visit and ships I want to try! Plus of course get to Disney to check out Toy Story Land when it opens.



Land & Sea? 

The Sunshine is leaving from Port Canaveral...


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> Just got an incredible price drop on my January 12 2019 Carnival Sunshine cruise - saved $442 plus $600 casino cash (plus some gifts, welcome aboard cocktail party, and drinks on us card for the casino from day 1). I had already booked that cruise and the fact that they made it a Casino Premiere cruise is truly icing on the cake.
> 
> the downside is I did the costing for all of my fall 2018 - early 2019 cruises and realized that the DCL cruises are twice as much per day (or more) than the other stuff I have booked. I really want to do a Star Wars day at sea cruise and a Marvel days at sea cruise but the cost
> 
> I'm about to make a whole bunch of people crazy when I tell you our plans:
> 
> 14 N / 10 N / 14 N - Caribbean Princess (total 38 days);
> 5 N - Celebrity Infinity;
> 13 N - Carnival Sunshine;
> 7 N - Disney Fantasy;
> 5 N - Disney Magic.
> 
> total 68 days of cruising between November 25 2018 and February 7 2019.



Crazy? No, no... Just extremely jealous.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> Just got an incredible price drop on my January 12 2019 Carnival Sunshine cruise - saved $442 plus $600 casino cash (plus some gifts, welcome aboard cocktail party, and drinks on us card for the casino from day 1). I had already booked that cruise and the fact that they made it a Casino Premiere cruise is truly icing on the cake.
> 
> the downside is I did the costing for all of my fall 2018 - early 2019 cruises and realized that the DCL cruises are twice as much per day (or more) than the other stuff I have booked. I really want to do a Star Wars day at sea cruise and a Marvel days at sea cruise but the cost
> 
> I'm about to make a whole bunch of people crazy when I tell you our plans:
> 
> 14 N / 10 N / 14 N - Caribbean Princess (total 38 days);
> 5 N - Celebrity Infinity;
> 13 N - Carnival Sunshine;
> 7 N - Disney Fantasy;
> 5 N - Disney Magic.
> 
> total 68 days of cruising between November 25 2018 and February 7 2019.



That's a great price drop. I wish I could get one like that for my Sunshine cruise!

p.s.: I added your cruise on the Sunshine to the Roll Call!


----------



## hdrolfe

PrincessTrisha said:


> Just got an incredible price drop on my January 12 2019 Carnival Sunshine cruise - saved $442 plus $600 casino cash (plus some gifts, welcome aboard cocktail party, and drinks on us card for the casino from day 1). I had already booked that cruise and the fact that they made it a Casino Premiere cruise is truly icing on the cake.
> 
> the downside is I did the costing for all of my fall 2018 - early 2019 cruises and realized that the DCL cruises are twice as much per day (or more) than the other stuff I have booked. I really want to do a Star Wars day at sea cruise and a Marvel days at sea cruise but the cost
> 
> I'm about to make a whole bunch of people crazy when I tell you our plans:
> 
> 14 N / 10 N / 14 N - Caribbean Princess (total 38 days);
> 5 N - Celebrity Infinity;
> 13 N - Carnival Sunshine;
> 7 N - Disney Fantasy;
> 5 N - Disney Magic.
> 
> total 68 days of cruising between November 25 2018 and February 7 2019.



Yup, totally jealous. I keep looking at that 13 night cruise and wishing I could do it but we over extended the past couple trips and I'm trying to catch up again. I'm not a gambler so no casino offer for me. Guess I should play something on the ships so I can get the extra good deals?  Your end date there (Feb 7) is my birthday... maybe it's a sign lol. I'll have to book something!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Land & Sea?
> 
> The Sunshine is leaving from Port Canaveral...


It does, and so will the Breeze. I was going to do a 5-night on Sunshine plus a couple Disney days but kiddo didn't like that it made the trip one day shorter than doing a 7-night cruise. We do plan to do a week next year in August of just Disney. If we can get a good deal (free dining? fingers crossed!).


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> So jealous that’s tomorrow!  I’m eager to hear how you like the ship, I know it’s different than any of the others and I’d like to give it a try in the near future!



This will be our 2nd time on Vista as we did a Med cruise in her inaugural season. We enjoyed the ship with the exception of the terribly designed main theatre and comedy club. The best part is Matt Mitcham. He makes me a cougar


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Onboard Vista! Had lunch and my first cone! Kids just went to see if our room was ready a bit early.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

trvlgirlmq said:


> Onboard Vista! Had lunch and my first cone! Kids just went to see if our room was ready a bit early.



Have a fantastic trip!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> Onboard Vista! Had lunch and my first cone! Kids just went to see if our room was ready a bit early.


Awesome!


----------



## mevelandry

Picture: This beauty is the Veendam, docked in the Old Port of Montreal. 

I guess we can never get enough cruises. DH and I are currently contemplating going on a Canada & New England cruise departing from our hometown, Montreal. However, I think only Holland America do it. I googled their ships. They look amazing (!!!) and if you book last minute, they have pretty amazing deals (400$/pp for an inside cabin for the one that was departing yesterday!) ...

We decided to sacrifice 1/3 of our usual "date night" weekly budget and put it into savings in order to try to squeeze one more cruise in next years schedule. We don't know if it's going to work but we want to try.


----------



## mevelandry

The wait is driving me crazy.

Going for a little getaway in Quebec soon but it's definitely not the same.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Hey everyone! I’ve been trying to post some pictures but my files are too large! Just docked in La Romana and waiting for the call to disembark! The ship is great, crew is fantastic and we are getting loads of rest!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Hey everyone! I’ve been trying to post some pictures but my files are too large! Just docked in La Romana and waiting for the call to disembark! The ship is great, crew is fantastic and we are getting loads of rest!



There's a "Photo & Picture Resizer" app on android (if you have an android cellphone) that I installed, I reduce all my pics to 50% and I can post them here.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I wasn’t impressed with Atlantis. My wife and I had wanted to take a week long trip there for years until we were there for a day on our Dream cruise in 2011. We’re very happy we didn’t waste the money on a trip specifically to Atlantis. The food was amusement park quality, service was lacking and the grounds weren’t as clean as they show on commercials. The one great thing was the lazy river, it was fantastic.



DH and I had booked the Atlantis Beach Day after all for our next cruise (in October)... However, what you and others said about Atlantis was still in the back of my mind. I just did extensive research and watched many videos. Honestly, I think you are right. It doesn't look like the commercials at all.

So I just announced to my husband that I reinvested the excursion money in cruise cash that way each of us will have enough money to cover 2 drinks of per day. He is absolutely overjoyed.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> DH and I had booked the Atlantis Beach Day after all for our next cruise (in October)... However, what you and others said about Atlantis was still in the back of my mind. I just did extensive research and watched many videos. Honestly, I think you are right. It doesn't look like the commercials at all.
> 
> So I just announced to my husband that I reinvested the excursion money in cruise cash that way each of us will have enough money to cover 2 drinks of per day. He is absolutely overjoyed.



In Nassau we usually walk over to the Hilton British Colonial. It's pretty close to port. I think it's gone up in price since I was there (was only $50 when I was there last), but it includes money towards food/drinks and use of the beach, pool, and kayaks. You can see the ships, we watched an NCL cruise spin around and back in while we were there. There may be other places as well? I liked it because we could walk there easily so no extra taxi costs. There is a free beach near the Hilton I think, but I've read mixed reviews. Either way, I'm sure you will have more fun there than I will at work!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> In Nassau we usually walk over to the Hilton British Colonial. It's pretty close to port. I think it's gone up in price since I was there (was only $50 when I was there last), but it includes money towards food/drinks and use of the beach, pool, and kayaks. You can see the ships, we watched an NCL cruise spin around and back in while we were there. There may be other places as well? I liked it because we could walk there easily so no extra taxi costs. There is a free beach near the Hilton I think, but I've read mixed reviews. Either way, I'm sure you will have more fun there than I will at work!



Oh yeah. Definitely beats work. LOL 

I think we'll try to take advantage of the ship's pool in the morning... And maybe play trivia during the afternoon. My husband LOVES it and was disappointed that we did not get to play a game during our last cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

Totally out of subject question: Does anybody here own stocks from either DCL, Carnival Corp and/or Royal Caribbean? How do they perform? 

I wanted to have a little fun... and I think I covered every single cruise lines I could ever sail on!


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> The wait is driving me crazy.
> 
> Going for a little getaway in Quebec soon but it's definitely not the same.
> 
> View attachment 327323




Just had to say, I feel your pain!!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Just had to say, I feel your pain!!



Lucky you, going on a cruise before me. 

So glad I convinced my husband to try to squeeze a 3rd cruise in our 2019 schedule.

Granted, our budget is a bit tighter but at least we are trying!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> Totally out of subject question: Does anybody here own stocks from either DCL, Carnival Corp and/or Royal Caribbean? How do they perform?
> 
> I wanted to have a little fun... and I think I covered every single cruise lines I could ever sail on!



Carnival stock. It's taken a slight dip lately but nothing serious. I love the perks (OBC - $50 for short cruises / $100 for 7-13 night cruises / $250 for 14+ night cruises) as long as you own 100 shares.


----------



## MickeyD

Disney stock here. Overall Disney Company so really can't say how the DCL part performs on it's own. Disney stock has gone from $41/share when I first got it to now it was over $120/share a bit ago. Just closed at $103 this week.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> Carnival stock. It's taken a slight dip lately but nothing serious. I love the perks (OBC - $50 for short cruises / $100 for 7-13 night cruises / $250 for 14+ night cruises) as long as you own 100 shares.



Nice perks... But it's gonna take me a long time before I can buy 99 other shares!


----------



## mevelandry

MickeyD said:


> Disney stock here. Overall Disney Company so really can't say how the DCL part performs on it's own. Disney stock has gone from $41/share when I first got it to now it was over $120/share a bit ago. Just closed at $103 this week.



Bought at 99$!


----------



## mevelandry

RCCL stocks are at 103$! They are obviously doing very well. Bought one too. My goal is, as time goes buy and wallet permits, to buy more of DCL-RCCL & Carnival.


----------



## SUSIEQ

mevelandry said:


> RCCL stocks are at 103$! They are obviously doing very well. Bought one too. My goal is, as time goes buy and wallet permits, to buy more of DCL-RCCL & Carnival.


Bought my RCL stock at about $6 per share back in 2009. Why, oh why, didn't I buy more than 100 shares!!!


----------



## mevelandry

SUSIEQ said:


> Bought my RCL stock at about $6 per share back in 2009. Why, oh why, didn't I buy more than 100 shares!!!



Do you get some sort of perks too?


----------



## SUSIEQ

mevelandry said:


> Do you get some sort of perks too?


Yes, $50 to $250 onboard credit depending on the length of the cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

SUSIEQ said:


> Yes, $50 to $250 onboard credit depending on the length of the cruise.



Nice. After 100 shares?


----------



## SUSIEQ

Yes, 100 shares gets you these benefits.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Hi guys! Back from the Vista and at WDW now. It’s so hot.

We were on the 8 day Southern; first time for this itinerary and 2nd time on Vista.

The good:
Food- lots of choices! We did MDR 7 of the nights. We also ate breakfast in MDR twice and it was great. Between all of us we ate Guy’s, tacos, burritos, pizza and buffet.
Cabin- Deck 8 Fed balcony. We are light packers and stay organized so having 4 in the cabin is no big deal. Room steward Jose was friendly and we only wanted morning service and came about 10 everyday so the teens could sleep in.
Matt Mitcham- I love him. No really, I want to marry him 
Fun Crew- entertainment staff was very personable and funny

The bad:
We had a few bumps in MDR service. We had ATD and one night we had a team that was not very cohesive. I do know our cruise had a lot of people coming off their vacation so that might have been it. Another night our server was taking our order when they were announcing Showtime and it was loud and I think he was distracted so apparently he didn’t hear my order and brought the wrong thing. I didn’t say anything though because I know they would have had to throw the meal out and I can’t stand that kind of waste.

We did some trivia and mostly hung out in the cabin. My DS has his first GF and basically spent all his time on social media with her. He and his cousin did do ropes courses and skyrim ride once each and also played mini golf and did water slides one day. Teens are not fun to vacation with at all. I miss when they liked spending time with me! We didn’t go to any shows. I don’t know what happened!

Ports

Grand Turk - we got a couple chairs and an aim rella in the beach for $25. Spent a couple hours swimming and relaxing.
La Romana - I was not excited about this after reading up on the area. I wanted to book the Seavis tour to Saint Island but my mom can’t do the speed boat so we booked a Carnival excursion to Catalina Island. We boarded a bus to take us to a catamaran type boat. We drove about 10 minutes and when we pulled into the small marina we we directly behind the Vista! We could have walked if they built a path. The ride over was rocky and a little girl got very sick. I thought I was going to get sick and I am usually fine. We arrived and got our welcome drink (no rum please) and then got our included chairs and umbrella. Guys, I have to say this was the most beautiful beach I have ever been to before. The water was incredible; clear and mostly calm. It was my favorite day just floating and relaxing.
Curaçao- Our goal was to visit the oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere and the Jewish Museum. We got a taxi to the downtown area because my mo has some knee and hip issues. We saw the synagogue and museum and spent time talking with a local woman who works there about how her family ended up in the Caribbean. We walked around the Punda area and did some shopping before walking back to the ship.
Aruba - We took a taxi to Eagle Beach where we rented 4 chairs and a palapa for $50. It was super windy and the sand was blowing everywhere. The water was also really cold. I was not expecting that as we were so far South. We stayed about 4 hours and then got a taxi back to the port. DS went back tot the ship and the girls went shopping.

We had a nice time and the ship is still in great shape. Once I get my pictures downloaded I’ll come back and post a few.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Hi guys! Back from the Vista and at WDW now. It’s so hot.
> 
> We were on the 8 day Southern; first time for this itinerary and 2nd time on Vista.
> 
> The good:
> Food- lots of choices! We did MDR 7 of the nights. We also ate breakfast in MDR twice and it was great. Between all of us we ate Guy’s, tacos, burritos, pizza and buffet.
> Cabin- Deck 8 Fed balcony. We are light packers and stay organized so having 4 in the cabin is no big deal. Room steward Jose was friendly and we only wanted morning service and came about 10 everyday so the teens could sleep in.
> Matt Mitcham- I love him. No really, I want to marry him
> Fun Crew- entertainment staff was very personable and funny
> 
> The bad:
> We had a few bumps in MDR service. We had ATD and one night we had a team that was not very cohesive. I do know our cruise had a lot of people coming off their vacation so that might have been it. Another night our server was taking our order when they were announcing Showtime and it was loud and I think he was distracted so apparently he didn’t hear my order and brought the wrong thing. I didn’t say anything though because I know they would have had to throw the meal out and I can’t stand that kind of waste.
> 
> We did some trivia and mostly hung out in the cabin. My DS has his first GF and basically spent all his time on social media with her. He and his cousin did do ropes courses and skyrim ride once each and also played mini golf and did water slides one day. Teens are not fun to vacation with at all. I miss when they liked spending time with me! We didn’t go to any shows. I don’t know what happened!
> 
> Ports
> 
> Grand Turk - we got a couple chairs and an aim rella in the beach for $25. Spent a couple hours swimming and relaxing.
> La Romana - I was not excited about this after reading up on the area. I wanted to book the Seavis tour to Saint Island but my mom can’t do the speed boat so we booked a Carnival excursion to Catalina Island. We boarded a bus to take us to a catamaran type boat. We drove about 10 minutes and when we pulled into the small marina we we directly behind the Vista! We could have walked if they built a path. The ride over was rocky and a little girl got very sick. I thought I was going to get sick and I am usually fine. We arrived and got our welcome drink (no rum please) and then got our included chairs and umbrella. Guys, I have to say this was the most beautiful beach I have ever been to before. The water was incredible; clear and mostly calm. It was my favorite day just floating and relaxing.
> Curaçao- Our goal was to visit the oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere and the Jewish Museum. We got a taxi to the downtown area because my mo has some knee and hip issues. We saw the synagogue and museum and spent time talking with a local woman who works there about how her family ended up in the Caribbean. We walked around the Punda area and did some shopping before walking back to the ship.
> Aruba - We took a taxi to Eagle Beach where we rented 4 chairs and a palapa for $50. It was super windy and the sand was blowing everywhere. The water was also really cold. I was not expecting that as we were so far South. We stayed about 4 hours and then got a taxi back to the port. DS went back tot the ship and the girls went shopping.
> 
> We had a nice time and the ship is still in great shape. Once I get my pictures downloaded I’ll come back and post a few.



Thanks for the great review!  

Which beach did you go to in Grand Turk? 

I was told that on the beach, most chairs and unbrellas were free in GT except for the first 2 rows. 

Have you tried any of the Specialty Dining restaurants?


----------



## mevelandry

Totally out of subject: our local Lindt chocolate shop sells the Ghirardelli Mocha powder they use for the Ghirardelli Moka iced cappucino they serve at the Cafés on Carnival. That was my breakfast this morning. I was in heaven. Now, all I am missing is the ocean view.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Thanks for the great review!
> 
> Which beach did you go to in Grand Turk?
> 
> I was told that on the beach, most chairs and unbrellas were free in GT except for the first 2 rows.
> 
> Have you tried any of the Specialty Dining restaurants?



We walked further down the beach and had chairs in the second row from the water. I think though that the locals are charging for all of them. Carnival doesn’t have any representation on the beach so people would never know there are free chairs.

We have not tried the fee restaurants. The kids did get a shake or coffee drink instead of dessert most nights though. Those were super yummy.


----------



## disneyfan551

Add me to sailing the Carnival Magic on June 30, 2018!  Thanks!!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Oh yeah. Definitely beats work. LOL
> 
> I think we'll try to take advantage of the ship's pool in the morning... And maybe play trivia during the afternoon. My husband LOVES it and was disappointed that we did not get to play a game during our last cruise.


Make sure he wins!  Life is not complete until you have a ship on a stick!


----------



## mevelandry

Has anybody ever tried Holland America here? (It's under Carnival Corp.)

The cruise they offer from Montreal seem to sell for 400-500$/pp when you book at the last minute in early june. I am checking the rates right now and they are still high but I've been watching them for a few years and the lower rates seem to come back every year.

I checked and the perception I have from them would be "Disney stripped from the Mouse" aka the ship's look is very classic and activities "toned down Carnival" with a casual chic dress code.

I am very much intrigued and interested.

I just wonder if they will give me the low price if I book ealrier than 2 weeks in advance.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Make sure he wins!  Life is not complete until you have a ship on a stick! View attachment 328905



Ahhh. Love those. John Heald sent us a little gift once and there was a ship on a stick in it. We proudly show it off in our living room. LOL


----------



## mevelandry

disneyfan551 said:


> Add me to sailing the Carnival Magic on June 30, 2018!  Thanks!!



I added your dates but let me know how many days and itinerary please, so I can add it.  

It's very soon. You must be excited!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Has anybody ever tried Holland America here? (It's under Carnival Corp.)
> 
> The cruise they offer from Montreal seem to sell for 400-500$/pp when you book at the last minute in early june. I am checking the rates right now and they are still high but I've been watching them for a few years and the lower rates seem to come back every year.
> 
> I checked and the perception I have from them would be "Disney stripped from the Mouse" aka the ship's look is very classic and activities "toned down Carnival" with a casual chic dress code.
> 
> I am very much intrigued and interested.
> 
> I just wonder if they will give me the low price if I book ealrier than 2 weeks in advance.


I haven’t tried them yet but I did get stuck walking behind a bunch of their passengers when I started the check in process in Vancouver last week for our Wonder cruise. Let’s just say, at almost 50 years old - I would have been the youngest on the ship that day.


----------



## belle032

disneyfan551 said:


> Add me to sailing the Carnival Magic on June 30, 2018!  Thanks!!



We got married on the Magic last year! It’s a great ship. Hope you have an amazing time!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

We disembarked from our Alaska cruise on the Wonder yesterday and it was a very nice cruise. The food in Cabanas has improved from our last cruise so that was a plus. Service was good to very good but I really hate the “Excellent” speech from the servers. 

The Wonder looks great and shows were all typical Disney so all in all it was a great cruise and Alaska is freaking amazing!!

I did miss Guy’s and Blue Iguana and being able to grab some ice cream late night and hang out with my kids in Lido to talk about the day. Usually on DCL we’re able to hang out on deck and do that but in Alaska it was way too cold so we had to grab ice cream and we hung out in their cabin to end the day.

We did book a placeholder but don’t know if we’ll use it or not though. We do plan to try the new Disney ship in 2021 but think we’ll stick to Carnival and Royal Caribbean until then. 

Let me know if you have any questions about the Wonder or Alaska. 

Jack


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I haven’t tried them yet but I did get stuck walking behind a bunch of their passengers when I started the check in process in Vancouver last week for our Wonder cruise. Let’s just say, at almost 50 years old - I would have been the youngest on the ship that day.



We are definitely expecting an older crowd as Canada-New England cruises tend to attract them. But I'm fine with it. I enjoy the company of seniors very much.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We disembarked from our Alaska cruise on the Wonder yesterday and it was a very nice cruise. The food in Cabanas has improved from our last cruise so that was a plus. Service was good to very good but I really hate the “Excellent” speech from the servers.
> 
> The Wonder looks great and shows were all typical Disney so all in all it was a great cruise and Alaska is freaking amazing!!
> 
> I did miss Guy’s and Blue Iguana and being able to grab some ice cream late night and hang out with my kids in Lido to talk about the day. Usually on DCL we’re able to hang out on deck and do that but in Alaska it was way too cold so we had to grab ice cream and we hung out in their cabin to end the day.
> 
> We did book a placeholder but don’t know if we’ll use it or not though. We do plan to try the new Disney ship in 2021 but think we’ll stick to Carnival and Royal Caribbean until then.
> 
> Let me know if you have any questions about the Wonder or Alaska.
> 
> Jack




I like that the "excellent speech" they do on DCL is just a mention they do during the "goodbye show" on Carnival.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> We are definitely expecting an older crowd as Canada-New England cruises tend to attract them. But I'm fine with it. I enjoy the company of seniors very much.


I'm expecting an older crowd even on Disney. I like the DCL cruises that have less kids and a mixture of families and retirees. I met some very interesting people on our transatlantic. I spent a great deal of time talking to a man in his late 70's who had cruised all over the world including Anartica. He was a fascinating person to talk to and I got some great information about traveling to Asia. Like you I very much enjoy the company of seniors.


----------



## diseverestfan

mevelandry said:


> Alright guys! ROLL CALL!!!!!
> 
> I have just started the roll call at the end of post #1!
> 
> Let me know what Carnival cruises you have coming in 2018-2019-2020 and I will add them!



Carnival Elation, October 22nd 2018. First Carnival cruise after 2 with Disney.


----------



## mevelandry

diseverestfan said:


> Carnival Elation, October 22nd 2018. First Carnival cruise after 2 with Disney.



Added!

I don't know if I ever told you but... Let us know if you have any questions regarding your cruise.   We'll be happy to help.


----------



## cruiser21

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We disembarked from our Alaska cruise on the Wonder yesterday and it was a very nice cruise. The food in Cabanas has improved from our last cruise so that was a plus. Service was good to very good but I really hate the “Excellent” speech from the servers.
> 
> The Wonder looks great and shows were all typical Disney so all in all it was a great cruise and Alaska is freaking amazing!!
> 
> I did miss Guy’s and Blue Iguana and being able to grab some ice cream late night and hang out with my kids in Lido to talk about the day. Usually on DCL we’re able to hang out on deck and do that but in Alaska it was way too cold so we had to grab ice cream and we hung out in their cabin to end the day.
> 
> We did book a placeholder but don’t know if we’ll use it or not though. We do plan to try the new Disney ship in 2021 but think we’ll stick to Carnival and Royal Caribbean until then.
> 
> Let me know if you have any questions about the Wonder or Alaska.
> 
> Jack


I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise. I can understand your reluctance to sail on DCL in the future. We're at a point where we really need two rooms. 4 adults in one room is getting a bit too cozy. I say adults because one is 5 10 and one is 5 7...both still growing. Mentally not adults but physically they are. Even with the price reduction on the Quebec cruise it was still little over 5400 for two inside rooms. Our wbta next year is 5600 total for two rooms. These are both reasonably priced cruises especially the TA. There's very few cruises I'm going to find on DCL where I can book two rooms at a semi reasonable price.


----------



## belle032

Please correct me if I’m wrong but there is not any sort of beverage package on DCL, right?

DH and I usually get the beverage package on our Carnival cruises, mainly for convenience and no surprises at the end of the trip. 

Just wondering what to budget for a 7 day DCL!


----------



## diseverestfan

mevelandry said:


> Added!
> 
> I don't know if I ever told you but... Let us know if you have any questions regarding your cruise.   We'll be happy to help.



Thank you so much! It really was from reading this thread that convinced me to give Carnival a try. It will be myself (Mike) and my two teenage daughters going on this trip. We are both excited and a little nervous...hoping that we're not disappointed after our cruises on the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream.

That said, we've talked a lot about this, and we all realize that it's not really fair to compare the 2 experiences. I fully believe we're going to have an amazing time, and I know that my wallet is appreciating this trip a whole lot more than the first 2 cruises!


----------



## cruiser21

belle032 said:


> Please correct me if I’m wrong but there is not any sort of beverage package on DCL, right?
> 
> DH and I usually get the beverage package on our Carnival cruises, mainly for convenience and no surprises at the end of the trip.
> 
> Just wondering what to budget for a 7 day DCL!


No, but you can add onboard credit to your account. I always do this. I'd average about 10 dollars per drink. Disney does make the drinks strong if that's any consolation. You can also bring on wine and beer at every port.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Please correct me if I’m wrong but there is not any sort of beverage package on DCL, right?
> 
> DH and I usually get the beverage package on our Carnival cruises, mainly for convenience and no surprises at the end of the trip.
> 
> Just wondering what to budget for a 7 day DCL!



No beverage package. At best you can buy a wine package that will give you a certain number of bottles of wine but that's it.


----------



## mevelandry

diseverestfan said:


> Thank you so much! It really was from reading this thread that convinced me to give Carnival a try. It will be myself (Mike) and my two teenage daughters going on this trip. We are both excited and a little nervous...hoping that we're not disappointed after our cruises on the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream.
> 
> That said, we've talked a lot about this, and we all realize that it's not really fair to compare the 2 experiences. I fully believe we're going to have an amazing time, and I know that my wallet is appreciating this trip a whole lot more than the first 2 cruises!



I agree. As I always say... You will not find Mickey on the Carnival ships. However, I believe the cruising experience on Carnival can be just as good (if not better depending on your taste and what you are looking for) as DCL and the money saved can definitely help you to upgrade certain areas in order to make it a memorable experience.

Once again, let us know if you need advices regarding this.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> No, but you can add onboard credit to your account. I always do this. I'd average about 10 dollars per drink. Disney does make the drinks strong if that's any consolation. You can also bring on wine and beer at every port.



Same. Except I calculate 12,50$ per drink... because I like fancy drinks.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

diseverestfan said:


> Thank you so much! It really was from reading this thread that convinced me to give Carnival a try. It will be myself (Mike) and my two teenage daughters going on this trip. We are both excited and a little nervous...hoping that we're not disappointed after our cruises on the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream.
> 
> That said, we've talked a lot about this, and we all realize that it's not really fair to compare the 2 experiences. I fully believe we're going to have an amazing time, and I know that my wallet is appreciating this trip a whole lot more than the first 2 cruises!


What ports are you going to?  One of the things I really like about Carnival is they go to so many different Caribbean ports.


----------



## diseverestfan

we"reofftoneverland said:


> What ports are you going to?  One of the things I really like about Carnival is they go to so many different Caribbean ports.



Nassau and Half Moon Cay. Been to Nassau before, looking forward to HMC.


----------



## mevelandry

diseverestfan said:


> Nassau and Half Moon Cay. Been to Nassau before, looking forward to HMC.



I'm supposed to go to HMC too in October. If it happens (because you know... hurricane season!) I will post a lot of picture and add a review/comparison with Castaway Cay right here!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

diseverestfan said:


> Nassau and Half Moon Cay. Been to Nassau before, looking forward to HMC.


We just went to HM C last March.  Loved it!  Go get your tender tickets asap in the morning.  Do not wait for them to tell you what to do.  Find out where they are distributing them and just go there regardless of what floor you are on or however they try to break it up.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Same. Except I calculate 12,50$ per drink... because I like fancy drinks.


I alternate between beer and Martinis so it' evens out. I discovered on the last cruise I really like Belgium beer.  If my dh is on the cruise we get the wine package which I think is a pretty good deal. I forget th mention to pp poster that there is a wine package. 7 bottles of wine is somewhere around 210. I can't remember the exact price. I do love a bottle of wine at dinner. Buying wine by the glass on DCL I find to to kind of a rip off. The pours are small and they  charge a  fortune. 
I don't know if I could drink enough to justify a drink package, but I do like having everything paid upfront.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I'm home!!!  It was nice to get away for 2 weeks but a surly teen made some of the trip not fun.  The woes of leaving your first girlfriend.  Ugh.

I promised pictures from our cruise so I will try post a few.

We always do a door decoration.  It's fun leading up to the cruise and makes it easy to find our room.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Isla Catalina, Dominican Republic.  This small island is a national park and there is not development other than bathrooms, bar/restaurant and a few shops.  No one lives on the island.  It was the most gorgeous beach I have ever been to.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

One more Isla Catalina


----------



## trvlgirlmq

The oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere is in Willemstad, Curacao.  The congregation was started by Portuguese Sephardic Jews who gained asylum from The Netherlands after being expelled from Spain/Portugal during the Inquisition.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

The Synagogue has the original sand floor that was used in many congregations during and after the Inquisitions.  Jews had to worship in secret so they used sand to muffle the sounds of the prayers.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Eagle Beach in Aruba.  It was VERY windy.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

My niece and I went to tea on the ship. I don't know why I keep trying but it is not good.  The macarons are hard and tasteless and the scone was incredibly dry and there were not strawberry preserves.  I'm very critical of my tea time!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I think we clean up pretty well!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Now that the laundry is done and groceries bought I can start planning next year!  Unfortunately, I think we will have to cancel our planned Princess British Isles cruise.  Number crunching says we will not make our monetary goal  I think my mom wants to go back to WDW and do a longer trip.  I'm kind of over it and we do have DL planned for 2020 along with our Panorama cruise but she is Queen and she has spoken


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> My niece and I went to tea on the ship. I don't know why I keep trying but it is not good.  The macarons are hard and tasteless and the scone was incredibly dry and there were not strawberry preserves.  I'm very critical of my tea time!



Ah... Same thing happened to me the first time. On the Victory in April 2018, everything was good and fresh though. It's really hit or miss.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I think we clean up pretty well!



Nice family picture!!!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Now that the laundry is done and groceries bought I can start planning next year!  Unfortunately, I think we will have to cancel our planned Princess British Isles cruise.  Number crunching says we will not make our monetary goal  I think my mom wants to go back to WDW and do a longer trip.  I'm kind of over it and we do have DL planned for 2020 along with our Panorama cruise but she is Queen and she has spoken



Can't you find a cheaper option for the British Isle cruise? The itinerary sounded so much nicer than WDW...


----------



## lovin'fl

For the roll call, and I am sooooo excited!

October 6, 2018 @lovin'fl  - 8 nights Eastern Caribbean - Horizon

Booked the night before the cruise at Copper Creek and the night after getting off cruise at DHHIR. We also have friends joining us on the cruise for their first Carnival and our (something like) 10th.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> I'm home!!!  It was nice to get away for 2 weeks but a surly teen made some of the trip not fun.  The woes of leaving your first girlfriend.  Ugh.
> 
> I promised pictures from our cruise so I will try post a few.
> 
> We always do a door decoration.  It's fun leading up to the cruise and makes it easy to find our room.


Oh wow, did you make that?  I love it!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Oh wow, did you make that?  I love it!



I helped pick out the motif but my mom is the crafty one and she did all the creative work.


----------



## mevelandry

lovin'fl said:


> For the roll call, and I am sooooo excited!
> 
> October 6, 2018 @lovin'fl  - 8 nights Eastern Caribbean - Horizon
> 
> Booked the night before the cruise at Copper Creek and the night after getting off cruise at DHHIR. We also have friends joining us on the cruise for their first Carnival and our (something like) 10th.



Yayyyyy!!! I just added your cruise to the roll call!!!  

So jealous you're going to experience the Horizon!


----------



## mevelandry

lovin'fl said:


> For the roll call, and I am sooooo excited!
> 
> October 6, 2018 @lovin'fl  - 8 nights Eastern Caribbean - Horizon
> 
> Booked the night before the cruise at Copper Creek and the night after getting off cruise at DHHIR. We also have friends joining us on the cruise for their first Carnival and our (something like) 10th.



I am shocked. I did not even know that Disney had a resort in Hilton Head. How did I miss that info?!?!?!?


----------



## lovin'fl

mevelandry said:


> I am shocked. I did not even know that Disney had a resort in Hilton Head. How did I miss that info?!?!?!?


It's DVC. It is really nice and will be a great stop for the night. 
Cannot wait to try out the Horizon, bad reviews be darned. We have been on mostly the fantasy class of smaller older ships so this will be a nice treat. Also usually do 4-5 nighters. We did book the family harbor section because our friends wanted that since they'll have their kiddos. My kids will all be off in college so I hope it's not too wild and tot-like down there on that floor.


----------



## mevelandry

lovin'fl said:


> It's DVC. It is really nice and will be a great stop for the night.
> Cannot wait to try out the Horizon, bad reviews be darned. We have been on mostly the fantasy class of smaller older ships so this will be a nice treat. Also usually do 4-5 nighters. We did book the family harbor section because our friends wanted that since they'll have their kiddos. My kids will all be off in college so I hope it's not too wild and tot-like down there on that floor.



I don't know... While it is true that I have only cruised with Carnival three times, I don't understand the hate for the Vista & Horizon. I love the Vista so much... She's my favorite ship. The Horizon sounds even better.


----------



## lovin'fl

mevelandry said:


> I don't know... While it is true that I have only cruised with Carnival three times, I don't understand the hate for the Vista & Horizon. I love the Vista so much... She's my favorite ship. The Horizon sounds even better.


The one newer ship we did go on was our last cruise a couple years ago on the Magic and we LOVED it so I think we'll like the Horizon too.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I don't know... While it is true that I have only cruised with Carnival three times, I don't understand the hate for the Vista & Horizon. I love the Vista so much... She's my favorite ship. The Horizon sounds even better.


It seems to me that most of the complaints about Vista and Horizon are from long time Carnival passengers that hate the fact there are no glass atrium elevators and the layout is different than traditional Carnival ships. They all just can’t seem to get past those two things. Going from Disney to Vista as our first Carnival cruise I thought the layout made perfect sense and we love Vista too. I never thought I could like a ship better than the Disney Fantasy, but I certainly do like Vista more.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> It seems to me that most of the complaints about Vista and Horizon are from long time Carnival passengers that hate the fact there are no glass atrium elevators and the layout is different than traditional Carnival ships. They all just can’t seem to get past those two things. Going from Disney to Vista as our first Carnival cruise I thought the layout made perfect sense and we love Vista too. I never thought I could like a ship better than the Disney Fantasy, but I certainly do like Vista more.



Same here but with the Disney Dream. 

And I can do without the glass elevator too.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Oh, goodness, we are now looking at the 14 night Journey cruise on Triumph next May!  It has 8 sea days and only hits 5 ports; 4 of which we have never been (Colon, Panama-Puerto Limon, Costa Rica-Grand Cayman-Half Moon Cay). Much to discuss with the family over the next couple of days.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Oh, goodness, we are now looking at the 14 night Journey cruise on Triumph next May!  It has 8 sea days and only hits 5 ports; 4 of which we have never been (Colon, Panama-Puerto Limon, Costa Rica-Grand Cayman-Half Moon Cay). Much to discuss with the family over the next couple of days.



Grand Cayman 

You'd do that instead of the British Isle cruise?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Grand Cayman
> 
> You'd do that instead of the British Isle cruise?



Yes, we most definitely have to cancel  I'm super bummed but we don't like to go into debt for our vacation and if we can't meet budget then we must change plans.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Yes, we most definitely have to cancel  I'm super bummed but we don't like to go into debt for our vacation and if we can't meet budget then we must change plans.



Awww. I understand. 

IMHO, with very few exception (ex: a family member being terminally ill), I think it's stupid to go into debt for a vacation. 

Plus, it may not be 100% the trip you wanted to do but that doesn't mean it won't be amazing. By the way, I have friends who have been to Costa Rica and they loved it.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

trvlgirlmq said:


> Oh, goodness, we are now looking at the 14 night Journey cruise on Triumph next May!  It has 8 sea days and only hits 5 ports; 4 of which we have never been (Colon, Panama-Puerto Limon, Costa Rica-Grand Cayman-Half Moon Cay). Much to discuss with the family over the next couple of days.



I love Journey cruises - midnight buffet, Captain's Celebrations, crew connections, crafts on sea days - I love all of the extras that you get. Plus 80s throwback sea day, crew glee club, lectures and behind the seas tours and lectures.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> View attachment 327324 Picture: This beauty is the Veendam, docked in the Old Port of Montreal.
> 
> I guess we can never get enough cruises. DH and I are currently contemplating going on a Canada & New England cruise departing from our hometown, Montreal. However, I think only Holland America do it. I googled their ships. They look amazing (!!!) and if you book last minute, they have pretty amazing deals (400$/pp for an inside cabin for the one that was departing yesterday!) ...
> 
> We decided to sacrifice 1/3 of our usual "date night" weekly budget and put it into savings in order to try to squeeze one more cruise in next years schedule. We don't know if it's going to work but we want to try.



We did a 10-night on HAL from Quebec to NYC and it was one of our favorite cruise itineraries.  We loved the ship and we did got upgraded from an oceanview to a verandah -- the verandah is a necessity on this cruise!  I highly recommend this cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> We did a 10-night on HAL from Quebec to NYC and it was one of our favorite cruise itineraries.  We loved the ship and we did got upgraded from an oceanview to a verandah -- the verandah is a necessity on this cruise!  I highly recommend this cruise.



Sounds like the ship they use for that itinerary will be different next year.

I'll be honest, if we can manage to squeeze one more cruise in our schedule, chances are we are going to stick to an inside cabin to reduce the costs. However, it looks like each ship has many lounges and exterior sections, all offering a nice view.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Sounds like the ship they use for that itinerary will be different next year.
> 
> I'll be honest, if we can manage to squeeze one more cruise in our schedule, chances are we are going to stick to an inside cabin to reduce the costs. However, it looks like each ship has many lounges and exterior sections, all offering a nice view.



Yes, the lounges are great.  But be prepared to settle in for a nice viewing morning only to have the lounge taken over by a rumba class or other activity  LOL   My poor DH was shooed out of many a "quiet" non-open bar area by sudden loud activities.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Yes, the lounges are great.  But be prepared to settle in for a nice viewing morning only to have the lounge taken over by a rumba class or other activity  LOL   My poor DH was shooed out of many a "quiet" non-open bar area by sudden loud activities.



If I go on this cruise I'll try to pay attention to the schedule.


----------



## daisyx3

You can put us in the roll call for the Horizon, 6/23/19 6 night.  It will be our first cruise non DCL.  So I guess I will love the Horizon since I have no Carnival comparison. Someone on this board gave me the idea to book the Havana area, and a less crowded kid-free pool and hot tub set up sold me on it.  I've said this before, but our 6 night Carnival costs as much as our 3 night Fantasy next month.


----------



## LeslieG

RedSox68 said:


> We did a 10-night on HAL from Quebec to NYC and it was one of our favorite cruise itineraries.  We loved the ship and we did got upgraded from an oceanview to a verandah -- the verandah is a necessity on this cruise!  I highly recommend this cruise.



I was looking at HAL's Boston to Montreal cruises in the fall, but I wasn't sure about the atmosphere and activities that would be offered.    I imagine it's a much older crowd and wondering if the activities will reflect that.


----------



## mevelandry

daisyx3 said:


> You can put us in the roll call for the Horizon, 6/23/19 6 night.  It will be our first cruise non DCL.  So I guess I will love the Horizon since I have no Carnival comparison. Someone on this board gave me the idea to book the Havana area, and a less crowded kid-free pool and hot tub set up sold me on it.  I've said this before, but our 6 night Carnival costs as much as our 3 night Fantasy next month.




Congrats! I added you to the roll call. 

I think if you keep your heart and your mind open you might enjoy the Carnival difference (not sure I phrase this correctly but I mean that some things Carnival does differently are quite pleasant). 

I have done a similar itinerary but on the Vista (similar to the Horizon) non-Havana and it is still my favorite cruise experience so far. I can imagine how nice the Havana section must be (on top of the rest). 

If I may suggest: IMO the Steakhouse (35$/pp), Jiji Asian Kitchen dinner (15$/pp) and Bonsai Sushi (à la carte) are outstanding and I recommend you book them (Bonsai is walk-in though). 

If you like barbecue, Pig and Anchor is great (I'm obsessed with it.) The counter is included. The restaurant is extra $ but still affordable (I'm dying to try it!). 

Can't wait to see what you'll think of it.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> If I go on this cruise I'll try to pay attention to the schedule.



And some of the activities weren't even on the schedule or announced -- must have been last minute stuff or a private group event.


----------



## mevelandry

I can't wait...


----------



## belle032

Just booked our flights for our September cruise! Could not pass up the $89 non stop from Buffalo to Ft. Lauderdale. So its SW down and JetBlue back. Both nonstop so I'll consider this a win!

And got a email from the upgrade fairy to go from an interior on deck 7 to a balcony on deck six for $498  Ummm I could book another cruise for that! Needless to say...I passed.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Just booked our flights for our September cruise! Could not pass up the $89 non stop from Buffalo to Ft. Lauderdale. So its SW down and JetBlue back. Both nonstop so I'll consider this a win!
> 
> And got a email from the upgrade fairy to go from an interior on deck 7 to a balcony on deck six for $498  Ummm I could book another cruise for that! Needless to say...I passed.



I always get e-mails to upgrade from interior to a port hole. Never got a balcony offer. But, yes... 498$ is almost the price of a cruise.


----------



## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> Yes, we most definitely have to cancel  I'm super bummed but we don't like to go into debt for our vacation and if we can't meet budget then we must change plans.


I understand. Just about every cruise I book more then 3-4 months out gets cancelled or changed. There are a lot of cruises I'd like to do, but I can't afford or I should say I don't have the patience to save up for them. It's more the later because given enough time I guess I could afford just about anything. Sometimes I envy people that can spend two years saving up for their dream vacation. Unfortunately I get antsy and need to cruise at least twice a year.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I understand. Just about every cruise I book more then 3-4 months out gets cancelled or changed. There are a lot of cruises I'd like to do, but I can't afford or I should say I don't have the patience to save up for them. It's more the later because given enough time I guess I could afford just about anything. Sometimes I envy people that can spend two years saving up for their dream vacation. Unfortunately I get antsy and need to cruise at least twice a year.



Same. We had this big Eastern cruise with NCL planned for next spring. We cancelled it as the amount would cover our fall cruise + the "replacement cruise" we booked for April instead.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

We just cancelled an X cruise we had booked for next spring break and replaced it with a Carnival Breeze cruise.  Both cruises were  similarly priced if you consider the $600 onboard credit plus gratuities X Equinox was throwing in.  But honestly, we have never spent $600 while on a cruise, except for an onboard booking.  We always end up booking our own excursions and just do not end up spending much on ship.  Generally a few coffees and a few t-shirts.  lol.   The Breeze is Eastern out of Canaveral and X was Western out of Fort Lauderdale.  We drive, so prefer Canaveral.  And X was for window cabins, while we booked balconies on CCL.  We really want to try X, but really prefer the CCL cruise!!  Anyway, happy with the switch.  It seems like every time we look at or book somewhere else lately, we end up back at CCL.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We just cancelled an X cruise we had booked for next spring break and replaced it with a Carnival Breeze cruise.  Both cruises were  similarly priced if you consider the $600 onboard credit plus gratuities X Equinox was throwing in.  But honestly, we have never spent $600 while on a cruise, except for an onboard booking.  We always end up booking our own excursions and just do not end up spending much on ship.  Generally a few coffees and a few t-shirts.  lol.   The Breeze is Eastern out of Canaveral and X was Western out of Fort Lauderdale.  We drive, so prefer Canaveral.  And X was for window cabins, while we booked balconies on CCL.  We really want to try X, but really prefer the CCL cruise!!  Anyway, happy with the switch.  It seems like every time we look at or book somewhere else lately, we end up back at CCL.



Where are you going? Do we have it on the roll call?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Where are you going? Do we have it on the roll call?


It is to Grand Turk, St. Thomas, San Juan, and Amber Cove.  3/9/19


----------



## trvlgirlmq

cruiser21 said:


> I understand. Just about every cruise I book more then 3-4 months out gets cancelled or changed. There are a lot of cruises I'd like to do, but I can't afford or I should say I don't have the patience to save up for them. It's more the later because given enough time I guess I could afford just about anything. Sometimes I envy people that can spend two years saving up for their dream vacation. Unfortunately I get antsy and need to cruise at least twice a year.



I think we have picked our replacement vacation.  Not WDW or a cruise. We are going to France for 2 blissful weeks in the Dordogne (perigord noir) area.  We can do the whole trip for just what the Princess cruise would have cost (not all the add on's like airfare, hotel, excursions, etc).  We will rent a house with a pool, a car and spend our days at markets, touring chateau and seeing prehistoric caves.  Maybe another canoe trip too.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> It is to Grand Turk, St. Thomas, San Juan, and Amber Cove.  3/9/19



Forgive me as I think the date format is different in french (which would be September 3rd, 2019)... Are going in March or September?


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I think we have picked our replacement vacation.  Not WDW or a cruise. We are going to France for 2 blissful weeks in the Dordogne (perigord noir) area.  We can do the whole trip for just what the Princess cruise would have cost (not all the add on's like airfare, hotel, excursions, etc).  We will rent a house with a pool, a car and spend our days at markets, touring chateau and seeing prehistoric caves.  Maybe another canoe trip too.






I just googled it. Wow.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Forgive me as I think the date format is different in french (which would be September 3rd, 2019)... Are going in March or September?


March!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> I just googled it. Wow.



So far it's my favorite part of France (aside from Paris of course).  You can come be my interpreter   Actually, my DS will be taking French this school year so this will give him practice.  I totally suck at languages other than English unfortunately.


----------



## belle032

Going back and forth on whether or not to get the beverage package for our 8 day. It seems so expensive but we love the convenience and having no surprises at the end of the week. Kind of like the DDP!  #cruiseproblems


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> March!



This one? 

https://www.carnival.com/itinerary/...sts=2&rateCode=&roomType=IS&sailDate=03102019


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> So far it's my favorite part of France (aside from Paris of course).  You can come be my interpreter   Actually, my DS will be taking French this school year so this will give him practice.  I totally suck at languages other than English unfortunately.



French is not easy. Even french people mess it up.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Going back and forth on whether or not to get the beverage package for our 8 day. It seems so expensive but we love the convenience and having no surprises at the end of the week. Kind of like the DDP!  #cruiseproblems



DH and I never buy the package, however, since we do know approximately how many drinks (+ coffee + soft drinks) we will most likely drink and we order enough "cruise cash" online in advance that goes right on our account)... It usually covers all our drinks + some extras and it is less expensive than the package. 

I usually have one to two drinks + specialty coffee or iced cap or soft drink per day = 25$ per day. 

So for my October cruise of 5 nights, I bought 125$ of cruise cash for my trip.


----------



## MickeyD

Sorry, things uploaded weird, so I deleted my reply, which I saw was already answered. It didn't show originally.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

I keep trying to paste a screen shot of the cruise but ugh, I am so technologically challenged! C'est difficile pour moi!

It is Breeze Eastern March 9, 2019 out of Orlando/Canaveral.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I keep trying to paste a screen shot of the cruise but ugh, I am so technologically challenged! C'est difficile pour moi!
> 
> It is Breeze Eastern March 9, 2019 out of Orlando/Canaveral.



I just added it to the roll call.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> DH and I never buy the package, however, since we do know approximately how many drinks (+ coffee + soft drinks) we will most likely drink and we order enough "cruise cash" online in advance that goes right on our account)... It usually covers all our drinks + some extras and it is less expensive than the package.
> 
> I usually have one to two drinks + specialty coffee or iced cap or soft drink per day = 25$ per day.
> 
> So for my October cruise of 5 nights, I bought 125$ of cruise cash for my trip.



Not on Carnival (yet), but on NCL we have been offered the drink package twice as a choice to pick -- but when I found out the gratuities they automatically tack on come to about $250, then that (in our opinion) is no longer free, but way more than we would even spend on drinks.  Seriously, my DH might get a beer or wine everyday, but I get one or two drinks the whole week and I'm good.  If we spend $20/day it still only comes to $140 for a 7 night cruise.  Way cheaper to skip that "deal".  We go for the free WiFi and specialty dining -- which for us is a nice treat and the total gratuities they tack on are $12/pp.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Not on Carnival (yet), but on NCL we have been offered the drink package twice as a choice to pick -- but when I found out the gratuities they automatically tack on come to about $250, then that (in our opinion) is no longer free, but way more than we would even spend on drinks.  Seriously, my DH might get a beer or wine everyday, but I get one or two drinks the whole week and I'm good.  If we spend $20/day it still only comes to $140 for a 7 night cruise.  Way cheaper to skip that "deal".  We go for the free WiFi and specialty dining -- which for us is a nice treat and the total gratuities they tack on are $12/pp.



Yes, for some of us, packages is not a good value at all. I think my husband and I could make it work if we added lots of specialty coffee and evian water... but at this point, it becomes an effort instead of a commodity.


----------



## belle032

RedSox68 said:


> Not on Carnival (yet), but on NCL we have been offered the drink package twice as a choice to pick -- but when I found out the gratuities they automatically tack on come to about $250, then that (in our opinion) is no longer free, but way more than we would even spend on drinks.  Seriously, my DH might get a beer or wine everyday, but I get one or two drinks the whole week and I'm good.  If we spend $20/day it still only comes to $140 for a 7 night cruise.  Way cheaper to skip that "deal".  We go for the free WiFi and specialty dining -- which for us is a nice treat and the total gratuities they tack on are $12/pp.



I do wish Carnival would offer a deal on the package like NCL or discount it sometimes like RC. Not sure why they haven’t, it would be a huge incentive. 

DH and I enjoy our drinks on cruises.  He’s a big guy and can go through a few beers just sitting by the pool. We like to have coffees in the morning, drinks by the pool, wine with dinner, drinks at the comedy shows, etc. So even though it’s not for everyone and we might lose a little on it, we generally just like the convenience and we aren’t hit with a huge bill at the end of the trip!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I do wish Carnival would offer a deal on the package like NCL or discount it sometimes like RC. Not sure why they haven’t, it would be a huge incentive.
> 
> DH and I enjoy our drinks on cruises.  He’s a big guy and can go through a few beers just sitting by the pool. We like to have coffees in the morning, drinks by the pool, wine with dinner, drinks at the comedy shows, etc. So even though it’s not for everyone and we might lose a little on it, we generally just like the convenience and we aren’t hit with a huge bill at the end of the trip!



Isn't it the Carnival Package wayyyyy less expensive than NCL, though? (NCL 89$/pp per day and Carnival 52$/pp per day)


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Isn't it the Carnival Package wayyyyy less expensive than NCL, though? (NCL 89$/pp per day and Carnival 52$/pp per day)


Ncl is usually free.


----------



## ToyStory3

Mini-Review of Carnival Magic

We just got off the Carnival Magic last Saturday.  Wanted to come share our thoughts since prior to this we mainly cruised DCL and that's all our kids had been on before Carnival.  We decided to try Carnival because all of our extended family decided to go on a cruise for my parent's golden anniversary.  There were 16 of us in total.  Going on Disney was never even on the table simply because of price.   No one even suggested DCL because of the cost.  This was already going to be an expensive trip since we were treating our parents.  And, a couple families of 5 were already going to have to get 2 cabins and purchase plane tickets, etc.

We (my immediate family) made up our minds that we were going to have a great time being with everyone, but we knew it wouldn't quite compare to our DCL cruises. We kept our expectations somewhat low but as I was reading about the Carnival Magic I was already starting to get excited about it.  It had so many great features and it looked like a beautiful ship.  Overall we absolutely loved the Carnival Magic and had an amazing time!  I'll break down our comparison.

Pros of Carnival Magic:

The biggest pro of the whole cruise and this was also the most surprising....the food was absolutely AMAZING!  It blew us all away.  I've been on a few Carnival cruises many years ago and thought the food was fine.  Nothing exceptional.  This was hands-down the best food I've ever had on any cruise.  My parents have been on over 20 cruises on every cruise line imaginable (Celebrity, Costa, Princess, Norwegian, etc.) and they agreed that they've never had better food.  In the main dining room, the quick-service, Guys Burgers, everywhere.  One of my favorite meals of the trip was dinner at the buffet on the Lido Deck.  The exceptions to this were the breakfast buffet.  I do think DCLs is better.  And, the desserts in the buffet were nothing to write home about.  But, other than that it was exceptional.  They have so many more choices than DCL.  The Blue Iguana was Mexican quick service with a huge salsa bar - they even have breakfast burritos.  They had Guys Burgers which was delicious!  Not typical fast food burgers at all.  Guys Pig and Anchor BBQ.  Asian quick service.  But, the main dining room food was so good.  Each of us raved about it every night.  And, they have steaks on their "offered every night" menu.  I thought it would be a really cheap cut, but after we realized how good it was someone from our party ordered it almost every night.  One morning we had brunch in the dining room and ordered steak and eggs.  These are not usually steaks to get excited about....it was filet mignon.  You could cut it with a butter knife. Lunch time on sea days was a frenzy of trying to pick what to have and where to go because there were so many good options.
There were whirlpools everywhere.  Spread out over many different decks which helped spread out the crowds and was a nice surprise.  They were nice and cool, too, so they were comfortable to sit in even in the heat.
The Red Frog Pub was a favorite of the adults.  It felt like a hometown pub that you could sit back and enjoy.  We could sit inside or outside and really enjoyed it.
Our room steward was just as amazing as our DCL room stewards.  He came twice a day.  Kept everything in perfect order and made sure our room was clean.  He took great care of us.
There were 2 ice cream stations and they were open 24 hours.  The kids were probably here about 50% of the cruise.
The private adult deck (Serenity Deck) was wonderful!  They have huge loungers, big flat hammocks for 2, big clam shells for 2 that have some shade.  It was heavenly!  The chair hogs put a little damper on it but once you found a spot it was great.
I kept telling my kids before our cruise not to rub it into their cousins all of the great amenities on the disney cruises.  I didn't want to make them feel like this was a lesser vacation.  That was not a problem!  There were so many amenities and things for the kids to do it would not have ever entered their minds.  There was a huge space devoted to kids with a splash pad (meant for kids of all ages - not just toddlers) water slides, etc.  They also had an obstacle course, mini gold, all kinds of sports. 
Pros of DCL:

The experience in the Main Dining rooms on DCL is still better.  I love the theming, having the waiters rotate with you, the experience.  It is truly magical on DCL and we missed that.  And, your servers really getting to know you happens much more on DCL. But, the servers on Carnival really went out of their way to provide great service and always did.
Breakfast buffet on DCL is great IMO and slightly better than Carnival Magic.
Love the overall Disney theming and constant Disney movies playing on the big screen and in your rooms.  We definitely missed that.
The chair hogs on Carnival were horrible.  And, no one seemed to address it.  It was very hard to get lounges and chairs at times because they were all "held" with someone's personal item.  It was really frustrating.  Others said that staff will address it if you point it out...but I didn't feel like I should have to do that.  But, there were always quiet spots that weren't crowded where you could find a seat.
Staff on the Carnival Magic were always cleaning.  They worked so hard and were always sweeping, dusting, etc.  But, somehow it just wasn't kept as nice as DCL.  It was sad - we would see people who dropped plates of food, dropped ice cream cones, spilled drinks, etc. sometimes on the stairs or in hallways.  It was frustrating.  So, it never seemed that Carnival was just letting things go.  But, more that the passengers were less respectful in some ways.
The kids clubs on Carnival looked really fun and were themed nicely.  But, the kids didn't seem to have as much interest in them.  It was more of an after-thought.  DCL's have the edge and definitely have that "magical" touch that draws you in.  Although....my kids don't typically use them on either ship much.  That's just their preference.
I like the DCL includes soda without a package.  We didn't buy the package because we are OK with lemonade and tea.  But, a soda here or there would have been very nice.
The guest services line was always long - it didn't seem like they had enough people working the desk.  And, they seemed a little "burned out".  We did have an itinerary change on our cruise because of a medical emergency on the cruise right before ours which made them get into port late.  So, I'm sure there were a lot of scheduling and excursion changes which probably contributed.  But, we dreaded going to guest services and waiting in their line.
I hated how Carnival tracked their pool towels.  You had 4 in your room at the beginning of the cruise.  They would exchange them if you left them on the floor for a clean one.  But, if you took it to the pool and left it their they would potentially charge you $20 and assume that you were taking it home.  This happened to us and to our brother's family.  The kids don't realize they're not supposed to keep it with them at all times and left it at a pool.  We did speak to our room steward when this happened and he happily provided a new one to us without charge.  But, I didn't like having this loom over us during the trip and worrying about keeping track of them.
I missed the Disney touches.  Especially the little song before the announcements and the Disney themed horns.
We missed being able to sign up for "tastings" in the bars.  Either Carnival doesn't have these or we couldn't find them.
The rooms were nice and big on Carnival - but we really missed the split bathrooms on DCL!  And, the nice toiletries that they provide. 
Other:

I think the pools on all ships are overall disappointing.  They all seem small and crowded.
Service on DCL and Carnival were both amazing.  Everyone we passed on Carnival said hello and greeted us with a huge smile.  We would meet a staff member (bartender or whoever) and they would remember you by name days later.
I'm not really into the entertainment and shows.  I didn't go to a single one on Carnival and have only been to a few on DCL.  So, I can't really comment.  It's just not my thing.
Both ships had great "movies under the stars" in the evenings which are a lot of fun.  We watched Black Panther, Last Jedi, Wonder, etc. in the evenings on Carnival.
On Carnival's older ships I was never impressed with the gaudy decor.  This wasn't the case at all on the Magic!  It was beautifully themed.  And, we absolutely love the decor and theming on DCL, too.

DCL is still our favorite.  It's nearest and dearest to our hearts and we found ourselves missing some of the Disney touches and feeling like the servers are almost family.  But, Carnival was right behind as a close second and we were pleasantly surprised with how much we liked it.  It's literally half the cost so we won't hesitate to do Carnival again.  But, I do believe you have to be selective in choosing a ship with Carnival.  I'm not sure all of this would be true on their older ships.  The Magic was really great.  Hope this helps!


----------



## cruiser21

I agree with above poster on Carnival food it blows DCL away. I guess the silver lining is I don't gain weight on Disney cruises.
We docked next to the Vista in Miami last month. She sailed past us a couple of times. I saw lots of kids onboard and this was before school was out. It looks like a fun family ship.


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## belle032

@ToyStory3 Great review! Glad to hear you liked the Magic. We got married on her last year so she’s a little special to us! 

That class of ships seems to be the favorite of many people (Magic, Dream, Breeze). We really like it and the class directly “below” it. It’s a nice balance of not being huge and over the top but still offering tons to do.

Can’t wait to compare DCL next year!


----------



## mevelandry

ToyStory3 said:


> Mini-Review of Carnival Magic
> 
> We just got off the Carnival Magic last Saturday.  Wanted to come share our thoughts since prior to this we mainly cruised DCL and that's all our kids had been on before Carnival.  We decided to try Carnival because all of our extended family decided to go on a cruise for my parent's golden anniversary.  There were 16 of us in total.  Going on Disney was never even on the table simply because of price.   No one even suggested DCL because of the cost.  This was already going to be an expensive trip since we were treating our parents.  And, a couple families of 5 were already going to have to get 2 cabins and purchase plane tickets, etc.
> 
> We (my immediate family) made up our minds that we were going to have a great time being with everyone, but we knew it wouldn't quite compare to our DCL cruises. We kept our expectations somewhat low but as I was reading about the Carnival Magic I was already starting to get excited about it.  It had so many great features and it looked like a beautiful ship.  Overall we absolutely loved the Carnival Magic and had an amazing time!  I'll break down our comparison.
> 
> Pros of Carnival Magic:
> 
> The biggest pro of the whole cruise and this was also the most surprising....the food was absolutely AMAZING!  It blew us all away.  I've been on a few Carnival cruises many years ago and thought the food was fine.  Nothing exceptional.  This was hands-down the best food I've ever had on any cruise.  My parents have been on over 20 cruises on every cruise line imaginable (Celebrity, Costa, Princess, Norwegian, etc.) and they agreed that they've never had better food.  In the main dining room, the quick-service, Guys Burgers, everywhere.  One of my favorite meals of the trip was dinner at the buffet on the Lido Deck.  The exceptions to this were the breakfast buffet.  I do think DCLs is better.  And, the desserts in the buffet were nothing to write home about.  But, other than that it was exceptional.  They have so many more choices than DCL.  The Blue Iguana was Mexican quick service with a huge salsa bar - they even have breakfast burritos.  They had Guys Burgers which was delicious!  Not typical fast food burgers at all.  Guys Pig and Anchor BBQ.  Asian quick service.  But, the main dining room food was so good.  Each of us raved about it every night.  And, they have steaks on their "offered every night" menu.  I thought it would be a really cheap cut, but after we realized how good it was someone from our party ordered it almost every night.  One morning we had brunch in the dining room and ordered steak and eggs.  These are not usually steaks to get excited about....it was filet mignon.  You could cut it with a butter knife. Lunch time on sea days was a frenzy of trying to pick what to have and where to go because there were so many good options.
> There were whirlpools everywhere.  Spread out over many different decks which helped spread out the crowds and was a nice surprise.  They were nice and cool, too, so they were comfortable to sit in even in the heat.
> The Red Frog Pub was a favorite of the adults.  It felt like a hometown pub that you could sit back and enjoy.  We could sit inside or outside and really enjoyed it.
> Our room steward was just as amazing as our DCL room stewards.  He came twice a day.  Kept everything in perfect order and made sure our room was clean.  He took great care of us.
> There were 2 ice cream stations and they were open 24 hours.  The kids were probably here about 50% of the cruise.
> The private adult deck (Serenity Deck) was wonderful!  They have huge loungers, big flat hammocks for 2, big clam shells for 2 that have some shade.  It was heavenly!  The chair hogs put a little damper on it but once you found a spot it was great.
> I kept telling my kids before our cruise not to rub it into their cousins all of the great amenities on the disney cruises.  I didn't want to make them feel like this was a lesser vacation.  That was not a problem!  There were so many amenities and things for the kids to do it would not have ever entered their minds.  There was a huge space devoted to kids with a splash pad (meant for kids of all ages - not just toddlers) water slides, etc.  They also had an obstacle course, mini gold, all kinds of sports.
> Pros of DCL:
> 
> The experience in the Main Dining rooms on DCL is still better.  I love the theming, having the waiters rotate with you, the experience.  It is truly magical on DCL and we missed that.  And, your servers really getting to know you happens much more on DCL. But, the servers on Carnival really went out of their way to provide great service and always did.
> Breakfast buffet on DCL is great IMO and slightly better than Carnival Magic.
> Love the overall Disney theming and constant Disney movies playing on the big screen and in your rooms.  We definitely missed that.
> The chair hogs on Carnival were horrible.  And, no one seemed to address it.  It was very hard to get lounges and chairs at times because they were all "held" with someone's personal item.  It was really frustrating.  Others said that staff will address it if you point it out...but I didn't feel like I should have to do that.  But, there were always quiet spots that weren't crowded where you could find a seat.
> Staff on the Carnival Magic were always cleaning.  They worked so hard and were always sweeping, dusting, etc.  But, somehow it just wasn't kept as nice as DCL.  It was sad - we would see people who dropped plates of food, dropped ice cream cones, spilled drinks, etc. sometimes on the stairs or in hallways.  It was frustrating.  So, it never seemed that Carnival was just letting things go.  But, more that the passengers were less respectful in some ways.
> The kids clubs on Carnival looked really fun and were themed nicely.  But, the kids didn't seem to have as much interest in them.  It was more of an after-thought.  DCL's have the edge and definitely have that "magical" touch that draws you in.  Although....my kids don't typically use them on either ship much.  That's just their preference.
> I like the DCL includes soda without a package.  We didn't buy the package because we are OK with lemonade and tea.  But, a soda here or there would have been very nice.
> The guest services line was always long - it didn't seem like they had enough people working the desk.  And, they seemed a little "burned out".  We did have an itinerary change on our cruise because of a medical emergency on the cruise right before ours which made them get into port late.  So, I'm sure there were a lot of scheduling and excursion changes which probably contributed.  But, we dreaded going to guest services and waiting in their line.
> I hated how Carnival tracked their pool towels.  You had 4 in your room at the beginning of the cruise.  They would exchange them if you left them on the floor for a clean one.  But, if you took it to the pool and left it their they would potentially charge you $20 and assume that you were taking it home.  This happened to us and to our brother's family.  The kids don't realize they're not supposed to keep it with them at all times and left it at a pool.  We did speak to our room steward when this happened and he happily provided a new one to us without charge.  But, I didn't like having this loom over us during the trip and worrying about keeping track of them.
> I missed the Disney touches.  Especially the little song before the announcements and the Disney themed horns.
> We missed being able to sign up for "tastings" in the bars.  Either Carnival doesn't have these or we couldn't find them.
> The rooms were nice and big on Carnival - but we really missed the split bathrooms on DCL!  And, the nice toiletries that they provide.
> Other:
> 
> I think the pools on all ships are overall disappointing.  They all seem small and crowded.
> Service on DCL and Carnival were both amazing.  Everyone we passed on Carnival said hello and greeted us with a huge smile.  We would meet a staff member (bartender or whoever) and they would remember you by name days later.
> I'm not really into the entertainment and shows.  I didn't go to a single one on Carnival and have only been to a few on DCL.  So, I can't really comment.  It's just not my thing.
> Both ships had great "movies under the stars" in the evenings which are a lot of fun.  We watched Black Panther, Last Jedi, Wonder, etc. in the evenings on Carnival.
> On Carnival's older ships I was never impressed with the gaudy decor.  This wasn't the case at all on the Magic!  It was beautifully themed.  And, we absolutely love the decor and theming on DCL, too.
> 
> DCL is still our favorite.  It's nearest and dearest to our hearts and we found ourselves missing some of the Disney touches and feeling like the servers are almost family.  But, Carnival was right behind as a close second and we were pleasantly surprised with how much we liked it.  It's literally half the cost so we won't hesitate to do Carnival again.  But, I do believe you have to be selective in choosing a ship with Carnival.  I'm not sure all of this would be true on their older ships.  The Magic was really great.  Hope this helps!



Thanks for the review! If you don't mind I would like to add it to the reviews links on the first post.  

So glad you guys ad a great experience. 

Have you tried the Port Days Breakfast in the MDR? I'm obsessed with it! 

There are tastings on Carnival and you can see them listed in the Fun Times every day. There are also free tastings of alcohol at least once during the cruise. 

I agree with wjat you said regarding the towel system. I hope they will change it at some point. DH and I now bring our own towels. LOL 

I have never bought the package either and I hope they will add self-serve soda machines someday. 

I think the new Family Harbour cabins on new Carnival ships have split bathrooms. 

In October I will sail on one of the oldest Carnival ships. I am a little worried but not that much knowing I loved the Victory very much.   But I too, for hard core DCL fans would recommend the most recent ships.


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## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Thanks for the review! If you don't mind I would like to add it to the reviews links on the first post.
> 
> So glad you guys ad a great experience.
> 
> Have you tried the Port Days Breakfast in the MDR? I'm obsessed with it!
> 
> There are tastings on Carnival and you can see them listed in the Fun Times every day. There are also free tastings of alcohol at least once during the cruise.
> 
> I agree with wjat you said regarding the towel system. I hope they will change it at some point. DH and I now bring our own towels. LOL
> 
> I have never bought the package either and I hope they will add self-serve soda machines someday.
> 
> I think the new Family Harbour cabins on new Carnival ships have split bathrooms.
> 
> In October I will sail on one of the oldest Carnival ships. I am a little worried but not that much knowing I loved the Victory very much.   But I too, for hard core DCL fans would recommend the most recent ships.


I’m pretty sure all the Dream class Carnival ships have a split bath in the “Family Ocean View” cabins. They are actually 1 1/2 baths though. One bathroom is a full 3 piece bathroom the other is a tub/shower and sink.


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## PrincessTrisha

That's a great review and comparison Toystory3. 

Important for us is the food, comfortable cabin (I do like that the Carnival beds still split and I find their beds and bedding great) and service - all of which we get on our Carnival cruises for a fraction of the price of DCL. As much as I love the "Magic" of Disney, it's tough to swallow when our 7 night Fantasy cruise is costing us $1000 more than our 13 night Carnival Sunshine Cruise.


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## cruiser21

PrincessTrisha said:


> That's a great review and comparison Toystory3.
> 
> Important for us is the food, comfortable cabin (I do like that the Carnival beds still split and I find their beds and bedding great) and service - all of which we get on our Carnival cruises for a fraction of the price of DCL. As much as I love the "Magic" of Disney, it's tough to swallow when our 7 night Fantasy cruise is costing us $1000 more than our 13 night Carnival Sunshine Cruise.


I also like that the beds split. I would never book a GT rate with just me and my kids because I'm not sure we'd get three beds. You would think the room assigner would see that a mom traveling with two teenage boys would need three bed and use common sense, but I don't trust them to do that.


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## Club Disney Chandler

@mevelandry we are currently booked on the 6/6/20 7 night Mexican Riviera on Panorama, booked in Havana Cabanas!!!


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## ToyStory3

mevelandry said:


> Thanks for the review! If you don't mind I would like to add it to the reviews links on the first post.  *Thanks!*
> 
> So glad you guys ad a great experience.
> 
> Have you tried the Port Days Breakfast in the MDR? I'm obsessed with it! * No - I didn't try it but at the end of the cruise I was wishing I had.  My kids really like the buffet so getting them to the MDR for dinner is sometimes all I can accomplish. *
> 
> There are tastings on Carnival and you can see them listed in the Fun Times every day. There are also free tastings of alcohol at least once during the cruise. *I'll definitely look for them next time. *
> 
> I agree with wjat you said regarding the towel system. I hope they will change it at some point. DH and I now bring our own towels. LOL *Yes - we all hated this!  I won't bother with them next time and will just ask our steward to remove them. *
> 
> I have never bought the package either and I hope they will add self-serve soda machines someday.
> 
> I think the new Family Harbour cabins on new Carnival ships have split bathrooms.
> 
> In October I will sail on one of the oldest Carnival ships. I am a little worried but not that much knowing I loved the Victory very much.   But I too, for hard core DCL fans would recommend the most recent ships. *My very first cruise ever was when I was in high school.  It was a spring break trip with my family.  We went on the Carnival Fantasy and the time it was one of the biggest ships around.  We were blown away by it!  It was a great trip. I went on it's sister ship, the Ecstasy, a few years later. *


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## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> @mevelandry we are currently booked on the 6/6/20 7 night Mexican Riviera on Panorama, booked in Havana Cabanas!!!



Added!


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## mevelandry

If you sail with Carnival again, don't miss the breakfast!


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## Club Disney Chandler

I just read that the Horizon just raised the most money for any Carnival ship for the Groove for St Jude, $27,500!  The Captain has to “Walk the Plank” into the pool in his uniform because they raised over $20,000. This is something that is done on every Carnival shift for every sailing. I think that is so awesome. We did it on our Vista sailings and had an awesome time.


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## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I just read that the Horizon just raised the most money for any Carnival ship for the Groove for St Jude, $27,500!  The Captain has to “Walk the Plank” into the pool in his uniform because they raised over $20,000. This is something that is done on every Carnival shift for every sailing. I think that is so awesome. We did it on our Vista sailings and had an awesome time. View attachment 334538



I did not know they were doing that when they raised 20,000$. This is amazing.


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## belle032

Not sure if this is the right thread to ask, but figured one of you veteran DCL cruisers would know!

In the process of booking our DCL cruise for next year. I got a quote from a TA because of the onboard credit offered. If I end up booking through a TA, am I still able to book my own excursions, reservations, etc?

I’ve never used a TA because I like the control. Will I be giving up all control if I use a TA?


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## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Not sure if this is the right thread to ask, but figured one of you veteran DCL cruisers would know!
> 
> In the process of booking our DCL cruise for next year. I got a quote from a TA because of the onboard credit offered. If I end up booking through a TA, am I still able to book my own excursions, reservations, etc?
> 
> I’ve never used a TA because I like the control. Will I be giving up all control if I use a TA?



I think it depends on the TA. I've used the services of a TA once and he let me have control of the reservations because I wanted to keep it but took care of the rest.


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## PrincessTrisha

belle032 said:


> Not sure if this is the right thread to ask, but figured one of you veteran DCL cruisers would know!
> 
> In the process of booking our DCL cruise for next year. I got a quote from a TA because of the onboard credit offered. If I end up booking through a TA, am I still able to book my own excursions, reservations, etc?
> 
> I’ve never used a TA because I like the control. Will I be giving up all control if I use a TA?



Using a TA, you'll retain control of booking your check in time, excursions, tastings, tickets, etc. You will just need to go through your TA to make changes to your booking (payments, room changes, rate changes, etc.).


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## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> I did not know they were doing that when they raised 20,000$. This is amazing.



They have different things that they do at different levels of donation (and I'm guessing that some of it must be ship dependant as well). Our one cruise raised $15,000 and the CD cut her hair short and one of the fun squad shaved his head.


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## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> They have different things that they do at different levels of donation (and I'm guessing that some of it must be ship dependant as well). Our one cruise raised $15,000 and the CD cut her hair short and one of the fun squad shaved his head.



I'll try to pay attention next time.


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## we"reofftoneverland

Carnival Dream!!


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## cruiser21

Where is the the Panorama launching? I'm sure at some point in time we'll sail on this ship. Just for the simple fact its in So Csl. I travel to Cali 3 or 4 times a year to visit family. In fact I'm there now. I've never sailed on Disney out of San Diego because it's expensive and I'm not particularly fond  of the ports. This looks easy as far travel and it won't break the bank. I get tired of traveling to the East Coast or Europe. Why does 5 hours on a plane feel so much longer then 5 hours in a car? Dumb question I know....because you have to tack on another 4 hours traveling to airport., security  time changes, baggage claim etc. Yep having some newer ships on the west coast will be nice. I wish we had some better ports. Carnival needs to sail this ship to Hawaii. I know it will never happen.


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## James Fisher

There is no comparison. We first did Carnival and then Disney. We have not considered going back to Carnival. Carnival mid ship on any floor smelled like cigarettes from the casino. Combo that with it being a cheap party cruise with way too many people getting trashed and we were very off put by it. The kids didn't like their kids club and access to it was a pain at times. Pool area was always packed as well. We got on the Fantasy and found better food, more water areas for the kids, more kids activities, etc. We have done 3 Disney cruises in 3 years and next year's is already booked. Price is up there, but the quality is there to match.


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## Club Disney Chandler

cruiser21 said:


> Where is the the Panorama launching? I'm sure at some point in time we'll sail on this ship. Just for the simple fact its in So Csl. I travel to Cali 3 or 4 times a year to visit family. In fact I'm there now. I've never sailed on Disney out of San Diego because it's expensive and I'm not particularly fond  of the ports. This looks easy as far travel and it won't break the bank. I get tired of traveling to the East Coast or Europe. Why does 5 hours on a plane feel so much longer then 5 hours in a car? Dumb question I know....because you have to tack on another 4 hours traveling to airport., security  time changes, baggage claim etc. Yep having some newer ships on the west coast will be nice. I wish we had some better ports. Carnival needs to sail this ship to Hawaii. I know it will never happen.


I believe late 2019, they aren’t doing any European cruises or a transatlantic with guests on board. The first guests will be boarding in Long Beach.


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## PrincessTrisha

cruiser21 said:


> Where is the Panorama launching? I'm sure at some point in time we'll sail on this ship. Just for the simple fact its in So Csl. I travel to Cali 3 or 4 times a year to visit family. In fact I'm there now. I've never sailed on Disney out of San Diego because it's expensive and I'm not particularly fond  of the ports. This looks easy as far travel and it won't break the bank. I get tired of traveling to the East Coast or Europe. Why does 5 hours on a plane feel so much longer then 5 hours in a car? Dumb question I know....because you have to tack on another 4 hours traveling to airport., security  time changes, baggage claim etc. Yep having some newer ships on the west coast will be nice. I wish we had some better ports. Carnival needs to sail this ship to Hawaii. I know it will never happen.



First cruise is from Long Beach December 11 2019 (it's a 3 night); after that it's a consistent itinerary through the remainder of December 2019 and all the way through to December 2020.

7 Night cruise leaving long beach going to:
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Mexico     
Mazatlan, Mexico Riviera    
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Riviera   

I think Carnival is banking on the new ship features and just having their newest ship in the fleet on the West coast being enough of a draw to have people cruise. Traditionally, Long Beach has gotten a medium sized ship - it's the first time Carnival is putting their newest, biggest ship on the West coast.


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## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Where is the the Panorama launching? I'm sure at some point in time we'll sail on this ship. Just for the simple fact its in So Csl. I travel to Cali 3 or 4 times a year to visit family. In fact I'm there now. I've never sailed on Disney out of San Diego because it's expensive and I'm not particularly fond  of the ports. This looks easy as far travel and it won't break the bank. I get tired of traveling to the East Coast or Europe. Why does 5 hours on a plane feel so much longer then 5 hours in a car? Dumb question I know....because you have to tack on another 4 hours traveling to airport., security  time changes, baggage claim etc. Yep having some newer ships on the west coast will be nice. I wish we had some better ports. Carnival needs to sail this ship to Hawaii. I know it will never happen.



Maybe in a few years. At least they have sailings going to Hawaii!


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## we"reofftoneverland

PrincessTrisha said:


> First cruise is from Long Beach December 11 2019 (it's a 3 night); after that it's a consistent itinerary through the remainder of December 2019 and all the way through to December 2020.
> 
> 7 Night cruise leaving long beach going to:
> Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Mexico
> Mazatlan, Mexico Riviera
> Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Riviera
> 
> I think Carnival is banking on the new ship features and just having their newest ship in the fleet on the West coast being enough of a draw to have people cruise. Traditionally, Long Beach has gotten a medium sized ship - it's the first time Carnival is putting their newest, biggest ship on the West coast.


I wonder if they will add on a Panama Canal or Transatlantic ahead of the 3 night?  I am very excited about this ship!


----------



## mevelandry

James Fisher said:


> There is no comparison. We first did Carnival and then Disney. We have not considered going back to Carnival. Carnival mid ship on any floor smelled like cigarettes from the casino. Combo that with it being a cheap party cruise with way too many people getting trashed and we were very off put by it. The kids didn't like their kids club and access to it was a pain at times. Pool area was always packed as well. We got on the Fantasy and found better food, more water areas for the kids, more kids activities, etc. We have done 3 Disney cruises in 3 years and next year's is already booked. Price is up there, but the quality is there to match.



Which Carnival ship was it and how long was the cruise? When? (I noticed a big evolution in the last years). 

I found that the cigarette smell from the casino was much more tolerable and better controlled on the Vista (new ship) than the Victory. I hate the cigarette smell too but one area doesn't make or break a cruise for me. 

"Cheap party cruise/too many people getting trashed" hasn't been my experience at all... I have only sailed on 4 days + cruises though. I don't drink and I am not comfortable around heavy/disruptive drinkers and I have not encountered them during our 3 cruises with CCL while I have met a few on DCL. 

No kids, therefore can't compare kids club. 

Pools always had room and aft pool area almost empty most of the time. But I only cruise in April after springbreak and in October after Colombus Day so that could explain it. 

That being said, I'm sorry you had a bad experience. 

I do think DCL hardcore lovers have stronger chances to appreciate a long cruise on a new CCL ship as my experience was better on the Vista than on the Disney Dream. 

At this time, it's not a matter of budget for me but a matter of value/preference. I just find that DCL (as good as it is) has a little bit less to offer than CCL, since DH and I are (and will most likely remain) childfree.


----------



## abitagirl916

Club Disney Chandler said:


> It seems to me that most of the complaints about Vista and Horizon are from long time Carnival passengers that hate the fact there are no glass atrium elevators and the layout is different than traditional Carnival ships. They all just can’t seem to get past those two things. Going from Disney to Vista as our first Carnival cruise I thought the layout made perfect sense and we love Vista too. I never thought I could like a ship better than the Disney Fantasy, but I certainly do like Vista more.



My first Carnival cruise (after 4 DCL cruises) was on the Vista also. I absolutely loved the Vista. The Atrium on the Vista is so much nicer looking than the ones I have seen through pictures on the other Carnival ships. I will be going on the Carnival Dream this December, so I will have another Carnival ship to experience. Although the pics I have seen of the Carnival Dream Atrium, it seems a bit too flashy for me. But that won't stop me from having a wonderful time!


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## mevelandry

abitagirl916 said:


> My first Carnival cruise (after 4 DCL cruises) was on the Vista also. I absolutely loved the Vista. The Atrium on the Vista is so much nicer looking than the ones I have seen through pictures on the other Carnival ships. I will be going on the Carnival Dream this December, so I will have another Carnival ship to experience. Although the pics I have seen of the Carnival Dream Atrium, it seems a bit too flashy for me. But that won't stop me from having a wonderful time!



That's one of the things I would change. I find that certain of the old Carnival ship atriums a bit too flashy for me (very busy patterns)... when a simple change of carpeting/floor could do a wonderful job in toning down the craziness and make it look a bit more 2018. 

Here's an example with my beloved Victory...


We can't see the floor very much on this pic but it is black with lots of silver/gold spots. The carpet has very busy patterns. Just by putting a darker floor and a two toned carpet, you'd change the look of the place.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> That's one of the things I would change. I find that certain of the old Carnival ship atriums a bit too flashy for me (very busy patterns)... when a simple change of carpeting/floor could do a wonderful job in toning down the craziness and make it look a bit more 2018.
> 
> Here's an example with my beloved Victory...
> View attachment 334814
> 
> We can't see the floor very much on this pic but it is black with lots of silver/gold spots. The carpet has very busy patterns. Just by putting a darker floor and a two toned carpet, you'd change the look of the place.



Gotta love those Joe Farcus designs - he really wanted each individual ship to stand out from each other. 

The Carnival Dream was the last one he designed and even that one, he really toned things down. I will say that the Dream is what I call the "Red ship" - so much of it centres around that colour.


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## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> Gotta love those Joe Farcus designs - he really wanted each individual ship to stand out from each other.
> 
> The Carnival Dream was the last one he designed and even that one, he really toned things down. I will say that the Dream is what I call the "Red ship" - so much of it centres around that colour.



I noticed a predominant color on certain ships. Green/Aqua on the Victory, Purple on the Sensation, if I remember correctly, the Legend has lots of wood and gold...


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## trvlgirlmq

The Farcus stuff is why I won’t sail anything older than Dream class. Too ugly and over the top.


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## we"reofftoneverland

It is funny because I have always been more preppy and styles like the Farcus designs used to horrify me, but about maybe 5 or so years ago I began to become more drawn to the offbeat and funky.  And now, I love the old Farcus designs and find myself a bit bored with the newer styles-- not just on Carnival but NCL too.  I do like the new clean look, don't get me wrong, but I really love the crazy bold colors and theming.  All the detail.  Like I would love to go on that ncl pride of America ship before they redo it, which I am scared will happen sooner than later.  It looks so American kitsch.  I just love that.  And I wish I had gone on NCL's Jade before they removed the outlandish Hawaiian theming.  I also like the ships having different identities, but unfortunately the lines seem to be moving away from that-- at least in terms of general decoration.   I am trying to hit all the old CCL ships as well before they get "breezed" in dry dock.  lol.   Of the ones we have not been on, I am most interested in the Glory, Valor, Victory, and Spirit.

I saw this information on CCL cruise ship themes on CC.  Someone posted information from an old CCL CD/dvd.  I thought it was very cool:


FANTASY CLASS
Fantasy – Changes through time
Ecstasy- City at Sea
Sensation- The Senses
Fascination- Salute to Hollywood
Imagination- Legendary Symbols of Antiquity
Inspiration- Creative Spirits of the Arts
Elation- Muses who Inspire Artists
Paradise- Great Ocean Liners of the World

SPIRIT CLASS
Spirit- Famous Artistic Styles
Pride- Icons of Beauty
Legend- Legendary Figures
Miracle- Famous Fictional Characters


TRIUMPH CLASS
Triumph- Great Cities of the World
Victory- World’s Famous Bodies of Water

DESTINY CLASS
Destiny- Monumentality


CONQUEST CLASS
Conquest- Impressionists
Glory- Rainbow of Colors
Valor- Famous Heroes and Heroines
Liberty- Great Artisans and Artesian Wares
Freedom- Decades through the Centuries


SPLENDOR CLASS
Splendor- Splendid Things



DREAM CLASS not mentioned in the CD
Dream-
Magic-
Breeze-



NO LONGER IN CARNIVAL FLEET not mentioned in the CD
Mardi Gras-
Carnivale-
Festivale-
Tropicale-
Jubilee-
Holiday-
Celebration-


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## daisyx3

Just throwing this out there....if my first cruise next June is on the Horizon, will I be let down afterwards by the Dream class?  The bummer would be no havana, so I'd have kids to deal with.  But if I go spring break that year (2020), the Horizon is one too many days and the Vista goes to ports I've already seen.  The ports on the Breeze would work, and I'd probably get a spa room.


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## mevelandry

daisyx3 said:


> Just throwing this out there....if my first cruise next June is on the Horizon, will I be let down afterwards by the Dream class?  The bummer would be no havana, so I'd have kids to deal with.  But if I go spring break that year (2020), the Horizon is one too many days and the Vista goes to ports I've already seen.  The ports on the Breeze would work, and I'd probably get a spa room.



The Dream class have a lot of fans among the Carnival cruisers. They seem to be the most popular.

I have never stayed in Havana so I cannot compare (and I think those are two completely different categories anyway)...But I'm a big fan of Cloud 9 Spa cabins. I had one on the Vista and I booked one on the Sunshine for April 2019. I love that Cloud 9 Spa cabins have (sometimes) their own deck, usually close to the Serenity section (adults only). They give you 1 or 2 free yoga or pilates classes and a certain % off treatments. Also, all the amenities (spa access, the travel size Elemis products, the use of bathrobes & bath sheets and slippers in the cabin) scream comfort and relaxation to me. 

The only downside is a 30 minutes sales pitch you'll get when they make you visit the spa for the first time... Super annoying, but worth it considering all that comes after that.


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## we"reofftoneverland

https://www.miamiherald.com/living/travel/article213850534.html
This article talks about how the Panorama will not have any cruises before getting to California.  So no TA or PC.


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## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> https://www.miamiherald.com/living/travel/article213850534.html
> This article talks about how the Panorama will not have any cruises before getting to California.  So no TA or PC.



Oh. So no more European cruises with Carnival. Ok. Got it.

However, why not explain the theme better or change it a bit like they apparently do in Australia?


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## mevelandry

Two digits are better than three.


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## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Oh. So no more European cruises with Carnival. Ok. Got it.
> 
> However, why not explain the theme better or change it a bit like they apparently do in Australia?



I wouldn't say that Carnival will never sail Europe again but it's not a profitable area for them.  Our 10 day Vista Med cruise was much less expensive than our latest Caribbean cruise.  They don't have the name recognition or clout in Europe because they don't sail seasonally like all the other lines.  There are 2 more new ships planned for 2020/2022 so fingers crossed.


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## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> I wouldn't say that Carnival will never sail Europe again but it's not a profitable area for them.  Our 10 day Vista Med cruise was much less expensive than our latest Caribbean cruise.  They don't have the name recognition or clout in Europe because they don't sail seasonally like all the other lines.  There are 2 more new ships planned for 2020/2022 so fingers crossed.



I think so too.  I am sure they will go back at some point, but just no plans right now.  I read somewhere about a year ago that Americans are traveling less to Europe.  If CCL does attract mostly Americans, that may be why they are putting Europe on the backburner for a bit.  I had not really thought about it, but makes sense, because I do not think DCL can even fill their one ship in Europe lately.  I noticed they have been offering EU citizen discounts on those cruises.  Overall, the tone of that article was weird, but what I really thought was interesting was how they said that they are sailing the Panorama from Italy across the Pacific to Long Beach without customers.  I am surprised about that route and the lack of customers!  I keep thinking about the NCL Bliss and how they sailed her with customers from Europe to NYC and then through the PC to get to Alaska right away.  I am surprised that CCL isn't taking that route.


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## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Two digits are better than three.
> 
> View attachment 335092


I love seeing that.  It really starts going quickly for me once you switch to double digits!


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## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I love seeing that.  It really starts going quickly for me once you switch to double digits!



Yes! I feel like it's going to happen for real!


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## mevelandry

Sunday Fun Day: 

Want to share one of your fun memories from a Carnival cruise? 

I may have shared mine before but I'll repeat it: 

One night, during the Love and Marriage Show, our cruise director (Felipe), gave us the instruction to make a loud "buzzer sound" at the end of an announcement he would be making the next day (he gave us the time). The next day, we were in our cabin when the annoucement happened, and very disappointed to miss the opportunity as nobody would hear us... 

However, as we were making the buzzer sound for ourselves (on cue), a guest in a cabin near ours decided to push the absurd humor further by opening his cabin door and screaming very loudly in the hallway before closing its door. 

We still joke about it.


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## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Sunday Fun Day:
> 
> Want to share one of your fun memories from a Carnival cruise?
> 
> I may have shared mine before but I'll repeat it:
> 
> One night, during the Love and Marriage Show, our cruise director (Felipe), gave us the instruction to make a loud "buzzer sound" at the end of an announcement he would be making the next day (he gave us the time). The next day, we were in our cabin when the annoucement happened, and very disappointed to miss the opportunity as nobody would hear us...
> 
> However, as we were making the buzzer sound for ourselves (on cue), a guest in a cabin near ours decided to push the absurd humor further by opening his cabin door and screaming very loudly in the hallway before closing its door.
> 
> We still joke about it.


Great idea!   This one popped into my mind.  The morning we left the Vista, over the loudspeaker, Matt said that he knew everyone had packed boxes of cereal and burritos in their bags.  He was hysterical.


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## RedSox68

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I just read that the Horizon just raised the most money for any Carnival ship for the Groove for St Jude, $27,500!  The Captain has to “Walk the Plank” into the pool in his uniform because they raised over $20,000. This is something that is done on every Carnival shift for every sailing. I think that is so awesome. We did it on our Vista sailings and had an awesome time. View attachment 334538



We bought the St. Jude t-shirts, bracelets, etc. on our last cruise -- of the money going to St. Jude.  It was great fun and they take great pride in their participation.


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## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Great idea!   This one popped into my mind.  The morning we left the Vista, over the loudspeaker, Matt said that he knew everyone had packed boxes of cereal and burritos in their bags.  He was hysterical.


OMG, the doggy bag filled with Pig & Anchor food I wish I could bring back home!!!


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## belle032

Carnival cruise is paid in full! Such a good feeling! 

80 days to go!


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## mevelandry

*Paid in full dance*


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## mevelandry

Do you guys know the name of the instrument that is sometimes played on the main deck on Carnival cruises? It looks like drums but sounds a bit like a xylophone... 

Yesterday, I asked my husband to close his eyes while I played a few seconds of a vlog where you could hear music played with that instrument. We both teared up. 

I think we miss cruising with Carnival.


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## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Do you guys know the name of the instrument that is sometimes played on the main deck on Carnival cruises? It looks like drums but sounds a bit like a xylophone...
> 
> Yesterday, I asked my husband to close his eyes while I played a few seconds of a vlog where you could hear music played with that instrument. We both teared up.
> 
> I think we miss cruising with Carnival.


They’re steel drums or sometimes referred to as kettle drums, they’re a staple in the Caribbean. I love lounging on the Lido listening to them.  Thanks for helping me escape from reality for a few moments today.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> They’re steel drums or sometimes referred to as kettle drums, they’re a staple in the Caribbean. I love lounging on the Lido listening to them.  Thanks for helping me escape from reality for a few moments today.



Steel drums!!! That's it!!!!  

Hearing that instrument brings me back every single time!


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## KashasMom

I love the steel drums! RCI has them as well. Sometimes I get tired of the same old movies/trivia on Disney funnel vision and wish they had some live Caribbean music by the pool.


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## KashasMom

mevelandry said:


> Steel drums!!! That's it!!!!
> 
> Hearing that instrument brings me back every single time!



Just wondering what your Coco Cay cruise is?


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## mevelandry

KashasMom said:


> I love the steel drums! RCI has them as well. Sometimes I get tired of the same old movies/trivia on Disney funnel vision and wish they had some live Caribbean music by the pool.



 I enjoy live music by the pool very much!


----------



## mevelandry

KashasMom said:


> Just wondering what your Coco Cay cruise is?



It's just a 3 nights to the Bahamas in October 2019 on the Mariner of Seas (the refurbs look nice though). Wish it was longer but DH and I deeply miss Universal Orlando (big Simpsons fans here but the last time we went was in 2014) so we decided to opt for a Land & Sea instead of a long cruise. 

And I booked non-refundable (Yay me!)...


----------



## KashasMom

mevelandry said:


> It's just a 3 nights to the Bahamas in October 2019 on the Mariner of Seas (the refurbs look nice though). Wish it was longer but DH and I deeply miss Universal Orlando (big Simpsons fans here but the last time we went was in 2014) so we decided to opt for a Land & Sea instead of a long cruise.
> 
> And I booked non-refundable (Yay me!)...



Nice! I'd like to get to Coco Cay. Curious how it compares to Labadee. Daughter is becoming a big Harry Potter fan so Universal is in our future. October will be a nice time to visit. Enjoy!


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## mevelandry

KashasMom said:


> Nice! I'd like to get to Coco Cay. Curious how it compares to Labadee. Daughter is becoming a big Harry Potter fan so Universal is in our future. October will be a nice time to visit. Enjoy!



It's always a lottery as with hurricane season we never know what we are going to get... But we always got lucky so far and the weather is usually very nice.

I have a huge crush on CocoCay (or at least what they plan to do with the island).

As I am supposed to experiment Half Moon Cay this fall and CocoCay next fall, I can't wait to see how different or similar they are to Castaway Cay. But I really feel like CocoCay is going to have its own "niche".

Universal: your daughter's brain will explode. The wizarding world is so immersive... I'm a grown up and I was emotional in the Forbidden Journey ride and I'm not that a hardcore fan of HP.The butterbeer, the frog choir... Just wow.

My husband being a huge Simpsons fan was absolutely blown away by the Simpsons Land. Once again, so immersive!!


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Universal: your daughter's brain will explode. The wizarding world is so immersive... I'm a grown up and I was emotional in the Forbidden Journey ride and I'm not that a hardcore fan of HP.The butterbeer, the frog choir... Just wow.
> 
> My husband being a huge Simpsons fan was absolutely blown away by the Simpsons Land. Once again, so immersive!!



Agreed! When DH & I worked at WDW, we would often go to Universal. I LOVE Disney, but I absolutely give Universal tons and tons of credit because Harry Potter is just amazing. DH has no idea of what Harry Potter was about and even he was impressed with the lands. When I had friends visit me and I took them there, they would all just stop at the entrance and stare in awe. I've seen people immediately just start to cry when they first see it. It really is just incredible to see how it affects so many people. To see books come to life like that is just the coolest thing ever.

I'm sure Star Wars Land will have that effect on many people as well, but as someone who is not a Star Wars fan, it's so great that I could get that feeling from Harry Potter!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Agreed! When DH & I worked at WDW, we would often go to Universal. I LOVE Disney, but I absolutely give Universal tons and tons of credit because Harry Potter is just amazing. DH has no idea of what Harry Potter was about and even he was impressed with the lands. When I had friends visit me and I took them there, they would all just stop at the entrance and stare in awe. I've seen people immediately just start to cry when they first see it. It really is just incredible to see how it affects so many people. To see books come to life like that is just the coolest thing ever.
> 
> I'm sure Star Wars Land will have that effect on many people as well, but as someone who is not a Star Wars fan, it's so great that I could get that feeling from Harry Potter!



I agree. I have not seen Star Wars (Weird... I know, right?) but I am sure it will be just as immersive.


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## mevelandry

I love you guys. 

I love the fact that I am not vilified in here (on this thread) because I like to budget my vacations and because I like to get good value for my money.


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## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> I love you guys.
> 
> I love the fact that I am not vilified in here (on this thread) because I like to budget my vacations and because I like to get good value for my money.



I'm a cheapskate at heart so I totally understand.  If something is similar enough then I won't pay extra for what is essentially the same thing (I'm pointing my finger at you DCL).  

I just booked our airfare last night for our 2019 vacation.  We are paying $580 each RT Atlanta-Paris, France. That is a bargain!  I could never get that airfare from my home city.  Do we have to make a few adjustments to our trip, sure but I refuse to pay 3 times as much from my home airport.  Bonus, these flights both have 24 hour layovers in Manchester, England so we are getting 2 days in Liverpool (only 1 hour away) so my mom can fulfill her teenage Beatlemania fantasy   I am beyond excited about this bonus and can't wait to start planning our time in France.


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## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I'm a cheapskate at heart so I totally understand.  If something is similar enough then I won't pay extra for what is essentially the same thing (I'm pointing my finger at you DCL).
> 
> I just booked our airfare last night for our 2019 vacation.  We are paying $580 each RT Atlanta-Paris, France. That is a bargain!  I could never get that airfare from my home city.  Do we have to make a few adjustments to our trip, sure but I refuse to pay 3 times as much from my home airport.  Bonus, these flights both have 24 hour layovers in Manchester, England so we are getting 2 days in Liverpool (only 1 hour away) so my mom can fulfill her teenage Beatlemania fantasy   I am beyond excited about this bonus and can't wait to start planning our time in France.



Sounds amazing!  

Which Airline? In Canada, we don't have many Ultra Low Cost airlines but we have WOW Airlines which can usually get us a price between 450 and 600$CAD roundtrips in Europe and Northern Europe. (Ahhhh someday!)

*****

This week, I had to book our flights for our October cruise... Got a YUL-FLL ticket with points but I still paid 129$ for the taxes (one way flight was 280$) and the best I got for the flight back home was either a 188$ flight with a connexion in LaGuardia (Hell, no!!!) or a direct flight for 217$. I picked the direct flight.  

Honestly, at this point I'm very hesitant to sail from Miami/Fort Lauderdale again. The flights and the hotels --unless you find something on Hotwire-- are so expensive! I think I will concentrate on sailings from Port Canaveral and NYC from now on.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Sounds amazing!
> 
> Which Airline? In Canada, we don't have many Ultra Low Cost airlines but we have WOW Airlines which can usually get us a price between 450 and 600$CAD roundtrips in Europe and Northern Europe. (Ahhhh someday!)
> 
> *****
> 
> This week, I had to book our flights for our October cruise... Got a YUL-FLL ticket with points but I still paid 129$ for the taxes (one way flight was 280$) and the best I got for the flight back home was either a 188$ flight with a connexion in LaGuardia (Hell, no!!!) or a direct flight for 217$. I picked the direct flight.
> 
> Honestly, at this point I'm very hesitant to sail from Miami/Fort Lauderdale again. The flights and the hotels --unless you find something on Hotwire-- are so expensive! I think I will concentrate on sailings from Port Canaveral and NYC from now on.



It's a combination Virgin Atlantic (for the long-haul) and Flybe (for the intra-Europe part).  It includes a checked bag though so that is a bonus in my book.

I agree about Miami.  It's expensive, a hassle and I don't like the city at all.  It is much easier and less expensive from Port Canaveral even if they don't have the newest, shiniest ships.


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## mevelandry

Good morning guys,

I'm currently trying to find the most "affordable yet efficient" transportation strategy as we have just booked the Disney's Beach Club (praying for promos as the rack rate price what though to swallow) for a pre-cruise stay in Orlando for our next Family Land & Sea in April 2019. *Carnival Sunshine, yay!!!!!*

I booked Magical Express both ways so worst case scenario, the day of the cruise, we can go back to the airport and take a shuttle to PC (thinking of Carnival shuttle but I heard there could be a cheaper option... We'll see.)

But then I thought this would mean long bus rides for my MIL and FIL ... :/

Do you know a company that would provide transportation for a reasonable price (gratuities included) from a Disney Hotel to PC? We do not want to pay more than 50$/pp...

(We'll take the Carnival shuttle back to the airport at the end of the trip so it's one way only).

None of us have a driver license so car rental is not a possibility.

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Good morning guys,
> 
> I'm currently trying to find the most "affordable yet efficient" transportation strategy as we have just booked the Disney's Beach Club (praying for promos as the rack rate price what though to swallow) for a pre-cruise stay in Orlando for our next Family Land & Sea in April 2019. *Carnival Sunshine, yay!!!!!*
> 
> I booked Magical Express both ways so worst case scenario, the day of the cruise, we can go back to the airport and take a shuttle to PC (thinking of Carnival shuttle but I heard there could be a cheaper option... We'll see.)
> 
> But then I thought this would mean long bus rides for my MIL and FIL ... :/
> 
> Do you know a company that would provide transportation for a reasonable price (gratuities included) from a Disney Hotel to PC? We do not want to pay more than 50$/pp...
> 
> (We'll take the Carnival shuttle back to the airport at the end of the trip so it's one way only).
> 
> None of us have a driver license so car rental is not a possibility.
> 
> Thanks in advance.


We’ve used HappyLimo.com on several cruises and they’re fantastic. They have several vehicle options available, we usually book a minivan. I think last time we booked them, (2014), it was $120, (plus tip), for the 4 of us.

The drivers are very courteous, professional and will make a grocery store stop if you need to purchase any last minute items. I highly recommend them. There may still be a discount code on allears.net for a discount.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’ve used HappyLimo.com on several cruises and they’re fantastic. They have several vehicle options available, we usually book a minivan. I think last time we booked them, (2014), it was $120, (plus tip), for the 4 of us.
> 
> The drivers are very courteous, professional and will make a grocery store stop if you need to purchase any last minute items. I highly recommend them. There may still be a discount code on allears.net for a discount.



OMG... That would be perfect! 

I'll check that out, thanks!


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## MickeyD

Ha! I was just going to say Happy Limo, or Tiffany Towncars. Tiffany has a 10 passenger van. Their site says $185 one way from any WDW hotel for van, $150 for mini van. Dreams used to offer a discount for Tiffany. I have heard good things about both Happy Limo and Tiffany.


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## mevelandry

MickeyD said:


> Ha! I was just going to say Happy Limo, or Tiffany Towncars. Tiffany has a 10 passenger van. Their site says $185 one way from any WDW hotel for van, $150 for mini van. Dreams used to offer a discount for Tiffany. I have heard good things about both Happy Limo and Tiffany.



Thanks. They seem to be cheaper than Mears too.


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## mevelandry

I've checked with Mears as well but for some mysterious reason, they never give me the same flat rate. Sometimes they give me 79$ and sometimes 200$. It's quite strange.

EDIT: So far, Happy Limo seems to have the best rates.


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## MickeyD

mevelandry said:


> I've checked with Mears as well but for some mysterious reason, they never give me the same flat rate. Sometimes they give me 79$ and sometimes 200$. It's quite strange.


that is strange. I haven't heard very good reports about Mears anyway, even though they run the DCL buses, or they did.


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## mevelandry

MickeyD said:


> that is strange. I haven't heard very good reports about Mears anyway, even though they run the DCL buses, or they did.



I used them many times... Only had problems once in 2014 but they made up for it (a shared ride never came, I called them and they sent us a private car without the upcharge).


----------



## hdrolfe

There are a few companies that will pick you up at the airport and take you to the port, and then back. Usually for $20 per person each way, but I think there may be one or two that are cheaper. Those would be shared shuttle services. There are fewer options that will pick you up at Disney and take you to the port, or take you port to Disney. I used Cortrans from an airport hotel to the port and back in April and they were great, on time and nice buses. I've used go port Canaveral in the past as well, I think they are a bit less.  I had contacted cocoa beach shuttle and they will pick you up at Disney and take you to port, but it's not cheap (it was $95 for two, plus 20% gratuity one way).


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> There are a few companies that will pick you up at the airport and take you to the port, and then back. Usually for $20 per person each way, but I think there may be one or two that are cheaper. Those would be shared shuttle services. There are fewer options that will pick you up at Disney and take you to the port, or take you port to Disney. I used Cortrans from an airport hotel to the port and back in April and they were great, on time and nice buses. I've used go port Canaveral in the past as well, I think they are a bit less.  I had contacted cocoa beach shuttle and they will pick you up at Disney and take you to port, but it's not cheap (it was $95 for two, plus 20% gratuity one way).



The reason why I am trying to get transportation from the hotel to the port is that we are travelling with seniors, but also, we are staying concierge/club level at the Disney's Beach Club and would like to spend as much time as possible on site the morning of the cruise.


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## belle032

So this past week I started an 80 day workout program and I just realized that I'll be on our cruise during the 3rd phase of it  I'm being realistic knowing I'm not going to care too much about nutrition that week. I mean I'm not going to eat 3 Guy's burgers a day or anything, but it's also vacation and I'm going to enjoy it.

Anyhoo, I'm going to really try to get my butt to the fitness center each morning. My question is: does anyone know if you can use that fitness room where they have classes if a class isn't going on? I don't think I'll have any room on the regular gym floor. If the day doesn't call for any weights, I could maybe use one of the clubs/bars that are empty in the morning? Do they lock those rooms?

I figure I'll try my best with this but also stay realistic and if I need to start my "phase" when I get home then so be it.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> So this past week I started an 80 day workout program and I just realized that I'll be on our cruise during the 3rd phase of it  I'm being realistic knowing I'm not going to care too much about nutrition that week. I mean I'm not going to eat 3 Guy's burgers a day or anything, but it's also vacation and I'm going to enjoy it.
> 
> Anyhoo, I'm going to really try to get my butt to the fitness center each morning. My question is: does anyone know if you can use that fitness room where they have classes if a class isn't going on? I don't think I'll have any room on the regular gym floor. If the day doesn't call for any weights, I could maybe use one of the clubs/bars that are empty in the morning? Do they lock those rooms?
> 
> I figure I'll try my best with this but also stay realistic and if I need to start my "phase" when I get home then so be it.



What kind of work out do you do? The Conquest gym seems pretty large. There's also a jogging track with a large space in the middle... You could technically work out there on a yoga mat or a towel.


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## belle032

mevelandry said:


> What kind of work out do you do? The Conquest gym seems pretty large. There's also a jogging track with a large space in the middle... You could technically work out there on a yoga mat or a towel.



It’s program with free weights, resistance bands and sliders...depending on the day! The gym does look big but also mainly full of machines, which I don’t need. I really just need some open floor space.


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## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> It’s program with free weights, resistance bands and sliders...depending on the day! The gym does look big but also mainly full of machines, which I don’t need. I really just need some open floor space.



Can you pack some bands and possibly sliders (paper plates often work) and do any of it in your cabin? If it's the program I think, the space requirements are not large. I know there isn't a lot of floor space in the cabins, depending on which one you have, but perhaps move the coffee table? Good luck! If it's the one I am thinking of I have a friend who has done it and had great results. Unless it's the one she just started but I think that one is only 4 days a week and all weights.


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## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> It’s program with free weights, resistance bands and sliders...depending on the day! The gym does look big but also mainly full of machines, which I don’t need. I really just need some open floor space.



I am almost certain you will find room to train in the gym... based on this video...


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## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> Can you pack some bands and possibly sliders (paper plates often work) and do any of it in your cabin? If it's the program I think, the space requirements are not large. I know there isn't a lot of floor space in the cabins, depending on which one you have, but perhaps move the coffee table? Good luck! If it's the one I am thinking of I have a friend who has done it and had great results. Unless it's the one she just started but I think that one is only 4 days a week and all weights.



Yes, I'll bring my sliders and own bands! It's only the days I need the weights that I was concerned about. Glad to hear your friend had great results! I'm really liking the program so far. I was doing so well with workouts last year before our wedding (wedding photos that last forever are great motivators! ) and finally getting back into it. You're right, there probably is enough room in the cabin but DH will kill me if I start a workout before 8AM! Fitness room is my best bet I think.




mevelandry said:


> I am almost certain you will find room to train in the gym... based on this video...



Thanks for this! I'll make sure to walk through on embarkation day and see what I'm working with!


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## PrincessTrisha

belle032 said:


> So this past week I started an 80 day workout program and I just realized that I'll be on our cruise during the 3rd phase of it  I'm being realistic knowing I'm not going to care too much about nutrition that week. I mean I'm not going to eat 3 Guy's burgers a day or anything, but it's also vacation and I'm going to enjoy it.
> 
> Anyhoo, I'm going to really try to get my butt to the fitness center each morning. My question is: does anyone know if you can use that fitness room where they have classes if a class isn't going on? I don't think I'll have any room on the regular gym floor. If the day doesn't call for any weights, I could maybe use one of the clubs/bars that are empty in the morning? Do they lock those rooms?
> 
> I figure I'll try my best with this but also stay realistic and if I need to start my "phase" when I get home then so be it.



The fitness centre opens at 6am - with early morning stretch being scheduled at 7am most days (don't look at me like I attend, I just checked out a few previous fun times). So from 6-8am you should be fine (because the morning stretch isn't a pay class so you could use the floor).

And no, they don't lock the various clubs/bars so if you prefer to do your exercises somewhere else, it shouldn't be a problem. If you're up early enough, you may even be able to find a space by the pool - or you could always go to the front of the ship to one of the so-called "secret decks" and do your exercises up there. It's quiet, not too many people and when you're standing up, the view can be phenomenal.


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## belle032

PrincessTrisha said:


> The fitness centre opens at 6am - with early morning stretch being scheduled at 7am most days (don't look at me like I attend, I just checked out a few previous fun times). So from 6-8am you should be fine (because the morning stretch isn't a pay class so you could use the floor).
> 
> And no, they don't lock the various clubs/bars so if you prefer to do your exercises somewhere else, it shouldn't be a problem. If you're up early enough, you may even be able to find a space by the pool - or you could always go to the front of the ship to one of the so-called "secret decks" and do your exercises up there. It's quiet, not too many people and when you're standing up, the view can be phenomenal.



Thank you so much for this! Very helpful!


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## mevelandry

Has someone in here ever tried having two separate accounts for the same cabin? Did it work well? 

DH and I usually pay for everything 50-50% except for personal items and personal expenses. We have very different expenses when we cruise (DH has more drinks, likes casino, buying gifts. I like specialty coffees and iced capp, tea & desserts at the café and specialty dining) so it's always a nightmare trying to figure out who should pay for what, then make money transfers to one or the other, etc. 

I was told it was a possiblility to have separate accounts and I have just completed creating two separate accounts in the Advanced Check-in section. 

Can't wait to see if this is efficient!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> Has someone in here ever tried having two separate accounts for the same cabin? Did it work well?
> 
> DH and I usually pay for everything 50-50% except for personal items and personal expenses. We have very different expenses when we cruise (DH has more drinks, likes casino, buying gifts. I like specialty coffees and iced capp, tea & desserts at the café and specialty dining) so it's always a nightmare trying to figure out who should pay for what, then make money transfers to one or the other, etc.
> 
> I was told it was a possiblility to have separate accounts and I have just completed creating two separate accounts in the Advanced Check-in section.
> 
> Can't wait to see if this is efficient!



Yes, it's no problem on Carnival. You can just attach a separate card to each account (or cash if you prefer). The only sticky thing is if you have on board credit. It may be split or it may go to the lead person - depending on what kind it is.

I had my niece listed in my cabin on one cruise due to room sizes but my brother paid her on board account along with his and his wife and other kids. It was really no problem to set up the 2 separate accounts online.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> Yes, it's no problem on Carnival. You can just attach a separate card to each account (or cash if you prefer). The only sticky thing is if you have on board credit. It may be split or it may go to the lead person - depending on what kind it is.
> 
> I had my niece listed in my cabin on one cruise due to room sizes but my brother paid her on board account along with his and his wife and other kids. It was really no problem to set up the 2 separate accounts online.



Good to know. I made an effort to put "cruise cash" under separate names. I hope it's going to work out.


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## belle032

@mevelandry I thought about doing this too! It did seem really easy online. But then I decided that I'd rather use our Discover It card for any purchases as I get double cash back for our 1st year. We're getting the beverage package (after much deliberation) so we're good on that end. The only shore excursion we've decided on is for St. Kitts and it's a 3rd party. Still deciding on the other ports.

DH does spend money in the casino and I do not so if he wants to gamble, he's on his own! Unless he wins millions of course!


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## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> @mevelandry I thought about doing this too! It did seem really easy online. But then I decided that I'd rather use our Discover It card for any purchases as I get double cash back for our 1st year. We're getting the beverage package (after much deliberation) so we're good on that end. The only shore excursion we've decided on is for St. Kitts and it's a 3rd party. Still deciding on the other ports.
> 
> DH does spend money in the casino and I do not so if he wants to gamble, he's on his own! Unless he wins millions of course!



I wish they would offer a % off the drink packages or create a more affordable one. At 40$/day I would probably do it.

Same for the casino. But sometimes my husbands is sharing his winnings with me for "support". Lol


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Has someone in here ever tried having two separate accounts for the same cabin? Did it work well?
> 
> DH and I usually pay for everything 50-50% except for personal items and personal expenses. We have very different expenses when we cruise (DH has more drinks, likes casino, buying gifts. I like specialty coffees and iced capp, tea & desserts at the café and specialty dining) so it's always a nightmare trying to figure out who should pay for what, then make money transfers to one or the other, etc.
> 
> I was told it was a possiblility to have separate accounts and I have just completed creating two separate accounts in the Advanced Check-in section.
> 
> Can't wait to see if this is efficient!


A few months ago there was a debate on the community board about married couples having separate checking accounts. The number one thing couples fight about is money and finances..... I'm all for it. My DH and I decided to that about 15 years ago and I think it really saved our marriage. We'll be married 25 years in December. I think you have to do whatever works...no right or wrong answer there.  Since I like to travel more then he does and he likes to play golf and buy toys. I'm usually taking at least one trip a year without him. 
I've never tried the separate accounts on a cruise. I don't even think you can do that on Disney unless you have two rooms. It's nice you can do that on Carnival.


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## ImprovGal

cruiser21 said:


> I've never tried the separate accounts on a cruise. I don't even think you can do that on Disney unless you have two rooms. It's nice you can do that on Carnival.



On Disney each passenger's account may be linked to it's own distinct payment option.  It may be set up during online checkin or at the port.


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## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> A few months ago there was a debate on the community board about married couples having separate checking accounts. The number one thing couples fight about is money and finances..... I'm all for it. My DH and I decided to that about 15 years ago and I think it really saved our marriage. We'll be married 25 years in December. I think you have to do whatever works...no right or wrong answer there.  Since I like to travel more then he does and he likes to play golf and buy toys. I'm usually taking at least one trip a year without him.
> I've never tried the separate accounts on a cruise. I don't even think you can do that on Disney unless you have two rooms. It's nice you can do that on Carnival.



Don't say that to Dave Ramsey's (if you don't know Ramsay, he is a christian finance guru --I mention his religion because he talks about God a lot in the book I read--) and Ramsay's devoted fans. According to Ramsay and his followers, if you have separate accounts, it's not a real marriage. LOL

I'm the one who organizes and book everything. My DH is extremely nervous regarding finances and being wrong about the USD conversion rate --which would not appear right away on the bank account-- has got me in troubles in the past. 

I chose my battles. When it's possible to do things separately, I do it.


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## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Don't say that to Dave Ramsay's (if you don't know Ramsay, he is a christian finance guru --I mention his religion because he talks about God a lot in the book I read--) and Ramsay's devoted fans. According to Ramsay and his followers, if you have separate accounts, it's not a real marriage. LOL
> 
> I'm the one who organizes and book everything. My DH is extremely nervous regarding finances and being wrong about the USD conversion rate --which would not appear right away on the bank account-- has got me in troubles in the past.
> 
> I chose my battles. When it's possible to do things separately, I do it.


I love Dave Ramsay but that is the one thing I totally disagree with. My wife and I have had separate accounts since we moved in together in 1995, before we got married. It’s been great, I don’t know how much she spends on clothes, shoes, makeup, personal trainer, etc. and she doesn’t know how much I spend on bikes and cycling related stuff.


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## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Don't say that to Dave Ramsay's (if you don't know Ramsay, he is a christian finance guru --I mention his religion because he talks about God a lot in the book I read--) and Ramsay's devoted fans. According to Ramsay and his followers, if you have separate accounts, it's not a real marriage. LOL
> 
> I'm the one who organizes and book everything. My DH is extremely nervous regarding finances and being wrong about the USD conversion rate --which would not appear right away on the bank account-- has got me in troubles in the past.
> 
> I chose my battles. When it's possible to do things separately, I do it.


Yes I know who he is. I'm a christian, but I'm not a big fan of his. I think God gave me a brain..I can figure out what's best for me and my family. Anyway not to get off topic.

I use my Capital one venture card it coverts currency and posts it to dollars on my i phone within seconds. I've had it over a year and I'm up to about 850 dollars in rewards already.


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## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I love Dave Ramsay but that is the one thing I totally disagree with. My wife and I have had separate accounts since we moved in together in 1995, before we got married. It’s been great, I don’t know how much she spends on clothes, shoes, makeup, personal trainer, etc. and she doesn’t know how much I spend on bikes and cycling related stuff.



I like DR too. I disagree with some of his teachings but his tough love had an extremely positive impact on my finances.


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## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Yes I know who he is. I'm a christian, but I'm not a big fan of his. I think God gave me a brain..I can figure out what's best for me and my family. Anyway not to get off topic.
> 
> I use my Capital one venture card it coverts currency and posts it to dollars on my i phone within seconds. I've had it over a year and I'm up to about 850 dollars in rewards already.



I've just started using a USD Visa card for my travel expenses (which gives me points to buy plane tickets). Can't believe I haven't done this before. I lost so much money over the years in fees conversion fees and every time I made changes or cancelled reservations in the past, I could have paid a whole Carnival cruise to the Bahamas for 2 with the money I lost.


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## mevelandry

BREAKING NEWS:  The Carnival Triumph going under major dry dock and will be given a new name!

There will be a major dry dock in March 2019 and the infamous Carnival Triumph (everybody knows the story) during which important changes are going to be made and the ship will now be re-baptised the "Carnival Sunrise".

Here is the communiqué shared by John Heald on FB... 


CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE ANNOUNCES MAJOR DRY DOCK MAKEOVER FOR 
CARNIVAL TRIUMPH, LEADING TO RENAMING AS CARNIVAL SUNRISE

Totally Transformed Ship to Feature Stateroom Enhancements and All of Carnival’s
Popular Branded Food, Beverage and Entertainment Innovations

MIAMI, July 31, 2018 – Carnival Cruise Line today revealed plans for a nearly $200 million bow-to-stern makeover for Carnival Triumph in the spring of 2019 that will include renaming the ship to reflect its significant transformation. The ship will join Carnival’s Sunshine Class and will be named Carnival Sunrise after a two-month-long refurbishment that will take place in Cadiz, Spain, starting March 1. The dry dock makeover will add all of Carnival’s wildly popular branded food, beverage and entertainment innovations, as well as update all staterooms in a broad spectrum of new accommodations providing guests fresh and exciting seagoing vacation choices.
Following a renaming ceremony, Carnival Sunrise will re-enter service with a series of five- to seven-day voyages from Norfolk, Va., beginning April 29, 2019, a summer schedule of four- to 14-day departures from New York commencing May 23, 2019, then move to Fort Lauderdale in October. 
“The introduction of Carnival Sunrise will provide our guests with an array of exciting dining, bar and entertainment choices. The new Carnival Sunrise is part of our multi-billion-dollar ship enhancement program that is transforming our fleet on an unprecedented scale,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. 
Carnival Sunrise enhancements include the redesign of two luxurious Captain’s Suites adjacent to the navigational bridge offering floor-to-ceiling windows and extended balcony grand suites. All of the ship’s staterooms will be updated to offer island-inspired interiors with bright colors and soothing pastels inspired by the line’s Caribbean itineraries. Other new features will include:

Food Glorious Food!
• Cucina del Capitano: offering delicious Italian favorites and new Carnival classics served family-style in an engaging atmosphere reminiscent of a cozy Italian home.

• JavaBlue Café: this expanded version of the line’s popular coffee bars will offer lattes, cappuccinos and other caffeinated favorites, as well as “spiked” coffees made with liqueurs, and decadent confections.

• Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse: a classic American steakhouse offering mouth-watering steaks, gourmet appetizers, entrees and desserts, with impeccable service and understated ambiance.

• Bonsai Express: the success of the full-service Bonsai Sushi restaurants has spawned this casual spot, featuring a mouth-watering array of sushi, sashimi, rolls and more.

• The Chef’s Table: a new multi-course dining experience hosted in a special glass-enclosed venue in the forward dining room.

• Cherry on Top: The “sweetest spot on board,” an expanded Cherry on Top features bulk candy, fanciful gifts, custom apparel and a Carnival Adventures shop.

• Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse: a casual open-air eatery featuring “real deal” BBQ favorites created by Food Network star Guy Fieri.

• Lido Marketplace: A casual poolside eatery boasting favorites like Seafood Shack offering lobster rolls and other New England-inspired fare; The Deli with sandwiches and paninis; Pizzeria del Capitano serving hand-tossed artisanal-style pies free of charge 24/7, and an expanded Swirls venue with complimentary ice cream and frozen yogurt.

Raising the Bar
• RedFrog Pub: Featuring the Caribbean’s best rums and beers – including Carnival’s own ThirstyFrog Red – enjoyed in a distinct British-West-Indies-meets-Key-West atmosphere.

• Piano Bar 88: A new twist on Carnival’s popular piano bar concept that amps up the excitement with themed nights, engaging new décor and spontaneous sing-along fun.

• Limelight Lounge: Home to the Punchliner Comedy Club featuring a hilarious line-up of comics which later transforms into a sizzling night club where guests can dance the night away.

• New Multi-Purpose Liquid Lounge: an expansive theater that’s home to captivating daytime and nighttime entertainment, including the line’s high-tech Playlist Productions revues and audience participation favorite Hasbro, The Game Show.

Open-Air Fun and Relaxation 
• SportSquare: A suspended ropes course offering heart-racing views to the sea 150 feet below, basketball court, jogging track, ping pong, foosball, pool tables, and a nine-hole miniature golf course highlight this open-area recreation complex.

• WaterWorks: Featuring a 203-foot-long AquaTunnel slide and Carnival’s signature 212-foot-long Twister slide along with a 75-gallon PowerDrencher tipping bucket and kiddie area.

• Serenity Adult Only Retreat: An adult only oasis offering plush chaise lounges, whirlpools and oversized umbrellas, enhanced by dramatic sea views.

Expanded Cloud 9 Spa and More 
• Cloud 9 Spa: Designed as the ultimate refuge for rest and relaxation, the health and wellness center offers an elaborate thermal suite, private treatment rooms, and the latest cardio and weight-training equipment.

• Modern, Spacious Facilities for Kids and Teens: including a new Camp Ocean, a colorful marine-inspired play area designed for kids ages 2-11, along with new spaces for Circle “C” aimed at 12- to 14-year olds and Club O2 geared to those 15-17.

• The Warehouse: promising fun for all ages with a variety of the latest video and arcade games.

• Expanded Retail Spaces: a mall-style shopping area lined with retail outlets offering fine jewelry, watches, fragrances, and more along with the line’s own branded spaces like Hip Fish and The Carnival Store.

“These new dining spaces and features complement many of Carnival’s signature food and beverage outlets that were added during previous renovations, including Guy’s Burger Joint developed in tandem with Guy Fieri,” said Gus Antorcha, Carnival’s chief operating officer, who has led the reimagination of Carnival Sunrise and many other ships in the fleet. “Carnival’s investments are part of an overall plan that is raising the bar on ship amenities and features, itineraries and offshore excursions that our guests are loving.” 
`
Carnival Sunrise’s Inaugural Season from Norfolk, New York and Fort Lauderdale

Carnival Sunrise’s inaugural schedule from Norfolk kicks off with a seven-day cruise departing the Half Moone Cruise Center visiting Grand Turk, the private island of Half Moon Cay and Freeport departing April 29, 2019. A pair of five-day voyages departs May 12 and 17, 2019 calling at Nassau and Freeport and three six-day cruises departing May 6, and Oct. 14 and 20, 2019, visiting Half Moon Cay, Nassau and Freeport.

The ship will then reposition to New York for a series of four- to 14-day voyages beginning May 23, 2019. The program includes four- to eight-day Bermuda cruises, including long weekend sailings to the island departing Thursdays and returning Mondays, along with seven-day fall foliage cruises to New England and the Canadian Maritimes, and two different eight-day Caribbean itineraries with stops at the region’s top 
destinations. Several longer voyages will also be offered, including a 10-day exotic eastern Caribbean itinerary and a 14-day Carnival Journeys Panama Canal cruise highlighted by local dining and entertainment experiences and unique shipboard enrichment activities.

Carnival Sunrise will then reposition to Fort Lauderdale for four- and five-day cruises beginning Oct. 28, 2019. Four-day long weekend cruises will call at tropical ports like Half Moon Cay, Princess Cays, Grand Turk and Nassau, while five-day cruises will visit Cuba, as well as seaside destinations in The Bahamas, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Grand Turk.


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## belle032

I saw that news this morning! Sounds like a great change to me, especially with all the problems the Triumph was having.

I sailed on the Destiny before it became the Sunshine and this sounds like the same type of refurb. I just hope they aren’t trying to cram too many things in a smaller ship. The one negative thing I’ve heard about the Sunshine is the lack of space.


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## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I saw that news this morning! Sounds like a great change to me, especially with all the problems the Triumph was having.
> 
> I sailed on the Destiny before it became the Sunshine and this sounds like the same type of refurb. I just hope they aren’t trying to cram too many things in a smaller ship. The one negative thing I’ve heard about the Sunshine is the lack of space.



I heard that too about the Sunshine but I guess I'll see for myself next spring.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> I heard that too about the Sunshine but I guess I'll see for myself next spring.



Everyone will have a different opinion. You’re still on a cruise ship so it’ll be fun no matter what!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

belle032 said:


> I saw that news this morning! Sounds like a great change to me, especially with all the problems the Triumph was having.
> 
> I sailed on the Destiny before it became the Sunshine and this sounds like the same type of refurb. I just hope they aren’t trying to cram too many things in a smaller ship. The one negative thing I’ve heard about the Sunshine is the lack of space.



Having sailed on the Sunshine - it's actually one of the things I loved - so much packed into a smaller sized ship. It has so many of the new bells and whistles - yes, it comes with a couple of bottlenecks (next to Guy's burgers - surprise, surprise ) but overall, it's great that there's so much on that ship.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> Having sailed on the Sunshine - it's actually one of the things I loved - so much packed into a smaller sized ship. It has so many of the new bells and whistles - yes, it comes with a couple of bottlenecks (next to Guy's burgers - surprise, surprise ) but overall, it's great that there's so much on that ship.



Are the elevators bigger than the Disney Wonder's? 

I tend to arrive too early for events and not attend parties so I am not sure I'll feel that much crowded. Except for Guy's burger maybe. That's why they need to add Pig & Anchor.


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## Monykalyn

Just ordered Carnival Gift cards to pay off cruise! Allstate rewards = 10% off means $1500 worth of GC for $1350. 
Nothing like getting 10% off a cruise (Don't have to be an Allstate member to sign up for Drivewise and rewards). 71 days to sailing.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> Are the elevators bigger than the Disney Wonder's?
> 
> I tend to arrive too early for events and not attend parties so I am not sure I'll feel that much crowded. Except for Guy's burger maybe. That's why they need to add Pig & Anchor.



Not been on the Wonder but have been on the Disney Magic several times - yes, the elevators on the sunshine are much larger.


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## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> Just ordered Carnival Gift cards to pay off cruise! Allstate rewards = 10% off means $1500 worth of GC for $1350.
> Nothing like getting 10% off a cruise (Don't have to be an Allstate member to sign up for Drivewise and rewards). 71 days to sailing.



That's nice! 

P.s. 73 days to sailing for us!


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## Club Disney Chandler

I saw John Heald posted a poll on his Pacehook page asking what we cruisers would rather have open 24 hours/day, pizza or Guy’s Burgers. I believe over 70% voted for Guy’s, (including me), I really hope that means they may start longer hours for Guy’s. Those burgers are so dang good.


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## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I saw John Heald posted a poll on his Pacehook page asking what we cruisers would rather have open 24 hours/day, pizza or Guy’s Burgers. I believe over 70% voted for Guy’s, (including me), I really hope that means they may start longer hours for Guy’s. Those burgers are so dang good.



John Heald's page must save Carnival thousands $$$$ in market studies. I believe the results of his surveys have an impact. 

I love Guy's Burgers (The only thing they are missing is guacamole in the condiments.) and the demand is strong. Much stronger than Blue Iguana which is good but somehow less popular. Pig & Anchor is also very popular, they really should think of putting one on each ship. 

I have a feeling they will soon do like RCCL and change Elegant night. Not necessarily get rid of it but reduce the number of EN per sailing and/or tone it down.


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## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> John Heald's page must save Carnival thousands $$$$ in market studies. I believe the results of his surveys have an impact.
> 
> I love Guy's Burgers (The only thing they are missing is guacamole in the condiments.) and the demand is strong. Much stronger than Blue Iguana which is good but somehow less popular. Pig & Anchor is also very popular, they really should think of putting one on each ship.
> 
> I have a feeling they will soon do like RCCL and change Elegant night. Not necessarily get rid of it but reduce the number of EN per sailing and/or tone it down.



I'm also a fan of Guy's. Sometimes I use the toppings from the Blue Iguana on my burger. I can't remember for sure but I think they have guacamole there. 

As for elegant night, I think Royal and Carnival are similar, they both had two on my last cruises with them. But both are not as "dressy" as other cruise lines perhaps. They both have similar menus though flipped, Carnival has the lobster first formal night and Royal has it the second formal night. We like to dress up, a bit. Nothing over the top. But I have seen people in very casual clothes on both cruise lines.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> John Heald's page must save Carnival thousands $$$$ in market studies. I believe the results of his surveys have an impact.
> 
> I love Guy's Burgers (The only thing they are missing is guacamole in the condiments.) and the demand is strong. Much stronger than Blue Iguana which is good but somehow less popular. Pig & Anchor is also very popular, they really should think of putting one on each ship.
> 
> I have a feeling they will soon do like RCCL and change Elegant night. Not necessarily get rid of it but reduce the number of EN per sailing and/or tone it down.


I think BI is way underrated. That is my favorite breakfast on the ship and I love the shrimp and chicken tacos at lunch.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I'm also a fan of Guy's. Sometimes I use the toppings from the Blue Iguana on my burger. I can't remember for sure but I think they have guacamole there. (...)



I checked on the Blue Iguana side for guacamole on the last two cruises but never found any.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think BI is way underrated. That is my favorite breakfast on the ship and I love the shrimp and chicken tacos at lunch.



I've tried the pork tacos. Loved it.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think BI is way underrated. That is my favorite breakfast on the ship and I love the shrimp and chicken tacos at lunch.



Agreed! I love BI for breakfast and lunch. Rarely a line. I actually like it better than Pig & Anchor.  Totally underrated!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Love the chicken and pork tacos.  My last cruise they also had steak.  I also like BI much better than Pig & Anchor. I actually don't like PA at all!  It just does not taste like good BBQ (disclaimer I live in Tennessee).  I should not write about food just before lunch, my stomach just gurgled!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> Agreed! I love BI for breakfast and lunch. Rarely a line. I actually like it better than Pig & Anchor.  Totally underrated!



The huevos rancheros with an arepas is my new favorite breakfast! So delicious.


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> Love the chicken and pork tacos.  My last cruise they also had steak.  I also like BI much better than Pig & Anchor. I actually don't like PA at all!  It just does not taste like good BBQ (disclaimer I live in Tennessee).  I should not write about food just before lunch, my stomach just gurgled!



I honestly didn’t think it was that good of BBQ either. And also thought the portions were really small comparative to other places. I know you can just go grab more but the line was so long it wasn’t worth it.



trvlgirlmq said:


> The huevos rancheros with an arepas is my new favorite breakfast! So delicious.



YES! My favorite. They also have them during the Sea Day Brunches in her main dining room. That’s where I discovered them! So good!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Love the chicken and pork tacos.  My last cruise they also had steak.  I also like BI much better than Pig & Anchor*. I actually don't like PA at all!* * It just does not taste like good BBQ* (disclaimer I live in Tennessee).  I should not write about food just before lunch, my stomach just gurgled!





If P&A is not good BBQ compared to Tennessee, I'm booking flights to go to Tennessee right away.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> The huevos rancheros with an arepas is my new favorite breakfast! So delicious.



Huevos Rancheros. Never dared to order it. I should definitely try it next time. What is an arepas? Can I order that at BI?


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I honestly didn’t think it was that good of BBQ either. *And also thought the portions were really small comparative to other places*. I know you can just go grab more but the line was so long it wasn’t worth it.
> 
> (...)



I always ask for double portion. (+I'm obsessed with their Mac'n'cheese).


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> If P&A is not good BBQ compared to Tennessee, I'm booking flights to go to Tennessee right away.



Well, come on down.  If you like guinea pigs you can stay in DS's room


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Huevos Rancheros. Never dared to order it. I should definitely try it next time. What is an arepas? Can I order that at BI?



Let's see, an arepas is a slightly sweet cornbread stuffed with cheese.  You can get them at breakfast at BI on the side where they serve the tacos in the afternoon.  That is also the location of the huevos rancheros.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

I like the arepas but preferred the huevo rancheros from the sea day brunch. Love shrimp burritos from BI.

Being from Canada, BBQ isn't too easy to find (it's certainly not what we're known for); we have BBQ on the Sunshine (not Guys P&A - just BBQ) and it was good - and serve yourself so no worries about the portion sizes.




100_2145

I'm cruising on the Sunshine again in January (right before my Disney Fantasy cruise) and it's being refurbished in the fall - really hoping they add the Guy's P&A.


----------



## mevelandry

Hi guys, 

As I am trying to create a general information thread in the RCCL section (because I could not find one!) ... I thought it was time to update the first post of the Carnival thread. 

I'd like it to be more informative regarding Carnival (while stating the differences between DCL and Carnival) than making it sound like "competition" between the two cruise lines... (At least when it comes to the first post, after that, comparisons and reviews are more than welcome). 

Also, if you think a theme is missing, please let me know!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> As I am trying to create a general information thread in the RCCL section (because I could not find one!) ... I thought it was time to update the first post of the Carnival thread.
> 
> I'd like it to be more informative regarding Carnival (while stating the differences between DCL and Carnival) than making it sound like "competition" between the two cruise lines... (At least when it comes to the first post, after that, comparisons and reviews are more than welcome).
> 
> Also, if you think a theme is missing, please let me know!


I think the first post comes across as a comparison, not let’s bash DCL. I’ll have to start looking on the RCCL side of the Dis more often as we get closer to our Anthem cruise next June. I’m getting so excited for that ship!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think the first post comes across as a comparison, not let’s bash DCL. I’ll have to start looking on the RCCL side of the Dis more often as we get closer to our Anthem cruise next June. I’m getting so excited for that ship!



I agree that it was not DCL bashing... But with time, as more and more recent reviews and comparisons appeared, I felt like the original one in post #1 was a little less relevant and think it would be more interesting to explain how Carnival works and the differences between the two cruise lines. 

Arghhhh. I'll always regret not sailing on the Anthem.


----------



## TheMcNicols

Interesting thread...we are taking our youngest granddaughter (4 1/2) on her first cruise in December (the Dream). Our tradition has been to take them to WDW between ages 4-5 but due to timing, her parents are taking her for Halloween this October. So, we opted for the cruise. We are Platinum on Carnival and so far, from all the reading I've done, the dinner dress code seems to be the biggest difference (at least for kids). We are looking forward to December!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> As I am trying to create a general information thread in the RCCL section (because I could not find one!) ... I thought it was time to update the first post of the Carnival thread.
> 
> I'd like it to be more informative regarding Carnival (while stating the differences between DCL and Carnival) than making it sound like "competition" between the two cruise lines... (At least when it comes to the first post, after that, comparisons and reviews are more than welcome).
> 
> Also, if you think a theme is missing, please let me know!


I think the first post comes across as a comparison, not let’s bash DCL. I’ll have to start looking on the RCCL side of the Dis more often as we get closer to our Anthem cruise next June


TheMcNicols said:


> Interesting thread...we are taking our youngest granddaughter (4 1/2) on her first cruise in December (the Dream). Our tradition has been to take them to WDW between ages 4-5 but due to timing, her parents are taking her for Halloween this October. So, we opted for the cruise. We are Platinum on Carnival and so far, from all the reading I've done, the dinner dress code seems to be the biggest difference (at least for kids). We are looking forward to December!


You’ll have a wonderful trip. Dinner attire is extremely casual on DCL, we’re always in shorts and polo shirts. We’re at the point now where we much prefer a cruise to WDW. You’re grandkids are very lucky to have grandparents like you. I wish you an amazing cruise and many more after this one!


----------



## mevelandry

TheMcNicols said:


> Interesting thread...we are taking our youngest granddaughter (4 1/2) on her first cruise in December (the Dream). Our tradition has been to take them to WDW between ages 4-5 but due to timing, her parents are taking her for Halloween this October. So, we opted for the cruise. We are Platinum on Carnival and so far, from all the reading I've done, the dinner dress code seems to be the biggest difference (at least for kids). We are looking forward to December!



(For some reason my reply did not appear last night...)

I honestly haven't notice a difference in the way people dress in the dining room between DCL and Carnival.

Possibly more Disney princess attire for little girls but that's about it.


----------



## TheMcNicols

mevelandry said:


> (For some reason my reply did not appear last night...)
> 
> I honestly haven't notice a difference in the way people dress in the dining room between DCL and Carnival.
> 
> Possibly more Disney princess attire for little girls but that's about it.



Thanks for the input...since it's only a 4-night cruise, I know we'll be okay. Just used to so many on Carnival wearing shorts (supposedly a no-no) to the MDR. LOL! We love Carnival because of the reasonable price and the Western Caribbean let hubby scuba dive 3-4 times a week. Done it so many times, I rarely get off the ship, I stay on board and write mystery novels.


----------



## mevelandry

TheMcNicols said:


> Thanks for the input...since it's only a 4-night cruise, I know we'll be okay. Just used to so many on Carnival wearing shorts (supposedly a no-no) to the MDR. LOL! We love Carnival because of the reasonable price and the Western Caribbean let hubby scuba dive 3-4 times a week. Done it so many times, I rarely get off the ship, I stay on board and write mystery novels.



(Ouuuhhhh a writer. I love it!  )

I have seen people wearing shorts in the MDR on DCL. The only clothes they don't permit are swimwear and tank tops. Other than that, it's "cruise casual" (shorts and t-shirts allowed).

You'll have a great time. Disney is very nice.


----------



## mevelandry

Thanks to @hdrolfe reminding me about Labadee on the info thread I created in the RCCL thread, I realized that I absolutely should create a section to talk about Amber Cove and Grand Turk in the "Private Island" section for this thread. Carnival offers exclusive access to those two ports after all!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

TheMcNicols said:


> Thanks for the input...since it's only a 4-night cruise, I know we'll be okay. Just used to so many on Carnival wearing shorts (supposedly a no-no) to the MDR. LOL! We love Carnival because of the reasonable price and the Western Caribbean let hubby scuba dive 3-4 times a week. Done it so many times, I rarely get off the ship, I stay on board and write mystery novels.



DCL has possibly the most casual dress code of any cruise line; while you'll see lots of little ones in fancy princess dresses or pirate costumes, the design du jour is definitely shorts and t-shirts; at breakfast and lunch (especially in the buffet) there's lots of swimwear - some with, and some without, cover-ups.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

TheMcNicols said:


> Thanks for the input...since it's only a 4-night cruise, I know we'll be okay. Just used to so many on Carnival wearing shorts (supposedly a no-no) to the MDR. LOL! We love Carnival because of the reasonable price and the Western Caribbean let hubby scuba dive 3-4 times a week. Done it so many times, I rarely get off the ship, I stay on board and write mystery novels.


I find that people dress up more on CCL than DCL.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I find that people dress up more on CCL than DCL.


I totally agree, especially on elegant night, Carnival folks take that seriously!


----------



## cruiser21

TheMcNicols said:


> Interesting thread...we are taking our youngest granddaughter (4 1/2) on her first cruise in December (the Dream). Our tradition has been to take them to WDW between ages 4-5 but due to timing, her parents are taking her for Halloween this October. So, we opted for the cruise. We are Platinum on Carnival and so far, from all the reading I've done, the dinner dress code seems to be the biggest difference (at least for kids). We are looking forward to December!


My kids have worn shorts in the dining room on every cruise and just about every night. I made them put pants on a couple times on formal night the first couple of cruises and then I gave up the battle. They don't wear long pants at home. My son even wore shorts to dinner in Alaska. I think it goes from in living warm/hot weather year round. It's just what they are comfortable in. I would not worry about it you'll see people in shorts, people dressed up and everything in between.


----------



## TheMcNicols

cruiser21 said:


> My kids have worn shorts in the dining room on every cruise and just about every night. I made them put pants on a couple times on formal night the first couple of cruises and then I gave up the battle. They don't wear long pants at home. My son even wore shorts to dinner in Alaska. I think it goes from in living warm/hot weather year round. It's just what they are comfortable in. I would not worry about it you'll see people in shorts, people dressed up and everything in between.


Thank you, and everyone else who posted. I feel better about her dress code (age 4).


----------



## mevelandry

Hi guys,

Carnival seems to have a nice promo right now for the sailings happening this fall.

The price difference between you picking your cabin and them assigning you a cabin seems greater than what I used to see.

I even noticed a Canadian Residents rate which I had never seen before. (The downside is that of course, THEY choose the room for you.)

At the moment, it would be 40$ less than what I have right now.

EDIT: My husband doesn't want to change cabins. He thinks the one we got is perfect.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> Carnival seems to have a nice promo right now for the sailings happening this fall.
> 
> The price difference between you picking your cabin and them assigning you a cabin seems greater than what I used to see.
> 
> I even noticed a Canadian Residents rate which I had never seen before. (The downside is that of course, THEY choose the room for you.)
> 
> At the moment, it would be 40$ less than what I have right now.
> 
> I wonder if I should call?
> 
> I can imagine they won't let me change my promotion.


You should call and check.  It depends on your current rate.  If you are on easysaver they will let you change.  For the others, I think it depends on PIF date, but not sure.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> You should call and check.  It depends on your current rate.  If you are on easysaver they will let you change.  For the others, I think it depends on PIF date, but not sure.



I think we'll keep the cabin after all. The location sounds nice and the view too. Not worth taking a chance for 40$ less.


----------



## Crystal O_o

My sister in law is a teacher and can only vacation during the normal times that the rest of the kids are out of school. So we choose to do Carnival Vista July 4th weekend. I went into that cruise with knowing that it's not going to be at the level of my past Disney cruises. However, what totally surprised me was how awful the service and ship actually were. The vista is only 2 years old and it felt 10 years old. The cabins were falling apart as well as the rest of the ship. Chipping paint everywhere, corner covers falling off, dirty carpet and generally just poor materials and keep up. The food was not great at all. The buffet lacked the basics like chicken strips, or french fries for the kids. I am not a very picky eater however I found myself at the uncharge food options then the regular options. The uncharge options were great, but again I had to pay additional for them. Service was poor, our waiter was rude as well as a couple of other ones. Getting on and off the ship was a mission and very unorganized. 

Another thing that was surprising was the ship felt small and packed. Like navigating it was difficult and I felt like we were in lines for everything. The Fantasy hold way more people then the Vista and I never felt like I was on a crowded ship on the Fantasy. On the Vista, I felt like there were people everywhere and I waited in line for far to long for everything.

The kids club was so lame too. My kids said it was bad and wanted to go back to disney.

With that said, I will NEVER EVER EVER book a Carnival cruise again. Not worth what I paid and it wasn't really the way we like to vacation.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Crystal o_O said:


> My sister in law is a teacher and can only vacation during the normal times that the rest of the kids are out of school. So we choose to do Carnival Vista July 4th weekend. I went into that cruise with knowing that it's not going to be at the level of my past Disney cruises. However, what totally surprised me was how awful the service and ship actually were. The vista is only 2 years old and it felt 10 years old. The cabins were falling apart as well as the rest of the ship. Chipping paint everywhere, corner covers falling off, dirty carpet and generally just poor materials and keep up. The food was not great at all. The buffet lacked the basics like chicken strips, or french fries for the kids. I am not a very picky eater however I found myself at the uncharge food options then the regular options. The uncharge options were great, but again I had to pay additional for them. Service was poor, our waiter was rude as well as a couple of other ones. Getting on and off the ship was a mission and very unorganized.
> 
> Another thing that was surprising was the ship felt small and packed. Like navigating it was difficult and I felt like we were in lines for everything. The Fantasy hold way more people then the Vista and I never felt like I was on a crowded ship on the Fantasy. On the Vista, I felt like there were people everywhere and I waited in line for far to long for everything.
> 
> The kids club was so lame too. My kids said it was bad and wanted to go back to disney.
> 
> With that said, I will NEVER EVER EVER book a Carnival cruise again. Not worth what I paid and it wasn't really the way we like to vacation.


That’s too bad your experience wasn’t good, my 21 days on the Vista was a completely different story. I would like to point out though the Fantasy only has a capacity of 65 more people than the Vista, I’m not saying I don’t believe you about it feeling crowded, just wanted to let you real numbers. I wish you many more happy cruises.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Crystal o_O said:


> My sister in law is a teacher and can only vacation during the normal times that the rest of the kids are out of school. So we choose to do Carnival Vista July 4th weekend. I went into that cruise with knowing that it's not going to be at the level of my past Disney cruises. However, what totally surprised me was how awful the service and ship actually were. The vista is only 2 years old and it felt 10 years old. The cabins were falling apart as well as the rest of the ship. Chipping paint everywhere, corner covers falling off, dirty carpet and generally just poor materials and keep up. The food was not great at all. The buffet lacked the basics like chicken strips, or french fries for the kids. I am not a very picky eater however I found myself at the uncharge food options then the regular options. The uncharge options were great, but again I had to pay additional for them. Service was poor, our waiter was rude as well as a couple of other ones. Getting on and off the ship was a mission and very unorganized.
> 
> Another thing that was surprising was the ship felt small and packed. Like navigating it was difficult and I felt like we were in lines for everything. The Fantasy hold way more people then the Vista and I never felt like I was on a crowded ship on the Fantasy. On the Vista, I felt like there were people everywhere and I waited in line for far to long for everything.
> 
> The kids club was so lame too. My kids said it was bad and wanted to go back to disney.
> 
> With that said, I will NEVER EVER EVER book a Carnival cruise again. Not worth what I paid and it wasn't really the way we like to vacation.




Bummer.  Definitely miserable when you spend $$ on a vacation and walk away unhappy.  When we were on the Vista last summer, we also did not feel like it felt new.  Not that it felt old, just not new.  And that was a year ago. We felt like some areas on Vista (buffet and comedy club especially) were crowded, but we also felt that way on both DCL Fantasy/Dream (hallway to kids club  and "shows" in the atrium or on deck to name a few).  There were always lines at the cafe on Vista.  We met a lot of fun people in those lines.  lol.  And you did not mention it, but we felt there wasn't enough a/c in the buffet.   But... we loved the food all over Vista, huge variety blew us away.  And the kids club??? Funny how experiences can be so different.  Our kids loved the kids club.  And I hate to admit it but our kids are difficult to satisfy.  We also though the service all around the ship was excellent.  We had YTD on the Vista, so we met a variety of waiters-- all very with it and sincere.  Our room steward was excellent.  Finally, we loved the "fun ship" vibe.  Overall we thought it was incredible value for money.  Did you have Matt as your CD?    Best CD ever. 

Thanks for your review.


----------



## mevelandry

Crystal o_O said:


> My sister in law is a teacher and can only vacation during the normal times that the rest of the kids are out of school. So we choose to do Carnival Vista July 4th weekend. I went into that cruise with knowing that it's not going to be at the level of my past Disney cruises. However, what totally surprised me was how awful the service and ship actually were. The vista is only 2 years old and it felt 10 years old. The cabins were falling apart as well as the rest of the ship. Chipping paint everywhere, corner covers falling off, dirty carpet and generally just poor materials and keep up. The food was not great at all. The buffet lacked the basics like chicken strips, or french fries for the kids. I am not a very picky eater however I found myself at the uncharge food options then the regular options. The uncharge options were great, but again I had to pay additional for them. Service was poor, our waiter was rude as well as a couple of other ones. Getting on and off the ship was a mission and very unorganized.
> 
> Another thing that was surprising was the ship felt small and packed. Like navigating it was difficult and I felt like we were in lines for everything. The Fantasy hold way more people then the Vista and I never felt like I was on a crowded ship on the Fantasy. On the Vista, I felt like there were people everywhere and I waited in line for far to long for everything.
> 
> The kids club was so lame too. My kids said it was bad and wanted to go back to disney.
> 
> With that said, I will NEVER EVER EVER book a Carnival cruise again. Not worth what I paid and it wasn't really the way we like to vacation.



I have to say I am quite shocked reading your review as I sailed on the Vista 10 months ago and experienced the complete opposite as what you are describing. Work was done in places that IMO did not even need refurbishments yet, carpets and floors were ****'n'span. My husband has been eating chicken strips at almost every lunch in the buffet... maybe there was a shortage??? French fries can be found at Guy's burgers if you can't find any at the buffet.
Getting on and off the ship was always a breeze for us. Food always delicious and I am super picky. I feel like we were not on the same ship at all...

But 4th of july week-end tends to have busier cruises... Do you usually cruise during 4th of July week-end each year?

Feeling crowded sucks. I felt like that on the Disney Wonder and definitely would sail the Dream or Fantasy if I had to go back to a DCL cruise.


----------



## cruiser21

One thing about Disney is everyone is in the same place at the same time. It's easy to avoid the crowds. You just do what everyone else is not doing. It's the one reason(other then the fact that I've seen them all) that I don't go to the shows. Between 6 and 8 you have the ship to yourself. I'm not sure how it is on the Vista, but I can't imagine anything being worse the kids pool on a DCL ship.


----------



## cyclenut

mevelandry said:


> I have to say I am quite shocked reading your review as I sailed on the Vista 10 months ago and experienced the complete opposite as what you are describing. Work was done in places that IMO did not even need refurbishments yet, carpets and floors were ****'n'span. My husband has been eating chicken strips at almost every lunch in the buffet... maybe there was a shortage??? French fries can be found at Guy's burgers if you can't find any at the buffet.
> Getting on and off the ship was always a breeze for us. Food always delicious and I am super picky. I feel like we were not on the same ship at all...
> 
> But 4th of july week-end tends to have busier cruises... Do you usually cruise during 4th of July week-end each year?
> 
> Feeling crowded sucks. I felt like that on the Disney Wonder and definitely would sail the Dream or Fantasy if I had to go back to a DCL cruise.


Funny you mention feeling crowded on the Wonder.  We've sailed her a few times and really didn't feel that way at all.  The only time was when leaving the theater after a show where there were crowds at the elevators.  I always know when sailing Carnival though to expect more lines.  The lines are so bad they make extra money selling Faster to the Fun (and that's embarkation and tenders).  

Haven't been on the Vista yet, but that's probably our next cruise.  We have another couple we are trying to coordinate with.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> One thing about Disney is everyone is in the same place at the same time. It's easy to avoid the crowds. You just do what everyone else is not doing. It's the one reason(other then the fact that I've seen them all) that I don't go to the shows. Between 6 and 8 you have the ship to yourself. I'm not sure how it is on the Vista, but I can't imagine anything being worse the kids pool on a DCL ship.



I've never seen a pool like DCL pools on any of my Carnival cruises.  Those are baaaaaad. Hopefully DCL will add more pools to their new ships.


----------



## cruiser21

cyclenut said:


> Funny you mention feeling crowded on the Wonder.  We've sailed her a few times and really didn't feel that way at all.  The only time was when leaving the theater after a show where there were crowds at the elevators.  I always know when sailing Carnival though to expect more lines.  The lines are so bad they make extra money selling Faster to the Fun (and that's embarkation and tenders).
> 
> Haven't been on the Vista yet, but that's probably our next cruise.  We have another couple we are trying to coordinate with.


DCL usually sells out all it cabins. The number of kids on board really affects the crowd size. I'm really starting to like the longer cruises with less kids. Our TA cruise was sold out, but it didn't feel crowded at all. The last time I was the Dream there was 1300 kids it felt like WDW on Christmas day.


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> Funny you mention feeling crowded on the Wonder.  We've sailed her a few times and really didn't feel that way at all.  The only time was when leaving the theater after a show where there were crowds at the elevators.  I always know when sailing Carnival though to expect more lines.  The lines are so bad they make extra money selling Faster to the Fun (and that's embarkation and tenders).
> 
> Haven't been on the Vista yet, but that's probably our next cruise.  We have another couple we are trying to coordinate with.



This is exactly what I am talking about. Huge lines before the shows and chaos as you exit the theater & tiny elevators. 

I've been FTTF on my last Carnival cruise. It was awesome and lines went so fast! 

My next ship will be the Sensation which is one of the smallest. An employee told me those were the best. Can't wait to try it.


----------



## cyclenut

cruiser21 said:


> DCL usually sells out all it cabins. The number of kids on board really affects the crowd size. I'm really starting to like the longer cruises with less kids. Our TA cruise was sold out, but it didn't feel crowded at all. The last time I was the Dream there was 1300 kids it felt like WDW on Christmas day.


We have been on sold out cruises and it still didn't feel THAT bad.  I guess it's just opinion, like a lot of other things.  What seems bad to one isn't so bad to another.  We almost always experience longer and slower lines with Carnival.  It's just something we have come to expect so it doesn't bother us.  I found the Disney Fantasy to feel more crowded than the Wonder.  

I agree with you about the longer cruises.  Our Panama Canal was sold out, but there were far fewer kids so it was glorious.  Several tables in the MDR were empty and visiting Castaway Cay felt like we were on our own private island at times.


----------



## belle032

It's crazy how people can have such different experiences on the same type of vacation. We've been on about every class of Carnival ship and never experienced super long lines, trouble with embarkation/debarkation, bad food, etc. However, I have heard mixed things about the Vista so we have yet to try it. Same with the mega ships on RCL, like the Oasis or Symphony. Before we booked the Conquest, we looked at all of these different ones and just couldn't get excited about them. But other people swear by mega ships and the new Carnival ones, so you just never know until you give it a try.

And our first DCL cruise is the Magic next year, which is the oldest & smallest ship. Can't wait to try that out!



mevelandry said:


> This is exactly what I am talking about. Huge lines before the shows and chaos as you exit the theater & tiny elevators.
> 
> I've been FTTF on my last Carnival cruise. It was awesome and lines went so fast!
> 
> My next ship will be the Sensation which is one of the smallest. An employee told me those were the best. Can't wait to try it.



The Sensation was my first ever cruise! I've been on the Imagination and Fantasy as well. Yes, they are smaller, but you'll still have a great time. The one thing about the Sensation I really remember is the crazy "Las Vegasy" colors!


----------



## cruiser21

belle032 said:


> It's crazy how people can have such different experiences on the same type of vacation. We've been on about every class of Carnival ship and never experienced super long lines, trouble with embarkation/debarkation, bad food, etc. However, I have heard mixed things about the Vista so we have yet to try it. Same with the mega ships on RCL, like the Oasis or Symphony. Before we booked the Conquest, we looked at all of these different ones and just couldn't get excited about them. But other people swear by mega ships and the new Carnival ones, so you just never know until you give it a try.
> 
> And our first DCL cruise is the Magic next year, which is the oldest & smallest ship. Can't wait to try that out!
> 
> 
> 
> The Sensation was my first ever cruise! I've been on the Imagination and Fantasy as well. Yes, they are smaller, but you'll still have a great time. The one thing about the Sensation I really remember is the crazy "Las Vegasy" colors!


  I've been on Disney cruises where you walked off the ship and other times it takes an hour. I've had great food and meh food, great servers, strange servers, not so good servers. Overall I reallylike the DCL product, but it's not perfect every cruise. I liked my Carnival cruises too.  You know what they say about first impressions though. If you try something once and it's great. You're more apt to be forgiving if things aren't that great the second time. If it's awful the first time you're not that likely to go back.


----------



## cyclenut

belle032 said:


> It's crazy how people can have such different experiences on the same type of vacation. We've been on about every class of Carnival ship and never experienced super long lines, trouble with embarkation/debarkation, bad food, etc. However, I have heard mixed things about the Vista so we have yet to try it. Same with the mega ships on RCL, like the Oasis or Symphony. Before we booked the Conquest, we looked at all of these different ones and just couldn't get excited about them. But other people swear by mega ships and the new Carnival ones, so you just never know until you give it a try.



I've been on three Carnival cruises, have talked with many guests (co-workers and those docked nearby when I'm not on a Carnival ship).  I've talked to other guests on the same Disney ship I was on.  It's amazing how different each person sees or experiences the exact same vacation.  I'm not at all surprised that across a variety of ships, itineraries and sail dates, we'd all have different experiences.  

One thing I've experienced very consistently on every one of the three Carnival vacations I've been on is long lines and mediocre service.  Especially long lines at embarkation.  Mediocre service in the main dining room every time.  I have never had to get up from my table to retrieve a water or tea pitcher to get my own refills, but I've had to do this twice on Carnival (different sailings).  I've had to send food back on Carnival because it just wasn't edible.  I've had to send food back on Disney because it was wrong or just wasn't as good as it should have been, but not because it was so bad I couldn't eat it.  When I sent food back on Disney, the chef came out to talk to me AND they sent us chocolate covered strawberries to our room.  When I sent it back on Carnival, they gave me a form to fill out (while still eating in the main dining room) and never head from them again.  I pay a lot less and I expect a lot less and I'm not disappointed.


----------



## cruiser21

I have talked to many first time cruisers on DCL...who were one and done. Cost being a factor and the wow factor just wasn't there for what they were paying. I've been on cruises that were half platinum and gold and these people wouldn't even consider another cruiseline. People are loyal if they like a product.


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> I've been on three Carnival cruises, have talked with many guests (co-workers and those docked nearby when I'm not on a Carnival ship).  I've talked to other guests on the same Disney ship I was on.  It's amazing how different each person sees or experiences the exact same vacation.  I'm not at all surprised that across a variety of ships, itineraries and sail dates, we'd all have different experiences.
> 
> One thing I've experienced very consistently on every one of the three Carnival vacations I've been on is long lines and mediocre service.  Especially long lines at embarkation.  Mediocre service in the main dining room every time.  I have never had to get up from my table to retrieve a water or tea pitcher to get my own refills, but I've had to do this twice on Carnival (different sailings).  I've had to send food back on Carnival because it just wasn't edible.  I've had to send food back on Disney because it was wrong or just wasn't as good as it should have been, but not because it was so bad I couldn't eat it.  When I sent food back on Disney, the chef came out to talk to me AND they sent us chocolate covered strawberries to our room.  When I sent it back on Carnival, they gave me a form to fill out (while still eating in the main dining room) and never head from them again.  I pay a lot less and I expect a lot less and I'm not disappointed.



I'd like to know which Carnival ships you have sailed on because our experience with the dining room on the Victory (x2) and the Vista was so good and the servers so nice... 

On our Cruises, we have seen long lines yes, like at guy's burgers and Pig & Anchor (they can be intimidating), but even if I was waiting in line behind 30 people, I always waited less than 10 minutes. 

I've only sent one dish back on Carnival and the chef came to talk to me.


----------



## cyclenut

mevelandry said:


> I'd like to know which Carnival ships you have sailed on because our experience with the dining room on the Victory (x2) and the Vista was so good and the servers so nice...
> 
> On our Cruises, we have seen long lines yes, like at guy's burgers and Pig & Anchor (they can be intimidating), but even if I was waiting in line behind 30 people, I always waited less than 10 minutes.
> 
> I've only sent one dish back on Carnival and the chef came to talk to me.


Most recent was on the Carnival Breeze for 7 days out of Galveston.  Newer ship, longer cruise than the first two.  Those were just the 4 days out of Long Beach to Ensenada.  I've posted on this thread more detail about my dining experience on the Breeze.  Loved the buffet but not the MDR.  Even the molten chocolate cake was good but the ice cream had thawed and refrozen so it had ice crystals.  Overall poor quality.  

It's all banquet style so I don't expect a full restaurant experience like I would get on land, but I do expect the food to be decent.


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> Most recent was on the Carnival Breeze for 7 days out of Galveston.  Newer ship, longer cruise than the first two.  Those were just the 4 days out of Long Beach to Ensenada.  I've posted on this thread more detail about my dining experience on the Breeze.  Loved the buffet but not the MDR.  Even the molten chocolate cake was good but the ice cream had thawed and refrozen so it had ice crystals.  Overall poor quality.
> 
> It's all banquet style so I don't expect a full restaurant experience like I would get on land, but I do expect the food to be decent.



The reviews I read from the Breeze are always so polarized... I'm intrigued.


----------



## southerngirl528

This thread is..... interesting. It was apparently started as a comparison thread (??), but seems to have morphed into a Carnival Cruise thread almost entirely. When folks are posting about upcoming deals, upcoming ships, etc., with NO comparison to DCL, it just feels like maybe this thread should move over to another forum. 

As PP have said, everyone has their own opinions and perspectives. And experiences can certainly vary one cruise to another. That's why there are LOTS of cruise lines out there! Something for everyone that wants to cruise, right?   I have no desire to cruise Cunard for example, but some folks probably love it. 

Guess what I'm trying to say is that those that really don't like DCL, are welcome to voice their opinion, but this IS the Disney Cruise Line forum.....


----------



## mevelandry

southerngirl528 said:


> This thread is..... interesting. It was apparently started as a comparison thread (??), but seems to have morphed into a Carnival Cruise thread almost entirely. When folks are posting about upcoming deals, upcoming ships, etc., with NO comparison to DCL, it just feels like maybe this thread should move over to another forum.
> 
> As PP have said, everyone has their own opinions and perspectives. And experiences can certainly vary one cruise to another. That's why there are LOTS of cruise lines out there! Something for everyone that wants to cruise, right?   I have no desire to cruise Cunard for example, but some folks probably love it.
> 
> Guess what I'm trying to say is that those that really don't like DCL, are welcome to voice their opinion, but this IS the Disney Cruise Line forum.....



I'm not gonna lie: your comment hurt my feelings.

I have received permission from the mods to create this thread and keep it up & I have worked hard to put it up & I still work hard to keep it up to date and make sure I got my DCL info right as well (as I have sailed on DCL rather recently --in 2017-- and keep reading everything I see about DCL) and also make sure that everyone in here feels welcome to speak freely about their experiences and preferences.

Yes, this thread was started as a comparison thread and most people, when they come back from their Carnival cruises, still do comparisons with DCL ships... (Whenever they do and give me permission, I put every link in the first post.)

FYI, most of us are DCL fans and no matter where our preference go, DCL remain in our top choices.

I strongly believe that we all have our place here and that this thread also still has a place as well...


----------



## Ben E N

I just got back from a week on the Carnival Magic, completing an Eastern Caribbean cruise. Over spring break, I completed my second cruise on the Disney Dream, with both of them stopping at Nassau and Castaway Cay. It is worth mentioning that my family had this cruise paid for by my mother in law, and that we would have never sailed on Carnival if we were spending our own money. This is because of the perception of Carnival that we had going in to this past cruise. The Dream and the Magic are around the same size and age, so I figured a comparison would make sense here.

Embarkation - The Carnival one went much, much quicker. When boarding the Disney ship, we waited in a security line for 40 minutes, and then a check in line for another 20. By the time we had gotten through both, our boarding number had already been called. When boarding the Carnival ship, we breezed through check in and security. We ran into a minor hiccup when some teenager who was checking tickets didn't know how to process our children, but it was quickly fixed by a supervisor. The whole process from pulling into port to walking onto the ship took about 15 minutes.

Disembarkation - They seemed about the same to me. It's just hard to get thousands of people walking off of a ship and through customs, and I felt that both lines handled it the best they could.

Ship Layout - The Disney ship's layout made more sense to me. Everything flowed through the grand atrium and it's connected hallways. The Magic has dining rooms on the 3rd floor, but the galley was also there, cutting the floor into chunks. The only way to get from the front to the back easily is to go up to the 5th floor, where a lot of the nighttime entertainment spots are found. In order to walk through that deck, though, you have to walk through the casino, which allows smoking. After having to do that a couple of times, my family quickily memorized which elevator bank we had to go to in order to get to each section of the ship (dining room is in the middle, go to the middle elevator first, then go down. Coffee is towards the front, go to the front elevator, then down, and so on.) Once we had the layout figured out by night 3 or so, it was fine. The middle elevator section was really neat, as there were glass elevators overlooking the atrium on deck 3 all the way up to deck 11. It made that area of the ship feel very "grand".

Cleanliness - Disney gets a big win here. On the Disney ship, there were people actually in the bathrooms cleaning them as they were being used. There were people wiping down railings during the day. There were other people standing at the entrance of eateries almost forcing you to use hand sanitizer. The bathrooms on the Magic were never dirty, but they were more similar to one you may find at a restaurant, clean, but clearly used, with water on the floor, etc. The railings on the ship were sticky at points. Most upsetting was the hand sanitizer at meals. It could be found in dispensers attached to walls. A few people would use them from time to time, but many would not. The one in the back of the ship, by the pizza place, was not working when I tried to use it. I observed people swabbing decks between 6 and 7 in the morning, so the Magic was cleaned, just not as frequently as the Dream. The Magic was never dirty, but it was clear that some of the extra money people spend on Disney cruises does go towards hiring more cleaning staff.

Staterooms - This was by far the weakest point of the Carnival Magic. Despite being around the same age as the Dream, the Magic's rooms felt old and used, while the Dream's felt a lot more like hotel rooms. The best comparison I can give is that the Disney rooms felt like staying at a smaller version of a Disney hotel while the Carnival ones felt like staying at a Motel 6. Functional, but not something I wanted to take pictures of. There was a layer of grime on the balcony that grossed me out on the first day, but that I learned to just live with by the time the cruise was over. The sink in our room backed up. We reported this on our first afternoon, and nothing was done about it the whole week we were there. We had a major issue with air conditioning, which I will go into further detail about in the staffing section.

Staffing - Everybody I interacted with on the Disney ship seemed like they were in the customer service industry. _Most_ of the people I dealt with on the Carnival ship seemed the same way. It felt like the lower level employees on both ships were very overworked. I felt like the ones on Carnival were trying to please customers almost against their bosses' wishes, though. When we made friends with bartenders, they would tell us about new drinks and encouraged us to try them based on our interests, but would have to pretend to make something different because they were being recorded as they worked. Our room on the first night was very, very warm and stuffy. I tried calling housekeeping, guest services, and even room service at about 10:00 that night. The only reason I tried so many people is because not a single one of them would answer the phone. The next morning we had to walk down to guest services, only to be told that as long as our room got down to 74 degrees, it was acceptable, whether we liked it our not. I thought that was pretty poor customer service. If I was asking for the room to get down to 58 degrees, of course I could understand, but the hardline set at 74 felt cheap to me. Luckily, my room steward knew the room slept hot and was able to remove the grate to our vent, increasing air flow. It felt like he was Mr. Incredible working for Insuricare, working to please customers against his bosses' wishes.
The dining staff on the Magic was much more fun and interactive in my opinion. This is taking nothing away from the Dream's staff, and comparing one dining staff on one cruise to just two staffs on the other line does not in any way make me an expert, but I thought it was worth sharing that opinion.

Food - Without a doubt, the food in Cabanas on the Dream was much better than the offerings in the Lido deck on the Magic. The food offerings at Cabanas were both solid and varied and I always found something I liked there. In the Lido marketplace, it was often the same food every day, and some of the items tasted like they had been sitting out for some time. I also thought that Cabanas was better thought out. It had many smaller stations, which broke up crowds. The Lido marketplace had 4 large serving stations, so during a rush it led to large lines. The Magic's other food offerings were better than the Dream's, though. They had a really good burrito place, a very popular burger place, as well as an Indian food stand and a smoked meat stand which were both very tasty. My only complaint about those places was their limited, and somewhat odd, hours. They were often only open from 12-2:30, even if the ship was docking at 11:45. This made many of those locations worthless if you planned on spending the day ashore.
The sit down restaurant on the Magic was much, much better than Disney's offerings. When I was on the Dream, I struggled to find any one dish at each meal that would excite me in any way. I remember the Cranberry salad at Animator's Palette being one, but then the rest of the meal was average at best. On the Magic, every item I ordered at every meal, with the exception of a total of one entree and one appetizer during the whole week, was exceptional. My wife, who typically does not get excited about food, agreed.
The dinnertime entertainment was also surprisingly more fun on the Carnival ships. As neat as it was to look at little Beast heads, or to see flowers open and close on the Dream, it was more entertaining to see waiters and dining guests get up and dance to "Can't stop the feeling". I never realized how stuffy the Dream's restaurants felt until I experienced my meals this past week.

Pools - I liked the Magic's pools better. It is worth noting that the adult only area on the Dream is much better than on the Magic. The pool with the swim up bar is much more fun than the few hot tubs and sunning deck found on the Magic. That did not bother us, though, as we had two children with us at all times. The Magic had 2 pools, a quiet one in the back of the ship, and a "party" one in the middle. This was comparable to the Dream's pools. The kid's water play area was much, much better on the Magic. It had two great water slides, buckets dumping on kids, water cannons, racing slides, and, most importantly, supervision by staff members. I hated that Nemo's Reef on the Dream because it was both difficult and necessary to supervise children there, and many people chose not to do so themselves.

Entertainment - Disney gets a big win here, but with a cost. It would be pretty impressive for somebody to top having guests watch Beauty and the Beast, and then having Goofy and Pluto giving out autographs after the show. I actually preferred my evenings on the Magic, though, because of the lower level entertainment. On the Dream, we felt such pressure to make dinner by 5:45 so that we could get seated and then go to the 8:00 show. While it was worthwhile on some nights, it left us feeling too pressured on others. With the entertainment on the Magic not being a constraining factor, we were able to enjoy the anytime dining. If our kids were up from nap early, we ate early. If they were tired, we slept late. It felt much more like a vacation. After dinner on the Magic, we would either go up to the pool deck and catch the end of a movie, enjoying the free popcorn, or we would drop the kids off and at kids club and my wife and I would enjoy one of the many bars on the ship.
The bars on both the Dream and the Magic are pretty on par with each other. I really enjoyed the skyline bar on the Dream, and the Redfrog Pub on the Magic. It felt like both ships had something for different types of people. The kid's clubs on both ships did a good job of entertaining our kids for 40 minutes at a time. There was more to do on the Disney ship, but that's not necessarily a good thing, as that led to our kids jumping from one thing to another and then getting bored. The kid's club staff on each ship was great.

Despite the many negatives of the Magic, I would book another cruise on it in an instant. In fact, I am already looking into taking another cruise on it's sister ship, the Breeze, next summer. The real draw of the Carnival ships is the price. I was not able to enjoy my most previous Disney cruise because I was dumb enough to break down how much it cost per hour. If I did the same with the Carnival Magic, the cost is not nearly the same. The people on the islands don't care what ship you took to get there, or how much you spent on your stateroom. The Carnival Magic, to me, was like staying at Pop Century in order to enjoy the parks. There was some big downsides to it, some really good upsides to it, and overall it was a lot cheaper than staying at the Polynesian. Both ships take you to islands, which is the real draw of a cruise, just as both hotels get you to the theme parks. My weeklong cruise on this ship completely changed my opinion of sailing on Carnival. I was almost glad to see some of the issues, as I knew the line was not perfect, and it made it easier to enjoy all the great parts of the ship.

*A couple of additions that I should have mentioned earlier*

The coffee at the coffee bar on the Magic was fantastic. If any coffee drinkers take a cruise on the ship, try the frappe. It isn't overly sweet like ones at Starbucks, and everybody I knew who tried one ended up ordering another at some point on the cruise.

I was nervous about going on a Carnival cruise because I had a preconceived notion that there would be a "people of Walmart" (to use another stereotype) sort of crowd on the ship. While it was definitely a more casual crowd, every other cruiser I interacted with was very nice to myself and my children. Lot's of retired couples could be found on this cruise, probably because it is a relatively cheap getaway.

Part of my nervousness about the people came from the fact that you could prepurchase 15 drinks per day as part of their "Cheers" package. I envisioned a bunch of obnoxious drunk people all cruise long as a result of this. Other than one really annoying guy who kept yelling "woo!" dozens of times in the main pool on the first day, I was never bothered by anybody else. I actually got the package myself and never had more than 6 drinks throughout a day, but liked how it was similar to the Disney Dining Plan in that it allowed me to try drinks I would have never tried before without worrying about their price. I would get the package on my next Carnival Cruise.


----------



## Ben E N

mevelandry said:


> I'm not gonna lie: your comment hurt my feelings.
> 
> I have received permission from the mods to create this thread and keep it up & I have worked hard to put it up & I still work hard to keep it up to date and make sure I got my DCL info right as well (as I have sailed on DCL rather recently --in 2017-- and keep reading everything I see about DCL) and also make sure that everyone in here feels welcome to speak freely about their experiences and preferences.
> 
> Yes, this thread was started as a comparison thread and most people, when they come back from their Carnival cruises, still do comparisons with DCL ships... (Whenever they do and give me permission, I put every link in the first post.)
> 
> FYI, most of us are DCL fans and no matter where our preference go, DCL remain in our top choices.
> 
> I strongly believe that we all have our place here and that this thread also still has a place as well...



I find it kind of funny that while you were writing that comment, I was doing literally what you said was being done on this thread - comparing Disney cruises to Carnival ones.


----------



## mevelandry

Ben E N said:


> I just got back from a week on the Carnival Magic, completing an Eastern Caribbean cruise. Over spring break, I completed my second cruise on the Disney Dream, with both of them stopping at Nassau and Castaway Cay. It is worth mentioning that my family had this cruise paid for by my mother in law, and that we would have never sailed on Carnival if we were spending our own money. This is because of the perception of Carnival that we had going in to this past cruise. The Dream and the Magic are around the same size and age, so I figured a comparison would make sense here.
> 
> Embarkation - The Carnival one went much, much quicker. When boarding the Disney ship, we waited in a security line for 40 minutes, and then a check in line for another 20. By the time we had gotten through both, our boarding number had already been called. When boarding the Carnival ship, we breezed through check in and security. We ran into a minor hiccup when some teenager who was checking tickets didn't know how to process our children, but it was quickly fixed by a supervisor. The whole process from pulling into port to walking onto the ship took about 15 minutes.
> 
> Disembarkation - They seemed about the same to me. It's just hard to get thousands of people walking off of a ship and through customs, and I felt that both lines handled it the best they could.
> 
> Ship Layout - The Disney ship's layout made more sense to me. Everything flowed through the grand atrium and it's connected hallways. The Magic has dining rooms on the 3rd floor, but the galley was also there, cutting the floor into chunks. The only way to get from the front to the back easily is to go up to the 5th floor, where a lot of the nighttime entertainment spots are found. In order to walk through that deck, though, you have to walk through the casino, which allows smoking. After having to do that a couple of times, my family quickily memorized which elevator bank we had to go to in order to get to each section of the ship (dining room is in the middle, go to the middle elevator first, then go down. Coffee is towards the front, go to the front elevator, then down, and so on.) Once we had the layout figured out by night 3 or so, it was fine. The middle elevator section was really neat, as there were glass elevators overlooking the atrium on deck 3 all the way up to deck 11. It made that area of the ship feel very "grand".
> 
> Cleanliness - Disney gets a big win here. On the Disney ship, there were people actually in the bathrooms cleaning them as they were being used. There were people wiping down railings during the day. There were other people standing at the entrance of eateries almost forcing you to use hand sanitizer. The bathrooms on the Magic were never dirty, but they were more similar to one you may find at a restaurant, clean, but clearly used, with water on the floor, etc. The railings on the ship were sticky at points. Most upsetting was the hand sanitizer at meals. It could be found in dispensers attached to walls. A few people would use them from time to time, but many would not. The one in the back of the ship, by the pizza place, was not working when I tried to use it. I observed people swabbing decks between 6 and 7 in the morning, so the Magic was cleaned, just not as frequently as the Dream. The Magic was never dirty, but it was clear that some of the extra money people spend on Disney cruises does go towards hiring more cleaning staff.
> 
> Staterooms - This was by far the weakest point of the Carnival Magic. Despite being around the same age as the Dream, the Magic's rooms felt old and used, while the Dream's felt a lot more like hotel rooms. The best comparison I can give is that the Disney rooms felt like staying at a smaller version of a Disney hotel while the Carnival ones felt like staying at a Motel 6. Functional, but not something I wanted to take pictures of. There was a layer of grime on the balcony that grossed me out on the first day, but that I learned to just live with by the time the cruise was over. The sink in our room backed up. We reported this on our first afternoon, and nothing was done about it the whole week we were there. We had a major issue with air conditioning, which I will go into further detail about in the staffing section.
> 
> Staffing - Everybody I interacted with on the Disney ship seemed like they were in the customer service industry. _Most_ of the people I dealt with on the Carnival ship seemed the same way. It felt like the lower level employees on both ships were very overworked. I felt like the ones on Carnival were trying to please customers almost against their bosses' wishes, though. When we made friends with bartenders, they would tell us about new drinks and encouraged us to try them based on our interests, but would have to pretend to make something different because they were being recorded as they worked. Our room on the first night was very, very warm and stuffy. I tried calling housekeeping, guest services, and even room service at about 10:00 that night. The only reason I tried so many people is because not a single one of them would answer the phone. The next morning we had to walk down to guest services, only to be told that as long as our room got down to 74 degrees, it was acceptable, whether we liked it our not. I thought that was pretty poor customer service. If I was asking for the room to get down to 58 degrees, of course I could understand, but the hardline set at 74 felt cheap to me. Luckily, my room steward knew the room slept hot and was able to remove the grate to our vent, increasing air flow. It felt like he was Mr. Incredible working for Insuricare.
> The dining staff on the Magic was much more fun and interactive in my opinion. This is taking nothing away from the Dream's staff, and comparing one dining staff on one cruise to just two staffs on the other line does not in any way make me an expert, but I thought it was worth sharing that opinion.
> 
> Food - Without a doubt, the food in Cabanas on the Dream was much better than the offerings in the Lido deck on the Magic. The food offerings at Cabanas were both solid and varied and I always found something I liked there. In the Lido marketplace, it was often the same food every day, and some of the items tasted like they had been sitting out for some time. I also thought that Cabanas was better thought out. It had many smaller stations, which broke up crowds. The Lido marketplace had 4 large serving stations, so during a rush it led to large lines. The Magic's other food offerings were better than the Dream's, though. They had a really good burrito place, a very popular burger place, as well as an Indian food stand and a smoked meat stand which were both very tasty. My only complaint about those places was their limited, and somewhat odd, hours. They were often only open from 12-2:30, even if the ship was docking at 11:45. This made many of those locations worthless if you planned on spending the day ashore.
> The sit down restaurant on the Magic was much, much better than Disney's offerings. When I was on the Dream, I struggled to find any one dish at each meal that would excite me in any way. I remember the Cranberry salad at Animator's Palette being one, but then the rest of the meal was average at best. On the Magic, every item I ordered at every meal, with the exception of a total of one entree and one appetizer during the whole week, was exceptional. My wife, who typically does not get excited about food, agreed.
> The dinnertime entertainment was also surprisingly more fun on the Carnival ships. As neat as it was to look at little Beast heads, or to see flowers open and close on the Dream, it was more entertaining to see waiters and dining guests get up and dance to "Can't stop the feeling". I never realized how stuffy the Dream's restaurants felt until I experienced my meals this past week.
> 
> Pools - I liked the Magic's pools better. It is worth noting that the adult only area on the Dream is much better than on the Magic. The pool with the swim up bar is much more fun than the few hot tubs and sunning deck found on the Magic. That did not bother us, though, as we had two children with us at all times. The Magic had 2 pools, a quiet one in the back of the ship, and a "party" one in the middle. This was comparable to the Dream's pools. The kid's water play area was much, much better on the Magic. It had two great water slides, buckets dumping on kids, water cannons, racing slides, and, most importantly, supervision by staff members. I hated that Nemo's Reef on the Dream because it was both difficult and necessary to supervise children there, and many people chose not to do so themselves.
> 
> Entertainment - Disney gets a big win here, but with a cost. It would be pretty impressive for somebody to top watching Beauty and the Beast, and then walking out and meeting Goofy and Pluto. I actually preferred my evening on the Magic, though, because of the lower level entertainment. On the Dream, we felt such pressure to make dinner by 5:45 so that we could get seated and then go to the 8:00 show. While it was worthwhile on some nights, it left us feeling too pressured on others. With the entertainment on the Magic not being a constraining factor, we were able to enjoy the anytime dining. If our kids were up from nap early, we ate early. If they were tired, we slept late. It felt much more like a vacation. After dinner on the Magic, we would either go up to the pool deck and catch the end of a movie, enjoying the free popcorn, or we would drop the kids off and at kids club and my wife and I would enjoy one of the many bars on the ship.
> The bars on both the Dream and the Magic are pretty on par with each other. I really enjoyed the skyline bar on the Dream, and the Redfrog Pub on the Magic. It felt like both ships had something for different types of people. The kid's clubs on both ships did a good job of entertaining our kids for 40 minutes at a time. There was more to do on the Disney ship, but that's not necessarily a good thing, as that led to our kids jumping from one thing to another and then getting bored. The kid's club staff on each ship was great.
> 
> Despite the many negatives of the Magic, I would book another cruise on it in an instant. In fact, I am already looking into taking another cruise on it's sister ship, the Breeze, next summer. The real draw of the Carnival ships is the price. I was not able to enjoy my most previous Disney cruise because I was dumb enough to break down how much it cost per hour. If I did the same with the Carnival Magic, the cost is not nearly the same. The people on the islands don't care what ship you took to get there, or how much you spent on your stateroom. The Carnival Magic, to me, was like staying at Pop Century in order to enjoy the parks. There was some big downsides to it, some really good upsides to it, and overall it was a lot cheaper than staying at the Polynesian. My weeklong cruise on this ship completely changed my opinion of sailing on Carnival. I was almost glad to see some of the issues, as I knew the line was not perfect, and it made it easier to enjoy all the great parts of the ship.



Hi! I was wondering if there was pictures you'd like to share with us... And if you agreed that I put a link for your review in the first post?

I agree with you on so many things here...

I like how they enforce the washing of hands on DCL and wish they would do the same on Carnival. I know it doesn't prevent everything (and I saw many people on DCL refuse to do it) but it makes me feel more comfortable.

Regarding the non-dining room food. I also wish they had more flexible hours for Guy's Burger, Blue Iguana, etc and I have a feeling that they "simplified" the Lido menu because there are a lot of options elsewhere now...

Have you seen some of the shows on the Magic? I am very fond of their comedy shows and musical revues and was curious to know if you have seen some of it and what you thought about it?

EDIT: That issue with a/c is not acceptable. Glad you had a great host who really tried to make you more comfortable.


----------



## southerngirl528

mevelandry said:


> I'm not gonna lie: your comment hurt my feelings.
> 
> I have received permission from the mods to create this thread and keep it up & I have worked hard to put it up & I still work hard to keep it up to date and make sure I got my DCL info right as well (as I have sailed on DCL rather recently --in 2017-- and keep reading everything I see about DCL) and also make sure that everyone in here feels welcome to speak freely about their experiences and preferences.
> 
> Yes, this thread was started as a comparison thread and most people, when they come back from their Carnival cruises, still do comparisons with DCL ships... (Whenever they do and give me permission, I put every link in the first post.)
> 
> FYI, most of us are DCL fans and no matter where our preference go, DCL remain in our top choices.
> 
> I strongly believe that we all have our place here and that this thread also still has a place as well...



I can assure you hurting anyone's feelings was not my intent. At all.  

I am glad the thread was given permission, and I see you making posts often, so it's obvious you care about the thread.   I guess what I expected to see were mostly posts like the one Ben E N just posted, which is a very comprehensive Carnival vs. DCL post. So that makes sense to me. 

To be honest, I had just glanced from time to time at this thread and seeing mostly various comments about Carnival, and upcoming cruises on Carnival, so I didn't really start reading a lot of it until today. My opinion is just that..... mine. Everyone has a right to their opinion, and that's what forums are all about, yes?   I was simply expressing mine. I wish you the best and many happy sailings, regardless of which lines you choose!


----------



## mevelandry

Ben E N said:


> I find it kind of funny that while you were writing that comment, I was doing literally what you said was being done on this thread - comparing Disney cruises to Carnival ones.



Yes. What a coincidence! 

And thank you so much for your detailed review. It is very much appreciated.

I strongly believe the informations and comparisons on this thread can help DCL lovers (who try something different) to know what to expect... And in some case, it might encourage them to upgrade their experience in certain areas to try to "match" (or compensate for) what they have with DCL and have a nice vacation.


----------



## mevelandry

southerngirl528 said:


> I can assure you hurting anyone's feelings was not my intent. At all.
> 
> I am glad the thread was given permission, and I see you making posts often, so it's obvious you care about the thread.   I guess what I expected to see were mostly posts like the one Ben E N just posted, which is a very comprehensive Carnival vs. DCL post. So that makes sense to me.
> 
> To be honest, I had just glanced from time to time at this thread and seeing mostly various comments about Carnival, and upcoming cruises on Carnival, so I didn't really start reading a lot of it until today. My opinion is just that..... mine. Everyone has a right to their opinion, and that's what forums are all about, yes?   I was simply expressing mine. I wish you the best and many happy sailings, regardless of which lines you choose!



I understand... (And thanks for your 2nd message). 

A lot of people here are almost just as passionate about Carnival than they are with DCL so we tend to talk (and digress) about it a lot in between comparisons. We try to focus our thoughts and conversations about it in here, which is why there are so many pages. 

We have hundreds of other threads to share our love of DCL so it may be more spread out but it is still there, trust me.


----------



## cruiser21

southerngirl528 said:


> This thread is..... interesting. It was apparently started as a comparison thread (??), but seems to have morphed into a Carnival Cruise thread almost entirely. When folks are posting about upcoming deals, upcoming ships, etc., with NO comparison to DCL, it just feels like maybe this thread should move over to another forum.
> 
> As PP have said, everyone has their own opinions and perspectives. And experiences can certainly vary one cruise to another. That's why there are LOTS of cruise lines out there! Something for everyone that wants to cruise, right?   I have no desire to cruise Cunard for example, but some folks probably love it.
> 
> Guess what I'm trying to say is that those that really don't like DCL, are welcome to voice their opinion, but this IS the Disney Cruise Line forum.....


Nobody's forcing you to read it. Why do you care?


----------



## southerngirl528

cruiser21 said:


> Nobody's forcing you to read it. Why do you care?



Seriously, cruiser21, aren't forums about opinions?  Including yours AND mine? I think so.


----------



## cruiser21

southerngirl528 said:


> Seriously, cruiser21, aren't forums about opinions?  Including yours AND mine? I think so.


Why would you post on a very pleasant thread that we shouldn't be talking about Carnival on DCL forum. The mods approved it and nobody's forcing you to read it. There's plenty of threads you can go to discuss how awesome you think DCL is.


----------



## southerngirl528

cruiser21 said:


> Why would you post on a very pleasant thread that we shouldn't be talking about Carnival on DCL forum.



I think you would find it helpful to reread my post, cruiser21.  At NO time did I say there should be no talking about Carnival on the DCL forums. My comment was an observation from my reading (today being the first time I did more than glance ) that the thread didn't appear to be much about "comparison" (which IS the title of the thread) but more a Carnival thread itself. Which seemed odd to me on a DCL forum.  Have a nice evening.


----------



## cruiser21

southerngirl528 said:


> I think you would find it helpful to reread my post, cruiser21.  At NO time did I say there should be no talking about Carnival on the DCL forums. My comment was an observation from my reading (today being the first time I did more than glance ) that the thread didn't appear to be much about "comparison" (which IS the title of the thread) but more a Carnival thread itself. Which seemed odd to me on a DCL forum.  Have a nice evening.


Find me a thread on the Disboards that's 119 pages long that hasn't gone off topic and I'll send you a hundred bucks. A DCL cruiser just wrote a  long review of their Carnival cruise. The reviews still come in. They may be sporadic and there may be a lot of filler and discussing random things, but that is normal for a long thread on the disboards.


----------



## mevelandry

southerngirl528 said:


> I think you would find it helpful to reread my post, cruiser21.  At NO time did I say there should be no talking about Carnival on the DCL forums. My comment was an observation from my reading (today being the first time I did more than glance ) that the thread didn't appear to be much about "comparison" (which IS the title of the thread) but more a Carnival thread itself. Which seemed odd to me on a DCL forum.  Have a nice evening.



Following your comments, I decided to rename the thread: "The discussion and comparison thread".


----------



## PrincessTrisha

Ben E N said:


> I just got back from a week on the Carnival Magic, completing an Eastern Caribbean cruise. Over spring break, I completed my second cruise on the Disney Dream, with both of them stopping at Nassau and Castaway Cay. It is worth mentioning that my family had this cruise paid for by my mother in law, and that we would have never sailed on Carnival if we were spending our own money. This is because of the perception of Carnival that we had going in to this past cruise. The Dream and the Magic are around the same size and age, so I figured a comparison would make sense here.
> 
> Embarkation - The Carnival one went much, much quicker. When boarding the Disney ship, we waited in a security line for 40 minutes, and then a check in line for another 20. By the time we had gotten through both, our boarding number had already been called. When boarding the Carnival ship, we breezed through check in and security. We ran into a minor hiccup when some teenager who was checking tickets didn't know how to process our children, but it was quickly fixed by a supervisor. The whole process from pulling into port to walking onto the ship took about 15 minutes.
> 
> Disembarkation - They seemed about the same to me. It's just hard to get thousands of people walking off of a ship and through customs, and I felt that both lines handled it the best they could.
> 
> Ship Layout - The Disney ship's layout made more sense to me. Everything flowed through the grand atrium and it's connected hallways. The Magic has dining rooms on the 3rd floor, but the galley was also there, cutting the floor into chunks. The only way to get from the front to the back easily is to go up to the 5th floor, where a lot of the nighttime entertainment spots are found. In order to walk through that deck, though, you have to walk through the casino, which allows smoking. After having to do that a couple of times, my family quickily memorized which elevator bank we had to go to in order to get to each section of the ship (dining room is in the middle, go to the middle elevator first, then go down. Coffee is towards the front, go to the front elevator, then down, and so on.) Once we had the layout figured out by night 3 or so, it was fine. The middle elevator section was really neat, as there were glass elevators overlooking the atrium on deck 3 all the way up to deck 11. It made that area of the ship feel very "grand".
> 
> Cleanliness - Disney gets a big win here. On the Disney ship, there were people actually in the bathrooms cleaning them as they were being used. There were people wiping down railings during the day. There were other people standing at the entrance of eateries almost forcing you to use hand sanitizer. The bathrooms on the Magic were never dirty, but they were more similar to one you may find at a restaurant, clean, but clearly used, with water on the floor, etc. The railings on the ship were sticky at points. Most upsetting was the hand sanitizer at meals. It could be found in dispensers attached to walls. A few people would use them from time to time, but many would not. The one in the back of the ship, by the pizza place, was not working when I tried to use it. I observed people swabbing decks between 6 and 7 in the morning, so the Magic was cleaned, just not as frequently as the Dream. The Magic was never dirty, but it was clear that some of the extra money people spend on Disney cruises does go towards hiring more cleaning staff.
> 
> Staterooms - This was by far the weakest point of the Carnival Magic. Despite being around the same age as the Dream, the Magic's rooms felt old and used, while the Dream's felt a lot more like hotel rooms. The best comparison I can give is that the Disney rooms felt like staying at a smaller version of a Disney hotel while the Carnival ones felt like staying at a Motel 6. Functional, but not something I wanted to take pictures of. There was a layer of grime on the balcony that grossed me out on the first day, but that I learned to just live with by the time the cruise was over. The sink in our room backed up. We reported this on our first afternoon, and nothing was done about it the whole week we were there. We had a major issue with air conditioning, which I will go into further detail about in the staffing section.
> 
> Staffing - Everybody I interacted with on the Disney ship seemed like they were in the customer service industry. _Most_ of the people I dealt with on the Carnival ship seemed the same way. It felt like the lower level employees on both ships were very overworked. I felt like the ones on Carnival were trying to please customers almost against their bosses' wishes, though. When we made friends with bartenders, they would tell us about new drinks and encouraged us to try them based on our interests, but would have to pretend to make something different because they were being recorded as they worked. Our room on the first night was very, very warm and stuffy. I tried calling housekeeping, guest services, and even room service at about 10:00 that night. The only reason I tried so many people is because not a single one of them would answer the phone. The next morning we had to walk down to guest services, only to be told that as long as our room got down to 74 degrees, it was acceptable, whether we liked it our not. I thought that was pretty poor customer service. If I was asking for the room to get down to 58 degrees, of course I could understand, but the hardline set at 74 felt cheap to me. Luckily, my room steward knew the room slept hot and was able to remove the grate to our vent, increasing air flow. It felt like he was Mr. Incredible working for Insuricare, working to please customers against his bosses' wishes.
> The dining staff on the Magic was much more fun and interactive in my opinion. This is taking nothing away from the Dream's staff, and comparing one dining staff on one cruise to just two staffs on the other line does not in any way make me an expert, but I thought it was worth sharing that opinion.
> 
> Food - Without a doubt, the food in Cabanas on the Dream was much better than the offerings in the Lido deck on the Magic. The food offerings at Cabanas were both solid and varied and I always found something I liked there. In the Lido marketplace, it was often the same food every day, and some of the items tasted like they had been sitting out for some time. I also thought that Cabanas was better thought out. It had many smaller stations, which broke up crowds. The Lido marketplace had 4 large serving stations, so during a rush it led to large lines. The Magic's other food offerings were better than the Dream's, though. They had a really good burrito place, a very popular burger place, as well as an Indian food stand and a smoked meat stand which were both very tasty. My only complaint about those places was their limited, and somewhat odd, hours. They were often only open from 12-2:30, even if the ship was docking at 11:45. This made many of those locations worthless if you planned on spending the day ashore.
> The sit down restaurant on the Magic was much, much better than Disney's offerings. When I was on the Dream, I struggled to find any one dish at each meal that would excite me in any way. I remember the Cranberry salad at Animator's Palette being one, but then the rest of the meal was average at best. On the Magic, every item I ordered at every meal, with the exception of a total of one entree and one appetizer during the whole week, was exceptional. My wife, who typically does not get excited about food, agreed.
> The dinnertime entertainment was also surprisingly more fun on the Carnival ships. As neat as it was to look at little Beast heads, or to see flowers open and close on the Dream, it was more entertaining to see waiters and dining guests get up and dance to "Can't stop the feeling". I never realized how stuffy the Dream's restaurants felt until I experienced my meals this past week.
> 
> Pools - I liked the Magic's pools better. It is worth noting that the adult only area on the Dream is much better than on the Magic. The pool with the swim up bar is much more fun than the few hot tubs and sunning deck found on the Magic. That did not bother us, though, as we had two children with us at all times. The Magic had 2 pools, a quiet one in the back of the ship, and a "party" one in the middle. This was comparable to the Dream's pools. The kid's water play area was much, much better on the Magic. It had two great water slides, buckets dumping on kids, water cannons, racing slides, and, most importantly, supervision by staff members. I hated that Nemo's Reef on the Dream because it was both difficult and necessary to supervise children there, and many people chose not to do so themselves.
> 
> Entertainment - Disney gets a big win here, but with a cost. It would be pretty impressive for somebody to top having guests watch Beauty and the Beast, and then having Goofy and Pluto giving out autographs after the show. I actually preferred my evenings on the Magic, though, because of the lower level entertainment. On the Dream, we felt such pressure to make dinner by 5:45 so that we could get seated and then go to the 8:00 show. While it was worthwhile on some nights, it left us feeling too pressured on others. With the entertainment on the Magic not being a constraining factor, we were able to enjoy the anytime dining. If our kids were up from nap early, we ate early. If they were tired, we slept late. It felt much more like a vacation. After dinner on the Magic, we would either go up to the pool deck and catch the end of a movie, enjoying the free popcorn, or we would drop the kids off and at kids club and my wife and I would enjoy one of the many bars on the ship.
> The bars on both the Dream and the Magic are pretty on par with each other. I really enjoyed the skyline bar on the Dream, and the Redfrog Pub on the Magic. It felt like both ships had something for different types of people. The kid's clubs on both ships did a good job of entertaining our kids for 40 minutes at a time. There was more to do on the Disney ship, but that's not necessarily a good thing, as that led to our kids jumping from one thing to another and then getting bored. The kid's club staff on each ship was great.
> 
> Despite the many negatives of the Magic, I would book another cruise on it in an instant. In fact, I am already looking into taking another cruise on it's sister ship, the Breeze, next summer. The real draw of the Carnival ships is the price. I was not able to enjoy my most previous Disney cruise because I was dumb enough to break down how much it cost per hour. If I did the same with the Carnival Magic, the cost is not nearly the same. The people on the islands don't care what ship you took to get there, or how much you spent on your stateroom. The Carnival Magic, to me, was like staying at Pop Century in order to enjoy the parks. There was some big downsides to it, some really good upsides to it, and overall it was a lot cheaper than staying at the Polynesian. Both ships take you to islands, which is the real draw of a cruise, just as both hotels get you to the theme parks. My weeklong cruise on this ship completely changed my opinion of sailing on Carnival. I was almost glad to see some of the issues, as I knew the line was not perfect, and it made it easier to enjoy all the great parts of the ship.



Great review.

I find it funny that people always mention the lack of push of hand sanitizers on Carnival; whatever cleaning they do must work because - given the size of their fleet - they have relatively few Norovirus outbreaks. In fact, per capita of cruisers, they have a better record than DCL (because it's like 23 ships versus 4 ships).

We like to sit and watch the ocean go by or talk amongst ourselves frequently throughout the day and sometime at night - we have seen the cleaners "doing their thing" on Carnival a lot - they wipe down everything! And constantly.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Ben E N said:


> I just got back from a week on the Carnival Magic, completing an Eastern Caribbean cruise. Over spring break, I completed my second cruise on the Disney Dream, with both of them stopping at Nassau and Castaway Cay. It is worth mentioning that my family had this cruise paid for by my mother in law, and that we would have never sailed on Carnival if we were spending our own money. This is because of the perception of Carnival that we had going in to this past cruise. The Dream and the Magic are around the same size and age, so I figured a comparison would make sense here.
> 
> Embarkation - The Carnival one went much, much quicker. When boarding the Disney ship, we waited in a security line for 40 minutes, and then a check in line for another 20. By the time we had gotten through both, our boarding number had already been called. When boarding the Carnival ship, we breezed through check in and security. We ran into a minor hiccup when some teenager who was checking tickets didn't know how to process our children, but it was quickly fixed by a supervisor. The whole process from pulling into port to walking onto the ship took about 15 minutes.
> 
> Disembarkation - They seemed about the same to me. It's just hard to get thousands of people walking off of a ship and through customs, and I felt that both lines handled it the best they could.
> 
> Ship Layout - The Disney ship's layout made more sense to me. Everything flowed through the grand atrium and it's connected hallways. The Magic has dining rooms on the 3rd floor, but the galley was also there, cutting the floor into chunks. The only way to get from the front to the back easily is to go up to the 5th floor, where a lot of the nighttime entertainment spots are found. In order to walk through that deck, though, you have to walk through the casino, which allows smoking. After having to do that a couple of times, my family quickily memorized which elevator bank we had to go to in order to get to each section of the ship (dining room is in the middle, go to the middle elevator first, then go down. Coffee is towards the front, go to the front elevator, then down, and so on.) Once we had the layout figured out by night 3 or so, it was fine. The middle elevator section was really neat, as there were glass elevators overlooking the atrium on deck 3 all the way up to deck 11. It made that area of the ship feel very "grand".
> 
> Cleanliness - Disney gets a big win here. On the Disney ship, there were people actually in the bathrooms cleaning them as they were being used. There were people wiping down railings during the day. There were other people standing at the entrance of eateries almost forcing you to use hand sanitizer. The bathrooms on the Magic were never dirty, but they were more similar to one you may find at a restaurant, clean, but clearly used, with water on the floor, etc. The railings on the ship were sticky at points. Most upsetting was the hand sanitizer at meals. It could be found in dispensers attached to walls. A few people would use them from time to time, but many would not. The one in the back of the ship, by the pizza place, was not working when I tried to use it. I observed people swabbing decks between 6 and 7 in the morning, so the Magic was cleaned, just not as frequently as the Dream. The Magic was never dirty, but it was clear that some of the extra money people spend on Disney cruises does go towards hiring more cleaning staff.
> 
> Staterooms - This was by far the weakest point of the Carnival Magic. Despite being around the same age as the Dream, the Magic's rooms felt old and used, while the Dream's felt a lot more like hotel rooms. The best comparison I can give is that the Disney rooms felt like staying at a smaller version of a Disney hotel while the Carnival ones felt like staying at a Motel 6. Functional, but not something I wanted to take pictures of. There was a layer of grime on the balcony that grossed me out on the first day, but that I learned to just live with by the time the cruise was over. The sink in our room backed up. We reported this on our first afternoon, and nothing was done about it the whole week we were there. We had a major issue with air conditioning, which I will go into further detail about in the staffing section.
> 
> Staffing - Everybody I interacted with on the Disney ship seemed like they were in the customer service industry. _Most_ of the people I dealt with on the Carnival ship seemed the same way. It felt like the lower level employees on both ships were very overworked. I felt like the ones on Carnival were trying to please customers almost against their bosses' wishes, though. When we made friends with bartenders, they would tell us about new drinks and encouraged us to try them based on our interests, but would have to pretend to make something different because they were being recorded as they worked. Our room on the first night was very, very warm and stuffy. I tried calling housekeeping, guest services, and even room service at about 10:00 that night. The only reason I tried so many people is because not a single one of them would answer the phone. The next morning we had to walk down to guest services, only to be told that as long as our room got down to 74 degrees, it was acceptable, whether we liked it our not. I thought that was pretty poor customer service. If I was asking for the room to get down to 58 degrees, of course I could understand, but the hardline set at 74 felt cheap to me. Luckily, my room steward knew the room slept hot and was able to remove the grate to our vent, increasing air flow. It felt like he was Mr. Incredible working for Insuricare, working to please customers against his bosses' wishes.
> The dining staff on the Magic was much more fun and interactive in my opinion. This is taking nothing away from the Dream's staff, and comparing one dining staff on one cruise to just two staffs on the other line does not in any way make me an expert, but I thought it was worth sharing that opinion.
> 
> Food - Without a doubt, the food in Cabanas on the Dream was much better than the offerings in the Lido deck on the Magic. The food offerings at Cabanas were both solid and varied and I always found something I liked there. In the Lido marketplace, it was often the same food every day, and some of the items tasted like they had been sitting out for some time. I also thought that Cabanas was better thought out. It had many smaller stations, which broke up crowds. The Lido marketplace had 4 large serving stations, so during a rush it led to large lines. The Magic's other food offerings were better than the Dream's, though. They had a really good burrito place, a very popular burger place, as well as an Indian food stand and a smoked meat stand which were both very tasty. My only complaint about those places was their limited, and somewhat odd, hours. They were often only open from 12-2:30, even if the ship was docking at 11:45. This made many of those locations worthless if you planned on spending the day ashore.
> The sit down restaurant on the Magic was much, much better than Disney's offerings. When I was on the Dream, I struggled to find any one dish at each meal that would excite me in any way. I remember the Cranberry salad at Animator's Palette being one, but then the rest of the meal was average at best. On the Magic, every item I ordered at every meal, with the exception of a total of one entree and one appetizer during the whole week, was exceptional. My wife, who typically does not get excited about food, agreed.
> The dinnertime entertainment was also surprisingly more fun on the Carnival ships. As neat as it was to look at little Beast heads, or to see flowers open and close on the Dream, it was more entertaining to see waiters and dining guests get up and dance to "Can't stop the feeling". I never realized how stuffy the Dream's restaurants felt until I experienced my meals this past week.
> 
> Pools - I liked the Magic's pools better. It is worth noting that the adult only area on the Dream is much better than on the Magic. The pool with the swim up bar is much more fun than the few hot tubs and sunning deck found on the Magic. That did not bother us, though, as we had two children with us at all times. The Magic had 2 pools, a quiet one in the back of the ship, and a "party" one in the middle. This was comparable to the Dream's pools. The kid's water play area was much, much better on the Magic. It had two great water slides, buckets dumping on kids, water cannons, racing slides, and, most importantly, supervision by staff members. I hated that Nemo's Reef on the Dream because it was both difficult and necessary to supervise children there, and many people chose not to do so themselves.
> 
> Entertainment - Disney gets a big win here, but with a cost. It would be pretty impressive for somebody to top having guests watch Beauty and the Beast, and then having Goofy and Pluto giving out autographs after the show. I actually preferred my evenings on the Magic, though, because of the lower level entertainment. On the Dream, we felt such pressure to make dinner by 5:45 so that we could get seated and then go to the 8:00 show. While it was worthwhile on some nights, it left us feeling too pressured on others. With the entertainment on the Magic not being a constraining factor, we were able to enjoy the anytime dining. If our kids were up from nap early, we ate early. If they were tired, we slept late. It felt much more like a vacation. After dinner on the Magic, we would either go up to the pool deck and catch the end of a movie, enjoying the free popcorn, or we would drop the kids off and at kids club and my wife and I would enjoy one of the many bars on the ship.
> The bars on both the Dream and the Magic are pretty on par with each other. I really enjoyed the skyline bar on the Dream, and the Redfrog Pub on the Magic. It felt like both ships had something for different types of people. The kid's clubs on both ships did a good job of entertaining our kids for 40 minutes at a time. There was more to do on the Disney ship, but that's not necessarily a good thing, as that led to our kids jumping from one thing to another and then getting bored. The kid's club staff on each ship was great.
> 
> Despite the many negatives of the Magic, I would book another cruise on it in an instant. In fact, I am already looking into taking another cruise on it's sister ship, the Breeze, next summer. The real draw of the Carnival ships is the price. I was not able to enjoy my most previous Disney cruise because I was dumb enough to break down how much it cost per hour. If I did the same with the Carnival Magic, the cost is not nearly the same. The people on the islands don't care what ship you took to get there, or how much you spent on your stateroom. The Carnival Magic, to me, was like staying at Pop Century in order to enjoy the parks. There was some big downsides to it, some really good upsides to it, and overall it was a lot cheaper than staying at the Polynesian. Both ships take you to islands, which is the real draw of a cruise, just as both hotels get you to the theme parks. My weeklong cruise on this ship completely changed my opinion of sailing on Carnival. I was almost glad to see some of the issues, as I knew the line was not perfect, and it made it easier to enjoy all the great parts of the ship.
> 
> *A couple of additions that I should have mentioned earlier*
> 
> The coffee at the coffee bar on the Magic was fantastic. If any coffee drinkers take a cruise on the ship, try the frappe. It isn't overly sweet like ones at Starbucks, and everybody I knew who tried one ended up ordering another at some point on the cruise.
> 
> I was nervous about going on a Carnival cruise because I had a preconceived notion that there would be a "people of Walmart" (to use another stereotype) sort of crowd on the ship. While it was definitely a more casual crowd, every other cruiser I interacted with was very nice to myself and my children. Lot's of retired couples could be found on this cruise, probably because it is a relatively cheap getaway.
> 
> Part of my nervousness about the people came from the fact that you could prepurchase 15 drinks per day as part of their "Cheers" package. I envisioned a bunch of obnoxious drunk people all cruise long as a result of this. Other than one really annoying guy who kept yelling "woo!" dozens of times in the main pool on the first day, I was never bothered by anybody else. I actually got the package myself and never had more than 6 drinks throughout a day, but liked how it was similar to the Disney Dining Plan in that it allowed me to try drinks I would have never tried before without worrying about their price. I would get the package on my next Carnival Cruise.


Thanks for your very balanced review of the Magic.  You summed up what I feel about Carnival vs Disney, they’re both great experiences, just in a different way. I feel like on Disney they CM’s do a great job of entertaining us as we stay somewhat passive, whereas Carnival crew entertains us as active participants, ie deck parties, lip sync challenges, MDR dances etc.

We love both lines so far, (although we’ve only been on Vista - which I highly recommend), and are trying RCCL next summer. We probably won’t be back on Disney until the new ships come out, but we are certainly looking forward to seeing what advances in technology will bring to those ships. 

BTW, I totally agree about the layout issues on Carnival ships, I hate the way you have to go up and down at times to get from one end to the other. It definitely takes some getting used to. I never thought about your description of the Disney ships as the atrium being the hub and everything branches out from there. It’s kind of like where the Walt statue is at the end of Main Street at DL and Magic Kingdom at WDW, everyplace you need to go extends from there, it’s a great layout for a ship.


----------



## Ben E N

mevelandry said:


> Hi! I was wondering if there was pictures you'd like to share with us... And if you agreed that I put a link for your review in the first post?
> 
> I agree with you on so many things here...
> 
> I like how they enforce the washing of hands on DCL and wish they would do the same on Carnival. I know it doesn't prevent everything (and I saw many people on DCL refuse to do it) but it makes me feel more comfortable.
> 
> Regarding the non-dining room food. I also wish they had more flexible hours for Guy's Burger, Blue Iguana, etc and I have a feeling that they "simplified" the Lido menu because there are a lot of options elsewhere now...
> 
> Have you seen some of the shows on the Magic? I am very fond of their comedy shows and musical revues and was curious to know if you have seen some of it and what you thought about it?
> 
> EDIT: That issue with a/c is not acceptable. Glad you had a great host who really tried to make you more comfortable.



Sure, feel free to use that post. Hopefully people will find it somewhat helpful. For the record, the bad air conditioned room was 7376, and the steward told me that it was a bank of about 12 rooms with balconies in the middle of the 7th floor even side that were bad.
As for the cruise lines response to the high temperature, apparently that's their standard procedure, as I read similar reviews from other Carnival ships on Cruise Critic. I guess they have to find a way to make those cruises cheap yet profitable.

I actually only ended up going to two shows, a stand up comedian (he was fine), and a Motown review show hosted by the cruise director, Cookie, who was great.
I took over 350 pictures throughout the week, and surprisingly only 2 of them were of the "ship", without my whole family being in the picture. Kind of shows how I felt about the trip - the ship was a fun way to get me to epic islands. Included is one I took on our second to last day. When we walked to breakfast, every chair by the main pool had towel animals on them, and a few had these towel "people". It was moves like that that had me agreeing that Carnival is the "fun" ship line.


----------



## mevelandry

Ben E N said:


> Sure, feel free to use that post. Hopefully people will find it somewhat helpful. For the record, the bad air conditioned room was 7376, and the steward told me that it was a bank of about 12 rooms with balconies in the middle of the 7th floor even side that were bad.
> As for the cruise lines response to the high temperature, apparently that's their standard procedure, as I read similar reviews from other Carnival ships on Cruise Critic. I guess they have to find a way to make those cruises cheap yet profitable.
> 
> I actually only ended up going to two shows, a stand up comedian (he was fine), and a Motown review show hosted by the cruise director, Cookie, who was great.
> 
> I took over 350 pictures throughout the week, and surprisingly only 2 of them were of the "ship", without my whole family being in the picture. Kind of shows how I felt about the trip - the ship was a fun way to get me to epic islands. Included is one I took on our second to last day. When we walked to breakfast, every chair by the main pool had towel animals on them, and a few had these towel "people". It was moves like that that had me agreeing that Carnival is the "fun" ship line.



Thank you very much. I added your comparison on the post #1.  

Do you remember the name of the comedian? Was it the PG show or 18+ show?

I forgot to ask if you attended any of the game shows and activities like Trivia or The Love & Marriage show?

Thanks for sharing the picture of the towel animal invasion. I love when they do that.

By the way, two things I forgot to comment about regarding your review:

_"The coffee at the coffee bar on the Magic was fantastic. If any coffee drinkers take a cruise on the ship, try the frappe. It isn't overly sweet like ones at Starbucks, and everybody I knew who tried one ended up ordering another at some point on the cruise."_

I'm a huge fan of the ships Moka frappe!!!

_"Staterooms - This was by far the weakest point of the Carnival Magic. Despite being around the same age as the Dream, the Magic's rooms felt old and used, while the Dream's felt a lot more like hotel rooms. The best comparison I can give is that the Disney rooms felt like staying at a smaller version of a Disney hotel while the Carnival ones felt like staying at a Motel 6. Functional, but not something I wanted to take pictures of."_

Four words: Those horrible bed skirts.

I despise them.

So glad they replaced them with gold and more tone down bed skirts on their new ships and some of the old ships as well. Other than that, I agree that there is something missing in the decor that makes most Carnival cabins... underwhelming. Practical and (sometimes) very comfortable, yet boring.

The only time I've felt the "wow effect" was when I saw the Family Harbor Cabins that they put on the Carnival Vista and Horizon. If you haven't seen them, I invite you to google it. Now, that is something I call cute and I think would "compete" with the DCL cabins. I wish they would make all their cabins like that.


----------



## Ben E N

mevelandry said:


> Thank you very much. I added your comparison on the post #1.
> 
> Do you remember the name of the comedian? Was it the PG show or 18+ show?
> 
> I forgot to ask if you attended any of the game shows and activities like Trivia or The Love & Marriage show?
> 
> Thanks for sharing the picture of the towel animal invasion. I love when they do that.
> 
> By the way, two things I forgot to comment about regarding your review:
> 
> _"The coffee at the coffee bar on the Magic was fantastic. If any coffee drinkers take a cruise on the ship, try the frappe. It isn't overly sweet like ones at Starbucks, and everybody I knew who tried one ended up ordering another at some point on the cruise."_
> 
> I'm a huge fan of the ships Moka frappe!!!
> 
> _"Staterooms - This was by far the weakest point of the Carnival Magic. Despite being around the same age as the Dream, the Magic's rooms felt old and used, while the Dream's felt a lot more like hotel rooms. The best comparison I can give is that the Disney rooms felt like staying at a smaller version of a Disney hotel while the Carnival ones felt like staying at a Motel 6. Functional, but not something I wanted to take pictures of."_
> 
> Four words: Those horrible bed skirts.
> 
> I despise them.
> 
> So glad they replaced them with gold and more tone down bed skirts on their new ships and some of the old ships as well. Other than that, I agree that there is something missing in the decor that makes most Carnival cabins... underwhelming. Practical and (sometimes) very comfortable, yet boring.
> 
> The only time I've felt the "wow effect" what when I saw the Family Harbor Cabins that they put on the Carnival Vista and Horizon. Now, that is something I call cute and think would compete with the DCL cabins.





mevelandry said:


> Thank you very much. I added your comparison on the post #1.
> 
> Do you remember the name of the comedian? Was it the PG show or 18+ show?
> 
> I forgot to ask if you attended any of the game shows and activities like Trivia or The Love & Marriage show?
> 
> Thanks for sharing the picture of the towel animal invasion. I love when they do that.
> 
> By the way, two things I forgot to comment about regarding your review:
> 
> _"The coffee at the coffee bar on the Magic was fantastic. If any coffee drinkers take a cruise on the ship, try the frappe. It isn't overly sweet like ones at Starbucks, and everybody I knew who tried one ended up ordering another at some point on the cruise."_
> 
> I'm a huge fan of the ships Moka frappe!!!
> 
> _"Staterooms - This was by far the weakest point of the Carnival Magic. Despite being around the same age as the Dream, the Magic's rooms felt old and used, while the Dream's felt a lot more like hotel rooms. The best comparison I can give is that the Disney rooms felt like staying at a smaller version of a Disney hotel while the Carnival ones felt like staying at a Motel 6. Functional, but not something I wanted to take pictures of."_
> 
> Four words: Those horrible bed skirts.
> 
> I despise them.
> 
> So glad they replaced them with gold and more tone down bed skirts on their new ships and some of the old ships as well. Other than that, I agree that there is something missing in the decor that makes most Carnival cabins... underwhelming. Practical and (sometimes) very comfortable, yet boring.
> 
> The only time I've felt the "wow effect" was when I saw the Family Harbor Cabins that they put on the Carnival Vista and Horizon. If you haven't seen them, I invite you to google it. Now, that is something I call cute and I think would "compete" with the DCL cabins. I wish they would make all their cabins like that.



I do not remember the name of the comedian, but it was an 18+ show. My wife and I did not do any of the typical "couple" games or shows because we were with the kids most of the time. She did have time to sneak away and win win the "Friends" trivia game, though! Even though the Carnival ship was definitely more basic and drab, there was certainly some high points. The real draw, though, is the extreme price difference. Sailing in a balcony room in the Fantasy for 7 nights next July 6th would cost over $10,000 for a family of 4. On the Breeze, similar to the Magic, an almost identical sailing on July 13th runs just over $4000. I can deal with missing Castaway Cay, a little warmer room, and a little more drab decorations if it means I have $6,000 extra to spend on an extra trip to Disney World.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

Ben E N said:


> I do not remember the name of the comedian, but it was an 18+ show. My wife and I did not do any of the typical "couple" games or shows because we were with the kids most of the time. She did have time to sneak away and win win the "Friends" trivia game, though! Even though the Carnival ship was definitely more basic and drab, there was certainly some high points. The real draw, though, is the extreme price difference. Sailing in a balcony room in the Fantasy for 7 nights next July 6th would cost over $10,000 for a family of 4. On the Breeze, similar to the Magic, an almost identical sailing on July 13th runs just over $4000. I can deal with missing Castaway Cay, a little warmer room, and a little more drab decorations if it means I have $6,000 extra to spend on an extra trip to Disney World.



Wow! that's quite a different. Are you set on a balcony? That class of Carnival ships has an oceanview cabin that sleeps 5 and has the split bath. They are on the lower decks.

Edited to add: the reason I mention this is because the oceanview cabins tend to be cooler; the room air conditioners are linked together into banks of 12-14 cabins; the issue with balcony cabins is that if someone props open their balcony door in that group, the air conditioner gets pulled away from the other cabins. When you have groups of oceanview cabins linked together, you don't have that air pull (no way for air to go outside).


----------



## Ben E N

southerngirl528 said:


> This thread is..... interesting. It was apparently started as a comparison thread (??), but seems to have morphed into a Carnival Cruise thread almost entirely. When folks are posting about upcoming deals, upcoming ships, etc., with NO comparison to DCL, it just feels like maybe this thread should move over to another forum.
> 
> As PP have said, everyone has their own opinions and perspectives. And experiences can certainly vary one cruise to another. That's why there are LOTS of cruise lines out there! Something for everyone that wants to cruise, right?   I have no desire to cruise Cunard for example, but some folks probably love it.
> 
> Guess what I'm trying to say is that those that really don't like DCL, are welcome to voice their opinion, but this IS the Disney Cruise Line forum.....



I just read through parts of this thread myself and see what you mean. I know based on previous comments of yours than nothing cruel was intended here, and am sorry that you experienced backlash for it. 
I think the reason for all the Carnival only talk on this thread is that there is no Carnival forum here, even though there is a RCCL one. I get why people would want to talk about other cruise lines on Disboards, as cruises are similar to a Disney trip in their family friendliness. Perhaps creating a Carnival dedicated forum makes the most sense.


----------



## Ben E N

PrincessTrisha said:


> Wow! that's quite a different. Are you set on a balcony? That class of Carnival ships has an oceanview cabin that sleeps 5 and has the split bath. They are on the lower decks.
> 
> Edited to add: the reason I mention this is because the oceanview cabins tend to be cooler; the room air conditioners are linked together into banks of 12-14 cabins; the issue with balcony cabins is that if someone props open their balcony door in that group, the air conditioner gets pulled away from the other cabins. When you have groups of oceanview cabins linked together, you don't have that air pull (no way for air to go outside).



I will be sure to look into those. We liked the balcony for morning coffee and an escape from the kids when they were napping, but a split bath sounds nice too.


----------



## southerngirl528

Ben E N said:


> I just read through parts of this thread myself and see what you mean. I know based on previous comments of yours than nothing cruel was intended here, and am sorry that you experienced backlash for it.
> I think the reason for all the Carnival only talk on this thread is that there is no Carnival forum here, even though there is a RCCL one. I get why people would want to talk about other cruise lines on Disboards, as cruises are similar to a Disney trip in their family friendliness. Perhaps creating a Carnival dedicated forum makes the most sense.



Hi Ben E N. That was very kind of you to say. I truly meant no malice.   And I still don't. And I vigorously agree with you that a cruise has similarities to a Disney trip due to their family friendliness.   And this makes folks want to talk about it! 

It's just that the other online forums I participate in,( one forum a lot more than I have here), would be referring folks to a separate designated forum in these instances.  I agree that because there is NOT a specific Carnival forum this is the only Disboards outlet for people to talk all things Carnival. And yes, I agree that a dedicated Carnival forum would serve everyone best, as comparisons could surely still go on there with DCL, or whatever lines, but those that love or are curious about Carnival Lines could ask away to their heart's content!  

It seems that equitably it should be allowed to have a Marriott Vacation Club Comparison thread amongst the DVC forums. I own both Marriott and DVC, and my Marriott TS I would put against ANY DVC resort, and I happen to love both. Seems that would be pretty much the same thing. Just food for thought.......


----------



## mevelandry

Ben E N said:


> I do not remember the name of the comedian, but it was an 18+ show. My wife and I did not do any of the typical "couple" games or shows because we were with the kids most of the time. She did have time to sneak away and win win the "Friends" trivia game, though! Even though the Carnival ship was definitely more basic and drab, there was certainly some high points. The real draw, though, is the extreme price difference. Sailing in a balcony room in the Fantasy for 7 nights next July 6th would cost over $10,000 for a family of 4. On the Breeze, similar to the Magic, an almost identical sailing on July 13th runs just over $4000. I can deal with missing Castaway Cay, a little warmer room, and a little more drab decorations if *it means I have $6,000 extra to spend on an extra trip to Disney World.*



Exactly the way I see it.

We have a family trip planned for April 2019 (DH and I + my in-laws)...

A) A 4 nights to the Bahamas on the Disney Dream would cost us *$3,348.38 USD* for 2 for the most basic inside cabin.

B) A 5 nights Eastern Caribbean (Amber Cove and Grand Turk - Turks and Caicos) cost us *$1,306.24 USD* for 2 ... for a CLOUD 9 SPA inside Cabin!!! 

Longer cruise & better itinerary for 2000$ USD less.

The money saved gives us enough budget to book a Disney's Beach Club, Club Level room as a pre-cruise stay and visit Epcot while we'll be there.


----------



## mevelandry

Ben E N said:


> I just read through parts of this thread myself and see what you mean. I know based on previous comments of yours than nothing cruel was intended here, and am sorry that you experienced backlash for it.
> *I think the reason for all the Carnival only talk on this thread is that there is no Carnival forum here, even though there is a RCCL one. *I get why people would want to talk about other cruise lines on Disboards, as cruises are similar to a Disney trip in their family friendliness. *Perhaps creating a Carnival dedicated forum makes the most sense.*






southerngirl528 said:


> Hi Ben E N. That was very kind of you to say. I truly meant no malice.   And I still don't. And I vigorously agree with you that a cruise has similarities to a Disney trip due to their family friendliness.   And this makes folks want to talk about it!
> 
> It's just that the other online forums I participate in,( one forum a lot more than I have here), would be referring folks to a separate designated forum in these instances.  I agree that because there is NOT a specific Carnival forum this is the only Disboards outlet for people to talk all things Carnival. And yes, I agree that a dedicated Carnival forum would serve everyone best, as comparisons could surely still go on there with DCL, or whatever lines, but *those that love or are curious about Carnival Lines could ask away to their heart's content! *
> 
> It seems that equitably it should be allowed to have a Marriott Vacation Club Comparison thread amongst the DVC forums. I own both Marriott and DVC, and my Marriott TS I would put against ANY DVC resort, and I happen to love both. Seems that would be pretty much the same thing. Just food for thought.......



We actually suggested a Carnival forum (just like the RCCL one) in 2016 but our suggestion was denied (and we can respect that decision)... However, they gave us the permission to keep this thread up and "concentrate" our comparisons and information here. 

We do what we can here and it can be a mess sometimes (and we are definitely open to suggestions in order to make it better) but we are definitely grateful to have this thread.


----------



## southerngirl528

mevelandry said:


> We actually suggested a Carnival forum (just like the RCCL one) in 2016 but our suggestion was denied (and we can respect that decision)... However, they gave us the permission to keep this thread up and "concentrate" our comparisons and information here.
> 
> We do what we can here and it can be a mess sometimes (and we are definitely open to suggestions in order to make it better) but we are definitely grateful to have this thread.



I sincerely hope the powers that be will change their minds and allow a Carnival forum, mevelandry. It's obvious there is a lot of banter about Carnival and folks that love to cruise them, so it seems there would certainly be traffic to the thread. Not sure if they will change their mind since Carnival is not booked by DU.... Whatever, best to you! And happy sailing!


----------



## RedSox68

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Thanks for your very balanced review of the Magic.  You summed up what I feel about Carnival vs Disney, they’re both great experiences, just in a different way. I feel like on Disney they CM’s do a great job of entertaining us as we stay somewhat passive, whereas Carnival crew entertains us as active participants, ie deck parties, lip sync challenges, MDR dances etc.
> 
> We love both lines so far, (although we’ve only been on Vista - which I highly recommend), and are trying RCCL next summer. We probably won’t be back on Disney until the new ships come out, but we are certainly looking forward to seeing what advances in technology will bring to those ships.
> 
> BTW, I totally agree about the layout issues on Carnival ships, I hate the way you have to go up and down at times to get from one end to the other. It definitely takes some getting used to. I never thought about your description of the Disney ships as the atrium being the hub and everything branches out from there. It’s kind of like where the Walt statue is at the end of Main Street at DL and Magic Kingdom at WDW, everyplace you need to go extends from there, it’s a great layout for a ship.



UGH -- we found this so annoying and discombobulating on our first Carnival cruise.  Very odd layout!


----------



## southerngirl528

RedSox68 said:


> UGH -- we found this so annoying and discombobulating on our first Carnival cruise. Very odd layout!



After only cruising the DCL classic, I found the nightclub area on the Dream kind of confusing, felt like I was going in circles to nowhere.


----------



## RedSox68

southerngirl528 said:


> After only cruising the DCL classic, I found the nightclub area on the Dream kind of confusing, felt like I was going in circles to nowhere.



YES --the Dream was our first cruise on the newer ships and having been used to the Magic club area, I found it all very confusing on the Dream


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> We actually suggested a Carnival forum (just like the RCCL one) in 2016 but our suggestion was denied (and we can respect that decision)... However, they gave us the permission to keep this thread up and "concentrate" our comparisons and information here.
> 
> We do what we can here and it can be a mess sometimes (and we are definitely open to suggestions in order to make it better) but we are definitely grateful to have this thread.



I am grateful for this thread and what you do to make it work!  I love Carnival and want everyone to love it too!  When I read things like the previous review that was all bad I just don't get it.  I was on the Vista just 1 month before that person and literally had none of the issues they experienced.  I don't understand people who think they will never stand in a line for anything.  I can't go to my Target on lunch without standing in a long line because they literally only ever have 1 cashier open at that time.  Find your patience people and enjoy not being at work!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I am grateful for this thread and what you do to make it work!  I love Carnival and want everyone to love it too!  When I read things like the previous review that was all bad I just don't get it.  I was on the Vista just 1 month before that person and literally had none of the issues they experienced.  I don't understand people who think they will never stand in a line for anything.  I can't go to my Target on lunch without standing in a long line because they literally only ever have 1 cashier open at that time.  Find your patience people and enjoy not being at work!



Thank you! 

I have to admit that I found this part of the review ("_The cabins were falling apart as well as the rest of the ship. Chipping paint everywhere, corner covers falling off, dirty carpet and generally just poor materials and keep up._") completely surprising. I have checked recent videos on youtube and it looks just as spotless and in shape as I remember (from my Vista cruise 10 months ago)... 

I would like to see pictures or videos showing what he/she meant (like I did with the Disney Wonder when I thought the Quiet Cove was in bad shape*). 

*Edit: https://www.disboards.com/threads/just-getting-off-the-wonder.3596568/


As for the lines, I admit that they can be long but I've always been stunned by how fast they go. I remember telling my husband "oh well, see you in 45 minutes" only to reappear 5-10 minutes later.


----------



## dcassetta

southerngirl528 said:


> I sincerely hope the powers that be will change their minds and allow a Carnival forum, mevelandry. It's obvious there is a lot of banter about Carnival and folks that love to cruise them, so it seems there would certainly be traffic to the thread. Not sure if they will change their mind since Carnival is not booked by DU.... Whatever, best to you! And happy sailing!



 I think you've identified the concern. Since Dreams Unlimited does not book Carnival, and they sponsor these boards, they don't have a vested interest in hosting a Carnival discussion. I think it's find that this one exists, but I am surprised.


----------



## mevelandry

***Moving on subject, back to program...***

59 days before my cruise on the Carnival Sensation. The layout of this ship is so different and it looks so old and out of fashion... This is one cruise I was hoping to change but I got stuck with it because I had found a very good deal on a Miami hotel room which was non-refundable and in the end, because of that hotel room, I could make no other cruise fit.

I'm definitely cruising for the itinerary for this one (can't wait to compare Half Moon Cay to Castaway Cay, the bar is set high as I LOOOOVE CC) and I hear good things about the ship... and I try not to judge a book by its cover...and I'm expecting to have fun with the activities and shows there...

However, I'm expecting my next ship comparison to be a home run for the Disney Wonder (I'll compare it to the Wonder because the Sensation is a small ship too). 

I have never been so worried that I wouldn't like a ship.

We'll see.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> ***Moving on subject, back to program...***
> 
> 59 days before my cruise on the Carnival Sensation. The layout of this ship is so different and it looks so old and out of fashion... This is one cruise I was hoping to change but I got stuck with it because I had found a very good deal on a Miami hotel room which was non-refundable and in the end, because of that hotel room, I could make no other cruise fit.
> 
> I'm definitely cruising for the itinerary for this one (can't wait to compare Half Moon Cay to Castaway Cay, the bar is set high as I LOOOOVE CC) and I hear good things about the ship... and I try not to judge a book by its cover...and I'm expecting to have fun with the activities and shows there...
> 
> However, I'm expecting my next ship comparison to be a home run for the Disney Wonder (I'll compare it to the Wonder because the Sensation is a small ship too).
> 
> I have never been so worried that I wouldn't like a ship.
> 
> We'll see.



The small, older ships ARE different.  I have sailed the Fascination and Elation and I didn't care for either.  They do not have as many public areas obviously.  We love trivia and on both it was held in the bar area of the casino!  So smokey!  My clothes would stink and I would not be able to breathe very well when we would leave.  We ended up on the Elation for 7 nights thanks to a tropical storm that closed the port.  It was toooo long to be on a small ship.


----------



## cruiser21

southerngirl528 said:


> Hi Ben E N. That was very kind of you to say. I truly meant no malice.   And I still don't. And I vigorously agree with you that a cruise has similarities to a Disney trip due to their family friendliness.   And this makes folks want to talk about it!
> 
> It's just that the other online forums I participate in,( one forum a lot more than I have here), would be referring folks to a separate designated forum in these instances.  I agree that because there is NOT a specific Carnival forum this is the only Disboards outlet for people to talk all things Carnival. And yes, I agree that a dedicated Carnival forum would serve everyone best, as comparisons could surely still go on there with DCL, or whatever lines, but those that love or are curious about Carnival Lines could ask away to their heart's content!
> 
> It seems that equitably it should be allowed to have a Marriott Vacation Club Comparison thread amongst the DVC forums. I own both Marriott and DVC, and my Marriott TS I would put against ANY DVC resort, and I happen to love both. Seems that would be pretty much the same thing. Just food for thought.......


The reason these sub cruiseline forums have popped up is because more and more people are getting priced out of DCL.  If your a DCL fantatic that's hesitant to branch out you want opinions from other people that have done it. Your not going to find that on cruise critic.   I see know reason why you couldn't start a thread comparing Marriot to DVC. I'm sure some people would be interested since DVC points can be used at other timeshares.


----------



## cruiser21

dcassetta said:


> I think you've identified the concern. Since Dreams Unlimited does not book Carnival, and they sponsor these boards, they don't have a vested interest in hosting a Carnival discussion. I think it's find that this one exists, but I am surprised.


Up until a couple of years ago they didn't sell Royal. The Royal forum is relatively new. I'm not sure why a travel agency would limit themselves to two cruiselines, but you never know that could change.


----------



## cruiser21

I can't believe a family would pay 10k for a Caribbean cruise. The last time we sailed on the Fantasy was early Dec 2014. We paid around 3500 for the four of us. VGT rate. 10k for Europe maybe....but the Caribbean? I'd use the 6k you save for another cruise or trip to WDW or Universal.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> The small, older ships ARE different.  I have sailed the Fascination and Elation and I didn't care for either.  They do not have as many public areas obviously.  We love trivia and on both it was held in the bar area of the casino!  So smokey!  My clothes would stink and I would not be able to breathe very well when we would leave.  We ended up on the Elation for 7 nights thanks to a tropical storm that closed the port.  It was toooo long to be on a small ship.



Trivia was in the Casino on the Carnival Victory too. :/  

DH and I are big fans of board games so if we end up being bored, you'll probably find us in the library... or napping. 

Technically, we have nothing going on on Nassau day except going to the pool (I've been checking every week in the excursion section, so far, absolutely nothing convinces me to book one), but we'll definitely be off the ship on HMC & GT if weather permits. 

I'm mostly worried about the sea day. I tend to get bored on sea days, no matter which cruise line I'm on. But since Carnival is cheaper, I feel less guilty to nap so there's that. :/


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> Up until a couple of years ago they didn't sell Royal. The Royal forum is relatively new. I'm not sure why a travel agency would limit themselves to two cruiselines, but you never know that could change.



They started selling Norwegian as well.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Trivia was in the Casino on the Carnival Victory too. :/
> 
> DH and I are big fans of board games so if we end up being bored, you'll probably find us in the library... or napping.
> 
> Technically, we have nothing going on on Nassau day except going to the pool (I've been checking every week in the excursion section, so far, absolutely nothing convinces me to book one), but we'll definitely be off the ship on HMC & GT if weather permits.
> 
> I'm mostly worried about the sea day. I tend to get bored on sea days, no matter which cruise line I'm on. But since Carnival is cheaper, I feel less guilty to nap so there's that. :/



Kiddo and I really liked the library on Carnival Magic for playing games. We'd stop by after dinner. I missed that on Royal, at least I couldn't find it on the ship we were on! They had other stuff to do but sometimes it's nice to be a little quiet, and board games are big to pack. Though we do always take a deck of cards just in case. 

I should really stop reading on here, I really want to book another trip and am all confused on what to book, cruise? try and all inclusive? go back to Disney for a week? there are so many options out there!


----------



## Ben E N

cruiser21 said:


> I can't believe a family would pay 10k for a Caribbean cruise. The last time we sailed on the Fantasy was early Dec 2014. We paid around 3500 for the four of us. VGT rate. 10k for Europe maybe....but the Caribbean? I'd use the 6k you save for another cruise or trip to WDW or Universal.



That shocked the pants off of me too. Somebody is paying it, though. Otherwise Disney wouldn't be charging it. Last summer my mother in law initially booked the Fantasy for our big family cruise of 12 people and then pulled the rug out from under us and switched it to the Carnival Magic. At the time my wife and I were very upset, which is why we booked the Dream over spring break. Well, today I got to eat some crow and let my MIL know about the price differences that I noticed and she got to tell me "told you so". At least I still got a free cruise out of it!


----------



## belle032

cruiser21 said:


> I can't believe a family would pay 10k for a Caribbean cruise. The last time we sailed on the Fantasy was early Dec 2014. We paid around 3500 for the four of us. VGT rate. 10k for Europe maybe....but the Caribbean? I'd use the 6k you save for another cruise or trip to WDW or Universal.



10K?! For the Caribbean! I know we don’t have kids but DH and I could probably spend a month at WDW and do a week long Carnival cruise for that. Priorities definitely different it seems!

We’re doing the 2019 7 Nt DCL British Isles in a Deluxe Oceanview for about $4900. If we had kids I can see the $10K happening easily.  I’m choking a little bit on the price we’re paying, but this is probably a one time trip. I’m thinking Alaska may be next


----------



## Ben E N

belle032 said:


> 10K?! For the Caribbean! I know we don’t have kids but DH and I could probably spend a month at WDW and do a week long Carnival cruise for that. Priorities definitely different it seems!
> 
> We’re doing the 2019 7 Nt DCL British Isles in a Deluxe Oceanview for about $4900. If we had kids I can see the $10K happening easily.  I’m choking a little bit on the price we’re paying, but this is probably a one time trip. I’m thinking Alaska may be next



It's weird how extremely different the pricing for the 3rd and 4th people are on carnival and Disney. For Carnival, its $1300 more, essentially the cost of 1 more person in a different cabin. For Disney, its $3700. What costs on board are they using to justify such an uncharge? As I said, though, as long as people pay it, they can charge it.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Kiddo and I really liked the library on Carnival Magic for playing games. We'd stop by after dinner. I missed that on Royal, at least I couldn't find it on the ship we were on! They had other stuff to do but sometimes it's nice to be a little quiet, and board games are big to pack. Though we do always take a deck of cards just in case.
> 
> I should really stop reading on here, I really want to book another trip and am all confused on what to book, cruise? try and all inclusive? go back to Disney for a week? there are so many options out there!



I got a solution for you: Land & Sea. Pre-cruise stay at WDW, followed with a Carnival cruise, with excursions in all-inclusive resort/beaches. 

p.s.: I told my husband we should bring a deck of cards and poker chips. He LOVES Texas Hold'em and I like it too.


----------



## cruiser21

Ben E N said:


> That shocked the pants off of me too. Somebody is paying it, though. Otherwise Disney wouldn't be charging it. Last summer my mother in law initially booked the Fantasy for our big family cruise of 12 people and then pulled the rug out from under us and switched it to the Carnival Magic. At the time my wife and I were very upset, which is why we booked the Dream over spring break. Well, today I got to eat some crow and let my MIL know about the price differences that I noticed and she got to tell me "told you so". At least I still got a free cruise out of it!


Some of the longer European cruises can be well north of 20k for 4 people in a verandah. I’ve seen concierge as high as 50k It’s funny because we’re getting ready to by a new car and are expecting to pay between 25-30k. The car should last 10+ years. It weird to think of a cruise costing more than a new car.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> They started selling Norwegian as well.


Maybe Carnivals next.


----------



## Ben E N

mevelandry said:


> I got a solution for you: Land & Sea. Pre-cruise stay at WDW, followed with a Carnival cruise, with excursions in all-inclusive resort/beaches.
> 
> p.s.: I told my husband we should bring a deck of cards and poker chips. He LOVES Texas Hold'em and I like it too.



That's exactly what I did. 4 nights at the Polynesian and then a week on the Magic.  Now it's hard to settle back into real life.


cruiser21 said:


> Some of the longer European cruises can be well north of 20k for 4 people in a verandah. I’ve seen concierge as high as 50k It’s funny because we’re getting ready to by a new car and are expecting to pay between 25-30k. The car should last 10+ years. It weird to think of a cruise costing more than a new car.



If someone is spending 50k on a cruise, I doubt they are buying a Kia Sorrento to drive around in. Different strokes for different folks.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> I got a solution for you: Land & Sea. Pre-cruise stay at WDW, followed with a Carnival cruise, with excursions in all-inclusive resort/beaches.
> 
> p.s.: I told my husband we should bring a deck of cards and poker chips. He LOVES Texas Hold'em and I like it too.



We did that this year in April  It was a lot of fun, though I do think I prefer to do Disney then cruise, we did the cruise first this year which was super relaxing and then got to Disney and Go GO GO! It was nice, in one sense, to not have to worry about rushing off the ship to catch a flight, or have a late flight and nothing to do at the airport. I will admit, if RCL had Mariner there early next year I would do that, but Enchantment doesn't appeal to me. We have been on Carnival Liberty before, it was our fist cruise, I prefer to try a new to us ship, so if it was Ecstasy (I think that's what is moving there?). Carnival Breeze, or perhaps RCL Oasis? Oh, or the Sunshine. That has a nice 5-night cruise, though it is almost the same price as a 7-night. I refuse to go on NCL Epic. That bathroom layout is just bizarre to me! I'm trying to keep it on budget this year. Perhaps Disney will release a discount for early in the year soon. I'd LOVE to try DCL but oh the price... We'd really only be able to do a 3 or 4 night cruise and nothing else.


----------



## dcassetta

cruiser21 said:


> Up until a couple of years ago they didn't sell Royal. The Royal forum is relatively new. I'm not sure why a travel agency would limit themselves to two cruiselines, but you never know that could change.



I do not use DU,  so I'm not sure when they started selling RCCL. But, the RCCL message board is almost 5 years old.


----------



## cruiser21

dcassetta said:


> I do not use DU,  so I'm not sure when they started selling RCCL. But, the RCCL message board is almost 5 years old.


Where does the time go? I think they started selling RCCL around that same time.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I got a solution for you: Land & Sea. Pre-cruise stay at WDW, followed with a Carnival cruise, with excursions in all-inclusive resort/beaches.
> 
> p.s.: I told my husband we should bring a deck of cards and poker chips. He LOVES Texas Hold'em and I like it too.


The three Vista cruises we were on always had large groups of people playing cards in Lido at night. They sat around big tables playing Uno, Blackjack, Cards against Humanity or any number of games. They were always laughing and having just a great time. One of those cruises we were with my parents and my moms 2 sisters and played a lot of cards at night, it was awesome. I’m sure people would want to join you And your husband.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> 10K?! For the Caribbean! I know we don’t have kids but DH and I could probably spend a month at WDW and do a week long Carnival cruise for that. Priorities definitely different it seems!
> 
> We’re doing the 2019 7 Nt DCL British Isles in a Deluxe Oceanview for about $4900. If we had kids I can see the $10K happening easily.  I’m choking a little bit on the price we’re paying, but this is probably a one time trip. I’m thinking Alaska may be next


Don’t expect Alaska to be any cheaper if you’re on DCL. We paid $8800 for four of us in 2 insides this past June and that was with the 10% off and it was the first week in June. I have to say it was a great cruise though, Alaska is amazing. I’d do it again but on a different cruise line.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Don’t expect Alaska to be any cheaper if you’re on DCL. We paid $8800 for four of us in 2 insides this past June and that was with the 10% off and it was the first week in June. I have to say it was a great cruise though, Alaska is amazing. I’d do it again but on a different cruise line.



Agreed! We would look at other cruise lines for sure. My mom is actually sailing on the Norwegian Bliss to Alaska next month with 3 friends so I can’t wait to hear about it. I think it’s the last Alaska sailing of the year and she got a great deal. She’s definitely not a “cruise snob” but she’ll be candid about the ship and service so can’t wait to hear the review.


----------



## martinm

Yikes I did not know the splendor did away with the adult pool. 
I'll have to look into that. 
I cruise both lines. I love both lines. 
My DW prefers Disney.... I want to cruise more...so I really like Carnival. For my Disney veranda cabin rate,  similar sailing, similar season, I can sail w/ carnival twice or get a super suite and really live it up. 

80 Days till I sail on the Fantasy again.


----------



## RedSox68

martinm said:


> Yikes I did not know the splendor did away with the adult pool.
> I'll have to look into that.
> I cruise both lines. I love both lines.
> My DW prefers Disney.... I want to cruise more...so I really like Carnival. For my Disney veranda cabin rate,  similar sailing, similar season, I can sail w/ carnival twice or get a super suite and really live it up.
> 
> 80 Days till I sail on the Fantasy again.



Yep -- this became our wake up call when we (finally) started looking outside of Disney.  When I look back now at even what we paid in the Med in 2007 compared to rates I can get 10 years later on another line it's shocking.


----------



## cruiser21

Ben E N said:


> That's exactly what I did. 4 nights at the Polynesian and then a week on the Magic.  Now it's hard to settle back into real life.
> 
> 
> If someone is spending 50k on a cruise, I doubt they are buying a Kia Sorrento to drive around in. Different strokes for different folks.


I think no matter how wealthy you are you'd have to say 50k is pretty extreme. Some people really love the mouse. I think there's nicer suites on other cruise lines for a lot less money.


----------



## cruiser21

belle032 said:


> Agreed! We would look at other cruise lines for sure. My mom is actually sailing on the Norwegian Bliss to Alaska next month with 3 friends so I can’t wait to hear about it. I think it’s the last Alaska sailing of the year and she got a great deal. She’s definitely not a “cruise snob” but she’ll be candid about the ship and service so can’t wait to hear the review.


This is a brand new ship. She's not slumming it by any means. Disney does a great job of maintaining their ships, but the Wonder is starting to show her age.


----------



## RedSox68

cruiser21 said:


> I think no matter how wealthy you are you'd have to say 50k is pretty extreme. Some people really love the mouse. I think there's nicer suites on other cruise lines for a lot less money.



And that "lot less money" will allow you to take an extra cruise or vacation.


----------



## Ben E N

cruiser21 said:


> I think no matter how wealthy you are you'd have to say 50k is pretty extreme. Some people really love the mouse. I think there's nicer suites on other cruise lines for a lot less money.



Yes, a fool and his money are soon parted. I have no idea how much money my mother in law inherited, but I know she could afford to take us all on a Disney cruise, but is smart enough to realize the lack of value in it. Her father taught her that financial responsibility, and I am glad it was passed on to my wife as well. Its why I posted the price differences, we have all been able to discuss what else could be done with that money.


----------



## RedSox68

Just curious -- since it was discussed earlier that we're not allowed to discuss NCL too much on the boards, is there a place I can do a trip report when we return about the Escape?  Or is that discouraged also.


----------



## belle032

cruiser21 said:


> This is a brand new ship. She's not slumming it by any means. Disney does a great job of maintaining their ships, but the Wonder is starting to show her age.



Exactly! Brand new ship but thousands less than a DCL for the same itinerary. I love Disney as much as anyone here, but if I can cruise 3 times and take a WDW vacation in one year vs. 1 DCL cruise, I know what I’m spending my money on.


----------



## RedSox68

belle032 said:


> Exactly! Brand new ship but thousands less than a DCL for the same itinerary. I love Disney as much as anyone here, but if I can cruise 3 times and take a WDW vacation in one year vs. 1 DCL cruise, I know what I’m spending my money on.


----------



## cruiser21

RedSox68 said:


> Just curious -- since it was discussed earlier that we're not allowed to discuss NCL too much on the boards, is there a place I can do a trip report when we return about the Escape?  Or is that discouraged also.


I've read at least one NCL trip report in the trip report section. If you do a search on NCL you will see that NCL is discussed a lot on these boards. I think it would be impossible to keep this board all DCL all the time. There's way too many experienced cruisers on this thread that are branching out due to cost or they want an itinerary that DCL doesn't offer.


----------



## Pens Fan

RedSox68 said:


> Just curious -- since it was discussed earlier that we're not allowed to discuss NCL too much on the boards, is there a place I can do a trip report when we return about the Escape?  Or is that discouraged also.



I've never gotten the impression we weren't allowed to discuss NCL on here.   I posted a thread about a year ago comparing our NCL cruise to the DCL ones we'd taken.  There were a lot of others who posted their experiences on it as well.  No one "official" had any issue with it, and it stayed fairly active for quite a while.  You just have to ignore the "I only want to talk about Disney" posters.  Honestly, I don't think there are that many of them anymore.  More and more, you are seeing people open themselves up to new cruise lines.  Whether it's because of pricing, itineraries, or just the plethora of new exciting ships out there, I think a lot posters are interested in hearing about what's past the Mickey curtain.

I'd love to read about your Escape cruise.  That's one ship we'd love to try out some time.  I love this thread as well, and we don't even have any plans to be on Carnival in the near future (though maybe some day!!).  It's fun to read about new ships and places.


----------



## mevelandry

martinm said:


> Yikes I did not know the splendor did away with the adult pool.
> I'll have to look into that.
> I cruise both lines. I love both lines.
> My DW prefers Disney.... I want to cruise more...so I really like Carnival. For my Disney veranda cabin rate,  similar sailing, similar season, I can sail w/ carnival twice or get a super suite and really live it up.
> 
> 80 Days till I sail on the Fantasy again.



From what I understand Carnival received lots of backlash for that, so the adult pools are now "kids friendly" on peak times but remain "adults only" the rest of the time. 

Are you sailing on the Disney Fantasy or Carnival Fantasy?


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Just curious -- since it was discussed earlier that we're not allowed to discuss NCL too much on the boards, is there a place I can do a trip report when we return about the Escape?  Or is that discouraged also.



I may have seen a thread or two about NCL... Maybe on those threads?


----------



## cruiser21

To be honest with you the only reviews or trip reports I read are the ones that involve another cruise line. I've been on all the Disney ships multiple times. The Disney reviews don't interest me. I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way.


----------



## martinm

mevelandry said:


> From what I understand Carnival received lots of backlash for that, so the adult pools are now "kids friendly" on peak times but remain "adults only" the rest of the time.
> 
> Are you sailing on the Disney Fantasy or Carnival Fantasy?


The Disney Fantasy! In 2013 I was onboard and we joined the FE group. I bought gummy wrist bands but did a poor job proof reading... The band reads Disney Fatasy 7-27-13

Still have mine  Cant wait to get back onboard.


----------



## martinm

cruiser21 said:


> This is a brand new ship. She's not slumming it by any means. Disney does a great job of maintaining their ships, but the Wonder is starting to show her age.




I love the wonder but you don't have to look to hard for spots that need help.


----------



## RedSox68

martinm said:


> I love the wonder but you don't have to look to hard for spots that need help.



I felt that way when we sailed in 2007!  Noticed a vast difference between the Wonder upkeep and the Magic -- but then again the Wonder gets more of a beating rotating sailings in a week's time.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> Agreed! We would look at other cruise lines for sure. My mom is actually sailing on the Norwegian Bliss to Alaska next month with 3 friends so I can’t wait to hear about it. I think it’s the last Alaska sailing of the year and she got a great deal. She’s definitely not a “cruise snob” but she’ll be candid about the ship and service so can’t wait to hear the review.


I have a couple of friends who did Bliss last month. They are veteran cruisers who typically sail RCCL and Cunard, they both absolutely loved Bliss, said it was a great ship and had awesome service. That’s what I’d be going on if we were going back to Alaska. Plus flying to Seattle is about half the price of flying to Vancouver.


----------



## mevelandry

Hi guys,

Almost done preparing the itinerary.

We picked YTD, there are no speciaty dining on our ship* and there are usually no show hours set in stone. I noticed that since we are staying on the ship in Nassau and going to HMC and Grand Turk, outside of the "All Aboard" time, there was not much to add to the schedule.

You know what that means, right? We have to go with the flow. No overplanning this time.

Which is a breath of fresh air compared with DCL where I had to stay up until midnight to book a cabana, palo brunch, meeting characters, etc... Rush to clean up after the beach so we could make it in time for dinner...


I had previously booked a cabana in Grand Turk (and almost booked one in HMC as well) but cancelled it because we want to be free to explore on our first visit there.

Cabanas in both destination were easily available. They don't seem to be that popular even though they are much more affordable than Cabanas at Castaway Cay.


So in the end, the only "events" appearing on my schedule on port days are:

-Wake-up & breakfast

-Arrival time (to destination)

-All aboard time


And on a sea day:

-Wake-up & Brunch


I kept empty spots to write down activities when I receive the Fun Times...

It feels weird compared to the overplanning. Preparations for this trip is so relaxing!


 *Even where there is specialty dining on the Canival ships, reservations. are quite easy to get.


----------



## braysmommy

I've been meaning to post about our Carnival Horizon cruise this pat May. Our first non-DCL cruise. It was myself, DS11, and my mom. We were on the transatlantic to NY. 

Things we liked:
Food option at breakfast and lunch are sooo much better. 
Family Harbor area was very nice in the morning to grab coffee ect.
Water slides
PRICE...

Things we didn't like:
*Pool was not heated! Brr*
Dinner in main dining room. Seemed repetitive but quality of food was on par with DCL
Evening shows: I realized it wasn't going to be Disney but the quality of magicians ect were not that great. Also, the seating was horrible and not enough
Family programming: A lot of times it seemed like there wasn't a lot to do. Wish during the day they would show a movie on outdoor screen but only at night.

Also we had a family harbor cove balcony to start....avoid these rooms at all cost! We were moved out of family harbor area on day 5 due to the noise. Our room was under the main prep kitchen and there is zero insulation which is a bit shocking on a new ship. It would start at 5:30 AM and would not stop most of the day. My son woke up thinking we had hit an iceberg. I will say Carnival guest services was amazing handling this. They showed us a new room and helped us move and I thought that would be it. The next morning they called to see how we were and took charges from specialty dining off our account and gave us a very large credit.


----------



## mevelandry

braysmommy said:


> I've been meaning to post about our Carnival Horizon cruise this pat May. Our first non-DCL cruise. It was myself, DS11, and my mom. We were on the transatlantic to NY.
> 
> Things we liked:
> Food option at breakfast and lunch are sooo much better.
> Family Harbor area was very nice in the morning to grab coffee ect.
> Water slides
> PRICE...
> 
> Things we didn't like:
> *Pool was not heated! Brr*
> Dinner in main dining room. Seemed repetitive but quality of food was on par with DCL
> Evening shows: I realized it wasn't going to be Disney but the quality of magicians ect were not that great. Also, the seating was horrible and not enough
> Family programming: A lot of times it seemed like there wasn't a lot to do. Wish during the day they would show a movie on outdoor screen but only at night.
> 
> Also we had a family harbor cove balcony to start....avoid these rooms at all cost! We were moved out of family harbor area on day 5 due to the noise. Our room was under the main prep kitchen and there is zero insulation which is a bit shocking on a new ship. It would start at 5:30 AM and would not stop most of the day. My son woke up thinking we had hit an iceberg. I will say Carnival guest services was amazing handling this. They showed us a new room and helped us move and I thought that would be it. The next morning they called to see how we were and took charges from specialty dining off our account and gave us a very large credit.



I wonder if they repeated the same mistake they did on the Vista with the seating in the main lounge? If they did: yuck. I despise that concept and I think everyone complained about it on the Vista.

What shows did you see?

You remind me that I should mention that dive-in movies only happen at night.

Have you and your kid tried the Thrill Theater? Rope Course/sports deck? Did he go to the club? 

Glad Carnival helped you (and were generous) with the noise problem. This is not the first time I've heard about that problem. Hopefuly this is something they will fix in the future.

Where was your room situated? (My observation so far is that unless you are completely aft or fwd, there is a lot of noise).

Which specialty dining restaurants have you tried and how were they?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I wonder if they repeated the same mistake they did on the Vista with the seating in the main lounge? If they did: yuck. I despise that concept and I think everyone complained about it on the Vista.
> 
> What shows did you see?
> 
> You remind me that I should mention that dive-in movies only happen at night.
> 
> Have you and your kid tried the Thrill Theater? Rope Course/sports deck? Did he go to the club?
> 
> Glad Carnival helped you (and were generous) with the noise problem. This is not the first time I've heard about that problem. Hopefuly this is something they will fix in the future.
> 
> Where was your room situated? (My observation so far is that unless you are completely aft or fwd, there is a lot of noise).
> 
> Which specialty dining restaurants have you tried and how were they?


Liquid Lounge is exactly the same on Horizon as it is on Vista, not the best at all. Maybe they’ll fix it on Panorama. 

One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard about Family Harbor area on both ships is galley noise from above. It seems to be more of a problem where the suites are located.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Catching up on this thread... DU does NCL.  We tried to transfer an NCL cruise to them but we were just over the time allowed for transfer.  I wouldn't be surprised if they start selling CCL.  We just got back from our CCL Dream cruise!  Review coming...


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Look how awesome this is!  It is Mahogany Bay in Honduras.   Basically A private beach developed by Carnival.  Similar to Amber Cove but with a beach.  The snorkeling is amazing there.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Hidden Mickey chocolate melting cake
Another shot of mahogany bay

most of my photos are "too big"


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Liquid Lounge is exactly the same on Horizon as it is on Vista, not the best at all. Maybe they’ll fix it on Panorama.
> 
> One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard about Family Harbor area on both ships is galley noise from above. It seems to be more of a problem where the suites are located.



I've tried a few seats in the Liquid Lounge and came to the conclusion that the only way to have a great view is by sitting in the front "rows".

And regarding the Family Harbor, there must be a way to correct the soundproofing problem. Hopefully they will work on a solution on the Panorama and fix the Vista and Horizon.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> View attachment 345039 View attachment 345040
> Look how awesome this is!  It is Mahogany Bay in Honduras.   Basically A private beach developed by Carnival.  Similar to Amber Cove but with a beach.  The snorkeling is amazing there.



Looks amazing. What is around the beach (in the water). Nets?

Honduras is famous for its snorkeling experience. Not surprised.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> most of my photos are "too big"



You can add a resizing app to your phone 

Research "resizer".


----------



## trvlgirlmq

The theater is the worst on Vista. We did not go to one show on our last cruise.  I really hope they fix it on Panorama but I suspect not as it's the exact same ship design as Vista and Horizon.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I've tried a few seats in the Liquid Lounge and came to the conclusion that the only way to have a great view is by sitting in the front "rows".
> 
> And regarding the Family Harbor, there must be a way to correct the soundproofing problem. Hopefully they will work on a solution on the Panorama and fix the Vista and Horizon.


We always get there early and get the round booths, love those!  Even my daughter who is only 5’1” has no problem with them.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> The theater is the worst on Vista. We did not go to one show on our last cruise.  I really hope they fix it on Panorama but I suspect not as it's the exact same ship design as Vista and Horizon.


I’ve read some changes are coming on Panorama, it hasn’t been announced what they’re doing with the space yet but supposedly the IMAX is going away????  Time will tell if that’s true or not.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Completely random thought. Has anyone heard any more information on the new Carnival “Mega”ships that are supposed to be launched starting in 2020?  They made an announcement a couple years ago but I haven’t seen or heard anything about them since. They’re supposed to be 5000+ passengers and about 200,000 GT.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Completely random thought. Has anyone heard any more information on the new Carnival “Mega”ships that are supposed to be launched starting in 2020?  They made an announcement a couple years ago but I haven’t seen or heard anything about them since. They’re supposed to be 5000+ passengers and about 200,000 GT.



There was a thread on CC about this recently. It said that delivery of the first ship will be August 2020 and the second October 2022.  We will see.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Completely random thought. Has anyone heard any more information on the new Carnival “Mega”ships that are supposed to be launched starting in 2020?  They made an announcement a couple years ago but I haven’t seen or heard anything about them since. They’re supposed to be 5000+ passengers and about 200,000 GT.


At our future cruise talk they called it Excell and said it is a new class of ship.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Looks amazing. What is around the beach (in the water). Nets?
> 
> Honduras is famous for its snorkeling experience. Not surprised.


I think it is some kind of netting.  It marks the swimming area.  Even DH said it looked a lot like Castaway.  If you look at the photo we took while sailing away, all the way to the right, the marker on that side is actually a dock.  Beyond the dock outside of the swimming area is the snorkeling.  Even though signs say swim at your own risk, there were lifeguards on the dock watching the snorkeling.  We brought our own stuff and did not use life jackets (I do not know if you have to rent them.  We hate having to wear them at Castaway so it was nice to be free.  lol.).  There are reefs in the snorkeling area.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Forgot to mention.  There are ladders down into the water to get into the snorkeling area.  The only complaint about Mahogany Bay is that there were two Carnival ships in port that day.  It would probably be paradise to only have one.  The snorkeling side was not crowded however.  You did not feel lonely or scared being out there, like there were people, but that area was not crowded.  We got to the beach very early at 7am and it was not crowded at all.  But by 12 it was very crowded.  We started back to the ship at about 1:30.  When I say crowded, I do not mean unpleasant, just that it was better early in the morning (empty) and if there had only been one ship, it would have been perfect all day.  We did not want to pay for food, so we had planned to head back to the ship in the afternoon anyway.  Ship was empty!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’ve read some changes are coming on Panorama, it hasn’t been announced what they’re doing with the space yet but supposedly the IMAX is going away????  Time will tell if that’s true or not.



I am surprised. Maybe the $ movies are not THAT popular?  

I sure hope they won't remove the Thrill Theater... It was so much fun!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Completely random thought. Has anyone heard any more information on the new Carnival “Mega”ships that are supposed to be launched starting in 2020?  They made an announcement a couple years ago but I haven’t seen or heard anything about them since. They’re supposed to be 5000+ passengers and about 200,000 GT.



This?

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article100140887.html

Most recent update I have found is here:

https://cruisefever.net/0818-future-cruise-ships-under-construction-cruise-lines-2026/


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Forgot to mention.  There are ladders down into the water to get into the snorkeling area.  The only complaint about Mahogany Bay is that there were two Carnival ships in port that day.  It would probably be paradise to only have one.  The snorkeling side was not crowded however.  You did not feel lonely or scared being out there, like there were people, but that area was not crowded.  We got to the beach very early at 7am and it was not crowded at all.  But by 12 it was very crowded.  We started back to the ship at about 1:30.  When I say crowded, I do not mean unpleasant, just that it was better early in the morning (empty) and if there had only been one ship, it would have been perfect all day.  We did not want to pay for food, so we had planned to head back to the ship in the afternoon anyway.  Ship was empty!



So it's a Carnival owned property but the food is not included?  I did not realize that it was a private area owned by Carnival. I just created a section for it on the first post.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> So it's a Carnival owned property but the food is not included?  I did not realize that it was a private area owned by Carnival. I just created a section for it on the first post.


I do not know what Carnival's terms are there, but it is for their ships only and I am pretty sure they developed it like Amber Cove.  Everything is locally run though and does cost extra.  It seems like NCL's Harvest Caye.


----------



## braysmommy

mevelandry said:


> I wonder if they repeated the same mistake they did on the Vista with the seating in the main lounge? If they did: yuck. I despise that concept and I think everyone complained about it on the Vista.
> 
> What shows did you see?
> 
> You remind me that I should mention that dive-in movies only happen at night.
> 
> Have you and your kid tried the Thrill Theater? Rope Course/sports deck? Did he go to the club?
> 
> Glad Carnival helped you (and were generous) with the noise problem. This is not the first time I've heard about that problem. Hopefuly this is something they will fix in the future.
> 
> Where was your room situated? (My observation so far is that unless you are completely aft or fwd, there is a lot of noise).
> 
> Which specialty dining restaurants have you tried and how were they?


We did try the ropes course which was a lot of fun. He doesn't usually enjoy the clubs on any ship but I was impressed when I picked him up and the counselors had all the kids actively engaged in a game they were playing. 

We were in cabin 2429 which should be avoided if possible. 

The specialty was great and we ate at Bonsai, Jiji Asian, and Cucina del Caitano. All delicious.


----------



## mevelandry

braysmommy said:


> We did try the ropes course which was a lot of fun. He doesn't usually enjoy the clubs on any ship but I was impressed when I picked him up and the counselors had all the kids actively engaged in a game they were playing.
> 
> We were in cabin 2429 which should be avoided if possible.
> 
> The specialty was great and we ate at Bonsai, Jiji Asian, and Cucina del Caitano. All delicious.



I do not have kids so I cannot judge the difference between the two cruise lines regarding that subject. I've already posted other people reviews since I can't do my own. I'd like to know if you would be interested in posting a review of the Kids Club?  

All I need is a short description --5 to 10 lines?-- of what you liked/disliked in the Carnival kids club compared to the DCL kids club.

Let me know if you are interested and I will publish your review in the first post. 

************

I'm glad you enjoyed the specialty dining and the rope course (which terrified me).

I'll take note of the cabin number and add it in the first post... Did they move you in another Family Harbor cabin or another type of room?


----------



## PrincessTrisha

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Forgot to mention.  There are ladders down into the water to get into the snorkeling area.  The only complaint about Mahogany Bay is that there were two Carnival ships in port that day.  It would probably be paradise to only have one.  The snorkeling side was not crowded however.  You did not feel lonely or scared being out there, like there were people, but that area was not crowded.  We got to the beach very early at 7am and it was not crowded at all.  But by 12 it was very crowded.  We started back to the ship at about 1:30.  When I say crowded, I do not mean unpleasant, just that it was better early in the morning (empty) and if there had only been one ship, it would have been perfect all day.  We did not want to pay for food, so we had planned to head back to the ship in the afternoon anyway.  Ship was empty!



Oh my gosh - I loved Mahogany Bay! I rented a cabana there and it was perfect. The cabana area isn't crowded, the cabana's themselves are air conditioned (made for a nice break), come with padded seats, loungers, a hammock and floats.


----------



## RedSox68

PrincessTrisha said:


> Oh my gosh - I loved Mahogany Bay! I rented a cabana there and it was perfect. The cabana area isn't crowded, the cabana's themselves are air conditioned (made for a nice break), come with padded seats, loungers, a hammock and floats.



Are the cabanas as expensive as Disney's?


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> Are the cabanas as expensive as Disney's?



Much cheaper! According to the website they are 329,99$ and they seem a bit nicer than the Cabanas in Castaway Cay. There's AC, wifi and a tv in it. 






P.s.: This place looks like heaven.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> Much cheaper! According to the website they are 329,99$ and they seem a bit nicer than the Cabanas in Castaway Cay. There's AC, wifi and a tv in it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> P.s.: This place looks like heaven.



I  must say I like their set up better than what we had on CC -- it seems closer to the water and more private with the trellis, etc.  I like the idea of the AC, but I don't see a changing area.  We had the ones on the adult beach, but it seemed bigger than this one.  It looks like an amazing island though -- and so much less crowded   Do you get the floats/inner tubes/snorkeling gear with the cabana?


----------



## hdrolfe

We also really enjoyed Mahogany Bay. Especially since it was free! Except kiddo loves rides so we had to buy the all day passes for the chair lift. Which freaked me out but he loved.


----------



## mevelandry

RedSox68 said:


> I  must say I like their set up better than what we had on CC -- it seems closer to the water and more private with the trellis, etc.  I like the idea of the AC, but I don't see a changing area.  We had the ones on the adult beach, but it seemed bigger than this one.  It looks like an amazing island though -- and so much less crowded   Do you get the floats/inner tubes/snorkeling gear with the cabana?



I'm not sure that the Castaway Cay cabanas are bigger... We had cabana #25 on Serenity Bay and from what I see, I think the difference is that the SB cabanas were "wide open" while the ones on Mahogany Bay are "closed", which may make them seem smaller... It's hard to tell.


----------



## hdrolfe

Mahogany Bay chairlift pics.


----------



## RedSox68

hdrolfe said:


> Mahogany Bay chairlift pics. View attachment 345406 View attachment 345407 View attachment 345408



OMG, that lizard is so cute -- and so is your son   But that chairlift would be a big fat no for me.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

https://cruisefever.net/carnival-cruise-lines-biggest-cruise-ship-ever-headed-to-port-canaveral/

Ok, guys the next big thing from Carnival (the LNG ship coming 2020) will be home ported at Port Canaveral!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> https://cruisefever.net/carnival-cruise-lines-biggest-cruise-ship-ever-headed-to-port-canaveral/
> 
> Ok, guys the next big thing from Carnival (the LNG ship coming 2020) will be home ported at Port Canaveral!



I see that John Heald just announced it on its page. 

Exciting!


----------



## hdrolfe

RedSox68 said:


> OMG, that lizard is so cute -- and so is your son   But that chairlift would be a big fat no for me.


If it had been up to me we would have walked. I made him sit really still and far back on the seat lol. It was nerve wracking for me! But kiddo loved it and kept trying to make me feel better. "See we are over water now so if we fell we would be fine! We can jump that far."


----------



## hdrolfe

trvlgirlmq said:


> https://cruisefever.net/carnival-cruise-lines-biggest-cruise-ship-ever-headed-to-port-canaveral/
> 
> Ok, guys the next big thing from Carnival (the LNG ship coming 2020) will be home ported at Port Canaveral!


Love that it will be in PC. Easy to combine cruise and disney. Best trips!


----------



## braysmommy

mevelandry said:


> I do not have kids so I cannot judge the difference between the two cruise lines regarding that subject. I've already posted other people reviews since I can't do my own. I'd like to know if you would be interested in posting a review of the Kids Club?
> 
> All I need is a short description --5 to 10 lines?-- of what you liked/disliked in the Carnival kids club compared to the DCL kids club.
> 
> Let me know if you are interested and I will publish your review in the first post.
> 
> ************
> 
> I'm glad you enjoyed the specialty dining and the rope course (which terrified me).
> 
> I'll take note of the cabin number and add it in the first post... Did they move you in another Family Harbor cabin or another type of room?



Not sure I can give a review of club since he only went a few times. They moved us up the hall into a cove balcony outside the Family Harbor area but we were able to keep key to get into Harbor Lounge.


----------



## mevelandry

braysmommy said:


> Not sure I can give a review of club since he only went a few times. They moved us up the hall into a cove balcony outside the Family Harbor area but we were able to keep key to get into Harbor Lounge.



A few times is good enough for me.  

Glad you could still have access to the Harbor Lounge. Hope the cabin was more quiet.


----------



## robinb

For those of you looking to book a Carnival cruise, I just received an email from Priceline.  They have a free gratuity promo going on now for balconies and suites on select cruises.


----------



## belle032

https://cruisefever.net/carnival-cruise-line-makes-change-to-the-cheers-beverage-program/

New changes to Cheers program. Package covers drinks up to $20 instead of the previous $50. Drinks over $50 receive a 25% discount.

I will say this doesn't affect me in the slightest and I have no idea who was ordering drinks with a $50 price tag, but of course some people on different cruise FB groups I'm in are outraged. 

Will purchase the package for our upcoming cruise regardless!


----------



## Ben E N

belle032 said:


> https://cruisefever.net/carnival-cruise-line-makes-change-to-the-cheers-beverage-program/
> 
> New changes to Cheers program. Package covers drinks up to $20 instead of the previous $50. Drinks over $50 receive a 25% discount.
> 
> I will say this doesn't affect me in the slightest and I have no idea who was ordering drinks with a $50 price tag, but of course some people on different cruise FB groups I'm in are outraged.
> 
> Will purchase the package for our upcoming cruise regardless!



Darn! I was going to make it my goal on my next cruise to find that elusive $47 dollar glass of scotch, and then ask to have it mixed with coke. 
I think they had some pricier cognacs and ports in their steakhouse, so this change affects few people. The most expensive drink I could find in a week's time was $14.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> https://cruisefever.net/carnival-cruise-line-makes-change-to-the-cheers-beverage-program/
> 
> New changes to Cheers program. Package covers drinks up to $20 instead of the previous $50. Drinks over $50 receive a 25% discount.
> 
> I will say this doesn't affect me in the slightest and I have no idea who was ordering drinks with a $50 price tag, but of course some people on different cruise FB groups I'm in are outraged.
> 
> Will purchase the package for our upcoming cruise regardless!



I wish they had a "small package" of 7 drinks. This one I would buy!


----------



## Ben E N

mevelandry said:


> I wish they had a "small package" of 7 drinks. This one I would buy!



As long as you're not buying only beer, it comes out to pretty much exactly a 7 drink package anyway. I don't think I had more than that during a day (other than one night), including specialty coffee drinks, and I almost always met my monetary "quota". At $11 for a mixed frozen drink, it gets real easy to get to $55.


----------



## robinb

Ben E N said:


> As long as you're not buying only beer, it comes out to pretty much exactly a 7 drink package anyway. I don't think I had more than that during a day (other than one night), including specialty coffee drinks, and I almost always met my monetary "quota". At $11 for a mixed frozen drink, it gets real easy to get to $55.


I always mull over getting a drink package.  I could probably break even, especially on sea days, but my DH doesn't drink as many "silly drinks" as I do and we have to pay for both of us.


----------



## Ben E N

robinb said:


> I always mull over getting a drink package.  I could probably break even, especially on sea days, but my DH doesn't drink as many "silly drinks" as I do and we have to pay for both of us.



We had it paid for by my mother-in-law and were worried about the same thing with my wife. I am pretty sure we at least broke even on the package, though. We now plan on paying for our own package on our next sailing (I did end up booking that weeklong cruise on the Breeze, with a stop in Disney World beforehand).  A couple things that helped us make the most of her package were the specialty coffees included, as well as the fact that we would each get a smoothie or two for our kids on our cards (technically not allowed, but a couple dollar tip ensured that there was no issue whatsoever). Sitting around the pool, even at 10 in the morning, makes it really tempting to grab an $11 drink if it's included, just for the refreshment. On our cruise, a couple of the dockings did not occur until noon or so, and we had had a drink or two before getting off. Nothing to dull our senses, but it did add to our daily totals. 
On sea days, I had mostly $6 beers because I didn't want all the sugar from the foofy drinks, but then I would make up the money difference by ordering $11 scotches before and and after dinner.


----------



## mevelandry

Ben E N said:


> As long as you're not buying only beer, it comes out to pretty much exactly a 7 drink package anyway. I don't think I had more than that during a day (other than one night), including specialty coffee drinks, and I almost always met my monetary "quota". At $11 for a mixed frozen drink, it gets real easy to get to $55.



The problem is that I never spend more than 35$/day even with paying 11$/drink (I have a low tolerance to alcohol and can't drink 3 a day so I usually stick to 1 to 2.) but I enjoy a nice frappucino and Art of Tea from the coffe shop and I think they are included in the package.

The only way I would buy a 55$/day package is if they had a "single day package" that I could use on sea days. I don't drink much on port days.


----------



## Ben E N

mevelandry said:


> The problem is that I never spend more than 35$ even with paying 11$/drink (I have a low tolerance to alcohol and can't drink 3 a day so I usually stick to 1 to 2.) but I enjoy a nice frappucino and Art of Tea from the coffe shop and I think they are included in the package.



They are. As are liter bottles of water in the MDR and small bottles at bars. Those items cost no more than $5 each though, so I doubt you could get above $50. I liked the package because I never had to think about if I wanted to pay for another drink or not, frugality would always win in that case. One morning I wanted a double shot of espresso, so I got it,  not worrying about how much it cost. The high drink limit meant I also didn't have to worry about getting the most value out of each drink, unlike what the dining plan does at Disney.


----------



## robinb

Ben E N said:


> They are. As are liter bottles of water in the MDR and small bottles at bars. Those items cost no more than $5 each though, so I doubt you could get above $50. *I liked the package because I never had to think about if I wanted to pay for another drink or not, frugality would always win in that case.* One morning I wanted a double shot of espresso, so I got it,  not worrying about how much it cost. The high drink limit meant I also didn't have to worry about getting the most value out of each drink, unlike what the dining plan does at Disney.


Maybe you should reconsider the DDP after all .


----------



## Ben E N

robinb said:


> Maybe you should reconsider the DDP after all .



I always plug my anticipated meals into the calculator in advance and the DDP has never won. Not even close one time. That's what I meant about the 15 drink limit benefit, it allows you to enjoy little things without worrying about the credit cost. The DDP in no way lets you do that. It's all about maximizing the value of those credits.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Well, I have gone and done it!  Booked a quick getaway on the Triumph for October 8; 42 days to sailing!  My mom said she needed to get away and wanted to relax on a cruise so we are going.  I've never sailed anything but Dream/Vista class and Fantasy class so this will be a bit of the in-between.  This is the same itinerary we did in 2013 when we were waylaid by TS Karen.  I may actually get to the beach this time


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Well, I have gone and done it!  Booked a quick getaway on the Triumph for October 8; 42 days to sailing!  My mom said she needed to get away and wanted to relax on a cruise so we are going.  I've never sailed anything but Dream/Vista class and Fantasy class so this will be a bit of the in-between.  This is the same itinerary we did in 2013 when we were waylaid by TS Karen.  I may actually get to the beach this time



Yayyyy!!! 

Where are you going?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Yayyyy!!!
> 
> Where are you going?



Progreso and Cozumel.


----------



## Ben E N

trvlgirlmq said:


> Progreso and Cozumel.



Out of curiosity, are you looking into that Mr. Sancho's beach resort at Cozumel? I don't want to throw this thread off of its purpose, but its the only thing I could see in Cozumel with really strong reviews. The real benefit of Carnival, after all, is all the money they leave on the table to spend on excursions like that. I'm kind of torn over whether to spend the money there or not when I go next summer though.


----------



## mevelandry

In my opinion, the Save a Sea Turtle Experience in Cozumel is the most magical excursion I've ever had and it is available in October in Cozumel.  

"Beach" of Chankanaab was nice but I regret not sticking with Isla Pasion the last time I was there.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

trvlgirlmq said:


> Well, I have gone and done it!  Booked a quick getaway on the Triumph for October 8; 42 days to sailing!  My mom said she needed to get away and wanted to relax on a cruise so we are going.  I've never sailed anything but Dream/Vista class and Fantasy class so this will be a bit of the in-between.  This is the same itinerary we did in 2013 when we were waylaid by TS Karen.  I may actually get to the beach this time



You'll get to cruise the triumph before it gets turned into the Sunrise next year.
The Sunrise will be sailing out of Norfolk and New York - I am seriously debating on booking the 14 nigh partial panama canal or the 10 night southern Caribbean next May/June.

Hope you have a fabulous getaway with your mom!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Ben E N said:


> Out of curiosity, are you looking into that Mr. Sancho's beach resort at Cozumel? I don't want to throw this thread off of its purpose, but its the only thing I could see in Cozumel with really strong reviews. The real benefit of Carnival, after all, is all the money they leave on the table to spend on excursions like that. I'm kind of torn over whether to spend the money there or not when I go next summer though.



I am too cheap to pay for that!  We are going to Paradise Beach. Cheap taxi ride and $3 entrance fee + $10 food purchase.  That's more my speed.  We probably won't get off the ship in Progreso.  That last time we stopped there we did do a Carnival excursion to Uxmal. It was wonderful.  You could still climb one of the "pyramids".


----------



## trvlgirlmq

PrincessTrisha said:


> You'll get to cruise the triumph before it gets turned into the Sunrise next year.
> The Sunrise will be sailing out of Norfolk and New York - I am seriously debating on booking the 14 nigh partial panama canal or the 10 night southern Caribbean next May/June.
> 
> Hope you have a fabulous getaway with your mom!



Glad to get to try her before the big change.  My sister loved Triumph so I am sure we will have a nice time.  

I looked at that 14 day and was so tempted because I really want to go through the canal even partially.  The super airfare we found to Paris changed my mind though


----------



## belle032

Did anyone see the 15% off sale on spa treatments for Labor Day? I'd love do a couples massage and honestly the prices aren't bad to begin with, comparable to a spa around here, but I hear it's a high pressure sales situation.  Anyone have experience with the Carnival Spa?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> Did anyone see the 15% off sale on spa treatments for Labor Day? I'd love do a couples massage and honestly the prices aren't bad to begin with, comparable to a spa around here, but I hear it's a high pressure sales situation.  Anyone have experience with the Carnival Spa?


I haven’t experienced Carnival Spa’s but when I do massages on Disney, I always answer the questions on the initial questionnaire positively. So when they ask do I ever experience dry skin, answer is no. Oily skin? Never. Itchy Skin?  Nope. That way they don’t have any ammunition to try to sell me anything, it’s always worked and I’ve never experienced the hard sell. Certainly worth a try.


----------



## hdrolfe

I had my hair done and they wanted me to buy some special conditioner but I was travelling with carry on only and it was too big to go through security. That's the only time I've used the spa though. I'll admit my hair was pretty rough from being bleached and spending the cruise in the sun, ocean and wind, so it was a legit suggestion. I don't think it was a hard sell per se.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Did anyone see the 15% off sale on spa treatments for Labor Day? I'd love do a couples massage and honestly the prices aren't bad to begin with, comparable to a spa around here, but I hear it's a high pressure sales situation.  Anyone have experience with the Carnival Spa?



Only with having a spa cabin. The 30 min visit in the beginning was a bit intense but after that they left us alone. 

I'm pretty sure if you ask not to be bothered with sales, they will leave you alone.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

belle032 said:


> Did anyone see the 15% off sale on spa treatments for Labor Day? I'd love do a couples massage and honestly the prices aren't bad to begin with, comparable to a spa around here, but I hear it's a high pressure sales situation.  Anyone have experience with the Carnival Spa?



Almost all cruise line Spas are run by Steiner so prices, etc. are pretty consistent. My SIL and Niece each got a massage on our family cruise and they enjoyed it. I would just be clear up front that you're not buying anything. My SIL makes her own soap and only uses organic, biodegradable, all natural, crunchy granola kind of products so she was clear with them that it didn't matter what they tried to sell her, she wasn't buying it.


----------



## mevelandry

While we are on the subject of massages... During the sales pitch we received when we visited the spa (we booked a Cloud 9 Spa cabin on the Carnival Vista), they were showing us how a hot stone massage feels...

O-M-G!!!

Someday...


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I cringe at the thought of a massage.  

We are 33 days from sailing and no room assignment.  Is there a rhyme or reason to when they assign GTY rooms?  This is a first for me.


----------



## RedSox68

mevelandry said:


> While we are on the subject of massages... During the sales pitch we received when we visited the spa (we booked a Cloud 9 Spa cabin on the Carnival Vista), they were showing us how a hot stone massage feels...
> 
> O-M-G!!!
> 
> Someday...



Massages are my special gift to my DH on a cruise.  It's one of his favorite things to do onboard -- me, I just sleep in that morning  LOL


----------



## LeslieG

I sailed the Horizon in July and the Conquest in August, if anyone has questions.   I actually canceled my Disney cruises to try something different.


----------



## southerngirl528

RedSox68 said:


> Massages are my special gift to my DH on a cruise. It's one of his favorite things to do onboard -- me, I just sleep in that morning LOL



We always, always book spa appointments when sailing w/DCL, and very much love the spa villas for couples. (never sailed CCL, I know this is a comparison thread)  We have consistently had excellent treatments and I find the "sell" varies greatly from therapist to therapist, but I have never once had what I consider a "hard sell", and when I say, "no thanks", they have always ceased, and ended my time in the spa very graciously.


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## RedSox68

southerngirl528 said:


> We always, always book spa appointments when sailing w/DCL, and very much love the spa villas for couples. (never sailed CCL, I know this is a comparison thread)  We have consistently had excellent treatments and I find the "sell" varies greatly from therapist to therapist, but I have never once had what I consider a "hard sell", and when I say, "no thanks", they have always ceased, and ended my time in the spa very graciously.



Yeah, my husband had a couple of hard sells after his first two massages on Disney, and he finally started telling them before the treatment that he is not planning on buying anything!  That seemed to work so he can leave the spa relaxed as it should be


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## mevelandry

LeslieG said:


> I sailed the Horizon in July and the Conquest in August, if anyone has questions.   I actually canceled my Disney cruises to try something different.


 
Spill the beans!!!


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## belle032

LeslieG said:


> I sailed the Horizon in July and the Conquest in August, if anyone has questions.   I actually canceled my Disney cruises to try something different.



We board the Conquest on Sept. 29 so I hope you enjoyed it! I know we are super excited and so ready for a vacation.


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## mevelandry

There are a lot of cruisers from this thread going on vacation this fall. It's going to be very interesting to read the comparisons.


----------



## mevelandry

Guys I have a question for you... When it comes to cruiseships, what would be your ranking? 

Here's ours:


#1  Carnival Vista
#2  Disney Dream
#3  Carnival Victory/Disney Wonder (it's a tie... I just can't seem to be able to make a choice between the two.)
#4  Carnival Victory/Disney Wonder


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## trvlgirlmq

In order of how I liked the ships:

1. Carnival Breeze
2. Carnival Vista
3. Carnival Dream
4 Tie. Carnival Elation/Carnival Fascination - They are basically the same ship


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## trvlgirlmq

Just booked a Carnival excursion during our Progreso port stop.  I am usually all about saving money and booking 3rd party but this port I prefer the comfort of the cruise line. We are going to Dzibilchaltun.  You can still climb the ruins and there is a cenote where you can take dip.  We have previously been to Uxmal from the same port and it was fabulous.  I am so ready for a vacation.


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## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Just booked a Carnival excursion during our Progreso port stop.  I am usually all about saving money and booking 3rd party but this port I prefer the comfort of the cruise line. We are going to Dzibilchaltun.  You can still climb the ruins and there is a cenote where you can take dip.  We have previously been to Uxmal from the same port and it was fabulous.  I am so ready for a vacation.



Had to google Dzibilchaltun and Uxmal as I had never heard of it before. It looks amazing.


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## PrincessTrisha

trvlgirlmq said:


> Just booked a Carnival excursion during our Progreso port stop.  I am usually all about saving money and booking 3rd party but this port I prefer the comfort of the cruise line. We are going to Dzibilchaltun.  You can still climb the ruins and there is a cenote where you can take dip.  We have previously been to Uxmal from the same port and it was fabulous.  I am so ready for a vacation.



Sounds fantastic. I think the exception to booking on your own is things like the ruins. Many of them are far enough away from the ship that it makes more sense to use the cruise line's excursion and have a little piece of mind about the ship waiting for you.


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## trvlgirlmq

PrincessTrisha said:


> Sounds fantastic. I think the exception to booking on your own is things like the ruins. Many of them are far enough away from the ship that it makes more sense to use the cruise line's excursion and have a little piece of mind about the ship waiting for you.



This will by my 8th cruise but only the 4th cruise line excursion I have done.  I don't like the herd mentality and prefer to tour on my own timetable.  With my mom's hip injury I just wanted to make this as easy as possible. I'm sure we will enjoy the site and we are just needing a nice getaway from jobs and kids!


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## mevelandry

Completely out of subject but I added a "towel" section on the first post. Which is one of the rare things I think Carnival really suck at.


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## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Completely out of subject but I added a "towel" section on the first post. Which is one of the rare things I think Carnival really suck at.



what is it you don't like about the towel situation? I find it better than on RCL. On Carnival the towels are in the room but you can exchange them yourself at the pool or leave them in your cabin and the room steward will do so. If you don't return it, you get charged for it. Also happens on RCL except they don't leave them in the room for you, you have to go sign them out at the towel hut, they scan your card for however many you have taken. They will do that if you pick them up to take off the ship too (RCL). Not sure how it works on DCL.


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## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> This will by my 8th cruise but only the 4th cruise line excursion I have done.  I don't like the herd mentality and prefer to tour on my own timetable.  With my mom's hip injury I just wanted to make this as easy as possible. I'm sure we will enjoy the site and we are just needing a nice getaway from jobs and kids!


I can relate. 24 cruises and maybe only 4 or 5 ship excursions. I liked the excursions, but I never felt like they were worth the price.


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## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Guys I have a question for you... When it comes to cruiseships, what would be your ranking?
> 
> Here's ours:
> 
> 
> #1  Carnival Vista
> #2  Disney Dream
> #3  Carnival Victory/Disney Wonder (it's a tie... I just can't seem to be able to make a choice between the two.)
> #4  Carnival Victory/Disney Wonder


1 - Carnival Vista
2 - Disney Fantasy
3 - Disney Dream
4 - Disney Magic
5 - Disney Wonder 

We board Anthem of the Seas in 271 days so I’ll let you know what I think of that. It looks like a pretty amazing ship!


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## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> what is it you don't like about the towel situation? I find it better than on RCL. On Carnival the towels are in the room but you can exchange them yourself at the pool or leave them in your cabin and the room steward will do so. If you don't return it, you get charged for it. Also happens on RCL except they don't leave them in the room for you, you have to go sign them out at the towel hut, they scan your card for however many you have taken. They will do that if you pick them up to take off the ship too (RCL). Not sure how it works on DCL.



On DCL, you get a towel (or more) at the pool and you drop them in the laundry basket whenever you want. Same on Castaway Cay. You are not "attached" to your towels. No consequence if someone steals your towel on your lounger chair while you swim.

Whenever we go on a Carnival cruise, we bring our own now.


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## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> 1 - Carnival Vista
> 2 - Disney Fantasy
> 3 - Disney Dream
> 4 - Disney Magic
> 5 - Disney Wonder
> 
> We board Anthem of the Seas in 271 days so I’ll let you know what I think of that. It looks like a pretty amazing ship!



I'm so envious regarding your cruise on the Anthem.  

I still regret cancelling our Bermuda cruise on the Anthem and replacing it with our upcoming cruise. In the end, the plane tickets for FLL (with shuttles to Miami) made our cruise cost almost just as much as the RCCL departing from NYC (near 1000$ CND each). 

I'm not 100% sold on the Sensation. But we'll see.


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## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> On DCL, you get a towel (or more) at the pool and you drop them in the laundry basket whenever you want. Same on Castaway Cay. You are not "attached" to your towels. No consequence if someone steals your towel on your lounger chair while you swim.
> 
> Whenever we go on a Carnival cruise, we bring our own now.



Yeah but you trade off convenience for quality. DCL uses the same towels as they do at the resort pools - those small, ridged white towels. Other cruise lines have the big, fluffy soft towels.

Both Princess and Celebrity don't track towels (they have a policy like DCL but towels like Carnival/Royal). The best of both worlds but generally at a higher price point than CCL/RCI.


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## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> Yeah but you trade off convenience for quality. DCL uses the same towels as they do at the resort pools - those small, ridged white towels. Other cruise lines have the big, fluffy soft towels.
> 
> Both Princess and Celebrity don't track towels (they have a policy like DCL but towels like Carnival/Royal). The best of both worlds but generally at a higher price point than CCL/RCI.



I agree that the Carnival Towels are large and fluffy.


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## trvlgirlmq

So I kept noticing that FTTF was still available.  It seemed really odd as our cruise is in 27 days.  But, I decided to splurge and snag it partly because our check in time is 1 and I prefer to be on the ship and eating lunch by Noon.  Also, we are wait listed for YTD and FTTF gets some kind of priority after D/P for their chosen dining time so hopefully it helps.


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## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> So I kept noticing that FTTF was still available.  It seemed really odd as our cruise is in 27 days.  But, I decided to splurge and snag it partly because our check in time is 1 and I prefer to be on the ship and eating lunch by Noon.  Also, we are wait listed for YTD and FTTF gets some kind of priority after D/P for their chosen dining time so hopefully it helps.



While I don't feel like it's 100% necessary (for us), I loved the perks of FTTF. I've very happy for you.


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## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> While I don't feel like it's 100% necessary (for us), I loved the perks of FTTF. I've very happy for you.



Yeah, I hate to spend the money but I can't eat at 8:15 (that's just seating time food probably wouldn't be on the table for another 30 minutes).  I also hate sitting with others.  I don't want to be your friend!  Crossing my fingers it's money well spent otherwise lesson learned.


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## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Yeah, I hate to spend the money but I can't eat at 8:15 (that's just seating time food probably wouldn't be on the table for another 30 minutes).  I also hate sitting with others.  I don't want to be your friend!  Crossing my fingers it's money well spent otherwise lesson learned.



I find that it's worth it every time I need to go to Guest Services... It must be nice for tendering as well.


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## GrrArrgh

The difference in quality of the inside staterooms is a big part of the reason why I won't go on another Carnival cruise. One was way more than enough. Our air conditioning on the carnival ship never got the room down below 76F (and often not even that low), which is not awful at home, but made the tiny room completely stifling. It felt like there was never any air flow coming into the room. At several points, I had to go out into the hallway just to feel like I wasn't suffocating. On DCL, it was a completely comfortable temperature. On Carnival, the lights in the room were super harsh, making it really unpleasant to be in there for any length of time. On DCL, the lampshades at the headboard gave the light a comfortable, yellow glow. It was never unpleasant to be in there. The bed was super comfortable. The rooms on DCL (we were on the Magic) seemed to be much more roomy. I never felt stuck in a tiny box. Having a bathtub on the DCL cruise was a huge convenience with having a young child. The towels -- I felt like they were fine, but not having to carry towels to the pool and back and keep track of where my towel was, was huge. If I wanted to use three towels at the pool because it's chilly when you're going through the North Sea, I could.

Other things I preferred on DCL: no loud and smoky casino, no art auctions, no super loud music in the pool area. If I never hear another steel drum, it will still be too soon. The only thing on Carnival that I liked at all was the kids' clubs, but the DCL Oceaneer's club and lab had so much more to do and I felt like there was a much better ratio of staff to kids.

I felt like the food was fine on both. The DCL food wasn't as amazing as I'd heard, though we were still eating a ton of it. We thought we would try to get a Palo brunch, but the thought of even more food was totally unappealing, so we didn't do it.

If I wasn't physically uncomfortable in the room on the Carnival ship for the entire 7 days, maybe I would do it again for a cheaper option for an Alaska cruise, but we had engineers in the room daily working on the A/C and they could never do anything about it, and I never want to be on another one of their ships.


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## PrincessTrisha

GrrArrgh said:


> The difference in quality of the inside staterooms is a big part of the reason why I won't go on another Carnival cruise. One was way more than enough. Our air conditioning on the carnival ship never got the room down below 76F (and often not even that low), which is not awful at home, but made the tiny room completely stifling. It felt like there was never any air flow coming into the room. At several points, I had to go out into the hallway just to feel like I wasn't suffocating. On DCL, it was a completely comfortable temperature. On Carnival, the lights in the room were super harsh, making it really unpleasant to be in there for any length of time. On DCL, the lampshades at the headboard gave the light a comfortable, yellow glow. It was never unpleasant to be in there. The bed was super comfortable. The rooms on DCL (we were on the Magic) seemed to be much more roomy. I never felt stuck in a tiny box. Having a bathtub on the DCL cruise was a huge convenience with having a young child. The towels -- I felt like they were fine, but not having to carry towels to the pool and back and keep track of where my towel was, was huge. If I wanted to use three towels at the pool because it's chilly when you're going through the North Sea, I could.
> 
> Other things I preferred on DCL: no loud and smoky casino, no art auctions, no super loud music in the pool area. If I never hear another steel drum, it will still be too soon. The only thing on Carnival that I liked at all was the kids' clubs, but the DCL Oceaneer's club and lab had so much more to do and I felt like there was a much better ratio of staff to kids.
> 
> I felt like the food was fine on both. The DCL food wasn't as amazing as I'd heard, though we were still eating a ton of it. We thought we would try to get a Palo brunch, but the thought of even more food was totally unappealing, so we didn't do it.
> 
> If I wasn't physically uncomfortable in the room on the Carnival ship for the entire 7 days, maybe I would do it again for a cheaper option for an Alaska cruise, but we had engineers in the room daily working on the A/C and they could never do anything about it, and I never want to be on another one of their ships.



That's too bad about the room temperature; I don't think that's typical. We've stayed in every level of cabin on Carnival except suite and haven't had that issue.

I do recommend ocean view cabins and above on Carnival. On most CCL ships, insides are typically 184 sq feet where oceanview are 220 sq feet and feature a couch (not on the smallest ships but from the Spirit class and up). Those few extra feet can make a big difference.


----------



## GrrArrgh

It seemed like they weren't terribly surprised by the problem and also that it wasn't something that was ever realistically going to be fixed. It gave me the sense that the ship wasn't in great shape even though it wasn't that old. There was a lot of visible wear and tear in the public areas which contributed to that feeling.


----------



## mevelandry

GrrArrgh said:


> The difference in quality of the inside staterooms is a big part of the reason why I won't go on another Carnival cruise. One was way more than enough. Our air conditioning on the carnival ship never got the room down below 76F (and often not even that low), which is not awful at home, but made the tiny room completely stifling. It felt like there was never any air flow coming into the room. At several points, I had to go out into the hallway just to feel like I wasn't suffocating. On DCL, it was a completely comfortable temperature. On Carnival, the lights in the room were super harsh, making it really unpleasant to be in there for any length of time. On DCL, the lampshades at the headboard gave the light a comfortable, yellow glow. It was never unpleasant to be in there. The bed was super comfortable. The rooms on DCL (we were on the Magic) seemed to be much more roomy. I never felt stuck in a tiny box. Having a bathtub on the DCL cruise was a huge convenience with having a young child. The towels -- I felt like they were fine, but not having to carry towels to the pool and back and keep track of where my towel was, was huge. If I wanted to use three towels at the pool because it's chilly when you're going through the North Sea, I could.
> 
> Other things I preferred on DCL: no loud and smoky casino, no art auctions, no super loud music in the pool area. If I never hear another steel drum, it will still be too soon. The only thing on Carnival that I liked at all was the kids' clubs, but the DCL Oceaneer's club and lab had so much more to do and I felt like there was a much better ratio of staff to kids.
> 
> I felt like the food was fine on both. The DCL food wasn't as amazing as I'd heard, though we were still eating a ton of it. We thought we would try to get a Palo brunch, but the thought of even more food was totally unappealing, so we didn't do it.
> 
> If I wasn't physically uncomfortable in the room on the Carnival ship for the entire 7 days, maybe I would do it again for a cheaper option for an Alaska cruise, but we had engineers in the room daily working on the A/C and they could never do anything about it, and I never want to be on another one of their ships.



Thanks for your review. Which Carnival Ship was this? You did not mention. 

I have to admit that I have never had problems regarding the A/C nor the lighting in any of our cabins on the Vista or the Victory (and we've had "inside", "oceanview" and "verandah"... 

I'm sorry they could not help with your A/C issue.


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## GrrArrgh

I think it was the carnival magic.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

GrrArrgh said:


> The difference in quality of the inside staterooms is a big part of the reason why I won't go on another Carnival cruise. One was way more than enough. Our air conditioning on the carnival ship never got the room down below 76F (and often not even that low), which is not awful at home, but made the tiny room completely stifling. It felt like there was never any air flow coming into the room. At several points, I had to go out into the hallway just to feel like I wasn't suffocating. On DCL, it was a completely comfortable temperature. On Carnival, the lights in the room were super harsh, making it really unpleasant to be in there for any length of time. On DCL, the lampshades at the headboard gave the light a comfortable, yellow glow. It was never unpleasant to be in there. The bed was super comfortable. The rooms on DCL (we were on the Magic) seemed to be much more roomy. I never felt stuck in a tiny box. Having a bathtub on the DCL cruise was a huge convenience with having a young child. The towels -- I felt like they were fine, but not having to carry towels to the pool and back and keep track of where my towel was, was huge. If I wanted to use three towels at the pool because it's chilly when you're going through the North Sea, I could.
> 
> Other things I preferred on DCL: no loud and smoky casino, no art auctions, no super loud music in the pool area. If I never hear another steel drum, it will still be too soon. The only thing on Carnival that I liked at all was the kids' clubs, but the DCL Oceaneer's club and lab had so much more to do and I felt like there was a much better ratio of staff to kids.
> 
> I felt like the food was fine on both. The DCL food wasn't as amazing as I'd heard, though we were still eating a ton of it. We thought we would try to get a Palo brunch, but the thought of even more food was totally unappealing, so we didn't do it.
> 
> If I wasn't physically uncomfortable in the room on the Carnival ship for the entire 7 days, maybe I would do it again for a cheaper option for an Alaska cruise, but we had engineers in the room daily working on the A/C and they could never do anything about it, and I never want to be on another one of their ships.


It’s really a shame that companies can have such an inconsistent product. I loved my 3 Carnival cruises and found some things to be far superior than my 6 Disney cruises. But, if my first Carnival cruise had been like your experience, I’m sure I wouldn’t have been back for 2 and 3.

The level of service in my DCL cruises certainly wasn’t the same same every time, in fact had my 4th cruise been my 1st time on DCL, I guarantee I would not have been back on a Disney ship. The other 5 were pretty consistent with a few ups and down but none were like the first time we were on the Wonder. It was pretty bad.


----------



## KashasMom

GrrArrgh said:


> The difference in quality of the inside staterooms is a big part of the reason why I won't go on another Carnival cruise. One was way more than enough. Our air conditioning on the carnival ship never got the room down below 76F (and often not even that low), which is not awful at home, but made the tiny room completely stifling. It felt like there was never any air flow coming into the room. At several points, I had to go out into the hallway just to feel like I wasn't suffocating. On DCL, it was a completely comfortable temperature. On Carnival, the lights in the room were super harsh, making it really unpleasant to be in there for any length of time. On DCL, the lampshades at the headboard gave the light a comfortable, yellow glow. It was never unpleasant to be in there. The bed was super comfortable. The rooms on DCL (we were on the Magic) seemed to be much more roomy. I never felt stuck in a tiny box. Having a bathtub on the DCL cruise was a huge convenience with having a young child. The towels -- I felt like they were fine, but not having to carry towels to the pool and back and keep track of where my towel was, was huge. If I wanted to use three towels at the pool because it's chilly when you're going through the North Sea, I could.
> 
> Other things I preferred on DCL: no loud and smoky casino, no art auctions, no super loud music in the pool area. If I never hear another steel drum, it will still be too soon. The only thing on Carnival that I liked at all was the kids' clubs, but the DCL Oceaneer's club and lab had so much more to do and I felt like there was a much better ratio of staff to kids.
> 
> I felt like the food was fine on both. The DCL food wasn't as amazing as I'd heard, though we were still eating a ton of it. We thought we would try to get a Palo brunch, but the thought of even more food was totally unappealing, so we didn't do it.
> 
> If I wasn't physically uncomfortable in the room on the Carnival ship for the entire 7 days, maybe I would do it again for a cheaper option for an Alaska cruise, but we had engineers in the room daily working on the A/C and they could never do anything about it, and I never want to be on another one of their ships.



I'm sorry you had that issue with the AC. I know I have to have AC to be comfortable. We had the same issue on DCL Fantasy. They were able to fix it but not other issues with the room (bathroom sewer smell and vibration/noise). Totally agree with you about the food on DCL - no wow for me...well except for Mickey bars. 

One thing I don't understand is when I read comments about a casino/auctions/shopping. Those things are easy enough to avoid. Most cruises I don't even go near a casino - even in passing. And I LOVE live music on the pool deck - it's just that Disney's decks are too small for bands.


----------



## mevelandry

I agree. I heard about auctions and shopping on some cruises but that was it. They are not my cup of tea so I avoid them. The impact of those things on my cruise is close to zero.


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## mevelandry

GrrArrgh said:


> (...)
> Other things I preferred on DCL: no loud and smoky casino, no art auctions, no super loud music in the pool area. If I never hear another steel drum, it will still be too soon. (...)



One thing I forgot to reply to: the steel drums. 

A few weeks ago, on this thread, I professed my love of steel drums and how I tear up whenever I hear the instrument now because it reminds me of my Carnival cruises. It literally has the exact same effect on me than when I am hearing the DCL horn ... Happy memories.


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## oumagic

We just got back from our 3 day Carnival cruise on an old ship (Inspiration/inside room) and we had a blast! Mostly just sitting on the deck with a cold beverage during the day and some piano bar at night. Food was good and dining service was great!

We are looking forward to our Disney new year’s cruise coming up, but you can like both. We booked DCL when our cruise went on sell and 9 people are going. The Carnival cruise was decided in August for just me and wife and in-laws to go on a quick anniversary trip.


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## mevelandry

oumagic said:


> We just got back from our 3 day Carnival cruise on an old ship (Inspiration/inside room) and we had a blast! Mostly just sitting on the deck with a cold beverage during the day and some piano bar at night. Food was good and dining service was great!
> 
> We are looking forward to our Disney new year’s cruise coming up, but you can like both. We booked DCL when our cruise went on sell and 9 people are going. The Carnival cruise was decided in August for just me and wife and in-laws to go on a quick anniversary trip.



Hi! Welcome to the thread!

Which ship was it and where did you go?


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## GrrArrgh

I can put up with a lot of things, but making it impossible for me to sleep or be at all comfortable in the room is the end of the line for me. I forgot about one more thing on that cursed Carnival ship: the loud, intermittent clanging that went on all night long. They claimed it was the waves, but it sounded like someone was banging on pipes on the deck below me. Between that, the lack of air flow and the heat, I could never encourage anyone to go on Carnival. Ship of misery.


----------



## GrrArrgh

Oh, and for those who don't understand how the presence of a casino on a ship can impact your enjoyment: it is mostly how the smoke from the casino seeps everywhere on the ship, especially the adjoining areas. It is an awful, stale, disgusting smell. The casino is right in the middle of everything and if I'm walking my daughter somewhere, I have to explain to her every time that no, those aren't video games she can play. It's exhausting. I also just think they're ugly and loud. The presence of art auctions is annoying because they take up a ton of space. The carnival ships are packed and they have those ridiculous art auctions making one of the lounges unavailable for anything else. When they're moving their "art" from place to place, they block the hallways. If people want to buy mass-produced art, that's their business, but I think the companies who run those auctions are scammy and horrible.


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## Dug720

GrrArrgh said:


> Oh, and for those who don't understand how the presence of a casino on a ship can impact your enjoyment: it is mostly how the smoke from the casino seeps everywhere on the ship, especially the adjoining areas. It is an awful, stale, disgusting smell. The casino is right in the middle of everything and if I'm walking my daughter somewhere, I have to explain to her every time that no, those aren't video games she can play. It's exhausting. I also just think they're ugly and loud. The presence of art auctions is annoying because they take up a ton of space. The carnival ships are packed and they have those ridiculous art auctions making one of the lounges unavailable for anything else. When they're moving their "art" from place to place, they block the hallways. If people want to buy mass-produced art, that's their business, but I think the companies who run those auctions are scammy and horrible.



I 100% agree about the smoke from the casinos. (On RCCL and HAL anyway.) Yes, they might have an allegedly non-smoking section, but there is no physical divider. If they want to allow smoking in them, the smoking section should be in an airtight room with a decontamination barrier roomlet between the non-smoking side and the nasty smelling area.


----------



## mevelandry

GrrArrgh said:


> I can put up with a lot of things, but making it impossible for me to sleep or be at all comfortable in the room is the end of the line for me. I forgot about one more thing on that cursed Carnival ship: the loud, intermittent clanging that went on all night long. They claimed it was the waves, but it sounded like someone was banging on pipes on the deck below me. Between that, the lack of air flow and the heat, I could never encourage anyone to go on Carnival. Ship of misery.



Regarding the noise... Since we never know what we are going to get (soundproofing, neighbours, etc.), no matter where we go, I always bring earplugs. I wouldn't travel without it. 



GrrArrgh said:


> Oh, and for those who don't understand how the presence of a casino on a ship can impact your enjoyment: it is mostly how the smoke from the casino seeps everywhere on the ship, especially the adjoining areas. It is an awful, stale, disgusting smell. The casino is right in the middle of everything and if I'm walking my daughter somewhere, I have to explain to her every time that no, those aren't video games she can play. It's exhausting. I also just think they're ugly and loud. The presence of art auctions is annoying because they take up a ton of space. The carnival ships are packed and they have those ridiculous art auctions making one of the lounges unavailable for anything else. When they're moving their "art" from place to place, they block the hallways. If people want to buy mass-produced art, that's their business, but I think the companies who run those auctions are scammy and horrible.



Yeah. Not a fan of the smoke either. Not all Carnival ships are the same, though. On the Vista, they had a different system which made a huge difference with the smell.

I kinda like casinos but after 1 hour, I'm bored... But my DH loves them. I could do with or without. 


I noticed DCL has auctions too... I don't know how different they are as I never attended on any cruise line. The only time they bothered me is when they used the Library on the Vista because we wanted to play board games that day. 

In conclusion: As @Club Disney Chandler said, I understand that when the first impression you have from a cruise line is bad, it is not very tempting to go back again.

Sorry you had a bad experience.


----------



## GrrArrgh

Oh, I had earplugs and noise-cancelling earbuds. When I say loud clanging, I mean extremely loud. But like the heat, it wasn't something they could ever fix. Why would I ever assume I could have a better experience on another ship or in another room when they are clearly unable to fix things?

Another thing that wasn't a dealbreaker, but I just didn't really like: the Carnival ship always felt crowded. I really felt like we were a herd of people being ushered from place to place. There was no feeling of empty space anywhere because there was always a crowd, no matter where you were trying to go or what you were trying to do. On the Disney ship, there was space to breathe and we really felt like guests.

I also found Carnival's private islands/beaches extremely crowded, though that will vary with the time of year you sail. We sailed in mid-September, so I thought it wouldn't be crowded, but I was very wrong. I think there were always two ships docked wherever we were, so there were probably 7000 people competing for beach chairs. At the stop with the big beach and Margaritaville (I think it was Grand Turk?) I was only able to find one lounger on the entire beach for our group of four. It was also very crowded at the other private island with the big pool/water slide park. So, if you're going to get off the ship and try to have a beach day, get out there as soon as you can in the morning. It also just wasn't very relaxing being in the middle of that many people. Even if you were in the water, you were never more than a couple of feet away from another person.


----------



## oumagic

mevelandry said:


> Hi! Welcome to the thread!
> 
> Which ship was it and where did you go?



Wow, I am hurt; my first post to the thread was in November 2017 

This cruise was the Carnival Inspiration and went from Long Beach to Ensenada. It was just a cruise that we squeezed in between building our pool and the bigger cruise in December over New Year's. I started pricing weekend getaways and the cruise was cheaper than many options I was considering after we added up the food/room/fuel.  The service was some of the best we have ever had. The food was mostly good (the same as any cruise I have ever taken).  The ship was pretty boring with no movies or sports bars and such and I see why it only does 3 and 4 day itineraries. The boat did have some added things since last time we sailed her sister ship that we had not seen: Guy's Burgers and Alchemy being two highlights of the changes.  Serenity area is pretty lame: no pool and no bar but it was really quiet and there were servers that came around: we spent a lot of time there.  As I said, just an older and smaller ship and we had fun for a few days.

We have always enjoyed Carnival and probably would sail them most of the time if it weren't for my other family preferences.  My dad and brother only want to sell DCL so we do those when we can all get together.  I love DCL, but I just have a hard time separating cost and fun sometimes.  I like DCL overall more than Carnival by a narrow margin, but the cost of DCL just detracts from the overall experience for me. We have sailed Princess to Alaska, Carnival to Mexico, and DCL to Bahamas.  

I stay inactive in the DCL versus XYZ comparison threads usually because I don't want people to think I am knocking their decision to sail DCL if I comment. I do really like the DCL cruise line. I also like Porsche, Mercedes and BMW but I drive a Mazda because it isn't worth the extra cost to me.  That said, I think my Mazda was worth the extra cost over say a Chevy Malibu.  I bought an expensive Traeger smoker that I wanted that I am sure there are thousands of people that would say it is not worth the cost difference over a cheaper smoker/grill, but I love mine.  So everyone has different tastes.  

If I see someone post something as fact that is really just a preference, I may speak up.  Like when someone says DCL drinks are included but they aren't on Carnival.  That is not factually true: soda is free on Disney and not Carnival.  What I drink on Carnival is tea, water, coffee, beer and an occasional cocktail.  What I drink on Disney is tea, water, coffee, beer and an occasional cocktail.  For me, it is a little cheaper for my drinks on Disney than Carnival for numerous reasons, but it is not free.  If someone comes on and says that they only cruise DCL because other cruise lines kids' clubs stink, I will sometimes pipe up.  That is not a factual statement, it is opinion; my kids preferred the Carnival kids activities to DCL and Princess.  These misleading comments do not happen often and it is why I usually just lurk and don't comment.  The moderators do a wonderful job on the DCL boards making sure everyone plays nice 

I pay a lot of attention to Carnival/RCCL/DCL reviews because there are things I can take away from them that apply to my own preferences.  For example, if mevelandry says she was on Carnival Vista and loved the steel drums and live music on the pool deck and someone else says that they were on Carnival Vista and hated how loud the pool deck was, I can then apply that to myself and say "I love steel drums and a rocking pool area when I cruise."  If someone says that they hated the DCL cruise because the balcony was too small or because they wanted a better magician, I can ignore that because I don't cruise with a DCL verandah and I am not interested in a magician regardless if he/she is good or bad.  If someone says that they would never cruise another line because DCL was perfect for their 6 year old, I think to myself that my youngest child is 13 and I obviously am at a different time in my life than the reviewer.  If someone says that, they don't drink and the Carnival adult areas are lacking I think to myself that if I didn't drink, I would probably agree, but since I do, I love the Carnival Red Frog bar.


----------



## oumagic

mevelandry said:


> Guys I have a question for you... When it comes to cruiseships, what would be your ranking?
> 
> Here's ours:
> 
> 
> #1  Carnival Vista
> #2  Disney Dream
> #3  Carnival Victory/Disney Wonder (it's a tie... I just can't seem to be able to make a choice between the two.)
> #4  Carnival Victory/Disney Wonder



1. Disney Magic
2. Carnival Miracle
3. Crown Princess

Upcoming is Disney Wonder December 27-January 3 and on the horizon (since it will be in California) is the Carnival Panorama.


----------



## KashasMom

GrrArrgh said:


> Oh, I had earplugs and noise-cancelling earbuds. When I say loud clanging, I mean extremely loud. But like the heat, it wasn't something they could ever fix. Why would I ever assume I could have a better experience on another ship or in another room when they are clearly unable to fix things?
> 
> Another thing that wasn't a dealbreaker, but I just didn't really like: the Carnival ship always felt crowded. I really felt like we were a herd of people being ushered from place to place. There was no feeling of empty space anywhere because there was always a crowd, no matter where you were trying to go or what you were trying to do. On the Disney ship, there was space to breathe and we really felt like guests.



It's so funny how we all have such different experiences. We had HORRIBLE noise and vibration in our Fantasy aft cabin. They very well knew about it but nothing they could do. I was so glad to get home to be able to sleep! On top of that the same room had the horrible sewer smell from the bathroom - the whole week. It was disgusting. It was a Members cruise so not only was it super expensive it was full so no room to even move us. I would have been happy with an inside! If that had been my first Disney cruise, I'd never go back.

Empty space? My daughter got trampled so many times in the teeny, tiny atrium on the DCL Magic during very Merrytime activities. No room to even move. And Disney's one itty bitty pool - ugh...people soup! Nobody can do anything but stand up.

It's been a long time since I've been on Carnival so really can't compare but I can say that some of things you experienced I have found on DCL as well.


----------



## KashasMom

oumagic said:


> 1. Disney Magic
> 2. Carnival Miracle
> 3. Crown Princess
> 
> Upcoming is Disney Wonder December 27-January 3 and on the horizon (since it will be in California) is the Carnival Panorama.



Mine would be:

1) Allure of the Seas
2) Oasis of the Seas

And after November I expect Harmony of the Seas to bump one of those down.

My favorite Disney ship is the Fantasy but somehow we seem to end up on the Magic a lot. That would be #4.


----------



## mevelandry

GrrArrgh said:


> Oh, I had earplugs and noise-cancelling earbuds. When I say loud clanging, I mean extremely loud. But like the heat, it wasn't something they could ever fix. Why would I ever assume I could have a better experience on another ship or in another room when they are clearly unable to fix things?
> 
> Another thing that wasn't a dealbreaker, but I just didn't really like: the Carnival ship always felt crowded. I really felt like we were a herd of people being ushered from place to place. There was no feeling of empty space anywhere because there was always a crowd, no matter where you were trying to go or what you were trying to do. On the Disney ship, there was space to breathe and we really felt like guests.
> 
> I also found Carnival's private islands/beaches extremely crowded, though that will vary with the time of year you sail. We sailed in mid-September, so I thought it wouldn't be crowded, but I was very wrong. I think there were always two ships docked wherever we were, so there were probably 7000 people competing for beach chairs. At the stop with the big beach and Margaritaville (I think it was Grand Turk?) I was only able to find one lounger on the entire beach for our group of four. It was also very crowded at the other private island with the big pool/water slide park. So, if you're going to get off the ship and try to have a beach day, get out there as soon as you can in the morning. It also just wasn't very relaxing being in the middle of that many people. Even if you were in the water, you were never more than a couple of feet away from another person.



Which Disney ship(s) have you sailed on? I felt like there was space to breathe on the Dream, but the Wonder was something else...  

Which private islands did you go to? (Not sure if you are talking about Half Moon Cay or Amber Cove) Indeed, two ships going to the same destination can make a place quite crowded. Which make me wonder if I'll rent a cabana in Grand Turk for our next family trip. 

You say "Even if you were in the water, you were never more than a couple of feet away from another person.": reminds me of the Castaway Cay family beach. Always feels extremely crowded, especially with bigger ships. 

Whenever we go to the beach, we go early in the morning and usually go back to the ship in the beginning of the afternoon (whenever it's possible). It's easier to find seats that way + Afternoon sun is always rough.


----------



## GrrArrgh

I've only sailed on the Magic and that was our first Disney cruise. We just got back from a 10-day cruise from Copenhagen. This was post-drydock, so everything was really new.

I think the private islands we went to were Amber Cove and Grand Turk, but I don't feel like it really matters. If you have two huge ships with all their passengers sharing one beach/bar/pool area, it is going to be uncomfortably packed. I haven't gone to Castaway Cay, but I really have no interest in ever returning to the Caribbean. That said, if only one Disney ship is there at a time, it's still going to be more comfortable.


----------



## GrrArrgh

But yeah, I would for sure rent a cabana at least one stop. Having guaranteed seats and shade would make a huge difference if they double up on the ships that are there.


----------



## Ben E N

GrrArrgh said:


> I think it was the carnival magic.



Deck 7, mid ship on the Port (left) side, by any chance? We had huge issues there as well and our attendant told us that its been that way for some time. We were quite assertive in getting help and they at least brought in technicians to our room and got it down to 71 for most of the trip. 
I agree that the quality of the room was poor. The rest of the cruise, and the price I paid, helped soften that blow a lot. I looked into going RCCL or Disney for my next cruise, but the price difference for a family of 4 just got me to lock into Carnival for at least one more cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

oumagic said:


> Wow, I am hurt; my first post to the thread was in November 2017
> 
> This cruise was the Carnival Inspiration and went from Long Beach to Ensenada. It was just a cruise that we squeezed in between building our pool and the bigger cruise in December over New Year's. I started pricing weekend getaways and the cruise was cheaper than many options I was considering after we added up the food/room/fuel.  The service was some of the best we have ever had. The food was mostly good (the same as any cruise I have ever taken).  The ship was pretty boring with no movies or sports bars and such and I see why it only does 3 and 4 day itineraries. The boat did have some added things since last time we sailed her sister ship that we had not seen: Guy's Burgers and Alchemy being two highlights of the changes.  Serenity area is pretty lame: no pool and no bar but it was really quiet and there were servers that came around: we spent a lot of time there.  As I said, just an older and smaller ship and we had fun for a few days.
> 
> We have always enjoyed Carnival and probably would sail them most of the time if it weren't for my other family preferences.  My dad and brother only want to sell DCL so we do those when we can all get together.  I love DCL, but I just have a hard time separating cost and fun sometimes.  I like DCL overall more than Carnival by a narrow margin, but the cost of DCL just detracts from the overall experience for me. We have sailed Princess to Alaska, Carnival to Mexico, and DCL to Bahamas.
> 
> I stay inactive in the DCL versus XYZ comparison threads usually because I don't want people to think I am knocking their decision to sail DCL if I comment. I do really like the DCL cruise line. I also like Porsche, Mercedes and BMW but I drive a Mazda because it isn't worth the extra cost to me.  That said, I think my Mazda was worth the extra cost over say a Chevy Malibu.  I bought an expensive Traeger smoker that I wanted that I am sure there are thousands of people that would say it is not worth the cost difference over a cheaper smoker/grill, but I love mine.  So everyone has different tastes.
> 
> If I see someone post something as fact that is really just a preference, I may speak up.  Like when someone says DCL drinks are included but they aren't on Carnival.  That is not factually true: soda is free on Disney and not Carnival.  What I drink on Carnival is tea, water, coffee, beer and an occasional cocktail.  What I drink on Disney is tea, water, coffee, beer and an occasional cocktail.  For me, it is a little cheaper for my drinks on Disney than Carnival for numerous reasons, but it is not free.  If someone comes on and says that they only cruise DCL because other cruise lines kids' clubs stink, I will sometimes pipe up.  That is not a factual statement, it is opinion; my kids preferred the Carnival kids activities to DCL and Princess.  These misleading comments do not happen often and it is why I usually just lurk and don't comment.  The moderators do a wonderful job on the DCL boards making sure everyone plays nice
> 
> I pay a lot of attention to Carnival/RCCL/DCL reviews because there are things I can take away from them that apply to my own preferences.  For example, if mevelandry says she was on Carnival Vista and loved the steel drums and live music on the pool deck and someone else says that they were on Carnival Vista and hated how loud the pool deck was, I can then apply that to myself and say "I love steel drums and a rocking pool area when I cruise."  If someone says that they hated the DCL cruise because the balcony was too small or because they wanted a better magician, I can ignore that because I don't cruise with a DCL verandah and I am not interested in a magician regardless if he/she is good or bad.  If someone says that they would never cruise another line because DCL was perfect for their 6 year old, I think to myself that my youngest child is 13 and I obviously am at a different time in my life than the reviewer.  If someone says that, they don't drink and the Carnival adult areas are lacking I think to myself that if I didn't drink, I would probably agree, but since I do, I love the Carnival Red Frog bar.



Well, hello again!  (Stupid memory ) 

I'm going on the Sensation soon (I think she's a sister ship of the Inspiration) and indeed, Serenity seems a little bit ... "meh" compared to the Vista and Victory but we'll see how we like it.  How busy is the area? 

I can relate to pretty much everything you are saying! And I enjoy bad reviews: they keep my expectations low and therefore feel like I can appreciate every good experience more.


----------



## mevelandry

oumagic said:


> 1. Disney Magic
> 2. Carnival Miracle
> 3. Crown Princess
> 
> Upcoming is Disney Wonder December 27-January 3 and on the horizon (since it will be in California) is the Carnival Panorama.



If you have dates on the Horizon & the Panorama, I can add you to the Roll Call... (No obligation... just let me know if you want to be on the list.)


----------



## mevelandry

KashasMom said:


> It's so funny how we all have such different experiences. We had HORRIBLE noise and vibration in our Fantasy aft cabin. They very well knew about it but nothing they could do. I was so glad to get home to be able to sleep! On top of that the same room had the horrible sewer smell from the bathroom - the whole week. It was disgusting. It was a Members cruise so not only was it super expensive it was full so no room to even move us. I would have been happy with an inside! If that had been my first Disney cruise, I'd never go back.
> 
> Empty space? My daughter got trampled so many times in the teeny, tiny atrium on the DCL Magic during very Merrytime activities. No room to even move. And Disney's one itty bitty pool - ugh...people soup! Nobody can do anything but stand up.
> 
> It's been a long time since I've been on Carnival so really can't compare but I can say that some of things you experienced I have found on DCL as well.



I think I have read horrible reviews for pretty much every ship I have sailed on... Every time, I get super scared (even when I have sailed them before)... But in the end, I took a chance and I have never had a bad experience.


----------



## mevelandry

GrrArrgh said:


> I've only sailed on the Magic and that was our first Disney cruise. We just got back from a 10-day cruise from Copenhagen. This was post-drydock, so everything was really new.
> 
> I think the private islands we went to were Amber Cove and Grand Turk, but I don't feel like it really matters. If you have two huge ships with all their passengers sharing one beach/bar/pool area, it is going to be uncomfortably packed. I haven't gone to Castaway Cay, but I really have no interest in ever returning to the Caribbean. That said, if only one Disney ship is there at a time, it's still going to be more comfortable.



We're lucky: for our next cruise --unless hurricanes make Carnival send other ships there-- we're having Half Moon Cay & Grand Turk to ourselves (2600 passengers or less).


----------



## mevelandry

Ben E N said:


> Deck 7, mid ship on the Port (left) side, by any chance? We had huge issues there as well and our attendant told us that its been that way for some time. We were quite assertive in getting help and they at least brought in technicians to our room and got it down to 71 for most of the trip.
> I agree that the quality of the room was poor. The rest of the cruise, and the price I paid, helped soften that blow a lot. I looked into going RCCL or Disney for my next cruise, but the price difference for a family of 4 just got me to lock into Carnival for at least one more cruise.



Let me know. Because if there's a problem in a specific area of the Carnival Magic, I'll be sure to put that info on the first post! 

Have you tried one of the new ships? (Vista, Horizon)... I though the Vista was pretty good and the rooms quite comfy. It's my favorite so far.


----------



## GrrArrgh

Ben E N said:


> Deck 7, mid ship on the Port (left) side, by any chance? We had huge issues there as well and our attendant told us that its been that way for some time. We were quite assertive in getting help and they at least brought in technicians to our room and got it down to 71 for most of the trip.
> I agree that the quality of the room was poor. The rest of the cruise, and the price I paid, helped soften that blow a lot. I looked into going RCCL or Disney for my next cruise, but the price difference for a family of 4 just got me to lock into Carnival for at least one more cruise.


It may have been, but I'm not totally sure at this point since it was two years ago. I know that other cabins on our floor were having the same problem. They said the issue was with the entire HVAC system in that block. It seemed to me it wasn't something that was going to be fixed until the next dry dock (if even then), since I had technicians and engineers in there daily. But then, maybe they have fixed it since then; I would hope so. We did get some money back for the inconvenience, but it was 7 days and that's a long time to hate where you're sleeping.

I've been on Princess and Holland America before and had good experiences, so I won't only be doing Disney cruises in the future. I have an NCL booked this summer for Alaska. Usually I'd recommend Princess for Alaska because they've been there the longest and their itineraries are great, but this was a pretty good deal.


----------



## Ben E N

mevelandry said:


> Let me know. Because if there's a problem in a specific area of the Carnival Magic, I'll be sure to put that info on the first post!
> 
> Have you tried one of the new ships? (Vista, Horizon)... I though the Vista was pretty good and the rooms quite comfy. It's my favorite so far.



Yes, avoid the 12 rooms mid ship, balcony, on deck 7 port side on the Magic. There could be other rooms as well, but our attendant let us know that those rooms specifically have issues. We were in 7376, and the issues carried down to at least 7310, where others in our party were staying.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Woo hoo, got an email that my wait list request for YTD was granted.  Also, when checking to make sure it was real I went in and looked for better check in times and what do I see an 11:30-12 time available.  Snagged it.  Then cancelled FTTF because that was the only reason I wanted it.  Give my $80 back!  Good thing too because that is what I spent on ordering a few pairs of jeans earlier  Still no room assignment.


----------



## mevelandry

GrrArrgh said:


> It may have been, but I'm not totally sure at this point since it was two years ago. I know that other cabins on our floor were having the same problem. They said the issue was with the entire HVAC system in that block. It seemed to me it wasn't something that was going to be fixed until the next dry dock (if even then), since I had technicians and engineers in there daily. But then, maybe they have fixed it since then; I would hope so. We did get some money back for the inconvenience, but it was 7 days and that's a long time to hate where you're sleeping.
> 
> I've been on Princess and Holland America before and had good experiences, so I won't only be doing Disney cruises in the future. I have an NCL booked this summer for Alaska. Usually I'd recommend Princess for Alaska because they've been there the longest and their itineraries are great, but this was a pretty good deal.



The last dry dock was in 2016. Did you sail before they added Guy's Burger and all the fun ship 2.0 stuff?


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Woo hoo, got an email that my wait list request for YTD was granted.  Also, when checking to make sure it was real I went in and looked for better check in times and what do I see an 11:30-12 time available.  Snagged it.  Then cancelled FTTF because that was the only reason I wanted it.  Give my $80 back!  Good thing too because that is what I spent on ordering a few pairs of jeans earlier  Still no room assignment.



Good catch!


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## GrrArrgh

mevelandry said:


> The last dry dock was in 2016. Did you sail before they added Guy's Burger and all the fun ship 2.0 stuff?


I don't know about the fun ship stuff, but Guy's Burger was there.


----------



## Ben E N

mevelandry said:


> The last dry dock was in 2016. Did you sail before they added Guy's Burger and all the fun ship 2.0 stuff?



My warm room was just a month ago. (ah, how I am already missing that cruise!) The room did register at 76 degrees, but they got it down to 72 or so after my bugging them.


----------



## mevelandry

GrrArrgh said:


> I don't know about the fun ship stuff, but Guy's Burger was there.



Ok so it was after the dry dock. Thanks!


----------



## mevelandry

GrrArrgh said:


> (...) I think the private islands we went to were Amber Cove and Grand Turk, but I don't feel like it really matters. If you have two huge ships with all their passengers sharing one beach/bar/pool area, it is going to be uncomfortably packed. (...)




Thank you for this. You have convinced me and my family to book a cabana in Grand Turk for our annual family trip (DH and I with his parents). Since there will be 2 ships in the port that day, we wanted to make sure we have our own space, shade and room to breathe guaranteed. Now it's booked & I sent a video of the cabanas to my family members. Everybody is ecstatic.  

We'll be the only ship in Amber Cove so it shouldn't be that bad.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Thank you for this. You have convinced me and my family to book a cabana in Grand Turk for our annual family trip (DH and I with his parents). Since there will be 2 ships in the port that day, we wanted to make sure we have our own space, shade and room to breathe guaranteed. Now it's booked & I sent a video of the cabanas to my family members. Everybody is ecstatic.
> 
> We'll be the only ship in Amber Cove so it shouldn't be that bad.



I've been to Grand Turk as the second ship (with another one that arrived before us). Most people head in one direction when they get off the ship, but there are chairs the other way as well, we went that way and it was easy to find a spot. We did not use the pool though, it was loud for us. You can also walk a bit further down the beach the way everyone heads and come to places like Jack's Shack which is much less popular as most people stop at the first bits of beach.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I've been to Grand Turk as the second ship (with another one that arrived before us). Most people head in one direction when they get off the ship, but there are chairs the other way as well, we went that way and it was easy to find a spot. We did not use the pool though, it was loud for us. You can also walk a bit further down the beach the way everyone heads and come to places like Jack's Shack which is much less popular as most people stop at the first bits of beach.



DH and I plan to use your recommendations for our Grand Turk stop in 4 weeks.  We want to go to Margaritaville, to the pool, to the beach and also at Jack's Shack! 

However, for our annual family trip, since we are travelling with seniors (my FIL & MIL) and my FIL has mobility problems and struggles with walking on a beach, a poolside cabana is as good as it gets and they are SOOOO happy right now.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> DH and I plan to use your recommendations for our Grand Turk stop in 4 weeks.  We want to go to Margaritaville, to the pool, to the beach and also at Jack's Shack!
> 
> However, for our annual family trip, since we are travelling with seniors (my FIL & MIL) and my FIL has mobility problems and struggles with walking on a beach, a poolside cabana is as good as it gets and they are SOOOO happy right now.



When you are docked and looking at the beach, to the left is the way most people go, and the way to Jack's. If you go to the right, there is also a beach, and if you walk down a ways you come to the "conch graveyard". I don't believe you are permitted to take the shells but it's kind of neat to see them all any way. Depends how much you want to do!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> When you are docked and looking at the beach, to the left is the way most people go, and the way to Jack's. If you go to the right, there is also a beach, and if you walk down a ways you come to the "conch graveyard". I don't believe you are permitted to take the shells but it's kind of neat to see them all any way. Depends how much you want to do!



I heard about Conch Graveyard. It looks very special. I added it to my "to do list" for Grand Turk.


----------



## GrrArrgh

mevelandry said:


> Thank you for this. You have convinced me and my family to book a cabana in Grand Turk for our annual family trip (DH and I with his parents). Since there will be 2 ships in the port that day, we wanted to make sure we have our own space, shade and room to breathe guaranteed. Now it's booked & I sent a video of the cabanas to my family members. Everybody is ecstatic.
> 
> We'll be the only ship in Amber Cove so it shouldn't be that bad.


Oh good, I think especially with a group you want to keep together, having a cabana will really make things easier. At the time, I didn't know that was an option. These places seem to be built to hold about one ship's worth of people comfortably, so I don't think Amber Cove will be a problem. We were able to find seating there much more easily. Seating with shade is when it starts getting tricky.


----------



## mevelandry

GrrArrgh said:


> Oh good, I think especially with a group you want to keep together, having a cabana will really make things easier. At the time, I didn't know that was an option. These places seem to be built to hold about one ship's worth of people comfortably, so I don't think Amber Cove will be a problem. We were able to find seating there much more easily. Seating with shade is when it starts getting tricky.



We'll definitely bring money to rent chairs and umbrellas.


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## mevelandry

Hey, that's pretty cool: 


*Carnival Elation Captain And Crew Recognized With AFRAS Humanitarian Assistance Award*

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rel...-humanitarian-assistance-award-300712956.html


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Well gang, we’ve decided to cancel our upcoming Anthem of the Seas Cruise next June. With buying a new house, one kid in his first year of college and the other starting college the following year we decided the cost of that cruise plus airfare was more than we really should spend.

It’s bittersweet saying goodbye to that cruise because it’s a great Bermuda and Caribbean itinerary and we had the awesome family suite. The good part is we’re going on the Vista for the 4th time! This will be Western Caribbean out of Galveston, with stops in Honduras, Belize and Cozumel. Don’t really care about Cozumel but am very excited about the other two ports, plus it has 3 sea days. Also, we’re very happy this is going to be less than half of the Anthem cruise. For some reason I think we’re just not meant to try RCCL, this is the 4th cruise we’ve booked with them that we’ve canceled.


----------



## mom4mad

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Well gang, we’ve decided to cancel our upcoming Anthem of the Seas Cruise next June. With buying a new house, one kid in his first year of college and the other starting college the following year we decided the cost of that cruise plus airfare was more than we really should spend.
> 
> It’s bittersweet saying goodbye to that cruise because it’s a great Bermuda and Caribbean itinerary and we had the awesome family suite. The good part is we’re going on the Vista for the 4th time! This will be Western Caribbean out of Galveston, with stops in Honduras, Belize and Cozumel. Don’t really care about Cozumel but am very excited about the other two ports, plus it has 3 sea days. Also, we’re very happy this is going to be less than half of the Anthem cruise. For some reason I think we’re just not meant to try RCCL, this is the 4th cruise we’ve booked with them that we’ve canceled.



We are booked for that same itinerary on the Vista next July.  We sailed the Carnival Miracle to Mexico for 7 days in January and were VERY underwhelmed.  DH convinced me to book one more on a bigger/newer Carnival ship before we write it off altogether.  How did you find the Vista compared to Disney?  I assume you liked it as you are going for a 4th time


----------



## mevelandry

mom4mad said:


> We are booked for that same itinerary on the Vista next July.  We sailed the Carnival Miracle to Mexico for 7 days in January and were VERY underwhelmed.  DH convinced me to book one more on a bigger/newer Carnival ship before we write it off altogether.  How did you find the Vista compared to Disney?  I assume you liked it as you are going for a 4th time



@Club Disney Chandler 's review of the Vista is listed in the links in the first post.


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## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Well gang, we’ve decided to cancel our upcoming Anthem of the Seas Cruise next June. With buying a new house, one kid in his first year of college and the other starting college the following year we decided the cost of that cruise plus airfare was more than we really should spend.
> 
> It’s bittersweet saying goodbye to that cruise because it’s a great Bermuda and Caribbean itinerary and we had the awesome family suite. The good part is we’re going on the Vista for the 4th time! This will be Western Caribbean out of Galveston, with stops in Honduras, Belize and Cozumel. Don’t really care about Cozumel but am very excited about the other two ports, plus it has 3 sea days. Also, we’re very happy this is going to be less than half of the Anthem cruise. For some reason I think we’re just not meant to try RCCL, this is the 4th cruise we’ve booked with them that we’ve canceled.



You've made the right decision.  Always better to have extra funds.  And you will have just as much fun on the Vista anyway!  So no loss.  Matt is still on it too!  I also believe cruise prices will go down over the next five years with all the new ships coming.  Maybe not on Disney lol, but on Royal and others.  All the CEOs keep saying that prices will be going up, but there are just so many huge ships in the works, I suspect even if sticker prices remain high, there will be very, very good deals available.  Sailing out of Galveston is nice also.  If you have not tried. La Kings it is a gem and blast from the past.  Homemade taffy and ice cream.  Also the sunflower bakery and cafe.  Antique stores and museums.  Railway museum and one on the oil industry.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Well gang, we’ve decided to cancel our upcoming Anthem of the Seas Cruise next June. With buying a new house, one kid in his first year of college and the other starting college the following year we decided the cost of that cruise plus airfare was more than we really should spend.
> 
> It’s bittersweet saying goodbye to that cruise because it’s a great Bermuda and Caribbean itinerary and we had the awesome family suite. The good part is we’re going on the Vista for the 4th time! This will be Western Caribbean out of Galveston, with stops in Honduras, Belize and Cozumel. Don’t really care about Cozumel but am very excited about the other two ports, plus it has 3 sea days. Also, we’re very happy this is going to be less than half of the Anthem cruise. For some reason I think we’re just not meant to try RCCL, this is the 4th cruise we’ve booked with them that we’ve canceled.



http://www.lakingsconfectionery.com/


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Well gang, we’ve decided to cancel our upcoming Anthem of the Seas Cruise next June. With buying a new house, one kid in his first year of college and the other starting college the following year we decided the cost of that cruise plus airfare was more than we really should spend.
> 
> It’s bittersweet saying goodbye to that cruise because it’s a great Bermuda and Caribbean itinerary and we had the awesome family suite. The good part is we’re going on the Vista for the 4th time! This will be Western Caribbean out of Galveston, with stops in Honduras, Belize and Cozumel. Don’t really care about Cozumel but am very excited about the other two ports, plus it has 3 sea days. Also, we’re very happy this is going to be less than half of the Anthem cruise. For some reason I think we’re just not meant to try RCCL, this is the 4th cruise we’ve booked with them that we’ve canceled.



DH and I keep booking and cancelling NCL cruises... Maybe someday.


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## hdrolfe

I booked an NCL cruise for 2020 March break... but I suspect I will end up cancelling it. It was between NCL Breakaway (western ports) and RCL Harmony (different western ports, including the new Coco Cay though), or possibly Carnival Magic (going to Aruba and Curacao). I have not yet made it onto NCL. I am looking at a March break cruise on Carnival Conquest in 2019, and pushing my Disney plans from May to August to accomodate the extra expense. But I'd have to fly from Montreal (live in Ottawa) and that makes me nervous. Ottawa flights are crazy for March break and spending $2k on the flight when the cruise is less than that doesn't really appeal to me. I can look at Syracuse too I guess, I worry about weather even in March making it difficult. And I hate driving lol. I really want another cruise.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mom4mad said:


> We are booked for that same itinerary on the Vista next July.  We sailed the Carnival Miracle to Mexico for 7 days in January and were VERY underwhelmed.  DH convinced me to book one more on a bigger/newer Carnival ship before we write it off altogether.  How did you find the Vista compared to Disney?  I assume you liked it as you are going for a 4th time


We absolutely love the Vista, and that really surprised us. None of us ever thought we could like a ship more than the Disney Fantasy. We find the Carnival experience just as good as the Disney experience just in a different way. We have more fun on Carnival but are more pampered on Disney. Service wise it’s a crap shoot, both can be amazing but both can be crappy periodically. The worst dining room servers we’ve ever had were on the Disney Wonder. The best room steward we ever had was on the Vista. The talent of the show performers are certainly better on Disney but we had a crapload of fun at the shows on Vista. MDR presentation is better on Disney and the main courses are better, but sides and desserts are better on Carnival. Food options are way better on Carnival. I guess that’s the main differences I can quickly come up with.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I booked an NCL cruise for 2020 March break... but I suspect I will end up cancelling it. It was between NCL Breakaway (western ports) and RCL Harmony (different western ports, including the new Coco Cay though), or possibly Carnival Magic (going to Aruba and Curacao). I have not yet made it onto NCL. I am looking at a March break cruise on Carnival Conquest in 2019, and pushing my Disney plans from May to August to accomodate the extra expense. But I'd have to fly from Montreal (live in Ottawa) and that makes me nervous. Ottawa flights are crazy for March break and spending $2k on the flight when the cruise is less than that doesn't really appeal to me. I can look at Syracuse too I guess, I worry about weather even in March making it difficult. And I hate driving lol. I really want another cruise.



Why not Montreal? (I live in Montreal and always fly from Montreal).


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mom4mad said:


> We are booked for that same itinerary on the Vista next July.  We sailed the Carnival Miracle to Mexico for 7 days in January and were VERY underwhelmed.  DH convinced me to book one more on a bigger/newer Carnival ship before we write it off altogether.  How did you find the Vista compared to Disney?  I assume you liked it as you are going for a 4th time



The Dream/Vista Class ships are a world apart from the others in the Carnival Line. They may not be as beautiful on the outside but what you get is a great vacation with lots of fun thrown in.  And Matt Mitcham of the dreamy eyes and British accent.  

I have been on Vista twice and booked Panorama for 2020 already.  The SkyRide and Ropes Course are a hit with my teens.  They aren't into the clubs so I can't comment on that aspect. The included food options are great.  I never eat the buffet because there are so many other choices.  Love the deli and Blue Iguana tacos for lunch.  

I have never sailed DCL so I can't compare.  I love all things Disney but when it comes to cruises I just love being on the water and visiting beautiful beaches.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> DH and I keep booking and cancelling NCL cruises... Maybe someday.



My mom just got back from her Alaskan cruise on the NCL Bliss so after I call her tonight I can hopefully report back with some details! 

I’ve yet to pull the trigger on NCL either so I’m seriously interested to hear her review!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Why not Montreal? (I live in Montreal and always fly from Montreal).



I'm nervous driving in Montreal. I don't even like driving in Ottawa down town and I think it's fairly tame in comparison! Plus in March I worry there'd be a freak snowstorm I would have to drive in. But I think I can do it. I'd probably drive to Montreal the night before, and stay somewhere near the airport that I could get parking at for the week I'm away. It's a lot cheaper and there are so many more flight options from Montreal than Ottawa.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I'm nervous driving in Montreal. I don't even like driving in Ottawa down town and I think it's fairly tame in comparison! Plus in March I worry there'd be a freak snowstorm I would have to drive in. But I think I can do it. I'd probably drive to Montreal the night before, and stay somewhere near the airport that I could get parking at for the week I'm away. It's a lot cheaper and there are so many more flight options from Montreal than Ottawa.



Train tickets and/or bus tickets from Ottawa to Montreal are usually cheap (I'm sure I've seen prices around 25$ each way) and there are many promos. You should look it up. 

That being said, the drive between Ottawa and Montreal Airport is mostly on the highway. You don't need to go through the town at all. One of my best friends used to live in Ottawa and I used to go visit her. I was a nervous driver, yet, the drive between MTL and OTT was so easy!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Train tickets and/or bus tickets from Ottawa to Montreal are usually cheap (I'm sure I've seen prices around 25$ each way) and there are many promos. You should look it up.
> 
> That being said, the drive between Ottawa and Montreal Airport is mostly on the highway. You don't need to go through the town at all. One of my best friends used to live in Ottawa and I used to go visit her. I was a nervous driver, yet, the drive between MTL and OTT was so easy!



I was looking at trains as well since I live near the train station in Ottawa it would be easy and no driving required! But I have been told it's pretty easy to drive, as you say. I guess I'll have to see how much I really want this cruise  and how much it costs to drive (and park) vs train.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Carnival Dream review:
I have been dragging my feet with this review because I hate posting anything at all negative about Carnival as it is still my favorite cruise line to date. I also feel like our experience on this ship is an exception, or at least for us. The reviews I am reading lately make me wonder a bit. I am drawing the conclusion that Carnival provides an inconsistent product. This I am willing to forgive for the price.
So I am a Carnival cheerleader, but this ship had some issues for us. We personally will avoid this ship in the future. This doesn't mean we had a bad cruise-- we had a great time and still love Carnival. I will list our issues-- most have to do with cleanliness.
1. Our cabin was not clean. Someone had thrown up or spilled something gross on the counter in the cabin and it had dripped onto and through the cabinetry near the refrigerator and safe. It had not been thoroughly cleaned- gross obviously! The cabin was not vacuumed during our stay. I even left
sand on the carpet to see if the room would get vacuumed, but the steward only vacuumed that one spot. Nothing in our cabin had been cleaned in a LONG time. We bring lysol wipes and bathroom throwaway scrubbers on cruises just in case. I do not always use them but did this time. They were black after use.
2. Our entire floor smelled stale and musty and was also warm. I would not recommend deck 2 on this ship at all. They reroute air conditioning away from this floor. Most other decks had substantially more air conditioning through hallways and public areas. Dh and I made a point to walk through other floors on several occasions to test this. Floors above felt cold and smelled pleasantly. If you sail Carnival Dream pick a room above deck 2. Dh and I agreed we would have had a completely different experience had our cabin been on let's say deck 7. Very pleasant temp, pleasant smell, like it was a different ship. We complained about this issue at guest services on 3 occasions and they were nice but basically brushed us off. They would send someone to our room to reassure us that it was quite comfortable. The best they could do was get the temperature in our room about 8 degrees colder than the air outside. We explained to them that this was barely air conditioning. The "tech" they sent to our room had a great sense of humor. Once when he was reassuring me that our room was "quite comfortable," he had sweat dripping down his face. I could not help cracking up and he tried to keep a straight face, but he started cracking up too. It was as Ben E N pointed out a Mr. Incredible verses Insuricare moment. Our room never felt refreshing or pleasant, just bearable. This ship had a water event about 6 months ago. I am not sure if that is why our floored smelled musty (or as our 9 year old described it, "like stinky feet all the time"). DH described the smell as an onion or rotten meat smell. It was funny when we got in our car after the cruise I felt like I could still smell the smell. Like on Seinfeld when the BO smell attached itself to Jerry.
3. I would also not recommend booking a cabin underneath the galley unless you plan on waking up at 5am every morning! I saw the sunrise several times on this cruise. Lol. I bring earplugs and Dh sleeps like a log but the galley activity woke us up every morning!
4. There was only one "craft at sea" activity scheduled for our entire cruise. On our other 2 Carnival cruises, I am pretty sure there was one per sea day. We felt the activities on this ship in general were less robust than on previous CCL cruises. Not sure if this is a shift by the company or if our cruise/ cruise director was off.
5. Speaking of our cruise director, we barely saw him the entire cruise. I hate to call him out because he seemed nice enough, but even my teen commented that he barely saw the cruise director around. We do not need a lot of direction ourselves but there was a lack of cohesion on this cruise.
6. We chose anytime dining for this cruise as we have for previous cruises. On previous cruises service during anytime dining has been excellent, but on this cruise we found the service scattered, sometimes excellent, sometimes okay. Also, on other cruises we have always been seated at adequate tables but on this cruise, every night we ate as a group in the dining room, we were seated at a table for 4 as a party of 5. They placed a chair on the end of the table which made the table feel very crowded.
7. The cruise felt too crowded. I think we have learned that August is not the best time to cruise. We have taken 3 cruises in August over the years (2 CCL one DCL), and they all felt too crowded in August.
8. On the CCL Dream photographs are literally on the walls and you are just supposed to find them. Good luck! We have never experienced this on any ship or vacation. I have read reviews that mentioned this system, but it is hard to appreciate it until you have experienced it. Our kids had a good time finding some of our pictures, but kind of an unbelievable system. We never found all the photos that were taken. Also, all pictures are a la carte and anything considered a "portrait" is more expensive--$30 per photo. There was no ten for a price or something like that.
9. Our TV was on the fritz and had a crackling sound (not reception related). The picture was also sketchy. We also complained about this to guest services but there was no follow up in this area.
10. The crew did not seem as upbeat or friendly as on previous CCL cruises.  Everyone was generally nice, but the crew seemed over it. People who were obviously supposed to be vacuuming by stairs just going through the motions and accomplishing nothing. I do not think we ever had someone pick up a plate off of our table while we ate in the buffet.
11. Condition of ship so-so. The sofa in our stateroom was incredibly stained. This was true of many carpets and chairs throughout the ship. Other chairs were so worn out that when you would sit on them they would collapse or sag.
13. The area for dive in movies was at capacity many nights. We have not felt like this area was too small to accommodate passengers for dive in movies on other ships, but it was too small on the Dream. I am wondering if this is because there were not enough other activities, or if it was ship design.
14. The layout of this ship is unfortunate and has poor flow.
15. The decor on the Dream is a bit strange even for me. 
16.
People were playing their own music from speakers or tablets around the ship. We experienced this at the hot tubs and on deck in more typically quiet areas. We have never encountered this before on a cruise but did see it 3times on this one. I am not sure if this is technically allowed?
17. The tv choices are quite crappy now-- but this is not ship specific. Our kids found a "new" show on Cartoon Network about 3 bears but otherwise the map channel was the most interesting one on there. This is not a big deal for us but just noted.
18. Did not seem like there was any management around. The captain was also not "present." This was different from our other 2 Carnival cruises.

A mini comparison to DCL for sake of the thread lol:
1. The air conditioning on DCL has usually been superb for us. We did experience one DCL cabin where the a/c was only okay. But in general all areas on DCL feel refreshing and clean, sometimes I have to put on a sweater. But I would rather have to put on a sweater than have the ship feel sticky and uncomfortable. Maybe not worth the extra $7000 our trip would have cost though!
2. Our cabins on DCL have always been satisfactory, although not always perfectly clean. We have found dust and occasional grime in DCL cabins and sometimes more wear on cabins than we would like to see for the price.
3. We have always been seated at appropriately sized tables on DCL, but we do prefer the anytime dining on CCL. And we prefer the food availability on CCL. On CCL we feel like it is our vacation, on our terms, but on DCL, we have to roll with their timetable. Too rigid for us.
4. We find the cruise directors on DCL weak and have never been impressed by any, but on DCL management is very present and generally responsive.
5. Love DCL's TV selection.
6. Do not love DCL's outdoor movie set up or lack of popcorn. Love their movie theatre but do not love popcorn charges, just silly.

In sum, the big issue for us is cleanliness. Other things are secondary. (Well, the kids club is a close second, other issues distant second). The air conditioning ties to cleanliness. Unfortunately, the ac is something out of our control. I know on the Vista that each cabin has it's own a/c unit, so CCL is addressing this issue with newer ships. Our a/c in our Vista cabin was heavenly.  But our a/c on the Conquest, which is DCL Wonder era, was also excellent.  So I think you have to do your research.  Now that we know that there is some inconsistency on cabin cleanliness on CCL, we will go armed with even more lysol wipes and lysol to spray the carpet wall to wall (got this idea off of someone else's review). Also will bring more air freshener. I hate to admit it but I am willing to "clean" a bit in the cabin for a $7000 cruise discount. But... we also will do more research on specific ships.  We found the Conquest very clean and in great condition, even better than Vista.  Not crowded, excellent cruise.
As everyone points out, the price comparison with DCL is nuts. We paid $3300 for 5 people (got price drops), one inside, one balcony. DCL would have been in the $11000-12000 for our family for a very similar itinerary. That is just not a price that makes us happy for a 7 night vacation, no matter what it is. At this point we have 5 future cruises booked through summer 2020, three with CCL, one NCL, one DCL. Four night on DCL, 7 and 8 nights on the others. We like to cruise, and cruising on CCL is definitely a great value. I know my review will probably seem overly critical, but I am just trying to be as honest as possible. We do not expect everything to be perfect on a vacation, actually I like imperfection (Dh not as much lol), but I do notice things that could be improved. I did let Carnival know about these things. On that note, I will list some of the positives from our CCL Dream cruise:
1. Guys burgers (as usual) and food overall-- love it
2. Bartenders were really on top of popcorn service for dive in movies. Had boxes lined up ready to take all night.
3. GREAT dive in movie choices.
4. Desserts in buffet at lunch have been kicked up a notch and were excellent.
4. We liked the large atrium.
5. Tender system for Belize VERY well organized.
6. Kids loved the kids club-- real high point for the entire line. Our kids still like the CCL kids club better than the DCL kids club. As I have written before this was a real shocker for us on our first CCL cruise, but after 3 CCL cruises I can see why. The counselors are more engaged and come up with fun, basic games, where the kids have to be creative themselves, create something out of nothing, whereas on DCL the creativity is handed to them, done already, maybe less satisfying? I am not saying they dislike the DCL kids club but that they get "bored," and when I pick them up they are usually playing alone on ipads as opposed to happy and out of breath from playing with "friends." The only thing they really like in the DCL kids clubs is gaga ball. They also do not like Marvel and only one likes Star Wars-- slightly. They like the drawing area on DCL, but it is often too crowded, and again, it is a more solitary activity, which is fine, but they make a lot more "friends" on CCL. On DCL, it seems like many families have already negotiated friendships for their kids ahead of time on Facebook. 
8. mini
 golf location great, relaxing area
9. good experience in spa, caved and bought 2 elemis products for the first time. Have to admit they are excellent.
10. comedians (Michael Issacs! So funny.) and trivia-- awesome on CCL.
11. Love the cafe
12. Effortless boarding and disembark
13. Great ports (Cozumel-Paradise Beach, Belize- cave tubing, Mahogany Bay) and NOLA is a great departure port.

Our next cruise is the Breeze in March.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Nice review.  The Dream was our very first cruise in 2012.  Sad to read she is not up to par.  If you have not been on Breeze yet you will love her (I hope). My favorite ship; still Dream class but post-Farcus!  Also, it has the ropes course which is fun.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Carnival Dream review:
> I have been dragging my feet with this review because I hate posting anything at all negative about Carnival as it is still my favorite cruise line to date. I also feel like our experience on this ship is an exception, or at least for us. The reviews I am reading lately make me wonder a bit. I am drawing the conclusion that Carnival provides an inconsistent product. This I am willing to forgive for the price.
> So I am a Carnival cheerleader, but this ship had some issues for us. We personally will avoid this ship in the future. This doesn't mean we had a bad cruise-- we had a great time and still love Carnival. I will list our issues-- most have to do with cleanliness.
> 1. Our cabin was not clean. Someone had thrown up or spilled something gross on the counter in the cabin and it had dripped onto and through the cabinetry near the refrigerator and safe. It had not been thoroughly cleaned- gross obviously! The cabin was not vacuumed during our stay. I even left
> sand on the carpet to see if the room would get vacuumed, but the steward only vacuumed that one spot. Nothing in our cabin had been cleaned in a LONG time. We bring lysol wipes and bathroom throwaway scrubbers on cruises just in case. I do not always use them but did this time. They were black after use.
> 2. Our entire floor smelled stale and musty and was also warm. I would not recommend deck 2 on this ship at all. They reroute air conditioning away from this floor. Most other decks had substantially more air conditioning through hallways and public areas. Dh and I made a point to walk through other floors on several occasions to test this. Floors above felt cold and smelled pleasantly. If you sail Carnival Dream pick a room above deck 2. Dh and I agreed we would have had a completely different experience had our cabin been on let's say deck 7. Very pleasant temp, pleasant smell, like it was a different ship. We complained about this issue at guest services on 3 occasions and they were nice but basically brushed us off. They would send someone to our room to reassure us that it was quite comfortable. The best they could do was get the temperature in our room about 8 degrees colder than the air outside. We explained to them that this was barely air conditioning. The "tech" they sent to our room had a great sense of humor. Once when he was reassuring me that our room was "quite comfortable," he had sweat dripping down his face. I could not help cracking up and he tried to keep a straight face, but he started cracking up too. It was as Ben E N pointed out a Mr. Incredible verses Insuricare moment. Our room never felt refreshing or pleasant, just bearable. This ship had a water event about 6 months ago. I am not sure if that is why our floored smelled musty (or as our 9 year old described it, "like stinky feet all the time"). DH described the smell as an onion or rotten meat smell. It was funny when we got in our car after the cruise I felt like I could still smell the smell. Like on Seinfeld when the BO smell attached itself to Jerry.
> 3. I would also not recommend booking a cabin underneath the galley unless you plan on waking up at 5am every morning! I saw the sunrise several times on this cruise. Lol. I bring earplugs and Dh sleeps like a log but the galley activity woke us up every morning!
> 4. There was only one "craft at sea" activity scheduled for our entire cruise. On our other 2 Carnival cruises, I am pretty sure there was one per sea day. We felt the activities on this ship in general were less robust than on previous CCL cruises. Not sure if this is a shift by the company or if our cruise/ cruise director was off.
> 5. Speaking of our cruise director, we barely saw him the entire cruise. I hate to call him out because he seemed nice enough, but even my teen commented that he barely saw the cruise director around. We do not need a lot of direction ourselves but there was a lack of cohesion on this cruise.
> 6. We chose anytime dining for this cruise as we have for previous cruises. On previous cruises service during anytime dining has been excellent, but on this cruise we found the service scattered, sometimes excellent, sometimes okay. Also, on other cruises we have always been seated at adequate tables but on this cruise, every night we ate as a group in the dining room, we were seated at a table for 4 as a party of 5. They placed a chair on the end of the table which made the table feel very crowded.
> 7. The cruise felt too crowded. I think we have learned that August is not the best time to cruise. We have taken 3 cruises in August over the years (2 CCL one DCL), and they all felt too crowded in August.
> 8. On the CCL Dream photographs are literally on the walls and you are just supposed to find them. Good luck! We have never experienced this on any ship or vacation. I have read reviews that mentioned this system, but it is hard to appreciate it until you have experienced it. Our kids had a good time finding some of our pictures, but kind of an unbelievable system. We never found all the photos that were taken. Also, all pictures are a la carte and anything considered a "portrait" is more expensive--$30 per photo. There was no ten for a price or something like that.
> 9. Our TV was on the fritz and had a crackling sound (not reception related). The picture was also sketchy. We also complained about this to guest services but there was no follow up in this area.
> 10. The crew did not seem as upbeat or friendly as on previous CCL cruises.  Everyone was generally nice, but the crew seemed over it. People who were obviously supposed to be vacuuming by stairs just going through the motions and accomplishing nothing. I do not think we ever had someone pick up a plate off of our table while we ate in the buffet.
> 11. Condition of ship so-so. The sofa in our stateroom was incredibly stained. This was true of many carpets and chairs throughout the ship. Other chairs were so worn out that when you would sit on them they would collapse or sag.
> 13. The area for dive in movies was at capacity many nights. We have not felt like this area was too small to accommodate passengers for dive in movies on other ships, but it was too small on the Dream. I am wondering if this is because there were not enough other activities, or if it was ship design.
> 14. The layout of this ship is unfortunate and has poor flow.
> 15. The decor on the Dream is a bit strange even for me.
> 16.
> People were playing their own music from speakers or tablets around the ship. We experienced this at the hot tubs and on deck in more typically quiet areas. We have never encountered this before on a cruise but did see it 3times on this one. I am not sure if this is technically allowed?
> 17. The tv choices are quite crappy now-- but this is not ship specific. Our kids found a "new" show on Cartoon Network about 3 bears but otherwise the map channel was the most interesting one on there. This is not a big deal for us but just noted.
> 18. Did not seem like there was any management around. The captain was also not "present." This was different from our other 2 Carnival cruises.
> 
> A mini comparison to DCL for sake of the thread lol:
> 1. The air conditioning on DCL has usually been superb for us. We did experience one DCL cabin where the a/c was only okay. But in general all areas on DCL feel refreshing and clean, sometimes I have to put on a sweater. But I would rather have to put on a sweater than have the ship feel sticky and uncomfortable. Maybe not worth the extra $7000 our trip would have cost though!
> 2. Our cabins on DCL have always been satisfactory, although not always perfectly clean. We have found dust and occasional grime in DCL cabins and sometimes more wear on cabins than we would like to see for the price.
> 3. We have always been seated at appropriately sized tables on DCL, but we do prefer the anytime dining on CCL. And we prefer the food availability on CCL. On CCL we feel like it is our vacation, on our terms, but on DCL, we have to roll with their timetable. Too rigid for us.
> 4. We find the cruise directors on DCL weak and have never been impressed by any, but on DCL management is very present and generally responsive.
> 5. Love DCL's TV selection.
> 6. Do not love DCL's outdoor movie set up or lack of popcorn. Love their movie theatre but do not love popcorn charges, just silly.
> 
> In sum, the big issue for us is cleanliness. Other things are secondary. (Well, the kids club is a close second, other issues distant second). The air conditioning ties to cleanliness. Unfortunately, the ac is something out of our control. I know on the Vista that each cabin has it's own a/c unit, so CCL is addressing this issue with newer ships. Our a/c in our Vista cabin was heavenly.  But our a/c on the Conquest, which is DCL Wonder era, was also excellent.  So I think you have to do your research.  Now that we know that there is some inconsistency on cabin cleanliness on CCL, we will go armed with even more lysol wipes and lysol to spray the carpet wall to wall (got this idea off of someone else's review). Also will bring more air freshener. I hate to admit it but I am willing to "clean" a bit in the cabin for a $7000 cruise discount. But... we also will do more research on specific ships.  We found the Conquest very clean and in great condition, even better than Vista.  Not crowded, excellent cruise.
> As everyone points out, the price comparison with DCL is nuts. We paid $3300 for 5 people (got price drops), one inside, one balcony. DCL would have been in the $11000-12000 for our family for a very similar itinerary. That is just not a price that makes us happy for a 7 night vacation, no matter what it is. At this point we have 5 future cruises booked through summer 2020, three with CCL, one NCL, one DCL. Four night on DCL, 7 and 8 nights on the others. We like to cruise, and cruising on CCL is definitely a great value. I know my review will probably seem overly critical, but I am just trying to be as honest as possible. We do not expect everything to be perfect on a vacation, actually I like imperfection (Dh not as much lol), but I do notice things that could be improved. I did let Carnival know about these things. On that note, I will list some of the positives from our CCL Dream cruise:
> 1. Guys burgers (as usual) and food overall-- love it
> 2. Bartenders were really on top of popcorn service for dive in movies. Had boxes lined up ready to take all night.
> 3. GREAT dive in movie choices.
> 4. Desserts in buffet at lunch have been kicked up a notch and were excellent.
> 4. We liked the large atrium.
> 5. Tender system for Belize VERY well organized.
> 6. Kids loved the kids club-- real high point for the entire line. Our kids still like the CCL kids club better than the DCL kids club. As I have written before this was a real shocker for us on our first CCL cruise, but after 3 CCL cruises I can see why. The counselors are more engaged and come up with fun, basic games, where the kids have to be creative themselves, create something out of nothing, whereas on DCL the creativity is handed to them, done already, maybe less satisfying? I am not saying they dislike the DCL kids club but that they get "bored," and when I pick them up they are usually playing alone on ipads as opposed to happy and out of breath from playing with "friends." The only thing they really like in the DCL kids clubs is gaga ball. They also do not like Marvel and only one likes Star Wars-- slightly. They like the drawing area on DCL, but it is often too crowded, and again, it is a more solitary activity, which is fine, but they make a lot more "friends" on CCL. On DCL, it seems like many families have already negotiated friendships for their kids ahead of time on Facebook.
> 8. mini
> golf location great, relaxing area
> 9. good experience in spa, caved and bought 2 elemis products for the first time. Have to admit they are excellent.
> 10. comedians (Michael Issacs! So funny.) and trivia-- awesome on CCL.
> 11. Love the cafe
> 12. Effortless boarding and disembark
> 13. Great ports (Cozumel-Paradise Beach, Belize- cave tubing, Mahogany Bay) and NOLA is a great departure port.
> 
> Our next cruise is the Breeze in March.



1. Ewwwwwww! This not acceptable AT ALL. Did you complain to guest services? I would have asked to change cabins or at least a deep clean. And would have swiped dirty things with the lysol in front of them just to show them how dirty the cabin was. If you did, how did they respond?

2&3. I will add this info on the first post regarding the Dream.

8. I thought all the ships were upgraded with Pixels but clearly this is not the Dream case. Hopefully, they'll upgrade it soon. We had that system on our first Carnival cruise & never found our pictures. Apparently they offer packages when the ships have Pixels.

11. Wasn't the Dream refurbished last year?

16. So annoying!!! Who does that?


I strongly believe that it is important to be critical. I'm always severe on my comments cards too (on both cruise lines). I'm thinking of adding a list of ship to the first post who are most likely to please DCL lovers (if they decide to try Carnival) as I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that certain Carnival ship would be better suited for DCL lovers...

...and I feel like most of them are newer ships.

Can't wait to read your Breeze comparison.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Carnival Dream review:
> I have been dragging my feet with this review because I hate posting anything at all negative about Carnival as it is still my favorite cruise line to date. I also feel like our experience on this ship is an exception, or at least for us. The reviews I am reading lately make me wonder a bit. I am drawing the conclusion that Carnival provides an inconsistent product. This I am willing to forgive for the price.
> So I am a Carnival cheerleader, but this ship had some issues for us. We personally will avoid this ship in the future. This doesn't mean we had a bad cruise-- we had a great time and still love Carnival. I will list our issues-- most have to do with cleanliness.
> 1. Our cabin was not clean. Someone had thrown up or spilled something gross on the counter in the cabin and it had dripped onto and through the cabinetry near the refrigerator and safe. It had not been thoroughly cleaned- gross obviously! The cabin was not vacuumed during our stay. I even left
> sand on the carpet to see if the room would get vacuumed, but the steward only vacuumed that one spot. Nothing in our cabin had been cleaned in a LONG time. We bring lysol wipes and bathroom throwaway scrubbers on cruises just in case. I do not always use them but did this time. They were black after use.
> 2. Our entire floor smelled stale and musty and was also warm. I would not recommend deck 2 on this ship at all. They reroute air conditioning away from this floor. Most other decks had substantially more air conditioning through hallways and public areas. Dh and I made a point to walk through other floors on several occasions to test this. Floors above felt cold and smelled pleasantly. If you sail Carnival Dream pick a room above deck 2. Dh and I agreed we would have had a completely different experience had our cabin been on let's say deck 7. Very pleasant temp, pleasant smell, like it was a different ship. We complained about this issue at guest services on 3 occasions and they were nice but basically brushed us off. They would send someone to our room to reassure us that it was quite comfortable. The best they could do was get the temperature in our room about 8 degrees colder than the air outside. We explained to them that this was barely air conditioning. The "tech" they sent to our room had a great sense of humor. Once when he was reassuring me that our room was "quite comfortable," he had sweat dripping down his face. I could not help cracking up and he tried to keep a straight face, but he started cracking up too. It was as Ben E N pointed out a Mr. Incredible verses Insuricare moment. Our room never felt refreshing or pleasant, just bearable. This ship had a water event about 6 months ago. I am not sure if that is why our floored smelled musty (or as our 9 year old described it, "like stinky feet all the time"). DH described the smell as an onion or rotten meat smell. It was funny when we got in our car after the cruise I felt like I could still smell the smell. Like on Seinfeld when the BO smell attached itself to Jerry.
> 3. I would also not recommend booking a cabin underneath the galley unless you plan on waking up at 5am every morning! I saw the sunrise several times on this cruise. Lol. I bring earplugs and Dh sleeps like a log but the galley activity woke us up every morning!
> 4. There was only one "craft at sea" activity scheduled for our entire cruise. On our other 2 Carnival cruises, I am pretty sure there was one per sea day. We felt the activities on this ship in general were less robust than on previous CCL cruises. Not sure if this is a shift by the company or if our cruise/ cruise director was off.
> 5. Speaking of our cruise director, we barely saw him the entire cruise. I hate to call him out because he seemed nice enough, but even my teen commented that he barely saw the cruise director around. We do not need a lot of direction ourselves but there was a lack of cohesion on this cruise.
> 6. We chose anytime dining for this cruise as we have for previous cruises. On previous cruises service during anytime dining has been excellent, but on this cruise we found the service scattered, sometimes excellent, sometimes okay. Also, on other cruises we have always been seated at adequate tables but on this cruise, every night we ate as a group in the dining room, we were seated at a table for 4 as a party of 5. They placed a chair on the end of the table which made the table feel very crowded.
> 7. The cruise felt too crowded. I think we have learned that August is not the best time to cruise. We have taken 3 cruises in August over the years (2 CCL one DCL), and they all felt too crowded in August.
> 8. On the CCL Dream photographs are literally on the walls and you are just supposed to find them. Good luck! We have never experienced this on any ship or vacation. I have read reviews that mentioned this system, but it is hard to appreciate it until you have experienced it. Our kids had a good time finding some of our pictures, but kind of an unbelievable system. We never found all the photos that were taken. Also, all pictures are a la carte and anything considered a "portrait" is more expensive--$30 per photo. There was no ten for a price or something like that.
> 9. Our TV was on the fritz and had a crackling sound (not reception related). The picture was also sketchy. We also complained about this to guest services but there was no follow up in this area.
> 10. The crew did not seem as upbeat or friendly as on previous CCL cruises.  Everyone was generally nice, but the crew seemed over it. People who were obviously supposed to be vacuuming by stairs just going through the motions and accomplishing nothing. I do not think we ever had someone pick up a plate off of our table while we ate in the buffet.
> 11. Condition of ship so-so. The sofa in our stateroom was incredibly stained. This was true of many carpets and chairs throughout the ship. Other chairs were so worn out that when you would sit on them they would collapse or sag.
> 13. The area for dive in movies was at capacity many nights. We have not felt like this area was too small to accommodate passengers for dive in movies on other ships, but it was too small on the Dream. I am wondering if this is because there were not enough other activities, or if it was ship design.
> 14. The layout of this ship is unfortunate and has poor flow.
> 15. The decor on the Dream is a bit strange even for me.
> 16.
> People were playing their own music from speakers or tablets around the ship. We experienced this at the hot tubs and on deck in more typically quiet areas. We have never encountered this before on a cruise but did see it 3times on this one. I am not sure if this is technically allowed?
> 17. The tv choices are quite crappy now-- but this is not ship specific. Our kids found a "new" show on Cartoon Network about 3 bears but otherwise the map channel was the most interesting one on there. This is not a big deal for us but just noted.
> 18. Did not seem like there was any management around. The captain was also not "present." This was different from our other 2 Carnival cruises.
> 
> A mini comparison to DCL for sake of the thread lol:
> 1. The air conditioning on DCL has usually been superb for us. We did experience one DCL cabin where the a/c was only okay. But in general all areas on DCL feel refreshing and clean, sometimes I have to put on a sweater. But I would rather have to put on a sweater than have the ship feel sticky and uncomfortable. Maybe not worth the extra $7000 our trip would have cost though!
> 2. Our cabins on DCL have always been satisfactory, although not always perfectly clean. We have found dust and occasional grime in DCL cabins and sometimes more wear on cabins than we would like to see for the price.
> 3. We have always been seated at appropriately sized tables on DCL, but we do prefer the anytime dining on CCL. And we prefer the food availability on CCL. On CCL we feel like it is our vacation, on our terms, but on DCL, we have to roll with their timetable. Too rigid for us.
> 4. We find the cruise directors on DCL weak and have never been impressed by any, but on DCL management is very present and generally responsive.
> 5. Love DCL's TV selection.
> 6. Do not love DCL's outdoor movie set up or lack of popcorn. Love their movie theatre but do not love popcorn charges, just silly.
> 
> In sum, the big issue for us is cleanliness. Other things are secondary. (Well, the kids club is a close second, other issues distant second). The air conditioning ties to cleanliness. Unfortunately, the ac is something out of our control. I know on the Vista that each cabin has it's own a/c unit, so CCL is addressing this issue with newer ships. Our a/c in our Vista cabin was heavenly.  But our a/c on the Conquest, which is DCL Wonder era, was also excellent.  So I think you have to do your research.  Now that we know that there is some inconsistency on cabin cleanliness on CCL, we will go armed with even more lysol wipes and lysol to spray the carpet wall to wall (got this idea off of someone else's review). Also will bring more air freshener. I hate to admit it but I am willing to "clean" a bit in the cabin for a $7000 cruise discount. But... we also will do more research on specific ships.  We found the Conquest very clean and in great condition, even better than Vista.  Not crowded, excellent cruise.
> As everyone points out, the price comparison with DCL is nuts. We paid $3300 for 5 people (got price drops), one inside, one balcony. DCL would have been in the $11000-12000 for our family for a very similar itinerary. That is just not a price that makes us happy for a 7 night vacation, no matter what it is. At this point we have 5 future cruises booked through summer 2020, three with CCL, one NCL, one DCL. Four night on DCL, 7 and 8 nights on the others. We like to cruise, and cruising on CCL is definitely a great value. I know my review will probably seem overly critical, but I am just trying to be as honest as possible. We do not expect everything to be perfect on a vacation, actually I like imperfection (Dh not as much lol), but I do notice things that could be improved. I did let Carnival know about these things. On that note, I will list some of the positives from our CCL Dream cruise:
> 1. Guys burgers (as usual) and food overall-- love it
> 2. Bartenders were really on top of popcorn service for dive in movies. Had boxes lined up ready to take all night.
> 3. GREAT dive in movie choices.
> 4. Desserts in buffet at lunch have been kicked up a notch and were excellent.
> 4. We liked the large atrium.
> 5. Tender system for Belize VERY well organized.
> 6. Kids loved the kids club-- real high point for the entire line. Our kids still like the CCL kids club better than the DCL kids club. As I have written before this was a real shocker for us on our first CCL cruise, but after 3 CCL cruises I can see why. The counselors are more engaged and come up with fun, basic games, where the kids have to be creative themselves, create something out of nothing, whereas on DCL the creativity is handed to them, done already, maybe less satisfying? I am not saying they dislike the DCL kids club but that they get "bored," and when I pick them up they are usually playing alone on ipads as opposed to happy and out of breath from playing with "friends." The only thing they really like in the DCL kids clubs is gaga ball. They also do not like Marvel and only one likes Star Wars-- slightly. They like the drawing area on DCL, but it is often too crowded, and again, it is a more solitary activity, which is fine, but they make a lot more "friends" on CCL. On DCL, it seems like many families have already negotiated friendships for their kids ahead of time on Facebook.
> 8. mini
> golf location great, relaxing area
> 9. good experience in spa, caved and bought 2 elemis products for the first time. Have to admit they are excellent.
> 10. comedians (Michael Issacs! So funny.) and trivia-- awesome on CCL.
> 11. Love the cafe
> 12. Effortless boarding and disembark
> 13. Great ports (Cozumel-Paradise Beach, Belize- cave tubing, Mahogany Bay) and NOLA is a great departure port.
> 
> Our next cruise is the Breeze in March.


Thanks for such a fair and honest review. We were act considering the Dream instead of the Vista cruise that we booked over the weekend. I’m happy we didn’t book it.

The full time CD on the Dream is Chris Williams, “The Flying Scotsman,” he was on vacay for a bit andbis now on Vista will Matt Mitchum is on Vacay. I’m so bummed you missed having him as your CD, he’s awesome!

It certainly sound like you made the most of your cruise. Will you do us a favor and review your NCL cruise when you get back, I’d love to know how they compute CCL and DCL.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> 1. Ewwwwwww! This not acceptable AT ALL. Did you complain to guest services? I would have asked to change cabins or at least a deep clean. And would have swiped dirty things with the lysol in front of them just to show them how dirty the cabin was. If you did, how did they respond?
> 
> 2&3. I will add this info on the first post regarding the Dream.
> 
> 8. I thought all the ships were upgraded with Pixels but clearly this is not the Dream case. Hopefully, they'll upgrade it soon. We had that system on our first Carnival cruise & never found our pictures. Apparently they offer packages when the ships have Pixels.
> 
> 11. Wasn't the Dream refurbished last year?
> 
> 16. So annoying!!! Who does that?
> 
> 
> I strongly believe that it is important to be critical. I'm always severe on my comments cards too (on both cruise lines). I'm thinking of adding a list of ship to the first post who are most likely to please DCL lovers (if they decide to try Carnival) as I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that certain Carnival ship would be better suited for DCL lovers...
> 
> ...and I feel like most of them are newer ships.
> 
> Can't wait to read your Breeze comparison.



Unfortunately we did not complain about the cleanliness at guest services, but I did go on at length about it on the online survey they sent after the cruise.  I know we should have complained.  What happened is we got into the cabin and noticed issues right away.  Our room steward showed up moments later and DH told him that the cabin really needed to be cleaned.  He pointed out several issues and said our steward said it would be done right away after muster.  We got on the ship kind of late, maybe around 3.  So we thought he would seriously clean the room.  Unfortunately,  we were not in the cabin much until late and noticed then he had barely addressed the issues.  He had wiped some of the "throw up type stuff" off but not all of it.  I was just ready to get comfortable in the cabin and then spent about 20 min "scrubbing" the bathroom and wiping down all surfaces.  I only had a small bottle of lysol and did not get far with it, but I did have more than enough lysol wipes.  At that point I was done with that issue but we did complain about a/c and TV.  
If anyone is interested, these are the scrubbers we bring.  https://www.clorox.com/products/clorox-scrub-singles-bathroom-pads/rain-clean/

The picture thing is wild.  When I first saw it, I was overwhelmed, but then the kids started playing find the picture and really had a good time with it.  Apparently they have much better eyes than we do.  Unfortunately, we didn't find all of them.  They have many in huge stacks that do not fit on the walls and we just did not have the patience.  The bummer is that I have gotten used to digital pics and like having that copy.  Also, they were more expensive.  

I thought the Dream was dry docked recently too.  I do not know.  I have a feeling they are going to really gut and redo that ship because it seemed like they were holding out replacing things.  

We are really looking forward to the breeze!


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## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> Nice review.  The Dream was our very first cruise in 2012.  Sad to read she is not up to par.  If you have not been on Breeze yet you will love her (I hope). My favorite ship; still Dream class but post-Farcus!  Also, it has the ropes course which is fun.


I can't wait to hear about your upcoming cruise!  And your excursion to the ruins.


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## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Unfortunately we did not complain about the cleanliness at guest services, but I did go on at length about it on the online survey they sent after the cruise.  I know we should have complained.  What happened is we got into the cabin and noticed issues right away.  Our room steward showed up moments later and DH told him that the cabin really needed to be cleaned.  He pointed out several issues and said our steward said it would be done right away after muster.  We got on the ship kind of late, maybe around 3.  So we thought he would seriously clean the room.  Unfortunately,  we were not in the cabin much until late and noticed then he had barely addressed the issues.  He had wiped some of the "throw up type stuff" off but not all of it.  I was just ready to get comfortable in the cabin and then spent about 20 min "scrubbing" the bathroom and wiping down all surfaces.  I only had a small bottle of lysol and did not get far with it, but I did have more than enough lysol wipes.  At that point I was done with that issue but we did complain about a/c and TV.
> If anyone is interested, these are the scrubbers we bring.  https://www.clorox.com/products/clorox-scrub-singles-bathroom-pads/rain-clean/
> 
> The picture thing is wild.  When I first saw it, I was overwhelmed, but then the kids started playing find the picture and really had a good time with it.  Apparently they have much better eyes than we do.  Unfortunately, we didn't find all of them.  They have many in huge stacks that do not fit on the walls and we just did not have the patience.  The bummer is that I have gotten used to digital pics and like having that copy.  Also, they were more expensive.
> 
> I thought the Dream was dry docked recently too.  I do not know.  I have a feeling they are going to really gut and redo that ship because it seemed like they were holding out replacing things.
> 
> We are really looking forward to the breeze!



I hear that, if you are really unsatisfied ,whenever they have availability, they can get you a better cabin and/or at least deep clean it and send you a little gift later. Seems to me that it was not the most efficient steward... You shouldn't have to clean up your own cabin yourself but I understand why you felt the need to do it.


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## belle032

Third party review (my mom!) of the NCL Bliss. She just got back from a 7 night Alaskan cruise with 3 of her friends, so 4 women:

-Did not see many kids at all, but again this was Alaska in September.
-Ship was beautiful, very elegant but still felt casual. Colors were pretty blues, greys, whites, blacks. One of the prettiest ships she's been on. Very different than the bright Carnival colors.
-Buffet was huge and even though it was busy, it was laid out very well. Tons of different buffet lines so it never felt overly crowded.
-Food was very good in the dining rooms. She said there were 3 "included" dining rooms that were smaller and more intimate than the traditional large dining rooms we're used to.
-They ate at the steak house (extra fee) one night and said it was delicious.
-Spa and fitness rooms very nice.
-She raved about a lounge on the top deck that they spent a lot of time in. Floor to ceiling windows, oversized plush chairs, etc. Loved it.
-They had a mini-suite and the room was a great size. Said the bathrooms were enormous and they had plenty of room. The showers had jets!
-The crew was amazing, everyone was so nice and accommodating.
-Shows in the theater were great, they loved Jersey Boys.
-Said there were 2 pools on deck, but no one really used them. Lots of hot tubs.
-I asked about the atrium, and the Bliss (like most NCL ships I believe) does not have the typical CCL-type atrium. There was a huge crystal chandelier and a staircase, but not that huge open space feeling you get on a CCL ship.
-More bars/lounges than she could count!
-The Bliss does have laser tag and go-karts on the top decks. They didn't use either one, but she did comment that she has no idea why NCL thought either was a good idea, especially in Alaska. The go-karts especially take up a TON of room, the set up is pretty ugly, and it's a really low capacity "attraction." It's like someone took the Tomorrowland Speedway and stuck it on top of a cruise ship. **I'm sure if you have kids (or a DH who races cars like mine!), you might have a different opinion of this, but to her, the choice seemed really strange and the space could have been utilized much better** 

She did mention a few weeks ago that NCL sent her an email saying she could bid on an upgrade, I assume a Haven suite. (Never heard of this before). She did not receive the upgrade, but she decided to talk to the Hotel Director on embarkation day to see if she could pay for an upgrade if the ship wasn't full. Well, the Haven ended up being fully booked, but he did end up offering them an additional inside cabin around the corner from their suite at no charge, which she thought was so nice of them. One of the women ended up staying in that room along with some of their luggage, so it worked out great. 

Oh and a random fun thing, the carpets in the stateroom hallways have fish on them. The fish are always swimming towards the front of the ship so you know which way you're heading. Thought that was very cute and very Disney!

We've always been hesitant to book with NCL but she said they had a great time, the ship was overall great and Alaska was beautiful. Considering my mom is wayyyyy more of a warm weather, beach, Caribbean person, I'm happy to hear she loved it. So it sounds like the Bliss might be a great option for Alaska!


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## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Thanks for such a fair and honest review. We were act considering the Dream instead of the Vista cruise that we booked over the weekend. I’m happy we didn’t book it.
> 
> The full time CD on the Dream is Chris Williams, “The Flying Scotsman,” he was on vacay for a bit andbis now on Vista will Matt Mitchum is on Vacay. I’m so bummed you missed having him as your CD, he’s awesome!
> 
> It certainly sound like you made the most of your cruise. Will you do us a favor and review your NCL cruise when you get back, I’d love to know how they compute CCL and DCL.




Yes, we did not have Chris Williams .  You made the right choice with Vista!  I am sure they will really redo the Dream at some point and it will be like a new ship.  But until then... there are many others.  We are on Ncl Thanksgiving 2019, so it will be a while unfortunately. We have been on NCL before and like them a lot, but our kids prefer CCL.  To me, NCL has a slightly more adult vibe than CCL.  The shows are better on NCL than CCL.  Their buffet is amazing and very relaxing , less bustling feel than CCl.  Like you see people reading a book sometimes in their buffet.  They have a 24 hour free restaurant that feels like a bennigan's or chilis which is awesome, but they do not have as many quickservice food venues as Ccl.  They have a crepe stand on top deck.  Awesome.  If you are willing to sleep 4 in a room they have 3rd and 4th guests sail free offers sometimes that make their pricing more affordable.  But over the last couple of years it seems like their prices have gone up.  We got a last minute sailaway deal 2 years ago for $499 per person, week long cruise, interior cabins.  So you might be able to get good last minute deals.  The other cruise we took on NCL, we kept rebooking it as better "sales" came along.  We ended up with 3rd and 4th guest sail free, free gratuities and free extra dining.  The current one we have booked, we have rebooked once when a "tax free" sale popped up.  We have not seen a 3rd and 4th guest sail free on that one yet, but we are hoping.  

One thing I  love is just how truly different the cruise lines all seem to be.  Like NCL really is very different from CCL and DCL.  It would not be as fun if they were like Pepsi and coke.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I hear that, if you are really unsatisfied ,whenever they have availability, they can get you a better cabin and/or at least deep clean it and send you a little gift later. Seems to me that it was not the most efficient steward... You shouldn't have to clean up your own cabin yourself but I understand why you felt the need to do it.


I know you are right!!


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## mevelandry

Change, change, change!

Just when I thought that our Family trip to Aulani in 2020 (Me-DH-FIL & MIL) was pretty much a done deal...

My DH and MIL confessed to me that with the same budget, they would rather go on two to three cruises... One of them being a Bermuda cruise departing from NYC. They say that they are _"hooked to cruising and can't see themselves doing anything else than cruising from now on"_.

The thing is: Hawaii has been my FIL's dream pretty much forever and the reason we planned this trip in the first place. DH and MIL now want to convince my FIL to do the cruises instead of Hawaii. I was down with it but when half of your party is not really into it anymore... I mean, what can you do...  Now, I'm waiting for them to break the news to him... (And I feel super bad)

...and currently watching for Bermuda openings in 2020.


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## MickeyD

mevelandry said:


> The thing is: Hawaii has been my FIL's dream pretty much forever and the reason we planned this trip in the first place. DH and MIL now want to convince my FIL to do the cruises instead of Hawaii. I was down with it but when half of your party is not really into it anymore... I mean, what can you do...  Now, I'm waiting for them to break the news to him... (And I feel super bad)



Why not cruise Hawaii? Although I have heard the NCL POA isn't the best experience, but just use it as a floating hotel. At least then you could see all the islands. Oahu isn't the prettiest island by far, but it does have a lot to do there.


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## mevelandry

MickeyD said:


> Why not cruise Hawaii? Although I have heard the NCL POA isn't the best experience, but just use it as a floating hotel. At least then you could see all the islands. Oahu isn't the prettiest island by far, but it does have a lot to do there.



The shortest cruises for Hawaii I have seen last 7 days + 2 to 3 days to travel there (we live on the east coast) = 10 days. 

The problem is, because of our jobs and pets, we cannot leave for more than 7 days.


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## Anchors Away 2016

mevelandry said:


> The shortest cruises for Hawaii I have seen last 7 days + 2 to 3 days to travel there (we live on the east coast) = 10 days.
> 
> The problem is, because of our jobs and pets, we cannot leave for more than 7 days.



I don't know the rest of your situation, but what you just said could be the beginning of a compromise.  Hawaii in 1 week is REALLY tough.  It takes almost a full day to get there and back, leaving only 5 days, and as others have said, there is so many different things to do and see on the different islands that "hopping" either by cruise ship or small planes is desirable. We have done more than one 2 week trip to those Islands and haven't seen it all yet.  

So is there any chance that in a couple/few years, you could all generate more than one week's vacation in a row?  If that were the case, your FIL might be willing to postpone Hawaii now, to do it justice later.  If not, I guess you'll have to work it out some other way.  All the best!


----------



## mevelandry

Anchors Away 2016 said:


> I don't know the rest of your situation, but what you just said could be the beginning of a compromise.  Hawaii in 1 week is REALLY tough.  It takes almost a full day to get there and back, leaving only 5 days, and as others have said, there is so many different things to do and see on the different islands that "hopping" either by cruise ship or small planes is desirable. We have done more than one 2 week trip to those Islands and haven't seen it all yet.
> 
> So is there any chance that in a couple/few years, you could all generate more than one week's vacation in a row?  If that were the case, your FIL might be willing to postpone Hawaii now, to do it justice later.  If not, I guess you'll have to work it out some other way.  All the best!



The problem is my FIL & MIL are not getting any younger and are not in the best shape. My fear is that while the possibility could be there in the future, it's unlikely they will be able to travel that far. 

I guess time will tell. We already have a cruise planned for 2019 so... We'll see how they feel after that.


----------



## Anchors Away 2016

mevelandry said:


> The problem is my FIL & MIL are not getting any younger and are not in the best shape. My fear is that while the possibility could be there in the future, it's unlikely they will be able to travel that far.
> 
> I guess time will tell. We already have a cruise planned for 2019 so... We'll see how they feel after that.




Aging parents.  I can relate.  The good news is, whichever you choose, you will be spending precious time together!


----------



## mevelandry

Anchors Away 2016 said:


> Aging parents.  I can relate.  The good news is, whichever you choose, you will be spending precious time together!



Absolutely. And, since I lost both my parents very young, I know how those family vacations are precious.


----------



## mevelandry

Currently trying to restructure the review section on the first post and plan to add some more informations about the decks and cabins that have been problematic. Some people spoke about problems with the AC on certains floors on the Magic but if anyone has other recommandations on what sections to avoid, please tag me. I will add it to the first post.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Change, change, change!
> 
> Just when I thought that our Family trip to Aulani in 2020 (Me-DH-FIL & MIL) was pretty much a done deal...
> 
> My DH and MIL confessed to me that with the same budget, they would rather go on two to three cruises... One of them being a Bermuda cruise departing from NYC. They say that they are _"hooked to cruising and can't see themselves doing anything else than cruising from now on"_.
> 
> The thing is: Hawaii has been my FIL's dream pretty much forever and the reason we planned this trip in the first place. DH and MIL now want to convince my FIL to do the cruises instead of Hawaii. I was down with it but when half of your party is not really into it anymore... I mean, what can you do...  Now, I'm waiting for them to break the news to him... (And I feel super bad)
> 
> ...and currently watching for Bermuda openings in 2020.


I would not worry, all sound like great options.  I would do whichever one is the "easiest," for me less stress usually means better vacation.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Whew, finally got our room assignment 18 days before sailing!  We booked Inside GTY and got an Inside on deck 7 aft.  We have cabins below and above and are 2 decks from Lido so I think it's a good location.


----------



## mevelandry

Just three weeks and then I'll be on my way to the airport...

I can't wait. My suitcase is ready. This cruise is pretty much all I am thinking about these days...


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Just three weeks and then I'll be on my way to the airport...
> 
> I can't wait. My suitcase is ready. This cruise is pretty much all I am thinking about these days...



I hear ya! This time next week we should be checking into our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale for our Conquest cruise!  

It’s been a rough year for me and this vacation is definitely much needed. DH is out of town this weekend so my plan is to deep clean and pack!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Just three weeks and then I'll be on my way to the airport...
> 
> I can't wait. My suitcase is ready. This cruise is pretty much all I am thinking about these days...



15 days until we hit the road to New Orleans!  I am so ready.  My mom is planning to start packing this weekend!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I hear ya! This time next week we should be checking into our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale for our Conquest cruise!
> 
> It’s been a rough year for me and this vacation is definitely much needed. DH is out of town this weekend so my plan is to deep clean and pack!



I love Fort Lauderdale... In which hotel are you staying? ( I'm making a list of potential hotels in case I go back).


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> 15 days until we hit the road to New Orleans!  I am so ready.  My mom is planning to start packing this weekend!



It must be nice to be able to drive to the port. 

But unless they start doing Bahamas cruises departing from Montreal, I don't think that will ever happen to me. LOL


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> I love Fort Lauderdale... In which hotel are you staying? ( I'm making a list of potential hotels in case I go back).



I booked the Home2 Suites. I prefer Hilton hotels and we love these!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I booked the Home2 Suites. I prefer Hilton hotels and we love these!



Wow, it looks nice. It reminds me of the Crowne Plaza where we stayed once. I loved than hotel! 

I've also stayed at the Marriott Beach Towers near the beach in FLL. I'm a big fan of FLL to begin with.

We'll be staying at the Epic Miami in a few days. Never stayed in that area before. We'll see how it goes.


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> I hear ya! This time next week we should be checking into our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale for our Conquest cruise!
> 
> It’s been a rough year for me and this vacation is definitely much needed. DH is out of town this weekend so my plan is to deep clean and pack!


Are you doing the 6 or 8 night? Looking forward to a review. We may be going on it early next year. If I ever make up my mind


----------



## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> Are you doing the 6 or 8 night? Looking forward to a review. We may be going on it early next year. If I ever make up my mind



We're doing the 8 night. FLL-St. Maarten-St. Kitts-San Juan-Grand Turk. First time doing longer than a 7 day, but the dates worked perfectly. We get back on Sunday and have that Monday off from work for Columbus Day. I'm happy to have a day to try to get back to normal before back to total reality!

Will definitely try to review. We loved the Glory and the Conquest is the same class so I have high hopes!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> We're doing the 8 night. FLL-St. Maarten-St. Kitts-San Juan-Grand Turk. First time doing longer than a 7 day, but the dates worked perfectly. We get back on Sunday and have that Monday off from work for Columbus Day. I'm happy to have a day to try to get back to normal before back to total reality!
> 
> Will definitely try to review. We loved the Glory and the Conquest is the same class so I have high hopes!



Let us know how Grand Turk is. I heard they had a severe case of sargassum sea weed last week. 

And yes, it's always good to have a day off back home. It's less brutal!


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Wow, it looks nice. It reminds me of the Crowne Plaza where we stayed once. I loved than hotel!
> 
> I've also stayed at the Marriott Beach Towers near the beach in FLL. I'm a big fan of FLL to begin with.
> 
> We'll be staying at the Epic Miami in a few days. Never stayed in that area before. We'll see how it goes.



People in various FB groups were swearing by the Embassy Suites for a hotel in FLL, but it was like $60 more. The pool area looks great, but I couldn't justify the extra money for just a 1 night pre-cruise stay!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> People in various FB groups were swearing by the Embassy Suites for a hotel in FLL, but it was like $60 more. The pool area looks great, but I couldn't justify the extra money for just a 1 night pre-cruise stay!



I agree. 

 When it's just DH and I travelling, we try to go for a nice but affordable pre-cruise hotel. When we do our annual family trip, since we are travelling with my husband's parents, we splurge a little bit more (and we split the cost).


----------



## KashasMom

mevelandry said:


> I agree.
> 
> When it's just DH and I travelling, we try to go for a nice but affordable pre-cruise hotel. When we do our annual family trip, since we are travelling with my husband's parents, we splurge a little bit more (and we split the cost).



We're going out of FLL in a few weeks and it makes me crazy to spend so much on a hotel for what amounts to less than 12 hours in the room!


----------



## mevelandry

KashasMom said:


> We're going out of FLL in a few weeks and it makes me crazy to spend so much on a hotel for what amounts to less than 12 hours in the room!



I'm quite ecstatic... I got our next pre-cruise hotel (on Biscayne) in Miami for 165$ a night thanks to Hot wire. 

I'm a bit relieved to know that our next cruises are departing from PC. The hotel rates are much lower in Orlando.


----------



## mevelandry

Just noticed this very interesting thread in the RCCL category from @mousefanmichelle ...

 RCCL Allure vs Carnival Vista. I thought it was very interesting:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/allure-vs-vista-a-cruise-filled-year.3708102/


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## mevelandry

You are leaving soon,@belle032 !  Happy cruising!!!!


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## belle032

mevelandry said:


> You are leaving soon,@belle032 !  Happy cruising!!!!



Thank you! We fly out tomorrow and sail on Saturday. I’ll try to remember everything so I can review!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Thank you! We fly out tomorrow and sail on Saturday. I’ll try to remember everything so I can review!



Can't wait to read your review!


----------



## mevelandry

EDITED: As I mentioned a few days ago, we were supposed to go to Aulani because Hawaii is my FIL's dream, but my MIL and DH told me they'd rather do a cruise. My MIL is also dreaming of visiting Stanley Park in Vancouver because her father was very passionate about it... And here I am, trying to find a way to make everyone happy when we can't be out of the city for more than 8 nights total (not negociable). 

I did some research and have found some interesting Holland America cruises... Which gave us some options. In the end, we had a family meeting about it and everybody was super enthusiactic --that's an understatement-- for this one: 

A short Hawaii stay (3 nights) with a short 3 or 4 nights Coastal Cruise, departing from California and going to Vancouver (including a stop in Astoria or Victoria) ... Which should spare us a little bit of jet lag on our way back. 

Oh, and the Port of Vancouver is super close to Stanley Park so my MIL is ecstatic.

As for the cruise line I mean... Holland seems nice enough! I think we could appreciate it!


----------



## belle032

We are onboard the Carnival Conquest! I just have to say this was the easiest boarding I’ve ever had. Sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale and the Harmony of the Seas is here too. I am not kidding, from the time we got off the hotel shuttle to walking into the atrium...it took 7 minutes. Rooms are ready at 1:30 and we are enjoying our Cheers package in the Sports Bar so DH can watch the Syracuse game. Ship is really pretty! Will review/answer any questions upon our return!!


----------



## Ben E N

belle032 said:


> We are onboard the Carnival Conquest! I just have to say this was the easiest boarding I’ve ever had. Sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale and the Harmony of the Seas is here too. I am not kidding, from the time we got off the hotel shuttle to walking into the atrium...it took 7 minutes. Rooms are ready at 1:30 and we are enjoying our Cheers package in the Sports Bar so DH can watch the Syracuse game. Ship is really pretty! Will review/answer any questions upon our return!!



Have a great trip! Glad the boarding process went so easily for you. Enjoy the Cheers package, I am looking forward to doing the same when I cruise again next summer.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> We are onboard the Carnival Conquest! I just have to say this was the easiest boarding I’ve ever had. Sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale and the Harmony of the Seas is here too. I am not kidding, from the time we got off the hotel shuttle to walking into the atrium...it took 7 minutes. Rooms are ready at 1:30 and we are enjoying our Cheers package in the Sports Bar so DH can watch the Syracuse game. Ship is really pretty! Will review/answer any questions upon our return!!


I love the Conquest!!  Have a great trip.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> We are onboard the Carnival Conquest! I just have to say this was the easiest boarding I’ve ever had. Sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale and the Harmony of the Seas is here too. I am not kidding, from the time we got off the hotel shuttle to walking into the atrium...it took 7 minutes. Rooms are ready at 1:30 and we are enjoying our Cheers package in the Sports Bar so DH can watch the Syracuse game. Ship is really pretty! Will review/answer any questions upon our return!!




Awesome! I hope you get nice weather and get to visit all the planned stops.


----------



## mevelandry

Does anybody know if Carnival (or any other cruise lines than Holland) does short 3 or 4 nights cruises departing from California and going to Vancouver?


----------



## Pens Fan

mevelandry said:


> Does anybody know if Carnival (or any other cruise lines than Holland) does short 3 or 4 nights cruises departing from California and going to Vancouver?



I did a search using Cruise Critic's search function for Pacific Coastal cruises of 3-5 days length.  It came up with several options from HAL, Princess and Cunard.  I didn't see anyone else.  Adding longer cruises (6-9 days), gives you a bunch more options - adding NCL, Celebrity, Seabourn, and Crystal.


----------



## hdrolfe

Princess does 3 to 5 night cruises from LA to Vancouver April to May. HAL does a couple from San Diego to Vancouver as well. 

3  night            May 5, 2019        San Francisco, CA             Vancouver, BC, Canada  Holland America / Volendam     
3   night          Mar 26, 2019      Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA        Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Emerald Princess         
4 night             Apr 29, 2019       San Diego, CA    Vancouver, BC, Canada  Holland America / Eurodam         
4  night            Apr 30, 2019       San Diego, CA    Vancouver, BC, Canada  Holland America / Oosterdam   
3   night           May 4, 2019        Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA        Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Golden Princess
3    night          May 4, 2019        Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA        Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Golden Princess           
3 night           May 5, 2019        Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA        Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Coral Princess
5 night             May 5, 2019        Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA        Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Ruby Princess
3 night             May 9, 2019        Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA        Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Star Princess 

4  night            Apr 28, 2020       San Diego, CA    Vancouver, BC, Canada  Holland America / Koningsdam 
4   night           May 5, 2020        San Francisco, CA             Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Grand Princess             
3  night            May 10, 2020      Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA        Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Coral Princess               
3    night          May 14, 2020      Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA        Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Emerald Princess


----------



## mevelandry

Pens Fan said:


> I did a search using Cruise Critic's search function for Pacific Coastal cruises of 3-5 days length.  It came up with several options from HAL, Princess and Cunard.  I didn't see anyone else.  Adding longer cruises (6-9 days), gives you a bunch more options - adding NCL, Celebrity, Seabourn, and Crystal.



Yeah, I have suggested that wild card (the longer cruise) without success. 

Sounds like it's going to be HAL. Unless they develop a sudden interest for LA, which would be surprising. 

San Francisco and San Diego both sound so different, yet both amazing. Not sure which town we will be departing from yet...


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Princess does 3 to 5 night cruises from LA to Vancouver April to May. HAL does a couple from San Diego to Vancouver as well.
> 
> 3  night            May 5, 2019        San Francisco, CA             Vancouver, BC, Canada  Holland America / Volendam
> 3   night          Mar 26, 2019      Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA        Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Emerald Princess
> 4 night             Apr 29, 2019       San Diego, CA    Vancouver, BC, Canada  Holland America / Eurodam
> 4  night            Apr 30, 2019       San Diego, CA    Vancouver, BC, Canada  Holland America / Oosterdam
> 3   night           May 4, 2019        Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA        Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Golden Princess
> 3    night          May 4, 2019        Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA        Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Golden Princess
> 3 night           May 5, 2019        Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA        Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Coral Princess
> 5 night             May 5, 2019        Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA        Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Ruby Princess
> 3 night             May 9, 2019        Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA        Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Star Princess
> 
> 4  night            Apr 28, 2020       San Diego, CA    Vancouver, BC, Canada  Holland America / Koningsdam
> 4   night           May 5, 2020        San Francisco, CA             Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Grand Princess
> 3  night            May 10, 2020      Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA        Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Coral Princess
> 3    night          May 14, 2020      Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA        Vancouver, BC, Canada  Princess / Emerald Princess



It would most likely be Mid-April or Early June 2020. 

I would love to try Princess but I heard LA was really ghetto compared to San Francisco and San Diego so I have a feeling we will going for Holland because of that.


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## hdrolfe

The 4-nights include a stop in Victoria and end in Vancouver so I think that would be nice too.


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## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> It would most likely be Mid-April or Early June 2020.
> 
> I would love to try Princess but I heard LA was really ghetto compared to San Francisco and San Diego so I have a feeling we will going for Holland because of that.



We were in San Fransisco last June for the first time and we were surprised how much we disliked it.  We thought it would be beautiful, but it was dirty, overcast, homeless people everywhere.  Very unwelcoming place.  People who live there seem miserable.  Felt unsafe the entire time we were there.  Makes New York seem like Disneyland.  We were there five minutes before a homeless person started yelling at us aggressively and nonsensically.  Number one on my least favorite city in the world list.  From what we read online, if you park at any of the garages downtown prepare to have your car broken into.  Funny, dh tried to use a bathroom at Starbucks but they would not let him because he did not purchase anything.  He would have but the line was huge and did not have the time to wait.  He was like I though anyone could use Starbucks' bathrooms now?  Apparently not in San Fransisco.  I guess because of all the homeless people.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> The 4-nights include a stop in Victoria and end in Vancouver so I think that would be nice too.



Yes!!!  My MIL went  when I told her there was whale watch cruises departing from Victoria. Some of the three nights also include a stop in Victoria.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We were in San Fransisco last June for the first time and we were surprised how much we disliked it.  We thought it would be beautiful, but it was dirty, overcast, homeless people everywhere.  Very unwelcoming place.  People who live there seem miserable.  Felt unsafe the entire time we were there.  Makes New York seem like Disneyland.  We were there five minutes before a homeless person started yelling at us aggressively and nonsensically.  Number one on my least favorite city in the world list.  From what we read online, if you park at any of the garages downtown prepare to have your car broken into.  Funny, dh tried to use a bathroom at Starbucks but they would not let him because he did not purchase anything.  He would have but the line was huge and did not have the time to wait.  He was like I though anyone could use Starbucks' bathrooms now?  Apparently not in San Fransisco.  I guess because of all the homeless people.



We do not use cars so, that's good. 

Not surprised that you were not able to use restroom without buying anything. It's like that pretty much everywhere here in Montreal. But thanks for letting us know. 

How were the touristy places like Golden Gate Park and Pier 39? Safer or just as bad?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> We do not use cars so, that's good.
> 
> Not surprised that you were not able to use restroom without buying anything. It's like that pretty much everywhere here in Montreal. But thanks for letting us know.
> 
> How were the touristy places like Golden Gate Park and Pier 39? Safer or just as bad?



We did not go to golden gate park.  The embarcadero was a mess.  We went to giradellis which was fine.  We also went to the disney museum which was excellent.  But anywhere we went except for the disney museum had homeless people.  It is too bad that the Disney family put the Disney museum there.  We thought the Starbucks experience was interesting because the month before Starbucks issued a statement saying restrooms would be open.  Good that you will not have a car with you if you go there.  The entire time we were there we wanted out.  We were driving through and only there for the day.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We did not go to golden gate park.  The embarcadero was a mess.  We went to giradellis which was fine.  We also went to the disney museum which was excellent.  But anywhere we went except for the disney museum had homeless people.  It is too bad that the Disney family put the Disney museum there.  We thought the Starbucks experience was interesting because the month before Starbucks issued a statement saying restrooms would be open.  Good that you will not have a car with you if you go there.  The entire time we were there we wanted out.  We were driving through and only there for the day.



Thank you. I've made a short research regarding the problems in SF and sounds like it's as bad (I'm tempted to say "worst") as you have described and it honestly had an impact on my family members.

We have all decided to opt for San Diego instead.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We were in San Fransisco last June for the first time and we were surprised how much we disliked it.  We thought it would be beautiful, but it was dirty, overcast, homeless people everywhere.  Very unwelcoming place.  People who live there seem miserable.  Felt unsafe the entire time we were there.  Makes New York seem like Disneyland.  We were there five minutes before a homeless person started yelling at us aggressively and nonsensically.  Number one on my least favorite city in the world list.  From what we read online, if you park at any of the garages downtown prepare to have your car broken into.  Funny, dh tried to use a bathroom at Starbucks but they would not let him because he did not purchase anything.  He would have but the line was huge and did not have the time to wait.  He was like I though anyone could use Starbucks' bathrooms now?  Apparently not in San Fransisco.  I guess because of all the homeless people.



I want to say that this is not the case for SF.  It is a wonderful city with the best food, great museums, a nice zoo and tons of history. I was born and raised in the Bay Area and spent lots of time in the city.  I learned to drive a manual car there too.  Once you do that you can drive anywhere!  The placement of the city with the bay on one side and the hills on the other makes for a foggy city and yes, it is often rainy.  I wouldn't hesitate to spend any time in this fabulous city.  

LA has just as many problems (with better weather!).


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I want to say that this is not the case for SF.  It is a wonderful city with the best food, great museums, a nice zoo and tons of history. I was born and raised in the Bay Area and spent lots of time in the city.  I learned to drive a manual car there too.  Once you do that you can drive anywhere!  The placement of the city with the bay on one side and the hills on the other makes for a foggy city and yes, it is often rainy.  I wouldn't hesitate to spend any time in this fabulous city.
> 
> LA has just as many problems (with better weather!).



It seems to be a very recent problem... 

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...rancisco-poop-problem-inequality-homelessness

https://www.foxnews.com/us/san-fran...urting-tourism-people-eat-out-of-garbage-cans

https://abc7news.com/politics/street-cleaners-shed-new-light-on-sf-homeless-problem/3664686/


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## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> Thank you. I've made a short research regarding the problems in SF and sounds like it's as bad (I'm tempted to say "worst") as you have described and it honestly had an impact on my family members.
> 
> We have all decided to opt for San Diego instead.



San Diego is a beautiful place. If you can spend a couple of days there, you'll really enjoy it.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> San Diego is a beautiful place. If you can spend a couple of days there, you'll really enjoy it.



It's unlikely. At best we'd be there 24 hours... but we would like to possibly visit Balboa Park and La Jolla Cove and/or Sunset Cliffs if we have enough time.

It looks amazing.


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## mevelandry

SO COOL!!!

Carnival is now introducing "Frightfully Fun": Halloween festivities for all the family, happening during the whole month of October. They will feature a character named "Patch the Pumpkin Pirate", thriller dance classes, Deck Parties, Halloween Theme Trivia, scary and not so scary movies, halloween treats and drinks.

I've always been a Halloween fan and this is very exciting for me!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> I want to say that this is not the case for SF.  It is a wonderful city with the best food, great museums, a nice zoo and tons of history. I was born and raised in the Bay Area and spent lots of time in the city.  I learned to drive a manual car there too.  Once you do that you can drive anywhere!  The placement of the city with the bay on one side and the hills on the other makes for a foggy city and yes, it is often rainy.  I wouldn't hesitate to spend any time in this fabulous city.
> 
> LA has just as many problems (with better weather!).



I am very sorry to speak badly about your home city!  We had a rough day there.  I have a friend from high school who moved there for a few years in her 20s and loved it.  I never made it to visit her and have wanted to see San Fransisco since then.  We saw some of the media reports ahead of time but thought they were probably typical media exaggeration.  The only thing we were worried about ahead of time was parking.  We drove cross country and it was the only city we drove through where parking seems to be unsafe (read about it ahead of time).  We really did not want our car broken into since we were so far from home.  Even with that we were surprised that we did not like it.  The city had a very surreal post apocolyptic feel.  I know I am digging a deeper hole here.  I am sorry!  We drove in from the north through the Sierra Nevada mountains and could not believe how spectacular northern California was.  Absolutely draw dropping, beautiful.  Napa as well.  Then we drove down to Disneyland, stopping at some National parks along the way.  We had been to southern California before.  CA is a beautiful state.


----------



## mevelandry

SINGLE DIGIT DANCE!


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## mcd2745

Has anyone been on the Carnival Horizon yet? Looking into potentially booking it for summer 2019. We're Gold on DCL and have done 3 RCCL cruises and 1 NCL (plus going on Bliss in February). We've yet to try Carnival, but are intrigued (seriously considered the Vista previously, but never pulled the trigger). We always wanted to try a southern Caribbean itinerary, and the Horizon will be offering that next summer.


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## cruiser21

I dislike most big cities, but San Diego is pretty darn nice. It's been over 20 years since I've been to SF. I liked it then,  but I've heard it's changed and not for the better.


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## trvlgirlmq

mcd2745 said:


> Has anyone been on the Carnival Horizon yet? Looking into potentially booking it for summer 2019. We're Gold on DCL and have done 3 RCCL cruises and 1 NCL (plus going on Bliss in February). We've yet to try Carnival, but are intrigued (seriously considered the Vista previously, but never pulled the trigger). We always wanted to try a southern Caribbean itinerary, and the Horizon will be offering that next summer.



No, but I have been on Vista twice and it's the exact same ship!  We enjoyed both of our cruises on Vista.


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## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> Has anyone been on the Carnival Horizon yet? Looking into potentially booking it for summer 2019. We're Gold on DCL and have done 3 RCCL cruises and 1 NCL (plus going on Bliss in February). We've yet to try Carnival, but are intrigued (seriously considered the Vista previously, but never pulled the trigger). We always wanted to try a southern Caribbean itinerary, and the Horizon will be offering that next summer.






trvlgirlmq said:


> No, but I have been on Vista twice and it's the exact same ship!  We enjoyed both of our cruises on Vista.



I have also sailed on the Vista and the model of the Horizon is quite similar... (Feel free to check the links on the first post, p.1)

The Vista is the ship I have liked more than the Disney Dream and, at least on paper, I think the Horizon sound even better.

If you decide to pull the trigger, let us know. While our experience (so far) has not been directly on the Horizon itself (although I think @lovin'fl is sailing on her this week-end!), we can most likely give you certain advices regarding the ship and good infos on how Carnival works ... and what the differences with DCL are.


----------



## Monykalyn

Any last minute tips for a first time cruiser? This time next week will be on the ship-4 day on Valor out of Galveston. Have decided against drink package, but loaded up cruise cash account, having water delivered to room, will bring on our allotment of soda/wine, documents printed, airport transportation arranged, precruise hotel paid for-what am I missing?  Hoping DH has a good enough time to book next cruise-I'd really like to go to Cuba. And while I'd love to cruise Disney sometime omg the cost! Can do a 5 day to Cuba on Carnival for 2k less than a 4 day Bahama cruise on Disney.


----------



## Ben E N

Monykalyn said:


> Any last minute tips for a first time cruiser? This time next week will be on the ship-4 day on Valor out of Galveston. Have decided against drink package, but loaded up cruise cash account, having water delivered to room, will bring on our allot9ment of soda/wine, documents printed, airport transportation arranged, precruise hotel paid for-what am I missing?  Hoping DH has a good enough time to book next cruise-I'd really like to go to Cuba. And while I'd love to cruise Disney sometime omg the cost! Can do a 5 day to Cuba on Carnival for 2k less than a 4 day Bahama cruise on Disney.



Sounds like you are well prepared. One suggestion. Tip your room attendant on day one, your bartenders an extra buck or two with every drink, and your waiter if you like him/her. The extra $30-50 will go a long way.


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> Any last minute tips for a first time cruiser? This time next week will be on the ship-4 day on Valor out of Galveston. Have decided against drink package, but loaded up cruise cash account, having water delivered to room, will bring on our allotment of soda/wine, documents printed, airport transportation arranged, precruise hotel paid for-what am I missing?  Hoping DH has a good enough time to book next cruise-I'd really like to go to Cuba. And while I'd love to cruise Disney sometime omg the cost! Can do a 5 day to Cuba on Carnival for 2k less than a 4 day Bahama cruise on Disney.



Excellent so far. 

Let's see... 

If you like cocktails, there is usually a cocktail of the day that has 1-2$ off each day. On embarkation day, it's "The Fun Ship" which is now a tradition for DH and I. The "punchliner" is the signature drink at comedy shows, it's also very good. 

If you like specialty coffee and mocha "frappucinos" and more fancy tea, the Coffee Shop has a nice selection. You have to pay for it but it's less expensive than your local starbuck and the desserts they sell are to die for. 

Comedy shows: if you like it "rough" and are not offended by the F word, do not miss the 18+ shows. If you are a little bit more picky, try the PG shows and see how it goes. And, don't sit in the first rows.  

Musical revues can be hit or miss (same for performers... Wasn't a fan of performers on the Vista but the performers I saw in Vroom on both of my Victory cruise were superstars!!!) ... but there is usually one show per cruise that really stands out for its quality. Try to find out which one. 

What type of dining did you pick? Early, late or YTD?


----------



## mevelandry

Ben E N said:


> Sounds like you are well prepared. One suggestion. Tip your room attendant on day one, your bartenders an extra buck or two with every drink, and your waiter if you like him/her. The extra $30-50 will go a long way.



Do you prepay your tips on top of the first day tips? We have always had great cabin stewards and always prepaid tips...


----------



## wanderlust7

Saw this on CC: spend $750 on Carnival (or Holland America, Princess, Seabourn, Cunard) and get a $150 credit on American Express.  Need to add the offer first to your account.  The fine print says U.S. cards only.

Our cruise isn't for over a year.  But I think there's no risk doing this?  Besides tying up the money.  My card has the offer and so does DH's.  Plan to pay down $750 on each card and get $300 total credit.  They seem to run a similar promotion every so often.  Hope I can get the credit a few more times.


----------



## mevelandry

wanderlust7 said:


> Saw this on CC: spend $750 on Carnival (or Holland America, Princess, Seabourn, Cunard) and get a $150 credit on American Express.  Need to add the offer first to your account.  The fine print says U.S. cards only.
> 
> Our cruise isn't for over a year.  But I think there's no risk doing this?  Besides tying up the money.  My card has the offer and so does DH's.  Plan to pay down $750 on each card and get $300 total credit.  They seem to run a similar promotion every so often.  Hope I can get the credit a few more times.



Can you combine (you + your DH) on the offer? 

Or do you plan to book two cruises?


----------



## wanderlust7

mevelandry said:


> Can you combine (you + your DH) on the offer?
> 
> Or do you plan to book two cruises?



Just one cruise.   There just needs to be a charge from Carnival reservations for the credit to post.  So will ask TA to charge $750 to my card and $750 to DH's card for the same reservation.


----------



## mevelandry

wanderlust7 said:


> Just one cruise.   There just needs to be a charge from Carnival reservations for the credit to post.  So will ask TA to charge $750 to my card and $750 to DH's card for the same reservation.



Great, I hope you can make it work!


----------



## Ben E N

mevelandry said:


> Do you prepay your tips on top of the first day tips? We have always had great cabin stewards and always prepaid tips...



Yeah. Those guys work so hard all day long that I figure they deserve the extra few bucks. I'm saving them by sailing on Carnival anyway.


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> I have also sailed on the Vista and the model of the Horizon is quite similar... (Feel free to check the links on the first post, p.1)
> 
> The Vista is the ship I have liked more than the Disney Dream and, at least on paper, I think the Horizon sound even better.
> 
> If you decide to pull the trigger, let us know. While our experience (so far) has not been directly on the Horizon itself (although I think @lovin'fl is sailing on her this week-end!), we can most likely give you certain advices regarding the ship and good infos on how Carnival works ... and what the differences with DCL are.




Thanks...we're about 90% sure we'll be booking the Horizon cruise. 

Anyone have opinions on the teen clubs? We'll have a 17 & 14 year old at the time of the cruise. Based on what I've seen they are in separate clubs (most likely a good thing) - the 17-yr old in "Club O2" (15-17) and the 14-yr old would be in "Circle C" (12-14).


----------



## PrincessTrisha

Monykalyn said:


> Any last minute tips for a first time cruiser? This time next week will be on the ship-4 day on Valor out of Galveston. Have decided against drink package, but loaded up cruise cash account, having water delivered to room, will bring on our allotment of soda/wine, documents printed, airport transportation arranged, precruise hotel paid for-what am I missing?  Hoping DH has a good enough time to book next cruise-I'd really like to go to Cuba. And while I'd love to cruise Disney sometime omg the cost! Can do a 5 day to Cuba on Carnival for 2k less than a 4 day Bahama cruise on Disney.



For Carnival my tips are:

1. Try the Sea Day brunch - filet mignon and eggs, funniest French toast, eggs benedict - seriously some of the best food on the ship.

2. Try your hand at trivia or other events at least once - try to win yourself a "ship on a stick" which is the prize. It's a great souvenir.

3. Know where your smoking areas are; if you're a non-smoker, avoid them, if you're a smoker, stick to them.

4. Try the Port of Call items on the Dinner menus - some of the best dishes have been those special items.

5. If there's something wrong, speak up. Carnival is generally good at guest recovery when the issues are brought to the right people (and sometimes, it takes a couple of tries to find the "right" person).



mcd2745 said:


> Thanks...we're about 90% sure we'll be booking the Horizon cruise.
> 
> Anyone have opinions on the teen clubs? We'll have a 17 & 14 year old at the time of the cruise. Based on what I've seen they are in separate clubs (most likely a good thing) - the 17-yr old in "Club O2" (15-17) and the 14-yr old would be in "Circle C" (12-14).



Club O2 and Circle C are sometimes separated and sometimes together. Generally when they do dances or other evening activities, it's separate. When they have afternoon activities (like dance classes, break dance class, a magician show them how to do a trick or stuff like that), the two clubs are brought together.

For the 17 year old, I would expect that they'll meet friends in Club O2 night one and then just mostly use that as a meet up place. For my god daughter who was 16-17 when I took her on cruises, the teens generally would meet up and then hang around the 24 hour pizza and ice cream and the late night hot tubs. It's more about just "hanging out" than the not-so-cool activities.


----------



## Monykalyn

mevelandry said:


> Excellent so far.
> 
> Let's see...
> 
> If you like cocktails, there is usually a cocktail of the day that has 1-2$ off each day. On embarkation day, it's "The Fun Ship" which is now a tradition for DH and I. The "punchliner" is the signature drink at comedy shows, it's also very good.
> 
> If you like specialty coffee and mocha "frappucinos" and more fancy tea, the Coffee Shop has a nice selection. You have to pay for it but it's less expensive than your local starbuck and the desserts they sell are to die for.
> 
> Comedy shows: if you like it "rough" and are not offended by the F word, do not miss the 18+ shows. If you are a little bit more picky, try the PG shows and see how it goes. And, don't sit in the first rows.
> 
> Musical revues can be hit or miss (same for performers... Wasn't a fan of performers on the Vista but the performers I saw in Vroom on both of my Victory cruise were superstars!!!) ... but there is usually one show per cruise that really stands out for its quality. Try to find out which one.
> 
> What type of dining did you pick? Early, late or YTD?





PrincessTrisha said:


> 1. Try the Sea Day brunch - filet mignon and eggs, funniest French toast, eggs benedict - seriously some of the best food on the ship.





Ben E N said:


> Tip your room attendant on day one, your bartenders an extra buck or two with every drink, and your waiter if you like him/her. The extra $30-50 will go a long way.



Thank you guys for the awesome tips!
we are early dining. this cruise is supposed to also be a regional meeting where we are supposed to be in meetings for a couple hours each day. We will see. But the early dining is where our group is supposed to be together.  Have a feeling we are gonna love the 18+ shows...

And the cuba cruise-friends just invited us to join them on their cuba cruise next fall. Getting details now and hopefully book soon!
Work sucks today so looking forward to getting a way for a few days soon!!


----------



## mevelandry

Ben E N said:


> Yeah. Those guys work so hard all day long that I figure they deserve the extra few bucks. I'm saving them by sailing on Carnival anyway.



I usually add tip at the end.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> For Carnival my tips are:
> 
> 1. Try the Sea Day brunch - filet mignon and eggs, funniest French toast, eggs benedict - seriously some of the best food on the ship.
> 
> 2. Try your hand at trivia or other events at least once - try to win yourself a "ship on a stick" which is the prize. It's a great souvenir.
> 
> 3. Know where your smoking areas are; if you're a non-smoker, avoid them, if you're a smoker, stick to them.
> 
> 4. Try the Port of Call items on the Dinner menus - some of the best dishes have been those special items.
> 
> 5. If there's something wrong, speak up. Carnival is generally good at guest recovery when the issues are brought to the right people (and sometimes, it takes a couple of tries to find the "right" person).



  I strongly approve all those tips. 

I would add to #1:  The port days breakfast menu in the dining room is also very good. I'm obsessed with the vanilla french toast and the avocado toast. We always order 1 of each on top of what we pick for breakfast.


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> Thank you guys for the awesome tips!
> we are early dining. this cruise is supposed to also be a regional meeting where we are supposed to be in meetings for a couple hours each day. We will see. But the early dining is where our group is supposed to be together.  Have a feeling we are gonna love the 18+ shows...
> 
> And the cuba cruise-friends just invited us to join them on their cuba cruise next fall. Getting details now and hopefully book soon!
> Work sucks today so looking forward to getting a way for a few days soon!!



Early dining: Like on DCL, you should have the same team every night. I've never been disappointed.


----------



## mcd2745

PrincessTrisha said:


> Club O2 and Circle C are sometimes separated and sometimes together. Generally when they do dances or other evening activities, it's separate. When they have afternoon activities (like dance classes, break dance class, a magician show them how to do a trick or stuff like that), the two clubs are brought together.
> 
> For the 17 year old, I would expect that they'll meet friends in Club O2 night one and then just mostly use that as a meet up place. For my god daughter who was 16-17 when I took her on cruises, the teens generally would meet up and then hang around the 24 hour pizza and ice cream and the late night hot tubs. It's more about just "hanging out" than the not-so-cool activities.



Thanks. It sounds like they are heavy on dance classes...probably not something either of my kids would care for. Hopefully there's some better activities - especially for the 14-yr old (DD). When she was younger, on DCL, we practically had to drag her out kicking &  screaming of Oceaneer's Club/Lab (it was similar with RCCL). However, since she's been in the Edge age range on DCL, she spends little to no time there. Our 17-yr old (DS) was the opposite. Would almost never go to the younger kids clubs, and then once he moved up to the tween & teen clubs we never see him. 

One more question for now (sorry, I'm full of them now)...anyone try the Family Harbor rooms? We're leaning towards one of those.


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> Thanks. It sounds like they are heavy on dance classes...probably not something either of my kids would care for. Hopefully there's some better activities - especially for the 14-yr old (DD). When she was younger, on DCL, we practically had to drag her out kicking &  screaming of Oceaneer's Club/Lab (it was similar with RCCL). However, since she's been in the Edge age range on DCL, she spends little to no time there. Our 17-yr old (DS) was the opposite. Would almost never go to the younger kids clubs, and then once he moved up to the tween & teen clubs we never see him.
> 
> One more question for now (sorry, I'm full of them now)...anyone try the Family Harbor rooms? We're leaning towards one of those.



I haven't but I know a lot of them are under the galley so not ideal if you want a "quiet" room. I've seen many reviews complaining about the noise.


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> I haven't but I know a lot of them are under the galley so not ideal if you want a "quiet" room. I've seen many reviews complaining about the noise.




Noise generally doesn't bother me. First off, an any cruise, we're hardly ever in our stateroom. To sleep and shower...that's about it. If I'm in the room for any length of time I go nuts. The kids? They have headphones (or AirPods now) in their ears pretty much 24/7 so they won't hear any noises anyway.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> I haven't but I know a lot of them are under the galley so not ideal if you want a "quiet" room. I've seen many reviews complaining about the noise.



I have heard this as well, but you can avoid those under the galley by checking the deck plans. Galley noise is extensive I guess? It will wake you up early when they start prepping breakfast, and carries on late with clean up etc. I would love to stay in a Family Harbor room though, the lounge for breakfast, ice cream all day, coffee/etc, and I think they have games and possibly video games too? And I think it gives you kids meals free in the specialty dining, if you do that. I think if you are from the aft elevators and back you would be fine. I guess if you are looking for a cove balcony or suite though you would find it noisy. Aft balcony would probably be nice? there are reviews on youtube you can check out to see the rooms.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I have heard this as well, but you can avoid those under the galley by checking the deck plans. Galley noise is extensive I guess? It will wake you up early when they start prepping breakfast, and carries on late with clean up etc. I would love to stay in a Family Harbor room though, the lounge for breakfast, ice cream all day, coffee/etc, and I think they have games and possibly video games too? And I think it gives you kids meals free in the specialty dining, if you do that. I think if you are from the aft elevators and back you would be fine. I guess if you are looking for a cove balcony or suite though you would find it noisy. Aft balcony would probably be nice? there are reviews on youtube you can check out to see the rooms.



It has a lot of perks, which I have described in the first post.


----------



## cruiser21

mcd2745 said:


> Noise generally doesn't bother me. First off, an any cruise, we're hardly ever in our stateroom. To sleep and shower...that's about it. If I'm in the room for any length of time I go nuts. The kids? They have headphones (or AirPods now) in their ears pretty much 24/7 so they won't hear any noises anyway.


What about noise when your trying to sleep? I had an extremely noisy room over the WDW theater last week. It was like 10 out of 10 on the noise level from from 2pm to 930pm. The whole room would shake and vibrate from what was going on below us. I don't spend a lot of time in the room, but it was annoying when I was in there.   We were also by the crew door which would open and slam about every 10 seconds starting at around 5 am. Also for some reason all the announcements would blast in our room. I would never ever recommend this room to anyone.
I have read the rooms over the galleys on the Vista are extremely noisy very early in the morning. Like being underneath a bowling alley. I would read some of the reviews on the cruise critic.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Leaving for our drive to New Orleans tomorrow!  So much to do today still and the new tropical depression forming has me slightly depressed. I really need a beach day.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Leaving for our drive to New Orleans tomorrow!  So much to do today still and the new tropical depression forming has me slightly depressed. I really need a beach day.



Oh no! I just saw that. (I follow-up on the matter since we leave in a few days). Hopefully you can have some sort of cruise. But you can possibly expect a change in itinerary.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

We officially have Tropical Storm Michael. Grrrr.

We did get to watch Dream sail away as we walked to the river.


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## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> View attachment 356684 We officially have Tropical Storm Michael. Grrrr.
> 
> We did get to watch Dream sail away as we walked to the river.



Did they change your itinerary?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Did they change your itinerary?



Not that I know about. The storm is right over Cozumel and the Yucatán.


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## mevelandry

Hoping you'll get a great vacation. 

We are leaving in a few days and "Michael" is supposed to be a tropical storm again and "brush" the east coast as we are flying to FLL. I have a feeling that our plane is going to be re-routed (same point A and point B but longer flight).


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mcd2745 said:


> Thanks...we're about 90% sure we'll be booking the Horizon cruise.
> 
> Anyone have opinions on the teen clubs? We'll have a 17 & 14 year old at the time of the cruise. Based on what I've seen they are in separate clubs (most likely a good thing) - the 17-yr old in "Club O2" (15-17) and the 14-yr old would be in "Circle C" (12-14).


We did the 8 night Southern itinerary on Vista and loved it!!  Great ship and awesome itinerary, especially Curaçao. My daughter loved Club O2 and hung out with the other teens the entire trip. We haven’t done family harbor as we always book 2 connecting inside rooms for all our cruises. We may be doing that same itinerary on Horizon in 2020, it really was a great cruise. For what it’s worth, we’ve become Gold status on Carnival, all on the Vista - she’s a great ship!!


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Hoping you'll get a great vacation.
> 
> We are leaving in a few days and "Michael" is supposed to be a tropical storm again and "brush" the east coast as we are flying to FLL. I have a feeling that our plane is going to be re-routed (same point A and point B but longer flight).


I just looked at the forecast. They are expecting it to strengthen to a cat 3. I guess conditions are very favorable in the gulf. It's funny we heard about Florence for weeks and this one just sort of popped up out of nowhere. According to the cone it's supposed to head up through Goergia and Carolina's. I think the Miami area will be fine. Planes can go around the storm as long as the weather is not bad where you're landing you should be ok.


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## trvlgirlmq

Sitting in the terminal waiting to board. Our ports have been reversed but not cancelled so that is good. Looks like TS Michael will turn towards Florida and not hit LA or AL.


----------



## belle032

We're home from the Conquest!  Had an amazing time. Pretty ship, great ports of call and met some really awesome people. I wanted to write my thoughts down while it was still fresh. So in no particular order:

1. We stayed at the Home2Suites in Ft. Lauderdale. We love these hotels and this one did not disappoint. Paid about $135 for the night, included breakfast and a shuttle to the port. Highly recommend.

2. Embarkation day was an absolute breeze. Like I mentioned before, it took 7 whole minutes from getting off the hotel shuttle to walking into the atrium. S&S cards were in our little mailbox. Rooms were available at 1:30.

3. We had an interior room (7th floor-Aft) for the first time and it was fine. I missed having a window just to know what time it is and seeing the weather. Our room location was fantastic though. 2 floors straight up to the buffet, 2 floors down to the promenade. No noise problems whatsoever, although, I do recommend a portable fan for noise and to keep the air circulating. Sounded like some people did have a problem with their rooms being warm as well. One couple we met bought a fan in San Juan and said it helped tremendously. 

4. Bring a power strip!! There was ONE outlet on the little desk. For some reason, I was thinking there were more, but that was on the Magic (a larger class of ship).

5. Our room steward was great. Greeted us by name every time we saw him. We opted to have our room cleaned just in the evenings, which was perfectly fine for us. I know some people complain about the 1 time cleaning and if we had kids, I can understand that. But the 1 time is no issue to us. We tipped him an extra $20 and he was very appreciative. 

6. This was also the first time we chose My Time Dining. I learned this has pros & cons. We loved being able to go eat when we wanted. The flexibility is great. However, we really do miss having the same serving team every night. It's definitely a trade off. Service did seem a little slower, but nothing I would complain about.

7. The ship itself is very easy to navigate. The layout is exactly the same as the Glory, which is a reason we chose this ship. The decor wasn't too crazy, I believe the theme was Art/Artists. (Dining rooms were Monet/Renoir, comedy lounge was Degas, etc.)

8. We spent a TON of time in the Aft Pool, which was labeled Adults Only. We were VERY appreciate that that rule was strictly enforced. There were no kids in that pool or the hottubs at any point. The pool also had a retractable roof which did get used. This was something that disappointed us on the Magic. The aft pool was always filled with kids and it got to the point that it wasn't fun to use. We spent a lot of time in the hottubs on the port/starboard sides, but when its 100 degrees, sometimes you just want a pool.

9. Speaking of kids, there weren't many. If there were, we didn't notice them. So September would be a great time to cruise if that's what you're looking for!

10. Stage shows were very good. Our favorites for Epic Rock & Flick. Didn't care much for Heart of Soul and we missed the 80s Pop one unfortunately. Love & Marriage show did not disappoint. We also did the Carnival Quest show, which was the same night. If you've never done this and you are not easily offended, do not miss this. It's a one time show and it filled up fast.

11. Go see the comedy shows! They're our favorite! Definitely do the 18+ shows, although I heard the PG ones are great as well.

12. St. Maarten was definitely still in a rebuilding stage and honestly, it was our least favorite stop. It is partly our fault because we didn't plan anything for the day, however, it was slightly disappointing. I would recommend an excursion or getting a taxi to a beach. Sounded lots of people we spoke to did an island tour and said the island is still in bad shape or there was not much to see. Take that with a grain of salt though!

13. I HIGHLY recommend Thenford Grey tours for St. Kitts. We did their snorkeling tour ($45 pp) and had an amazing day. The island is beautiful and the tour company itself was just wonderful. They are a third party however, they were the only outside company that was in the area where you met the Carnival tours. Everyone else was kept outside the area and we took that as a good sign. If we go back, we'd do another with them with no hesitation.

14. We were only in San Juan until 1:30, but it was a nice break from beaches. We just walked from the port to Old San Juan and the city is beautiful. We got pina coladas from the original restaurant they were created in and wandered through the shops. I wouldn't mind going back at all.

15. Grand Turk was great as well, it was our 2nd time there. DH rented snorkeling stuff and did that most of the day. Margaritaville is there as well (sorry I refuse to eat there with how expensive it is) but they had a huge pool that was available. You really don't need an excursion here, but they did have a bunch available.

16. Food in general was great, no real complaints. We did the dining room 5 nights, buffet 2 nights and just late night pizza another night. I really enjoyed the Deli and Blue Iguana Cantina. Guy's was great as always. They also had BBQ, but never tried it.

17. The Cheers package was expensive but we did get our money's worth for sure. We had 3 full Sea Days so I know we came out ahead on those days. Honestly, a Bloody Mary in the morning, a couple frozen drinks/beers at the pool, wine with dinner, and a couple more drinks at the shows/comedy club/bars at night and it was worth it. Not to mention my at least once daily trips to the coffee bar. Everyone needs to decide that for themselves though!

18. Because our flight didn't leave until 3:30 we signed up for the Everglades tour on our debarkation day ($50 pp). We were off the ship by 8AM, got a bus to the Everglades Holiday Park, went on an airboat tour and saw a gator show, then were transported to FLL airport. Had a great time and would definitely recommend if you had a late flight!

OK, I think I covered the things I wanted to mention, but feel free to ask questions!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

So they have started the renovations of the cabins to turn the Triumph into the Sunrise. We got to our floor and cabin and it sounds like a jackhammer is being used. They are working on the section of rooms right above ours! It is insane.  We had planned to nap everyday. I am livid.


----------



## mcd2745

mcd2745 said:


> Thanks...we're about 90% sure we'll be booking the Horizon cruise.
> 
> Anyone have opinions on the teen clubs? We'll have a 17 & 14 year old at the time of the cruise. Based on what I've seen they are in separate clubs (most likely a good thing) - the 17-yr old in "Club O2" (15-17) and the 14-yr old would be in "Circle C" (12-14).



So we ended up puling the trigger and are booked on the Horizon for the Southern itinerary in August 2019. We did book a family harbor room. We do not appear to be directly under the galley as we are a little further back from the aft elevators. There weren't a lot of rooms left - only 4 or 5. Also, none of the Havana rooms were available either, so it seems to be a pretty popular sailing. Now, need to do a lot of research on these ports (and the excursions) since we've never been to any of them before!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mcd2745 said:


> Thanks...we're about 90% sure we'll be booking the Horizon cruise.
> 
> Anyone have opinions on the teen clubs? We'll have a 17 & 14 year old at the time of the cruise. Based on what I've seen they are in separate clubs (most likely a good thing) - the 17-yr old in "Club O2" (15-17) and the 14-yr old would be in "Circle C" (12-14).


We did the 8 night Southern itinerary on Vista and loved it!!  Great ship and awesome itinerary, especially Curaçao. My daughter loved Club O2 and hung out with the other teens the entire trip. We haven’t done family harbor as we always book 2 connecting inside rooms for all our cruises.


----------



## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> So they have started the renovations of the cabins to turn the Triumph into the Sunrise. We got to our floor and cabin and it sounds like a jackhammer is being used. They are working on the section of rooms right above ours! It is insane.  We had planned to nap everyday. I am livid.


Sounds like my room over the WD theater. I thought it would just be bad during the shows, but no they rehearse all afternoon. We were also by the crew door which slammed every 5 seconds starting at 5am. Despite all that and getting some kind of food poisoning the first night we still had an awesome time. I hope you can make the best of it. Sleeping 8-10 hours a day is a high priority for me on vacation...so I feel for you.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I just looked at the forecast. They are expecting it to strengthen to a cat 3. I guess conditions are very favorable in the gulf. It's funny we heard about Florence for weeks and this one just sort of popped up out of nowhere. According to the cone it's supposed to head up through Goergia and Carolina's. I think the Miami area will be fine. Planes can go around the storm as long as the weather is not bad where you're landing you should be ok.



From what I understand, by the time we'll be ready to leave, Michael going to be near New England and very mellow.

I sure hope it doesn't become Cat. 3 when it makes landfall.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Sitting in the terminal waiting to board. Our ports have been reversed but not cancelled so that is good. Looks like TS Michael will turn towards Florida and not hit LA or AL.



Good news.  Happy cruising!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> So they have started the renovations of the cabins to turn the Triumph into the Sunrise. We got to our floor and cabin and it sounds like a jackhammer is being used. They are working on the section of rooms right above ours! It is insane.  We had planned to nap everyday. I am livid.



Noooooo. Complain to Guest Services and ask them to move you!


----------



## mevelandry

This is going to be the longest week EVER.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> We're home from the Conquest!  Had an amazing time. Pretty ship, great ports of call and met some really awesome people. I wanted to write my thoughts down while it was still fresh. So in no particular order:
> 
> 1. We stayed at the Home2Suites in Ft. Lauderdale. We love these hotels and this one did not disappoint. Paid about $135 for the night, included breakfast and a shuttle to the port. Highly recommend.
> 
> 2. Embarkation day was an absolute breeze. Like I mentioned before, it took 7 whole minutes from getting off the hotel shuttle to walking into the atrium. S&S cards were in our little mailbox. Rooms were available at 1:30.
> 
> 3. We had an interior room (7th floor-Aft) for the first time and it was fine. I missed having a window just to know what time it is and seeing the weather. Our room location was fantastic though. 2 floors straight up to the buffet, 2 floors down to the promenade. No noise problems whatsoever, although, I do recommend a portable fan for noise and to keep the air circulating. Sounded like some people did have a problem with their rooms being warm as well. One couple we met bought a fan in San Juan and said it helped tremendously.
> 
> 4. Bring a power strip!! There was ONE outlet on the little desk. For some reason, I was thinking there were more, but that was on the Magic (a larger class of ship).
> 
> 5. Our room steward was great. Greeted us by name every time we saw him. We opted to have our room cleaned just in the evenings, which was perfectly fine for us. I know some people complain about the 1 time cleaning and if we had kids, I can understand that. But the 1 time is no issue to us. We tipped him an extra $20 and he was very appreciative.
> 
> 6. This was also the first time we chose My Time Dining. I learned this has pros & cons. We loved being able to go eat when we wanted. The flexibility is great. However, we really do miss having the same serving team every night. It's definitely a trade off. Service did seem a little slower, but nothing I would complain about.
> 
> 7. The ship itself is very easy to navigate. The layout is exactly the same as the Glory, which is a reason we chose this ship. The decor wasn't too crazy, I believe the theme was Art/Artists. (Dining rooms were Monet/Renoir, comedy lounge was Degas, etc.)
> 
> 8. We spent a TON of time in the Aft Pool, which was labeled Adults Only. We were VERY appreciate that that rule was strictly enforced. There were no kids in that pool or the hottubs at any point. The pool also had a retractable roof which did get used. This was something that disappointed us on the Magic. The aft pool was always filled with kids and it got to the point that it wasn't fun to use. We spent a lot of time in the hottubs on the port/starboard sides, but when its 100 degrees, sometimes you just want a pool.
> 
> 9. Speaking of kids, there weren't many. If there were, we didn't notice them. So September would be a great time to cruise if that's what you're looking for!
> 
> 10. Stage shows were very good. Our favorites for Epic Rock & Flick. Didn't care much for Heart of Soul and we missed the 80s Pop one unfortunately. Love & Marriage show did not disappoint. We also did the Carnival Quest show, which was the same night. If you've never done this and you are not easily offended, do not miss this. It's a one time show and it filled up fast.
> 
> 11. Go see the comedy shows! They're our favorite! Definitely do the 18+ shows, although I heard the PG ones are great as well.
> 
> 12. St. Maarten was definitely still in a rebuilding stage and honestly, it was our least favorite stop. It is partly our fault because we didn't plan anything for the day, however, it was slightly disappointing. I would recommend an excursion or getting a taxi to a beach. Sounded lots of people we spoke to did an island tour and said the island is still in bad shape or there was not much to see. Take that with a grain of salt though!
> 
> 13. I HIGHLY recommend Thenford Grey tours for St. Kitts. We did their snorkeling tour ($45 pp) and had an amazing day. The island is beautiful and the tour company itself was just wonderful. They are a third party however, they were the only outside company that was in the area where you met the Carnival tours. Everyone else was kept outside the area and we took that as a good sign. If we go back, we'd do another with them with no hesitation.
> 
> 14. We were only in San Juan until 1:30, but it was a nice break from beaches. We just walked from the port to Old San Juan and the city is beautiful. We got pina coladas from the original restaurant they were created in and wandered through the shops. I wouldn't mind going back at all.
> 
> 15. Grand Turk was great as well, it was our 2nd time there. DH rented snorkeling stuff and did that most of the day. Margaritaville is there as well (sorry I refuse to eat there with how expensive it is) but they had a huge pool that was available. You really don't need an excursion here, but they did have a bunch available.
> 
> 16. Food in general was great, no real complaints. We did the dining room 5 nights, buffet 2 nights and just late night pizza another night. I really enjoyed the Deli and Blue Iguana Cantina. Guy's was great as always. They also had BBQ, but never tried it.
> 
> 17. The Cheers package was expensive but we did get our money's worth for sure. We had 3 full Sea Days so I know we came out ahead on those days. Honestly, a Bloody Mary in the morning, a couple frozen drinks/beers at the pool, wine with dinner, and a couple more drinks at the shows/comedy club/bars at night and it was worth it. Not to mention my at least once daily trips to the coffee bar. Everyone needs to decide that for themselves though!
> 
> 18. Because our flight didn't leave until 3:30 we signed up for the Everglades tour on our debarkation day ($50 pp). We were off the ship by 8AM, got a bus to the Everglades Holiday Park, went on an airboat tour and saw a gator show, then were transported to FLL airport. Had a great time and would definitely recommend if you had a late flight!
> 
> OK, I think I covered the things I wanted to mention, but feel free to ask questions!



Forgive me if you already said it but... Do you have any pictures to share?  

p.s.: I added the link to your review on the first post!


----------



## mevelandry

Have you been to Half Moon Cay? Do you know if they have snorkeling equipment rental there? (And how much?)

I wanted to buy and bring my own but I won't have time to shop for it before I leave...

Thanks in advance!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

The banging stopped about 8 pm. We had a bit last night but otherwise it’s been quiet. We had terrible rocking and rolling yesterday. My mom spent the entire day in the cabin sick and she wasn’t the only one. It was worse than TS Karen. It finally calmed during the night and we made port in Progreso today!

So excited I finally got to swim in a cenote.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> View attachment 357336 The banging stopped about 8 pm. We had a bit last night but otherwise it’s been quiet. We had terrible rocking and rolling yesterday. My mom spent the entire day in the cabin sick and she wasn’t the only one. It was worse than TS Karen. It finally calmed during the night and we made port in Progreso today!
> 
> So excited I finally got to swim in a cenote.



Your poor mom! 

Did she take some kind of sea sickness medicine? (I always wonder if they really work when seas are REALLY rough). 

Awsome picture!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Your poor mom!
> 
> Did she take some kind of sea sickness medicine? (I always wonder if they really work when seas are REALLY rough).
> 
> Awsome picture!



Yes we both took Bonine starting on Monday. I never got queasy. She took 3 doses and still wished for death!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Yes we both took Bonine starting on Monday. I never got queasy. She took 3 doses and still wished for death!



Hopefully the rest of the cruise will be fine.


----------



## pspookyc

We’re on the August 10, 2019 cruise on Horizon to Southern Caribbean; first time on Carnival . It was just time for a change after RCCl, NCL and of course DCL.


----------



## Mom24Princesses

HI
Our Experiences:
2006 - 7 nights Eastern DCL Magic (St. Mar., St. T, CC) (Cape C)
2008 - 7 nights Western DCL Magic ( K.W., Coz, G.C., CC) (Cape C)
2011 - 8 Nights Eastern CCL Freedom ( St. T, Tortola, Antigua, Nassau)  LOVED IT!!!  (Fort L.)
2014 - 7 Nights Western CCL Legend (Coz, Belize, Roatan, G.C.)  (Tampa)
2017 - 4 Nights Western CCL Fantasy (Coz. - that's it)  (Mobile)

Booked on 7 Nights Western DCL Fantasy (10/12/19) a year from Friday!  (Coz, G.C., Jamaica, CC)  (Cape C)

All were great cruises -  even the 4 nighter - (family trip - 17 people from 1 to 80).
I like the different ports on CCL and the costs of CCL.
That Western from Tampa was *4 *of us in a nice veranda cabin for under $2000 Spring Break week!!  Less than $500 pp!! Daughters loved it too.

Obviously we don't cruise often so I am picky about where I'm going and when. I'm all about the ports if you have questions.  I don't mind Cozumel even.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Forgive me if you already said it but... Do you have any pictures to share?
> 
> p.s.: I added the link to your review on the first post!



Ok trying to share, but it says they're all too large to upload!


----------



## cruiser21

trvlgirlmq said:


> Yes we both took Bonine starting on Monday. I never got queasy. She took 3 doses and still wished for death!


I've only had sea sickness once and "wishing for death" is a good way to describe it. Hopefully you have smooth seas the rest of the cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Ok trying to share, but it says they're all too large to upload!



If you have them on your phone, you can download a "picture resizer" app. 

Usually when I resize at 50% it's good for DISboards.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Made a new friend at Paradise Beach! It is hot, hot, hot today! 

The seas were a bit rocky last night but nowhere near as bad as before. Hoping we have a smooth sea day tomorrow.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> View attachment 357610 Made a new friend at Paradise Beach! It is hot, hot, hot today!
> 
> The seas were a bit rocky last night but nowhere near as bad as before. Hoping we have a smooth sea day tomorrow.



How is Paradise Beach? Did you get there on your own? (I don't remember seeing it in the excursions section).


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> How is Paradise Beach? Did you get there on your own? (I don't remember seeing it in the excursions section).



We took a taxi; $15 each way. There are no excursions. The beach is nice but it’s the pool that makes it! It’s huge and heated. It’s very relaxing today with only 2 ships in port.


----------



## Monykalyn

About to go and embark on first cruise! Excited is understatement! Looking forward to the others reports when I get back!


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> About to go and embark on first cruise! Excited is understatement! Looking forward to the others reports when I get back!



Have fun!!!  Can't wait to read your review when you are back!   I hope you'll have a wonderful cruise!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Paradise Beach is so nice!

I must come back to Cozumel.


----------



## mevelandry

It looks nicer than Chankanaab (I had a great time in Chankanaab but I wouldn't go back.)


----------



## mevelandry

Finally!!!! We are about to board the plane to FLL... So exciting!!!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

pspookyc said:


> We’re on the August 10, 2019 cruise on Horizon to Southern Caribbean; first time on Carnival . It was just time for a change after RCCl, NCL and of course DCL.


That is a great itinerary, Curaçao is gorgeous!


----------



## mevelandry

(Reception spotty. Sorry if I post twice... I'm not that drunk LOL) On board the Sensation right now. 

I love the ship more than I thought I would. I LOVE the layout!!!! This old lady is in great shape for its age. Very clean. Staff is sooo nice!!! 

Oh and the halloween decorations are cute but not too overwhelming. 

I haven't seen our cabin yet. 

But so far, I'm very excited.


----------



## belle032

Atrium when you walked in-bar on one side, glass elevators on the other. I could have done without those glass flower lighting fixtures, but everything else was pretty decor-wise!


Main theater was done in pretty reds & golds. The little tables had different paintings on them. Two levels-we sat about everywhere and didn't find a bad seat.


 
Towel animal invasion-very cute! It was done on the morning of Grand Turk. This was the Lido deck pool. Had 2 hot tubs, the pool and waterslide in the background. Didn't spend much time here. Mainly in the aft adults-only pool.


----------



## belle032

Timothy Hill on St. Kitts. It's the highest point on the island and it's where the Atlantic Ocean (left) meets the Caribbean Sea (Right). Really pretty!



Part of the Fort/Sea wall in San Juan. Directly behind me is a huge gate where ships would anchor. Sailors would walk through the gate then immediately continue up the hill to the huge Catholic Cathedral to give thanks they made it safely.


The cutest street in all of old San Juan. Definitely a must see! The building at the far end is some sort of huge government building which was gated off.



Not the best photo, but Grand Turk. You can immediately step off the pier and go the beach on the left hand side. Some chairs/umbrellas are free, others you can rent.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> (Reception spotty. Sorry if I post twice... I'm not that drunk LOL) On board the Sensation right now.
> 
> I love the ship more than I thought I would. I LOVE the layout!!!! This old lady is in great shape for its age. Very clean. Staff is sooo nice!!!
> 
> Oh and the halloween decorations are cute but not too overwhelming.
> 
> I haven't seen our cabin yet.
> 
> But so far, I'm very excited.



She was my very first cruise ship! I'm glad she's still being taken care of! Have a GREAT time!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> View attachment 358068
> 
> Timothy Hill on St. Kitts. It's the highest point on the island and it's where the Atlantic Ocean (left) meets the Caribbean Sea (Right). Really pretty!
> 
> View attachment 358069
> 
> Part of the Fort/Sea wall in San Juan. Directly behind me is a huge gate where ships would anchor. Sailors would walk through the gate then immediately continue up the hill to the huge Catholic Cathedral to give thanks they made it safely.
> 
> View attachment 358070
> The cutest street in all of old San Juan. Definitely a must see! The building at the far end is some sort of huge government building which was gated off.
> 
> View attachment 358071
> 
> Not the best photo, but Grand Turk. You can immediately step off the pier and go the beach on the left hand side. Some chairs/umbrellas are free, others you can rent.


Wow, wow, wow!!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> She was my very first cruise ship! I'm glad she's still being taken care of! Have a GREAT time!



Thank you! 

P.s. the pictures you posted are AMAZING. Wow!!!!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Just saw a thread on CC with a like to John Heald's blog about some passengers who missed the port in Belize.  Can I post a link here?  It struck a nerve because we barely made the Belieze tender back to the ship.  We took a private excursion with cavetubing.bz and returned to port at 4:30!  The excursion was supposed to be back at the port around 2pm.  The excursion was good, but logistics awful.  They were shuttling different groups around and consolidating them in buses.  Our bus ended up waiting for quite a while for another group that went ziplining.  We went tubing.  The company is rated very highly on TripAdvisor-- I think we just got unlucky.  My only comfort was that the bus was full of other Carnival Dream passengers, so we figured the ship might wait if we were late.  It's the only time we have cut it close at a port.


----------



## southerngirl528

we"reofftoneverland said:


> The company is rated very highly on TripAdvisor-- I think we just got unlucky.



Yikes! Glad you made it back to the ship before it left port! 

Re: TripAdvisor (and full disclosure, I LOVE TA and use their forums a great deal for our annual Hawaii trips) Reviews:  there have been a number of articles that many of TA's reviews are submitted falsely in order to rocket a company's ratings upward. And having traveled to Hawaii a lot, when I see how highly rated some places/activities are and I KNOW for a fact it is a pretty sketchy business, I personally give only a LITTLE credence to TA Reviews. If I see a business I liked the looks of, I will read the reviews on TA but I throw out the super glowing ones and the horrible ones and see what's left. AND I always, always go to the forums for that travel location and search for people's experiences with that same business. One can learn a LOT in the forums, and in my experience it is much more reliable than the reviews. Many businesses will give perks for a positive review. Caveat emptor......


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

southerngirl528 said:


> Yikes! Glad you made it back to the ship before it left port!
> 
> Re: TripAdvisor (and full disclosure, I LOVE TA and use their forums a great deal for our annual Hawaii trips) Reviews:  there have been a number of articles that many of TA's reviews are submitted falsely in order to rocket a company's ratings upward. And having traveled to Hawaii a lot, when I see how highly rated some places/activities are and I KNOW for a fact it is a pretty sketchy business, I personally give only a LITTLE credence to TA Reviews. If I see a business I liked the looks of, I will read the reviews on TA but I throw out the super glowing ones and the horrible ones and see what's left. AND I always, always go to the forums for that travel location and search for people's experiences with that same business. One can learn a LOT in the forums, and in my experience it is much more reliable than the reviews. Many businesses will give perks for a positive review. Caveat emptor......



It is funny but at the time we were not worried.  But reading that post today made me think we probably should have been and that we were lucky.  About half the people on the bus we not saying much about it, but others were counting down the minutes and making comments.  One woman in front of us was having a bit of a panic attack, repeatedly saying we will never make it, we've missed the ship.  The guide kept trying to reassure people that even though they posted last tender at _____ (can,t remember exact time), there really was another after that for crew.  I hear what you are saying about trip advisor.  They used to be our go to but I recently read about what you mentioned... now I'm not so sure about them!


----------



## belle032

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Just saw a thread on CC with a like to John Heald's blog about some passengers who missed the port in Belize.  Can I post a link here?  It struck a nerve because we barely made the Belieze tender back to the ship.  We took a private excursion with cavetubing.bz and returned to port at 4:30!  The excursion was supposed to be back at the port around 2pm.  The excursion was good, but logistics awful.  They were shuttling different groups around and consolidating them in buses.  Our bus ended up waiting for quite a while for another group that went ziplining.  We went tubing.  The company is rated very highly on TripAdvisor-- I think we just got unlucky.  My only comfort was that the bus was full of other Carnival Dream passengers, so we figured the ship might wait if we were late.  It's the only time we have cut it close at a port.



I think I saw this too. Was it the couple that complained because the ship left at 4:30 and they got to the ship at like 5:10 only to watch it sail away? Then wanted to be reimbursed for literally everything because Carnival should have waited? God I can't stand people sometimes.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> I think I saw this too. Was it the couple that complained because the ship left at 4:30 and they got to the ship at like 5:10 only to watch it sail away? Then wanted to be reimbursed for literally everything because Carnival should have waited? God I can't stand people sometimes.


Yes, I think the thread was called entitlement or something like that.  Lol.


----------



## southerngirl528

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Yes, I think the thread was called entitlement or something like that.  Lol.



You mean it's not entirely reasonable to expect thousands of other passengers to WAIT, and for an entire floating city to WAIT for just 2 people???


----------



## hdrolfe

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Just saw a thread on CC with a like to John Heald's blog about some passengers who missed the port in Belize.  Can I post a link here?  It struck a nerve because we barely made the Belieze tender back to the ship.  We took a private excursion with cavetubing.bz and returned to port at 4:30!  The excursion was supposed to be back at the port around 2pm.  The excursion was good, but logistics awful.  They were shuttling different groups around and consolidating them in buses.  Our bus ended up waiting for quite a while for another group that went ziplining.  We went tubing.  The company is rated very highly on TripAdvisor-- I think we just got unlucky.  My only comfort was that the bus was full of other Carnival Dream passengers, so we figured the ship might wait if we were late.  It's the only time we have cut it close at a port.



We used them as well in April. I was worried but had also read many reviews, on CC as well. We only did cavetubing, I thought it was supposed to be shorter than if we added on the other options but they grouped every body for the shuttles so instead of getting back earlier and having time to shop we got back, made a quick stop to get a magnet and then on to the tender. It was stressful to me. While we did the hike through the woods we learned a lot about the rain forest, but it felt a little stretched to me, enough talking, lets get to the caves! I didn't realize how the tour worked, that they would be consolidating the tours like that.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Well, back to real life today (i.e. work).  Here is my short review.

Ship: Carnival Triumph

Good: 
Crew - Everyone we encountered was friendly and helpful especially our head room steward Joenatan.
Food - MDR: breakfast was outstanding as usual (4x), dinner was good but had not great service 1 night (2x)
Buffet: breakfast not great, Blue Iguana does not make fresh eggs to put on the huevos rancheros like they did on Vista,  I thought this was weird as that is how they should be served, my mom's eggs benedict were not edible either (1x), dinner was really good, they had many of the same selections as on the MDR menu (3x)
Room - Cabin 7402 Interior, our first interior and we did not like it, felt like we were in a box and too closed in, the only good thing was that we got one of the first renovated rooms and were only the 2nd cruise to use this cabin.

Bad:
Activities - There was not much to do that we enjoyed, We love trivia and they only did like 3 a day, we are used to hours of play on the bigger ships
Layout - We did not like the way the ship was layed out, the Lido with the tiers of chairs was too small for deck parties, the trivia was done in the Atrium and there were not enough seats and everyone was really spread out, the buffet was really small and the way the placed the food is weird like you started with the salad with some veggies but the rest of the toppings and dressing was in another area, just stupid

So, we learned that we only want to sail Dream Class or newer ships if we can.  We like the bigger ships with lots of activities and the way the Lido is set up.

Ports:
Progreso - We did a Carnival excursion to Dzilbilchaltun.  The ruins themselves were not that impressive (we have been to Uxmal previously and those are fabulous).  The big seller here is the cenote; where the Mayan got their water it is from an underground river system and is freshwater.  Swimming in it was a highlight.  It was really hot and humid and the water is very refreshing.
Cozumel - Paradise Beach was amazing.  We took a taxi and then spent the day lazing on the beach and swimming in the fabulous pool.  We ate the best nachos I have ever had too.

Hurricane Michael:
Not a nice way to start.  We didn't get any rain but we got the wind and swells.  It was awful! Probably half the people on the ship were seasick (everywhere!).  My mom was so sick she couldn't get out of bed and it was like that for many.  Unfortunately, this was Elegant Night and it was deserted.  I ate alone in the buffet.  We have previously been through a tropical storm but that was nothing compared to the movement we had.  I never want to experience it again.

If anyone has questions about something I didn't cover let me know.  We are now researching our next adult only cruise!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

hdrolfe said:


> We used them as well in April. I was worried but had also read many reviews, on CC as well. We only did cavetubing, I thought it was supposed to be shorter than if we added on the other options but they grouped every body for the shuttles so instead of getting back earlier and having time to shop we got back, made a quick stop to get a magnet and then on to the tender. It was stressful to me. While we did the hike through the woods we learned a lot about the rain forest, but it felt a little stretched to me, enough talking, lets get to the caves! I didn't realize how the tour worked, that they would be consolidating the tours like that.


Wow, this was our exact experience.  So I guess what we experienced is standard.  We always schedule excursions that are shorter because one of our children is difficult and we never know how things will go with him.   We too were surprised when it turned into an all day deal.


----------



## hdrolfe

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Wow, this was our exact experience.  So I guess what we experienced is standard.  We always schedule excursions that are shorter because one of our children is difficult and we never know how things will go with him.   We too were surprised when it turned into an all day deal.



Exactly! I had booked this one as shorter. My son really wanted to do the ziplining but I was worried about time so I booked the shorter tour, which ended up being the same length. I suppose I should leave a review somewhere? I mean we made it back to the ship, but it was not what I was expecting from the description or the reviews I had read. I will say that in Belize now, if we go back, I'll be booking through the cruiseline.


----------



## Monykalyn

Waiting to board flight home-just off the Valor 4 day to Cozumel, out of Galveston. Is.being addicted mean I’ve already got the next cruise planned (and on hold til I get home to double check dates)?
Fabulous time. Will do more details later, but there wasn’t much we didn’t like. Had balcony room and now I’m spoiled by that. Food was good but how do people eat that much for days on end? With big group and we had Cheers package- turned out to be a good choice for us. Typing on iPad stinks so will do review later with pics.


----------



## belle032

Just saw John Heald announced the total refurb of the Carnival Victory including the name change to Carnival Radiance. Looks like it’s going the way of the Sunshine/Sunrise.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> Well, back to real life today (i.e. work).  Here is my short review.
> 
> Ship: Carnival Triumph
> 
> Good:
> Crew - Everyone we encountered was friendly and helpful especially our head room steward Joenatan.
> Food - MDR: breakfast was outstanding as usual (4x), dinner was good but had not great service 1 night (2x)
> Buffet: breakfast not great, Blue Iguana does not make fresh eggs to put on the huevos rancheros like they did on Vista,  I thought this was weird as that is how they should be served, my mom's eggs benedict were not edible either (1x), dinner was really good, they had many of the same selections as on the MDR menu (3x)
> Room - Cabin 7402 Interior, our first interior and we did not like it, felt like we were in a box and too closed in, the only good thing was that we got one of the first renovated rooms and were only the 2nd cruise to use this cabin.
> 
> Bad:
> Activities - There was not much to do that we enjoyed, We love trivia and they only did like 3 a day, we are used to hours of play on the bigger ships
> Layout - We did not like the way the ship was layed out, the Lido with the tiers of chairs was too small for deck parties, the trivia was done in the Atrium and there were not enough seats and everyone was really spread out, the buffet was really small and the way the placed the food is weird like you started with the salad with some veggies but the rest of the toppings and dressing was in another area, just stupid
> 
> So, we learned that we only want to sail Dream Class or newer ships if we can.  We like the bigger ships with lots of activities and the way the Lido is set up.
> 
> Ports:
> Progreso - We did a Carnival excursion to Dzilbilchaltun.  The ruins themselves were not that impressive (we have been to Uxmal previously and those are fabulous).  The big seller here is the cenote; where the Mayan got their water it is from an underground river system and is freshwater.  Swimming in it was a highlight.  It was really hot and humid and the water is very refreshing.
> Cozumel - Paradise Beach was amazing.  We took a taxi and then spent the day lazing on the beach and swimming in the fabulous pool.  We ate the best nachos I have ever had too.
> 
> Hurricane Michael:
> Not a nice way to start.  We didn't get any rain but we got the wind and swells.  It was awful! Probably half the people on the ship were seasick (everywhere!).  My mom was so sick she couldn't get out of bed and it was like that for many.  Unfortunately, this was Elegant Night and it was deserted.  I ate alone in the buffet.  We have previously been through a tropical storm but that was nothing compared to the movement we had.  I never want to experience it again.
> 
> If anyone has questions about something I didn't cover let me know.  We are now researching our next adult only cruise!


Thanks for the review, I needed to read about trivia. We’ve only done the Vista for Carnival so far and think I’ll take your opinion and stick with Dream class ships and newer only. We just canceled our 2019 Anthem of the Seas cruise because it seems like RCCL lacks in the trivia scene. Now we’re booked for 2019 on Vista again and we have 2020 booked on Panorama. 

The 2020 cruise is my daughter’s graduation cruise so she gets to pick out what we’re doing as long as she stays within the budget we’ve set. We live in AZ and can drive to Long Beach so we’re booked in 2 connecting Havana Cabanas. We normally cruise in 2 connecting insides, so this is a huge upgrade for us. The problem now is she doesn’t know if she wants to go to Mexico now!!!  I’m going to be so bummed if she decides on something else.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Thanks for the review, I needed to read about trivia. We’ve only done the Vista for Carnival so far and think I’ll take your opinion and stick with Dream class ships and newer only. We just canceled our 2019 Anthem of the Seas cruise because it seems like RCCL lacks in the trivia scene. Now we’re booked for 2019 on Vista again and we have 2020 booked on Panorama.
> 
> The 2020 cruise is my daughter’s graduation cruise so she gets to pick out what we’re doing as long as she stays within the budget we’ve set. We live in AZ and can drive to Long Beach so we’re booked in 2 connecting Havana Cabanas. We normally cruise in 2 connecting insides, so this is a huge upgrade for us. The problem now is she doesn’t know if she wants to go to Mexico now!!!  I’m going to be so bummed if she decides on something else.



You will be the Vista expert!

We are also booked on Panorama and splurging on a Havana Cabana.  Although we are squeezing the 4 of us in.  Got to save money to go to DL.

We are looking at Breeze for next Fall for our adult only trip.  We've been on it twice and love it.


----------



## mevelandry

Hi guys, 

I'm currently at the airport on my way back home from a cruise to Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk. 

There was some good and some bad, which I am going to explain in details in my DCL vs Sensation comparison. 

I'm being destroyed on a Facebook group at this very moment because, sadly, I am not a fan of Grand Turk. 

I'll be back.


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## Ben E N

mevelandry said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I'm currently at the airport on my way back home from a cruise to Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk.
> 
> There was some good and some bad, which I am going to explain in details in my DCL vs Sensation comparison.
> 
> I'm being destroyed on a Facebook group at this very moment because, sadly, I am not a fan of Grand Turk.
> 
> I'll be back.



I'm with you on Grand Turk. I was so excited about it, and then so disappointed when I got there.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I'm currently at the airport on my way back home from a cruise to Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk.
> 
> There was some good and some bad, which I am going to explain in details in my DCL vs Sensation comparison.
> 
> I'm being destroyed on a Facebook group at this very moment because, sadly, I am not a fan of Grand Turk.
> 
> I'll be back.


I definitely understand how you feel about GT.  It is a beautiful place, but not set up well.  Doesn't compare to HMC or Castaway, but we still have fun there because it is beautiful and our kids like to dig in the sand and swim.  We make sure to separate from the crowds.


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## mevelandry

The problem with GT's is that not only the layout was super cramped... But the sand was extremely dirty (glass debris, cigarette tops everywhere). 

We decided to walk to Jack's Shack where the beach was great but had to say no to vendors a lot on our way and... Well, there is A LOT of abandoned buildings, plastered spaces, and graffitis on walls, fences, umbrellas and chairs on the way to Jack's Shack.

I mean, it makes the port of Nassau look like Disneyland in comparison.

P.s.: We were in HMC the day before... Imagine our disappoitment!!


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## trvlgirlmq

Glad you are back safe and sound mevelandry.  I think there is always good and bad with each trip.  I loved GT our first time but it was a lo different. The chairs were not overseen by locals who overcharge you!  It has changed and not for the better.


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## trvlgirlmq

I think I mentioned up thread about the Carnival Victory being "Sunshined" and becoming the Carnival Radiance in 2020. If I didn't well here is the announcement! I know Christine Duffy had stated in an interview that Carnival was not returning anytime to Europe BUT that may change with Victory/Radiance. It will go through dry dock on Cadiz, Spain.  It is thought that it would sail empty over and back like the Triumph will when it goes for it's big change.  However, I have found Carnival Victory listed for 5 calls at Civitavecchia in May & June 2020.  Coincidence? You decide.

https://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/en/port-civitavecchia-arrivals-and-departures-real-time


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## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> The problem with GT's is that not only the layout was super cramped... But the sand was extremely dirty (glass debris, cigarette tops everywhere).
> 
> We decided to walk to Jack's Shack where the beach was great but had to say no to vendors a lot on our way and... Well, there is A LOT of abandoned buildings, plastered spaces, and graffitis on walls, fences, umbrellas and chairs on the way to Jack's Shack.
> 
> I mean, it makes the port of Nassau look like Disneyland in comparison.
> 
> P.s.: We were in HMC the day before... Imagine our disappoitment!!



That's awful!  We have been there 2x and never noticed anything like that.  But we did notice that first time it was nicer than the second time.  Hard to put a finger on why.  I wonder if it is on a downward spiral.


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## Ben E N

we"reofftoneverland said:


> That's awful!  We have been there 2x and never noticed anything like that.  But we did notice that first time it was nicer than the second time.  Hard to put a finger on why.  I wonder if it is on a downward spiral.



I think they were pretty well wiped out by a hurricane last year and didn't have the money to easily rebuild. Those are the same sorts of things that I noticed when I went this past August. People spray painted "weed" all over the free chairs, and there were people trying to charge us for using the free chairs as well.


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## belle032

Ben E N said:


> I think they were pretty well wiped out by a hurricane last year and didn't have the money to easily rebuild. Those are the same sorts of things that I noticed when I went this past August. People spray painted "weed" all over the free chairs, and there were people trying to charge us for using the free chairs as well.



We had a good day at Grand Turk but nothing absolutely amazing. I wouldn’t be devasted if we didn’t go back for a while. It did seem a bit more run down than last year and yes, I also think they were hit hard by the hurricane, so this year or even next could be an anomaly. We didn’t go to Jack’s Shack this time because honestly, I didn’t think it was anything great last year.  (Blasphemy I know!) I was fine with the free beach chairs, but they are soooo close together and it was hard to find a single, let alone 2 together. I didn’t notice the actual beach being dirty though so I hope that was a freak thing!

Margaritaville still had their nice pool as an option, but I refuse to pay the price to eat/drink there!

I did see some excursions for private cabanas and even a private house that had good reviews and seemed pretty reasonable priced. Might be something to try.

DH snorkeled the entire time and saw tons so he had a great day though!


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## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> That's awful!  We have been there 2x and never noticed anything like that.  But we did notice that first time it was nicer than the second time.  Hard to put a finger on why.  I wonder if it is on a downward spiral.



We are supposed to go back to GT with the family in April. We'll do an excursion... (Maybe a beach excursion or a Home Sweet Home type of excursion. Those always get good reviews.)

 I don't want to be near the Cruise Center + I knew I was "square" but Margaritaville still managed to shock me. LOL


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## mevelandry

Ben E N said:


> I think they were pretty well wiped out by a hurricane last year and didn't have the money to easily rebuild. Those are the same sorts of things that I noticed when I went this past August. People spray painted "weed" all over the free chairs, and there were people trying to charge us for using the free chairs as well.



I've seen the word "pot" a lot... Ok, let's be honest. It was EVERYWHERE.


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## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> We had a good day at Grand Turk but nothing absolutely amazing. I wouldn’t be devasted if we didn’t go back for a while. It did seem a bit more run down than last year and yes, I also think they were hit hard by the hurricane, so this year or even next could be an anomaly. We didn’t go to Jack’s Shack this time because honestly, I didn’t think it was anything great last year.  (Blasphemy I know!) I was fine with the free beach chairs, but they are soooo close together and it was hard to find a single, let alone 2 together. I didn’t notice the actual beach being dirty though so I hope that was a freak thing!
> 
> Margaritaville still had their nice pool as an option, but I refuse to pay the price to eat/drink there!
> 
> I did see some excursions for private cabanas and even a private house that had good reviews and seemed pretty reasonable priced. Might be something to try.
> 
> DH snorkeled the entire time and saw tons so he had a great day though!



Jack's Shack is nothing special. Just ok (my DH said the barman was not friendly) but the beach was SO much cleaner than it prevented our day from being a complete disaster. The beach was nice and the dogs adorable. I'll post pictures.


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## mevelandry

Legit question: do stray dogs swim in the Margaritaville pool all the time or it was just a coincidence?


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## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Legit question: do stray dogs swim in the Margaritaville pool all the time or it was just a coincidence?



Yuck.  We've actually never been to that Margaritaville.   I am a bit squeamish of pools if I am not sure they are clean.  One of my sons caught a staff infection one summer and when the dermatologist told us what it was (it was very, very scary looking), he asked if my son had been swimming in public pools.  Well, yes, YMCA swim lessons all summer.  The dermatologist said that was definitely where he caught it and that he personally would never swim in a public pool.  He said you have no idea how disgusting they are.  So, I am not a dermatologist, lol, and I still do public pools, but I am very picky since that experience.  It takes away a lot of joy being so worried about that stuff.  I wish I was just blissfully ignorant about it.


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## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Legit question: do stray dogs swim in the Margaritaville pool all the time or it was just a coincidence?



We didn’t see any in the pool but there were a lot of them on the beach. I could be wrong but I think it was another effect of the hurricane. I felt bad for them, but I’m a total dog mom so that’s just me. The only dog I remember seeing last year was the one at Jacks Shack.


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## hdrolfe

We haven't been to GT since 2015 so it's been awhile. I found Margaritaville loud and overwhelming, we didn't hang out there. We were the second ship to come into port so the place was crowded. We went to the right when you face the beaches, instead of left like most others. We didn't have a chair but found a place to put our towels while we swam. The water was fine but rocky. I think we only spend a few hours off the ship in that port. It was our last one, we were a bit tired by that point. Didn't see any dogs then. I have heard it's gotten worse with vendors taking over the beach. It was a cheap day though! Free beach... I do prefer Mahogany Bay though. That place was lovely, even if it was also crowded.

Looking forward to your review though @mevelandry Sensation was a ship we wanted to try, even though it is smaller. It has a nice looking water park area for kiddo.


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## Monykalyn

Anxious to hear @mevelandry impression of Sensation-have booked it for CUBA next June. Yep-addicted.

First cruise so nothing to compare it to. DH is making noise about also wanting to try a Disney cruise, but ugh-cost. IF we did one it would be a 3 or 4 day only.
Spent the night before in Galveston at Harbor House . Charming hotel, close to port (we walked over the next am), big room. However hot water was out ALL morning of departure-finally had to do a quick rinse and stuck head under to wash hair!
*Had FTTF-probably not really necessary but made for quick embarkation. DH gets a wee bit cranky with crowds/lines so I bought this as a splurge. In our case we did like it-especially as we visited GS on our 3rd day to apply gift cards to account-much much shorter line! However we didn't have a tendered port, and I can see where that would make a big difference. Not sure I'd do this again.
*Room ready as soon as we got on board around 12ish. Balcony room, aft, deck 7, rm 7410-near elevators and stairs-2 quick flights up to lido, or 2 down to promenade deck. Quiet. Room steward Augn was awesome. Friends were right next door so we had Augn open the balcony divider for a large deck-SO nice! 
*Sail away party was crazy but fun. 
*Cheers package-out of galveston doesn't start til 2nd day. Well worth it as bar bill first day showed us that! Especially liked the coffee bar in am-we were there for a regional meeting and meetings in morning so the coffee was awesome-especially as by the break we all had the spiked coffee LOL! Actually pretty easy to hit the $52 break even each day. Would absolutely do this again.
*Did bring a bottle of wine on board-nice for sipping on balcony while getting ready for dinner
*Bars were fun-think we tried them all at least once. Alchemy is cool and the strongest drinks by far! The tip to bring some $1 bills for tips was great-tipped our reg bartender at Redfrog pub and the bar on lido and paid off with awesome service. Piano bar one night was alot of fun-saw quite a few entertainers there at various times, as well as crew/officers there that night. No big theater show as was port day.
*shows-Saw both theater shows, and comedy club adult show 3 nights - all different shows. 
*Ship layout-very easy to walk around and get from one end to other. 
* dining room-mostly ate here-seaday brunch terrific! Dinner every night here too.
* lido buffett-couple breakfasts, some snacks, but no lunch or dinners here-after seaday brunch wasn't hungry til almost dinner time! Did get Guys burgers and the tacos from from BlueIguana, plus late night pizza. So. Much. Food. Everywhere.
*pools-busy, busy, busy-spent more time on Serenity deck-bar without lines, comfy deck chairs, ocean breeze...
*one port-Cozumel-rented moped scooters and rode all around island, found a beach side shack for lunch-guy who owned it had just caught a crab-fried it up and gave it to us for apps - no charge. Why does beer taste better on a beach? Friend with us had been to Cozumel many times so she played tour guide. So much fun and would do it again for sure. Exhilarating riding through town! We Loved it!
*Ship definitely showing signs of age-rust spots here and there, some worn spots carpet, decks etc. Nothing bad and certainly didn't take away from the fun. Watched a new piece of glass being installed on bridge from the ship camera on the TV -well we saw the sides of the workers after they passed the sheet of glass across from where camera was lol.
*Debarkation-smooth and easy, let them take the bag off, had very low number (#2) so we got off right away, experienced friend grabbed a porter and we zipped through customs. 
I have pics, although I am sure most of you this is nothing new!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> Legit question: do stray dogs swim in the Margaritaville pool all the time or it was just a coincidence?



Grand Turk didn't used to be like that. The beach was clean, all of the chairs free, the Margaritaville pool was awesome (and no stray dogs). After the hurricane's last year, Carnival rushed to get the GT cruise area back up and running; what didn't recover were the people - and that shows in the new quality of the port stop.

The first time I stopped in GT was in 2011 and it was quite literally the perfect day; my god-daughter and I got two loungers by the pool and spent time in the clean, clear waters of the pool, she did the flow-rider, and then spent time at the beach with her friends. Food and drink was a bit pricey but not expensive enough to warrant going back to the ship. It was one of the few port stops that we stayed from start to finish.

We were last there in January 2018 and it was a very different place. It didn't feel as clean, or as safe as it did in the past (and we've visited probably 4-5 times). I hope that they do eventually fully recover and it's back to the island paradise it once was.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

Monykalyn said:


> First cruise so nothing to compare it to. DH is making noise about also wanting to try a Disney cruise, but ugh-cost. IF we did one it would be a 3 or 4 day only.
> Spent the night before in Galveston at Harbor House . Charming hotel, close to port (we walked over the next am), big room. However hot water was out ALL morning of departure-finally had to do a quick rinse and stuck head under to wash hair!
> *Had FTTF-probably not really necessary but made for quick embarkation. DH gets a wee bit cranky with crowds/lines so I bought this as a splurge. In our case we did like it-especially as we visited GS on our 3rd day to apply gift cards to account-much much shorter line! However we didn't have a tendered port, and I can see where that would make a big difference. Not sure I'd do this again.
> *Room ready as soon as we got on board around 12ish. Balcony room, aft, deck 7, rm 7410-near elevators and stairs-2 quick flights up to lido, or 2 down to promenade deck. Quiet. Room steward Augn was awesome. Friends were right next door so we had Augn open the balcony divider for a large deck-SO nice!
> *Sail away party was crazy but fun.
> *Cheers package-out of galveston doesn't start til 2nd day. Well worth it as bar bill first day showed us that! Especially liked the coffee bar in am-we were there for a regional meeting and meetings in morning so the coffee was awesome-especially as by the break we all had the spiked coffee LOL! Actually pretty easy to hit the $52 break even each day. Would absolutely do this again.
> *Did bring a bottle of wine on board-nice for sipping on balcony while getting ready for dinner
> *Bars were fun-think we tried them all at least once. Alchemy is cool and the strongest drinks by far! The tip to bring some $1 bills for tips was great-tipped our reg bartender at Redfrog pub and the bar on lido and paid off with awesome service. Piano bar one night was alot of fun-saw quite a few entertainers there at various times, as well as crew/officers there that night. No big theater show as was port day.
> *shows-Saw both theater shows, and comedy club adult show 3 nights - all different shows.
> *Ship layout-very easy to walk around and get from one end to other.
> * dining room-mostly ate here-seaday brunch terrific! Dinner every night here too.
> * lido buffett-couple breakfasts, some snacks, but no lunch or dinners here-after seaday brunch wasn't hungry til almost dinner time! Did get Guys burgers and the tacos from from BlueIguana, plus late night pizza. So. Much. Food. Everywhere.
> *pools-busy, busy, busy-spent more time on Serenity deck-bar without lines, comfy deck chairs, ocean breeze...
> *one port-Cozumel-rented moped scooters and rode all around island, found a beach side shack for lunch-guy who owned it had just caught a crab-fried it up and gave it to us for apps - no charge. Why does beer taste better on a beach? Friend with us had been to Cozumel many times so she played tour guide. So much fun and would do it again for sure. Exhilarating riding through town! We Loved it!
> *Ship definitely showing signs of age-rust spots here and there, some worn spots carpet, decks etc. Nothing bad and certainly didn't take away from the fun. Watched a new piece of glass being installed on bridge from the ship camera on the TV -well we saw the sides of the workers after they passed the sheet of glass across from where camera was lol.
> *Debarkation-smooth and easy, let them take the bag off, had very low number (#2) so we got off right away, experienced friend grabbed a porter and we zipped through customs.
> I have pics, although I am sure most of you this is nothing new!



Sounds like you guys had an awesome time!

Let your hubby know that there's no drink package on DCL - it's strictly pay as you go. For those who like to imbibe on vacation, that can be a consideration.


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## mevelandry

Carnival Sensation vs DCL comparison

The ship:

The ship was the smallest we have ever tried. While it was smaller than the Disney Wonder, I felt the layout was so well done than unlike the DCL Wonder, it did not feel cramped. The elevators were very large.

The look however... the Sensation is... Purple. Very purple! Purple everywhere! The look definitely brings you back to the 70-80's. I knew there were old wooden floor everywhere but somehow, they aged better than other older ships so it just gave a vintage look to the place. Some spaces still look good (certain "salons" on the promenade come to mind) and furniture was in good shape but some spaces need to be refurbished... The elevators are antiquities and so shaky that you always wonder if you are going to make it to the next level. LOL

While the Sensation deserves a good score for the effort in maintaining the place cute & clean, DCL definitely win for the overall appearance of the ship, while the Sensation wins for comfort.

The entertainment/sports & spa

The one and only pool was a "human soup" like the family pools on DCL with at least 15 to 40 people in the pool. We have been able to use it only twice around 10 PM on elegant night and the last day.

There was no "thermal suite" and the gym was good but normal.

There was no afternoon tea on the last day. 

We napped a lot.

We did trivia almost every day. It really did bring us joy.

The comedy shows were very late (sometimes too late for us) and there were not that many. I'll talk about one of the comedians later that made me furious.  Lowell Sanders was great though.

88 keys & The Studio VIP show was great (this one reminded me of Vroom on the Victory, which I loved). With the exception of one performer who was not a super strong performer, the others were awesome.

The love and Marriage show was a hit and Hasbro the Game Show was so much fun.

DCL wins for the pool & spa but entertainment, althought different, is a tie...

The cabin: Old look but very well maintained and very clean. While DCL still wins for the look, but we cannot complain because our Sensation cabin was very comfortable & so quiet... We slept and napped like babies!!

Staff: Probably one of the best staff we've ever had. Everybody was saying hi, and served us with a smile, except for that one bartender in Alchemy Bar.

Our cabin host was great. Not super chatty but did a great job.

One morning, in the dining room, I was looking for a certain kind of tea that they did not have in the kitchen... and they sent someone to grab a box from the coffee shop and brought all the variety available on the ship so I could pick something else I liked.


Food and drinks:

Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana, Pizza, Lido & Dining room (and a small sushi booth that I did not try) That's it. Lack of food choices reminded me of a DCL ship.

I have never tried room service on DCL but room service on the Sensation was bad and took forever.

2 out of 3 ice cream machines were down for the whole lenght of the trip, meaning the only working machine was very often unavailable because the ice cream liquid was still freezing. I believe they removed the strawberry ice cream from their offering --which is a shame because it's my favorite-- because it was always and only vanilla and chocolate. However... The ice cream was OUTSTANDING. I've never ate so much ice cream before.

There was no Steakhouse on the ship so on our anniversary, we treated ourselves with the 20$ filet mignon in the dining room. We were expecting something along the filet mignon (steak and eggs) from the Sea Day Brunch. We were wrong: It was gigantic and on par with filet mignon's I've had in great steakhouses here in Montreal. Served with some veggies and a great wine reduction sauce. I am now obsessed. We liked it so much that we ordered the same thing for dinner the next night! It was SOOOO worth the 20$.

Even though there were much less choice of food on the Sensation than on other Carnival ships, the Sensation still wins.


Ports:

We had to tender to Half Moon Cay and getting off and on the has been a breeze every time.

 I love love love Half Moon Cay!!!!  While there was some things Disney did better on Castaway Cay, there are other things Carnival did better on Half Moon Cay.

This part deserves a whole Castaway Cay vs Half Moon Cay so I'll come back later with that.

Grand Turk: The ship litterally parks on the beach. The two closest meters of beach from the sea and the ocean itself are breathtaking.

However, it seems that with the exception of the Cruise Center & Margaritaville,  most buildings along the beach got hit by a hurricane, were abandonned and then it went downhill. There are vendors everywhere, and the beach was cramped with too many chairs, and the sand filthy, with glass debris, cigarette tops and empty bottles of beer. There are graffitis everywhere including on umbrellas and chairs.

We went to Jack's Shack and it was better.

Now, I have to talk about something that has nothing to do with Carnival per say...

I cannot stress this enough: entertainment in Margaritaville is NOT family friendly. There was a lot of twerking contests & "Magic Mike" performances (in bathing suits, thank God!) ... And a lot of suggestive dances. I won't go further in the description but it made me feel very uncomfortable...

Which bring me to the passengers:

I'm afraid we finally (after three very family friendly cruises) got hit with a case of the "party boat".

On the first evening, a group of "barely 21 yo" were throwing empty bottles of beer on the mini-golf green.

A group of 50-60 yo men almost got into a fight over a game of cards. They were yelling at each other.

A lady who could not handle her alcohol intake on Half Moon Cay "projectile vomit" three times in the water shuttle on our way back to the ship. I mean she was so passed out that she did not even try to vomit outside of the ship (or avoid vomiting on people in front of her).

There was a booze party in the pool and hot tubs all day long.

People imposing their own rap music to others was a thing on this cruise, apparently.

The fact that the ship was small made avoiding disruptive people more difficult.

I really, really missed the DCL crowd on this cruise.

The comedy show: one of the comedians, on a 18+ show spotted a woman in the crowd, made her come on stage and "turn around" like a piece of meat and then said "I would not invite you to dinner though, because your butt is too small". And then started making jokes about how ladies on the ship are fat and got gigantic asses.

I mean... Seriously? I'm not easily offended by jokes but this was just offensive. I'm thinking of complaining against this comedian.

Our cruise director was amazing. My favorite so far. His name is Kevin. He was so nice to the kids and FUNNY. Every event he hosted was a hit.

I've had a great time but some things stood out during that cruise:

-I'm square & I don't like "springbreaker behavior". 3/4 Carnival cruises I have had, I did not encounter that kind of behavior. I hope the next one will be better. I'm hopeful because the three first ones were perfect.

-I definitely like big ships more than small ships. There are more things to do.

-I like visiting ports. We got off the ship in Nassau to walk in town and did not encounter weird people, vendors or drug vendors which was nice. People in the shops were actually smiling and nice to us. (Complete opposite of our two last visits).

-I forgot my cell phone on the counter at the Margaritaville shop in Grand Turk and realized it only 15 minutes later. We went back to the shop and it was still there. :O

-Had this Carnival cruise been my first one, I probably would not be that much in a hurry to go back to Carnival. We had a good time but we've had better cruises.

- The Mariner of the Seas was next to us in Nassau and it looks AMAZING. I can't wait to try it/RCCL!

- Half Moon Cay, Half Moon Cay, Half Moon Cay.


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## mevelandry

Here are a few pictures from the Carnival Sensation: 

Lobby - Stairs (70's look)- Promenade - Lido (that reminds me of a 50's diner)


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## mevelandry

Main (and only) pool - Serenity Section (21+) - Pool at night - waterworks for kids


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## mevelandry

Blue Iguana - Guy's Burgers - Cherry on Top (Candy Shop) - 20$ filet mignon from the dining room - Happy Anniversary chocolate mousse cake


----------



## mevelandry

Our Ocean View Cabin... The decor is nothing special but we had enough space and it was very comfortable. Super quiet at night (which is why I love aft cabins) so we slept like babies.


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## mevelandry

Food, drinks and activities...


----------



## mevelandry

Half Moon Cay vs Castaway Cay 

Half Moon Cay nails it...

-If you enjoy tendering (we do!) and like having the impression to go to a deserted island... 

-If you like a more adult ambiance... 

-If you enjoy sharing huge beach with everyone else...

-If you enjoy two stories cabanas... 

-If you don't mind renting umbrellas... (Otherwise, you can easily find some shade...) 

- If you don't mind having a limited menu... 

-If you enjoy eating in small stations (I think they have 12 separate sections with 7-8 tables in each)... 

-If you like having chicken, baby chicks and roosters around...

-If you like white sand so soft that it feels like you are walking in powdered sugar... 

-If you like swimming in open water... 







Castaway Cay nails it...

-If you enjoy a more "organized" beach where you don't need tendering...

-If you enjoy characters and a colorful setting... 

-If you enjoy "secludes" (family-teen-adult only) sections...

-If you enjoy having your own space around the cabanas... 

-If you want free umbrellas... 

-If you enjoy a more varied menu and an adult only BBQ... 

-If you enjoy eating with everyone else under a huge roof...

-If you enjoy self-serve ice cream on the beach... 

-If you don't mind sand a little bit more "rocky"... 

-If you like having a netted family beach... 



Here are a few pictures of HALF MOON CAY...


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## mevelandry

Here is the setting for food on Half Moon Cay... There are 6 stations you can get your food from. So there is no wait... I also posted a picture of one of the 12 "stations" with tables where you can sit down to eat.


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## mevelandry

Here's the pirate ship bar... Then, two of the playgrounds for children (there are also basketball courts and volleyball and many other things that I did not take pictures from), chickens and roosters and tender boats.


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## mevelandry

GRAND TURK AND MARGARITAVILLE

Here are some of my best pictures from Grand Turk, Jack's Shack and Margaritaville (because there was some good among the bad)...


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## mcd2745

So...Grand Turk. We're going there next year for the first time (on Horizon). I've got plenty of research to do, but my initial thoughts from what I've seen so far and what  I'm gathering here is that it's not exactly a typical port and most people hang around the area where you dock. for example, I noticed for their excursions, they offer a poolside Cabanas at the "Grand Turk Cruise Center". Is it the same as the Margaritaville pool? I wonder if this is like NCL's Harvest Caye in Belize.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mcd2745 said:


> So...Grand Turk. We're going there next year for the first time (on Horizon). I've got plenty of research to do, but my initial thoughts from what I've seen so far and what  I'm gathering here is that it's not exactly a typical port and most people hang around the area where you dock. for example, I noticed for their excursions, they offer a poolside Cabanas at the "Grand Turk Cruise Center". Is it the same as the Margaritaville pool? I wonder if this is like NCL's Harvest Caye in Belize.



Yes, the cabanas offered by Carnival are located at the Margaritaville pool.

The big issue is that in the past the beach was run by Carnival as a free spot (free chairs, etc.). The locals didn't like this and now they run the beach and offer chairs/umbrellas for rent.  They are not the nicest and there are so many that it is very crowded.  It went from being practically a private island to any other overrun beach.  We didn't even know where the "free" chairs were on our last visit and had to pay.

If you can disregard that the water is great.  Clear and you can see lots of fish.


----------



## seanfaulk

I have done many Carnival Cruises and despite unpopular opinion from people. I’ve never had anything but great experiences. 

Disney is a wonderful cruise line that is perfect for people who want more quiet and relaxation in my opinion. Carnival is more ‘fun’ for me. On Disney I often find myself indoors or just kind of ‘wandering’ because I don’t know what there is to do for someone my age but with Carnival I am constantly on the go (usually drinking) so I love that about it. The price is right for me as well.

The paid dining on Carnival is as good as Palo in my opinion (Remy is a different story) but I do feel the paid restaurants on Carnival offer more variety than Disney’s paid restaurant/s.

Overall both are great to me but it’s just based around what you want out of a cruise.....I will also say that people’s behavior on Disney Cruise line has been better from my experience. 

My own actual critique of Disney is they are too rigid on their event times. They might have karaoke (as an example) for a 30 minute window. This is about 5 people singing and then the place closes and just sits empty for hours until the next event, but there could be a lot of people having fun and Disney will just stop the event. Whereas Carnival is a bit more fluid.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Yes, the cabanas offered by Carnival are located at the Margaritaville pool.
> 
> The big issue is that in the past the beach was run by Carnival as a free spot (free chairs, etc.). The locals didn't like this and now they run the beach and offer chairs/umbrellas for rent.  They are not the nicest and there are so many that it is very crowded.  It went from being practically a private island to any other overrun beach.  We didn't even know where the "free" chairs were on our last visit and had to pay.
> 
> If you can disregard that the water is great.  Clear and you can see lots of fish.



I was told the green umbrellas/chairs in the back were free. And yes, very crowded. If you can't see the ocean from there, what is the point? 

I liked Jack's Shack: 10 min walk from the Center, free chairs, 10$ for an umbrella. We were about 15 people there on the beach, no vendors except for 1 guy with necklaces.


----------



## mevelandry

seanfaulk said:


> I have done many Carnival Cruises and despite unpopular opinion from people. I’ve never had anything but great experiences.
> 
> Disney is a wonderful cruise line that is perfect for people who want more quiet and relaxation in my opinion. Carnival is more ‘fun’ for me. On Disney I often find myself indoors or just kind of ‘wandering’ because I don’t know what there is to do for someone my age but with Carnival I am constantly on the go (usually drinking) so I love that about it. The price is right for me as well.
> 
> The paid dining on Carnival is as good as Palo in my opinion (Remy is a different story) but I do feel the paid restaurants on Carnival offer more variety than Disney’s paid restaurant/s.
> 
> Overall both are great to me but it’s just based around what you want out of a cruise.....I will also say that people’s behavior on Disney Cruise line has been better from my experience.
> 
> My own actual critique of Disney is they are too rigid on their event times. They might have karaoke (as an example) for a 30 minute window. This is about 5 people singing and then the place closes and just sits empty for hours until the next event, but there could be a lot of people having fun and Disney will just stop the event. Whereas Carnival is a bit more fluid.



Your comment just reminded me of how my Mother-in-law (who's a big fan of Mickey) was disappointed by the fact that we encountered Mickey once as he was leaving a dining room. 

They were walking him back to a "cast member only" section of the ship and despite the fact that there was people and kids there, he was walking very fast, did not even slow down and barely waved at us. 

He could have high-fived the kids or something...  :/ 

P.s.: And no, he was not due to be somewhere else at that time.


----------



## Dug720

mevelandry said:


> Your comment just reminded me of how my Mother-in-law (who's a big fan of Mickey) was disappointed by the fact that we encountered Mickey once as he was leaving a dining room.
> 
> They were walking him back to a "cast member only" section of the ship and despite the fact that there was people and kids there, he was walking very fast, did not even slow down and barely waved at us.
> 
> He could have high-fived the kids or something...  :/
> 
> P.s.: And no, he was not due to be somewhere else at that time.



He may not have been "due to be somewhere", but it's possible that his friend had reached the limit of time in the suit allowed. It's very much like flight crews in terms of restrictions on time on duty.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Your comment just reminded me of how my Mother-in-law (who's a big fan of Mickey) was disappointed by the fact that we encountered Mickey once as he was leaving a dining room.
> 
> They were walking him back to a "cast member only" section of the ship and despite the fact that there was people and kids there, he was walking very fast, did not even slow down and barely waved at us.
> 
> He could have high-fived the kids or something...  :/
> 
> P.s.: And no, he was not due to be somewhere else at that time.



That stuff drives me crazy too.  Happened to us on DCL as well.  They just ignored us as we crossed paths.  They don't do that at DL.  If you see characters walking from one place to another at DL, they interact with you.  I kind of understand them not interacting at wdw because it can be wild there.  But DCL is even calmer than DL.


----------



## lovin'fl

mevelandry said:


> I was told the green umbrellas/chairs in the back were free. And yes, very crowded. If you can't see the ocean from there, what is the point?
> 
> I liked Jack's Shack: 10 min walk from the Center, free chairs, 10$ for an umbrella. We were about 15 people there on the beach, no vendors except for 1 guy with necklaces.


Just off Carnival Horizon 8 day that went to Grand Turk. We rented 2 cabanas at the Margaritaville pool. We were a party of 4 adults and 4 kids (ages 9, 11, 16 and 16). We requested, at desk on ship, that we have our 2 cabanas next to each other. We got off the ship and was at hostess stand at Margaritaville bar around 10:30. Hostess walked us out to our cabanas and they were not next to each other and she claimed they were last 2 left (though the 3 to the very right end did not appear to be occupied then).

We were told the server buzzer didn't work in 1 cabin. Hostess promised server would be around every 5 minutes...she wasn't. The cabin was dumpy and they need remodeling but the AC worked. We ordered food and drinks (the two 16 year old boys hung out in 1 cabin and the rest of us were in the other, on the deck). We all went to the beach for a bit (where, by the way, drinks are sold way cheaper by the locals). The water was dirty and rocky. Folks told us that when you get off ship and go to the right there really isn't a beach now due to hurricane. If you walk down toward Jacks, past the netted area, the water is a little cleaner and a little less rocky but still not fabulous (it is nice once you get past that shallow seaweedy rocky gunk).

When we walked back to our cabanas there was a lady laying on the lounger on the deck of one (the one the two 16 year olds were using). We asked our server to please shoo her off and she said "no, I am making tips off of her and you all aren't using it". We say "um...we paid a lot of money for that cabana". And she mumbles "you all are over here and I want her tip" and she walks away. Then when we get our tab ($400) and go to pay with CC, she says "can you pay my tips in cash so I don't have to share with the cooks and staff in the kitchen?". We tipped the cash.

Then...my DH leaves his sneakers in the cabana when we leave. We leave a good bit before the ship is due to go. But does the cash tipped server send the shoes to the ship? NOPE.

And Jack's shack has gotten more crowded too. I saw a pic from the day we were there and the whole beach area was packed like a sardine can with lounge chairs. We walked down there on our last cruise (the Magic in 2016) and was not super impressed. We were there with another ship that time and the island was packed. That time disappointed as well. My first time there was the best (on the Pride, only ship there, in 2013). I had a great visit that time. It wasn't too crowded and the water was super clean that I just sat at the water's edge and let the waves roll over me. It was soooo nice. But it's kinda jacked up now. Sad.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

lovin'fl said:


> Just off Carnival Horizon 8 day that went to Grand Turk. We rented 2 cabanas at the Margaritaville pool. We were a party of 4 adults and 4 kids (ages 9, 11, 16 and 16). We requested, at desk on ship, that we have our 2 cabanas next to each other. We got off the ship and was at hostess stand at Margaritaville bar around 10:30. Hostess walked us out to our cabanas and they were not next to each other and she claimed they were last 2 left (though the 3 to the very right end did not appear to be occupied then).
> 
> We were told the server buzzer didn't work in 1 cabin. Hostess promised server would be around every 5 minutes...she wasn't. The cabin was dumpy and they need remodeling but the AC worked. We ordered food and drinks (the two 16 year old boys hung out in 1 cabin and the rest of us were in the other, on the deck). We all went to the beach for a bit (where, by the way, drinks are sold way cheaper by the locals). The water was dirty and rocky. Folks told us that when you get off ship and go to the right there really isn't a beach now due to hurricane. If you walk down toward Jacks, past the netted area, the water is a little cleaner and a little less rocky but still not fabulous (it is nice once you get past that shallow seaweedy rocky gunk).
> 
> When we walked back to our cabanas there was a lady laying on the lounger on the deck of one (the one the two 16 year olds were using). We asked our server to please shoo her off and she said "no, I am making tips off of her and you all aren't using it". We say "um...we paid a lot of money for that cabana". And she mumbles "you all are over here and I want her tip" and she walks away. Then when we get our tab ($400) and go to pay with CC, she says "can you pay my tips in cash so I don't have to share with the cooks and staff in the kitchen?". We tipped the cash.
> 
> Then...my DH leaves his sneakers in the cabana when we leave. We leave a good bit before the ship is due to go. But does the cash tipped server send the shoes to the ship? NOPE.
> 
> And Jack's shack has gotten more crowded too. I saw a pic from the day we were there and the whole beach area was packed like a sardine can with lounge chairs. We walked down there on our last cruise (the Magic in 2016) and was not super impressed. We were there with another ship that time and the island was packed. That time disappointed as well. My first time there was the best (on the Pride, only ship there, in 2013). I had a great visit that time. It wasn't too crowded and the water was super clean that I just sat at the water's edge and let the waves roll over me. It was soooo nice. But it's kinda jacked up now. Sad.


Ugh, now I am really not looking forward to GT in March.  How was the Horizon?


----------



## mevelandry

lovin'fl said:


> Just off Carnival Horizon 8 day that went to Grand Turk. We rented 2 cabanas at the Margaritaville pool. We were a party of 4 adults and 4 kids (ages 9, 11, 16 and 16). We requested, at desk on ship, that we have our 2 cabanas next to each other. We got off the ship and was at hostess stand at Margaritaville bar around 10:30. Hostess walked us out to our cabanas and they were not next to each other and she claimed they were last 2 left (though the 3 to the very right end did not appear to be occupied then).
> 
> We were told the server buzzer didn't work in 1 cabin. Hostess promised server would be around every 5 minutes...she wasn't. The cabin was dumpy and they need remodeling but the AC worked. We ordered food and drinks (the two 16 year old boys hung out in 1 cabin and the rest of us were in the other, on the deck). We all went to the beach for a bit (where, by the way, drinks are sold way cheaper by the locals). The water was dirty and rocky. Folks told us that when you get off ship and go to the right there really isn't a beach now due to hurricane. If you walk down toward Jacks, past the netted area, the water is a little cleaner and a little less rocky but still not fabulous (it is nice once you get past that shallow seaweedy rocky gunk).
> 
> When we walked back to our cabanas there was a lady laying on the lounger on the deck of one (the one the two 16 year olds were using). We asked our server to please shoo her off and she said "no, I am making tips off of her and you all aren't using it". We say "um...we paid a lot of money for that cabana". And she mumbles "you all are over here and I want her tip" and she walks away. Then when we get our tab ($400) and go to pay with CC, she says "can you pay my tips in cash so I don't have to share with the cooks and staff in the kitchen?". We tipped the cash.
> 
> Then...my DH leaves his sneakers in the cabana when we leave. We leave a good bit before the ship is due to go. But does the cash tipped server send the shoes to the ship? NOPE.
> 
> And Jack's shack has gotten more crowded too. I saw a pic from the day we were there and the whole beach area was packed like a sardine can with lounge chairs. We walked down there on our last cruise (the Magic in 2016) and was not super impressed. We were there with another ship that time and the island was packed. That time disappointed as well. My first time there was the best (on the Pride, only ship there, in 2013). I had a great visit that time. It wasn't too crowded and the water was super clean that I just sat at the water's edge and let the waves roll over me. It was soooo nice. But it's kinda jacked up now. Sad.



I'm a bit shocked. I would have complained to guest services about this since they sell those cabanas as "excursions". 

I have cancelled the cabana we had booked for our family cruise in 2019 --so glad I did after reading this!!!-- and replaced it with the "Home Sweet Home" excursion instead.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> *Ugh, now I am really not looking forward to GT in March. * How was the Horizon?



You could book an excursion? Some of them have great reviews.


----------



## lovin'fl

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Ugh, now I am really not looking forward to GT in March.  How was the Horizon?


We had a havana cabin and LOVED the havana area and all of deck 5 really. The Havana area led out to the ocean plaza where they had a small breakfast buffet (and lunch though we never tried it at lunch) and there was a bar there where we met up with our friends each night before dinner. Then the Java Blue coffee counter was near that and then Guy's Pig and ANchor which had the BBQ lunch counter outside on deck. Then past that was the Alchemy and piano bars with the pay extra Sushi and Teppanyaki and steakhouse (we did sushi twice and steakhouse once and Asian pay extra once up above Lido deck). So we had quick and easy access to a lot.

Liked the Hub app and we ate in MDR 4 times and it was easy to check in on the app and we never waited more than 5 mins for a table. The MDR was slow and the food meh (but that's kinda typical...and after one night eating in the MDR we later went and got sushi and it was sooooo good that we just wanted to try the pay extra places and they were all yummo...did the seafood counter for lunch a couple times and that also was good as was the wok and Guy's burgers and even the pizza). The pay extra that takes resies, they are tough to get. Starting around day 3...we started looking then and had trouble so we did sushi twice as that was walk in only. Could never get the Teppanyaki and we pre booked the steakhouse (thank goodness). Somehow my friends got the Asian place for just us adults (party of 4) one night. The Italian place was illusive too. (so book pay places before cruise or right when you get on the ship)

The ship is big and there are a lot of pax. We didn't get to try everything and we avoided the crowds too so that didn't help. We like the Pride best. But the ship was clean and the staff great. The port was chaotic but once we went inside we got on the ship quick and easy. Getting on/off in ports was quick and easy. Loved the Havana...can't say that enough. Loved all the food options since the MDR and buffet was meh to us, we liked having lots of other options (can't go hungry, that's for sure). DH really liked the theater and watched Venom and then made me go do the Thrills thing with him. We didn't do any of the big shows. Saw one comedy show. Friend's DDs sang karaoke. We went to the piano bar and we listened to the guy girl duo in the Pig and Anchor. We played a few games of trivia. Friends DDs did the slides a few times. They were in family harbor section and loved it.

Biggest negatives...crappy TV channels and the big football games (college and pro) and MLB playoffs were not shown in the sports bar or casino or pig and anchor bar. They had one football channel on and it had crappy games, according to the fellas in our group. The other 2 channels played junk. The cabin TVs had zero zilch sports channels (and no Survivor or Walking Dead for me). Next negative was our cabin...we had an inside on deck 6 aft that is part of the Havana. It is directly above the stage in the Havana lounge and, well, you can get the gist...loud music until 1am that vibrated our bed and was louder than DH's snoring. A third negative was a spa salon experience. Pre booked getting my hair done for formal night (wash and style). Tried to cancel due to feeling seasick. They said no refund. I went and she says she should put it up and then she wouldn't wash it (dirty hair goes up better). So she whips it up in like 20 mins and then hands me a receipt. I didn't have my readers (lost them at WDW). But I tell her I pre paid and she said she knows and the receipt was nothing 'not to worry'. I see a line for tips (like with cheers drinks) so I ask if I can add a tip and she says 'of course' so I write in $8. I see later that she refunded my $42 paid and re charged me $56 (I suppose for up-do) and it had $8 auto tip already. So $56+8+8=72...eeeeekkkkk.

There were couple other little negatives like the chaotic/disorganized/long muster drill (Hub app messaged us to be there at 3:30 but it didn't begin until 4:15). The disembarkation was also disorganized and long. There was some delay and then long periods between when he called next group. We just went before our deck was called (we were self assist) and got in line at 8:15 (when he called deck 8 and above and we were 6) and was at car around 8:50 (35 minutes to roll luggage off ship seems too long). Customs was taking soooo long per family with really really examining and questioning so that line backed up like crazy but there were crowds of folks waiting outside so I think they purposely slow down at each level....too many folks for that terminal to handle.

As much as we loved Havana, we decided to look for a Conquest class ship next time. Have the Legend on my radar (and luckily it's not out of port of Miami). Smaller pax capacity but still a decent size ship. But I give this cruise a solid B. Had great fun with our friends. Ate too much and drank too much (dang Cheers package...which we decided not to do next time). Had a great time in St Kitts and St Maarten and they were 2 new ports for us and we loved them. Also think we stick with 4-7 day cruises. This trip was about 4 days too long (it was 8 day cruise and we did 2 nights coming down by stopping at WDW and then stopped a night at HHI on the way back...11 nights). And the last 2 days of cruise were seadays which was too much ship time at once for us (so will also keep that in mind next booking).


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> You could book an excursion? Some of them have great reviews.



I just liked the get of the ship for 2 hours and hang on the beach aspect of GT.  Sometimes I feel over scheduled when we do excursions.  I also looked at the excursions available and GT seems like a more expensive place to book (2 adults, 3 kids-- who seem to qualify as adults for prices now ).  Not a lot of local population, so not a lot of competition?  Not sure what it is.  But... I was reading on CC last night about GT and what you and lovin'fl report is all over CC!  People say it is awful there now.   Bad vibe with locals, dirty beach, overcrowding, so maybe we will bite the bullet and book one.  If we do, it will probably be something that includes Gibbs.


----------



## lovin'fl

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I just liked the get of the ship for 2 hours and hang on the beach aspect of GT.  Sometimes I feel over scheduled when we do excursions.  I also looked at the excursions available and GT seems like a more expensive place to book (2 adults, 3 kids-- who seem to qualify as adults for prices now ).  Not a lot of local population, so not a lot of competition?  Not sure what it is.  But... I was reading on CC last night about GT and what you and lovin'fl report is all over CC!  People say it is awful there now.   Bad vibe with locals, dirty beach, overcrowding, so maybe we will bite the bullet and book one.  If we do, it will probably be something that includes Gibbs.


You can still get off and have a beach day. It won't be top 10 most memorable but free and easy. Just walk past the initial Margaritaville stuff and maybe past the netted off area (down where they bring in the little boats for parasailing and whatnot). Rent 2 loungers from the locals (a cost but like $30 or something) and have a little swim. Buy a bucket of beer from the locals or walk to Jacks. It won't be the best day of the cruise but it can still be the cheaper day. ALso later is less crowded. So maybe eat late breakfast/early lunch on ship and get off and be last back on the ship.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

lovin'fl said:


> We had a havana cabin and LOVED the havana area and all of deck 5 really. The Havana area led out to the ocean plaza where they had a small breakfast buffet (and lunch though we never tried it at lunch) and there was a bar there where we met up with our friends each night before dinner. Then the Java Blue coffee counter was near that and then Guy's Pig and ANchor which had the BBQ lunch counter outside on deck. Then past that was the Alchemy and piano bars with the pay extra Sushi and Teppanyaki and steakhouse (we did sushi twice and steakhouse once and Asian pay extra once up above Lido deck). So we had quick and easy access to a lot.
> 
> Liked the Hub app and we ate in MDR 4 times and it was easy to check in on the app and we never waited more than 5 mins for a table. The MDR was slow and the food meh (but that's kinda typical...and after one night eating in the MDR we later went and got sushi and it was sooooo good that we just wanted to try the pay extra places and they were all yummo...did the seafood counter for lunch a couple times and that also was good as was the wok and Guy's burgers and even the pizza). The pay extra that takes resies, they are tough to get. Starting around day 3...we started looking then and had trouble so we did sushi twice as that was walk in only. Could never get the Teppanyaki and we pre booked the steakhouse (thank goodness). Somehow my friends got the Asian place for just us adults (party of 4) one night. The Italian place was illusive too. (so book pay places before cruise or right when you get on the ship)
> 
> The ship is big and there are a lot of pax. We didn't get to try everything and we avoided the crowds too so that didn't help. We like the Pride best. But the ship was clean and the staff great. The port was chaotic but once we went inside we got on the ship quick and easy. Getting on/off in ports was quick and easy. Loved the Havana...can't say that enough. Loved all the food options since the MDR and buffet was meh to us, we liked having lots of other options (can't go hungry, that's for sure). DH really liked the theater and watched Venom and then made me go do the Thrills thing with him. We didn't do any of the big shows. Saw one comedy show. Friend's DDs sang karaoke. We went to the piano bar and we listened to the guy girl duo in the Pig and Anchor. We played a few games of trivia. Friends DDs did the slides a few times. They were in family harbor section and loved it.
> 
> Biggest negatives...crappy TV channels and the big football games (college and pro) and MLB playoffs were not shown in the sports bar or casino or pig and anchor bar. They had one football channel on and it had crappy games, according to the fellas in our group. The other 2 channels played junk. The cabin TVs had zero zilch sports channels (and no Survivor or Walking Dead for me). Next negative was our cabin...we had an inside on deck 6 aft that is part of the Havana. It is directly above the stage in the Havana lounge and, well, you can get the gist...loud music until 1am that vibrated our bed and was louder than DH's snoring. A third negative was a spa salon experience. Pre booked getting my hair done for formal night (wash and style). Tried to cancel due to feeling seasick. They said no refund. I went and she says she should put it up and then she wouldn't wash it (dirty hair goes up better). So she whips it up in like 20 mins and then hands me a receipt. I didn't have my readers (lost them at WDW). But I tell her I pre paid and she said she knows and the receipt was nothing 'not to worry'. I see a line for tips (like with cheers drinks) so I ask if I can add a tip and she says 'of course' so I write in $8. I see later that she refunded my $42 paid and re charged me $56 (I suppose for up-do) and it had $8 auto tip already. So $56+8+8=72...eeeeekkkkk.
> 
> There were couple other little negatives like the chaotic/disorganized/long muster drill (Hub app messaged us to be there at 3:30 but it didn't begin until 4:15). The disembarkation was also disorganized and long. There was some delay and then long periods between when he called next group. We just went before our deck was called (we were self assist) and got in line at 8:15 (when he called deck 8 and above and we were 6) and was at car around 8:50 (35 minutes to roll luggage off ship seems too long). Customs was taking soooo long per family with really really examining and questioning so that line backed up like crazy but there were crowds of folks waiting outside so I think they purposely slow down at each level....too many folks for that terminal to handle.
> 
> As much as we loved Havana, we decided to look for a Conquest class ship next time. Have the Legend on my radar (and luckily it's not out of port of Miami). Smaller pax capacity but still a decent size ship. But I give this cruise a solid B. Had great fun with our friends. Ate too much and drank too much (dang Cheers package...which we decided not to do next time). Had a great time in St Kitts and St Maarten and they were 2 new ports for us and we loved them. Also think we stick with 4-7 day cruises. This trip was about 4 days too long (it was 8 day cruise and we did 2 nights coming down by stopping at WDW and then stopped a night at HHI on the way back...11 nights). And the last 2 days of cruise were seadays which was too much ship time at once for us (so will also keep that in mind next booking).


Thanks for your review!  We have been on Vista and liked it a lot but had some of the same observations.  For the price, we thought it was awesome.  Loved all the food options.  We were on the 2nd floor in cove balcony and loved it.  Embarkation was hell but debarkation was quick (I think because we walked up from deck 2 and right off the ship).  We prefer the Conquest size ships too.  We have never tried CCL sushi but keep saying we will!  Definitely will on Breeze next March.   Love CCL steakhouses.  The TV channels on CCL are pitiful now and you leave with a real CNN headache, awful channel.  Your spa experience is what makes me nervous about going to those places.  Lol


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

lovin'fl said:


> You can still get off and have a beach day. It won't be top 10 most memorable but free and easy. Just walk past the initial Margaritaville stuff and maybe past the netted off area (down where they bring in the little boats for parasailing and whatnot). Rent 2 loungers from the locals (a cost but like $30 or something) and have a little swim. Buy a bucket of beer from the locals or walk to Jacks. It won't be the best day of the cruise but it can still be the cheaper day. ALso later is less crowded. So maybe eat late breakfast/early lunch on ship and get off and be last back on the ship.



I was reading on CC someone recommended John's ocean view bar and Edith's fish fry.  Apparently the beach is great there.  It is a cab ride away.  I also saw Governor's Beach is a walk down the beach past Jack's.  (Anyone tried either?) We may try one or go to Gibb's.  I also looked it up and there is another ship in port the day we are there!


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## southerngirl528

seanfaulk said:


> Overall both are great to me but it’s just based around what you want out of a cruise.....I will also say that people’s behavior on Disney Cruise line has been better from my experience.



Certainly agree with you here.   Not sure how many time you have sailed DCL, but I have never been in an adult activity like karaoke where there were plenty of interested folks where they have cut it shorter than scheduled. I've spent over 3 months total on Disney ships. 



mevelandry said:


> GRAND TURK AND MARGARITAVILLE



Enjoyed all your photos, mevelandry. But when I saw those poor horses, my first thought was, "do they not have a weight limit for those small horses"?    As someone that loves horses and grew up with them, most places DO have a weight limit. Good thing is those horses don't look starved.


----------



## mevelandry

southerngirl528 said:


> Certainly agree with you here.   Not sure how many time you have sailed DCL, but I have never been in an adult activity like karaoke where there were plenty of interested folks where they have cut it shorter than scheduled. I've spent over 3 months total on Disney ships.
> 
> 
> 
> Enjoyed all your photos, mevelandry. But when I saw those poor horses, my first thought was, "do they not have a weight limit for those small horses"?    As someone that loves horses and grew up with them, most places DO have a weight limit. Good thing is those horses don't look starved.



Truth is I didn't even notice the weight of the people riding them.


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## southerngirl528

mevelandry said:


> Truth is I didn't even notice the weight of the people riding them.



Well, your pix were very nice, so thanks! It was the proportion of person to horse that caught this farm girl's eye.


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## belle032

southerngirl528 said:


> Well, your pix were very nice, so thanks! It was the proportion of person to horse that caught this farm girl's eye.



I’m a horseback rider and I totally agree with you. The horses are smaller, possibly large ponies from what I could tell. They weren’t malnourished from what I could see but I would never ride one out of principle. Honestly I can’t understand why people want to ride them at all. Horseback riding excursions are one thing, but a random guy pulling a horse down a touristy beach? Absolutely not.


----------



## j1d1

mevelandry said:


> -I like visiting ports. We got off the ship in Nassau to walk in town and did not encounter weird people, vendors or drug vendors which was nice. People in the shops were actually smiling and nice to us. (Complete opposite of our two last visits).
> 
> - The Mariner of the Seas was next to us in Nassau and it looks AMAZING. I can't wait to try it/RCCL!



A little off topic in a Carnival comparison thread, but you must have been in Nassau the same day we were there on the Disney Dream.  The Dream was next to the Mariner of the Seas.  Everyone in my family was commenting about all the things there seem to do on the Mariner.  My son and I got a great look at it from the line to the Aquaduck.  Looked like lots of fun.  We are booked on the Mariner of the Seas next May.  I got some cool pictures of my son in between the two ships.  The pictures will be cooler when he's actually sailed on both.





Is that the Sensation next to the Disney Dream?

We got off and walked around.  Plenty of people trying to sell things but it never felt dangerous.  My son decided to get his hair braided.  Turned out he could have had it done on the ship for about half the price.

Thanks for this thread.  Our next cruise is a New Year's cruise on the Carnival Dream.


----------



## mevelandry

southerngirl528 said:


> Well, your pix were very nice, so thanks! It was the proportion of person to horse that caught this farm girl's eye.





belle032 said:


> I’m a horseback rider and I totally agree with you. The horses are smaller, possibly large ponies from what I could tell. They weren’t malnourished from what I could see but I would never ride one out of principle. Honestly I can’t understand why people want to ride them at all. Horseback riding excursions are one thing, but a random guy pulling a horse down a touristy beach? Absolutely not.



I went back to look at the pictures... I don't know much about horses so I trust your judgment. I've "seen" them as ponies and was surprised that they carried adults to begin with. My husband did ask me if they were strong enough to carry them as well. 

They definitely seem healthier than the horses I saw in Nassau (carriage horses that were just skin and bones).

 I don't do horse rides or carriages so I don't know how strong they are.


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## mevelandry

j1d1 said:


> A little off topic in a Carnival comparison thread, but you must have been in Nassau the same day we were there on the Disney Dream.  The Dream was next to the Mariner of the Seas.  Everyone in my family was commenting about all the things there seem to do on the Mariner.  My son and I got a great look at it from the line to the Aquaduck.  Looked like lots of fun.  We are booked on the Mariner of the Seas next May.  I got some cool pictures of my son in between the two ships.  The pictures will be cooler when he's actually sailed on both.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is that the Sensation next to the Disney Dream?
> 
> We got off and walked around.  Plenty of people trying to sell things but it never felt dangerous.  My son decided to get his hair braided.  Turned out he could have had it done on the ship for about half the price.
> 
> Thanks for this thread.  Our next cruise is a New Year's cruise on the Carnival Dream.



I think there was only two ships in port when we were there... It was just the Mariner and us. We were there last monday. We are booked on the Mariner for next year so I was indeed very interested by it. 

My husband and I walked in town in Nassau and we felt much safer than the two last times we were there...


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## mevelandry

I think I got one more reason not to sail on a "small ship" again. 

We felt a lot of motion (many days in a row)... I think I'm affected with "mal de débarquement": I've been experiencing episodes of dizziness for the last three days (since we got off the ship)... That's not cool. :/


----------



## j1d1

mevelandry said:


> I think there was only two ships in port when we were there... It was just the Mariner and us. We were there last monday. We are booked on the Mariner for next year so I was indeed very interested by it.
> 
> My husband and I walked in town in Nassau and we felt much safer than the two last times we were there...



We were there on Tuesday, so Mariner must have stayed overnight.


----------



## lovin'fl

mevelandry said:


> I think I got one more reason not to sail on a "small ship" again.
> 
> We felt a lot of motion (many days in a row)... I think I'm affected with "mal de débarquement": I've been experiencing episodes of dizziness for the last three days (since we got off the ship)... That's not cool. :/


I have the same from the Horizon.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> I think I got one more reason not to sail on a "small ship" again.
> 
> We felt a lot of motion (many days in a row)... I think I'm affected with "mal de débarquement": I've been experiencing episodes of dizziness for the last three days (since we got off the ship)... That's not cool. :/



I feel like that after every cruise! Yet I still do it. For a week or so after I will wear my seabands or take the ginger gravol.


----------



## mevelandry

lovin'fl said:


> I have the same from the Horizon.



I've been experiencing a little dizziness once or twice after cruising on a ship but never to that extend. Hope it's not going to be recurring.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I feel like that after every cruise! Yet I still do it. For a week or so after I will wear my seabands or take the ginger gravol.



Oh, I might try that. Does it help?


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Oh, I might try that. Does it help?



I find it does, same remedy I use on the ship  I just continue for a few days after I get off the ship, a week long cruise I will take the ginger for a week after, and use the seabands when I feel I need to.


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## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I find it does, same remedy I use on the ship  I just continue for a few days after I get off the ship, a week long cruise I will take the ginger for a week after, and use the seabands when I feel I need to.



I have an appointment with the doctor later today. We'll see if it's MDDS and what he suggests.

EDIT: the doc thinks it's a labyrinthitis. Glad it did not start during the cruise... :/ Prescribed me Serc and Prednisone.


----------



## mevelandry

lovin'fl said:


> Just off Carnival Horizon 8 day that went to Grand Turk. We rented 2 cabanas at the Margaritaville pool. We were a party of 4 adults and 4 kids (ages 9, 11, 16 and 16). We requested, at desk on ship, that we have our 2 cabanas next to each other. We got off the ship and was at hostess stand at Margaritaville bar around 10:30. Hostess walked us out to our cabanas and they were not next to each other and she claimed they were last 2 left (though the 3 to the very right end did not appear to be occupied then).
> 
> We were told the server buzzer didn't work in 1 cabin. Hostess promised server would be around every 5 minutes...she wasn't. The cabin was dumpy and they need remodeling but the AC worked. We ordered food and drinks (the two 16 year old boys hung out in 1 cabin and the rest of us were in the other, on the deck). We all went to the beach for a bit (where, by the way, drinks are sold way cheaper by the locals). The water was dirty and rocky. Folks told us that when you get off ship and go to the right there really isn't a beach now due to hurricane. If you walk down toward Jacks, past the netted area, the water is a little cleaner and a little less rocky but still not fabulous (it is nice once you get past that shallow seaweedy rocky gunk).
> 
> When we walked back to our cabanas there was a lady laying on the lounger on the deck of one (the one the two 16 year olds were using). We asked our server to please shoo her off and she said "no, I am making tips off of her and you all aren't using it". We say "um...we paid a lot of money for that cabana". And she mumbles "you all are over here and I want her tip" and she walks away. Then when we get our tab ($400) and go to pay with CC, she says "can you pay my tips in cash so I don't have to share with the cooks and staff in the kitchen?". We tipped the cash.
> 
> Then...my DH leaves his sneakers in the cabana when we leave. We leave a good bit before the ship is due to go. But does the cash tipped server send the shoes to the ship? NOPE.
> 
> And Jack's shack has gotten more crowded too. I saw a pic from the day we were there and the whole beach area was packed like a sardine can with lounge chairs. We walked down there on our last cruise (the Magic in 2016) and was not super impressed. We were there with another ship that time and the island was packed. That time disappointed as well. My first time there was the best (on the Pride, only ship there, in 2013). I had a great visit that time. It wasn't too crowded and the water was super clean that I just sat at the water's edge and let the waves roll over me. It was soooo nice. But it's kinda jacked up now. Sad.



Hi! 

We do not have a review for the Horizon yet so if you want (and if you have the time) to write a little review/comparison --no pressure!--, I will put the link on the first post.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Hi!
> 
> We do not have a review for the Horizon yet so if you want (and if you have the time) to write a little review/comparison --no pressure!--, I will put the link on the first post.


I was pricing out the Horizon in May. It's not cheap, buy all means.  Not Disney expensive, but then nothing is. I guess the ship is popular. Havanas were sold out. The Family Harbor area had some interesting looking Aft Extended Balcony rooms. If I ever cruise on one these ships I feel like I need to try one of the specialty rooms. I'm pretty much done with the Caribbean, but a different experience would be interesting. On DCL I've been reduced to a boring inside or ocean view. 

I would love to see a review of the Horizon. It's funny every time I start looking at Carnival cruises I get Carnival ads popping up all over the disboards. I also get a call from them the next day. They have some good spy's.


----------



## hdrolfe

cruiser21 said:


> I was pricing out the Horizon in May. It's not cheap, buy all means.  Not Disney expensive, but then nothing is. I guess the ship is popular. Havanas were sold out. The Family Harbor area had some interesting looking Aft Extended Balcony rooms. If I ever cruise on one these ships I feel like I need to try one of the specialty rooms. I'm pretty much done with the Caribbean, but a different experience would be interesting. On DCL I've been reduced to a boring inside or ocean view.
> 
> I would love to see a review of the Horizon. It's funny every time I start looking at Carnival cruises I get Carnival ads popping up all over the disboards. I also get a call from them the next day. They have some good spy's.



My son is still too young for us to book Havana but those family harbour rooms look great. I'd love to be able to use the lounge, ice cream, drinks (coffee!) and access to games and stuff, even a breakfast buffet right there. Sounds great! 

Those PVP's are persistent. I get calls if I check their website. I will book when I'm ready so stop calling! Doesn't seem to stop them though. Actually NCL does the same thing. Any way.

Looking forward to a Horizon review from anyone  I know it's very similar to Vista and I've read those comparisons too.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Another clue that Victory (Radiance) will be doing a short Europe season after it goes through THE CHANGE  
 

Listed in Palma de Mallorca for 1 call.  I am getting a tiny (OK a lot) excited.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> Another clue that Victory (Radiance) will be doing a short Europe season after it goes through THE CHANGE
> View attachment 360847
> 
> Listed in Palma de Mallorca for 1 call.  I am getting a tiny (OK a lot) excited.


We’re starting to get pretty excited too!  My daughter graduates from HS that year so she’s picking out the cruise. We did Mediterranean on Vista in 2016 and she wants to go back if there’s a cruise that includes Greece. We’re sure hoping one of the cruises goes there!!  Please continue to report to us your findings.


----------



## luvdisney00

Hi! I need some help from my DIS cruise expert friends. My family of 5 wants to try a cruise vacation this summer which is something totally new for us. I have been looking at cruise info all day and am just getting more confused. Based on sailing dates and departure port (we want to leave from NY/NJ in late July or early Aug) we have choices of Carnival Sunrise, Norwegian Dawn or a RCL which I haven't researched yet. My daughters are 24,21 and 16 our picture is really old LOL... What is the best way to check prices? Do I need a TA? A suite or 2 rooms? How do I know what is included as far as food and drinks? I'm lost! Thanks for any advice.


----------



## hdrolfe

luvdisney00 said:


> Hi! I need some help from my DIS cruise expert friends. My family of 5 wants to try a cruise vacation this summer which is something totally new for us. I have been looking at cruise info all day and am just getting more confused. Based on sailing dates and departure port (we want to leave from NY/NJ in late July or early Aug) we have choices of Carnival Sunrise, Norwegian Dawn or a RCL which I haven't researched yet. My daughters are 24,21 and 16 our picture is really old LOL... What is the best way to check prices? Do I need a TA? A suite or 2 rooms? How do I know what is included as far as food and drinks? I'm lost! Thanks for any advice.



Given the ages of your kids, I'd probably suggest two cabins. A lot of families do a balcony for the parents and an inside across the hall for the kids. Gives two bathrooms, private space etc. Not sure you need a TA. I know both Carnival and NCL have "personal planners" who can help you book with either cruise line. Do you know which ship it was for RCL? I see Adventure or Anthem out of New York next summer. I'd suggest either of those would be a hit with your kids. I think that NCL Dawn would have fewer things to do, it doesn't have water slides or a ropes course, not sure it has a rock wall either. Sunrise is being refurb'd and updated so it will have a ropes course, water slides. 

As for food and drinks, all 3 cruise lines have included meals and specialty restaurants where you would pay. They all have a buffet and an MDR. I haven't cruised NCL (yet) but between Carnival and RCL I prefer the food options on Carnival (love Guys burgers and Blue Iguana burritos), but my son prefers the buffet on RCL. They should all include water (tap not bottled), lemonade, iced tea, coffee, tea and RCL at least has flavoured water. They would all also offer drink packages of various types. I think RCL has the most variety there in terms of an alcohol package, a non-alcohol package and a pop package. NCL usually has a deal where you can get that free (though you have to pay the gratuities upfront with that). Carnival and RCL require you to get a package for all adults in the room (not sure about NCL?). RCL & Carnival have either set time or any time dining, you choose which you want to do and that's it for the whole cruise. With NCL you get "freestyle" so it's like any time dining, nothing is set. 

As for prices, I use an app that will send me emails when prices change, and also just do mock bookings to see what the price is now, through the cruise line website directly. You can use a TA, they'd be able to guide you to the right cruise I'm sure. I just generally prefer to book it all myself. Once I've booked, I check periodically for a price change.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

luvdisney00 said:


> Hi! I need some help from my DIS cruise expert friends. My family of 5 wants to try a cruise vacation this summer which is something totally new for us. I have been looking at cruise info all day and am just getting more confused. Based on sailing dates and departure port (we want to leave from NY/NJ in late July or early Aug) we have choices of Carnival Sunrise, Norwegian Dawn or a RCL which I haven't researched yet. My daughters are 24,21 and 16 our picture is really old LOL... What is the best way to check prices? Do I need a TA? A suite or 2 rooms? How do I know what is included as far as food and drinks? I'm lost! Thanks for any advice.



Everything hdrolfe said!  Also, check out the "fun" things like pools, slides, rope courses, mini golf.  Those really help to make the sea days fun!  I think Carnival has the most included "other" food venues (meaning not just buffet or main dining room).  

You also really want to focus on itinerary.  Each island is unique and offers different cultural, historic and natural areas.  Some are more focused on beautiful beaches and others have lots of adventure excursions.

With 5 I would also get 2 rooms.  You will want to extra bathroom.

Please come back with more questions.  I think we all love helping new cruisers find their niche.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

luvdisney00 said:


> Hi! I need some help from my DIS cruise expert friends. My family of 5 wants to try a cruise vacation this summer which is something totally new for us. I have been looking at cruise info all day and am just getting more confused. Based on sailing dates and departure port (we want to leave from NY/NJ in late July or early Aug) we have choices of Carnival Sunrise, Norwegian Dawn or a RCL which I haven't researched yet. My daughters are 24,21 and 16 our picture is really old LOL... What is the best way to check prices? Do I need a TA? A suite or 2 rooms? How do I know what is included as far as food and drinks? I'm lost! Thanks for any advice.


If it is Anthem on RCCL out of NY I would seriously consider it for your age kids.  There is a great video on this ship if you google Anthem of the Seas Jim Zim.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

luvdisney00 said:


> Hi! I need some help from my DIS cruise expert friends. My family of 5 wants to try a cruise vacation this summer which is something totally new for us. I have been looking at cruise info all day and am just getting more confused. Based on sailing dates and departure port (we want to leave from NY/NJ in late July or early Aug) we have choices of Carnival Sunrise, Norwegian Dawn or a RCL which I haven't researched yet. My daughters are 24,21 and 16 our picture is really old LOL... What is the best way to check prices? Do I need a TA? A suite or 2 rooms? How do I know what is included as far as food and drinks? I'm lost! Thanks for any advice.


I agree with everything so far, especially the 2 cabins. We have 2 teenagers and 7 of our 9 cruises have been in 2 inside cabins. The only time we ever got a balcony is when we shared 1 cabin. We definitely prefer 2. We’ve only cruises Disney and Carnival and have a ton of fun of Carnival. The food choices are great. We were supposed to go on Anthem of the Seas this summer and I was really looking forward to it. We ended up buying a new house this year so will be back on Carnival Vista for the 4th time. I don’t think you could go wrong with either Carnival or Royal. I wouldn’t go with Norwegian only because that’s an older smaller ship. 

We’ve always just booked cruises online after researching. Both Royal and Carnival offer options to book on a refundable deposit or non-refundable deposit. Always book a refundable deposit and get travel insurance.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I just want to give a shoutout to @mevelandry and thank her for this amazing Carnival thread. I think it’s helping out many people who don’t want to pay Disney prices anymore and/or who just might be sick of the same itineraries over and over. Cruises are the only way we like to travel and vacation now and it’s so nice to know there is life beyond DCL!!


----------



## mevelandry

Thank you so much. 

I love hanging here with you guys and how we can chat about all the different options offered to us, with an open mind.


----------



## Monykalyn

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I just want to give a shoutout to @mevelandry and thank her for this amazing Carnival thread.


I will second this! As a newbie cruiser and first cruise on Carnival it is really nice to have friendly info without snark. I do think we may try a DCL cruise as well as DH really wants to try the line. I am not opposed to this either LOL!


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> I will second this! As a newbie cruiser and first cruise on Carnival it is really nice to have friendly info without snark. I do think we may try a DCL cruise as well as DH really wants to try the line. I am not opposed to this either LOL!



You guys are making me blush...  


And yes, you absolutely should try a DCL cruise if you can. I'm sure you'll have a great time. 

It is a wonderful cruise line and I would definitely cruise more on them if the premium wasn't that high (We can afford it but we are not enough into characters and their shows to justify the price difference) and the fact we would most likely stick to eating in Palo and Remy every night LOL.


----------



## cruiser21

Monykalyn said:


> I will second this! As a newbie cruiser and first cruise on Carnival it is really nice to have friendly info without snark. I do think we may try a DCL cruise as well as DH really wants to try the line. I am not opposed to this either LOL!


I'm not sure where you normally post since your not new to the dis, but this is a very friendly thread. I've done 20 dcl cruises and 3 carnival. It's been a few years since I've cruised on Carnival, two of my cruises were 20+ years ago when I was in college. I think I paid like 100.00 dollars for a 4 night cruise and shared a room with a couple other girls. One cruise I had to pay for one of my friends because she couldn't come up with a hundred bucks. I think we were all, going to school,  working part time and making 5 bucks an hour.

 Now I have teens that have grown up on DCL and they love it. You should try a Disney cruise at least once.


----------



## kaseyC

trvlgirlmq said:


> Another clue that Victory (Radiance) will be doing a short Europe season after it goes through THE CHANGE
> View attachment 360847
> 
> Listed in Palma de Mallorca for 1 call.  I am getting a tiny (OK a lot) excited.



Tell me more!!! Carnival may be doing Europe again?  Loved our Vista Eastern Med.


----------



## mevelandry

If I knew Carnival was doing Europe (and our financial situation was stable enough), I think it could be a could opportunity for us to try Europe for the first time... Time will tell.


----------



## diseverestfan

Hello all. I just got back from a 5 night cruise on the Carnival Elation and wanted to share a few thoughts. Before I do that, a little history - I had been on 2 previous cruises, both with Disney. In 2012 my family sailed on the Fantasy for a 7-night eastern Caribbean adventure just months after her christening. Then, a year later, it was a 4-night jaunt on the Dream to the Bahamas. Both were equally amazing, and having been to WDW 14 times as well, I was a certified Disney snob who, if I was being completely transparent...looked down on those who chose to cruise with Carnival. (as well as other cruise lines) In fact, back then I would have given my chances of getting struck by lightning twice as much higher than if I would ever lower myself to cruise on some "Fun Ship."...

Fast forward 5 years. This past spring I was looking for a way to do something exciting with my daughters, ages 17 and 16. Since they had equally amazing experiences on our Disney cruises I didn't hesitate to start the booking process for a repeat 4 night Bahama cruise in October. Wanted a veranda since I would be traveling without my wife this time around, and for the 3 of us the amount was just over $3500. Ouch. That was more than I was looking to spend for that amount of time. Now what? I'm an infrequent visitor on these boards but for whatever reason decided to log in and see what was happening at the parks. While playing around I came across this thread and started reading. Hmm. A good many people seemed to like these "cheap" Carnival cruises BUT...how could I? I was always all about all things Disney! Shame on me for even considering another line, much less...Carnival. It didn't even sound right saying it out loud. But again, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to gulp - go on the Carnival website and start pricing out the inferior trips they provide. I came across a 5 night cruise to the Bahamas on the Elation and for the same category room my price was...

$1298. What? Admittedly, I knew that Carnival was cheaper...that's part of the reason why I avoided them. My math: cheaper = get what you pay for. But this was something else...1/3 of the price of Disney for an EXTRA night? Now I was torn. I talked to my wife and told her what I found. She said "you're not really considering that are you?" to which I said "umm...hell yeah! It's a 1/3 of the price for a longer cruise!!!" Finally, after a few days of soul-searching and restless nights, I did it. I booked Carnival. Oh my, what did I get myself into?

For those of you reading this thread and god forbid my post, let me share with you one thing - if you're even considering a Carnival Cruise and never done so before...DO IT!!! We had an amazing time. Honestly, I was totally blown away. And while you can't compare the Elation (built in 1998) to the Disney Dream or Fantasy, there are a few things I'd like to compare and just share some candid thoughts. If you're still reading, here we go!

1. Cleanliness - we all thought the Elation was gorgeous and she has sure aged well. Understood that she had a massive rehab just last year, but the ship was a delight. Rich, dark woods and beautiful decor combined with the relatively small size made both the feeling and the accessibility wonderful. Great ship to sail on! I will say she rocks and rolls a good bit but that didn't bother me at all.

2. Customer Service - okay...this is one area that I thought that I thought would be a huge disparity between Disney and Carnival, and I was right. We all unanimously agreed that Carnival Elation staff was incredible, and way beyond what we got from Disney. Every, I mean every person we encountered was polite, and most were downright engaging. We talked about this the entire cruise. From Cam the CR to Zya our housekeeper to Rey and Juan in the dining room, they were all so wonderful that when we had to leave on Saturday it felt like we were leaving friends. Truly. 

3. Food - Kind of a tossup here. I think the Cabanas buffet on DCL was far better than Tiffany's on Carnival. I'd say the food in the dining room was about equal, perhaps a slight edge to Carnival. I really enjoyed Guy's Burgers and honestly if it wasn't an option at lunchtime, that might have ended up being a disappointment. The Elation dining room is very nice but can't compare to the DCL ships. 

4. Entertainment - I am not a drinker at all. Like zero. So, no comments on the multitude of bars and lounges on either line. What I can compare is Playlist Productions vs DCL's evening shows, and again, no contest. Carnival wins here by a HUGE margin! The Carnival shows "Divas" and "Epic Rock" blew us away. Fabulous dancing, singing, and special effects. Both shows were so good I went to both performances. In my limited sampling, major kudos to Carnival. (am I really saying this? )

5. Jacksonville/Port Canaveral - DCL's terminal is amazing and Jaxport is...well, like a warehouse. However, as far as getting in, parked, checked in, on and off the ship...so painless on Carnival. ( admission - I had booked FTTF which helped) 

6. Value - I'm not going to bad mouth DCL. It is still a great line to cruise. However, much like the parks, they are pricing out a lot of people these days. I happen to be one of them. What I can tell you is that while Disney is truly magical and the ships have special touches that Carnival doesn't, there is no way it is worth the difference in price. No way. A price difference of over $2300 with one less night is absurd and was the only reason I ventured to Carnival to begin with. 

Epilogue - I can't believe I spent years being too good for Carnival. No more. My next cruise, and hopefully many, many cruises to come will be on a Fun Ship. I loved every minute of my trip, and when I completed my follow-up survey today I had nothing negative to say other than perhaps offer more variety at the buffet. To all of you who like me have or are still Carnival bashers please stop if you haven't sailed with them yet. Your mileage may vary, but for me I'm a proud Carnival fan going forward.

Can't wait to sail a Fun Ship again.

A newly-made Carnival supporter,

Mike


----------



## mevelandry

diseverestfan said:


> Hello all. I just got back from a 5 night cruise on the Carnival Elation and wanted to share a few thoughts. Before I do that, a little history - I had been on 2 previous cruises, both with Disney. In 2012 my family sailed on the Fantasy for a 7-night eastern Caribbean adventure just months after her christening. Then, a year later, it was a 4-night jaunt on the Dream to the Bahamas. Both were equally amazing, and having been to WDW 14 times as well, I was a certified Disney snob who, if I was being completely transparent...looked down on those who chose to cruise with Carnival. (as well as other cruise lines) In fact, back then I would have given my chances of getting struck by lightning twice as much higher than if I would ever lower myself to cruise on some "Fun Ship."...
> 
> Fast forward 5 years. This past spring I was looking for a way to do something exciting with my daughters, ages 17 and 16. Since they had equally amazing experiences on our Disney cruises I didn't hesitate to start the booking process for a repeat 4 night Bahama cruise in October. Wanted a veranda since I would be traveling without my wife this time around, and for the 3 of us the amount was just over $3500. Ouch. That was more than I was looking to spend for that amount of time. Now what? I'm an infrequent visitor on these boards but for whatever reason decided to log in and see what was happening at the parks. While playing around I came across this thread and started reading. Hmm. A good many people seemed to like these "cheap" Carnival cruises BUT...how could I? I was always all about all things Disney! Shame on me for even considering another line, much less...Carnival. It didn't even sound right saying it out loud. But again, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to gulp - go on the Carnival website and start pricing out the inferior trips they provide. I came across a 5 night cruise to the Bahamas on the Elation and for the same category room my price was...
> 
> $1298. What? Admittedly, I knew that Carnival was cheaper...that's part of the reason why I avoided them. My math: cheaper = get what you pay for. But this was something else...1/3 of the price of Disney for an EXTRA night? Now I was torn. I talked to my wife and told her what I found. She said "you're not really considering that are you?" to which I said "umm...hell yeah! It's a 1/3 of the price for a longer cruise!!!" Finally, after a few days of soul-searching and restless nights, I did it. I booked Carnival. Oh my, what did I get myself into?
> 
> For those of you reading this thread and god forbid my post, let me share with you one thing - if you're even considering a Carnival Cruise and never done so before...DO IT!!! We had an amazing time. Honestly, I was totally blown away. And while you can't compare the Elation (built in 1998) to the Disney Dream or Fantasy, there are a few things I'd like to compare and just share some candid thoughts. If you're still reading, here we go!
> 
> 1. Cleanliness - we all thought the Elation was gorgeous and she has sure aged well. Understood that she had a massive rehab just last year, but the ship was a delight. Rich, dark woods and beautiful decor combined with the relatively small size made both the feeling and the accessibility wonderful. Great ship to sail on! I will say she rocks and rolls a good bit but that didn't bother me at all.
> 
> 2. Customer Service - okay...this is one area that I thought that I thought would be a huge disparity between Disney and Carnival, and I was right. We all unanimously agreed that Carnival Elation staff was incredible, and way beyond what we got from Disney. Every, I mean every person we encountered was polite, and most were downright engaging. We talked about this the entire cruise. From Cam the CR to Zya our housekeeper to Rey and Juan in the dining room, they were all so wonderful that when we had to leave on Saturday it felt like we were leaving friends. Truly.
> 
> 3. Food - Kind of a tossup here. I think the Cabanas buffet on DCL was far better than Tiffany's on Carnival. I'd say the food in the dining room was about equal, perhaps a slight edge to Carnival. I really enjoyed Guy's Burgers and honestly if it wasn't an option at lunchtime, that might have ended up being a disappointment. The Elation dining room is very nice but can't compare to the DCL ships.
> 
> 4. Entertainment - I am not a drinker at all. Like zero. So, no comments on the multitude of bars and lounges on either line. What I can compare is Playlist Productions vs DCL's evening shows, and again, no contest. Carnival wins here by a HUGE margin! The Carnival shows "Divas" and "Epic Rock" blew us away. Fabulous dancing, singing, and special effects. Both shows were so good I went to both performances. In my limited sampling, major kudos to Carnival. (am I really saying this? )
> 
> 5. Jacksonville/Port Canaveral - DCL's terminal is amazing and Jaxport is...well, like a warehouse. However, as far as getting in, parked, checked in, on and off the ship...so painless on Carnival. ( admission - I had booked FTTF which helped)
> 
> 6. Value - I'm not going to bad mouth DCL. It is still a great line to cruise. However, much like the parks, they are pricing out a lot of people these days. I happen to be one of them. What I can tell you is that while Disney is truly magical and the ships have special touches that Carnival doesn't, there is no way it is worth the difference in price. No way. A price difference of over $2300 with one less night is absurd and was the only reason I ventured to Carnival to begin with.
> 
> Epilogue - I can't believe I spent years being too good for Carnival. No more. My next cruise, and hopefully many, many cruises to come will be on a Fun Ship. I loved every minute of my trip, and when I completed my follow-up survey today I had nothing negative to say other than perhaps offer more variety at the buffet. To all of you who like me have or are still Carnival bashers please stop if you haven't sailed with them yet. Your mileage may vary, but for me I'm a proud Carnival fan going forward.
> 
> Can't wait to sail a Fun Ship again.
> 
> A newly-made Carnival supporter,
> 
> Mike



Thank you so much for your comparison!  I will add it to the first post. 

Look, I was a DCL snob in 2015 (who would laugh of Carnival ships because they would not look as good as ours, while being docked in Nassau) so I can relate. 

I, for myself, am so glad that I went " to the dark side" because it opened a whole new world to me and also convinced me to try other cruise lines as well. Experiences may vary but ours has been great. 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with trying something different! 

Did you go to Half Moon Cay during your 5 nights? How did you think they compared? 

I honestly can't pick a favorite between Castaway Cay and Half Moon Cay!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

diseverestfan said:


> Hello all. I just got back from a 5 night cruise on the Carnival Elation and wanted to share a few thoughts. Before I do that, a little history - I had been on 2 previous cruises, both with Disney. In 2012 my family sailed on the Fantasy for a 7-night eastern Caribbean adventure just months after her christening. Then, a year later, it was a 4-night jaunt on the Dream to the Bahamas. Both were equally amazing, and having been to WDW 14 times as well, I was a certified Disney snob who, if I was being completely transparent...looked down on those who chose to cruise with Carnival. (as well as other cruise lines) In fact, back then I would have given my chances of getting struck by lightning twice as much higher than if I would ever lower myself to cruise on some "Fun Ship."...
> 
> Fast forward 5 years. This past spring I was looking for a way to do something exciting with my daughters, ages 17 and 16. Since they had equally amazing experiences on our Disney cruises I didn't hesitate to start the booking process for a repeat 4 night Bahama cruise in October. Wanted a veranda since I would be traveling without my wife this time around, and for the 3 of us the amount was just over $3500. Ouch. That was more than I was looking to spend for that amount of time. Now what? I'm an infrequent visitor on these boards but for whatever reason decided to log in and see what was happening at the parks. While playing around I came across this thread and started reading. Hmm. A good many people seemed to like these "cheap" Carnival cruises BUT...how could I? I was always all about all things Disney! Shame on me for even considering another line, much less...Carnival. It didn't even sound right saying it out loud. But again, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to gulp - go on the Carnival website and start pricing out the inferior trips they provide. I came across a 5 night cruise to the Bahamas on the Elation and for the same category room my price was...
> 
> $1298. What? Admittedly, I knew that Carnival was cheaper...that's part of the reason why I avoided them. My math: cheaper = get what you pay for. But this was something else...1/3 of the price of Disney for an EXTRA night? Now I was torn. I talked to my wife and told her what I found. She said "you're not really considering that are you?" to which I said "umm...hell yeah! It's a 1/3 of the price for a longer cruise!!!" Finally, after a few days of soul-searching and restless nights, I did it. I booked Carnival. Oh my, what did I get myself into?
> 
> For those of you reading this thread and god forbid my post, let me share with you one thing - if you're even considering a Carnival Cruise and never done so before...DO IT!!! We had an amazing time. Honestly, I was totally blown away. And while you can't compare the Elation (built in 1998) to the Disney Dream or Fantasy, there are a few things I'd like to compare and just share some candid thoughts. If you're still reading, here we go!
> 
> 1. Cleanliness - we all thought the Elation was gorgeous and she has sure aged well. Understood that she had a massive rehab just last year, but the ship was a delight. Rich, dark woods and beautiful decor combined with the relatively small size made both the feeling and the accessibility wonderful. Great ship to sail on! I will say she rocks and rolls a good bit but that didn't bother me at all.
> 
> 2. Customer Service - okay...this is one area that I thought that I thought would be a huge disparity between Disney and Carnival, and I was right. We all unanimously agreed that Carnival Elation staff was incredible, and way beyond what we got from Disney. Every, I mean every person we encountered was polite, and most were downright engaging. We talked about this the entire cruise. From Cam the CR to Zya our housekeeper to Rey and Juan in the dining room, they were all so wonderful that when we had to leave on Saturday it felt like we were leaving friends. Truly.
> 
> 3. Food - Kind of a tossup here. I think the Cabanas buffet on DCL was far better than Tiffany's on Carnival. I'd say the food in the dining room was about equal, perhaps a slight edge to Carnival. I really enjoyed Guy's Burgers and honestly if it wasn't an option at lunchtime, that might have ended up being a disappointment. The Elation dining room is very nice but can't compare to the DCL ships.
> 
> 4. Entertainment - I am not a drinker at all. Like zero. So, no comments on the multitude of bars and lounges on either line. What I can compare is Playlist Productions vs DCL's evening shows, and again, no contest. Carnival wins here by a HUGE margin! The Carnival shows "Divas" and "Epic Rock" blew us away. Fabulous dancing, singing, and special effects. Both shows were so good I went to both performances. In my limited sampling, major kudos to Carnival. (am I really saying this? )
> 
> 5. Jacksonville/Port Canaveral - DCL's terminal is amazing and Jaxport is...well, like a warehouse. However, as far as getting in, parked, checked in, on and off the ship...so painless on Carnival. ( admission - I had booked FTTF which helped)
> 
> 6. Value - I'm not going to bad mouth DCL. It is still a great line to cruise. However, much like the parks, they are pricing out a lot of people these days. I happen to be one of them. What I can tell you is that while Disney is truly magical and the ships have special touches that Carnival doesn't, there is no way it is worth the difference in price. No way. A price difference of over $2300 with one less night is absurd and was the only reason I ventured to Carnival to begin with.
> 
> Epilogue - I can't believe I spent years being too good for Carnival. No more. My next cruise, and hopefully many, many cruises to come will be on a Fun Ship. I loved every minute of my trip, and when I completed my follow-up survey today I had nothing negative to say other than perhaps offer more variety at the buffet. To all of you who like me have or are still Carnival bashers please stop if you haven't sailed with them yet. Your mileage may vary, but for me I'm a proud Carnival fan going forward.
> 
> Can't wait to sail a Fun Ship again.
> 
> A newly-made Carnival supporter,
> 
> Mike



What a great review! We had the exact same feelings about DCL and reaction to CCL.  Our first CCL cruise was about a 6k verses 13k price difference.  Also for a cruise with one extra day and better ports (Aruba, Curacao) on CCL.  Even the biggest Disney snob (me) could not resist the idea of saving 7k!!! Nuts!  There were some differences or "imperfections," but some differences are actually (gasp) better on CCL and no imperfection justified the price difference.  What a wonderful trip, and our Disney loving kids absolutely LOVE CCL- also shocking for us.  We will turn gold on our next CCL cruise- and with Carnival you turn gold on the trip not after like with DCL.  We still joke about the differences and still look at DCL, but it is so hard to justify the price.  Thanks for your review.  Made me smile!


----------



## diseverestfan

mevelandry said:


> Thank you so much for your comparison!  I will add it to the first post.
> 
> Look, I was a DCL snob in 2015 (who would laugh of Carnival ships because they would not look as good as ours, while being docked in Nassau) so I can relate.
> 
> I, for myself, am so glad that I went " to the dark side" because it opened a whole new world to me and also convinced me to try other cruise lines as well. Experiences may vary but ours has been great.
> 
> There is absolutely nothing wrong with trying something different!
> 
> Did you go to Half Moon Cay during your 5 nights? How did you think they compared?
> 
> I honestly can't pick a favorite between Castaway Cay and Half Moon Cay!



I'm glad you brought up Castaway and Half Moon, I wanted to include that in my review. (and I did read your review a few pages back )

I thought they were equal in terms of beauty and the lunch buffet. I thought Castaway was easier to get around. Better signage, wider paths, etc. We decided to pick up towels at Half Moon rather than take them off the ship and we couldn't find them without asking twice. We also like that on Castaway you can rent bikes and ride on your own versus having to do an excursion to ride on Half Moon. 

So glad I was willing to try something different.


----------



## diseverestfan

we"reofftoneverland said:


> What a great review! We had the exact same feelings about DCL and reaction to CCL.  Our first CCL cruise was about a 6k verses 13k price difference.  Also for a cruise with one extra day and better ports (Aruba, Curacao) on CCL.  Even the biggest Disney snob (me) could not resist the idea of saving 7k!!! Nuts!  There were some differences or "imperfections," but some differences are actually (gasp) better on CCL and no imperfection justified the price difference.  What a wonderful trip, and our Disney loving kids absolutely LOVE CCL- also shocking for us.  We will turn gold on our next CCL cruise- and with Carnival you turn gold on the trip not after like with DCL.  We still joke about the differences and still look at DCL, but it is so hard to justify the price.  Thanks for your review.  Made me smile!


Thank you for the kind words, I agree with you completely. There would have to be some awfully big imperfections to spend an extra $7000!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

kaseyC said:


> Tell me more!!! Carnival may be doing Europe again?  Loved our Vista Eastern Med.



I wish I had more clues!  I have checked religiously all of the Med ports that could be included but most do not publish their calendars that far in advance.  We will know on November 15 since itineraries will be released for sale that day.  Keeping my fingers crossed.


----------



## mevelandry

diseverestfan said:


> I'm glad you brought up Castaway and Half Moon, I wanted to include that in my review. (and I did read your review a few pages back )
> 
> I thought they were equal in terms of beauty and the lunch buffet. I thought Castaway was easier to get around. Better signage, wider paths, etc. We decided to pick up towels at Half Moon rather than take them off the ship and we couldn't find them without asking twice. We also like that on Castaway you can rent bikes and ride on your own versus having to do an excursion to ride on Half Moon.
> 
> So glad I was willing to try something different.



I agree with what you said regarding the towels.

 I wasn't sure about the bikes.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

diseverestfan said:


> Hello all. I just got back from a 5 night cruise on the Carnival Elation and wanted to share a few thoughts. Before I do that, a little history - I had been on 2 previous cruises, both with Disney. In 2012 my family sailed on the Fantasy for a 7-night eastern Caribbean adventure just months after her christening. Then, a year later, it was a 4-night jaunt on the Dream to the Bahamas. Both were equally amazing, and having been to WDW 14 times as well, I was a certified Disney snob who, if I was being completely transparent...looked down on those who chose to cruise with Carnival. (as well as other cruise lines) In fact, back then I would have given my chances of getting struck by lightning twice as much higher than if I would ever lower myself to cruise on some "Fun Ship."...
> 
> Fast forward 5 years. This past spring I was looking for a way to do something exciting with my daughters, ages 17 and 16. Since they had equally amazing experiences on our Disney cruises I didn't hesitate to start the booking process for a repeat 4 night Bahama cruise in October. Wanted a veranda since I would be traveling without my wife this time around, and for the 3 of us the amount was just over $3500. Ouch. That was more than I was looking to spend for that amount of time. Now what? I'm an infrequent visitor on these boards but for whatever reason decided to log in and see what was happening at the parks. While playing around I came across this thread and started reading. Hmm. A good many people seemed to like these "cheap" Carnival cruises BUT...how could I? I was always all about all things Disney! Shame on me for even considering another line, much less...Carnival. It didn't even sound right saying it out loud. But again, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to gulp - go on the Carnival website and start pricing out the inferior trips they provide. I came across a 5 night cruise to the Bahamas on the Elation and for the same category room my price was...
> 
> $1298. What? Admittedly, I knew that Carnival was cheaper...that's part of the reason why I avoided them. My math: cheaper = get what you pay for. But this was something else...1/3 of the price of Disney for an EXTRA night? Now I was torn. I talked to my wife and told her what I found. She said "you're not really considering that are you?" to which I said "umm...hell yeah! It's a 1/3 of the price for a longer cruise!!!" Finally, after a few days of soul-searching and restless nights, I did it. I booked Carnival. Oh my, what did I get myself into?
> 
> For those of you reading this thread and god forbid my post, let me share with you one thing - if you're even considering a Carnival Cruise and never done so before...DO IT!!! We had an amazing time. Honestly, I was totally blown away. And while you can't compare the Elation (built in 1998) to the Disney Dream or Fantasy, there are a few things I'd like to compare and just share some candid thoughts. If you're still reading, here we go!
> 
> 1. Cleanliness - we all thought the Elation was gorgeous and she has sure aged well. Understood that she had a massive rehab just last year, but the ship was a delight. Rich, dark woods and beautiful decor combined with the relatively small size made both the feeling and the accessibility wonderful. Great ship to sail on! I will say she rocks and rolls a good bit but that didn't bother me at all.
> 
> 2. Customer Service - okay...this is one area that I thought that I thought would be a huge disparity between Disney and Carnival, and I was right. We all unanimously agreed that Carnival Elation staff was incredible, and way beyond what we got from Disney. Every, I mean every person we encountered was polite, and most were downright engaging. We talked about this the entire cruise. From Cam the CR to Zya our housekeeper to Rey and Juan in the dining room, they were all so wonderful that when we had to leave on Saturday it felt like we were leaving friends. Truly.
> 
> 3. Food - Kind of a tossup here. I think the Cabanas buffet on DCL was far better than Tiffany's on Carnival. I'd say the food in the dining room was about equal, perhaps a slight edge to Carnival. I really enjoyed Guy's Burgers and honestly if it wasn't an option at lunchtime, that might have ended up being a disappointment. The Elation dining room is very nice but can't compare to the DCL ships.
> 
> 4. Entertainment - I am not a drinker at all. Like zero. So, no comments on the multitude of bars and lounges on either line. What I can compare is Playlist Productions vs DCL's evening shows, and again, no contest. Carnival wins here by a HUGE margin! The Carnival shows "Divas" and "Epic Rock" blew us away. Fabulous dancing, singing, and special effects. Both shows were so good I went to both performances. In my limited sampling, major kudos to Carnival. (am I really saying this? )
> 
> 5. Jacksonville/Port Canaveral - DCL's terminal is amazing and Jaxport is...well, like a warehouse. However, as far as getting in, parked, checked in, on and off the ship...so painless on Carnival. ( admission - I had booked FTTF which helped)
> 
> 6. Value - I'm not going to bad mouth DCL. It is still a great line to cruise. However, much like the parks, they are pricing out a lot of people these days. I happen to be one of them. What I can tell you is that while Disney is truly magical and the ships have special touches that Carnival doesn't, there is no way it is worth the difference in price. No way. A price difference of over $2300 with one less night is absurd and was the only reason I ventured to Carnival to begin with.
> 
> Epilogue - I can't believe I spent years being too good for Carnival. No more. My next cruise, and hopefully many, many cruises to come will be on a Fun Ship. I loved every minute of my trip, and when I completed my follow-up survey today I had nothing negative to say other than perhaps offer more variety at the buffet. To all of you who like me have or are still Carnival bashers please stop if you haven't sailed with them yet. Your mileage may vary, but for me I'm a proud Carnival fan going forward.
> 
> Can't wait to sail a Fun Ship again.
> 
> A newly-made Carnival supporter,
> 
> Mike



Thanks for the detailed and great review.

On Carnival, what I like about the lunch options is that many of the ships have a lot of "made for you" items - they make pizza, deli, burritos/tacos, burgers, wok, or pasta fresh for each person to their specifications. With the elation being a smaller ship it doesn't have quite the options that some of the others do but I'm glad to hear you really enjoyed guy's burgers.

Did you get a chance to try the sea day brunch? That's a favourite in our house along with the sweets at the sea day afternoon tea (where you can also get coffee or lemonade).


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> I wish I had more clues!  I have checked religiously all of the Med ports that could be included but most do not publish their calendars that far in advance.  We will know on November 15 since itineraries will be released for sale that day.  Keeping my fingers crossed.


I was just on the Carnival website and they open to book on November 12, I signed up to receive email updates and supposedly “special” pricing. I really hope there’s a cruise in June that includes Greece.


----------



## Monykalyn

cruiser21 said:


> I'm not sure where you normally post since your not new to the dis, but this is a very friendly thread


 yes it is! 
Normally I am here and there on the disney world side of board-my oldest just finished her 2nd DCP this summer (and now talking about a third next summer ). Have been on Something about nothing on Universal side for s few years now. Let my Disney AP lapse in august (used alot while DD in the college program) and we are now premier UO pass holders (just went to first HHN in September). So I tend to "float" wherever 

My biggest sticking point is price for DCL-for a 4 day cruise I can get 6-7 on CCL. But who knows-would really like to try them at least once.


----------



## diseverestfan

PrincessTrisha said:


> Thanks for the detailed and great review.
> 
> On Carnival, what I like about the lunch options is that many of the ships have a lot of "made for you" items - they make pizza, deli, burritos/tacos, burgers, wok, or pasta fresh for each person to their specifications. With the elation being a smaller ship it doesn't have quite the options that some of the others do but I'm glad to hear you really enjoyed guy's burgers.
> 
> Did you get a chance to try the sea day brunch? That's a favourite in our house along with the sweets at the sea day afternoon tea (where you can also get coffee or lemonade).


We didn't get to the Sea Day Brunch. I was talking to my wife last night and it sounds like I'll be booking my 2nd Carnival Cruise shortly, and I'm sure the 2 of us will enjoy that. 

My daughters did enjoy the made to order pizza. Of course along with that came a bit of wait for it to be ready. I know they appreciated having it fresh and hot!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I was just on the Carnival website and they open to book on November 12, I signed up to receive email updates and supposedly “special” pricing. I really hope there’s a cruise in June that includes Greece.



Well, it was the 15th!  How weird that they changed it.  I had previously signed up for the email notification but just did it again in case the date change affected anything.


----------



## belle032

Thank you for your honest and refreshing review @diseverestfan !!

I wish more people would be open stepping outside their cruise comfort zone. Of course most people have their favorites, but that doesn’t mean you need to put down other cruise lines, especially if you don’t have any experience with them!

DH and I are CCL veterans but are trying our first DCL next year. Very excited to try it out! And honestly, whether it be CCL, DCL, RCL or NCL, it doesn’t matter! I can’t imagine ever having a bad time on a cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> Thanks for the detailed and great review.
> 
> On Carnival, what I like about the lunch options is that many of the ships have a lot of "made for you" items - they make pizza, deli, burritos/tacos, burgers, wok, or pasta fresh for each person to their specifications. With the elation being a smaller ship it doesn't have quite the options that some of the others do but I'm glad to hear you really enjoyed guy's burgers.
> 
> Did you get a chance to try the sea day brunch? That's a favourite in our house along with the sweets at the sea day afternoon tea (where you can also get coffee or lemonade).



There was no afternoon tea during my cruise on the Sensation. I was sad.


----------



## diseverestfan

belle032 said:


> Thank you for your honest and refreshing review @diseverestfan !!
> 
> I wish more people would be open stepping outside their cruise comfort zone. Of course most people have their favorites, but that doesn’t mean you need to put down other cruise lines, especially if you don’t have any experience with them!
> 
> DH and I are CCL veterans but are trying our first DCL next year. Very excited to try it out! And honestly, whether it be CCL, DCL, RCL or NCL, it doesn’t matter! I can’t imagine ever having a bad time on a cruise.



It's one thing to put something down, but it's really sad to do so when you've never given it a chance. I feel ashamed for how I acted about Carnival. I mean, we were treated like family last week. I was hoping that I'd tolerate the week and ended up being thoroughly impressed. 

I hope your Disney cruise is Magical! What ship are you sailing and what is your itinerary? I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time...like you said, it really doesn't matter. Once your ship slides away from the dock, regardless of the cruise line, it's going to be awesome.


----------



## diseverestfan

By the way, I just want to add that we had an amazing excursion in Nassau that I found online and is not available through the cruise lines. It's Bahama Jet Boat, and it was the highlight of the week for my teenage daughters. If you or your teens love water thrills I highly recommend this tour. It's an hour long and for the first 30 minutes you'll get a little narrated tour of the harbor area where the crew points out interesting homes and their owners. The last 20-30 minutes is full-throttle up and down the harbor including sharp turns and full spins. What a blast! (you WILL get very, very wet!!!)

We struggle with things of interest to do in Nassau and I hit it out the park with this little find.

Also - please ask any questions you might have about CCL and DCL. I'll see if I can help.


----------



## mevelandry

diseverestfan said:


> Hello all. I just got back from a 5 night cruise on the Carnival Elation and wanted to share a few thoughts. Before I do that, a little history - I had been on 2 previous cruises, both with Disney. In 2012 my family sailed on the Fantasy for a 7-night eastern Caribbean adventure just months after her christening. Then, a year later, it was a 4-night jaunt on the Dream to the Bahamas. Both were equally amazing, and having been to WDW 14 times as well, I was a certified Disney snob who, if I was being completely transparent...looked down on those who chose to cruise with Carnival. (as well as other cruise lines) In fact, back then I would have given my chances of getting struck by lightning twice as much higher than if I would ever lower myself to cruise on some "Fun Ship."...
> 
> Fast forward 5 years. This past spring I was looking for a way to do something exciting with my daughters, ages 17 and 16. Since they had equally amazing experiences on our Disney cruises I didn't hesitate to start the booking process for a repeat 4 night Bahama cruise in October. Wanted a veranda since I would be traveling without my wife this time around, and for the 3 of us the amount was just over $3500. Ouch. That was more than I was looking to spend for that amount of time. Now what? I'm an infrequent visitor on these boards but for whatever reason decided to log in and see what was happening at the parks. While playing around I came across this thread and started reading. Hmm. A good many people seemed to like these "cheap" Carnival cruises BUT...how could I? I was always all about all things Disney! Shame on me for even considering another line, much less...Carnival. It didn't even sound right saying it out loud. But again, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to gulp - go on the Carnival website and start pricing out the inferior trips they provide. I came across a 5 night cruise to the Bahamas on the Elation and for the same category room my price was...
> 
> $1298. What? Admittedly, I knew that Carnival was cheaper...that's part of the reason why I avoided them. My math: cheaper = get what you pay for. But this was something else...1/3 of the price of Disney for an EXTRA night? Now I was torn. I talked to my wife and told her what I found. She said "you're not really considering that are you?" to which I said "umm...hell yeah! It's a 1/3 of the price for a longer cruise!!!" Finally, after a few days of soul-searching and restless nights, I did it. I booked Carnival. Oh my, what did I get myself into?
> 
> For those of you reading this thread and god forbid my post, let me share with you one thing - if you're even considering a Carnival Cruise and never done so before...DO IT!!! We had an amazing time. Honestly, I was totally blown away. And while you can't compare the Elation (built in 1998) to the Disney Dream or Fantasy, there are a few things I'd like to compare and just share some candid thoughts. If you're still reading, here we go!
> 
> 1. Cleanliness - we all thought the Elation was gorgeous and she has sure aged well. Understood that she had a massive rehab just last year, but the ship was a delight. Rich, dark woods and beautiful decor combined with the relatively small size made both the feeling and the accessibility wonderful. Great ship to sail on! I will say she rocks and rolls a good bit but that didn't bother me at all.
> 
> 2. Customer Service - okay...this is one area that I thought that I thought would be a huge disparity between Disney and Carnival, and I was right. We all unanimously agreed that Carnival Elation staff was incredible, and way beyond what we got from Disney. Every, I mean every person we encountered was polite, and most were downright engaging. We talked about this the entire cruise. From Cam the CR to Zya our housekeeper to Rey and Juan in the dining room, they were all so wonderful that when we had to leave on Saturday it felt like we were leaving friends. Truly.
> 
> 3. Food - Kind of a tossup here. I think the Cabanas buffet on DCL was far better than Tiffany's on Carnival. I'd say the food in the dining room was about equal, perhaps a slight edge to Carnival. I really enjoyed Guy's Burgers and honestly if it wasn't an option at lunchtime, that might have ended up being a disappointment. The Elation dining room is very nice but can't compare to the DCL ships.
> 
> 4. Entertainment - I am not a drinker at all. Like zero. So, no comments on the multitude of bars and lounges on either line. What I can compare is Playlist Productions vs DCL's evening shows, and again, no contest. Carnival wins here by a HUGE margin! The Carnival shows "Divas" and "Epic Rock" blew us away. Fabulous dancing, singing, and special effects. Both shows were so good I went to both performances. In my limited sampling, major kudos to Carnival. (am I really saying this? )
> 
> 5. Jacksonville/Port Canaveral - DCL's terminal is amazing and Jaxport is...well, like a warehouse. However, as far as getting in, parked, checked in, on and off the ship...so painless on Carnival. ( admission - I had booked FTTF which helped)
> 
> 6. Value - I'm not going to bad mouth DCL. It is still a great line to cruise. However, much like the parks, they are pricing out a lot of people these days. I happen to be one of them. What I can tell you is that while Disney is truly magical and the ships have special touches that Carnival doesn't, there is no way it is worth the difference in price. No way. A price difference of over $2300 with one less night is absurd and was the only reason I ventured to Carnival to begin with.
> 
> Epilogue - I can't believe I spent years being too good for Carnival. No more. My next cruise, and hopefully many, many cruises to come will be on a Fun Ship. I loved every minute of my trip, and when I completed my follow-up survey today I had nothing negative to say other than perhaps offer more variety at the buffet. To all of you who like me have or are still Carnival bashers please stop if you haven't sailed with them yet. Your mileage may vary, but for me I'm a proud Carnival fan going forward.
> 
> Can't wait to sail a Fun Ship again.
> 
> A newly-made Carnival supporter,
> 
> Mike



Just wanted to confirm that I have added a link to your comparison to the first post.    Thank you so much!


----------



## belle032

diseverestfan said:


> It's one thing to put something down, but it's really sad to do so when you've never given it a chance. I feel ashamed for how I acted about Carnival. I mean, we were treated like family last week. I was hoping that I'd tolerate the week and ended up being thoroughly impressed.
> 
> I hope your Disney cruise is Magical! What ship are you sailing and what is your itinerary? I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time...like you said, it really doesn't matter. Once your ship slides away from the dock, regardless of the cruise line, it's going to be awesome.



I’m so glad you had a positive experience and so happy you shared it with us!

We’re sailing on the Magic on the 7 night British Isles itinerary next year. We’ll also spend at least 2 days in London before sailing. Very much a bucket list cruise! It’ll be just DH and I, as we don’t have kids, but we’re so excited!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Thank you for your honest and refreshing review @diseverestfan !!
> 
> I wish more people would be open stepping outside their cruise comfort zone. Of course most people have their favorites, but that doesn’t mean you need to put down other cruise lines, especially if you don’t have any experience with them!
> 
> DH and I are CCL veterans but are trying our first DCL next year. Very excited to try it out! And honestly, whether it be CCL, DCL, RCL or NCL, it doesn’t matter! I can’t imagine ever having a bad time on a cruise.



You'll have a great time. The first DCL cruise is usually very special and emotional.


----------



## mevelandry

diseverestfan said:


> It's one thing to put something down, but it's really sad to do so when you've never given it a chance. I feel ashamed for how I acted about Carnival. I mean, we were treated like family last week. I was hoping that I'd tolerate the week and ended up being thoroughly impressed.
> 
> I hope your Disney cruise is Magical! What ship are you sailing and what is your itinerary? I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time...like you said, it really doesn't matter. *Once your ship slides away from the dock, regardless of the cruise line, it's going to be awesome. *



Yes.

As we were seated outside, gazing at the ocean, my husband said (joking): "Ever noticed how we get this view (the wonderful ocean view) regardless of the cruise line we sail on?" ...


----------



## mevelandry

**Major change of plans**

While DH and I were okay with taking a chance on the Carnival Sunshine after the listing incident, my MIL and FIL were not... :/

Since we already had checked the Carnival Liberty as a plan B, we decided to check again and there it was, the offer that we could not refuse:

For the same price we were going to spend on inside Spa cabins on Sunshine, I have found two --side by side-- L shaped cabins with "extended balconies" (2 portholes and 1 window door, the cabins are filled with light!!!), on a 4 nights cruise going to Princess Cays and leaving on the exact same date as we were originally supposed to sail on the Sunshine, which means we don't need to change anything on our WDW reservations.

The Liberty may not have the awesome Serenity pool BUT it has a aft pool very similar to the one we were crazy about on the Victory. AND it has a Barbecue counter and a Steakhouse.

Everybody is super excited!!!

Now, we have to decided which excursion we'll do in Nassau. 

P.s.: I did not want to return to Grand Turk anyway. I'm sure Amber Cove is nice but I'm more excited about Princess Cays to be honest.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> **Major change of plans**
> 
> While DH and I were okay with taking a chance on the Carnival Sunshine after the listing incident, my MIL and FIL were not... :/
> 
> Since we already had checked the Carnival Liberty as a plan B, we decided to check again and there it was, the offer that we could not refuse:
> 
> For the same price we were going to spend on inside Spa cabins on Sunshine, I have found two --side by side-- L shaped cabins with "extended balconies" (2 portholes and 1 window door, the cabins are filled with light!!!), on a 4 nights cruise going to Princess Cays and leaving on the exact same date as we were originally supposed to sail on the Sunshine, which means we don't need to change anything on our WDW reservations.
> 
> The Liberty may not have the awesome Serenity pool BUT it has a aft pool very similar to the one we were crazy about on the Victory. AND it has a Barbecue counter and a Steakhouse.
> 
> Everybody is super excited!!!
> 
> Now, we have to decided which excursion we'll do in Nassau.
> 
> P.s.: I did not want to return to Grand Turk anyway. I'm sure Amber Cove was nice but I'm more excited about Princess Cays to be honest.



I was looking at that Sunshine cruise, it seemed to be filling up, there were not many cabins left. I wonder how many others will change their plans now.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I was looking at that Sunshine cruise, it seemed to be filling up, there were not many cabins left. I wonder how many others will change their plans now.



Hard to tell. DH and I would probably not have changed if it wasn't for my in-laws. 

But I'm extremely happy with the plan B so it's all good.


----------



## mevelandry

Oh by the way, since it's for a celebration, we checked DCL as well...

April 14 -Carnival - 4 nights - Nassau/Princess Cays - Verandah (extended) L shaped Cabin (AFT): 1379$ for 2 adults
April 15 -Disney - 4 nights - Nassau/Castaway Cay - Verandah cabin (AFT) : 3756$ for 2 adults

Yeah... 2377$ more for DCL. We had a good laugh and booked with Carnival.


----------



## diseverestfan

mevelandry said:


> Oh by the way, since it's for a celebration, we checked DCL as well...
> 
> April 14 -Carnival - 4 nights - Nassau/Princess Cays - Verandah (extended) L shaped Cabin (AFT): 1379$ for 2 adults
> April 15 -Disney - 4 nights - Nassau/Castaway Cay - Verandah cabin (AFT) : 3756$ for 2 adults
> 
> Yeah... 2377$ more for DCL. We had a good laugh and booked with Carnival.



There you go...nearly 3X the money to cruise DCL versus Carnival. That is the same price difference I encountered when booking my recent trip.

Have a great time, and thanks for all the information you provide in this thread. You were one who helped convince me to try CCL...even though you didn't realize it at the time.


----------



## mevelandry

diseverestfan said:


> There you go...nearly 3X the money to cruise DCL versus Carnival. That is the same price difference I encountered when booking my recent trip.
> 
> Have a great time, and thanks for all the information you provide in this thread. You were one who helped convince me to try CCL...even though you didn't realize it at the time.



You're going to make me blush... 



Thank you. I'm so glad you had a good time!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I am anxiously anticipating Monday when the Radiance itineraries will be released.  On Sunday my mom and I were watching Rick Steves on PBS and his show was him doing a Med cruise!  My mom was just drooling and says she really wants to do another one.  Hoping for some good itineraries.  Not sure what we will do if they aren't what we might really want.  I guess I will try to open everyone's mind to NCL or RCCL.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> I am anxiously anticipating Monday when the Radiance itineraries will be released.  On Sunday my mom and I were watching Rick Steves on PBS and his show was him doing a Med cruise!  My mom was just drooling and says she really wants to do another one.  Hoping for some good itineraries.  Not sure what we will do if they aren't what we might really want.  I guess I will try to open everyone's mind to NCL or RCCL.


We’re looking forward to it too!  We just need one that includes Greece and we’ll be there.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’re looking forward to it too!  We just need one that includes Greece and we’ll be there.



Yes, Greece!  It is so beautiful.


----------



## mevelandry

Before, when you left your guests under "TBA" and you changed your non-refundable reservation, you'd only pay ONE 50$/pp fee to make the change. 

Sounds like they corrected the loophole. 

I had to pay 50$/pp for each guest for my recent change. 

Booooohhhh!!!!


----------



## cruiser21

belle032 said:


> I’m so glad you had a positive experience and so happy you shared it with us!
> 
> We’re sailing on the Magic on the 7 night British Isles itinerary next year. We’ll also spend at least 2 days in London before sailing. Very much a bucket list cruise! It’ll be just DH and I, as we don’t have kids, but we’re so excited!


Nice! I'll be on the cruise after you. I wish I could do both. I've considered switching to your cruise, but geez I hate 14 hour flights. Only having to fly to Europe one way is more appealing. I need to move to the East coast since that's the direction I'm always going.


----------



## cruiser21

mevelandry said:


> Before, when you left your guests under "TBA" and you changed your non-refundable reservation, you'd only pay ONE 50$/pp fee to make the change.
> 
> Sounds like they corrected the loophole.
> 
> I had to pay 50$/pp for each guest for my recent change.
> 
> Booooohhhh!!!!


I do not like Carnivals non refundable deposits. Not worth it my opinion.


----------



## mevelandry

cruiser21 said:


> I do not like Carnivals non refundable deposits. Not worth it my opinion.



I only like them because the original booking price is usually lower under "Early Saver". 

That being said, if they are going to give us a refund when prices go down regardless of the type of promo we used, it may not be such a good deal after all. 

Also, now that they officially charge 50$/pp for a change even with TBA guests, it's very unlikely that I'm going to pick that promo again.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> I only like them because the original booking price is usually lower under "Early Saver".
> 
> That being said, if they are going to give us a refund when prices go down regardless of the type of promo we used, it may not be such a good deal after all.
> 
> Also, now that they officially charge 50$/pp for a change even with TBA guests, it's very unlikely that I'm going to pick that promo again.



Frequently the past guest offer is only a couple dollars more per person than the early saver rate - so if you need the refundable deposit, that's a good offer to choose. You can also book the past guest rate and then when you've firmed things up, switch to the early saver rate. You'll pay the going rate so it's not always worth it (I've booked past guest 2 years in advance than ended up being less than the early saver a year out) but you can always check.

Early saver does have it's advantages - for instance, I booked our upcoming Sunshine cruise early saver and then they came out with a casino offer under my VIFP number so I was able to price match and get all of the benefits. Generally though we book so far in advance that it's unusual to see much of a price difference for us - I think the most we've gotten off a cruise (other than this next one where we saved $$$) is about $40-$60. Though I have heard of people who have saved a lot more.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

PrincessTrisha said:


> Frequently the past guest offer is only a couple dollars more per person than the early saver rate - so if you need the refundable deposit, that's a good offer to choose. You can also book the past guest rate and then when you've firmed things up, switch to the early saver rate. You'll pay the going rate so it's not always worth it (I've booked past guest 2 years in advance than ended up being less than the early saver a year out) but you can always check.
> 
> Early saver does have it's advantages - for instance, I booked our upcoming Sunshine cruise early saver and then they came out with a casino offer under my VIFP number so I was able to price match and get all of the benefits. Generally though we book so far in advance that it's unusual to see much of a price difference for us - I think the most we've gotten off a cruise (other than this next one where we saved $$$) is about $40-$60. Though I have heard of people who have saved a lot more.


I only book under the past guest offer now, it’s usually not that much more per person so it’s worth it to me to not have to worry about canceling.


----------



## mevelandry

Taking notes regarding the Past guests.Thanks!


----------



## mevelandry

Oh I forgot to mention... 

Sounds like there's a new Build-a-Bear activity (profits go to St. Jude). 

We came across that activity on our last cruise. The toys look absolutely amazing. I was very impressed as I did not know a toy from Build-a-bear could look so good. 

They had all kinds of animals (turtles, sharks, etc.) It was super cute!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Oh I forgot to mention...
> 
> Sounds like there's a new Build-a-Bear activity (profits go to St. Jude).
> 
> We came across that activity on our last cruise. The toys look absolutely amazing. I was very impressed as I did not know a toy from Build-a-bear could look so good.
> 
> They had all kinds of animals (turtles, sharks, etc.) It was super cute!



I don't think it's new. It was on our first cruise in 2015. My son wasn't interested at the time so we didn't do it. It was offered twice I think, on the 7 day cruise. It's listed in the kids schedule and the regular daily schedule I believe. It is cute though, and nice to see the profits going to St Jude.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I don't think it's new. It was on our first cruise in 2015. My son wasn't interested at the time so we didn't do it. It was offered twice I think, on the 7 day cruise. It's listed in the kids schedule and the regular daily schedule I believe. It is cute though, and nice to see the profits going to St Jude.



Ah, I received an email which stated "Build-a-Bear comes to Carnival" so I thought it was recent. 

Either way: it's really awesome!


----------



## mcd2745

Is it safe to assume that typical dinner attire is fairly casual on Carnival? (yes, it's that ever-present dress code question)


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mcd2745 said:


> Is it safe to assume that typical dinner attire is fairly casual on Carnival? (yes, it's that ever-present dress code question)



Yes, non-Elegant nights the dress code is casual.  You can wear jeans, t-shirts, shorts. I have never seen anyone turned away.  On Elegant nights no shorts but I have seen nice jeans.


----------



## mevelandry

I was told you are not supposed to wear shorts and tank tops in the dining room. However, I've never seen anyone being sent back because they were wearing shorts. I believe the dress code is encouraged but not enforced. 

But most people take pride in dressing up well during elegant night.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> I was told you are not supposed to wear shorts and tank tops in the dining room. However, I've never seen anyone being sent back because they were wearing shorts. I believe the dress code is encouraged but not enforced.
> 
> But most people take pride in dressing up well during elegant night.



I'm over the getting really dressed up.  We went to the buffet on Elegant night our last cruise.  They were serving the same prime rib and baked potatoes without me wearing pinchy shoes! I call that a win.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I'm over the getting really dressed up.  We went to the buffet on Elegant night our last cruise.  They were serving the same prime rib and baked potatoes without me wearing pinchy shoes! I call that a win.



Yeah. I noticed that the menu at the Lido was similar.

Now I only go when I wanna feel pampered or when I want my 20$ Filet Mignon.

That being said, with the family, we decided that we were going to play "elegant" for our next cruise and go to the dining room on Elegant Night.

P.s. I refuse to wear anything else than ballerinas.


----------



## mcd2745

trvlgirlmq said:


> Yes, non-Elegant nights the dress code is casual.  You can wear jeans, t-shirts, shorts. I have never seen anyone turned away.  On Elegant nights no shorts but I have seen nice jeans.





mevelandry said:


> I was told you are not supposed to wear shorts and tank tops in the dining room. However, I've never seen anyone being sent back because they were wearing shorts. I believe the dress code is encouraged but not enforced.
> 
> But most people take pride in dressing up well during elegant night.



Thanks. I was indeed referring to regular nights and not a formal (I guess Carnival calls it "elegant") night. We're a long ways away from knowing where we will be eating each night anyway (we went with "your time" dining). Just wanted to get a general sense.


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> Thanks. I was indeed referring to regular nights and not a formal (I guess Carnival calls it "elegant") night. We're a long ways away from knowing where we will be eating each night anyway (we went with "your time" dining). Just wanted to get a general sense.



There are so much food options on Carnival that we do not eat in the dining room as often as we would on DCL. 

The buffet serves some of the dishes offered in the dining room as well during the evening (usually by the middle of the afternoon the name of the dishes are already placed on the buffet so it's quite easy to know in advance what will be served at the Lido and what will only be available at the dining room)... No matter what you decided to do, you won't go hungry.  

And yes, "Elegant night" is the term they use and usually, people eating in the dining room that night take it very seriously. I've seen many tuxedos and gowns.


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> There are so much food options on Carnival that we do not eat in the dining room as often as we would on DCL.



Yeah, unfortunately with DCL you really do not have many options (and I would prefer that the buffet remain a buffet for dinner). I would love to see that change on their new ships, with them adding different restaurants to go along with a "your time"/"my time"/"Freestyle" type of option, but I seriously doubt it would happen. Most of the DCL loyalists love their dining set up and keeping the same serving team throughout the cruise. That's never really meant all that much to me. I would prefer to have more flexibility each day with regards to where we eat and at what time.


----------



## mevelandry

***Paid in full dance***

(Both 2019 cruises!)


----------



## mevelandry

So apparently, there are two big announcements coming monday and tuesday for Carnival? 

I wonder what it is? 

I'm hoping for:

1) Pig & Anchor everywhere

2) Cruises in Europe


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Radiance itineraries on Monday 
Legend itineraries on Tuesday 
Later this week or next week first LNG ship name announced


----------



## mevelandry

Didn't see that one coming:

_
"CHIEF FUN OFFICER SHAQUILLE O’NEAL TO OPEN FIRST ‘BIG CHICKEN’ RESTAURANT AT SEA ABOARD CARNIVAL RADIANCE"

New Dining Venue Part of $200 Million Dry Dock Taking Place in 2020

MIAMI (Nov. 12, 2018) – Carnival Cruise Line announced today that the totally transformed Carnival Radiance will be the first cruise ship to feature “Big Chicken,” a seagoing version of a new restaurant created by the line’s Chief Fun Officer, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. _
_The menu will feature a mouth-watering variety of fried chicken sandwiches and fries, with flavors to match Shaq’s larger than life personality, all free of charge._

Source: John Heald on FB.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Yeah, who cares about chicken! Just give me itineraries.  I'm going out of my mind here.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Yeah, who cares about chicken! Just give me itineraries.  I'm going out of my mind here.



I do. But... I get your point!  

If you learn them before I do, feel free to post them here. A bunch of us are interested!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Didn't see that one coming:
> 
> _
> "CHIEF FUN OFFICER SHAQUILLE O’NEAL TO OPEN FIRST ‘BIG CHICKEN’ RESTAURANT AT SEA ABOARD CARNIVAL RADIANCE"
> 
> New Dining Venue Part of $200 Million Dry Dock Taking Place in 2020
> 
> MIAMI (Nov. 12, 2018) – Carnival Cruise Line announced today that the totally transformed Carnival Radiance will be the first cruise ship to feature “Big Chicken,” a seagoing version of a new restaurant created by the line’s Chief Fun Officer, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal.
> The menu will feature a mouth-watering variety of fried chicken sandwiches and fries, with flavors to match Shaq’s larger than life personality, all free of charge._
> 
> Source: John Heald on FB.


This cracks me up
lo that it was the big announcement.  But sounds delicious!


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> This cracks me up
> lo that it was the big announcement.  But sounds delicious!



It's not. Apparently, the big announcement is happening tomorrow.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> I do. But... I get your point!
> 
> If you learn them before I do, feel free to post them here. A bunch of us are interested!



Carnival had posted for weeks that bookings would be available on November 12.  Now that information has been removed.  I'm a little ticked that they could not adhere to their own timeline.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> Carnival had posted for weeks that bookings would be available on November 12.  Now that information has been removed.  I'm a little ticked that they could not adhere to their own timeline.


They seem to do that quite often, it drives me nuts. I really want to see the European itineraries bad.


----------



## mevelandry

Anxiously waiting...


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Anxiously waiting...


For all you European fans... they are on there!  And there are quite a few.  We will be on the Panorama that summer...


----------



## mevelandry

So... 4 dates...


Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Livorno (Florence and Pisa), Naples (Pompei and Capri), Messina (Sicily), Marseilles (Provence).

OR

Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Naples (Pompei and Capri), Messina (Sicily), Roma.

OR

A mix of the two with Corfu (Greece) and Malta?


p.s.: I can't go. We have Hawaii with the family during that period.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Yes, only 4 sailings plus the TA.  Disappointing but that is what they did with Horizon too. The only date that works for us is the last one departing May 30.  My DS is unsure whether he wants to go and I am OK with him staying with my sister but I still don't want to be gone while school is in.  Decisions to make now.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

We’re doing the Transatlantic. My wife is a teacher and we never have the opportunity to do a TA so we’re pretty excited. We also have enough airline miles that we’ll be able to fly to Barcelona in Business Class since we’ll only be flying from New York to AZ after the cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’re doing the Transatlantic. My wife is a teacher and we never have the opportunity to do a TA so we’re pretty excited. We also have enough airline miles that we’ll be able to fly to Barcelona in Business Class since we’ll only be flying from New York to AZ after the cruise.



Awesome!  

What are the TA stops?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’re doing the Transatlantic. My wife is a teacher and we never have the opportunity to do a TA so we’re pretty excited. We also have enough airline miles that we’ll be able to fly to Barcelona in Business Class since we’ll only be flying from New York to AZ after the cruise.



Awesome.  I am not sure I would like all those sea days. 

I think we will take the kids on a short Spring Break cruise and then just my mom and I will go to Europe.  Will be so different without kids but I guess I better get used to it as the youngest will be graduating in 3 years.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Will the new chicken restaurant be on the Panorama?  Hope so....


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’re doing the Transatlantic. My wife is a teacher and we never have the opportunity to do a TA so we’re pretty excited. We also have enough airline miles that we’ll be able to fly to Barcelona in Business Class since we’ll only be flying from New York to AZ after the cruise.



When I saw the TA I was tempted for the same reason-- you never see them in summer.  Plus, the price is great.  Just slightly more than our summer 2020 7 night Panorama but for 13 nights!   I brought it up for discussion last night and got some pushback because when we do Panorama we will probably do a few days in DL and our 9 and 10 year old made their preference known.  Mickey's parks win every time.  I was trying to figure out if I could persuade them with a side trip to DL Paris, but Dh said no because he can only really take 2 weeks max at a time.  That TA looks like an awesome cruise!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Steel cutting ceremony in Finland today for the new LNG ship Carnival ????  The name will be announced in December and itineraries in January 2019!

Also, don't go booking that Radiance cruise just yet!  More Europe to come on Carnival Legend.  I have found the following calls for 2020:

Reykjavik June 11
Le Havre June 18, 29 (from Southampton, to Hamburg)
Gibraltar July 4
Civitavecchia July 13, 19 August 3, 9, 24, 30, September 14, 20 October 5, 11, 26

We are now in a wait and see pattern until all Europe is announced.  So many choices!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Steel cutting ceremony in Finland today for the new LNG ship Carnival ????  The name will be announced in December and itineraries in January 2019!
> 
> Also, don't go booking that Radiance cruise just yet!  More Europe to come on Carnival Legend.  I have found the following calls for 2020:
> 
> Reykjavik June 11
> Le Havre June 18, 29 (from Southampton, to Hamburg)
> Gibraltar July 4
> Civitavecchia July 13, 19 August 3, 9, 24, 30, September 14, 20 October 5, 11, 26
> 
> We are now in a wait and see pattern until all Europe is announced.  So many choices!




OMG wow!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> OMG wow!



I know!  We were all set to book Radiance but want to see all of the options before we decide.  With those Northern Europe calls there could be British Isles and then the ship needs to get to Barcelona so a repo with lots of Spain/Portugal. I really hope they don't make us wait too long though.


----------



## mevelandry

What do you think of the new design? 

I love it!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I don't really like the giant product placement Carnival name and logo on the side.  The front color is ok but I really like the classic white.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I don't really like the giant product placement Carnival name and logo on the side.  The front color is ok but I really like the classic white.



I have to admit that I focussed on the front of the ship. I have a thing for colors on the hull. NCL ships are my favorite.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I like the blue in the front and am ok with the logo, it just reminds me a lot of a NCL ship which I’m not a big fan of.


----------



## Kpercyman

Anyone been on Carnival in Alaska? Looking at the Grand Suite. It’s between them and Royal Caribbean. 

I just refuse to pay double for Disney for the same ship I’m going on next week just because it’s in Alaska.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

Kpercyman said:


> Anyone been on Carnival in Alaska? Looking at the Grand Suite. It’s between them and Royal Caribbean.
> 
> I just refuse to pay double for Disney for the same ship I’m going on next week just because it’s in Alaska.



I'd skip the Grand Suite - Carnival doesn't have great suite benefits (very few benefits in fact).

I'd go for a Premium Balcony cabin instead on one of the spirit class ships that does Alaska for carnival. Or an extended balcony.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

We went ahead and booked the May 30 2020 12 night Med on Radiance.  We figure if we like something else when they release Legend then we can change. This way we get the price locked in (before drops I hope).  Decided to book the lowest category balcony so we can then take advantage of upgrades in lieu of price drops too. Only 559 days to go


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> What do you think of the new design?
> 
> I love it!
> 
> View attachment 365534


It seems like the ship builders (Meyer?) are selling the same ship to every cruise line... I liked it when there were more different designs.  Kind of how Disney just puts Disney Parks on everything.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> We went ahead and booked the May 30 2020 12 night Med on Radiance.  We figure if we like something else when they release Legend then we can change. This way we get the price locked in (before drops I hope).  Decided to book the lowest category balcony so we can then take advantage of upgrades in lieu of price drops too. Only 559 days to go



I'm watching for possible fall cruises in 2020 on the Legend... And a 49$ promo for the booking.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> It seems like the ship builders (Meyer?) are selling the same ship to every cruise line... I liked it when there were more different designs.  Kind of how Disney just puts Disney Parks on everything.



I can't say that I've noticed similar designs on other ships...


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I can't say that I've noticed similar designs on other ships...


I think the front looks very similar to many other ships, they all seem to have a very short bow now and a wall that goes almost straight up. All the new NCL and Princess ships are like that and the Quantum Class of RCCL is similar as well. Vista Class luckily, isn’t designed that way. 



trvlgirlmq said:


> We went ahead and booked the May 30 2020 12 night Med on Radiance.  We figure if we like something else when they release Legend then we can change. This way we get the price locked in (before drops I hope).  Decided to book the lowest category balcony so we can then take advantage of upgrades in lieu of price drops too. Only 559 days to go



Maybe we’ll meet in Barcelona!  We’ll be getting on the ship the day you get off. I’m really excited to try Shaq’s chicken place and am really hoping they have chicken and waffles on the menu.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

I think I am becoming one of those "older" overly nostalgic people ("back when I was younger, everything was better." Lol).  I had trouble finding side view photos.  But here are a few.  They are all lovely, just seem similar to me with little tweaks to make them a bit different.
Msc Seaside, NCL Encore,


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Not a complete side view.  Slightly tilted.  Princess


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I think I am becoming one of those "older" overly nostalgic people ("back when I was younger, everything was better." Lol).  I had trouble finding side view photos.  But here are a few.  They are all lovely, just seem similar to me with little tweaks to make them a bit different.
> Msc Seaside, NCL Encore,
> View attachment 366177 View attachment 366178
> View attachment 366179



I'm obsessed with all of them, to be honest.  Especially the NCL ones (I know, you don't cruise for hull design but they are so prettyyyyyy!!! )


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Maybe we’ll meet in Barcelona!  We’ll be getting on the ship the day you get off. I’m really excited to try Shaq’s chicken place and am really hoping they have chicken and waffles on the menu.



Yes!  That would be fun.  My mom is really interested in the chicken sandwich too.  After 7 cruises she finally tried the pizza and really liked it.  I don't know how she never tried it before.


----------



## mevelandry

With the 2300$ we saved by booking with Carnival instead of Disney, I booked us a stretch limousine to go to the cruise terminal.

(It was just 100$ more than a private SUV to PC...) 

They don't know. It's a surprise. We're doing this cruise to celebrate my 40th birthday. I deserve it, ok? 

p.s.: Yes, on my birthday I like to surprise other people. I'm weird like that.


----------



## MEC004

With the money saved by not booking Disney for Hawaii we can get the Penthouse on NCL and the land excursion. 

Kind of looking forward to being pampered since I don’t think we will ever be able to afford above a verandah on Disney.


----------



## mevelandry

MEC004 said:


> With the money saved by not booking Disney for Hawaii we can get the Penthouse on NCL and the land excursion.
> 
> Kind of looking forward to being pampered since I don’t think we will ever be able to afford above a verandah on Disney.



I had to google/youtube that: Wow.


----------



## mevelandry

Breaking news: Change in the smoking policy

*TOBACCO AND MARIJUANA SMOKING POLICY (U.S.)*
_Carnival Cruise Line is dedicated to the safety of all guests and crew. We want all our guests to have a safe, fun and memorable vacation. 

Smoking is a fire and safety hazard on a ship. Consequently, it is strictly limited to specific exterior deck areas and designated casino/night club spaces that can be monitored.  All guests are expected to adhere to the following safety guidelines:
_

_All staterooms and suite accommodations, including outside balconies, are NON-SMOKING. This policy applies to all forms of smoking, including but not limited to cigarettes, cigars, pipes, vaporizers, electronic cigarettes and marijuana. _
_Carnival recognizes that some state and local governments in the U.S., and in the destinations we visit, might allow marijuana use. However, Carnival Cruise Line follows U.S. federal law, which strictly prohibits possession and use of recreational/medicinal marijuana and other illegal controlled substances.  _
*Any violation of this policy will result in a $500 charge, per violation, posted on the guest’s Sail & Sign® account and may also result in the disembarkation of all guests in the stateroom.  *
_Guests who are disembarked for violating our policy will be responsible for all financial charges and expenses to return home, and no refund of their unused cruise fare will be provided. Additionally, they may be prohibited from sailing with Carnival Cruise Line in the future. _
_
Source: Carnival.com_


They are now more severe than Disney Cruise Line!

p.s.: As a non-smoker: YAYYYYY!!!!!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Breaking news: Change in the smoking policy
> 
> *TOBACCO AND MARIJUANA SMOKING POLICY (U.S.)*
> _Carnival Cruise Line is dedicated to the safety of all guests and crew. We want all our guests to have a safe, fun and memorable vacation.
> 
> Smoking is a fire and safety hazard on a ship. Consequently, it is strictly limited to specific exterior deck areas and designated casino/night club spaces that can be monitored.  All guests are expected to adhere to the following safety guidelines:
> _
> 
> _All staterooms and suite accommodations, including outside balconies, are NON-SMOKING. This policy applies to all forms of smoking, including but not limited to cigarettes, cigars, pipes, vaporizers, electronic cigarettes and marijuana. _
> _Carnival recognizes that some state and local governments in the U.S., and in the destinations we visit, might allow marijuana use. However, Carnival Cruise Line follows U.S. federal law, which strictly prohibits possession and use of recreational/medicinal marijuana and other illegal controlled substances.  _
> *Any violation of this policy will result in a $500 charge, per violation, posted on the guest’s Sail & Sign® account and may also result in the disembarkation of all guests in the stateroom.  *
> _Guests who are disembarked for violating our policy will be responsible for all financial charges and expenses to return home, and no refund of their unused cruise fare will be provided. Additionally, they may be prohibited from sailing with Carnival Cruise Line in the future. _
> _
> Source: Carnival.com_
> 
> 
> They are now more severe than Disney Cruise Line!
> 
> p.s.: As a non-smoker: YAYYYYY!!!!!


Interesting.  We are non smokers too, but I can live with some smoking.  I wish they would get rid of that vape stuff.  I prefer cigarettes to people vaping.  Stinks.  Gross.  Makes the air wet.  People vape all over the ship too.  Also think pot is disgusting.   Drove through Colorado this summer, they have lost their minds there.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Interesting.  We are non smokers too, but I can live with some smoking.  I wish they would get rid of that vape stuff.  I prefer cigarettes to people vaping.  Stinks.  Gross.  Makes the air wet.  People vape all over the ship too.  Also think pot is disgusting.   Drove through Colorado this summer, they have lost their minds there.



Vaping is included in the policy. 

Recreational smoking of pot is now legal in Canada. I'll never get over it. I despise the smell.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Vaping is included in the policy.
> 
> Recreational smoking of pot is now legal in Canada. I'll never get over it. I despise the smell.



Wow, is it really legal in Canada?  I didn't know that.  It's weird because in a way I am kind of libertarian about it.  Like on one hand I support freedom, but on the other hand, I think it is really bad stuff so I personally wouldn't vote to legalize it.   I have a relative who used it a lot, her brain is completely gone.  Very sad.
But... I read a thread once on cruise critic (Carnival) where people were arguing that it was "legal" for them to vape in their rooms because it was not smoking.   It is interesting to hear Carnival come down on it.  Good for them.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Well, they have never been very good at enforcing this rule so I don't expect too much from it.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Wow, is it really legal in Canada?  I didn't know that.  It's weird because in a way I am kind of libertarian about it.  Like on one hand I support freedom, but on the other hand, I think it is really bad stuff so I personally wouldn't vote to legalize it.   I have a relative who used it a lot, her brain is completely gone.  Very sad.
> But... I read a thread once on cruise critic (Carnival) where people were arguing that it was "legal" for them to vape in their rooms because it was not smoking.   It is interesting to hear Carnival come down on it.  Good for them.



Yes. It is legal since October 2018. 

We did not have to vote for it to be legal. It was the government's decision.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> Well, they have never been very good at enforcing this rule so I don't expect too much from it.


Good point.  I see you are the realist on the thread!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Yes. It is legal since October 2018.
> 
> We did not have to vote for it to be legal. It was the government's decision.


I realize I liked your post, but actually I do not like it!  Lol


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Well, they have never been very good at enforcing this rule so I don't expect too much from it.





we"reofftoneverland said:


> Good point.  I see you are the realist on the thread!



Maybe if I wish upon a star...?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Good point.  I see you are the realist on the thread!



You want straight talk you've got the right person! I'm not known for sugar-coating anything.


----------



## mevelandry

FYI: This morning on FB, John Heald published codes to have 5% off excursions/15% off two excursions/15% off certain Spa treatments on certain sailings (Excluding Hawaii, Europe and Alaska). 

It's just a few dollars here and there but hey... 1 more drink! LOL


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> FYI: This morning on FB, John Heald published codes to have 5% off excursions/15% off two excursions/15% off certain Spa treatments on certain sailings (Excluding Hawaii, Europe and Alaska).
> 
> It's just a few dollars here and there but hey... 1 more drink! LOL


Makes me wish I had a cruise booked... but I can't make up my mind about when to go or where or which ship...


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Makes me wish I had a cruise booked... but I can't make up my mind about when to go or where or which ship...



Maybe we can help for that?


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Maybe we can help for that?



I think there are simply too many choices! I wanted to go away at March break but flights are crazy prices. Then I thought maybe in May, but I can't decide if I'd go to Universal and/or Disney and/or a 4 night cruise (probably on Mariner so I can go to Coco Cay, but will the updates really be done by then?). I have a March break 2020 cruise booked on NCL (Breakaway western from Port Canaveral) at the moment. But that's sooooo far away! We have never cruised NCL before so I wonder if I should just go with Carnival (Magic, 8-night southern from FLL), or RCL (Harmony from Port Canaveral, Coco Cay would be for sure done by then!)? I really need to win the lottery to afford all the trips I want to take  We also plan to go away in August, but I don't normally cruise that time of year, so maybe we should do a cruise in May and Universal/Disney in August? Or is that too many trips too close together? So maybe we should do a cruise in April instead? I was looking at the Sunshine from PC but after the tipping incident, and I think it's sold out now or close to it. Could do Conquest 6 night from FLL maybe.  See  indecisive! so many ships & trips... never enough time (and money)!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I think there are simply too many choices! I wanted to go away at March break but flights are crazy prices. Then I thought maybe in May, but I can't decide if I'd go to Universal and/or Disney and/or a 4 night cruise (probably on Mariner so I can go to Coco Cay, but will the updates really be done by then?). I have a March break 2020 cruise booked on NCL (Breakaway western from Port Canaveral) at the moment. But that's sooooo far away! We have never cruised NCL before so I wonder if I should just go with Carnival (Magic, 8-night southern from FLL), or RCL (Harmony from Port Canaveral, Coco Cay would be for sure done by then!)? I really need to win the lottery to afford all the trips I want to take  We also plan to go away in August, but I don't normally cruise that time of year, so maybe we should do a cruise in May and Universal/Disney in August? Or is that too many trips too close together? So maybe we should do a cruise in April instead? I was looking at the Sunshine from PC but after the tipping incident, and I think it's sold out now or close to it. Could do Conquest 6 night from FLL maybe.  See  indecisive! so many ships & trips... never enough time (and money)!



There's not such thing as "too many trips". 

They say that most of CocoCay should be completed in May (with the exception of the "club and cabanas" that will be completed later).

It's still a bit early for March flights. Wait around Christmas and NYE... Usually the good prices for Spring happen around that period. 

April is nice for a cruise. We go every year now.

I love Universal and Disney... Can't go wrong with either of them.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> There's not such thing as "too many trips".
> 
> They say that most of CocoCay should be completed in May (with the exception of the "club and cabanas" that will be completed later).
> 
> It's still a bit early for March flights. Wait around Christmas and NYE... Usually the good prices for Spring happen around that period.
> 
> April is nice for a cruise. We go every year now.
> 
> I love Universal and Disney... Can't go wrong with either of them.



 We cruised April this year and it was nice. Normally I prefer to go in Jan/Feb but I am having to manage my vacation days a bit differently now in order to not have to put kiddo in daycare/camps during his holidays. Unfortunately it means we can travel at the most expensive times! 2017 we did 3 trips, and as awesome as it was, that plus this year's April meant I stretched the budget a little too tight, so I'm trying to be conservative. But oh it's hard! Easter weekend being right in the middle of April is also hard, and our fiscal year end at work is end of March which means we have a bunch of reports due in April so I'm not sure the boss will let me off for a week this year. 

I will most likely book something around Boxing Day, that seems to be when I have booked a trip the past few years. Hopefully flights will be good prices so I can pick something!


----------



## mevelandry

So... Apparently, the Carnival Panorama will have a trempoline park (Sky Zone) at sea? That's soooo cool!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> So... Apparently, the Carnival Panorama will have a trempoline park (Sky Zone) at sea? That's soooo cool!


I just read that, it sounds like a ton of fun. Three cruises in Vista and we still never stepped foot inside the IMAX, I’m happy they’re getting rid of it on panorama.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I just read that, it sounds like a ton of fun. Three cruises in Vista and we still never stepped foot inside the IMAX, I’m happy they’re getting rid of it on panorama.



Are they keeping some form of movie theater? 

Are they keeping the Thrill Theater? (*Fingers crossed*) 

IMAX is fun but unless there was a lot of sea days, going to the movies is way too accessible for me in real life to waste my time there.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Are they keeping some form of movie theater?
> 
> Are they keeping the Thrill Theater? (*Fingers crossed*)
> 
> IMAX is fun but unless there was a lot of sea days, going to the movies is way too accessible for me in real life to waste my time there.


As far as I know they’re keeping the Thrill Theater, I like that one, we had a great time.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> As far as I know they’re keeping the Thrill Theater, I like that one, we had a great time.



Awesome. 

Yeah, I really liked it too.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Steel cutting ceremony in Finland today for the new LNG ship Carnival ????  The name will be announced in December and itineraries in January 2019!
> 
> Also, don't go booking that Radiance cruise just yet!  More Europe to come on Carnival Legend.  I have found the following calls for 2020:
> 
> Reykjavik June 11
> Le Havre June 18, 29 (from Southampton, to Hamburg)
> Gibraltar July 4
> Civitavecchia July 13, 19 August 3, 9, 24, 30, September 14, 20 October 5, 11, 26
> 
> We are now in a wait and see pattern until all Europe is announced.  So many choices!



Where did you find the calls for September and October 2020? 

My interest is growing.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Where did you find the calls for September and October 2020?
> 
> My interest is growing.



I stalk the cruise port calendars!

Civitavecchia always has updated information.  Many only post the current year so you can't plan ahead.

https://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/en/port-civitavecchia-arrivals-and-departures-real-time#


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I stalk the cruise port calendars!
> 
> Civitavecchia always has updated information.  Many only post the current year so you can't plan ahead.
> 
> https://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/en/port-civitavecchia-arrivals-and-departures-real-time#



Thanks! I'll check it out.


----------



## mevelandry

Hmmm. I noticed that many items (candy are just an exemple) in the Gift Shop went up 1 to 3$.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Hmmm. I noticed that many items (candy are just an exemple) in the Gift Shop went up 1 to 3$.



Ugh. Hopefully not water. 

 I am calling today to prepay gratuities for our next 2 booked cruises.to get the old rate before it goes up 12/1!
  We will save over $100.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Ugh. Hopefully not water.
> 
> I am calling today to prepay gratuities for our next 2 booked cruises.to get the old rate before it goes up 12/1!
> We will save over $100.



So far, the water has not gone up in price. 

The gratuities are going up??? I'm calling!

EDIT: I just called and paid it. Thank you very much for the info!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> So far, the water has not gone up in price.
> 
> The gratuities are going up??? I'm calling!
> 
> EDIT: I just called and paid it. Thank you very much for the info!



I just got off the phone too!


----------



## mevelandry

I'm glad that I chose to go to the dark side (of cruising).

 I've seen the movie "Like Father" on Netflix this week-end it was the greatest informercial for Royal Caribbean.

While I can't wait for our Carnival Liberty cruise (Spring 2019) I also can't wait for our Mariner of the Seas cruise as well (Fall 2019)

Those who sailed with Royal, DCL and Carnival, did you think Royal was better? Because from what I have seen, it kinda looks like it. :/


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I'm glad that I chose to go to the dark side (of cruising).
> 
> I've seen the movie "Like Father" on Netflix this week-end it was the greatest informercial for Royal Caribbean.
> 
> While I can't wait for our Carnival Liberty cruise (Spring 2019) I also can't wait for our Mariner of the Seas cruise as well (Fall 2019)
> 
> Those who sailed with Royal, DCL and Carnival, did you think Royal was better? Because from what I have seen, it kinda looks like it. :/



My DH has been dying to try RCCL for a while but our kids love CCL so we always end up going that way.  He is really interested in the big ships and all the activities.  I just love cruising, so in general it doesn't matter to me.  Although, I think MSC probably isn't for me.  Thanks for the heads up on the movie.


----------



## mevelandry

ALERT, ALERT: New itineraries for Europe just got released for 2020!!!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> I'm glad that I chose to go to the dark side (of cruising).
> 
> I've seen the movie "Like Father" on Netflix this week-end it was the greatest informercial for Royal Caribbean.
> 
> While I can't wait for our Carnival Liberty cruise (Spring 2019) I also can't wait for our Mariner of the Seas cruise as well (Fall 2019)
> 
> Those who sailed with Royal, DCL and Carnival, did you think Royal was better? Because from what I have seen, it kinda looks like it. :/



So I have watched the movie, and that was not my experience on RCL. We prefer Carnival (it's more "fun"). However we will cruise whichever is going to where we want to go at a price we want to pay. And in fact NCL is up next (never been on them but I think they are comparable). We have not done DCL though. 

Keep in mind in the movie they were in a huge suite, which comes with some bonuses (unless you normally travel concierge?). They ate with the same table mates for all meals, that never happens in my experience. The one excursion they did in Jamaica does look fun, they went to Blue Hole from what I understand (and you can do that private or through the ship). 

I mean our RCL cruises were good or we wouldn't have done 3 of them! But our first and last were on Carnival and it was nice to be back on Carnival. I think it depends on what you are looking for. We go for FUN. As long as there are active things to do on board and in ports, we are happy!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Those Legend cruises! Lots to discuss at my house tonight.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> So I have watched the movie, and that was not my experience on RCL. We prefer Carnival (it's more "fun"). However we will cruise whichever is going to where we want to go at a price we want to pay. And in fact NCL is up next (never been on them but I think they are comparable). We have not done DCL though.
> 
> Keep in mind in the movie they were in a huge suite, which comes with some bonuses (unless you normally travel concierge?). They ate with the same table mates for all meals, that never happens in my experience. The one excursion they did in Jamaica does look fun, they went to Blue Hole from what I understand (and you can do that private or through the ship).
> 
> I mean our RCL cruises were good or we wouldn't have done 3 of them! But our first and last were on Carnival and it was nice to be back on Carnival. I think it depends on what you are looking for. We go for FUN. As long as there are active things to do on board and in ports, we are happy!



Yes, of course I knew that was some kind of suite. (I've stayed in all kinds of cabins so far... but no, not Concierge. Never thought that was appealing but who knows. Maybe someday.)

Thanks, I was wondering if it was Blue Hole (heard about it a lot). I was also curious about the Zipline one. 

The type of "marriage show" they did, does is really exist?


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Those Legend cruises! Lots to discuss at my house tonight.



Same here!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Yes, of course I knew that was some kind of suite. (I've stayed in all kinds of cabins so far... but no, not Concierge. Never thought that was appealing but who knows. Maybe someday.)
> 
> Thanks, I was wondering if it was Blue Hole (heard about it a lot). I was also curious about the Zipline one.
> 
> The type of "marriage show" they did, does is really exist?



Yes it does. On most cruise lines I believe, I'm sure Carnival does one as well. I've never attended myself, but they did make it look like fun.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Yes it does. On most cruise lines I believe, I'm sure Carnival does one as well. I've never attended myself, but they did make it look like fun.



Yes, Carnival does the "Love and Marriage Show", which I love. 

But the Newlyweds-style game show that they are showing in the movie looks even crazier.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Yes, Carnival does the "Love and Marriage Show", which I love.
> 
> But the Newlyweds-style game show that they are showing in the movie looks even crazier.



It's called Love and Marriage on RCL as well


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> Those Legend cruises! Lots to discuss at my house tonight.



We’re planning Alaska for 2020 but Omg that 16 night Transatlantic from NY to Dover looks amazingggg. There’s just no way for DH and I to get that many days off! Hopefully it’s a hit and they schedule more like it.

Oh and just to put things in perspective: that 16 night Transatlantic for 2 people in a Balcony: $4093

Our 2019 DCL 7 night British Isles cruise for 2 people in an Oceanview: $4918.

That’s why I’ll continue to cruise Carnival.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> We’re planning Alaska for 2020 but Omg that 16 night Transatlantic from NY to Dover looks amazingggg. There’s just no way for DH and I to get that many days off! Hopefully it’s a hit and they schedule more like it.
> 
> Oh and just to put things in perspective: that 16 night Transatlantic for 2 people in a Balcony: $4093
> 
> Our 2019 DCL 7 night British Isles cruise for 2 people in an Oceanview: $4918.
> 
> That’s why I’ll continue to cruise Carnival.



I know. Same here. My husband can't take 16 days off. My heart is broken. Iceland, Ireland and England is my dream cruise.

(Greece being second in line)

However, I have found great prices for St.Martin/St.Thomas/St.Lucia (from San Juan), and the ABC Islands which are next in line.

Trying to convince my husband to book right away while the rates are super low.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> We’re planning Alaska for 2020 but Omg that 16 night Transatlantic from NY to Dover looks amazingggg. There’s just no way for DH and I to get that many days off! Hopefully it’s a hit and they schedule more like it.
> 
> Oh and just to put things in perspective: that 16 night Transatlantic for 2 people in a Balcony: $4093
> 
> Our 2019 DCL 7 night British Isles cruise for 2 people in an Oceanview: $4918.
> 
> That’s why I’ll continue to cruise Carnival.


Awesome pricing.  Disney pricing has doubled in the last 5 years but CCL is only inching up, if at all.  Love how CCL cares about cost control.  Great, great cruise line.


----------



## mevelandry

Decisions... Decisions...

St.Marteen-St.Kitts-San Juan-Grand Turk (Carnival Breeze)? (I know I didn't like Grand Turk very much but ... it's free. LOL)

OR

Aruba-Curaçao-Amber Cove-La Romana (Carnival Horizon)?

Price is similar.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Decisions... Decisions...
> 
> St.Martin-St-Kitts-San Juan-Grand Turk (Carnival Breeze)?
> 
> OR
> 
> Aruba-Curaçao-Amber Cove-La Romana (Carnival Horizon)?
> 
> Price is similar.



Isn't breeze out of orlando and horizon Miami?  If so I would do whichever is easiest for you to get to.  Both awesome itineraries.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Isn't breeze out of orlando and horizon Miami?  If so I would do whichever is easiest for you to get to.  Both awesome itineraries.



Breeze is out from Fort Lauderdale for this one.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Breeze is out from Fort Lauderdale for this one.


Oh wow, tough decision then!  I would go with the newer ship unless the price difference is more than a couple hundred dollars.  But you can't go wrong with either.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Breeze is out from Fort Lauderdale for this one.


We went out of FL for the first time last year.  Awesome port.  Really organized and accessible.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We went out of FL for the first time last year.  Awesome port.  Really organized and accessible.



Also I love Fort Lauderdale. But then, there are also Bermuda cruises from NYC... We could avoid plane tickets...


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Decisions... Decisions...
> 
> St.Marteen-St.Kitts-San Juan-Grand Turk (Carnival Breeze)? (I know I didn't like Grand Turk very much but ... it's free. LOL)
> 
> OR
> 
> Aruba-Curaçao-Amber Cove-La Romana (Carnival Horizon)?
> 
> Price is similar.



Horizon. Looks like a nice itinerary and while St Kitts was nice it wasn't that fabulous. Unless you haven't been to San Juan? 

Who is replacing Breeze in Port Canaveral??? I like cruising from there, or Fort Lauderdale is nice too. Haven't been from Miami yet. I'm not sure I'd enjoy cruising from New York itself, it's cold to start (since I tend to cruise in winter) so you can't take advantage of the pools until you get further south, unless you have a ship like RCL Anthem with the covered pool area.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Horizon. Looks like a nice itinerary and while St Kitts was nice it wasn't that fabulous. Unless you haven't been to San Juan?
> 
> Who is replacing Breeze in Port Canaveral??? I like cruising from there, or Fort Lauderdale is nice too. Haven't been from Miami yet. I'm not sure I'd enjoy cruising from New York itself, it's cold to start (since I tend to cruise in winter) so you can't take advantage of the pools until you get further south, unless you have a ship like RCL Anthem with the covered pool area.



Never been to San Juan. Really interested in St. Marteen too. 

But I am also extremely interested in Aruba and Curaçao. Argh!!! 

And Bermuda! (I find that the Carnival cruises to Bermuda are a little bit too expensive. I know I've had a better price with Royal (which I stupidly cancelled over a cruise to Grand Turk last october). 


New York is not that cold in September and October (I live in Canada, so NYC is actually a bit warmer)...  I really don't mind.  

I love NYC. It's one of my favorite places in the world + we can save a lot of money by travelling by bus over there.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Decisions... Decisions...
> 
> St.Marteen-St.Kitts-San Juan-Grand Turk (Carnival Breeze)? (I know I didn't like Grand Turk very much but ... it's free. LOL)
> 
> OR
> 
> Aruba-Curaçao-Amber Cove-La Romana (Carnival Horizon)?
> 
> Price is similar.



We just did that 1st itinerary on the Conquest in September and it was great. I’d recommend an excursion in St. Maarten though. It’s definitely still rebuilding and you could tell. We didn’t enjoy it as much as we could have because we weren’t prepared.

Even so, I’ve heard amazing things about Aruba and Curaçao so I’d do the Horizon itinerary. Plus, newer ship to check out!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> We just did that 1st itinerary on the Conquest in September and it was great. I’d recommend an excursion in St. Maarten though. It’s definitely still rebuilding and you could tell. We didn’t enjoy it as much as we could have because we weren’t prepared.
> 
> Even so, I’ve heard amazing things about Aruba and Curaçao so I’d do the Horizon itinerary. Plus, newer ship to check out!



I think that as soon as we see prices for RCCL Bermuda, we'll be able to make a decision.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Also I love Fort Lauderdale. But then, there are also Bermuda cruises from NYC... We could avoid plane tickets...



If I lived up there, I'd definitely be cruising out of nyc a lot.  But I am always looking to cut costs...


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I think that as soon as we see prices for RCCL Bermuda, we'll be able to make a decision.


Ncl also does Bermuda out of NY.  If you can travel off season, you can get great prices with them.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Aruba and Curacao for sure!  So beautiful.  

Also, I am not normally a ship excursion person but the one we did to Isla Catalina from La Romana has been one of my very favorite beach experiences.  Just incredibly clear, beautiful water, soft, white sand and a lovely breeze.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I would love to do the TA on Legend but it has like 11 sea days and that is just too many.  Especially on a smaller ship with no bells and whistles.

We did debate for about 2 hours last night and have decided to switch our 12 day Radiance itinerary to the 12 day Legend.  The Legend goes to Dubrovnik which has been my mom's number 1 bucket list place since seeing it on some travel show eons ago.  I am giving up Dive In movies, ropes course and more food choices.  Dubrovnik had better live up to it's exalted reputation


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> I would love to do the TA on Legend but it has like 11 sea days and that is just too many.  Especially on a smaller ship with no bells and whistles.
> 
> We did debate for about 2 hours last night and have decided to switch our 12 day Radiance itinerary to the 12 day Legend.  The Legend goes to Dubrovnik which has been my mom's number 1 bucket list place since seeing it on some travel show eons ago.  I am giving up Dive In movies, ropes course and more food choices.  Dubrovnik had better live up to it's exalted reputation


You're also giving up the new chicken place.  Lol.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Officially booked on Legend to Mediterranean! Only 580 days to go.

Our itinerary is:
Barcelona
Sea Day
Livorno (Florence)
Civitavecchia (Rome)
Naples
Sea Day
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Kotor, Montenegro
Corfu, Greece
Messina (Sicily)
Sea Day
Marseille, France
Barcelona


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Ncl also does Bermuda out of NY.  If you can travel off season, you can get great prices with them.



They always seem to charge double than RCCL though.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Officially booked on Legend to Mediterranean! Only 580 days to go.
> 
> Our itinerary is:
> Barcelona
> Sea Day
> Livorno (Florence)
> Civitavecchia (Rome)
> Naples
> Sea Day
> Dubrovnik, Croatia
> Kotor, Montenegro
> Corfu, Greece
> Messina (Sicily)
> Sea Day
> Marseille, France
> Barcelona



I'm crying out of envy. Congratulations.


----------



## mevelandry

My husband is taking a few steps back now. Our beloved cat just costs us a whole cruise in health care (those vet bills can be cruel). 

But I'm more optimistic so if the price is low, I might book (regardless) and just try to make it work.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> Officially booked on Legend to Mediterranean! Only 580 days to go.
> 
> Our itinerary is:
> Barcelona
> Sea Day
> Livorno (Florence)
> Civitavecchia (Rome)
> Naples
> Sea Day
> Dubrovnik, Croatia
> Kotor, Montenegro
> Corfu, Greece
> Messina (Sicily)
> Sea Day
> Marseille, France
> Barcelona



That's an awesome cruise.  Really amazing.  I have also heard that Croatia is beautiful.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> They always seem to charge double than RCCL though.


That is good to know.  I should look at them more.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Decisions... Decisions...
> 
> St.Marteen-St.Kitts-San Juan-Grand Turk (Carnival Breeze)? (I know I didn't like Grand Turk very much but ... it's free. LOL)
> 
> OR
> 
> Aruba-Curaçao-Amber Cove-La Romana (Carnival Horizon)?
> 
> Price is similar.


Horizon!  Curaçao is awesome and I really enjoyed Aruba too. I loved that itinerary on Vista. We were actually considering it again on Horizon for 2020 until the Radiance itinerary came out and we decided to do the Transatlantic instead.  Bucket list item checked off.


----------



## mevelandry

My husband seem to have changed his mind and now came up with:

CARNIVAL FASCINATION
* San Juan  > * St. Thomas  >  St. Maarten  >  St. Kitts  >  St. Lucia  >  Barbados  > *END: San Juan*

Not a super fan of that class... but the itinerary sounds amazing!

So many choices!!!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> My husband seem to have changed his mind and now came up with:
> 
> CARNIVAL FASCINATION
> * San Juan  > * St. Thomas  >  St. Maarten  >  St. Kitts  >  St. Lucia  >  Barbados  > *END: San Juan*
> 
> Not a super fan of that class... but the itinerary sounds amazing!
> 
> So many choices!!!



Good thing is so many ports, less time on the ship if you aren't keen on it.  You could go with RCL out of San Juan (will it still be Freedom of the Seas then? That was a fun ship, we've been on it twice!).


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Good thing is so many ports, less time on the ship if you aren't keen on it.  You could go with RCL out of San Juan (will it still be Freedom of the Seas then? That was a fun ship, we've been on it twice!).



Do you think the prices would be similar?


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Do you think the prices would be similar?



I imagine RCL would be more, but the ship is also better. They also do an Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao with another island (St Thomas most often I think). You get an extra sea day but the ship is really quite nice. No water slides, but rock climbing, skating, nice pools, flowrider. 

Or Celebrity usually has a ship there too, not their newest but not their oldest I don't think. Price somewhere between the two.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Carnival Mardi Gras coming 2020!

Not sure I like the name.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> Carnival Mardi Gras coming 2020!
> 
> Not sure I like the name.


The more I see her though the more I like her. I really thinks she’s pretty. I think it’s kind of cool that Carnival is giving her the name of their first ship.


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> Carnival Mardi Gras coming 2020!
> 
> Not sure I like the name.



Love the look of the ship but don’t love the name. I like that they’re paying homage to their 1st ship, but it doesn’t really go with the rest of their fleet. And I hate to say it and it’s totally my opinion, but it almost sounds “cheaper.”


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Carnival Mardi Gras coming 2020!
> 
> Not sure I like the name.



Well... They only gave it that name because it used to be a old ship's name.

But I have to agree in a sense that "mardi gras" sounds like a "party cruise" while they are trying to get rid of that label...


----------



## belle032

Agreed. Plays right into the stereotype unfortunately. At least choose something like “Masquerade.”

I’m not sophisticated or conservative by any means but there were so many better name choices out there. I’ll still want to sail on her but just don’t think it fits the look of the ship at all!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> My husband seem to have changed his mind and now came up with:
> 
> CARNIVAL FASCINATION
> * San Juan  > * St. Thomas  >  St. Maarten  >  St. Kitts  >  St. Lucia  >  Barbados  > *END: San Juan*
> 
> Not a super fan of that class... but the itinerary sounds amazing!
> 
> So many choices!!!


Love this


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

I guess I just think most of the names are goofy.  Like Radiance?  Or Reflection?  Or Sunshine?  Or even Dream or Fantasy?  I am just boring and like names that are more concrete.  I like how Cunard has Queen Elizabeth (not that I like monarchy  Lol) and HAL uses names like Statendam which I guess is a dike in Holland.  I particularly find the Royal names silly like Seranade if the Seas.  Too poetic for me.


----------



## mevelandry

Oh well. I subscribed to the Mardi Gras news... Who knows!


----------



## hdrolfe

Looks like Mardi Gras will have a roller coaster on it! My kiddo would LOVE that... I will if he can go on it on his own lol.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

hdrolfe said:


> Looks like Mardi Gras will have a roller coaster on it! My kiddo would LOVE that... I will if he can go on it on his own lol.


This might actually get me on one of the LNG ships.  Lol


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Going to try really hard to talk both DS into Mardi Gras as a combined graduation trip (DS1 Master's program & DS2 HS) for summer 2021!  Itineraries are supposed to be released in January but probably only for the current schedule through April 2021.


----------



## hdrolfe

trvlgirlmq said:


> Going to try really hard to talk both DS into Mardi Gras as a combined graduation trip (DS1 Master's program & DS2 HS) for summer 2021!  Itineraries are supposed to be released in January but probably only for the current schedule through April 2021.



That would work really well if I can get something for March 2021... I'm excited to try the new ship!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> Looks like Mardi Gras will have a roller coaster on it! My kiddo would LOVE that... I will if he can go on it on his own lol.


Heck frickin yeah!!! Sign me up!!!  I’m so booking this ship


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> Looks like Mardi Gras will have a roller coaster on it! My kiddo would LOVE that... I will if he can go on it on his own lol.


Heck frickin yeah!!! Sign me up!!!  I’m so booking this ship


----------



## mevelandry

Hi group,

My husband and I (childfree but loud and proud petparents) lost one of our "fur babies" this week and we are grieving big time... 

This thread/the idea of cruising again is the only thing that brings me a little joy and a little interest in the future/in our "new life".


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Hi group,
> 
> My husband and I (childfree but loud and proud petparents) lost one of our "fur babies" this week and we are grieving big time...
> 
> This thread/the idea of cruising again is the only thing that brings me a little joy and a little interest in the future/in our "new life".



I am so sorry.  Over the last 12 months we lost 2 dogs and 1 cat.  It was a big adjustment too.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I am so sorry.  Over the last 12 months we lost 2 dogs and 1 cat.  It was a big adjustment too.



OMG. I can't even imagine... 

We have two other cats and I keep telling my husband that they are going to spend the rest of their life wrapped in bubble wrap.


----------



## Pens Fan

mevelandry said:


> Hi group,
> 
> My husband and I (childfree but loud and proud petparents) lost one of our "fur babies" this week and we are grieving big time...
> 
> This thread/the idea of cruising again is the only thing that brings me a little joy and a little interest in the future/in our "new life".



I'm so sorry!  Pets are indeed members of the family, and losing them is tough.  Our "fur baby" is not in great health, and we don't know how much longer we'll have with him.  It gets harder and harder to leave him when we go on vacation.  Fortunately we have a fantastic kennel that spoils him rotten.  He's heading there in a couple of hours (we are off to WDW!!!) and he's currently lounging in his favorite easy chair giving me the stink eye because he spotted the suitcases.

Hang in there! I know it's hard.


----------



## mevelandry

Pens Fan said:


> I'm so sorry!  Pets are indeed members of the family, and losing them is tough.  Our "fur baby" is not in great health, and we don't know how much longer we'll have with him.  It gets harder and harder to leave him when we go on vacation.  Fortunately we have a fantastic kennel that spoils him rotten.  He's heading there in a couple of hours (we are off to WDW!!!) and he's currently lounging in his favorite easy chair giving me the stink eye because he spotted the suitcases.
> 
> Hang in there! I know it's hard.



Awwwww... Is he the one in your avatar? 

Have fun in WDW!!! 

p.s.: Thank you for your kind words.


----------



## Pens Fan

mevelandry said:


> Awwwww... Is he the one in your avatar?
> 
> Have fun in WDW!!!
> 
> p.s.: Thank you for your kind words.



Yep!  (in his younger days)


----------



## hdrolfe

Pens Fan said:


> Yep!  (in his younger days)



He looks a lot like my puppy (Finn, he's a mostly black cockapoo with a little white chin).


----------



## mevelandry

Pens Fan said:


> Yep!  (in his younger days)



 He's adorable.


----------



## mevelandry

(Life goes on. )

Been waiting on Carnival Mardi Gras news...

Still interested in the Southern Caribbean cruises and Bermuda cruises for Fall 2020 but I'm waiting for promos.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Carnival Miracle to sail from San Francisco and San Diego in 2020!

http://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news...an-francisco-cruises-return-to-san-diego.html


----------



## mevelandry

Happy Holidays to all of you!!! 

May 2019 bring you health and a lot of cruises for you and your family!!!


----------



## mevelandry

@PrincessTrisha , I see your cruise is coming soon!!!


----------



## mevelandry

News: According to John Heald, by mid-January, there will be a charge for all the items for room service. Item will go from 2 to 6$.

Continental breakfast is still free of charge.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> News: According to John Heald, by mid-January, there will be a charge for all the items for room service. Item will go from 2 to 6$.
> 
> View attachment 372720



That is not cool!  We order the continental breakfast occasionally but that's it.


----------



## hdrolfe

we"reofftoneverland said:


> That is not cool!  We order the continental breakfast occasionally but that's it.



Continental breakfast will still be free. 

We use it for lunch sometimes after excursions since the buffet often isn't open. Or we don't want to go all that way from the room. It's annoying. I know we'll manage, we did on RCL when they started charging too.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Continental breakfast will still be free.
> 
> We use it for lunch sometimes after excursions since the buffet often isn't open. Or we don't want to go all that way from the room. It's annoying. I know we'll manage, we did on RCL when they started charging too.



I didn't catch the info regarding breakfast. EDIT: You are correct. Continental breakfast is still included.


----------



## mevelandry

So... What does 2019 look like for you? 

DH and I are hoping that we both keep our jobs this year (uncertainty on both sides). Our two 2019 cruises are already both PIF, though. *Phew!* ...   

The first one on Carnival, the second one on Royal Caribbean as a "Test Cruise". 

As much as we like CCL, we are very excited to try RCCL. It's nice to try something new once in a while!


----------



## belle032

Hi all, hope everyone had a wonderful holiday & new year!

We are officially into 2019, which means our 1st DCL in September! I started looking at flights into London today...  they still seem so expensive! Forgot how much I dislike booking flights, between that and looking at hotels to stay in before we sail, my "uber-planner" gift/curse is kicking in for sure.

Something ridiculous I found out: so our closest airport is Rochester, NY. I wish we could fly out of JFK, but its over 5 hours away and the drive/time/parking/hassle vs. money savings doesn't really make sense. Every flight connects in JFK anyway. 

So booking Rochester - London Heathrow: a little over $3000 for 2 people roundtrip (connects in JFK)
But booking Rochester - JFK and JFK - London Heathrow: $2300 for 2 people roundtrip

They are LITERALLY the same flights, just broken into 2 separate bookings. Just goes to show I have no idea how airlines work.  All I know is this is definitely not our typical fly nonstop to Florida, hop on a ship, Caribbean cruise!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> So... What does 2019 look like for you?
> 
> DH and I are hoping that we both keep our jobs this year (uncertainty on both sides). Our two 2019 cruises are already both PIF, though. *Phew!* ...
> 
> The first one on Carnival, the second one on Royal Caribbean as a "Test Cruise".
> 
> As much as we like CCL, we are very excited to try RCCL. It's nice to try something new once in a while!


We have Vista booked for June and that’s it at this point. Looking forward to being on Vista again and really looking forward to Roatan and Belize. In Roatan we’re going to the sloth sanctuary, so excited to hold one.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Hi all, hope everyone had a wonderful holiday & new year!
> 
> We are officially into 2019, which means our 1st DCL in September! I started looking at flights into London today...  they still seem so expensive! Forgot how much I dislike booking flights, between that and looking at hotels to stay in before we sail, my "uber-planner" gift/curse is kicking in for sure.
> 
> Something ridiculous I found out: so our closest airport is Rochester, NY. I wish we could fly out of JFK, but its over 5 hours away and the drive/time/parking/hassle vs. money savings doesn't really make sense. Every flight connects in JFK anyway.
> 
> So booking Rochester - London Heathrow: a little over $3000 for 2 people roundtrip (connects in JFK)
> But booking Rochester - JFK and JFK - London Heathrow: $2300 for 2 people roundtrip
> 
> They are LITERALLY the same flights, just broken into 2 separate bookings. Just goes to show I have no idea how airlines work.  All I know is this is definitely not our typical fly nonstop to Florida, hop on a ship, Caribbean cruise!



I liked a FB page named "Flytrippers". I think they have a page for every big town in America and they look for the best deals to go anywhere in the world and post them every day (I suspect they have spreadsheets with best value for each destination) I see deals for London all the time. I recommend it.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We have Vista booked for June and that’s it at this point. Looking forward to being on Vista again and really looking forward to Roatan and Belize. In Roatan we’re going to the sloth sanctuary, so excited to hold one.



Very exciting!


----------



## belle032

We have not done the Vista class yet and I’ve heard so many mixed things. Yes, they’re different from previous ships, but is that realllllyyy a bad thing? I think it’s a good excuse to try one for ourselves! And by the time we book one, the Panorama and possibly Mardi Gras will be out so prices for the Vista/Horizon will have come down a a bit


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> We have not done the Vista class yet and I’ve heard so many mixed things. Yes, they’re different from previous ships, but is that realllllyyy a bad thing? I think it’s a good excuse to try one for ourselves! And by the time we book one, the Panorama and possibly Mardi Gras will be out so prices for the Vista/Horizon will have come down a a bit



I love the Vista class and the Triumph class. Not a fan of the smaller ship but some love it. 

I can't wait to hear about Mardi Gras.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> So... What does 2019 look like for you?
> 
> DH and I are hoping that we both keep our jobs this year (uncertainty on both sides). Our two 2019 cruises are already both PIF, though. *Phew!* ...
> 
> The first one on Carnival, the second one on Royal Caribbean as a "Test Cruise".
> 
> As much as we like CCL, we are very excited to try RCCL. It's nice to try something new once in a while!



Looks like our only trip will be France at the end of May.  My mom and I had planned to do another adult trip in the Fall but she just learned yesterday that she will be losing her job in June.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> Hi all, hope everyone had a wonderful holiday & new year!
> 
> We are officially into 2019, which means our 1st DCL in September! I started looking at flights into London today...  they still seem so expensive! Forgot how much I dislike booking flights, between that and looking at hotels to stay in before we sail, my "uber-planner" gift/curse is kicking in for sure.
> 
> Something ridiculous I found out: so our closest airport is Rochester, NY. I wish we could fly out of JFK, but its over 5 hours away and the drive/time/parking/hassle vs. money savings doesn't really make sense. Every flight connects in JFK anyway.
> 
> So booking Rochester - London Heathrow: a little over $3000 for 2 people roundtrip (connects in JFK)
> But booking Rochester - JFK and JFK - London Heathrow: $2300 for 2 people roundtrip
> 
> They are LITERALLY the same flights, just broken into 2 separate bookings. Just goes to show I have no idea how airlines work.  All I know is this is definitely not our typical fly nonstop to Florida, hop on a ship, Caribbean cruise!



I am the Queen of crazy airfare. We tend to drive the 4 1/2 hours to Atlanta all the time because even with gas, parking, hotel we still come out cheaper than flying from home. I check all the surrounding airports and set up fare alerts for them on Kayak.  

You should check out Buffalo too.  Also, if you can fly in/out a day apart you can book those separate tickets to save money.  

Also, London has the highest departure tax of all the European airports.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Looks like our only trip will be France at the end of May.  My mom and I had planned to do another adult trip in the Fall but she just learned yesterday that she will be losing her job in June.



Awwww. That sucks. I'm very sorry to hear that. 

I hope she'll find something else right away and that you'll be able to do another trip soon after that. *Sending pixie dust her way*


----------



## Monykalyn

Just the CCL to Cuba in June. Although a group of friends and I are waiting for the Mardi Gras- we’re planning a girls trip, but my hubs keeps hearing stuff about that ship and I don’t think he’d be happy being left behind (roller coaster ??)


----------



## mevelandry

According to John Heald, it sounds like the outcry regarding the end of free room service has been heard and Carnival is backpedaling ... They will be coming back with something else.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> According to John Heald, it sounds like the outcry regarding the end of free room service has been heard and Carnival is backpedaling ... They will be coming back with something else.



There is literally so much other free food that I don't understand the hullabaloo.  They should go to a flat service charge per order to make it worth their while and maybe hinder some people who order and then just waste the food.


----------



## mevelandry

From what I understand, a lot of people have to stay in their rooms at times because of their kids... Therefore, room service very useful to them.


----------



## hdrolfe

I currently have NCL Breakaway (western) booked for next March. I think I really want to change to Carnival Magic 8 night to Half Moon, Grand Turk, Curacao & Aruba... it's cheaper, an extra night and we did enjoy the Magic last April. The NCL has more stuff included in the fare I booked ($100 OBC, $50 excursion credits and 250 min wifi) vs just $50 OBC with Carnival. As much as I want to try NCL I really think I want the extra night, and the Southern itinerary, and to be back on Magic. I just hate having to call and cancel the NCL cruise. I always feel bad. 

I am also patiently waiting for them to release Mardi Gras dates/itineraries hoping for something good for March break 2021.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I currently have NCL Breakaway (western) booked for next March. I think I really want to change to Carnival Magic 8 night to Half Moon, Grand Turk, Curacao & Aruba... it's cheaper, an extra night and we did enjoy the Magic last April. The NCL has more stuff included in the fare I booked ($100 OBC, $50 excursion credits and 250 min wifi) vs just $50 OBC with Carnival. As much as I want to try NCL I really think I want the extra night, and the Southern itinerary, and to be back on Magic. I just hate having to call and cancel the NCL cruise. I always feel bad.
> 
> I am also patiently waiting for them to release Mardi Gras dates/itineraries hoping for something good for March break 2021.



Aren't you passed the PIF date? You can cancel and get a refund? (Or by next March you meant 2020?)

EDIT: Got my answer! (2020) Thanks!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Aren't you passed the PIF date? You can cancel and get a refund? (Or by next March you meant 2020?)



I mean March 2020  sorry!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I mean March 2020  sorry!



What was NCL's itinerary? 

Not a fan of Grand Turk but HMC is amazing and Aruba and Curaçao have always been on my list!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> What was NCL's itinerary?
> 
> Not a fan of Grand Turk but HMC is amazing and Aruba and Curaçao have always been on my list!



Great Stirrup Cay - Ocho Rios (I know people are not fond of it but I am determined to climb Dunn's as I missed the chance when I cruised with my parents as a teen, chickened out or was too cool or something) - Cozumel (been twice already) - Grand Cayman (been once)

We have been to Grand Turk once before, and it's not terrible for a free beach/pool day. HMC just looks so nice. Curacao has a crazy long port time, 9 am to 11 pm.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Great Stirrup Cay - Ocho Rios (I know people are not fond of it but I am determined to climb Dunn's as I missed the chance when I cruised with my parents as a teen, chickened out or was too cool or something) - Cozumel (been twice already) - Grand Cayman (been once)
> 
> We have been to Grand Turk once before, and it's not terrible for a free beach/pool day. HMC just looks so nice. Curacao has a crazy long port time, 9 am to 11 pm.



If the Carnival cruise is less expensive then it would be a great choice. Especially since you've done the NCL itinerary before.


----------



## hdrolfe

Well I cancelled the NCL and will book Carnival Magic once I get the refund back. Hopefully it will still be a good deal! Shouldn't change much. I think I'm going to book a cove balcony, we had one on Lido and it was super convenient but a little loud. I wonder if Cove will be nice, closer to the water and all that. We saw flying fish from our Lido balcony which was really cool, but they were itty bitty from up there, so down closer it might look even cooler? Any way! We'll see what's available next week I guess. I won't be able to change my mind on this though, I tend to book early saver so no refund on the deposit... am I ready to commit?


----------



## AndreaDM

I'm glad I found this post! Haven't cruised in 4 years, the last 2 were DCL and 2 CCL before that. I'm turning 50 in October and reallllllyyyy want to do a cruise to Cuba instead of a party so I think we're going to book on the Paradise. Smaller, older ship but really booking for the itinerary. So I'm open to any and all suggestions!


----------



## mevelandry

AndreaDM said:


> I'm glad I found this post! Haven't cruised in 4 years, the last 2 were DCL and 2 CCL before that. I'm turning 50 in October and reallllllyyyy want to do a cruise to Cuba instead of a party so I think we're going to book on the Paradise. Smaller, older ship but really booking for the itinerary. So I'm open to any and all suggestions!



I'm from Canada and people around me have been travelling to Cuba for decades. Their only complaint is the food which isn't always good but they all say it's very charming and locals are extremely friendly. I'm dying to see Havana.

I know the Paradise went under dry dock recently so it should be nice enough.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> Hi all, hope everyone had a wonderful holiday & new year!
> 
> We are officially into 2019, which means our 1st DCL in September! I started looking at flights into London today...  they still seem so expensive! Forgot how much I dislike booking flights, between that and looking at hotels to stay in before we sail, my "uber-planner" gift/curse is kicking in for sure.
> 
> Something ridiculous I found out: so our closest airport is Rochester, NY. I wish we could fly out of JFK, but its over 5 hours away and the drive/time/parking/hassle vs. money savings doesn't really make sense. Every flight connects in JFK anyway.
> 
> So booking Rochester - London Heathrow: a little over $3000 for 2 people roundtrip (connects in JFK)
> But booking Rochester - JFK and JFK - London Heathrow: $2300 for 2 people roundtrip
> 
> They are LITERALLY the same flights, just broken into 2 separate bookings. Just goes to show I have no idea how airlines work.  All I know is this is definitely not our typical fly nonstop to Florida, hop on a ship, Caribbean cruise!



Have you looked at google flights?  Also, I find when I look, sometimes it is cheaper to fly to Paris and take the train to London.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

hdrolfe said:


> I currently have NCL Breakaway (western) booked for next March. I think I really want to change to Carnival Magic 8 night to Half Moon, Grand Turk, Curacao & Aruba... it's cheaper, an extra night and we did enjoy the Magic last April. The NCL has more stuff included in the fare I booked ($100 OBC, $50 excursion credits and 250 min wifi) vs just $50 OBC with Carnival. As much as I want to try NCL I really think I want the extra night, and the Southern itinerary, and to be back on Magic. I just hate having to call and cancel the NCL cruise. I always feel bad.
> 
> I am also patiently waiting for them to release Mardi Gras dates/itineraries hoping for something good for March break 2021.



I would also go on the magic over ncl just for itinerary.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> According to John Heald, it sounds like the outcry regarding the end of free room service has been heard and Carnival is backpedaling ... They will be coming back with something else.


I wonder if people are over ordering or if they are just trying to cut costs.  Maybe they could give an allotment per cruiser?  That would probably be too complicated.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> So... What does 2019 look like for you?
> 
> DH and I are hoping that we both keep our jobs this year (uncertainty on both sides). Our two 2019 cruises are already both PIF, though. *Phew!* ...
> 
> The first one on Carnival, the second one on Royal Caribbean as a "Test Cruise".
> 
> As much as we like CCL, we are very excited to try RCCL. It's nice to try something new once in a while!


We are on Breeze in March.  Wishing you luck on no job trouble.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We are on Breeze in March.  Wishing you luck on no job trouble.



Thank you!


----------



## hdrolfe

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I would also go on the magic over ncl just for itinerary.



Yeah I changed to Magic  Booked a lido deck balcony (discussed that with kiddo first, he liked being so close to the food and water slides). I'm excited about the itinerary, and I was not as excited about trying NCL. Maybe someday! Carnival Magic March 14 - 22, 2020. Can't wait!!


----------



## mevelandry

Big changes in our Family Trip project for 2020!!

We wanted to do Aulani. Then we noticed that it was getting pricier so we thought we were going to do a "Land & Sea" (Aulani and a Pacific Coast cruise from California)... And then realized that the prices were completely nuts (around 800$ USD/night) ...

So... Aulani is OUT!

We had a family meeting and decided to scratch the Aulani project and go for something completely different: A Bermuda Cruise departing from NYC.

My FIL and MIL have never been to NYC. DH and I went tons of times (DH actually proposed to me in NYC!) so we know what they can do and cannot do and where we'd like to bring them.

I've looked at Carnival options and unfortunately they only announced 4 nights (meaning only one day in the Bermuda) so far ... (I'm bummed). 

And since we want to visit a little bit more, the 5 nights with RCCL (overnight in Bermuda) will suit us more I think...


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Big changes in our Family Trip project for 2020!!
> 
> We wanted to do Aulani. Then we noticed that it was getting pricier so we thought we were going to do a "Land & Sea" (Aulani and a Pacific Coast cruise from California)... And then realized that the prices were completely nuts (around 800$ USD/night) ...
> 
> So... Aulani is OUT!
> 
> We had a family meeting and decided to scratch the Aulani project and go for something completely different: A Bermuda Cruise departing from NYC.
> 
> My FIL and MIL have never been to NYC. DH and I went tons of times (DH actually proposed to me in NYC!) so we know what they can do and cannot do and where we'd like to bring them.
> 
> I've looked at Carnival options and unfortunately they only announced 4 nights (meaning only one day in the Bermuda) so far ... (I'm bummed).
> 
> And since we want to visit a little bit more, the 5 nights with RCCL (overnight in Bermuda) will suit us more I think...



Bermuda does look pretty nice! Have a look at NCL as well. They have cruises from New York and also from Boston if that is of interest to you. It would be nice if Carnival did longer cruises to Bermuda but they don't seem to have many. NCL does them weekly all summer, from April I believe. Just a thought  they also have some good deals sometimes, and charge in CAD so you don't have to worry about fluctuating exchange rates.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Bermuda does look pretty nice! Have a look at NCL as well. They have cruises from New York and also from Boston if that is of interest to you. It would be nice if Carnival did longer cruises to Bermuda but they don't seem to have many. NCL does them weekly all summer, from April I believe. Just a thought  they also have some good deals sometimes, and charge in CAD so you don't have to worry about fluctuating exchange rates.



I've checked with NCL but they only do 7 days (which is too long for my FIL and MIL) and they are at least 300$ more per person (still a pretty good value, just too long for them!).

I've seen 5 nights with Carnival in the past years but I don't think they do it in June or at least they didn't announce it for 2020. 

RCCL also offers rates (and everything else) in CAD.


----------



## mevelandry

Oh. New Carnival website. What do you think of it?

I'm a little lost but I like it... I think?

EDIT: I just noticed that it worked better than before and we now have the possibility to add gratuities online. Love it!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Oh. New Carnival website. What do you think of it?
> 
> I'm a little lost but I like it... I think?
> 
> EDIT: I just noticed that it worked better than before and we now have the possibility to add gratuities online. Love it!



Not sure when it changed? The landing page for the booked cruise is different but when you click to a page from there it's the same (so far?).  My next once (March 2020) doesn't list excursions yet, I guess they'll show up later. You can select your dining choice (I have My Time for the next one, but it looks like you can choose the one you want) and also the bed set up you want (we do two twins since I travel with kiddo and he KICKS in his sleep). I do like it better than RCL's any way! or NCL's for that matter lol. No experience with Disney's site so can't compare to that one.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

It looks the same to me but I probably need to get rid of cookies.  I hate doing that because I lose other stuff.  I have always loved Carnival's site and find it the most user friendly of all the cruise sites.


----------



## hdrolfe

we"reofftoneverland said:


> It looks the same to me but I probably need to get rid of cookies.  I hate doing that because I lose other stuff.  I have always loved Carnival's site and find it the most user friendly of all the cruise sites.



It was only once I logged in to check on my cruise that I saw any differences, before then it looked the same to me... the booking screens all looked the same.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Not sure when it changed? The landing page for the booked cruise is different but when you click to a page from there it's the same (so far?).  My next once (March 2020) doesn't list excursions yet, I guess they'll show up later. You can select your dining choice (I have My Time for the next one, but it looks like you can choose the one you want) and also the bed set up you want (we do two twins since I travel with kiddo and he KICKS in his sleep). I do like it better than RCL's any way! or NCL's for that matter lol. No experience with Disney's site so can't compare to that one.



I get the new page as soon as I click on my countdown to access my planner.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

I see the new website now.  Interesting how everyone seems to be going with the same wall to wall photo look on their websites.  Haven't used it enough yet to comment more.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I see the new website now.  Interesting how everyone seems to be going with the same wall to wall photo look on their websites.  Haven't used it enough yet to comment more.



I did as my FIL and MIL paid their cruise in full yesterday and their gratuities (love the fact that they added that option). It's functional. No complaint.


----------



## mevelandry

In a shocking turn of event (Not!) yesterday, my husband announced to me that, in retrospect, he did not really enjoy the Carnival Sensation as much as the Vista and Victory and he said:  "If we sail on Carnival again in the future (after our spring cruise) we should stick to new and bigger ships".

I agree with him. I was looking at the pictures of the cruise ships we have sailed on to this day and it was our least favorite. We missed the bigger ships and we even missed DCL a little bit while we were on it. I guess we are not made for the Fantasy class.

We had a big conversation on the things we liked the least on each ship and what went wrong here and there. The Sensation was the one with the worst score. Even the guests were so-so on that one (too much twerking contests for my taste, I'm a prude. LOL).

We kinda feel that we'll be ready to branch out again soon. Our conclusion was: "We need something that would feel just as "Not snotty & fun like Carnival Ship" and "Classic look & slightly more family friendly, like a Disney Ship".


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> In a shocking turn of event (Not!) yesterday, my husband announced to me that, in retrospect, he did not really enjoy the Carnival Sensation as much as the Vista and Victory and he said:  "If we sail on Carnival again in the future (after our spring cruise) we should stick to new and bigger ships".
> 
> I agree with him. I was looking at the pictures of the cruise ships we have sailed on to this day and it was our least favorite. We missed the bigger ships and we even missed DCL a little bit while we were on it. I guess we are not made for the Fantasy class.
> 
> We had a big conversation on the things we liked the least on each ship and what went wrong here and there. The Sensation was the one with the worst score. Even the guests were so-so on that one (too much twerking contests for my taste, I'm a prude. LOL).
> 
> We kinda feel that we'll be ready to branch out again soon. Our conclusion was: "We need something that would feel just as "Not snotty & fun like Carnival Ship" and "Classic look & slightly more family friendly, like a Disney Ship".



I agree with your husband!  We have done 2 Fantasy class ships and did not care for them. We love the bigger ships with bells & whistles.  We just booked our Fall girls trip on the Valor.  Not as big as Vista class but better than the smaller ships.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> In a shocking turn of event (Not!) yesterday, my husband announced to me that, in retrospect, he did not really enjoy the Carnival Sensation as much as the Vista and Victory and he said:  "If we sail on Carnival again in the future (after our spring cruise) we should stick to new and bigger ships".
> 
> I agree with him. I was looking at the pictures of the cruise ships we have sailed on to this day and it was our least favorite. We missed the bigger ships and we even missed DCL a little bit while we were on it. I guess we are not made for the Fantasy class.
> 
> We had a big conversation on the things we liked the least on each ship and what went wrong here and there. The Sensation was the one with the worst score. Even the guests were so-so on that one (too much twerking contests for my taste, I'm a prude. LOL).
> 
> We kinda feel that we'll be ready to branch out again soon. Our conclusion was: "We need something that would feel just as "Not snotty & fun like Carnival Ship" and "Classic look & slightly more family friendly, like a Disney Ship".



We haven't gone on a fantasy class ship. Our first cruise was on Carnival Liberty when it was still doing 7-night cruises and it is what got us hooked, even without the bells and whistles. We loved Carnival Magic. The water slides and ropes course were big hits, which is good since we are booked on it again next year! I wanted to try Horizon but it was a 6-night cruise and Magic is 8-nights so... we went longer. 

Even on RCL we preferred the bigger ship, and we have not done Oasis class yet! We went on Majesty for a 4-night when it was in Port Canaveral and it was a Party, kiddo was young enough not to really notice but I kept a close watch while he was in the pool. There were a lot of people rather drunk on that trip. It wasn't our best cruise but it was still a cruise, so good. We then went on Freedom twice and it was much more sedate, or perhaps it was simply big enough that we could avoid what we don't enjoy. Plan at the moment though is Carnival, bigger/newer ships. They are the most fun to us! 

You guys might like the Conquest class, they ships are a nice size and because they don't have the big waterslides/water parks/ropes courses they tend to attract fewer kids. They also have a nice adults only area, and the pool at the back is adults only as well. It could also be the length of the cruise, I'd say 6 nights and up is calmer than the shorter ones.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

We have also not been on a Fantasy class ship.  We have been on Conquest though and loved it.  Is the "new" Radiance in the Fantasy class?  We are considering trying that one.  It is funny when your spouse says things after the fact like that.  We bought a house about fifteen years ago and right after we signed, got the keys and walked in the door, dh was like, "I really don't like this house."  Wow, totally shocked. Lol


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> We haven't gone on a fantasy class ship. Our first cruise was on Carnival Liberty when it was still doing 7-night cruises and it is what got us hooked, even without the bells and whistles. We loved Carnival Magic. The water slides and ropes course were big hits, which is good since we are booked on it again next year! I wanted to try Horizon but it was a 6-night cruise and Magic is 8-nights so... we went longer.
> 
> Even on RCL we preferred the bigger ship, and we have not done Oasis class yet! We went on Majesty for a 4-night when it was in Port Canaveral and it was a Party, kiddo was young enough not to really notice but I kept a close watch while he was in the pool. There were a lot of people rather drunk on that trip. It wasn't our best cruise but it was still a cruise, so good. We then went on Freedom twice and it was much more sedate, or perhaps it was simply big enough that we could avoid what we don't enjoy. Plan at the moment though is Carnival, bigger/newer ships. They are the most fun to us!
> 
> You guys might like the Conquest class, they ships are a nice size and because they don't have the big waterslides/water parks/ropes courses they tend to attract fewer kids. They also have a nice adults only area, and the pool at the back is adults only as well. It could also be the length of the cruise, I'd say 6 nights and up is calmer than the shorter ones.



Our upcoming cruise is on the Liberty. *Fingers crossed*

p.s.: We love big waterslides/water parks/ropes courses...


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We have also not been on a Fantasy class ship.  We have been on Conquest though and loved it.  Is the "new" Radiance in the Fantasy class?  We are considering trying that one.  It is funny when your spouse says things after the fact like that.  We bought a house about fifteen years ago and right after we signed, got the keys and walked in the door, dh was like, "I really don't like this house."  Wow, totally shocked. Lol



That's funny! Did you keep the house? 


Carnival Victory/Radiance is the Triumph Class. We loved her and sailed on her twice. The ship is already awesome. Can't wait to see what she's going to become. 


It's funny because for pretty much all the cruise on the Sensation my husband kept saying that the ship was "_perfectly fine_". Then by the end of the cruise, he said: "_I think I prefer bigger ships_"... Then yesterday: "_I'm gonna sound like a snob but... the Sensation kinda sucked."_ 

The problem with the Fantasy class is that it's small so it's harder to avoid meeting the same people over and over. And unfortunately, passengers were also a little bit less "well behaved" on the Sensation. Not enough to ruin our cruise but enough to think that maybe we should avoid shorter cruises and smaller ships in the future. 

We still have a 4 nights in April and we are praying that it's going to be more like our 3 first Carnival cruises that were more quiet. Also, we have booked large balconies so we are ready to avoid other people a little bit more...


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I keep looking into the Inspiration and Imagination out of Long Beach for a long weekend. It’s only a 6 hour drive from our house, but I just can’t book it. It’s only a few hundred dollars per person, but I just can’t get excited about either of those ships. I seriously doubt I’ll ever sail a Fantasy class ship. I got really spoiled being on Vista for my first Carnival Cruise. I’m even a little hesitant for the Radiance transatlantic we have booked. I’m sure it will be fine and I’m really excited to try Shaq’s Chicken restaurant on board!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I keep looking into the Inspiration and Imagination out of Long Beach for a long weekend. It’s only a 6 hour drive from our house, but I just can’t book it. It’s only a few hundred dollars per person, but I just can’t get excited about either of those ships. I seriously doubt I’ll ever sail a Fantasy class ship. I got really spoiled being on Vista for my first Carnival Cruise. I’m even a little hesitant for the Radiance transatlantic we have booked. I’m sure it will be fine and I’m really excited to try Shaq’s Chicken restaurant on board!



I wouldn't hesitate with the Radiance/Victory. I've sailed on her before and after sailing the Vista and called her "Tiny Vista" all along on the 2nd sailing ... 

Plus, she's going under a major dry dock and will be even better (closer from what we got on the Vista).


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> That's funny! Did you keep the house?
> 
> 
> Carnival Victory/Radiance is the Triumph Class. We loved her and sailed on her twice. The ship is already awesome. Can't wait to see what she's going to become.
> 
> 
> It's funny because for pretty much all the cruise on the Sensation my husband kept saying that the ship was "_perfectly fine_". Then by the end of the cruise, he said: "_I think I prefer bigger ships_"... Then yesterday: "_I'm gonna sound like a snob but... the Sensation kinda sucked."_
> 
> The problem with the Fantasy class is that it's small so it's harder to avoid meeting the same people over and over. And unfortunately, passengers were also a little bit less "well behaved" on the Sensation. Not enough to ruin our cruise but enough to think that maybe we should avoid shorter cruises and smaller ships in the future.
> 
> We still have a 4 nights in April and we are praying that it's going to be more like our 3 first Carnival cruises that were more quiet. Also, we have booked large balconies so we are ready to avoid other people a little bit more...




I should know this from reading your posts, but your April cruise, is it on Sensation too?  I agree that the other passengers on board do make a big difference in your experience. 

We did keep the house but moved after about 7 years.    That was about 5 years ago.  It was an ongoing joke the entire time we lived there about how much he hated it.  I thought maybe he would feel differently over time, and we tried to change some things about the house, but in the end we gave up and moved about 15 minutes further out to a more open floor plan home.  He is much happier now.  Lol

But the way you described your husband's delayed reaction reminded me of my dh's delayed reaction.  I can understand because sometimes I do not realize things right away too.  But now I always ask are you sure about 10 times before we do anything that involves money.    Before we book cruises I always put the cruise on hold and ask him if he is sure again a couple of days later.  At that point he is usually like I thought you already booked that.  But the hold is also for me to be sure myself.  Usually, when we put a hold on a Carnival cruise we do book.  It is the opposite with DCL.  Apparently unlike houses, dh is not as particular about cruises and will go on any one (well except msc he said).   But... Carnival is not his favorite cruise line.  He likes it more than DCL for the pricing (he says their pricing is just obscene) but he really wants to try Royal and Celebrity.  Our kids really love Carnival.  I like it too but I am more cost focused than dh.  We keep meaning to try other lines but time just gets away from us.


----------



## AndreaDM

I have only sailed the Fantasy & the Legend and would love to try one of the newer, bigger ships. BUT, I also really want to go to Cuba so that really limits us. It seems all lines that sail there use their smaller ships so I'm assuming it's due to docking issues. We are sailing out of Tampa in October so I'll be surprised if there are many kids on board, seems that most people who take those cruises do so specifically for Cuba. We sailed the Legend out of Tampa in Jan. like 5-6 years ago and I thought we were on a floating senior's home lol!

My fiance has never cruised, he was in the Navy so isn't too keen on spending more time on ships. I've told him it's not like he has to go up on deck to do night watch or anything haha. I'm hoping this 5 day cruise on a smaller ship will give him the cruise bug as well and we can plan more trips. He loved All-Inclusive vacations so I know he'll like not getting a bill at the end of each meal. Still debating on the Cheers package since we will have 3 port days and won't be on the ship that much.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I keep looking into the Inspiration and Imagination out of Long Beach for a long weekend. It’s only a 6 hour drive from our house, but I just can’t book it. It’s only a few hundred dollars per person, but I just can’t get excited about either of those ships. I seriously doubt I’ll ever sail a Fantasy class ship. I got really spoiled being on Vista for my first Carnival Cruise. I’m even a little hesitant for the Radiance transatlantic we have booked. I’m sure it will be fine and I’m really excited to try Shaq’s Chicken restaurant on board!



I wouldn't bother with the smaller ships!  I am really sad we won't be on Radiance.  I wanted to try all the new stuff!  But, my mom isn't getting any younger (who is?) and she has been saying for years she wants to visit Dubrovnik hence the switch to Legend.  I am not excited about the ship at all.  They don't even have Dive In Movies.  Ok, trying not to think too much about it!


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I should know this from reading your posts, but your April cruise, is it on Sensation too?  I agree that the other passengers on board do make a big difference in your experience.
> 
> We did keep the house but moved after about 7 years.    That was about 5 years ago.  It was an ongoing joke the entire time we lived there about how much he hated it.  I thought maybe he would feel differently over time, and we tried to change some things about the house, but in the end we gave up and moved about 15 minutes further out to a more open floor plan home.  He is much happier now.  Lol
> 
> But the way you described your husband's delayed reaction reminded me of my dh's delayed reaction.  I can understand because sometimes I do not realize things right away too.  But now I always ask are you sure about 10 times before we do anything that involves money.    Before we book cruises I always put the cruise on hold and ask him if he is sure again a couple of days later.  At that point he is usually like I thought you already booked that.  But the hold is also for me to be sure myself.  Usually, when we put a hold on a Carnival cruise we do book.  It is the opposite with DCL.  Apparently unlike houses, dh is not as particular about cruises and will go on any one (well except msc he said).   But... Carnival is not his favorite cruise line.  He likes it more than DCL for the pricing (he says their pricing is just obscene) but he really wants to try Royal and Celebrity.  Our kids really love Carnival.  I like it too but I am more cost focused than dh.  We keep meaning to try other lines but time just gets away from us.




Yes, April 2018 was my cruise one and only cruise the Sensation. April 2019 will be on the Carnival Liberty. (I'm sorry, I should have been more precise. I can't expect you to remember every single detail of MY vacations LOL)  ...

It's hard to "branch out" and try another line as there are no way to make sure our time and money will be well invested. We tend to be more confident in what we already know.  

It feels like every time I plan a cruise on another cruise line, something is coming up in the media regarding said cruise line. Ex: The Breakaway stuck in a tempest a few months ago. Yesterday, someone poster about bed bugs on their RCCL cruises. I'm trying not to get scared (just like I've been happily surprised with Carnival after I heard all those horror stories about drunk people puking, doing no.1 etc and other non-family friendly things in the pools., which I have never encountered --thank God!-- on my 4 cruises)...


----------



## mevelandry

AndreaDM said:


> I have only sailed the Fantasy & the Legend and would love to try one of the newer, bigger ships. BUT, I also really want to go to Cuba so that really limits us. It seems all lines that sail there use their smaller ships so I'm assuming it's due to docking issues. We are sailing out of Tampa in October so I'll be surprised if there are many kids on board, seems that most people who take those cruises do so specifically for Cuba. We sailed the Legend out of Tampa in Jan. like 5-6 years ago and I thought we were on a floating senior's home lol!
> 
> My fiance has never cruised, he was in the Navy so isn't too keen on spending more time on ships. I've told him it's not like he has to go up on deck to do night watch or anything haha. I'm hoping this 5 day cruise on a smaller ship will give him the cruise bug as well and we can plan more trips. He loved All-Inclusive vacations so I know he'll like not getting a bill at the end of each meal. Still debating on the Cheers package since we will have 3 port days and won't be on the ship that much.



Regarding the Cheers package... It's worth it if you drink AT LEAST 6 drinks per day, while you are on board the ship.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I wouldn't bother with the smaller ships!  I am really sad we won't be on Radiance.  I wanted to try all the new stuff!  But, my mom isn't getting any younger (who is?) and she has been saying for years she wants to visit Dubrovnik hence the switch to Legend.  I am not excited about the ship at all.  They don't even have Dive In Movies.  Ok, trying not to think too much about it!



My husband said something similar about the Sensation: "I never thought I'd miss the giant screen so badly".


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Yes, April 2018 was my cruise one and only cruise the Sensation. April 2019 will be on the Carnival Liberty. (I'm sorry, I should have been more precise. I can't expect you to remember every single detail of MY vacations LOL)  ...
> 
> It's hard to "branch out" and try another line as there are no way to make sure our time and money will be well invested. We tend to be more confident in what we already know.
> 
> It feels like every time I plan a cruise on another cruise line, something is coming up in the media regarding said cruise line. Ex: The Breakaway stuck in a tempest a few months ago. Yesterday, someone poster about bed bugs on their RCCL cruises. I'm trying not to get scared (just like I've been happily surprised with Carnival after I heard all those horror stories about drunk people puking, doing no.1 etc and other non-family friendly things in the pools., which I have never encountered --thank God!-- on my 4 cruises)...



It looks like Carnival Liberty is similar to the Conquest so I think you will love it.

The only cruise where I have seen a stumbling drunk was on an ncl cruise.  We were sitting by the pool and our kids were swimming around 9:30pm and there was a guy at the pool bar who was extremely wasted.  Falling down wasted.  I'd say he was about 60 and his family was trying to reign him in.  2 security guys were there but just watching.  It didn't bother us, but it is the only time we have encountered a falling down drunk.  The second drunk we encountered was on DCL, but he wasn't a falling down drunk, more obnoxious.  We were in cove cafe-- only ones in there- and drinking coffee and some guy kept coming in from the adult pool soaking wet and getting shots at the cove cafe bar.  Said the bartenders were mean at the bar out there.  Every time he came in he would try to get us involved in a  conversation and he was obviously really, really drunk.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

AndreaDM said:


> I have only sailed the Fantasy & the Legend and would love to try one of the newer, bigger ships. BUT, I also really want to go to Cuba so that really limits us. It seems all lines that sail there use their smaller ships so I'm assuming it's due to docking issues. We are sailing out of Tampa in October so I'll be surprised if there are many kids on board, seems that most people who take those cruises do so specifically for Cuba. We sailed the Legend out of Tampa in Jan. like 5-6 years ago and I thought we were on a floating senior's home lol!
> 
> My fiance has never cruised, he was in the Navy so isn't too keen on spending more time on ships. I've told him it's not like he has to go up on deck to do night watch or anything haha. I'm hoping this 5 day cruise on a smaller ship will give him the cruise bug as well and we can plan more trips. He loved All-Inclusive vacations so I know he'll like not getting a bill at the end of each meal. Still debating on the Cheers package since we will have 3 port days and won't be on the ship that much.


We haven't been on the Legend, but it looks similar to Conquest class, so I think you will have a great time.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> I wouldn't bother with the smaller ships!  I am really sad we won't be on Radiance.  I wanted to try all the new stuff!  But, my mom isn't getting any younger (who is?) and she has been saying for years she wants to visit Dubrovnik hence the switch to Legend.  I am not excited about the ship at all.  They don't even have Dive In Movies.  Ok, trying not to think too much about it!


I didn't realize there were some ships without dive in movies.


----------



## AndreaDM

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We haven't been on the Legend, but it looks similar to Conquest class, so I think you will have a great time.



Oops, didn't specify we'd be on the Paradise this time! I enjoyed my cruise on the Fantasy, of course it was my first ever cruise so I was easily impressed lol.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

AndreaDM said:


> Oops, didn't specify we'd be on the Paradise this time! I enjoyed my cruise on the Fantasy, of course it was my first ever cruise so I was easily impressed lol.


Sorry!  Not sure why I was thinking Legend.  It looks like the Paradise was redone last year!


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I didn't realize there were some ships without dive in movies.



Those usually have just 1 pool too. 

DH and I have been able to swim in peace (without too many people) only once... At 10:00 PM!!!


----------



## mevelandry

(Duh... Nobody is "Falling off" a cruise ship)

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article223914815.html

It's a very sad story, though.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Supposedly there will be news on Carnival Madrid Gras tomorrow!  We’ll see, Carnival is horrible about saying stuff will be released on a certain day and then it doesn’t happen, drives me crazy.


----------



## mevelandry

Apparently, Carnival is testing new tv channels on certain ships. 

Among the changes, they are replacing CNN with CBS. 

Considering the "CNN vs FOX" situation (I see people fight about this on the internet pretty much every day), avoiding both channels sounds like a good idea.


----------



## hdrolfe

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Supposedly there will be news on Carnival Madrid Gras tomorrow!  We’ll see, Carnival is horrible about saying stuff will be released on a certain day and then it doesn’t happen, drives me crazy.



I hope it's a good announcement like deck plans, itineraries (even if they can't be booked yet) or something. While the Bolt announcement was exciting it was kind of small.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I hope it's a good announcement like deck plans, itineraries (even if they can't be booked yet) or something. While the Bolt announcement was exciting it was kind of small.



Prediction: I think they will release the dates and itineraries.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Prediction: I think they will release the dates and itineraries.


I hope so


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Can't wait to hear what the news is from Carnival.   We are almost ready to book something for late 2020, kind of leaning towards trying Royal, but maybe Carnival will pull us back in again!


----------



## hdrolfe

I see a post about the new channel lineup... I'm excited to see HGTV, Food Network, Discovery and Travel Network! As well as Nickelodeon for kiddo, and a dedicated Kids Central channel for younger kids. CBS National News, I guess replacing the other news channel? Not that we watch much TV in the cabin but at bedtime kiddo likes something on while he falls asleep... this gives more options!

Waiting on the Mardi Gras news, hoping it comes out soon... I really want to know where it'll be going when. I am fingers crossed going March break 2021... come on good itinerary!!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Also waiting for Mardi Gras news.  I really want to do this as DS2 graduation trip in 2021.  He hasn't mentioned anything really so we are up in the air.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

hdrolfe said:


> I see a post about the new channel lineup... I'm excited to see HGTV, Food Network, Discovery and Travel Network! As well as Nickelodeon for kiddo, and a dedicated Kids Central channel for younger kids. CBS National News, I guess replacing the other news channel? Not that we watch much TV in the cabin but at bedtime kiddo likes something on while he falls asleep... this gives more options!
> 
> Waiting on the Mardi Gras news, hoping it comes out soon... I really want to know where it'll be going when. I am fingers crossed going March break 2021... come on good itinerary!!



We saw this too and love the change.  Not that we watch huge amounts of TV on vacation but do have it on sometimes.  We don't have cable at home so we always associate vacation with watching HGTV.  Lol.  Our kids also will love the new kids channels.  They loved Boomerang the first time we were on Carnival,  but the last couple of times we have been cruising it is different and they didn't like it.   All new cartoons, not old ones or something like that.  One thing they did like about Disney was the 24/7 disney cartoon channel.  We are also not fans of CNN, so very glad to see that go.  Not that we are huge fans of Fox, just really do not like CNN.   I put that on our comment card last time.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We saw this too and love the change.  Not that we watch huge amounts of TV on vacation but do have it on sometimes.  We don't have cable at home so we always associate vacation with watching HGTV.  Lol.  Our kids also will love the new kids channels.  They loved Boomerang the first time we were on Carnival,  but the last couple of times we have been cruising it is different and they didn't like it.   All new cartoons, not old ones or something like that.  One thing they did like about Disney was the 24/7 disney cartoon channel.  We are also not fans of CNN, so very glad to see that go.  Not that we are huge fans of Fox, just really do not like CNN.   I put that on our comment card last time.



As a Canadian, I find CNN very accurate when it comes to international news (unfortunately Fox lost me with their false reports during the Quebec terror attack and I never went back) but I only like 50% of their anchors... The rest of the anchors give their opinion more than they report news and sometimes it's just too much. :/


----------



## mevelandry

Still waiting for those Mardi Gras news...


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

And we still wait


----------



## mevelandry

Still waiting. :/


----------



## hdrolfe

Fingers crossed it'll be today! But I suspect at this point it will be next week.


----------



## hdrolfe

Man I want them to release the new itineraries! There is a Carnival Horizon cruise for 2021 that I could book, they even have an aft-balcony family harbor cabin available, and only $100 for deposit... It's only 6-nights though and early saver so I wouldn't be able to change it. I am trying to wait until they give something for Mardi Gras so I can compare.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

So one thing I have noticed on the new website is that our 2 cabins show up as one reservation tab.  We always book 2 cabins and they used to show up in the account as 2 reservations.  They are still technically 2 reservations but now show up under one tab.  I love it.  Much cleaner.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> So one thing I have noticed on the new website is that our 2 cabins show up as one reservation tab.  We always book 2 cabins and they used to show up in the account as 2 reservations.  They are still technically 2 reservations but now show up under one tab.  I love it.  Much cleaner.



I just did the Early Check-In and it was very efficient too. So far, I love the new website.


----------



## hdrolfe

Still waiting for Mardi Gras news... he posted today that it will be "this week". But of course I am doubtful  

I don't mind the new website stuff, I didn't have a problem with the old one but at least the new one isn't worse, as sometimes happens! I am waiting for excursions to open up on my cruise for 2020. I'm excited to see what they will offer in Curacao, we are there from 9AM to 11PM. That's such a long day in port! I mean I travel with my kid so I don't see any nightlife lol, but we could spend so long at the beach or something. So excited for that! Can't wait. I do with it was this year lol, it has been so cold here. Facebook is reminding me that two years ago I was on a cruise this time of year.


----------



## AndreaDM

hdrolfe said:


> Still waiting for Mardi Gras news... he posted today that it will be "this week". But of course I am doubtful
> 
> I don't mind the new website stuff, I didn't have a problem with the old one but at least the new one isn't worse, as sometimes happens! I am waiting for excursions to open up on my cruise for 2020. I'm excited to see what they will offer in Curacao, we are there from 9AM to 11PM. That's such a long day in port! I mean I travel with my kid so I don't see any nightlife lol, but we could spend so long at the beach or something. So excited for that! Can't wait. I do with it was this year lol, it has been so cold here. *Facebook is reminding me that two years ago I was on a cruise this time of year.*



I've been getting notices all week that I was on a Disney cruise 4 years ago! As much as I'd love to go on another one, my wallet is happy with the Carnival cruise we've booked for October!


----------



## mevelandry

AndreaDM said:


> I've been getting notices all week that I was on a Disney cruise 4 years ago! As much as I'd love to go on another one, my wallet is happy with the Carnival cruise we've booked for October!



The beauty of it all: 

If your budget permits... You can always put money on the side to go on another Disney cruise while going on Carnival cruises...


----------



## mevelandry

I'm part of some cruise related group on FB and I come across so many mean comments on "lower class of people" on Carnival ships... 

That type of comments breaks my heart... It's so unfair! I've seen so many nice people on all the Carnival ships I've been on (and I like you guys very much).


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I'm part of some cruise related group on FB and I come across so many mean comments on "lower class of people" on Carnival ships...
> 
> That type of comments breaks my heart... It's so unfair! I've seen so many nice people on all the Carnival ships I've been on (and I like you guys very much).


And we like you too!  I agree with what you said, I’ve met a lot more nice and genuine people on Carnival than DCL. Honestly, I think they’re a lot more fun too!

I do get amused by some of the Carnival “elite” who can only be happy when cruising in Suites, and talk about how much they spend on Carnival. It’s fun to knock them down a peg or too and tell them how much more I’ve apent on inside cabins on DCL. They don’t seem to think it’s funny like I do though.


----------



## AndreaDM

Haha, when people assume Carnival is nothing but a party ship, I tell them about the time we went on the Legend out of Tampa in Feb. We (in our 40's) were definitely the lower age demographic on that ship! There was nothing going on after 9 PM, I would have liked a bit more "party" lol.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> And we like you too!  I agree with what you said, I’ve met a lot more nice and genuine people on Carnival than DCL. Honestly, I think they’re a lot more fun too!
> 
> I do get amused by some of the Carnival “elite” who can only be happy when cruising in Suites, and talk about how much they spend on Carnival. It’s fun to knock them down a peg or too and tell them how much more I’ve apent on inside cabins on DCL. They don’t seem to think it’s funny like I do though.



I would love to see that. 

P.s. And thanks.


----------



## mevelandry

AndreaDM said:


> Haha, when people assume Carnival is nothing but a party ship, I tell them about the time we went on the Legend out of Tampa in Feb. We (in our 40's) were definitely the lower age demographic on that ship! There was nothing going on after 9 PM, I would have liked a bit more "party" lol.



Sounds like my kind of cruises.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I'm part of some cruise related group on FB and I come across so many mean comments on "lower class of people" on Carnival ships...
> 
> That type of comments breaks my heart... It's so unfair! I've seen so many nice people on all the Carnival ships I've been on (and I like you guys very much).


My kids say the other kids are nicer on Carnival too.  Lol


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> My kids say the other kids are nicer on Carnival too.  Lol



Interesting. In your opinion, what is the difference between the two (groups of children).

I do not have kids so my interactions have been mostly with adults... On DCL, I've felt a lot of "Excuse me!" and  "I've paid X thousands of dollars for this cruise" attitude... Which is kinda strange. Maybe I got lucky but I have never felt that in WDW (which can be cery expensive as well).

EDIT: The most recent bad comments I've seen come from RCCL groups. Apparently, paying 100$ more per person than a Carnival cruise gives you access to a whole new world of luxury.


----------



## mevelandry

I couldn't resist. My husband and I keep saying (every year) we should have booked something in January...

I was taking a look at short cruises for January 2020 when I found this extremely cheap Celebrity Equinox 2 nights cruise departing from FLL...  The total was 350$/pp... CAD* (!!!) including fees and taxes. (It's a good price. DH and I usually pay more than that for a week-end in NYC...!)

I booked a GTY inside cabin. It stops in Nassau so we'd stay on the ship. Also, we love FLL so, add one night in a hotel prior to the cruise and it would make an excellent short getaway! YOLO!

I know we can't predict the future and there are strong chances I might have to cancel it but I really want to try. Worst case scenario, the deposit is refundable. 

*182$ USD/pp before taxes and fees.


----------



## hdrolfe

Carnival posted some information on Mardi Gras. I suspect booking will open next week or so. The playground area looks amazing and my son will love it. Can't wait to book!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Mardi Gras bookings open January 30!  Early release to those that signed up for a special email on the Carnival website.

I am so excited about this ship!


----------



## mevelandry

The Mardi Gras's Atrium will be SPECTACULAR...


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I couldn't resist. My husband and I keep saying (every year) we should have booked something in January...
> 
> I was taking a look at short cruises for January 2020 when I found this extremely cheap Celebrity Equinox 2 nights cruise departing from FLL...  The total was 350$/pp... CAD* (!!!) including fees and taxes. (It's a good price. DH and I usually pay more than that for a week-end in NYC...!)
> 
> I booked a GTY inside cabin. It stops in Nassau so we'd stay on the ship. Also, we love FLL so, add one night in a hotel prior to the cruise and it would make an excellent short getaway! YOLO!
> 
> I know we can't predict the future and there are strong chances I might have to cancel it but I really want to try. Worst case scenario, the deposit is refundable.
> 
> *182$ USD/pp before taxes and fees.


That sounds awsome


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> That sounds awsome



We are super excited. 

While it may sound way to short for some people, my husband and I think 2 and 3 nights are the perfect way to experience a new cruise line.  

We are doing the same with RCCL in October with a 3 nights cruise (We are doing a Land & Sea...The land part being Universal Studios Orlando. Last time we were there was in 2014! I can't wait!) ...


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Interesting. In your opinion, what is the difference between the two (groups of children).
> 
> I do not have kids so my interactions have been mostly with adults... On DCL, I've felt a lot of "Excuse me!" and  "I've paid X thousands of dollars for this cruise" attitude... Which is kinda strange. Maybe I got lucky but I have never felt that in WDW (which can be cery expensive as well).
> 
> EDIT: The most recent bad comments I've seen come from RCCL groups. Apparently, paying 100$ more per person than a Carnival cruise gives you access to a whole new world of luxury.



I just know that my kids always find "friends" on Carnival and never have on DCL.  I think DCL is more clicky.  A lot of parents set up "friendships" before the cruise for their kids through social media.  I'm just more laissez faire.  I am not the mom hanging out in the kids club with her kids (not a fan of "open house" times).  I just drop them off.  So I am not 100% sure what goes on in there. 

We are not laissez faire about behavior though!  Old school there.  Lol


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Mardi Gras Deck Plans!

https://www.icruise.com/deckplans/carnival-cruises-mardi-gras-deckplans-deck-5.html


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I just know that my kids always find "friends" on Carnival and never have on DCL.  I think DCL is more clicky. * A lot of parents set up "friendships" before the cruise for their kids through social media. * I'm just more laissez faire.  I am not the mom hanging out in the kids club with her kids (not a fan of "open house" times).  I just drop them off.  So I am not 100% sure what goes on in there.
> 
> We are not laissez faire about behavior though!  Old school there.  Lol



Wait... That's a thing?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

We are totally going on Mardi Gras, holy crap I can hardly wait!!!!!


----------



## hdrolfe

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We are totally going on Mardi Gras, holy crap I can hardly wait!!!!!



I am super excited! I don't see Family Harbor on the deck plans but there are some blanks. Also no cove balconies... hoping once they fill in the gaps those will be there! But even if not, we are going on that ship!! It's that or Horizon in 2021. Just waiting for some itineraries! Can't wait!!!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Wait... That's a thing?


Yeah and that's cool but it's just not us.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Just saw the mardi gras.  Wow.   Hope it has beignets!


----------



## amiskell28

mevelandry said:


> Wait... That's a thing?



Yep. It is. We sail on 2/9, I'm part of the FB group, and they set up pen pal groups for the kids ahead of time. I actually kind of like the idea, especially for only children who may find it tough to find a friend. We didn't do it, however, because the cruise was a surprise at the time for our daughter. Oh well, she will find some friends, I'm confident of that!


----------



## tidefan

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We are totally going on Mardi Gras, holy crap I can hardly wait!!!!!


Ditto!


----------



## mevelandry

I'm currently watching different "how to save money on a Carnival cruise" videos and I noticed that I know many tips already.

So here's a few tips that I husband and I already use in order to save a lot of money...

ALCOHOL

-You can bring 12 cans of soda per person & 1 bottle of wine (750 ml) on board on embarkation day. 

-Each day there's a "drink of the day" (1 or 2$ less), on embarkation day, they have the "Fun Ship Special". (The Fun Ship is probably my favorite drink on Carnival!)

-If you take a look at the Fun Times, some events have 1$ or 2$ off a certain type of drinks (like mimosas). 

-In certain venues, it is possible to buy a pitcher of a certain drink (ex: Punchliner drink in the Comedy Club). Those pitchers are good for 4 glasses for the price of 3 glasses. 

-On embarkation day --and selected days after that--,  the casino bar has a "happy hour" (most of the time around noon or beginning of the afternoon) on three drinks and 2 brands of wine. It's two for one. I'm a big fan of one of then called "Island Rum Punch". 

-You can buy a "bucket of beers" (that will make you save 1$ per bottle/can of beer).

-If you book some specialty dining on the first night, you get 1 free bottle of wine per table or 50% off the bottle of your choice. 

SOUVENIRS

-Check the Fun Times because they sometimes have a tasting paired with a sale on Tortuga Rum Cakes. 

-On the last day of the cruise there are a lot of souvenirs on sale (t-shirts, beach bags, frames, etc.) - 50 to 80% off! 


TO AVOID MISPLACING TOWELS (and avoid having to pay a 20$ fee)

-You can bring towel clips to keep them in place on your chair. 

-You can borrow towels at the booth near each pool and bring them back once you are done with them.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Check your Carnival reservations for price drops!  I just check our March 2019 cruise this morning and got an extra $127 in onboard credit on one cabin due to price drop.  The other cabin had gone up, so nothing on that one.  Even if your cruise has not gone down, there is a new onboard credit rate running right now that will add up to $100 onto your booking.  I do not think it applies to inside cabins.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I'm currently watching different "how to save money on a Carnival cruise" videos and I noticed that I know many tips already.
> 
> So here's a few tips that I husband and I already use in order to save a lot of money...
> 
> ALCOHOL
> 
> -You can bring 12 cans of soda per person & 1 bottle of wine (750 ml) on board on embarkation day.
> 
> -Each day there's a "drink of the day" (1 or 2$ less), on embarkation day, they have the "Fun Ship Special". (The Fun Ship is probably my favorite drink on Carnival!)
> 
> -If you take a look at the Fun Times, some events have 1$ or 2$ off a certain type of drinks (like mimosas).
> 
> -In certain venues, it is possible to buy a pitcher of a certain drink (ex: Punchliner drink in the Comedy Club). Those pitchers are good for 4 glasses for the price of 3 glasses.
> 
> -On embarkation day --and selected days after that--,  the casino bar has a "happy hour" (most of the time around noon or beginning of the afternoon) on three drinks and 2 brands of wine. It's two for one. I'm a big fan of one of then called "Island Rum Punch".
> 
> -You can buy a "bucket of beers" (that will make you save 1$ per bottle/can of beer).
> 
> -If you book some specialty dining on the first night, you get 1 free bottle of wine per table or 50% off the bottle of your choice.
> 
> SOUVENIRS
> 
> -Check the Fun Times because they sometimes have a tasting paired with a sale on Tortuga Rum Cakes.
> 
> -On the last day of the cruise there are a lot of souvenirs on sale (t-shirts, beach bags, frames, etc.) - 50 to 80% off!
> 
> 
> TO AVOID MISPLACING TOWELS (and avoid having to pay a 20$ fee)
> 
> -You can bring towel clips to keep them in place on your chair.
> 
> -You can borrow towels at the booth near each pool and bring them back once you are done with them.



Thanks for the info!  I never knew that the Drink of the day was a bit less expensive.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Thanks for the info!  I never knew that the Drink of the day was a bit less expensive.



Yes. Usually 1 or 2$ less.


----------



## mevelandry

BREAKING NEWS:

*Princess Cays, the private island resort owned by Princess Cruises, was devastated by a fire which tore across the island according to local reporting.
*
p.s.: That's where we are supposed to go with my family in April. I sure hope they won't replace Princess Cays with FREEPORT because I'd be very mad.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> BREAKING NEWS:
> 
> *Princess Cays, the private island resort owned by Princess Cruises, was devastated by a fire which tore across the island according to local reporting.
> *
> p.s.: That's where we are supposed to go with my family in April. I sure hope they won't replace Princess Cays with FREEPORT because I'd be very mad.


Sorry to hear this.  Awful.  I wonder how it happened.


----------



## tidefan

mevelandry said:


> BREAKING NEWS:
> 
> *Princess Cays, the private island resort owned by Princess Cruises, was devastated by a fire which tore across the island according to local reporting.
> *
> p.s.: That's where we are supposed to go with my family in April. I sure hope they won't replace Princess Cays with FREEPORT because I'd be very mad.


We are supposed to be there in Mid-march.  My guess is that they'll either fix it up (as it was back buildings for the most part), use Half Moon Cay if possible, or maybe substitute Grand Turk if that's an option (since it's a Carnival Corp. port).  If not, they'll likely just add another sea day...


----------



## hdrolfe

Looks like Mardi Gras cruises are posted. I'm a little disappointed. The week of March break I was hoping for has a 7-night cruise but only 3 ports, Amber Cove, Grand Turk & San Juan. Not an itinerary I'm interested in to be honest. Not sure why they only have 3 ports, even the Western that alternates with it.

Any way! I think there are some good opening itineraries if you are interested in checking it out  Not sure all the details are there but good luck!

Not sure you can actually book yet though... but some details are available and if you have a PVP they will book for you.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

hdrolfe said:


> Looks like Mardi Gras cruises are posted. I'm a little disappointed. The week of March break I was hoping for has a 7-night cruise but only 3 ports, Amber Cove, Grand Turk & San Juan. Not an itinerary I'm interested in to be honest. Not sure why they only have 3 ports, even the Western that alternates with it.
> 
> Any way! I think there are some good opening itineraries if you are interested in checking it out  Not sure all the details are there but good luck!


Where are they


----------



## hdrolfe

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Where are they



I found the Port Canaveral dates by searching by port and length (6 to 9 days). You can't filter by the ship and when I tried to book through I only get to the choose a category page. If you are interested though, call your PVP if you have one. Or just Carnival in general maybe?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

hdrolfe said:


> I found the Port Canaveral dates by searching by port and length (6 to 9 days). You can't filter by the ship and when I tried to book through I only get to the choose a category page. If you are interested though, call your PVP if you have one. Or just Carnival in general maybe?


Clever!  I was looking by ship and no luck.  Thanks


----------



## hdrolfe

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Clever!  I was looking by ship and no luck.  Thanks


I think I'm going to end up booking Horizon instead. As much as I want the ship, the itineraries do not look great. What to do! 

I'm interested to hear if you find one you like


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

hdrolfe said:


> I think I'm going to end up booking Horizon instead. As much as I want the ship, the itineraries do not look great. What to do!
> 
> I'm interested to hear if you find one you like



I agree that those itineraries are a bit disappointing.  I tried to do a mock booking and it stopped at room selection.  I think we are leaning towards trying an 8 night on Radiance in 2020.  Sounds crazy but I kind of want to try the new chicken place on the Radiance.  Lol.  We are tempted by the 8 night on Horizon too-- we loved Vista.  We do want to do Mardi Gras, but maybe 2121 or 2022?  Where does the time go?  Cannot believe I am talking about those dates.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Looks like Mardi Gras cruises are posted. I'm a little disappointed. The week of March break I was hoping for has a 7-night cruise but only 3 ports, Amber Cove, Grand Turk & San Juan. Not an itinerary I'm interested in to be honest. Not sure why they only have 3 ports, even the Western that alternates with it.
> 
> Any way! I think there are some good opening itineraries if you are interested in checking it out  Not sure all the details are there but good luck!
> 
> Not sure you can actually book yet though... but some details are available and if you have a PVP they will book for you.



According to the email I have received, I could book right away if I wanted to. 2 for 1 deposit and OBC included.

The Europe cruises look nice.

Unfortunately, I have been informed that the office I work for will close its doors mid-2020. I can't book anything passed our January 2020 cruise because I can't be 100% sure that I will be able to chose the vacation dates I want on my future job.


----------



## mevelandry

Holy Guacamole!!! Have you seen the pictures of the Mardi Gras cabin that John Heald has posted on FB?!?!?!

Hands down the most beautiful design I've ever seen in popular cruises (and yes, I like it more than DCL and all the previous cabins I've had on Carnival as well).


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> According to the email I have received, I could book right away if I wanted to. 2 for 1 deposit and OBC included.
> 
> The Europe cruises look nice.
> 
> Unfortunately, I have been informed that the office I work for will close its doors mid-2020. I can't book anything passed our January 2020 cruise because I can't be 100% sure that I will be able to chose the vacation dates I want on my future job.



I hope you are able to find a new job quickly and not out of work for long, if at all. 

I posted before the emails went out  It is all open now with some good booking bonuses. My problem is the itinerary for March break. I may look at the Western as I do like all 3 ports on that one, we've been to them all but we like them, and 3 sea days is ok. With San Juan in the mix I'm not sure, we don't like the port much and last time didn't get off the ship. 



mevelandry said:


> Holy Guacamole!!! Have you seen the pictures of the Mardi Gras cabin that John Heald has posted on FB?!?!?!
> 
> Hands down the most beautiful design I've ever seen in popular cruises (and yes, I like it more than DCL and all the previous cabins I've had on Carnival as well).



About to check it out. I was already liking what I saw, I really want to book it! Ugh...


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I hope you are able to find a new job quickly and not out of work for long, if at all.



Thank you very much.


----------



## mevelandry

So... Anybody here booked Mardi Gras yet?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> So... Anybody here booked Mardi Gras yet?


No .  
Good luck with the job situation.   In some ways it is nice to know that you need to find one within about a year as opposed to having no notice.  But then on the other hand, it could be a stressful time ahead.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> So... Anybody here booked Mardi Gras yet?



Nope. I keep looking but the itinerary doesn't change  The ship does look so nice but the routes are just not appealing to me. I'm still thinking but will probably go with Horizon in 2021 and wait and see if Mardi Gras comes out with something better in the Caribbean.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> No .
> Good luck with the job situation.   *In some ways it is nice to know that you need to find one within about a year as opposed to having no notice.*  But then on the other hand, it could be a stressful time ahead.



Thank you. I try to see it this way. No bad surprise. More time to put money aside and prepare a strategy.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Nope. I keep looking but the itinerary doesn't change  The ship does look so nice but the routes are just not appealing to me. I'm still thinking but will probably go with Horizon in 2021 and wait and see if Mardi Gras comes out with something better in the Caribbean.



Maybe they'll add more itineraries later?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

hdrolfe said:


> Nope. I keep looking but the itinerary doesn't change  The ship does look so nice but the routes are just not appealing to me. I'm still thinking but will probably go with Horizon in 2021 and wait and see if Mardi Gras comes out with something better in the Caribbean.



I think there will be some issues with itineraries since they are LNG based fuel now.  There are not that many ports that offer that refueling type.  They may be locked in until more ports build that infrastructure.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I think there will be some issues with itineraries since they are LNG based fuel now.  There are not that many ports that offer that refueling type.  They may be locked in until more ports build that infrastructure.



Ohhhh. That makes sense.


----------



## hdrolfe

trvlgirlmq said:


> I think there will be some issues with itineraries since they are LNG based fuel now.  There are not that many ports that offer that refueling type.  They may be locked in until more ports build that infrastructure.



Ah, well I was more disappointed because there are only 3 ports on the Caribbean itins, except the long one from New York to Port Canaveral, and one 8-night (neither of which fit my budget or timing). We've been to San Juan twice and it's not a place we really want to go again, so tying it with Amber Cove (wouldn't mind going to) and Grand Turk (been once and going again in 2020) makes it not a cruise I'm interested in. But it's the one that fits my schedule. So we'll wait and see. They are going to more places on the Southern from New York that does look good. I just wish instead of San Juan they had one of the St islands. I wouldn't mind the western too much, Mahogany Bay is lovely, Cozumel we can always find something to do, and Costa Maya has some nice beaches (and the best guacamole I've ever had). It just doesn't fit with any dates I can do


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> So... Anybody here booked Mardi Gras yet?


Not yet, but definitely will. We can’t try her until June 2021 and they only have cruises through April right now. The images that are being released are beautiful. Mardi Gras looks like she should be a RCCL or NCL ship, simply stunning.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Ah, well I was more disappointed because there are only 3 ports on the Caribbean itins, except the long one from New York to Port Canaveral, and one 8-night (neither of which fit my budget or timing). We've been to San Juan twice and it's not a place we really want to go again, so tying it with Amber Cove (wouldn't mind going to) and Grand Turk (been once and going again in 2020) makes it not a cruise I'm interested in. But it's the one that fits my schedule. So we'll wait and see. They are going to more places on the Southern from New York that does look good. I just wish instead of San Juan they had one of the St islands. I wouldn't mind the western too much, Mahogany Bay is lovely, Cozumel we can always find something to do, and Costa Maya has some nice beaches (and the best guacamole I've ever had). It just doesn't fit with any dates I can do



There's also Canada and New England. LOL


----------



## mevelandry

What are your tought on the new dining packages that they are currently testing on the Horizon? 

(60$ - Includes a meal at the Steakhouse and two 15$ vouchers that can be used at either Pig & Anchor, Jiji Asian Kitchen, Cucina del Capitano and Bonsai Sushi)

It only makes you save 8$ dollars --hey, that's the price of a meal in a food court so it's not that bad-- but I'd really like to see it happen on all the other ships of the fleet!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> What are your tought on the new dining packages that they are currently testing on the Horizon?
> 
> (60$ - Includes a meal at the Steakhouse and two 15$ vouchers that can be used at either Pig & Anchor, Jiji Asian Kitchen, Cucina del Capitano and Bonsai Sushi)
> 
> It only makes you save 8$ dollars --hey, that's the price of a meal in a food court so it's not that bad-- but I'd really like to see it happen on all the other ships of the fleet!



Had not seen that.  Looks good.

Just saw this.  New "island."
https://cruiseradio.net/carnival-confirms-newest-private-bahamas-destination/


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Had not seen that.  Looks good.
> 
> Just saw this.  New "island."
> https://cruiseradio.net/carnival-confirms-newest-private-bahamas-destination/



Oh yay!!! I'm usually quite fond of private islands (Castaway Cay/Half Moon Cay) so I'm excited about this!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Wow, it's been awful slow around here!

We booked our first (and possibly only) organized excursion for our Legend Med cruise in 2020.  We booked with Kotor Shuttle which is owned by the same group as Ephesus Shuttle whom we used in 2016.  We are doing their small group Coastal Montenegro tour.  I really wanted to get up in the mountains to see some of the towns but the roads are all switchback and my mom gets motion sick so we are sticking to sea level!


----------



## mcd2745

trvlgirlmq said:


> Wow, it's been awful slow around here!



With our NCL Bliss cruise now behind us (boy did I miss the warm weather already), our next cruise is on the Horizon - which we just happened to pull in nose-to-nose to upon our return to Port of Miami on Saturday morning - in August. So, I may start looking to pick some brains for Carnival info, since it will be our first after 6 DCL, 3 RCCL, and 2 NCL.


----------



## DCLfam

mcd2745 said:


> With our NCL Bliss cruise now behind us (boy did I miss the warm weather already), our next cruise is on the Horizon - which we just happened to pull in nose-to-nose to upon our return to Port of Miami on Saturday morning - in August. So, I may start looking to pick some brains for Carnival info, since it will be our first after 6 DCL, 3 RCCL, and 2 NCL.



We were on the Horizon last may Barcelona-NY for our first venture away from DCL.


----------



## mcd2745

DCLfam said:


> We were on the Horizon last may Barcelona-NY for our first venture away from DCL.



Thoughts on the ship? I'll refrain from asking service-related questions since they were probably still working out some kinks at that time.


----------



## DCLfam

We liked the ship. It was myself, DS12 and my mom. We stayed in Family Harbor Cove Balcony until they had to move us due to noise and Carnivals customer service was impressive. I called to ask to be moved and they jumped on it even calling the next day to see how we were and gave us a huge credit which I didn't expect. Compared to DCL where my mom took a very bad fall, having to visit medical onboard, and never a call to see how she was. 
We loved all the lunch options but 14 nights of main dining did get a little boring on Carnival. For my DS a big drawback was that the pool wasn't heated so pretty chilly swimming while crossing the Atlantic. Also, the theater is awful compared to DCL as it is not tiered on main floor and many seats on balcony have limited sightlines so get there early. Would we sail again? Probably if the price/itinerary were good. That being said our next cruise is DCL Hawaii 2020.


----------



## mcd2745

DCLfam said:


> We liked the ship. It was myself, DS12 and my mom. We stayed in Family Harbor Cove Balcony until they had to move us due to noise and Carnivals customer service was impressive. I called to ask to be moved and they jumped on it even calling the next day to see how we were and gave us a huge credit which I didn't expect. Compared to DCL where my mom took a very bad fall, having to visit medical onboard, and never a call to see how she was.
> We loved all the lunch options but 14 nights of main dining did get a little boring on Carnival. For my DS a big drawback was that the pool wasn't heated so pretty chilly swimming while crossing the Atlantic. Also, the theater is awful compared to DCL as it is not tiered on main floor and many seats on balcony have limited sightlines so get there early. Would we sail again? Probably if the price/itinerary were good. That being said our next cruise is DCL Hawaii 2020.




Thanks. How bad was the noise? We are booked in a Family Harbor oceanview (balconies & suites were already sold out). The itinerary (Southern Caribbean) was one of the biggest draws for us.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> Wow, it's been awful slow around here!



I've been thinking the same thing.  I think everyone is hibernating.  My least favorite months of the year are January and February.   We are on the Breeze in less than 2 weeks.  I will try to do a report.  Does anyone know if sprint has "free" cell service in San Juan and/or St. Thomas?  

Your European excursion sounds great.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mcd2745 said:


> Thanks. How bad was the noise? We are booked in a Family Harbor oceanview (balconies & suites were already sold out). The itinerary (Southern Caribbean) was one of the biggest draws for us.



I can tell you that we were under the galley on CCL Dream and it was awful.  From what I have read from people's reviews, however, some cabins are awful and then a couple of doors down is fine, so it seems very room specific.  I might post the specific cabin number on cc and see if anyone has any details about that cabin.  That itinerary you are on is amazing.  We did it on Vista a couple of summers ago.  Best itinerary we have ever been on.


----------



## DCLfam

mcd2745 said:


> Thanks. How bad was the noise? We are booked in a Family Harbor oceanview (balconies & suites were already sold out). The itinerary (Southern Caribbean) was one of the biggest draws for us.



We were in cabin 2429 and it was horrible. We have sailed many night on DCL and nothing compared to this. The first night my DS woke up, which is saying something, thinking we had hit in iceberg This cabin is located right under the main prep kitchen that worked pretty much all hours of the day. A huge design flaw in my opinion for a new ship. That being said Carnival handled it very well. They moved us just up, I think 2405, and while we could still hear the noise it was nothing like our original room.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mcd2745 said:


> Thanks. How bad was the noise? We are booked in a Family Harbor oceanview (balconies & suites were already sold out). The itinerary (Southern Caribbean) was one of the biggest draws for us.



We did the Southern on Vista last year.  I loved the ports.  If you are going to La Romana, DR I highly suggest a Carnival excursion.  We went to another island with the most beautiful beach. It was my favorite day.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I've been thinking the same thing.  I think everyone is hibernating.  My least favorite months of the year are January and February.   We are on the Breeze in less than 2 weeks.  I will try to do a report.  Does anyone know if sprint has "free" cell service in San Juan and/or St. Thomas?
> 
> Your European excursion sounds great.



We do have our annual family summer vacation coming up in about 88 days but it's not a cruise. My next cruise is October for a quick getaway with my mom.  Looking forward to going back to Cozumel for a relaxing beach day.

I love Europe and will look for any excuse to visit.  Our upcoming vacation is a land trip to France.


----------



## mcd2745

DCLfam said:


> We were in cabin 2429 and it was horrible. We have sailed many night on DCL and nothing compared to this. The first night my DS woke up, which is saying something, thinking we had hit in iceberg This cabin is located right under the main prep kitchen that worked pretty much all hours of the day. A huge design flaw in my opinion for a new ship. That being said Carnival handled it very well. They moved us just up, I think 2405, and while we could still hear the noise it was nothing like our original room.



We'll see. We are in 2437, i believe, so just a few doors down towards the aft of the ship from your noisy room.


----------



## mcd2745

trvlgirlmq said:


> We did the Southern on Vista last year.  I loved the ports.  If you are going to La Romana, DR I highly suggest a Carnival excursion.  We went to another island with the most beautiful beach. It was my favorite day.



We are going to La Romana. Do you remember where you went/what excursion?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mcd2745 said:


> We are going to La Romana. Do you remember where you went/what excursion?



We did the Catalina Island Beach Break.  The sand was the softest, most white I have ever seen and the water was gorgeous and perfect.


----------



## tidefan

Not necessarily Carnival (but owned by Carnival Corp...)

We'll be going on the Regal Princess in a couple of weeks.  I'll report back when we get back!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

tidefan said:


> Not necessarily Carnival (but owned by Carnival Corp...)
> 
> We'll be going on the Regal Princess in a couple of weeks.  I'll report back when we get back!


I would love to hear about regal princess!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mcd2745 said:


> Thoughts on the ship? I'll refrain from asking service-related questions since they were probably still working out some kinks at that time.


I can give thoughts on Vista, I loved her. I definitely recommend hitting JiJi’s or Cucina del Capitano for lunch on embarkation day. Very few people know it’s a no extra cost option at lunch. JiJi’s is essentially a stir-fry sit down at lunch and Cucina is a pasta bar, you get to choose your noodles, sauce and mix-ins, they also have lasagna but I didn’t like that. If you like seafood, the bow tie pasta with clam sauce was awesome. We eat there for lunch a lot and really enjoy it. 

The salted caramel chocolate cookies at the deli are amazing, as are almost all the Carnival desserts.  For a couple hours everyday at the Lido buffet, they have slow churned real ice cream. It’s so creamy and amazing, they have 2 flavors everyday and is so good. 

Serenity deck has a really good salad place on sea days, if you’re a drinker there’s a bar up there also. I love serenity, it’s really amazing. 

I’m pretty sure they have a white party and an 80’s party too, those are a lot of fun. Carnival is truly about having fun, go in with an open mind and you’ll love it.


----------



## tidefan

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I would love to hear about regal princess!


Will do. I’ll post a quick report once we get back...


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Wow, it's been awful slow around here!



I was struck by flu... It's been the end of the world for the last 7 days. I'm barely coming back to the surface. Doc said the worst is behind me but I don't feel much of a difference here...


----------



## Davistigers

WARNING I think we have "Cruise Fever" is there a cure?? After 5 wonderful DCL cruises, we  tried a Carnival Mexican Rivera cruise in 2017, on one one of the old, huge rust spots on the cabin windows "70's Vegas styled" smaller ships they have doing that 3-4 day itinerary. We did not like it and let them know....crickets from Carnival of course. We are cruising on the Wonder to Mexico in April 2019 and looking for other ideas/itineraries/lower prices/new cruise experiences. We think we will try Princess, NCL,RCI again and others in the coming years. We are looking forward to the new Disney ships and itineraries, but they are years away right now, and the prices may be too high for us, got to wait and see.

After studying and doing more research trying to book anyone BUT Carnival, we booked the new gorgeous Carnival Panorama for our next 2 cruises, and are trying to book the Mardi Gras/Horizon, if we can find a time that works. Pictures and reviews of some of the quieter cabins in the Family Harbor area look interesting to us, check it out! We get 1.5 baths (2 showers, 2 sinks only one toilet) so we can all get ready quickly, and a Lounge when the cabin gets tight or if  I want to watch something on TV, when Mom and kids want to watch something else. Love the espresso/ice machine idea and quick breakfast and snacks without having to go to the more crowded bigger buffet, especially on a port day. Its many thousands less than DCL, some comparison dates seem close to half of DCL. We will see what our teenager  says about the CCL teen O2 club when we get back compared to VIBE.

We LOVE DCL, and have spent the last 13+ years telling family and friends what a great vacation it is for us, especially for those with young children and teens. I just had to early retire from 30 years  behind the camera working in Hollywood, and must try and make our vacation dollars go as far as possible. We will post a review after our next Carnival cruise, and if its not as advertised, we will keep looking as we love cruising. Thanks for all your previous posts and encouragement to try something different.

After thinking about it, I think Disney, with so few ships, with 2 getting older everyday, making us wait longer than other cruise lines to announce sailing dates/prices is a mistake on their part, after all DCL trained many of us to book as soon a its announced, to get the price, room and ship we want. For those of us tired of waiting, some of us go ahead and book other cruises while we are waiting to insure we can cruise specific dates, as our kids are in HS and college. Then when we see the price difference, we have a choice.

In closing I hate that the Wonder took away the top public area of the Cove Cafe to use as a concierge lounge, that was one of my favorite spots on our DCL Alaska cruise, heck use a stateroom or other area, not something many of us loved. Disney please ADD things, don't take away things!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I was struck by flu... It's been the end of the world for the last 7 days. I'm barely coming back to the surface. Doc said the worst is behind me but I don't feel much of a difference here...


Ugh, glad to hear you are on the mend.  The flu can be scary.  At least you were not about to leave for a cruise.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Davistigers said:


> After 5 wonderful DCL cruises, we  tried a Carnival Mexican Rivera cruise in 2017, on one one of the old, huge rust spots on the cabin windows "70's Vegas styled" smaller ships they have doing that 3-4 day itinerary. We did not like it and let them know....crickets from Carnival of course. We are cruising on the Wonder to Mexico in April 2019 and looking for other ideas/itineraries/lower prices/new cruise experiences. We think we will try Princess, RCI again and others in the coming years. We are looking forward to the new Disney ships and itineraries, but they are years away right now, and the prices may be too high for us, got to wait and see.
> 
> After studying and doing more research trying to book anyone BUT Carnival, we booked the new Carnival Panorama for our next 2 cruises, and are trying to book the Mardi Gras/Horizon, if we can find a time that works. Pictures and reviews of some of the quieter cabins in the Family Harbor area look interesting to us, check it out! We get 1.5 baths so we can all get ready quickly, and a Lounge when the cabin gets tight or I want to watch something at 4am. Love the espresso/ice machine idea and quick breakfast and snacks without having to go to the more crowded bigger buffet.
> 
> We LOVE DCL, and have spent the last 15 + years telling family and friends what a great vacation it is for us, especially for those with young children and teens. I just had to early retire from 30 years  behind the camera working in Hollywood, and must try and make our vacation dollars go as far as possible. We will post a review after our next Carnival cruise, and if its not as advertised, we will keep looking as we love cruising. Thanks for all your previous posts and encouragement to try something different.



Funny that you were disappointed with Carnival but are back for more!  I suspect you will love Panorama.   Great that a new ship leaves from LA.  Our last cruise on CCL dream was a bit disappointing but we still had a good time.  When we were on it, dh said a couple of times let's try other lines.  Actually he said, "I think I'm ready to be nickel and dimed." Lol.  But he is now very excited to be going on the CCL Breeze in a couple of weeks.  Our other 2 Carnival cruises have been great.  We have booked Panorama too and are looking forward to it.  We will try other lines in the future too.  Carnival is definitely not perfect but overall we are happy with them.   Great value.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> I was struck by flu... It's been the end of the world for the last 7 days. I'm barely coming back to the surface. Doc said the worst is behind me but I don't feel much of a difference here...



Oh, no!  Glad you are on the mend.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Ugh, glad to hear you are on the mend.  The flu can be scary.  At least you were not about to leave for a cruise.



OMG, that would have been awful... (Thankfully, I still have 45 days to get better). And from now on, I am never gonna skip on the vaccine ever again...


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Oh, no!  Glad you are on the mend.



Thank you. Can't say I'm feeling better yet but this was nice to hear.


----------



## pspookyc

mcd2745 said:


> ..... our next cruise is on the Horizon - which we just happened to pull in nose-to-nose to upon our return to Port of Miami on Saturday morning - in August. So, I may start looking to pick some brains for Carnival info....



Ditto. Our first Carnival cruise will also be on Horizon, August 10th. After sailing NCL, RCL and DCL, we are looking forward to something new, and for us a new itinerary.


----------



## mcd2745

pspookyc said:


> Ditto. Our first Carnival cruise will also be on Horizon, August 10th. After sailing NCL, RCL and DCL, we are looking forward to something new, and for us a new itinerary.



We're on the Aug 24th sailing. We'll also have done DCL (6x), RCCL (3x), & NCL (2x) when we do our first on Carnival. I really hope we enjoy it and it becomes a regular option. We're definitely not done with DCL. It's just the cost makes it prohibitive to sail DCL exclusively. Very possibly done with NCL, unless we go along with a large group like we did for the first one, but I doubt we do it on our own again like last week (I like the whole "Freestyle" vibe, but the service just is lacking too much - perhaps we are just DCL "snobs"). We may or may not be done with RCCL - depends if the kids let us do another one. Three RCCL cruises and each time one of us ended up in Medical. First one (Nickelodeon cruise on Freedom of the Seas), DD - 4yr old at the time - got finger caught in stateroom door and luckily only lost her fingernail. Next on Oasis of the Seas (actually DIS Cruise 1.0), I came down with flu. Third one (Freedom again), DS sliced his finger open on some overhead lighting while dancing in the teen club and needed stitches. So, the kids have been afraid to go on RCCL, saying it will be their mom's turn next to end up in Medical if we go on RCCL again.


----------



## Monykalyn

mevelandry said:


> I was struck by flu... It's been the end of the world for the last 7 days. I'm barely coming back to the surface. Doc said the worst is behind me but I don't feel much of a difference here...


Oh glad to hear you are on the mend! Middle kid got felled by the flu a couple weeks ago-out for 6 1/2 days but with a snow day and and 3 day weekend she didn't have to miss too many school days.

Impatiently waiting for Allstate  rewards to restock their Carnival gift cards so I can finish paying off our cruise...and have to get the kids passports in March.


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> Oh glad to hear you are on the mend! Middle kid got felled by the flu a couple weeks ago-out for 6 1/2 days but with a snow day and and 3 day weekend she didn't have to miss too many school days.
> 
> Impatiently waiting for Allstate  rewards to restock their Carnival gift cards so I can finish paying off our cruise...and have to get the kids passports in March.



Thank you! After 9 days, I finally feel like I'm starting to beat the virus...! My boss forbid me to get back to work until monday, so I've been off since I left mid-afternoon last wednesday (Thankfully, I still get paid). I can't wait to go back to "regular life". 

I don't have much to do outside of watching tv. I have just added a tv channel 100% about travelling and they have a show about cruises (they tell you everything about the ships, the ports they are visiting and the excursions they are doing)... Not gonna lie, MSC sounds pretty nice. 

I wish we had access to cruise lines credit cards here in Canada... I have one that gives me points for air plane tickets but... Meh.


----------



## pspookyc

mcd2745 said:


> We're on the Aug 24th sailing. We'll also have done DCL (6x), RCCL (3x), & NCL (2x) when we do our first on Carnival. I really hope we enjoy it and it becomes a regular option. We're definitely not done with DCL. It's just the cost makes it prohibitive to sail DCL exclusively. Very possibly done with NCL, unless we go along with a large group like we did for the first one, but I doubt we do it on our own again like last week (I like the whole "Freestyle" vibe, but the service just is lacking too much - perhaps we are just DCL "snobs"). We may or may not be done with RCCL - depends if the kids let us do another one. Three RCCL cruises and each time one of us ended up in Medical. First one (Nickelodeon cruise on Freedom of the Seas), DD - 4yr old at the time - got finger caught in stateroom door and luckily only lost her fingernail. Next on Oasis of the Seas (actually DIS Cruise 1.0), I came down with flu. Third one (Freedom again), DS sliced his finger open on some overhead lighting while dancing in the teen club and needed stitches. So, the kids have been afraid to go on RCCL, saying it will be their mom's turn next to end up in Medical if we go on RCCL again.



We've been shopping for newer ships and newer destinations, which attracted us to the Horizon and the Southern Caribbean. We really enjoyed the Allure of the Seas and the Anthem of the Seas when they were newly deployed, and we did Breakaway when it was only a few months in service. Next we are on the NCL Encore out of NYC in 2020. We hope that once DCL has new ships on line they will have itineraries that we are interested in, but for now ...... In 2021 we will likely go to Alaska, and right now it looks like Princess provides the things we are looking for. Happy sailing. BTW, we already booked dining and excursions on Horizon; if you are planning on dining at the steakhouse, I understand it books out early.


----------



## Monykalyn

mevelandry said:


> Not gonna lie, MSC sounds pretty nice.


 Yeah I’ve been reading up on them too! and a travel agent told me Princess might be a good fit for us. Hmmmm.
 DH now wants to go with friends on their RCCL Cuba cruise in October  after prices have gone up of course, and he won’t make a commitment this early either! He just doesn’t get that booking last minute is not usually a good thing! Guess we can wait now and see if there’s a deal, otherwise -as much as I’d love to go- I’m gonna have to say no. Plus not sure I could rearrange my schedule so much after adding a day to my HHN trip in September, have to work sometime!


----------



## belle032

Exciting news! So my mom called me up and told me she was planning a trip to Florida. Originally, she wanted to just do WDW, but since they have been recently, she said they wanted to try Universal and asked if I wanted to come down. Then she goes on to say, well since we're already down there, what do you think about adding 3 night DCL out of Port Canaveral? Ummm did you even have to ask?! So long story short, my mom, younger brother, and I will be sailing on the Dream out of Port Canaveral on May 17! None of us have ever sailed DCL, and with DH & I doing the British Isles in September, this gives me a chance to kind of check everything out. So super excited! This is a definitely a special occasion, as my younger brother has Down Syndrome and this trip is to celebrate his college graduation!  And I think I'm going to sign up for our FE as a surprise to him as well. He'll love getting "surprises!"



pspookyc said:


> We've been shopping for newer ships and newer destinations, which attracted us to the Horizon and the Southern Caribbean. We really enjoyed the Allure of the Seas and the Anthem of the Seas when they were newly deployed, and we did Breakaway when it was only a few months in service. Next we are on the NCL Encore out of NYC in 2020. We hope that once DCL has new ships on line they will have itineraries that we are interested in, but for now ...... In 2021 we will likely go to Alaska, and right now it looks like Princess provides the things we are looking for. Happy sailing. BTW, we already booked dining and excursions on Horizon; if you are planning on dining at the steakhouse, I understand it books out early.



DH & I are also really interested in the Horizon's Southern Caribbean itinerary! I believe the Magic is sailing that route (or something similar) as well. We are looking for January-February 2020 as we realized this year we REALLY need to get out of here during the winter. I'm more tempted by the Horizon as we've already been on the Magic, and we haven't gotten to try a "new" Carnival ship yet!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> Exciting news! So my mom called me up and told me she was planning a trip to Florida. Originally, she wanted to just do WDW, but since they have been recently, she said they wanted to try Universal and asked if I wanted to come down. Then she goes on to say, well since we're already down there, what do you think about adding 3 night DCL out of Port Canaveral? Ummm did you even have to ask?! So long story short, my mom, younger brother, and I will be sailing on the Dream out of Port Canaveral on May 17! None of us have ever sailed DCL, and with DH & I doing the British Isles in September, this gives me a chance to kind of check everything out. So super excited! This is a definitely a special occasion, as my younger brother has Down Syndrome and this trip is to celebrate his college graduation!  And I think I'm going to sign up for our FE as a surprise to him as well. He'll love getting "surprises!"
> 
> 
> 
> DH & I are also really interested in the Horizon's Southern Caribbean itinerary! I believe the Magic is sailing that route (or something similar) as well. We are looking for January-February 2020 as we realized this year we REALLY need to get out of here during the winter. I'm more tempted by the Horizon as we've already been on the Magic, and we haven't gotten to try a "new" Carnival ship yet!


Sounds awesome,  your brother will love the dcl cruise!  Fe sounds like a great idea.


----------



## hdrolfe

I'm going on a Southern on Magic in March 2020, Aruba, Curacao, Half Moon and Grand Turk. I looked at Horizon as well but the port times on the Magic cruise were better, and HMC! Looks so nice.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Exciting news! So my mom called me up and told me she was planning a trip to Florida. Originally, she wanted to just do WDW, but since they have been recently, she said they wanted to try Universal and asked if I wanted to come down. Then she goes on to say, well since we're already down there, what do you think about adding 3 night DCL out of Port Canaveral? Ummm did you even have to ask?! So long story short, my mom, younger brother, and I will be sailing on the Dream out of Port Canaveral on May 17! None of us have ever sailed DCL, and with DH & I doing the British Isles in September, this gives me a chance to kind of check everything out. So super excited! This is a definitely a special occasion, as my younger brother has Down Syndrome and this trip is to celebrate his college graduation!  And I think I'm going to sign up for our FE as a surprise to him as well. He'll love getting "surprises!"
> 
> 
> 
> DH & I are also really interested in the Horizon's Southern Caribbean itinerary! I believe the Magic is sailing that route (or something similar) as well. We are looking for January-February 2020 as we realized this year we REALLY need to get out of here during the winter. I'm more tempted by the Horizon as we've already been on the Magic, and we haven't gotten to try a "new" Carnival ship yet!



The Disney Dream is awesome (definitely one of my favorite ships, sailed on it twice!). The first DCL cruises are always magical and very special. You're going to have a GREAT time!


----------



## WDW&DCLADDICT

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Funny that you were disappointed with Carnival but are back for more!  I suspect you will love Panorama.   Great that a new ship leaves from LA.  Our last cruise on CCL dream was a bit disappointing but we still had a good time.  When we were on it, dh said a couple of times let's try other lines.  Actually he said, "I think I'm ready to be nickel and dimed." Lol.  But he is now very excited to be going on the CCL Breeze in a couple of weeks.  Our other 2 Carnival cruises have been great.  We have booked Panorama too and are looking forward to it.  We will try other lines in the future too.  Carnival is definitely not perfect but overall we are happy with them.   Great value.


you will love the Breeze been on it twice, it will not disappoint. will be on the Horizon this summer


----------



## cyclenut

This very long thread already has many pricing comparisons, but I thought I would share another one since I'm shopping and have the pricing.  

I priced out an Eastern Caribbean leaving in late August from Port Canaveral for three lines.  Carnival Breeze, Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas and Disney Fantasy.  They all go to slightly different ports and have vastly different pricing.  We've been on the Breeze and Fantasy before so know what to expect.  We've sailed on Royal, but not Oasis class.  But we feel we have a pretty decent idea having been on the Freedom.  

Carnival Breeze:
August 24 7 day Eastern Caribbean
Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, Amber Cove, day at sea
Deck 7 Aft Balcony is $2,169.94 (incl taxes and port fees) 

Harmony of the Seas:
August 25 7 day Eastern Caribbean
Perfect Day at Coco Cay, St. Thomas, St. Marten, 2 days at sea
Deck 9 Aft Balcony is $2,442.66 (incl taxes and port fees)

Disney Fantasy:
August 24 7 day Eastern Caribbean
Tortola, St. Thomas, Castaway Cay, 2 days at sea
Deck 9 Aft Balcony is $4,607.04 (incl taxes and port fees)

The pricing is about as comparable as you can get between lines, although we all know that on the Fantasy you get a larger stateroom with a split bath and the other "Disney" difference.  Does that justify double the price?  Not in my mind.  Not even close.  I'm willing to pay a premium for Disney, but not that kind of premium.  

Frankly the Royal Caribbean option looks to be the best value to me.  Only slightly more than the Breeze and we get to experience the new private island renovations and we love the extra sea day.  We haven't tried an Oasis class ship, so this would be a new experience whereas both the Breeze and the Fantasy are familiar.  However, we really enjoyed our cruise on the Breeze so it also very appealing.


----------



## WDW&DCLADDICT

cyclenut said:


> This very long thread already has many pricing comparisons, but I thought I would share another one since I'm shopping and have the pricing.
> 
> I priced out an Eastern Caribbean leaving in late August from Port Canaveral for three lines.  Carnival Breeze, Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas and Disney Fantasy.  They all go to slightly different ports and have vastly different pricing.  We've been on the Breeze and Fantasy before so know what to expect.  We've sailed on Royal, but not Oasis class.  But we feel we have a pretty decent idea having been on the Freedom.
> 
> Carnival Breeze:
> August 24 7 day Eastern Caribbean
> Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, Amber Cove, day at sea
> Deck 7 Aft Balcony is $2,169.94 (incl taxes and port fees)
> 
> Harmony of the Seas:
> August 25 7 day Eastern Caribbean
> Perfect Day at Coco Cay, St. Thomas, St. Marten, 2 days at sea
> Deck 9 Aft Balcony is $2,442.66 (incl taxes and port fees)
> 
> Disney Fantasy:
> August 24 7 day Eastern Caribbean
> Tortola, St. Thomas, Castaway Cay, 2 days at sea
> Deck 9 Aft Balcony is $4,607.04 (incl taxes and port fees)
> 
> The pricing is about as comparable as you can get between lines, although we all know that on the Fantasy you get a larger stateroom with a split bath and the other "Disney" difference.  Does that justify double the price?  Not in my mind.  Not even close.  I'm willing to pay a premium for Disney, but not that kind of premium.
> 
> Frankly the Royal Caribbean option looks to be the best value to me.  Only slightly more than the Breeze and we get to experience the new private island renovations and we love the extra sea day.  We haven't tried an Oasis class ship, so this would be a new experience whereas both the Breeze and the Fantasy are familiar.  However, we really enjoyed our cruise on the Breeze so it also very appealing.


For the Harmony of the Seas i am getting a way different price, same with Disney


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

cyclenut said:


> This very long thread already has many pricing comparisons, but I thought I would share another one since I'm shopping and have the pricing.
> 
> I priced out an Eastern Caribbean leaving in late August from Port Canaveral for three lines.  Carnival Breeze, Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas and Disney Fantasy.  They all go to slightly different ports and have vastly different pricing.  We've been on the Breeze and Fantasy before so know what to expect.  We've sailed on Royal, but not Oasis class.  But we feel we have a pretty decent idea having been on the Freedom.
> 
> Carnival Breeze:
> August 24 7 day Eastern Caribbean
> Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, Amber Cove, day at sea
> Deck 7 Aft Balcony is $2,169.94 (incl taxes and port fees)
> 
> Harmony of the Seas:
> August 25 7 day Eastern Caribbean
> Perfect Day at Coco Cay, St. Thomas, St. Marten, 2 days at sea
> Deck 9 Aft Balcony is $2,442.66 (incl taxes and port fees)
> 
> Disney Fantasy:
> August 24 7 day Eastern Caribbean
> Tortola, St. Thomas, Castaway Cay, 2 days at sea
> Deck 9 Aft Balcony is $4,607.04 (incl taxes and port fees)
> 
> The pricing is about as comparable as you can get between lines, although we all know that on the Fantasy you get a larger stateroom with a split bath and the other "Disney" difference.  Does that justify double the price?  Not in my mind.  Not even close.  I'm willing to pay a premium for Disney, but not that kind of premium.
> 
> Frankly the Royal Caribbean option looks to be the best value to me.  Only slightly more than the Breeze and we get to experience the new private island renovations and we love the extra sea day.  We haven't tried an Oasis class ship, so this would be a new experience whereas both the Breeze and the Fantasy are familiar.  However, we really enjoyed our cruise on the Breeze so it also very appealing.


I’d definitely give Oasis a try.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

WDW&DCLADDICT said:


> you will love the Breeze been on it twice, it will not disappoint. will be on the Horizon this summer


We are excited!  Although I am in nervous mode right now until we are "safely" on the ship in 6 days.  Lol


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

cyclenut said:


> This very long thread already has many pricing comparisons, but I thought I would share another one since I'm shopping and have the pricing.
> 
> I priced out an Eastern Caribbean leaving in late August from Port Canaveral for three lines.  Carnival Breeze, Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas and Disney Fantasy.  They all go to slightly different ports and have vastly different pricing.  We've been on the Breeze and Fantasy before so know what to expect.  We've sailed on Royal, but not Oasis class.  But we feel we have a pretty decent idea having been on the Freedom.
> 
> Carnival Breeze:
> August 24 7 day Eastern Caribbean
> Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, Amber Cove, day at sea
> Deck 7 Aft Balcony is $2,169.94 (incl taxes and port fees)
> 
> Harmony of the Seas:
> August 25 7 day Eastern Caribbean
> Perfect Day at Coco Cay, St. Thomas, St. Marten, 2 days at sea
> Deck 9 Aft Balcony is $2,442.66 (incl taxes and port fees)
> 
> Disney Fantasy:
> August 24 7 day Eastern Caribbean
> Tortola, St. Thomas, Castaway Cay, 2 days at sea
> Deck 9 Aft Balcony is $4,607.04 (incl taxes and port fees)
> 
> The pricing is about as comparable as you can get between lines, although we all know that on the Fantasy you get a larger stateroom with a split bath and the other "Disney" difference.  Does that justify double the price?  Not in my mind.  Not even close.  I'm willing to pay a premium for Disney, but not that kind of premium.
> 
> Frankly the Royal Caribbean option looks to be the best value to me.  Only slightly more than the Breeze and we get to experience the new private island renovations and we love the extra sea day.  We haven't tried an Oasis class ship, so this would be a new experience whereas both the Breeze and the Fantasy are familiar.  However, we really enjoyed our cruise on the Breeze so it also very appealing.



I'd also try the ship that is new for you.  Harmony is getting rave reviews!


----------



## mevelandry

I'd love to sail on the Harmony. The "Like Father" movie on Netflix made me want to sail on it big time!!!


----------



## starvenger

cyclenut said:


> Frankly the Royal Caribbean option looks to be the best value to me. Only slightly more than the Breeze and we get to experience the new private island renovations and we love the extra sea day. We haven't tried an Oasis class ship, so this would be a new experience whereas both the Breeze and the Fantasy are familiar. However, we really enjoyed our cruise on the Breeze so it also very appealing.





we"reofftoneverland said:


> I'd also try the ship that is new for you. Harmony is getting rave reviews!


Be aware that if you're looking for a "classic" cruise experience, you're not going to get that on an Oasis class. They truly are floating resorts - which isn't a bad thing, but you kind of have to experience the ships yourself before you can decide if it's "right" for you.

Harmony is a great ship, but I kind of liked Allure better. Will be on Symphony next year so will be able to do a comparison of the 3 sister ships.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Ok, I know most of you are big DCL fans but looking at the opening prices thread is just a huge NO.  Those prices are outrageous and I just can't see the DCL is so much better to pay twice as much. Someone posted the 12 night Greek Isles for 2 was about $8800!  We have a 12 night on CCL for 2020 for 2 adults for $4400.  I like Disney but I don't go into debt to pay for vacation.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Ok, I know most of you are big DCL fans but looking at the opening prices thread is just a huge NO.  Those prices are outrageous and I just can't see the DCL is so much better to pay twice as much. Someone posted the 12 night Greek Isles for 2 was about $8800!  We have a 12 night on CCL for 2020 for 2 adults for $4400.  I like Disney but I don't go into debt to pay for vacation.



To me, it's not even a question of going into debt to pay for a vacation. I know some people can afford the price difference (in many cases, DH and I can actually afford it: we just don't wanna pay that kind of price!). I simply have a hard time believing the "Disney difference" is *worth* that much.

Probably, because I don't think it is. I love DCL, but I don't love it enough to pay 25 to 50% more*. Sorry.

I know that in North America, we live in a world of abundance... but past a certain point, it just seems outrageous to me.

EDIT: To repeat the same experiences and itineraries.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> To me, it's not even a question of going into debt to pay for a vacation. I know some people can afford the price difference (in many cases, DH and I can actually afford it: we just don't wanna pay that kind of price!). I simply have a hard time believing the "Disney difference" is *worth* that much.
> 
> Probably, because I don't think it is. I love DCL, but I don't love it enough to pay 25 to 50% more. Sorry.
> 
> I know that in North America, we live in a world of abundance... but past a certain point, it just seems outrageous to me.



I feel like Disney, and DCL, in general is becoming more a "rich" man's travel company.  I remember my first onsite stay @ WDW in October 2010.  We had 2 adults and 3 kids (1 disney adult) at POR Riverside for 7 nights w/tickets and paid about $2650. That same trip this year is $4400. That is about a 60% increase, way more than salaries have gone up for sure!

I think DCL is even worse cost-wise.  My understanding is that room stewards, food quality, etc are not any better than the other mass-market lines. The only thing that may stand out are the shows.  I don't buy into the theory that DCL is "safer" or "better" for kids.  My kids love CCL, have grown up on them and they have never been in danger.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> Ok, I know most of you are big DCL fans but looking at the opening prices thread is just a huge NO.  Those prices are outrageous and I just can't see the DCL is so much better to pay twice as much. Someone posted the 12 night Greek Isles for 2 was about $8800!  We have a 12 night on CCL for 2020 for 2 adults for $4400.  I like Disney but I don't go into debt to pay for vacation.


Yeah, we certainly aren’t booking anything. I considered the Greek Isles cruise but we’ve got the transatlantic on Radiance booked already and that’s 13 night for $6000, 4 people in 2 inside cabins. It would cost us $12,000 to do the DCL cruise. There is no way DCL is worth double the amount of Carnival. We actually have more fun on CCL than DCL, although we are more pampered on DCL. We actually like CCL’s food and food choices better, and are really looking forward to trying your time dining this June on Vista. We also think CCL’s desserts are way better. The weird thing to me is we make a very comfortable living and I can’t imagine paying those prices, what are the people who do, doing for a living?  It’s mind boggling.


----------



## cyclenut

WDW&DCLADDICT said:


> For the Harmony of the Seas i am getting a way different price, same with Disney


We pulled the trigger late yesterday.  Costco travel.  Super excited!!  I don't know what you did to price things out, but I did have the correct price as that's what I am actually paying for the Harmony of the Seas.  Party of 2 adults, August of 2019, Aft Cabin, Deck 9.  You may see a higher price for RCCL today as I received 30% off that ended yesterday, but RCCL is often running some sort of fare sale.  Are you seeing higher or lower price for Fantasy?  I picked the same itinerary and same sail date for comparison purposes (for me, not just for grins).  We had sailed the Fantasy Eastern previously and loved it so thought it would be good to compare prices.  Were you choosing a Navigator Veraandah perhaps?  I almost did that before I realized what category I was selecting.  



we"reofftoneverland said:


> I'd also try the ship that is new for you.  Harmony is getting rave reviews!


That was a definitely a factor for us.  We like doing new things and not just the same ship/itinerary over and over again.  That's part of what soured us a bit on Disney.  Not enough new in there (although we have clearly not sailed everywhere they go).  



starvenger said:


> Be aware that if you're looking for a "classic" cruise experience, you're not going to get that on an Oasis class. They truly are floating resorts - which isn't a bad thing, but you kind of have to experience the ships yourself before you can decide if it's "right" for you.
> 
> Harmony is a great ship, but I kind of liked Allure better. Will be on Symphony next year so will be able to do a comparison of the 3 sister ships.



We've been on the Freedom of the Seas so feel like we have an idea of what to expect.  Definitely a different experience.  We love the Disney classic feel and will sail Disney again, but we thought it was time for another change and I continue to be surprised by the price differential.  It's really crazy.


----------



## WDW&DCLADDICT

cyclenut said:


> We pulled the trigger late yesterday.  Costco travel.  Super excited!!  I don't know what you did to price things out, but I did have the correct price as that's what I am actually paying for the Harmony of the Seas.  Party of 2 adults, August of 2019, Aft Cabin, Deck 9.  You may see a higher price for RCCL today as I received 30% off that ended yesterday, but RCCL is often running some sort of fare sale.  Are you seeing higher or lower price for Fantasy?  I picked the same itinerary and same sail date for comparison purposes (for me, not just for grins).  We had sailed the Fantasy Eastern previously and loved it so thought it would be good to compare prices.  Were you choosing a Navigator Veraandah perhaps?  I almost did that before I realized what category I was selecting.
> 
> 
> That was a definitely a factor for us.  We like doing new things and not just the same ship/itinerary over and over again.  That's part of what soured us a bit on Disney.  Not enough new in there (although we have clearly not sailed everywhere they go).
> 
> 
> 
> We've been on the Freedom of the Seas so feel like we have an idea of what to expect.  Definitely a different experience.  We love the Disney classic feel and will sail Disney again, but we thought it was time for another change and I continue to be surprised by the price differential.  It's really crazy.


Harmony of the seas im seeing about $4175.32 with fl residents and the $50 off 
Disney Fantasy im seeing close to $7,030.30 
Carnival Breeze Fl resident and VIFP rate im seeing $2799.88 
All are regular Balcony cabins Deck 6 aft 
for 7 nights to the eastern Caribbean


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> Ok, I know most of you are big DCL fans but looking at the opening prices thread is just a huge NO.  Those prices are outrageous and I just can't see the DCL is so much better to pay twice as much. Someone posted the 12 night Greek Isles for 2 was about $8800!  We have a 12 night on CCL for 2020 for 2 adults for $4400.  I like Disney but I don't go into debt to pay for vacation.



This is the first dcl schedule release where I am not even interested, haven't even looked.  Their prices aren't just too high, they don't even make sense.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Okay, so I lied.  I could not resist checking for comparison's sake.  
I compared the closest cruise I could get to our booked 7 night Panorama Mexican Riviera.  About $4800 with CCL (1 porthole cabin, 1 balcony, 5 people).  Dcl 7 night Caribbean Fantasy one week earlier (didnt have same exact week for 7 night) (1 inside, 1 balcony,  5 people) about $13600.  

The price difference is a semester at our state university. 
  Or 2 more cruises.

Crazy thing is.... I would have picked Panorama over the Fantasy even if prices were the same.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Okay, so I lied.  I could not resist checking for comparison's sake.
> I compared the closest cruise I could get to our booked 7 night Panorama Mexican Riviera.  *About $4800 with CCL (1 porthole cabin, 1 balcony, 5 people).  *Dcl 7 night Caribbean Fantasy one week earlier (didnt have same exact week for 7 night) *(1 inside, 1 balcony,  5 people) about $13600*.
> 
> The price difference is a semester at our state university.
> Or 2 more cruises.
> 
> Crazy thing is.... I would have picked Panorama over the Fantasy even if prices were the same.



Wait... Almost 3 times the price of CCL?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I was considering the 9 night Greek Isles on the Magic. Would be over $12,000 for 2 insides. The basically the same cruise on Adventure of the Seas is less than $6000, I could do 2 balconies for $10,000.


----------



## cyclenut

WDW&DCLADDICT said:


> Harmony of the seas im seeing about $4175.32 with fl residents and the $50 off
> Disney Fantasy im seeing close to $7,030.30
> Carnival Breeze Fl resident and VIFP rate im seeing $2799.88
> All are regular Balcony cabins Deck 6 aft
> for 7 nights to the eastern Caribbean



Are you sure you are pricing for two adults?  Maybe it's the date?  I know the late August dates are cheaper and that's what I booked.  Below is a screen shot of my booking price.  



Deck 9, category 8D, Ocean View Balcony.  

Not sure how you are seeing double that price.  I'm also noting the Disney Fantasy pricing is quite a bit higher than what I was seeing, so something is not the same.  Maybe I just got a smokin deal on the Harmony, but I'm locked in now and ready to roll!


----------



## mevelandry

Regarding the new Mardi Gras ship:  EMERIL LAGASSE SPICES UP
CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE’S MARDI GRAS WITH FIRST-EVER RESTAURANT AT SEA

Emeril’s Bistro 1396 to Showcase New Orleans, Creole-Inspired Cuisine

*******************************************************

I'm guessing this will be specialty dining $ but ... very interesting!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Wait... Almost 3 times the price of CCL?



Yes, it always seems to be that way for us.  This is not anything we are remotely considering.  I was just looking to have a laugh.  With today's prices, I think for large families, a 7 night dcl cruise is a one time thing, if that.  I think most of the people on the boards who do dcl frequently are travel agents or employees or utubers, or have some connection that garners significant discounts.  But that's just my read on that.  I cannot see ever doing another dcl cruise that is longer than 4 nights.  If we ever "splurge" it will be the extra thousand it will take for us to jump from Ccl to an Oasis type class ship.  Lol.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Regarding the new Mardi Gras ship:  EMERIL LAGASSE SPICES UP
> CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE’S MARDI GRAS WITH FIRST-EVER RESTAURANT AT SEA
> 
> Emeril’s Bistro 1396 to Showcase New Orleans, Creole-Inspired Cuisine
> 
> *******************************************************
> 
> I'm guessing this will be specialty dining $ but ... very interesting!


Very cool


----------



## trvlgirlmq

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Yes, it always seems to be that way for us.  This is not anything we are remotely considering.  I was just looking to have a laugh.  With today's prices, I think for large families, a 7 night dcl cruise is a one time thing, if that.  I think most of the people on the boards who do dcl frequently are travel agents or employees or utubers, or have some connection that garners significant discounts.  But that's just my read on that.  I cannot see ever doing another dcl cruise that is longer than 4 nights.  If we ever "splurge" it will be the extra thousand it will take for us to jump from Ccl to an Oasis type class ship.  Lol.



So, I have been reading some of the opening price threads and there are sailings that are almost sold out or prices have gone up thousands in just 2 days.  This completely turns me off DCL.  It appears they do not want new cruisers to find them if sailings are not even available for the general public to book.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> So, I have been reading some of the opening price threads and there are sailings that are almost sold out or prices have gone up thousands in just 2 days.  This completely turns me off DCL.  It appears they do not want new cruisers to find them if sailings are not even available for the general public to book.



It is weird because I really love Disney in general, but these last about 3 years I have been getting a weird vibe from dcl.  They turn me off too.  I'm not entirely sure why.  Part of it is price of course, but there is more.  We have a 4 night scheduled in December.   We booked it a couple of years ago because it was literally the least expensive cruise dcl had on their site.  Lol.  It is still expensive, works out to 187 /person/night (where we are paying 107/person/night on our next ccl cruise that goes to far superior ports on a much newer ship), but in dcl's alternative reality 187 is pretty good.  And yet, I am just not super excited about it.  I have this feeling we will cancel in the end even though it is a great deal.  It still feels like a rip off I guess.  I hate that feeling.


----------



## lilsonicfan

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I was considering the 9 night Greek Isles on the Magic. Would be over $12,000 for 2 insides. The basically the same cruise on Adventure of the Seas is less than $6000, I could do 2 balconies for $10,000.



I said this elsewhere but I booked an 11 night Greek Isles cruise on NCL for $6,600 for 5 of us in a family oceanview.  The 9 night DCL cruise was $23,000 this morning for 5 in a verandah, or I could get 2 standard inside rooms for $15,000.  I guess I'd have an extra bathroom on DCL at least.  Ha.


----------



## WDW&DCLADDICT

cyclenut said:


> Are you sure you are pricing for two adults?  Maybe it's the date?  I know the late August dates are cheaper and that's what I booked.  Below is a screen shot of my booking price.
> 
> View attachment 386726
> 
> Deck 9, category 8D, Ocean View Balcony.
> 
> Not sure how you are seeing double that price.  I'm also noting the Disney Fantasy pricing is quite a bit higher than what I was seeing, so something is not the same.  Maybe I just got a smokin deal on the Harmony, but I'm locked in now and ready to roll!


i was pricing a family of 4 adults 
here is with just 2 adults 
Disney:$4,523.05
Royal: $2,442.62 
Carnival: $2,049.94


----------



## WDW&DCLADDICT

For a Family of 4 in December, all are some kind of similar balconies all +/ 1 deck from deck 9 
Disney $7,425.32 
Royal $4,416.88 
Carnival $3,039.88 
Ncl: $4,250.60


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> It is weird because I really love Disney in general, but these last about 3 years I have been getting a weird vibe from dcl.  They turn me off too.  I'm not entirely sure why.  Part of it is price of course, but there is more.  We have a 4 night scheduled in December.   We booked it a couple of years ago because it was literally the least expensive cruise dcl had on their site.  Lol.  It is still expensive, works out to 187 /person/night (where we are paying 107/person/night on our next ccl cruise that goes to far superior ports on a much newer ship), but in dcl's alternative reality 187 is pretty good.  And yet, I am just not super excited about it.  I have this feeling we will cancel in the end even though it is a great deal.  It still feels like a rip off I guess.  I hate that feeling.



It's not a bad price for DCL. I believe this is similar or slightly lower than the price we paid in 2015. 

Is it on the Dream? 

Don't cancel. I'm sure you're going to have a great time.


----------



## mevelandry

Are we up to date on the roll call? Does anybody else want me to add their vacation in it?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Are we up to date on the roll call? Does anybody else want me to add their vacation in it?



Remove May 30 2020 Panorama
Add October 7 2019 Valor and July 7 2020 Legend


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> Are we up to date on the roll call? Does anybody else want me to add their vacation in it?




Aug 24, 2019 8-night Southern Caribbean on the Horizon


----------



## belle032

Can I just say thank god for y'all on this thread! I'm with ya'll on the outrageous prices of the new DCL itineraries. And people are booking them like crazy! I mean I LOVE DISNEY. Like I really do, but there is no way to justify those prices to me. And it kills me when people say "well if you add up all the extra things that other cruise lines charge, it really evens out.." I'm sorry am I missing something? What extras are you counting here? A soda package and some specialty dining? That really makes up for the thousands of dollars in price?  And if I hear "you couldn't pay me to cruise Carnival again" one more time...It's unfortunate that people need to say that kind of thing in the first place, but those are probably the people I don't want to cruise with anyway. 

I know everyone vacations differently, but our British Isles cruise will probably be our 1st and last DCL. No way in heck could I pay those prices just to cruise the Caribbean. We'll save our money for WDW to get our Disney fix. We are VERY happy cruising Carnival. Especially with some new European itineraries and some amazing new ships!


----------



## hdrolfe

My first cruise 4 years ago was supposed to be on Disney, but with the CAD dropping it became too expensive. Since I had flights booked I needed something to fit in, and it was between RCL or Carnival. I chose Carnival for the ports, and am so glad I did! I think if it hadn't been my first cruise I might never have tried Carnival. And the funny part is it was the Liberty, which does not have the fancy slides and ropes courses or anything. But kiddo, who was 5, and I had a great time and we both agree, having tried RCL now 3 times as well, that we like Carnival best! For us  He still dreams that we will do a Disney Star Wars cruise, but I dream of winning the lottery, so I guess we both have dreams that will never happen?


----------



## cyclenut

belle032 said:


> Can I just say thank god for y'all on this thread! I'm with ya'll on the outrageous prices of the new DCL itineraries. And people are booking them like crazy! I mean I LOVE DISNEY. Like I really do, but there is no way to justify those prices to me. And it kills me when people say "well if you add up all the extra things that other cruise lines charge, it really evens out.." I'm sorry am I missing something? What extras are you counting here? A soda package and some specialty dining? That really makes up for the thousands of dollars in price?  And if I hear "you couldn't pay me to cruise Carnival again" one more time...It's unfortunate that people need to say that kind of thing in the first place, but those are probably the people I don't want to cruise with anyway.
> 
> I know everyone vacations differently, but our British Isles cruise will probably be our 1st and last DCL. No way in heck could I pay those prices just to cruise the Caribbean. We'll save our money for WDW to get our Disney fix. We are VERY happy cruising Carnival. Especially with some new European itineraries and some amazing new ships!



I used to be in the "you couldn't pay me to cruise Carnival again" camp.  I finally got over it and have not regretted it.  Carnival has worked hard to improve their product without substantially increasing their price.  They have found a way to appeal to a broad audience of vacationers and are doing well.  I've written here before that our next Carnival cruise will be aboard the Vista and my wife was actually thinking we should have chosen the Vista out of Galveston instead of the Harmony out of Orlando we ended up choosing.  I could afford to pay Disney prices, but I just don't know why I'd want to right now.  There isn't enough of a compelling reason to pay that much more.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Just for giggles I went to check open day pricing for a first time cruiser to compare:

Current booking Carnival Legend 12 day Med July 2020: 2A Deck 5 Aft Balcony *$4402* incl tax, port fees
Disney 12 day Med July 2020: 2A Deck 5 Aft balcony *$14,0710.46* incl tax, port fees

Yeah, they are out of their minds.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Can I just say thank god for y'all on this thread! I'm with ya'll on the outrageous prices of the new DCL itineraries. And people are booking them like crazy! I mean I LOVE DISNEY. Like I really do, but there is no way to justify those prices to me. And it kills me when people say "well if you add up all the extra things that other cruise lines charge, it really evens out.." I'm sorry am I missing something? What extras are you counting here? A soda package and some specialty dining? That really makes up for the thousands of dollars in price?  And if I hear "you couldn't pay me to cruise Carnival again" one more time...It's unfortunate that people need to say that kind of thing in the first place, but those are probably the people I don't want to cruise with anyway.
> 
> I know everyone vacations differently, but our British Isles cruise will probably be our 1st and last DCL. No way in heck could I pay those prices just to cruise the Caribbean. We'll save our money for WDW to get our Disney fix. We are VERY happy cruising Carnival. Especially with some new European itineraries and some amazing new ships!



Ahhh those cruise snobs! 

I have a hard times with people who feel like they are too good to stay somewhere or sail on certain cruise lines.

When people say: "I would never sail with Carnival", I always ask why. I noticed that for those have experienced it (most of the time, it's not the case... *criquets*), 99% of the time, I thought that they overreacted over small issues... 

Or worst: they are intolerant of the demographic (which makes me not want to sail with them at all). 

If I had based my whole opinion of DCL by the first night of our first cruise, I would never have sailed with DCL again (we met an obnoxious/entitled drunk + we got sea sick + our first dinner at Animator's Palate was absolutely terrible with a rude overworked server.) 

DH and I recently came to the conclusion that the Carnival Vista was our "favorite" cruise and the Sensation was our "least favorite". But... While we had more "cons" in our list for this cruise than we had during other cruises, it doesn't mean that it was a "bad cruise". 

We simply took aside what we did not like and tried to figure out how we could avoid those issues in the future (ex: We realized that we were no fans of smaller ships and that we like when the ships are a little bit more recent. It doesn't make or break our cruise, it's just a personal preference.)


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Just for giggles I went to check open day pricing for a first time cruiser to compare:
> 
> Current booking Carnival Legend 12 day Med July 2020: 2A Deck 5 Aft Balcony *$4402* incl tax, port fees
> Disney 12 day Med July 2020: 2A Deck 5 Aft balcony *$14,0710.46* incl tax, port fees
> 
> Yeah, they are out of their minds.



10 000$ more. That's 3 to 5 carribean cruises for DH and I. 

And that was opening day pricing so it's probably more expensive now!


----------



## TJA

trvlgirlmq said:


> Just for giggles I went to check open day pricing for a first time cruiser to compare:
> 
> Current booking Carnival Legend 12 day Med July 2020: 2A Deck 5 Aft Balcony *$4402* incl tax, port fees
> Disney 12 day Med July 2020: 2A Deck 5 Aft balcony *$14,0710.46* incl tax, port fees
> 
> Yeah, they are out of their minds.



Such a price difference!!  I just branched out, not to Carnival but to Royal, but also a $10,000 difference in cost for same cruise and same type of room (minus one bathroom).  Anxiously praying we love it as much as the Disney cruise!


----------



## mcd2745

belle032 said:


> Can I just say thank god for y'all on this thread! I'm with ya'll on the outrageous prices of the new DCL itineraries. And people are booking them like crazy!



I don't know if they are booking them like crazy. Just because they are getting quotes doesn't mean they are booking. I'm sure a decent amount are. What you see a lot with the opening day quotes threads is that many of the die-hard, platinum Castaway Club members getting those quotes are just 2 adults (no kids). Likely empty-nesters with a little more disposable cash, and not having to foot the bill for a full family, I guess. 



belle032 said:


> I mean I LOVE DISNEY. Like I really do, but there is no way to justify those prices to me. And it kills me when people say "well if you add up all the extra things that other cruise lines charge, it really evens out.." I'm sorry am I missing something? What extras are you counting here? A soda package and some specialty dining? That really makes up for the thousands of dollars in price?



Drives me nuts too when all the Disney apologists on these boards - and there are plenty of them - suggest that when all is said and done that there is very little difference in price between DCL and the other lines. I think they're just trying convince themselves. We love Disney. To me, it is still the best of the cruise lines I have been on so far (DCL, RCCL, NCL). Not necessarily double-the-price (or more) better, however.  We do have one more DCL cruise booked for next February. We promised our son (turning 18 next April) that we would do one more DCL cruise before he turned 18 since he enjoys the Vibe club so much - and never enjoyed Oceaneer's all that much when he was younger (our DD has been the complete opposite). So after that one next year...who knows? That may be our last DCL, at least for a while. What i wonder is...maybe they can fill just four ships at these price points, but will they be able fill seven?





belle032 said:


> And if I hear "you couldn't pay me to cruise Carnival again" one more time...It's unfortunate that people need to say that kind of thing in the first place, but those are probably the people I don't want to cruise with anyway.



Thing is, almost all the people saying "you couldn't pay me to sail on Carnival" never actually have ever been on Carnival. If they have, and didn't like it, that's fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Who knows, maybe we'll be saying that (although I certainly hope not) after our Horizon cruise? But at least we're giving it a chance. Unfortunately, perception is reality, and Carnival has an an uphill battle trying to change what the perception of them has historically been.


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> *Thing is, almost all the people saying "you couldn't pay me to sail on Carnival" never actually have ever been on Carnival.* If they have, and didn't like it, that's fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Who knows, maybe we'll be saying that (although I certainly hope not) after our Horizon cruise? But at least we're giving it a chance. Unfortunately, perception is reality, and Carnival has an an uphill battle trying to change what the perception of them has historically been.



Truth.


----------



## mevelandry

I'm so excited...

I have a dear friend who is nice enough to make "logos" for me every time I go on vacation with my family. (Even though she's super busy)  I usually get t-shirts and/or hats and/or tote bags for us to wear on vacation.

This year I had t-shirts, tote bags and backpacks done and I have just received it this morning!

I LOVE THEM!! 

 

36 days to go!


----------



## smmco

I booked the maiden voyage out of Copenhagen on the Mardi Gras. I booked the early saver rate. I know the deposit is non refundable, but I needed the reduced deposit. I have two upcoming DCL cruises this year one is paid for and one needs to be paid off by May.  How do price drops work and how to get them if they occur? I'm not expecting a price drop. I'm more then happy with the price compared to DCL European cruises, but I do want to take advantage of one if it occurs.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

smmco said:


> I booked the maiden voyage out of Copenhagen on the Mardi Gras. I booked the early saver rate. I know the deposit is non refundable, but I needed the reduced deposit. I have two upcoming DCL cruises this year one is paid for and one needs to be paid off by May.  How do price drops work and how to get them if they occur? I'm not expecting a price drop. I'm more then happy with the price compared to DCL European cruises, but I do want to take advantage of one if it occurs.



You need to make mock bookings on the website matching your room category. If the total rate plus taxes is less than what you currently have then call Carnival and they will reduce the final payment. If you are booked with a reduced deposit you can only get price drops with another reduced deposit or you have to pay the difference up to the full deposit.


----------



## Need a vacation NOW

Hi all. I have enjoyed reading disboards for years, but had to sign up specifically for this thread  Please forgive me if this has been discussed, but admittedly I skipped bunches of pages.
We just booked Alaska on DCL for 2020. I had to choose deck 2 because it was just too much for a higher deck ocean view. Hubby is not happy. We  visited Alaska many years ago--before kids--on Princess. We were so BORED! Alaska was beautiful, but Princess was just not for us. Has anyone visited Alaska on CCL or another line and would be willing to share their experience?


----------



## cyclenut

mevelandry said:


> When people say: "I would never sail with Carnival", I always ask why. I noticed that for those have experienced it (most of the time, it's not the case... *criquets*), 99% of the time, I thought that they overreacted over small issues...



OK ... to be fair ... as I mentioned, I used to be one of those people who stated that (and I had sailed with Carnival).  My reasons why were legitimate, but also based on a false premise that the Carnival Cruise I experienced was typical of all Carnival cruises.

Wife and I sailed on a 4 day out of Long Beach to Ensenda in 2004.  We had a good time and decided that cruising was for us.  We left the ship feeling like we had visited Vegas (on the cheap) and we like Vegas.  Then we sailed Royal Caribbean three years later and we were really impressed.  I swore then I would never go back to Carnival after having experienced Royal.  It took us nearly 10 years to give Carnival another try.  By then we had a couple of Disney cruises under our belt and had another wonderful experience on Royal.  We took almost the same itinerary as the first time on Carnival, but on a different ship.  We had almost the same experience, but we discovered that we still really enjoyed it.  We just had to go in with a different (not lower but different) expectation of our vacation.  It was cheap (really cheap) and it was convenient (we lived in SoCal at the time).  Didn't have to take much time off work and we were on vacation.  The ship rocked quite a bit and when we boarded it smelled really bad.  The cruise before us was a charter full of DJs.  Our room smelled really bad too, but it did get better.  There were places of the ship that seemed in disrepair (broken lights, missing molding, dirty carpets, loose fixtures), but we just ignored those things and moved on about our vacation.  We came back really relaxed, met some good people (even ran into a few we already knew) and decided that we really needed to put Carnival back on our list.  While we found ourselves comparing that cruise to Disney and Royal (and it didn't stack up well), we also didn't mind, because we didn't pay an kings ransom to be on the ship.  

Then we sailed the Carnival Breeze and we started to really understand the Carnival product.  The short cruises on the older ships are really about a total escape from the stresses of the real world.  Let your hair down and just go enjoy a carefree lifestyle.  Very much the Vegas atmosphere.  The longer cruises and newer ships have more amenities and less wild party (maybe because people tend to pace themselves ... not sure).


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> OK ... to be fair ... as I mentioned, I used to be one of those people who stated that (and I had sailed with Carnival).  My reasons why were legitimate, but also based on a false premise that the Carnival Cruise I experienced was typical of all Carnival cruises.
> 
> Wife and I sailed on a 4 day out of Long Beach to Ensenda in 2004.  We had a good time and decided that cruising was for us.  We left the ship feeling like we had visited Vegas (on the cheap) and we like Vegas.  Then we sailed Royal Caribbean three years later and we were really impressed.  I swore then I would never go back to Carnival after having experienced Royal.  It took us nearly 10 years to give Carnival another try.  By then we had a couple of Disney cruises under our belt and had another wonderful experience on Royal.  We took almost the same itinerary as the first time on Carnival, but on a different ship.  We had almost the same experience, but we discovered that we still really enjoyed it.  We just had to go in with a different (not lower but different) expectation of our vacation.  It was cheap (really cheap) and it was convenient (we lived in SoCal at the time).  Didn't have to take much time off work and we were on vacation.  The ship rocked quite a bit and when we boarded it smelled really bad.  The cruise before us was a charter full of DJs.  Our room smelled really bad too, but it did get better.  There were places of the ship that seemed in disrepair (broken lights, missing molding, dirty carpets, loose fixtures), but we just ignored those things and moved on about our vacation.  We came back really relaxed, met some good people (even ran into a few we already knew) and decided that we really needed to put Carnival back on our list.  While we found ourselves comparing that cruise to Disney and Royal (and it didn't stack up well), we also didn't mind, because we didn't pay an kings ransom to be on the ship.
> 
> Then we sailed the Carnival Breeze and we started to really understand the Carnival product.  The short cruises on the older ships are really about a total escape from the stresses of the real world.  Let your hair down and just go enjoy a carefree lifestyle.  Very much the Vegas atmosphere.  The longer cruises and newer ships have more amenities and less wild party (maybe because people tend to pace themselves ... not sure).



Then you were the 1%....  (Your reason sound valid. Nobody wants a dirty/smelly ship with broken things). 

Which ship did you sail on?


----------



## mevelandry

I just added a thing or two in the infos in the first post: 

Apparently, the hiding of rubber duckies is really becoming a thing on the Carnival ships. 

Some of them are either decorated or very original. 

I have not found one yet but I think it's fun!


----------



## mevelandry

Need a vacation NOW said:


> Hi all. I have enjoyed reading disboards for years, but had to sign up specifically for this thread  Please forgive me if this has been discussed, but admittedly I skipped bunches of pages.
> We just booked Alaska on DCL for 2020. I had to choose deck 2 because it was just too much for a higher deck ocean view. Hubby is not happy. We  visited Alaska many years ago--before kids--on Princess. We were so BORED! Alaska was beautiful, but Princess was just not for us. Has anyone visited Alaska on CCL or another line and would be willing to share their experience?



Welcome!


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> I booked the maiden voyage out of Copenhagen on the Mardi Gras. I booked the early saver rate. I know the deposit is non refundable, but I needed the reduced deposit. I have two upcoming DCL cruises this year one is paid for and one needs to be paid off by May.  How do price drops work and how to get them if they occur? I'm not expecting a price drop. I'm more then happy with the price compared to DCL European cruises, but I do want to take advantage of one if it occurs.



You have to watch and make sure the price of your exact room category is dropping. You can either call or fill up a "Price Protection Form" online. You can choose to upgrade your cabin or get the money back as On Board Credit. 

The only downside of the Early Saver is that if you cancel before the Paid In Full date, the rest of the money will be kept as a credit that you have to use within 24 months & when you book again, you'll have to pay 49$ fee per person charged. 

I've got some money back a few times. It was nice.


----------



## starvenger

cyclenut said:


> The ship rocked quite a bit and when we boarded it smelled really bad. The cruise before us was a charter full of DJs. Our room smelled really bad too, but it did get better.


I honestly can't say I'm surprised by this. Charter + bunch of DJs + bargain price for cruise right after charter = the smells. I'd guess that carnival knew that too.

Still, you had a good time, and that's what counts, right?


----------



## cyclenut

mevelandry said:


> hen you were the 1%....  (Your reason sound valid. Nobody wants a dirty/smelly ship with broken things).
> 
> Which ship did you sail on?



Perhaps, but I don't think it's only 1%.  Carnival has an identity crisis because they do things like what we experienced.  We were not even able to board on time because they couldn't get the passengers on board to wake up and get off the ship.  There is no warning for embarking passengers, but we did find out while we were standing in the EXTREMELY long line waiting for the ship to be "cleaned" at least enough for us to board.  There were the typical cross-section of people on board.  Family reunion, honeymoon, family vacation and those ready to get their drunk on.  Some were more patient with the issues than others, but everyone came off that ship with a less than ideal experience.  Why does Carnival do this?  

We were on the Inspiration, sister ship to the Imagination.  



starvenger said:


> I honestly can't say I'm surprised by this. Charter + bunch of DJs + bargain price for cruise right after charter = the smells. I'd guess that carnival knew that too.
> 
> Still, you had a good time, and that's what counts, right?


For us, yes, but my point really is that Carnival does this kind of thing and it only solidifies the image that they are a party boat and keeps those that favor a DCL type family cruise away from considering Carnival, even though Carnival has what is really a completely separate product with their new ships and 7 day sailings.  It's like two different cruise lines and it's hard for the average consumer to distinguish when booking a vacation.


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> You have to watch and make sure the price of your exact room category is dropping. You can either call or fill up a "Price Protection Form" online. You can choose to upgrade your cabin or get the money back as On Board Credit.
> 
> The only downside of the Early Saver is that if you cancel before the Paid In Full date, the rest of the money will be kept as a credit that you have to use within 24 months & when you book again, you'll have to pay 49$ fee per person charged.
> 
> I've got some money back a few times. It was nice.


Our room category is sold out and prices have gone up. I'm not optimistic about the price dropping on a maiden voyage with a unique itinerary. I have no idea when this cruise was released. Prices may have already gone up a lot.  I've been waiting on DCL to release Summer cruises. The DCL prices were higher then I liked. I started checking other cruise lines and just happened to stumble upon this Carnival cruise. The itinerary is very different then other Baltic cruises. I had no idea it was a new ship until I started searching for reviews.


----------



## mevelandry

cyclenut said:


> Perhaps, but I don't think it's only 1%.  Carnival has an identity crisis because they do things like what we experienced.  We were not even able to board on time because they couldn't get the passengers on board to wake up and get off the ship.  There is no warning for embarking passengers, but we did find out while we were standing in the EXTREMELY long line waiting for the ship to be "cleaned" at least enough for us to board.  There were the typical cross-section of people on board.  Family reunion, honeymoon, family vacation and those ready to get their drunk on.  Some were more patient with the issues than others, but everyone came off that ship with a less than ideal experience.  Why does Carnival do this?
> 
> We were on the Inspiration, sister ship to the Imagination.
> 
> 
> For us, yes, but my point really is that Carnival does this kind of thing and it only solidifies the image that they are a party boat and keeps those that favor a DCL type family cruise away from considering Carnival, even though Carnival has what is really a completely separate product with their new ships and 7 day sailings.  It's like two different cruise lines and it's hard for the average consumer to distinguish when booking a vacation.




I'm no fan of the old ships... We sailed on the Sensation which is sister ship to Inspiration and Imagination... Very old ship. Doesn't compare one bit to the experience we had on the Victory and Vista. 

I haven't been on (or right after) a charter cruise but I'm sure the experience is quite different and it sucks that the charter crowded was not respectful of the new guests waiting to board. 

It's hard to predict what kind of ambiance you'll get. I've been on two super quiet 4 nights cruises on the Victory & 6 nights on the Vista, then I've been on a "more of a party" 5 nights cruise on the Sensation... But indeed, the longer the cruise, the less people can afford the drink package. LOL


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> Our room category is sold out and prices have gone up. I'm not optimistic about the price dropping on a maiden voyage with a unique itinerary. I have no idea when this cruise was released. Prices may have already gone up a lot.  I've been waiting on DCL to release Summer cruises. The DCL prices were higher then I liked. I started checking other cruise lines and just happened to stumble upon this Carnival cruise. The itinerary is very different then other Baltic cruises. I had no idea it was a new ship until I started searching for reviews.



FYI: sometimes, when room categories are sold out, they offer cheaper upgrades so they can fill up the ship a little bit more (and keep selling the cheaper cabins.)

As for the ship: the new ships are usually great but this one sounds even more special. I think you hit the jackpot.


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> FYI: sometimes, when room categories are sold out, they offer cheaper upgrades so they can fill up the ship a little bit more (and keep selling the cheaper cabins.)
> 
> As for the ship: the new ships are usually great but this one sounds even more special. I think you hit the jackpot.


I think being the first one to sail on any ship is pretty memorable. I want to sail the maiden voyage on Disney’s new ship. I can’t imagine what the prices will be like.  I bet it doesn’t even make it past platinum day one before it’s sold out.


----------



## mevelandry

I've just had another YOLO moment and decided to rent a private cabana on Princess Cays to celebrate my birthday. 

Anyone has experience with cabanas on Princess Cays? I saw videos and it looks awesome.


----------



## belle032

I was going to share this on the Budget Board and I don't know if anyone uses Swagbucks here, but it looks like they added Carnival gift cards to My Gift Cards Plus for 7% back. It's tricky to find Carnival GCs sometimes, so this is another way to save a few dollars for your next cruise! If only they would add Disney GCs, I'd be all set!


----------



## Monykalyn

belle032 said:


> I was going to share this on the Budget Board and I don't know if anyone uses Swagbucks here, but it looks like they added Carnival gift cards to My Gift Cards Plus for 7% back. It's tricky to find Carnival GCs sometimes, so this is another way to save a few dollars for your next cruise! If only they would add Disney GCs, I'd be all set!


I get mine from Allstate rewards (don't have their insurance, just use the drivewise to get points) for 10% off. Missed delivery of my $500 cards so no have to chase them down at the UPS store


----------



## lucyddr

We learned last year that we are 7 day, 2000 and newer ship lovers for Carnival!  Shorter cruises draw different crowds and have different vibes, plus are on older ships.

We promised our kids a DCL experience this year, and I’m just praying I don’t get off the Fantasy feeling totally ripped off.  We can well afford DCL, but Carnival offers better itineraries and dining options for our family.


----------



## belle032

Ok I do have one Carnival rant (as I'm searching for our next cruise! Looking at you 8 day southern Caribbean on the Horizon!) Would it kill them to put an adult pool on the Serenity deck? The hot tubs are great, but in the Caribbean...sometimes you just want to hang out in a pool with your frozen umbrella drink! I like the Serenity decks, but we end up spending most of our time in the aft pools because I can go from my lounge chair to the pool to the hot tub. And DH can't lay in a lounge chair for more than 3 minutes. I was really hoping this would be added to the newer ships, but oh well


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Hey guys, on Breeze right now and loving it.  In San Juan, so I have some internet and will post a bit of TR.

CCL BREEZE
Day 1: Canaveral 
We parked at port parking. First time leaving from Canaveral with Ccl. You do not pay for parking in the ccl lot until exit. $17/day. Boarding was effortless. Only thing strange to me with CCL boarding is how the people checking your passports/boarding passes are at small kiosks. No room to put anything down. DCL fantasy was also in port. Could see people on the aquaduck. We boarded around 1:15pm. Rooms already available. We brought our own Kroger canned soda for the first time. Every time we see other people boarding with packs of soda and say we should do it too but then forget the next time. Not this time! Lol. We do not get cheers or the soda package so it is fun to have the canned drinks. We always order water to the room ahead of time. Very reasonable on Carnival. Plus they give those large waters for return guests.
Went right to Guys after checking out the room. I ended up at the buffet but everyone else ate burgers. Walked around the ship some and soon enough it was time for muster. Painless. 5 minutes in Ovation theater. Went back to the cabin and luggage was all there. Our room was very clean and it was pretty exciting to see it in such good condition. I had my usual cleaning materials with me but only used the lysol to spray the carpet (something I learned to do from someone's trip report on cc. Not even sure that the report was a ccl report). For the first time I also brought other air freshener. Taking a page from Disney hotels that always smell so awesome. So we have our own "smellitizers" or however you spell it and the cabin smells so fresh and welcoming. Our room steward is from the Philippines and is really wonderful. The air conditioning in the cabin (and throughout the ship) is fabulous. Our cabin is on the sixth floor which is an awesome location. Close to deck five but also pretty close to lido. We are taking the stairs most of the time. It is our first cabin with ccl above floor 2. Unpacked and got ready for dinner. Anytime dining. New feature in the app to reserve a table. Works great! After dinner tonight we went to punchliner for a comedy show. Funny, of course.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Lol.  Carnival does paint their ships in port!


----------



## mevelandry

lucyddr said:


> We learned last year that we are 7 day, 2000 and newer ship lovers for Carnival!  Shorter cruises draw different crowds and have different vibes, plus are on older ships.
> 
> We promised our kids a DCL experience this year, and I’m just praying I don’t get off the Fantasy feeling totally ripped off.  We can well afford DCL, but Carnival offers better itineraries and dining options for our family.



You'll have an amazing cruise on the Fantasy. It's going to be very special (IMO the first time on a DCL is always magical).


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Ok I do have one Carnival rant (as I'm searching for our next cruise! Looking at you 8 day southern Caribbean on the Horizon!) Would it kill them to put an adult pool on the Serenity deck? The hot tubs are great, but in the Caribbean...sometimes you just want to hang out in a pool with your frozen umbrella drink! I like the Serenity decks, but we end up spending most of our time in the aft pools because I can go from my lounge chair to the pool to the hot tub. And DH can't lay in a lounge chair for more than 3 minutes. I was really hoping this would be added to the newer ships, but oh well



PREACH!!! 

We spend most of our time at the Aft Pool instead of the Serenity deck just because most Serenity sections have no pools.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Hey guys, on Breeze right now and loving it.  In San Juan, so I have some internet and will post a bit of TR.
> 
> CCL BREEZE
> Day 1: Canaveral
> We parked at port parking. First time leaving from Canaveral with Ccl. You do not pay for parking in the ccl lot until exit. $17/day. Boarding was effortless. Only thing strange to me with CCL boarding is how the people checking your passports/boarding passes are at small kiosks. No room to put anything down. DCL fantasy was also in port. Could see people on the aquaduck. We boarded around 1:15pm. Rooms already available. We brought our own Kroger canned soda for the first time. Every time we see other people boarding with packs of soda and say we should do it too but then forget the next time. Not this time! Lol. We do not get cheers or the soda package so it is fun to have the canned drinks. We always order water to the room ahead of time. Very reasonable on Carnival. Plus they give those large waters for return guests.
> Went right to Guys after checking out the room. I ended up at the buffet but everyone else ate burgers. Walked around the ship some and soon enough it was time for muster. Painless. 5 minutes in Ovation theater. Went back to the cabin and luggage was all there. Our room was very clean and it was pretty exciting to see it in such good condition. I had my usual cleaning materials with me but only used the lysol to spray the carpet (something I learned to do from someone's trip report on cc. Not even sure that the report was a ccl report). For the first time I also brought other air freshener. Taking a page from Disney hotels that always smell so awesome. So we have our own "smellitizers" or however you spell it and the cabin smells so fresh and welcoming. Our room steward is from the Philippines and is really wonderful. The air conditioning in the cabin (and throughout the ship) is fabulous. Our cabin is on the sixth floor which is an awesome location. Close to deck five but also pretty close to lido. We are taking the stairs most of the time. It is our first cabin with ccl above floor 2. Unpacked and got ready for dinner. Anytime dining. New feature in the app to reserve a table. Works great! After dinner tonight we went to punchliner for a comedy show. Funny, of course.



I'm already tagging your review on the first post! Thank you!!!!


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## we"reofftoneverland




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## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> View attachment 387950



That's so cool! I love that concept!


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## we"reofftoneverland

Day 2: sea day. 
 Started the day with the ropes course and mini golf. The Breeze looks just like the Vista on the top deck but without the skyride. Beautiful day, very small line for the ropes course. Some people right behind us got turned away for flip flops. Afterwards, we went to seaday brunch. I got the steak and eggs and they were excellent. Unfortunately our table was tucked away in a corner away from windows. I thought about asking for another table but i hate doing that. Not really a big deal anyway. We then dropped one of the kids at Camp Ocean and have had trouble getting him out of there since. Dh and I then went to the cafe for coffee. Walked around looking at stuff. Sat on deck. Read some of a book while dh tried to connect to the internet. This is the first time we have purchased an internet package on any cruise, unfortunately because DH has to do some things for work. We purchased the premium package (or his work did) and it has been spotty so far. I have not tried to use it, but I see dh staring at his computer waiting for it to respond. He has to open files and read them and comment. The files are secured and can not be downloaded. He also is having trouble connecting to the internet... and then has trouble opening the files. He has a laptop and we have an amazon tablet with us for the kids. For some reason the amazon tablet is easier to connect to the internet. So if you ever have to use the internet for anything other than recreation, maybe bring a tablet? This is a first for us and an unusual situation and hopefully DH will never have to do work again in vacation. We then went to teatime which was the best teatime we have experienced. Lots and lots of choices. The staff came around two or three times as well.
Our cruise director is Donkey, good so far but nothing special. I think Matt set the bar too high on our first ccl cruise and no one since then has come close. Lol.
It was elegant night and we ate in the main dining room. Food was great! The waitstaff offered us additional lobster but we were stuffed. I have seen the rumors of extra charges for additional entrees on other lines. Apparently not the case on Carnival. After that we watched The Green Book at Dive in Movies. Beautiful night, clear and breezy (on the Breeze lol).


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## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> That's so cool! I love that concept!


Just noticed that says party of 1-- not sure why?  It was four I think.  The new system is amazing.


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## trvlgirlmq

we"reofftoneverland - Loving your report!  Breeze is my favorite ship.


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## starvenger

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Lol.  Carnival does paint their ships in port!View attachment 387948


I hadn't seen Carnival do it until this picture but I've seen DCL and RCI do some painting while in port. Gotta keep up appearances, I guess.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Refrigerator works great, appears to be new.
Ugh having trouble uploading more photos.


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## we"reofftoneverland

Day 3: Amber Cove
We took our first ever ship excursion and I am sorry to say it will be our last. We usually do non ship excursions or figure something else out, but the last time we were in DR we took a taxi to a beach that was beautiful but neglected and it was disappointing. We also had a lot of on board credit, so decided to try a snorkeling excursion through the ship. It was funny because it was called the Deluxe sail and snorkel and dh said I wonder what the non deluxe one would be like. We think the DR is beautiful but just, well, a mess. Our complaints about the excursion are the same ones you read other people have about a lot of ship excursions. Bad value for money (about $400 for 5 people- can't remember exact amount), too long of a wait for the excursion to start, too many people on the excursion, and so on. We also had people throwing up on the catamaran and some intermittent rain showers which put a damper on things. There was an element of the surreal when one of the male crew went into the bathroom and came out dressed as a very large breasted woman singing I will survive to the loud music on the catamaran. This did not faze us but it was just bizarre. Our sixteen year old is still joking about it. We met at 8:30 in the morning and did not get back on the ship until 3:30. We had a 45 min bus ride to get to the beach/catamaran. For us, the entire experience was just too long. We are also just more independent and prefer to do our own thing. Lesson learned. There were some other people on the excursion who appeared to be having a great time, so I think there is an extent to which our reaction to the excursion was personal preference. But our kids kept asking when will it be over. We have done 2 other snorkeling excursions on our own on other cruises that were half the price that we enjoyed much more.
When we got back on board we showered and went to get guy's/pizza pirate/soft serve. Our Camp Ocean junkie wanted to go back. We did not do a real dinner that night, just had more ice cream when we picked up junior later that night. I have to mention the soft serve-- wow. I don't usually do much soft serve, just watch the kids eat it, but the soft serve is really high quality, very creamy.
The dive in movie was oceans 8. I think that is the name- the one with sandra Bullock. Our teen watched some of it on deck. We tried to drag him to the teen club twice at the beginning of the cruise but to no avail. The kids in there all looked like him and looked like they were having a great time. Counselors were very outgoing and welcoming.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Day 4: St. Thomas
Somehow this was our first time in St. Thomas. Amazing. This is a great port! Fun to see all of the sailboats with US flags. We got off the boat and walked to the taxi area to catch one to Magen's Bay. The taxis are open air and the weather was perfect. $8 per person each way. It also costs $5 to get into the beach. 12 and under free at the beach. Stunning beach. We figured it would be overcrowded because there were 3 large ships in port (NCL Bliss and Caribbean Princess and us) but it was not at all. The drive to the beach is about 10 minutes each way up and down steep curves with stunning views. We stayed at the beach for about 2hours and headed back. This is our preferred length of excursion lol. We went into a few shops back at the port for tshirts.

More to this day but just want to post because we are about to leave San Juan. Supposed to leave 15 min ago.


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## we"reofftoneverland

Great cabin


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## trvlgirlmq

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Day 4: St. Thomas
> Somehow this was our first time in St. Thomas. Amazing. This is a great port! Fun to see all of the sailboats with US flags. We got off the boat and walked to the taxi area to catch one to Magen's Bay. The taxis are open air and the weather was perfect. $8 per person each way. It also costs $5 to get into the beach. 12 and under free at the beach. Stunning beach. We figured it would be overcrowded because there were 3 large ships in port (NCL Bliss and Caribbean Princess and us) but it was not at all. The drive to the beach is about 10 minutes each way up and down steep curves with stunning views. We stayed at the beach for about 2hours and headed back. This is our preferred length of excursion lol. We went into a few shops back at the port for tshirts.
> 
> More to this day but just want to post because we are about to leave San Juan. Supposed to leave 15 min ago.



Love Magen's Bay!  It is really peaceful and the water is nice and calm.


----------



## hdrolfe

Love the review! Jealous since it's our March Break and yet here I am watching snow fall. I'm already excited for next year when we'll be on Carnival Magic. 

We went to Sapphire Beach in St Thomas on our first cruise and it was amazing, my son swears the water was saltier there than any other stop lol. It is so lovely there! I think if we go back I'd go to Magen's Bay.


----------



## mevelandry

starvenger said:


> I hadn't seen Carnival do it until this picture but I've seen DCL and RCI do some painting while in port. Gotta keep up appearances, I guess.



I've seen them painting the Vista once. (Top deck).


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## Monykalyn

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Our Camp Ocean junkie wanted to go back


 Cracked me up!
Sounds like a fantastic time so far.
We are on the Sensation in June-picked more for price/ports (CUBA) than anything. Kids first cruise (oldest not with us). I know @mevelandry didn't find it to be her taste but I am hoping for the kids first time it will be fine-shorter cruise, 2 port days, 2 sea days. Also hoping the kids clubs are as good on this ship...but so dang excited for Cuba don't really care about the rest...
@we"reofftoneverland that looks like a great cabin!!


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## Linzb32

Has anyone been on the Carnival Splendor 7nt Cabo, Mazatlan, PV cruise?  This is the only cruise out of SoCal that works for my dates of end of May/1st of June.  I don't like cigarette smoke, how prevalent is this?  Please give me your opinion on this cruise ship and itinerary.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Day 4: St. Thomas
> Somehow this was our first time in St. Thomas. Amazing. This is a great port! Fun to see all of the sailboats with US flags. We got off the boat and walked to the taxi area to catch one to Magen's Bay. The taxis are open air and the weather was perfect. $8 per person each way. It also costs $5 to get into the beach. 12 and under free at the beach. Stunning beach. We figured it would be overcrowded because there were 3 large ships in port (NCL Bliss and Caribbean Princess and us) but it was not at all. The drive to the beach is about 10 minutes each way up and down steep curves with stunning views. We stayed at the beach for about 2hours and headed back. This is our preferred length of excursion lol. We went into a few shops back at the port for tshirts.
> 
> More to this day but just want to post because we are about to leave San Juan. Supposed to leave 15 min ago.


Thanks for the review, I’m loving it. Did you try the pizza at the little shop on Magen’s Bay?  I loved that stuff, just like New York Street Pizza, good stuff


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> Cracked me up!
> Sounds like a fantastic time so far.
> We are on the Sensation in June-picked more for price/ports (CUBA) than anything. Kids first cruise (oldest not with us). I know @mevelandry didn't find it to be her taste but I am hoping for the kids first time it will be fine-shorter cruise, 2 port days, 2 sea days. Also hoping the kids clubs are as good on this ship...but so dang excited for Cuba don't really care about the rest...
> @we"reofftoneverland that looks like a great cabin!!



Oh don't get me wrong... It was our least favorite ship but we still had a great time and I am 100%  sure you will!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Linzb32 said:


> Has anyone been on the Carnival Splendor 7nt Cabo, Mazatlan, PV cruise?  This is the only cruise out of SoCal that works for my dates of end of May/1st of June.  I don't like cigarette smoke, how prevalent is this?  Please give me your opinion on this cruise ship and itinerary.



The older ships are not my personal cup of tea (saying this as I have a booking on Legend only because it is Europe).  I'm not a fan of the garish, in your face decor BUT I don't let that determine if I will enjoy the cruise.  After a couple days it won't seem so bad! You can avoid the casino if you want by going up or down decks.  Personally I just hold my breath and walk quickly.


----------



## BrookeMQ

We loved the breeze.  We are heading on the magic at the end of the month.  I am a little nervous to go during spring break times.   I like to go non peak times  But we are going with a large group of family and they picked the ship and date.   

We went to Amber Cove last year.  Just hubby and I.  We did the 27 waterfalls of Damajagua.  It was awesome.  We used an outside tour company.


----------



## Linzb32

trvlgirlmq said:


> The older ships are not my personal cup of tea (saying this as I have a booking on Legend only because it is Europe).  I'm not a fan of the garish, in your face decor BUT I don't let that determine if I will enjoy the cruise.  After a couple days it won't seem so bad! You can avoid the casino if you want by going up or down decks.  Personally I just hold my breath and walk quickly.



Good to know!  Thank you!


----------



## Monykalyn

mevelandry said:


> Oh don't get me wrong... It was our least favorite ship but we still had a great time and I am 100%  sure you will!


Thanks I am sure we will love it too. And frankly-the kids are sold on the ports and 24 hour pizza and soft serve LOL! And your review was actually pretty positive anyway. I do understand you have way way more cruises under your belt so ranking is going to be way way different than mine


trvlgirlmq said:


> I'm not a fan of the garish, in your face decor BUT I don't let that determine if I will enjoy the cruise. After a couple days it won't seem so bad! You can avoid the casino if you want by going up or down decks. Personally I just hold my breath and walk quickly.


 DH and I go to Vegas every couple years so I guess I don't notice this stuff anymore . Frankly a Carnival ship is toned down from Las Vegas stuff! And I have fun with it-got 2 different wine glasses from the Flamingo last trip in January just cause so tacky I had to have them.


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> Thanks I am sure we will love it too. And frankly-the kids are sold on the ports and 24 hour pizza and soft serve LOL! And your review was actually pretty positive anyway. I do understand you have way way more cruises under your belt so ranking is going to be way way different than mine
> DH and I go to Vegas every couple years so I guess I don't notice this stuff anymore . Frankly a Carnival ship is toned down from Las Vegas stuff! And I have fun with it-got 2 different wine glasses from the Flamingo last trip in January just cause so tacky I had to have them.




Do I? I've only been on 7 cruises so far...

The pizza was definitely great. Also, I don't know if you like meat and if splurging on a 20$ steak is something you'd do but DH and I tried the 20$ upgrade from the Steakhouse in the MDR and we liked it so much we've had it twice nights in a row.

And, the staff on the Sensation was most likely the best staff we've ever had.

Who will be your cruise director?


----------



## starvenger

mevelandry said:


> Do I? I've only been on 7 cruises so far...


I'm at 7 as well. It *is* quite a bit, despite the single digit number. Not as much as some but I think it's enough to give us "veteran cruiser" status.


----------



## mevelandry

starvenger said:


> I'm at 7 as well. It *is* quite a bit, despite the single digit number. Not as much as some but I think it's enough to give us "veteran cruiser" status.



Ah ok then.


----------



## mevelandry

It sounds like Carnival has a new "boarding zone" concept? (I have never seen this before...) We are assigned a boarding zone on the boarding pass.

We have been assigned C1.

From what I understand, A1 is the first group to board the ship.

Is there a table of some sort explaining when we'll be allowed to board? I'm lost. LOL

p.s.: We are embarking at Port Canaveral.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> It sounds like Carnival has a new "boarding zone" concept? (I have never seen this before...) We are assigned a boarding zone on the boarding pass.
> 
> We have been assigned C1.
> 
> From what I understand, A1 is the first group to board the ship.
> 
> Is there a table of some sort explaining when we'll be allowed to board? I'm lost. LOL
> 
> p.s.: We are embarking at Port Canaveral.



I think it's still pretty new, not sure anyone has actually seen the impact yet. Did you have to choose a check in time? I wouldn't worry about it too much. When I boarded in Port Canaveral everything moved really fast and we just went straight through and onto the ship. We had a time 11:30 to noon I think? And we arrived around 11, but the "early or late" line was faster than the on time line. 

I am now 365 days to my next cruise  Which will be cruise 6. 

Oh, and I wanted to comment on the Sensation - when we went on our first cruise we were in a shuttle with a family going on it, and my kiddo saw it when we were in port and wanted to go on it. He loved the look of the slides/water park area at the back. We were on Liberty which did not have as much "fun stuff". So for kids, I think they would have a lot of fun.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I think it's still pretty new, not sure anyone has actually seen the impact yet. Did you have to choose a check in time? I wouldn't worry about it too much. When I boarded in Port Canaveral everything moved really fast and we just went straight through and onto the ship. We had a time 11:30 to noon I think? And we arrived around 11, but the "early or late" line was faster than the on time line.
> 
> I am now 365 days to my next cruise  Which will be cruise 6.
> 
> Oh, and I wanted to comment on the Sensation - when we went on our first cruise we were in a shuttle with a family going on it, and my kiddo saw it when we were in port and wanted to go on it. He loved the look of the slides/water park area at the back. We were on Liberty which did not have as much "fun stuff". So for kids, I think they would have a lot of fun.



Yes, we chose a late check-in time because we're going to spend the whole morning in our WDW hotel area.  

I agree that the new water slides area they added on the Sensation is quite nice for such a small ship.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

We are slowly docking at Canaveral right now.  And I have so figured out how to upload photos.  If I screen shot them they are smaller!
Inside of refrigerator...

 
Some kids club crafts.  I remembered to bring tape to hang stuff up. 

More cabin photos
We had a second cabin but our amazing steward set us up for 4 because the younger kids would go back and forth.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Day 4: Magen's Bay day continued...

I forgot to mention our Camp Ocean nut did not get off the ship at St. Thomas. I tried to persuade him but he wasn't having any of my "top ten beach in the world" argument. I wanted to force him but I also didn't want to deal, so we gave in and left him at Camp Ocean. That was one reason we only stayed at the beach at Magen's Bay for a couple of hours.
We had some other folks in our taxi back from Magen's who asked to be dropped "downtown" instead of the port. The taxi driver told them that there was nothing good downtown and the shopping at the port was the same. I have no idea, but the downtown area did not look like a downtown, just a typical bunch of port vendors and I commented to dh after they got off that I wondered what they were looking for there.  Dh said probably Adventure because they are Norwegians and one guy was wearing a "Norwegians like adventure" baseball cap. At first I didn't get it and was like I don't think they were from Norway. Dh just looked at me but it had already registered.

 When we got back on the ship it was empty. So relaxing. We tried to pick up our remaining child from Camp Ocean but it was like he was in a cult and wouldn't leave. Apparently he had received some best behaved camper award and felt pretty important. The camp usually closed at 4 (opens again at 6) but was open all day today because it was a port day. We still said he would have to leave at 4, because, well, just because, right? We also were going to the steakhouse at 6:30 so he would have to go back. So it was around 2:30ish and we grabbed a bite to eat and sat on our balcony for an hour or so before going back to CO to get him. Our balcony was facing this view
 and it was awesome. Dh did some work, while I read a book I'd picked up at the Breeze library. That's one thing missing on dcl ships, libraries. We love the ship libraries with their random assortment of books and games-- and so do our kids. They ask to go there.

The Steakhouse (Fahrenheit 555)

We have been to CCL's steakhouse once before on the Conquest and it was great. This was a different experience. It was a completely different restaurant. First, the Steakhouse on the Conquest was on one of the top decks and felt a lot like Palo with great windows and views. The Steakhouse on the Breeze was on deck 5 with less spectacular views, only one side of the restaurant had windows and they were covered in floor to ceiling drab semi sheer curtains blocking the view! We were leaving St. Thomas soon after we sat down, and the sun had set. You could see lights from the city twinkling through the curtains but no view. I asked one of our servers if it would be possible to open the curtains and she said curtly, "No, not possible. They are attached." I was kind of taken aback but okay. We were not right next to any of the windows, but five minutes later I noticed a couple who were seated next to one of the windows opened the curtains themselves. Lol. So much for attached. It was a crime to have those windows closed. That view of St. Thomas at night was really spectacular. We were surprised when our ship left first. We were in a row, parallel parked at the dock in between the NCL Bliss and Caribbean Princess. So our ship edged out and backed away and spun around- it was a cool sail away. At one point we had a great view (thanks to the cruisers by the window) of the NCL Bliss with its multicolored flashing lights on the top decks and dh commented that even their lights looked cool. The lights on the Princess ship were a normal muted white, still beautiful but not as hip.
The Breeze Steakhouse was also much smaller than the one on the Conquest. I would estimate 1/4 of the size and felt jammed into its space. The ambiance was not so much relaxing as it was squashed. The wait staff was uninspired and detached, and they had a weird system where everyone in the room was waiting on you. On the Conquest, we had a team of 2 people serving us, more traditional and focused, excellent service. When we made the reservation on the Breeze, they told us that the only time available was 6:30 pm, but the room was never more than 1/3 full the entire time we were there, empty for such a small steakhouse. The food also fell flat. Good, but not better than the main dining room which we also find quite good. On the Conquest, the steakhouse food really blew us away, very much in the tradition of an old fashioned Steakhouse. On the Breeze, we did not eat more than a taste of our appetizers or salads, just the full steaks, which were great, and we only had one bite of our desserts as they did not compare at all to the dessert spread they now serve in the lido marketplace in the afternoons. Do not miss these afternoon desserts in the buffet. It closes at 3:30 and is easy to miss! The lunchtime lido desserts are beautiful and we find them superior to the desserts in the main dining room and the desserts they serve in the buffet at dinner. One more thing about the Steakhouse. When they served our main course, they put plates down in front of us that looked like small less deep versions of plates for peeling crab or crawfish. Just a plain white plate with upturned sides. Then they transferred the steak and a grilled tomato and a piece of parsley to the white plate. They gave us a couple of sides in other bowls. Very small portions of the sides, bowls about 3 inches in diameter. Also gave us one small ramiken (like 1 inch diameter) of a wine sauce-- I guess to share? I wish I had taken a photo of this. It was the strangest presentation I have ever seen in any restaurant. It looked so rough draft and unappealing that I did not know what to think. I looked at DH and he was like, "I think we can probably skip the Steakhouse from here on out." All I can think was maybe they were going for postmodern and that this was "Steakhouse Deconstructed." Lol. I cannot imagine this Steakhouse appeals at all to your average Carnival cruiser. And how wild that the Steakhouses can be so different from ship to ship.
So we then went and pulled the 2 littles out of Camp Ocean, one not thrilled to leave. When dh was checking them out, he saw a counselor standing on a stool hanging up some decorations. He said that she finished and stepped down and said in a British accent, very satisfied, "With these decorations, Disney has nothing on us." We had a laugh about that. Disney seems to hang over every one, even the employees of other lines, as some kind of gold standard. To an extent it is illusion, to an extent reality, but Mickey is so good at marketing that I think illusion and reality become one.
One thing I love above all with cruising is I sleep really, really deeply on ships. I think that's why our last cruise was a bit of a bummer for me because we were under the galley and I never got an amazing sleep. Avoid cabins under the galley on CCL at all costs!! I have vivid dreams on ships also that I never have on land. Here's a funny one I had that night. I had just boarded a Disney ship, but it looked different than other Disney ships, like the images of the new CCL Mardi Gras but in dcl colors and accents. So I had just boarded and was alone and was trying to find my cabin on this new ship. And that was the entire dream. It was forever and I just kept looking and looking and I kept getting interrupted and distracted by activities and cast members and never found my cabin. When I told dh about it, he laughed at me and asked if Captain Mickey was in the distance just out of reach holding a sign saying, "your cabin this way... just $10,000 more?" Very funny, I said. Dh doesn't get the dcl appeal, so he makes fun of my dcl fascination. He says the food is bleh and is tired of the shows. He loves disney, especially Walt Disney, and the parks though. Big relief on that front.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Photo of the breeze  behind the Bliss
  
Photos of the ships in St. Thomas from the taxi.
 
Magen's Bay
  
Steakhouse desserts cheesecake and "chocolate sphere"


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I'm so excited...
> 
> I have a dear friend who is nice enough to make "logos" for me every time I go on vacation with my family. (Even though she's super busy)  I usually get t-shirts and/or hats and/or tote bags for us to wear on vacation.
> 
> This year I had t-shirts, tote bags and backpacks done and I have just received it this morning!
> 
> I LOVE THEM!!
> 
> View attachment 386986 View attachment 386989
> 
> 36 days to go!


Gorgeous!  Looks very Polynesian Resort!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> It's not a bad price for DCL. I believe this is similar or slightly lower than the price we paid in 2015.
> 
> Is it on the Dream?
> 
> Don't cancel. I'm sure you're going to have a great time.


Wonder out of Galveston.   Only port is Cozumel.   I know, it is a decent price for dcl... we are leaning towards cancelling but we will see


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I just added a thing or two in the infos in the first post:
> 
> Apparently, the hiding of rubber duckies is really becoming a thing on the Carnival ships.
> 
> Some of them are either decorated or very original.
> 
> I have not found one yet but I think it's fun!


We found 3 on this cruise-- one in our mailbox.  First time seeing this.


----------



## Monykalyn

mevelandry said:


> The pizza was definitely great. Also, I don't know if you like meat and if splurging on a 20$ steak is something you'd do but DH and I tried the 20$ upgrade from the Steakhouse in the MDR and we liked it so much we've had it twice nights in a row.
> 
> And, the staff on the Sensation was most likely the best staff we've ever had.
> 
> Who will be your cruise director?


We love steak so we will see if we want to do that upgrade.
Have no idea who CD is LOL!
I got kids registered for Kids clubs but still waiting on getting their passports to finish checking in. I got FTTF when I booked the cruise so not worried. 
I think my local library has time slots for the weekend to get passport paperwork done, so I really need to get them in! '

The duck thing is funny! My DH is in fundraising and used to use those as prizes for turn in days, the kids would collect all the styles. we used to have hundreds of them-wonder if we have any left...


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> We love steak so we will see if we want to do that upgrade.
> Have no idea who CD is LOL!
> I got kids registered for Kids clubs but still waiting on getting their passports to finish checking in. I got FTTF when I booked the cruise so not worried.
> I think my local library has time slots for the weekend to get passport paperwork done, so I really need to get them in! '
> 
> The duck thing is funny! My DH is in fundraising and used to use those as prizes for turn in days, the kids would collect all the styles. we used to have hundreds of them-wonder if we have any left...



I'm not sure but I think "Deon" will be your Cruise Director.


----------



## lucyddr

mevelandry said:


> You'll have an amazing cruise on the Fantasy. It's going to be very special (IMO the first time on a DCL is always magical).



We’ve been on a Disney Cruise twice before we had kids, so it isn’t our “first.”  Our first was great, even “magical.”  Our second was not and caused us to leave Disney....would have been a permanent decision if we had never had our twins.  

We love WDW,  but this cruise is unlikely to live up to its price for us.  I’m trying to have an open mind!


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## mevelandry

lucyddr said:


> We’ve been on a Disney Cruise twice before we had kids, so it isn’t our “first.”  Our first was great, even “magical.”  Our second was not and caused us to leave Disney....would have been a permanent decision if we had never had our twins.
> 
> We love WDW,  but this cruise is unlikely to live up to its price for us.  I’m trying to have an open mind!



I'm sorry you had a bad second cruise... I hope you had better cruising experiences since then. 

Will it be your first DCL cruise with the kids?


----------



## daisyx3

Here is a Carnival question...which ships have adult-only pools?  I know some have an adult relaxation area without a pool, and I know Vista class ships (like Horizon) have Havana rooms with a pool that is exclusive to that area (no under 12) until 7PM.  Or what other lines have adult areas with pools?  Not Haven, can't afford that.  But pricy or not, we spent a lot of time in the DCL adult pool last summer and DH really enjoys his pool time--we raised our kids and like to stay away from "kid soup" pools.


----------



## mevelandry

daisyx3 said:


> Here is a Carnival question...which ships have adult-only pools?  I know some have an adult relaxation area without a pool, and I know Vista class ships (like Horizon) have Havana rooms with a pool that is exclusive to that area (no under 12) until 7PM.  Or what other lines have adult areas with pools?  Not Haven, can't afford that.  But pricy or not, we spent a lot of time in the DCL adult pool last summer and DH really enjoys his pool time--we raised our kids and like to stay away from "kid soup" pools.



On Carnival, anything bigger than Fantasy class has an Aft pool that is generally adults only (there are some exceptions I heard, during spring break)... And the serenity area (21+) always has two big jacuzzis.

I believe that on RCCL the "solarium pools" are 18+ ?


----------



## starvenger

16+. But I believe that the solarium cafe is open to everyone.


----------



## tinkerone

starvenger said:


> 16+. But I believe that the solarium cafe is open to everyone.


The bonus to that though is the kids do not need to go through the adult only area to get to the solarium café.  I know that lots of people get very heated when the children walk through  the adult only area on the DCL ships even though it is sometimes hard to avoid.  Its a true adult only area.  
Not a lot of children do utilize the solarium café (at least from what we have seen).  Crew members said it was because the burger/taco/buffet places are at the other end of the ship so most kids go that way.  We saw a few at dinner but not like the MDR's.


----------



## hdrolfe

daisyx3 said:


> Here is a Carnival question...which ships have adult-only pools?  I know some have an adult relaxation area without a pool, and I know Vista class ships (like Horizon) have Havana rooms with a pool that is exclusive to that area (no under 12) until 7PM.  Or what other lines have adult areas with pools?  Not Haven, can't afford that.  But pricy or not, we spent a lot of time in the DCL adult pool last summer and DH really enjoys his pool time--we raised our kids and like to stay away from "kid soup" pools.



Conquest (Conquest, Glory, Liberty, Valor, Freedom) Class have a pool at the aft that is adults only, as well as Splendor & Victory I believe. On Dream class the aft pool is not adults only. I believe all of their ships have a Serenity area. Most have hot tubs, I think Sunshine has a pool in the area as well (so that would be adult only).


----------



## mevelandry

The new ships Vista, Horizon, etc all have aft adult-only pools too.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> The new ships Vista, Horizon, etc all have aft adult-only pools too.



I don't think they are. But I haven't been on those ships yet. I know Magic, Breeze and Dream are NOT adult only. Everything I have read is that the aft pools on Horizon and Vista are family friendly, and not just for adults.


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## we"reofftoneverland

Day 5: San Juan

We ordered continental breakfast to the cabins on San Juan day. No charge. We bring ones and tip $2/cabin for this.  Carnival does a great job with room service continental breakfast. Forgot to take a photo. Great presentation.  Coffee, hot chocolate, cereal, milk, pastries. 
We had purchased kites at home from Walmart and were planning on flying them by El Morro and going to see the 2 forts. When you dock in San Juan and walk through the port exit, there are many people who actively try to sell you "tours." For us, they kept saying, "a tour for the family." It takes a bit to walk through them. Lots of people at folding tables selling things too. Reminds me a bit of nyc for some reason.  Very entrepreneurial in San Juan!   Our teen asked if I wanted a Gucci bag. No thanks, I'm not a Gucci girl real or fake. Lol.  
 

After walking through the crowds by the port we finally started toward El Morro and the heat hit us. We had forced Mr. Camp Ocean to come with us with the lure of a star wars kite, and after our 20 minute walk we were hot and sweaty and the kids had finished all the water we had brought and there was, on this cliff by the sea... no... wind. Ugh. We set up a couple of the kites anyway and ran around in circles and... nothing. So we went to see the fort, and the kids' were momentarily interested by our Pirates of the Caribbean comparison but were done about five minutes later. We got the National Park passport books for the kids last summer, so we got them stamped. The entrance fee at the fort is $7, kids free, and they do not advertise this at all but if you save your receipt you can use it to get into the other fort that is about 3 blocks from the port, or vice versa. After we walked around we headed back to the port with lots of complaining along the way, saw the umbrella street and then we grabbed a bite to eat on the ship and dropped both kids at Camp Ocean. We were planning on going to the chocolate shop and finding something to eat in old San Juan, but we've learned not to fight the power.  

Views from El Morro.  Awesome.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Day 5 Cont....

After sitting around for an hour on the ship in port while dh did some work, we decided to head back out without the young kids and go to the other fort. It was 1:30 and the ship was leaving at 3:30. We made it back with a half hour to spare. There was one other ship in port, the HAL Oosterdam and unlike the NCL and Princess ships the day before, which were similarly sized to the Breeze, the HAL ship looked smaller ( but refined).

When we got back on the ship, we picked up the kids and took them to the waterslides.


 We sat on the funky Carnival chairs by the waterslides and watched both the sailaway and watersliders. After about an hour they kids were done and wanted to shower and get pizza. They then went back to CO and we ate dinner in the main dining room with our teen. Our server was great and from Serbia.  After dinner, our teen went to see Jurassic World Dive in Movies. We walked around and picked up the kids.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Thanks for the review, I’m loving it. Did you try the pizza at the little shop on Magen’s Bay?  I loved that stuff, just like New York Street Pizza, good stuff



Unfortunately we did not see the pizza place.  Sounds great, so it's on the list for next time!  We did not explore enough.  We walked all the way to the left down the beach because I had read there was some decent snorkeling that way.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> It sounds like Carnival has a new "boarding zone" concept? (I have never seen this before...) We are assigned a boarding zone on the boarding pass.
> 
> We have been assigned C1.
> 
> From what I understand, A1 is the first group to board the ship.
> 
> Is there a table of some sort explaining when we'll be allowed to board? I'm lost. LOL
> 
> p.s.: We are embarking at Port Canaveral.


We had the zones on our passes too but just boarded right after checking in.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Do I? I've only been on 7 cruises so far...
> 
> The pizza was definitely great. Also, I don't know if you like meat and if splurging on a 20$ steak is something you'd do but DH and I tried the 20$ upgrade from the Steakhouse in the MDR and we liked it so much we've had it twice nights in a row.
> 
> And, the staff on the Sensation was most likely the best staff we've ever had.
> 
> Who will be your cruise director?


We will try this with the steak next time instead of the steakhouse.  They also served prime rib 2x in the main dining room on our cruise.  Lobster one night and flat iron steak every night.  On lobster night they actually had surf and turf with filet mignon which I do not remember them having before (but maybe I just missed it).  It was delicious.  And also for steak lovers, the sea day brunch has steak and eggs, one of my Carnival favorites.  They have the steak and eggs at the dr. Seuss breakfast also. We've been to that 3x now and I only noticed the steak this last cruise.  I just get to the french toast which is like the second thing on the menu and order that every time lol.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Day 6: Grand Turk

For the first time on Carnival cruise lines, we opted for breakfast in the main dining room and, unlike the sea day brunch which is well run, service was slow. We almost left at one point to go to the buffet but made the mistake of staying. Live and learn. Only one of our kids came with us, and afterwards we picked up the youngest from CO (he had gone there pretty much first thing in the morning) to see if he wanted breakfast at the buffet. He ate a few things at breakfast and told us he didn't want to go to the beach and wanted to stay at CO instead! Well, big surprise. And now, the other one wanted to stay at CO too.
We docked in Grand Turk around 11am. Our port time was a bit random 11:30-5:30. The CCL Sunshine had arrived just before us but they had not disembarked and we could hear over their loudspeakers that they would have to wait to do so for us to dock. Unfortunate, but I think they arrived late and we arrived early. They seemed to have issues throughout the day. We saw ambulances drive up to the ship twice and when we were leaving they were still docked. You could hear their Captain announce that departure would be delayed due to a medical emergency and that it would impact arrival time in Canaveral.

The 2 ships docked side by side.

Grand Turk, as people have reported, has become less idyllic than it once was. The umbrella staging has become more extensive and almost reaches Jack's shack.  

 We just found a spot on the beach to drop our stuff and got in the water. We hung out and talked for maybe an hour and a half and clouds with light rain rolled in. We headed back to the ship. Our teen dragged us to Ron Jon's on the way.  Actually I think that's the only reason he came to the beach at all. I personally think the prices in there are ridiculous, but I also buy our wdw souvenirs at the Orlando outlets. So we bought one t-shirt at Ron Jon and 3 other t-shirts at the souvenir shop next door where they had $5 shirts on one wall.  Apparently everyone likes Ron Jon's because every other person on the ship was wearing a RJ shirt the following day.
We showered when we got back on the ship and checked on the kids and had coffee. We went through almost three of these cards on the ship.  They don't always hand them out, so you might have to ask for one. 

 We ate at the buffet that night and watched the dive in movie. I think it was skyfall. As you can see we are boring cruisers and do a lot of not much. The first day I always go through all of the days and put hearts by so many things on the app and then end up doing maybe 1/5 of the things I have marked.  We did see a second comedian and I think it was that night.  It was standing room only and we arrived right as it started.  But very funny.  Unfortunately that was the last comedy show we saw-- even though I had lots of other hearts next to comedy shows.  They had a lot of them.  I think they have upped the number because they are so popular.  I noticed a couple of night there were 4. 
One other thing about GT.  Not sure if you noticed in one photo you can see that to the right of the dock at GT is much more peaceful.   Harder to swim there but a whole different vibe.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Monykalyn said:


> Cracked me up!
> Sounds like a fantastic time so far.
> We are on the Sensation in June-picked more for price/ports (CUBA) than anything. Kids first cruise (oldest not with us). I know @mevelandry didn't find it to be her taste but I am hoping for the kids first time it will be fine-shorter cruise, 2 port days, 2 sea days. Also hoping the kids clubs are as good on this ship...but so dang excited for Cuba don't really care about the rest...
> @we"reofftoneverland that looks like a great cabin!!



We haven't been on Sensation, but Cuba sounds great!  The oldest ship we have been on is the Conquest and it was my favorite ship.  We've done 4 Carnival at this point,  Vista, Conquest, dream and now breeze.  I wouldn't hesitate to try any one of their ships, but that's just me!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I don't think they are. But I haven't been on those ships yet. I know Magic, Breeze and Dream are NOT adult only. Everything I have read is that the aft pools on Horizon and Vista are family friendly, and not just for adults.



I think it was adult only when I sailed on the Vista in October 2017 but I could be wrong. I don't remember seeing kids around.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Day 6: Grand Turk
> 
> For the first time on Carnival cruise lines, we opted for breakfast in the main dining room and, unlike the sea day brunch which is well run, service was slow. We almost left at one point to go to the buffet but made the mistake of staying. Live and learn. Only one of our kids came with us, and afterwards we picked up the youngest from CO (he had gone there pretty much first thing in the morning) to see if he wanted breakfast at the buffet. He ate a few things at breakfast and told us he didn't want to go to the beach and wanted to stay at CO instead! Well, big surprise. And now, the other one wanted to stay at CO too.
> We docked in Grand Turk around 11am. Our port time was a bit random 11:30-5:30. The CCL Sunshine had arrived just before us but they had not disembarked and we could hear over their loudspeakers that they would have to wait to do so for us to dock. Unfortunate, but I think they arrived late and we arrived early. They seemed to have issues throughout the day. We saw ambulances drive up to the ship twice and when we were leaving they were still docked. You could hear their Captain announce that departure would be delayed due to a medical emergency and that it would impact arrival time in Canaveral.
> 
> The 2 ships docked side by side.
> View attachment 388931
> Grand Turk, as people have reported, has become less idyllic than it once was. The umbrella staging has become more extensive and almost reaches Jack's shack. View attachment 388932 View attachment 388932
> 
> We just found a spot on the beach to drop our stuff and got in the water. We hung out and talked for maybe an hour and a half and clouds with light rain rolled in. We headed back to the ship. Our teen dragged us to Ron Jon's on the way.  Actually I think that's the only reason he came to the beach at all. I personally think the prices in there are ridiculous, but I also buy our wdw souvenirs at the Orlando outlets. So we bought one t-shirt at Ron Jon and 3 other t-shirts at the souvenir shop next door where they had $5 shirts on one wall.  Apparently everyone likes Ron Jon's because every other person on the ship was wearing a RJ shirt the following day.
> We showered when we got back on the ship and checked on the kids and had coffee. We went through almost three of these cards on the ship.  They don't always hand them out, so you might have to ask for one. View attachment 388937
> 
> We ate at the buffet that night and watched the dive in movie. I think it was skyfall. As you can see we are boring cruisers and do a lot of not much. The first day I always go through all of the days and put hearts by so many things on the app and then end up doing maybe 1/5 of the things I have marked.  We did see a second comedian and I think it was that night.  It was standing room only and we arrived right as it started.  But very funny.  Unfortunately that was the last comedy show we saw-- even though I had lots of other hearts next to comedy shows.  They had a lot of them.  I think they have upped the number because they are so popular.  I noticed a couple of night there were 4.
> One other thing about GT.  Not sure if you noticed in one photo you can see that to the right of the dock at GT is much more peaceful.   Harder to swim there but a whole different vibe.



Woh. That is a lot of umbrellas (much more than when we were there in October). Could it be because there was two ships at the port?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

hdrolfe said:


> I don't think they are. But I haven't been on those ships yet. I know Magic, Breeze and Dream are NOT adult only. Everything I have read is that the aft pools on Horizon and Vista are family friendly, and not just for adults.



That is correct, aft pools on Dream and Vista are for all. The only Serenity areas that have a pool are Sunshine and Legend that I can think of off the top of my head.


----------



## daisyx3

hdrolfe said:


> I don't think they are. But I haven't been on those ships yet. I know Magic, Breeze and Dream are NOT adult only. Everything I have read is that the aft pools on Horizon and Vista are family friendly, and not just for adults.



I had a booking on Horizon (that I canceled) in the Havana section.  The aft Havana pool is only for Havana guests until 7PM.  You can't have anyone under 12 to book a Havana room.  So not completely adult, but no one wearing swim diapers.


----------



## hdrolfe

daisyx3 said:


> I had a booking on Horizon (that I canceled) in the Havana section.  The aft Havana pool is only for Havana guests until 7PM.  You can't have anyone under 12 to book a Havana room.  So not completely adult, but no one wearing swim diapers.



Agreed that the Havana pool is mainly adults only. I'm talking about the Tides pool on Lido deck, near the pizza at the back.


----------



## mevelandry

daisyx3 said:


> I had a booking on Horizon (that I canceled) in the Havana section.  The aft Havana pool is only for Havana guests until 7PM.  You can't have anyone under 12 to book a Havana room.  So not completely adult, but no one wearing swim diapers.



And the pool looks amazing. On the Vista, we could see it from the Aft pool area. Always empty.


----------



## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> Conquest (Conquest, Glory, Liberty, Valor, Freedom) Class have a pool at the aft that is adults only, as well as Splendor & Victory I believe. On Dream class the aft pool is not adults only. I believe all of their ships have a Serenity area. Most have hot tubs, I think Sunshine has a pool in the area as well (so that would be adult only).



I can confirm the Conquest’s aft pool and hot tubs were adults only as we just sailed on her in September. There were even crew members stationed by the main door to reinforce the policy. It was so great to have that space.

When we got married on the Magic in 2017, we were really disappointed to see that there was no adults only pool. And it was sometimes difficult to even find a kids-free hot tub. Not sure why the newer ships don’t have the adults only pool amenity, which I know for a fact would be much appreciated!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

hdrolfe said:


> Conquest (Conquest, Glory, Liberty, Valor, Freedom) Class have a pool at the aft that is adults only, as well as Splendor & Victory I believe. On Dream class the aft pool is not adults only. I believe all of their ships have a Serenity area. Most have hot tubs, I think Sunshine has a pool in the area as well (so that would be adult only).



Spirit Class (spirit, miracle, legend, pride) also have adult only pools in the aft in their Serenity areas. I love that class of ship - cruise on the Pride out of Baltimore again this summer.


----------



## mevelandry

I was updating the first post yesterday and I was asking myself that question (and now I am gonna ask YOU):

IN YOUR OPINION... WHAT DOES DCL DO BETTER THAN CARNIVAL?

My response to that question would be...

-The cruise booklet. It's something I miss when sailing on other cruise lines, even though it's not giving me any informations that I don't know. It's so cute.

-The decor. I love a classic ship decor. I'm less into modern designs and I'm not a fan of the orange and purple and busy patterns of old carnival ships. The cabins on DCL look very nice too.  (Side note: I'm obsessed with Mardi Gras' cabin design. I hope they reproduce it on all ships of the fleet.)

- I love having an adult only section on Castaway Cay.

-The Serenity Bay BBQ. It's not a big deal but the buffet on Half Moon Cay was not as good as Serenity Bay's and they did not have ice cream either.

-The banana self-serve. I believe I had blueberry too on DCL. Carnival has Vanilla/Chocolate/Strawberry but on my last cruise they were out of Strawberry and it made me sad. LOL I know they have more kind in the Lido but I prefer soft ice cream.

-The Chocolate/Grand Marnier soufflés &  the grilled Brie, bacon and tomato sandwich.

That's about it.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Day 7: last sea day

The last day came very quickly as it always does and I was planning on fitting everything in. I woke up at about 5:30, not on purpose. I blame in on daylight savings, just messes me up.  I was planning on 6:30 to see the sunrise, but oh well. I also had to do laundry, another cruise first for me. Everyone had been showering 2x per day and changing clothes 2x per day. I did consider whether we could just push through but decided not to be gross. We've never actually run out of clothes before. I know a lot of people like to do laundry on cruises and go home with clean clothes, definitely not me. I cannot wait to reach platinum for the free bag of laundry. Dcl should follow CCL here.
Laundry was crowded on deck 7, so I ran to deck 2 and got the last washer. I put the stuff in the machine with the free sample pods I'd gotten from costco a few months ago lol and went back to the cabin to get someone to come see the sunrise. No one would come! So I went up alone. There were a decent amount of people up there and most of them were alone too which leads me to believe that there is only one sunrise person per cabin.
 
 I went back down and moved the clothes to the dryer and went to buy a latte. After walking around a bit I grabbed the laundry and went back to the sleeping cabin and hung out on the balcony until they woke up. When I left the laundry room btw it was now packed with people lining up bags of laundry to get a washer.
We got ready and went to the Dr. SUESS breakfast. I ordered the french toast again.
 

 We've done this a few times, so I could skip it (especially since today was also sea day brunch!), but the kids LOVE it. It's funny, because it's not like they are huge Dr. Suess fans off the ship. Even our teen opts in, whereas he always opted out of the dcl character breakfast. The Suess event is really cute and the menu is so clever.

We rushed from the breakfast to a craft making session. This was a real let down and I have already let Carnival know on our survey. I think I have a direct line to Carnival and they are listening so I take those surveys seriously.   More on that later. Last cruise we noticed that Carnival went from 2 crafts per cruise to 1 craft. We were hoping it was an aberration but it seems they have done away with the craft all together and now have 1 session, or free for all, "sponsored" by Michael's which consisted of a bunch of blank cards on a fold out table that you could design with limited amounts of glue, paper and markers. There were a couple of hundred people there so you can imagine how this went. The crafts used to be individually packaged, generally nautical themed and higher skill level. This was kindergarten level and underfunded. Dh said he was out of there. I wanted to try to get some blank cards for the kids to draw on at the cabin, but good luck getting anywhere near that table. So we left, went back to the cabin and got tennis shoes for the ropes course. When we got up there, the weather was great, the line small, and we went twice. Soft serve, then back to Camp Ocean. Dh and I hung out on loungers in the sun for a while, pretending to read but actually listening in to the conversation next to us. Lol. It was hard to ignore. Eventually we made our way to Pig and Anchor (1st and last time this trip) and then went back to check on Camp Ocean. 
The rest of the day just flew by, mostly hanging around.  We were lazy and went to the buffet that night, so we missed the baked Alaska.  We had planned on watching wreck it Ralph 2 at dive in movies but the younger kids ditched us again for Camp Ocean.  So we sat out there for a bit but left half way through to go pack.
 
They ran out of the popcorn boxes halfway through the cruise and switched to bags.
So sad packing up that last night!! But that's how it goes.

One more post on this.  I hope tonight.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I was updating the first post yesterday and I was asking myself that question (and now I am gonna ask YOU):
> 
> IN YOUR OPINION... WHAT DOES DCL DO BETTER THAN CARNIVAL?
> 
> My response to that question would be...
> 
> -The cruise booklet. It's something I miss when sailing on other cruise lines, even though it's not giving me any informations that I don't know. It's so cute.
> 
> -The decor. I love a classic ship decor. I'm less into modern designs and I'm not a fan of the orange and purple and busy patterns of old carnival ships. The cabins on DCL look very nice too.  (Side note: I'm obsessed with Mardi Gras' cabin design. I hope they reproduce it on all ships of the fleet.)
> 
> - I love having an adult only section on Castaway Cay.
> 
> -The Serenity Bay BBQ. It's not a big deal but the buffet on Half Moon Cay was not as good as Serenity Bay's and they did not have ice cream either.
> 
> -The banana self-serve. I believe I had blueberry too on DCL. Carnival has Vanilla/Chocolate/Strawberry but on my last cruise they were out of Strawberry and it made me sad. LOL I know they have more kind in the Lido but I prefer soft ice cream.
> 
> -The Chocolate/Grand Marnier soufflés &  the grilled Brie, bacon and tomato sandwich.
> 
> That's about it.



Funny but I think my favorite thing about dcl is the paperwork they send ahead of the cruise!  I also love the ship design, the aquaduck and on the big ships pepe's door.  Lol.  I also love the TV stations but wish they would bring back the classic cartoons.  The ships also smell good.  Disney is the master of smell.  And yes, hard to beat the decor.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Funny but I think my favorite thing about dcl is the paperwork they send ahead of the cruise!  I also love the ship design, the aquaduck and on the big ships pepe's door.  Lol.  I also love the TV stations but wish they would bring back the classic cartoons.  The ships also smell good.  Disney is the master of smell.  And yes, hard to beat the decor.



I like the smell of the ship... except in the cabins. I don't know what they put as perfume but my nose doesn't agree with it!


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> I was updating the first post yesterday and I was asking myself that question (and now I am gonna ask YOU):
> 
> IN YOUR OPINION... WHAT DOES DCL DO BETTER THAN CARNIVAL?
> 
> My response to that question would be...
> 
> -The cruise booklet. It's something I miss when sailing on other cruise lines, even though it's not giving me any informations that I don't know. It's so cute.
> 
> -The decor. I love a classic ship decor. I'm less into modern designs and I'm not a fan of the orange and purple and busy patterns of old carnival ships. The cabins on DCL look very nice too.  (Side note: I'm obsessed with Mardi Gras' cabin design. I hope they reproduce it on all ships of the fleet.)
> 
> - I love having an adult only section on Castaway Cay.
> 
> -The Serenity Bay BBQ. It's not a big deal but the buffet on Half Moon Cay was not as good as Serenity Bay's and they did not have ice cream either.
> 
> -The banana self-serve. I believe I had blueberry too on DCL. Carnival has Vanilla/Chocolate/Strawberry but on my last cruise they were out of Strawberry and it made me sad. LOL I know they have more kind in the Lido but I prefer soft ice cream.
> 
> -The Chocolate/Grand Marnier soufflés &  the grilled Brie, bacon and tomato sandwich.
> 
> That's about it.



I've yet to sail Carnival (just over 150 days to go!). However, going off RCCL & NCL...I believe the answers would be very similar.

No one else's ships - inside and out - look as nice as DCL's...and it's not even close. No one else's is as clean either.

I also like the cruise booklet - and let's not forget the provided luggage tags as opposed to printing your own.

Castaway beats everyone else's private island (though MSC's looks like it will be very interesting).

I would add the shows. Sure, they are all saccharine sweet and sappy (and of course, even the feature performers need to stay Disney-fied) . But the quality of the productions and the talent of the casts are better than anything I've seen on other ships.

And a big one (for me, at least) is that with DCL, I don't have to pay for excursions upfront. They are added to our shipboard account. I don't like having to pay for the excursions when reserving them on the other lines. Perhaps, some people may prefer that, so it's paid for and keeps their shipboard account from getting too out of control.

I haven't had a meal as good (combing quality of food & service) as Palo yet on either RCCL or NCL.


----------



## lucyddr

mevelandry said:


> I'm sorry you had a bad second cruise... I hope you had better cruising experiences since then.
> 
> Will it be your first DCL cruise with the kids?



We had many fabulous cruising experiences since then, both with Carnival and one small Royal Caribbean ship!  This is our first DCL cruise with our twins and their 4th cruise overall.  I'm very interested to see how they feel about DCL as well.  They have been to WDW 3 times for 7-8 night stays, so characters are nothing new for them.  They literally beg to be in Camp Carnival every time the doors are open, so I'm anxious to see how they feel about the Disney kid areas, since they seem to be far less structured.  We will know soon enough!


----------



## mevelandry

lucyddr said:


> We had many fabulous cruising experiences since then, both with Carnival and one small Royal Caribbean ship!  This is our first DCL cruise with our twins and their 4th cruise overall.  I'm very interested to see how they feel about DCL as well.  They have been to WDW 3 times for 7-8 night stays, so characters are nothing new for them.  They literally beg to be in Camp Carnival every time the doors are open, so I'm anxious to see how they feel about the Disney kid areas, since they seem to be far less structured.  We will know soon enough!



Which ship?


----------



## BrookeMQ

We have done both Carnival and Disney. (and one ncl and one celebrity and one costa).  Most of our cruises have been on Carnival. 

Things we liked better on Disney:

Free soda.   And the fact that it was from a fountain.  I hate the warm cans of soda poured over ice from carnival.  It goes flat almost right away.

Buffet -- Disneys buffet food was better.  But we like all of the other options for lunch on carnival better.  Except disneys chicken fingers were yummy 

Holidays -- i love that disney celebrates the holidays on board.  The huge gingerbread house was so nice.  We liked making our own house (which was actually very tasty).  Fun holiday characters etc.

Shows -- the quality of the performers are better on Disney.    I don't need Disney shows every night but the singers were definitely better than our carnival singers the last few times.  

TV in room -- this doesn't really matter to us but Carnival has nothing for kids to watch (or adults even).  it would be nice to have some decent channel when getting ready for dinner or before bed.   I wasn't feeling well one night and went to room early and there is absolutely nothing to watch on that tv.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

So just a quick in sum, the Breeze is wonderful and we would love to sail her again.  Everything makes sense on the Breeze.  There is not one thing that is offensive or annoying or where you say to yourself, what were they thinking. The space flows, the venues are properly sized, we encountered practically 0 lines the entire trip (5 min sometimes at pizza 
 which by the way is made with Italian flour! and guys.  But I do not consider 5 min a line.) and apparently the ship was full with around 4500 guests. This ship never, never felt crowded. The staff is stellar. The ship is CLEAN and in great physical shape. There were people steam cleaning the carpets regularly on the stairs and in heavily trafficked areas by the elevators. I never saw any plates on tables in the buffet unless people were eating off of them. The staff was picking up plates as you were finishing. They were polishing the glass on the staircases in the morning. I said that CCL pays attention to my surveys because cleaning was the biggie I put on our last survey and I went into detail about all the specific things in our cabin and in public areas that CCL needed to focus on. They were focusing on all of those things! Lol. I am kidding about them paying attention to my survey but it is interesting...
Dh said this was his favorite CCL ship, I still stick with the Conquest for the back pool, and our teen said Vista.  


 
If you see any of these with kids on CCL ships, don't be surprised. These puppets are the it souvenir for the Camp Ocean set, or at least they were last week. One of our kids begged us for one and gave us directions in the Carnival gift shop to find it.  When we were driving home at a gas station in Florida a woman walked over to our car and said really excitedly, "You have a bird!  Can I see it?" At first I didn't know what she was talking about but then I was like, oh sorry, that's a puppet.  She took it well, but as we were driving away, I couldn't help laughing and thinking,  good lord lady, did you really think I had a live bird flying around my car?

We told junior to put the puppet away before the police pulled us over to check on the bird.

Ah, I am just so missing Florida and can't wait to get back to that magical state where anything is possible.   And can't wait to get back on a ship.  Any ship leaving from anywhere!!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

BrookeMQ said:


> We have done both Carnival and Disney. (and one ncl and one celebrity and one costa).  Most of our cruises have been on Carnival.
> 
> Things we liked better on Disney:
> 
> Free soda.   And the fact that it was from a fountain.  I hate the warm cans of soda poured over ice from carnival.  It goes flat almost right away.
> 
> Buffet -- Disneys buffet food was better.  But we like all of the other options for lunch on carnival better.  Except disneys chicken fingers were yummy
> 
> Holidays -- i love that disney celebrates the holidays on board.  The huge gingerbread house was so nice.  We liked making our own house (which was actually very tasty).  Fun holiday characters etc.
> 
> Shows -- the quality of the performers are better on Disney.    I don't need Disney shows every night but the singers were definitely better than our carnival singers the last few times.
> 
> TV in room -- this doesn't really matter to us but Carnival has nothing for kids to watch (or adults even).  it would be nice to have some decent channel when getting ready for dinner or before bed.   I wasn't feeling well one night and went to room early and there is absolutely nothing to watch on that tv.



Last week on the Breeze we watched the travel channel which apparently only shows these awful ghost tracking shows #$!!??  I kept telling the kids to turn it off but they were glued.   Those funky Mickey cartoons better watch out... they've got competition.   Lol


----------



## belle032

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Last week on the Breeze we watched the travel channel which apparently only shows these awful ghost tracking shows #$!!??  I kept telling the kids to turn it off but they were glued.   Those funky Mickey cartoons better watch out... they've got competition.   Lol



Omg, I am addicted to those ghost shows! I love paranormal stuff in general and those shows are a definite guilty pleasure!


----------



## mcd2745

Forgot one other thing that DCL does better (hopefully Carnival's is better than NCL's or RCCL's) that probably most people don't care about, but is oddly enough a big thing for me....the Navigation channel on the TV. The information is better and more of it (such as sea depth). Plus...all the Disney songs.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Omg, I am addicted to those ghost shows! I love paranormal stuff in general and those shows are a definite guilty pleasure!



Paranormal. Do you like Tyler Henry? (I do!)


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> So just a quick in sum, the Breeze is wonderful and we would love to sail her again.  Everything makes sense on the Breeze.  There is not one thing that is offensive or annoying or where you say to yourself, what were they thinking. The space flows, the venues are properly sized, we encountered practically 0 lines the entire trip (5 min sometimes at pizza
> View attachment 389352 which by the way is made with Italian flour! and guys.  But I do not consider 5 min a line.) and apparently the ship was full with around 4500 guests. This ship never, never felt crowded. The staff is stellar. The ship is CLEAN and in great physical shape. There were people steam cleaning the carpets regularly on the stairs and in heavily trafficked areas by the elevators. I never saw any plates on tables in the buffet unless people were eating off of them. The staff was picking up plates as you were finishing. They were polishing the glass on the staircases in the morning. I said that CCL pays attention to my surveys because cleaning was the biggie I put on our last survey and I went into detail about all the specific things in our cabin and in public areas that CCL needed to focus on. They were focusing on all of those things! Lol. I am kidding about them paying attention to my survey but it is interesting...
> Dh said this was his favorite CCL ship, I still stick with the Conquest for the back pool, and our teen said Vista.
> 
> 
> View attachment 389350
> If you see any of these with kids on CCL ships, don't be surprised. These puppets are the it souvenir for the Camp Ocean set, or at least they were last week. One of our kids begged us for one and gave us directions in the Carnival gift shop to find it.  When we were driving home at a gas station in Florida a woman walked over to our car and said really excitedly, "You have a bird!  Can I see it?" At first I didn't know what she was talking about but then I was like, oh sorry, that's a puppet.  She took it well, but as we were driving away, I couldn't help laughing and thinking,  good lord lady, did you really think I had a live bird flying around my car?
> 
> We told junior to put the puppet away before the police pulled us over to check on the bird.
> 
> Ah, I am just so missing Florida and can't wait to get back to that magical state where anything is possible.   And can't wait to get back on a ship.  Any ship leaving from anywhere!!



And ... another ship added to my "OMG I wanna try that ship" list.  

Thank you so much for your review.


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> Forgot one other thing that DCL does better (hopefully Carnival's is better than NCL's or RCCL's) that probably most people don't care about, but is oddly enough a big thing for me....the Navigation channel on the TV. The information is better and more of it (such as sea depth). Plus...all the Disney songs.



Carnival has a similar channel and I've seen big screens showing maps in public places... Near the Café, I think?

I had a picture of that on my phone but I think I deleted it last week. I'll check.

EDIT: Found it! 

 

I love this too!!!  (And if I'm on a flight that has screens with maps with altitude, mileage, etc, I can spend almost the whole flight looking at it). I'm obsessed.


----------



## mevelandry

BrookeMQ said:


> We have done both Carnival and Disney. (and one ncl and one celebrity and one costa).  Most of our cruises have been on Carnival.
> 
> Things we liked better on Disney:
> 
> Free soda.   And the fact that it was from a fountain.  I hate the warm cans of soda poured over ice from carnival.  It goes flat almost right away.
> 
> Buffet -- Disneys buffet food was better.  But we like all of the other options for lunch on carnival better.  Except disneys chicken fingers were yummy
> 
> Holidays -- i love that disney celebrates the holidays on board.  The huge gingerbread house was so nice.  We liked making our own house (which was actually very tasty).  Fun holiday characters etc.
> 
> Shows -- the quality of the performers are better on Disney.    I don't need Disney shows every night but the singers were definitely better than our carnival singers the last few times.
> 
> TV in room -- this doesn't really matter to us but Carnival has nothing for kids to watch (or adults even).  it would be nice to have some decent channel when getting ready for dinner or before bed.   I wasn't feeling well one night and went to room early and there is absolutely nothing to watch on that tv.



It's the main reason I never took the soda package. I keep telling John Heald on his FB page that I won't buy the soda package as long as they do not have machines (also, fountain soda is much more affordable than buying cans, I'm shocked that they don't do that). 

While I'm not a fan of breakfast at Cabanas (I only eat Mickey waffles), I love DCL embarkation day lunch. 

We got lucky on the Victory and Sensation, the performers were amazing but on the Vista, not so much (there was one that was always "flat" and I couldn't stand it). DCL shows' performers are usually excellent. 

I would love a good movie channel. But I remember catching Die Hard on a tv channel on the vista because it happened to be on tv that night.


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> I've yet to sail Carnival (just over 150 days to go!). However, going off RCCL & NCL...I believe the answers would be very similar.
> 
> No one else's ships - inside and out - look as nice as DCL's...and it's not even close. No one else's is as clean either.
> 
> I also like the cruise booklet - and let's not forget the provided luggage tags as opposed to printing your own.
> 
> Castaway beats everyone else's private island (though MSC's looks like it will be very interesting).
> 
> I would add the shows. Sure, they are all saccharine sweet and sappy (and of course, even the feature performers need to stay Disney-fied) . But the quality of the productions and the talent of the casts are better than anything I've seen on other ships.
> 
> And a big one (for me, at least) is that with DCL, I don't have to pay for excursions upfront. They are added to our shipboard account. I don't like having to pay for the excursions when reserving them on the other lines. Perhaps, some people may prefer that, so it's paid for and keeps their shipboard account from getting too out of control.
> 
> I haven't had a meal as good (combing quality of food & service) as Palo yet on either RCCL or NCL.



(How did I miss your post?)

To me the only ship that came close to DCL when it comes to decor was the Vista... BUT, like I said, I will still prefer the classic look of DCL.

You are right. DCL does luggage tags too. That's another thing I prefer on DCL.

Is Half Moon Cay on your itinerary? If it is... Let me know what you tought about it when you come back. They are 50-50% in my heart. I can't chose between them. I want both. LOL

Palo is awesome. Have you tried Remy? Best meals of my life.


----------



## mevelandry

Good morning guys,

Following an exchange with another DISer last night, I have realized that it would make sense to open a new section in the first post to welcome "comparisons with DCL" for other lines of Carnival Corporation like Princess, Holland, Cunard, etc. in order to bring most "non-100% DCL reviews" here...

... it will also let the DCL forum "breathe". 

So... The new section is open. Everybody is welcome to participate and/or make suggestions.


----------



## Magical2017

mevelandry said:


> Good morning guys,
> 
> Following an exchange with another DISer last night, I have realized that it would make sense to open a new section in the first post to welcome "comparisons with DCL" for other lines of Carnival Corporation like Princess, Holland, Cunard, etc. in order to bring most "non-100% DCL reviews" here...
> 
> ... it will also let the DCL forum "breathe".
> 
> So... The new section is open. Everybody is welcome to participate and/or make suggestions.


We are just now planning for 2020--I am looking forward to reviews on other lines so we can make the best choice for our family. Thank you!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I will list things I think Carnival (and the other lines) do better than DCL.

1. Anytime Dining - the other lines all have the option to choose to have dinner in the MDR at your leisure, DCL is too regimented
2. Sitting alone in the MDR - See above, with anytime dining you will be seated as a family, you do not have to share a table and make small talk with people you may not like
3. Included food options - CCL has Blue Iguana, Guy's Burgers, Pig & Anchor, Cucina del Capitano, the other lines have things like O'Sheehans, Noodle Bar, etc, DCL only has the buffet and MDR for everyone (it looks like they have a small cafe for adults)
4. Split beds - All rooms have a bed that splits into twins so if you are 2 adults traveling together who are not married you can have your own sleeping place in a real bed (not a sofa)
5. Fun stuff - Waterworks, rope courses, Sky ride, roller coaster, climbing walls, ice skating, many things to do if you want an active vacation, DCL I believe has 1 slide on only 2 ships
6. PRICE - I can take 2 vacations a year for less than the cost of a 7 day cruise on DCL


----------



## lucyddr

mevelandry said:


> Which ship?



We've sailed the following Carnival ships:  Glory (most recent and loved), Triumph (only negative Carnival experience-Spring break), Dream, Victory, Miracle, Destiny (now names something else).  I'm pretty sure I'm missing one, but cannot recall for the moment!


----------



## mevelandry

Magical2017 said:


> We are just now planning for 2020--I am looking forward to reviews on other lines so we can make the best choice for our family. Thank you!



Welcome to the thread!


----------



## mevelandry

lucyddr said:


> We've sailed the following Carnival ships:  Glory (most recent and loved), Triumph (only negative Carnival experience-Spring break), Dream, Victory, Miracle, Destiny (now names something else).  I'm pretty sure I'm missing one, but cannot recall for the moment!



Sorry about the Triumph one. 

I kinda hate Spring Break to begin with... (too many people at the same time). 

And I can imagine students have limited funds so they can more easily afford a Carnival cruise than a DCL cruise. :/


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> Carnival has a similar channel and I've seen big screens showing maps in public places... Near the Café, I think?
> 
> I had a picture of that on my phone but I think I deleted it last week. I'll check.
> 
> EDIT: Found it!
> 
> View attachment 389365



Nice. Very much like Disney's. Thanks.





mevelandry said:


> I love this too!!!  (*And if I'm on a flight that has screens with maps with altitude, mileage, etc, I can spend almost the whole flight looking at it). I'm obsessed.*



Yes! We usually fly SW, and they have this on their app. I constantly go back to it to check where we are, what altitude, to see if our estimated arrival time changes, etc throughout the flight.


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> Nice. Very much like Disney's. Thanks.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes! We usually fly SW, and they have this on their app. I constantly go back to it to check where we are, what altitude, to see if our estimated arrival time changes, etc throughout the flight.



Cool! I wish AC would add this to its App! I fly with Air Canada most of the time... Depending on the plane we get (the bigger tend to have screens) we sometimes have the map and infos... When they don't only get their (bad) app with a limited choice of movies and music.


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> (How did I miss your post?)
> 
> To me the only ship that came close to DCL when it comes to decor was the Vista... BUT, like I said, I will still prefer the classic look of DCL.
> 
> You are right. DCL does luggage tags too. That's another thing I prefer on DCL.
> 
> Is Half Moon Cay on your itinerary? If it is... Let me know what you tought about it when you come back. They are 50-50% in my heart. I can't chose between them. I want both. LOL
> 
> Palo is awesome. Have you tried Remy? Best meals of my life.




Not going to Half Moon Cay (it's 8-nt Southern on Horizon). I wish we were going to Amber Cove instead of La Romana as far as a DR port.

Haven't done Remy. It hasn't really appealed to us.


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> Not going to Half Moon Cay (it's 8-nt Southern on Horizon). I wish we were going to Amber Cove instead of La Romana as far as a DR port.
> 
> Haven't done Remy. It hasn't really appealed to us.



Which stops do you have on your cruise other than La Romana?


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> Which stops do you have on your cruise other than La Romana?




Grand Turk, Curacao, & Aruba.


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> Grand Turk, Curacao, & Aruba.



Out of curiosity... What are your plans for Grand Turk? (Have you been there before?)


----------



## trvlgirlmq

For La Romana I highly suggest the Carnival excursion to Isla Catalana.  It was the most beautiful water and beach I have seen.


----------



## mevelandry

Conversation between DH and I last night:

Me: Babe, when the new DCL ships come out and...

DH: No.

Me: But I'd really like to try one of the new...

DH: No.

Me: What if I find a not so bad rate?

DH: Not interested. I don't want to sail on DCL ever again. Go with your friends.

Me: I tried to convince them but they chose RCCL!

DH: I'm not going with you. I was bored to death the last time.


... Sounds like I'll do a solo cruise within the next 4 years.  

(Kidding.)

p.s.: I'm so posting this on a new thread.


----------



## tidefan

trvlgirlmq said:


> I will list things I think Carnival (and the other lines) do better than DCL.
> 
> 1. Anytime Dining - the other lines all have the option to choose to have dinner in the MDR at your leisure, DCL is too regimented
> 2. Sitting alone in the MDR - See above, with anytime dining you will be seated as a family, you do not have to share a table and make small talk with people you may not like
> 3. Included food options - CCL has Blue Iguana, Guy's Burgers, Pig & Anchor, Cucina del Capitano, the other lines have things like O'Sheehans, Noodle Bar, etc, DCL only has the buffet and MDR for everyone (it looks like they have a small cafe for adults)
> 4. Split beds - All rooms have a bed that splits into twins so if you are 2 adults traveling together who are not married you can have your own sleeping place in a real bed (not a sofa)
> 5. Fun stuff - Waterworks, rope courses, Sky ride, roller coaster, climbing walls, ice skating, many things to do if you want an active vacation, DCL I believe has 1 slide on only 2 ships
> 6. PRICE - I can take 2 vacations a year for less than the cost of a 7 day cruise on DCL


Not to nitpick, but have you sailed DCL???  Some of this is just plain wrong.  

Included food.  DCL has poolside pizza and a grill in addition to the MDR and Cabanas.  They also have a window for shawarma on the Magic and Wonder.  On some trips (Alaska), they bring food service out on the open decks as you cruise Tracy Arm, etc...  Room service is also included...

Where do you get that DCL has 1 slide on 2 ships?  All 4 have a version of Twist-n-spout (Magic is best IMHO), Magic also has Aquadunk while Dream and Fantasy have the AquaDuck.

Look, I agree there are some great things on other lines that DCL doesn’t have (2 that come to mind are Rooes Courses like on CCL’s Sports Square or an awesome 24- hr dining place like International Cafe on Princess), but at least keep it truthful...


----------



## mcd2745

One thing I believe other lines do better than DCL is spread people out. Whether it is the design of their ships - particularly the public spaces - or the way they schedule things, or likely a combo of both, it seems like on DCL there are many instances where it seems like everyone is at the same place at the same time.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

tidefan said:


> Not to nitpick, but have you sailed DCL???  Some of this is just plain wrong.
> 
> Included food.  DCL has poolside pizza and a grill in addition to the MDR and Cabanas.  They also have a window for shawarma on the Magic and Wonder.  On some trips (Alaska), they bring food service out on the open decks as you cruise Tracy Arm, etc...  Room service is also included...
> 
> Where do you get that DCL has 1 slide on 2 ships?  All 4 have a version of Twist-n-spout (Magic is best IMHO), Magic also has Aquadunk while Dream and Fantasy have the AquaDuck.
> 
> Look, I agree there are some great things on other lines that DCL doesn’t have (2 that come to mind are Rooes Courses like on CCL’s Sports Square or an awesome 24- hr dining place like International Cafe on Princess), but at least keep it truthful...



All of the lines have some version of pizza and grill.  DCL does not have all the other included options.  Do they have actual separate areas for Mexican, BBQ, Italian.  Nope.

I did not know that all the ships had a slide.  It is still far less fun stuff than the other lines provide.

And they still do not have all the other things I listed that every single other line offers.


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> Out of curiosity... What are your plans for Grand Turk? (Have you been there before?)




Haven't been there before. Not sure what we want to do yet - still in full research mode. Probably something involving snorkeling.


----------



## mevelandry

tidefan said:


> Not to nitpick, but have you sailed DCL???  Some of this is just plain wrong.
> 
> Included food.  DCL has poolside pizza and a grill in addition to the MDR and Cabanas.  They also have a window for shawarma on the Magic and Wonder.  On some trips (Alaska), they bring food service out on the open decks as you cruise Tracy Arm, etc...  Room service is also included...
> 
> Where do you get that DCL has 1 slide on 2 ships?  All 4 have a version of Twist-n-spout (Magic is best IMHO), Magic also has Aquadunk while Dream and Fantasy have the AquaDuck.
> 
> Look, I agree there are some great things on other lines that DCL doesn’t have (2 that come to mind are Rooes Courses like on CCL’s Sports Square or an awesome 24- hr dining place like International Cafe on Princess), but at least keep it truthful...



I know everything is subjective when it comes to food I have to agree with @trvlgirlmq ... Carnival definitely has more included options (pizza place, asian (included at lunch), a deli, a burger place, a mexican food place and sometimes even a BBQ place and an Italian (included at lunch) and more specialty dining restaurants ($).

Regarding the waterslides (à la Aquaduck)... Many Carnival ships have Waterworks with two waterslides and more:


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> Haven't been there before. Not sure what we want to do yet - still in full research mode. Probably something involving snorkeling.



Ok, just a word of (unsollicited) advice, Grand Turk has not fully recovered from the last hurricane that has hit them so the beach right next to the port is not very pretty and umbrellas are in bad shape... I would not recommend it.


----------



## tidefan

trvlgirlmq said:


> I will list things I think Carnival (and the other lines) do better than DCL.
> 
> 1. Anytime Dining - the other lines all have the option to choose to have dinner in the MDR at your leisure, DCL is too regimented
> 2. Sitting alone in the MDR - See above, with anytime dining you will be seated as a family, you do not have to share a table and make small talk with people you may not like
> 3. Included food options - CCL has Blue Iguana, Guy's Burgers, Pig & Anchor, Cucina del Capitano, the other lines have things like O'Sheehans, Noodle Bar, etc, DCL only has the buffet and MDR for everyone (it looks like they have a small cafe for adults)
> 4. Split beds - All rooms have a bed that splits into twins so if you are 2 adults traveling together who are not married you can have your own sleeping place in a real bed (not a sofa)
> 5. Fun stuff - Waterworks, rope courses, Sky ride, roller coaster, climbing walls, ice skating, many things to do if you want an active vacation, DCL I believe has 1 slide on only 2 ships
> 6. PRICE - I can take 2 vacations a year for less than the cost of a 7 day cruise on DCL





trvlgirlmq said:


> All of the lines have some version of pizza and grill.  DCL does not have all the other included options.  Do they have actual separate areas for Mexican, BBQ, Italian.  Nope.
> 
> I did not know that all the ships had a slide.  It is still far less fun stuff than the other lines provide.
> 
> And they still do not have all the other things I listed that every single other line offers.



But that's not what you said. You stated that, and I quote, "DCL only has the buffet and MDR for everyone (it looks like they have a small cafe for adults)".  Why is it such an issue to point out that that is not correct?

Also, not all ships have a poolside pizza and grill.  That was one of my biggest complaints about RCCL's Serenade of the Seas.  The pizza/burgers (and soft serve) were located in the Windjammer buffet, not by the pool.  And since RCCL closed it everyday from 2-5pm, it left a hole if you wanted to get something to eat.

BTW, I never said CCL didn't have great options.  I love Guy's Burgers and the tacos at Blue Iguana (It does still puzzle me that Blue Iguana has that great salsa bar, but no chips).  I think Carnival has the best "comfort food" at sea.  Why am I not allowed to enjoy both CCL and DCL (and Princess)?  I love me some shwarma on the Disney Magic too!



mevelandry said:


> I know everything is subjective when it comes to food I have to agree with @trvlgirlmq ... Carnival definitely has more included options (pizza place, asian (included at lunch), a deli, a burger place, a mexican food place and sometimes even a BBQ place and an Italian (included at lunch) and more specialty dining restaurants ($).
> 
> Regarding the waterslides (à la Aquaduck)... Many Carnival ships have Waterworks with two waterslides and more:



Not sure your point here.  I was referencing the fact that the poster said that DCL ships didn't have waterslides and that you could ONLY get food in the MDR and Buffet.  I wasn't making any comparisons.  Not sure why if I point out that DCL has something,  that it is immediately followed by "Well, XYZ line does it better!".  Look, I know Carnival Waterworks is great and a lot of fun, but that had absolutely nothing to do with my post.  It's things like this that I think is what the poster on the other thread is talking about.  

I have been on a whole lot of cruises on 4 different lines (DCL, Princess, CCL, and RCCL) and with the exception of 1 bad cruise, we have had nothing but great experiences.  Each line tends to have things they do well and not so well.  I just wish we could discuss this with civility.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

And I said that Carnival and other lines do all the things I listed better than DCL. Just because DCL has pizza at the pool doesn’t mean they do food better than the other lines. All the other lines have a lot more options overall that are included in the price. They also have a lot more activities included than DCL. I would think for the exhorbitant upcharge that DCL people would be seriously offended that there is really so little included in their fare. I certainly can’t drink $5,000.00 with of soda!


----------



## mevelandry

tidefan said:


> But that's not what you said. You stated that, and I quote, "DCL only has the buffet and MDR for everyone (it looks like they have a small cafe for adults)".  Why is it such an issue to point out that that is not correct?
> 
> Also, not all ships have a poolside pizza and grill.  That was one of my biggest complaints about RCCL's Serenade of the Seas.  The pizza/burgers (and soft serve) were located in the Windjammer buffet, not by the pool.  And since RCCL closed it everyday from 2-5pm, it left a hole if you wanted to get something to eat.
> 
> BTW, I never said CCL didn't have great options.  I love Guy's Burgers and the tacos at Blue Iguana (It does still puzzle me that Blue Iguana has that great salsa bar, but no chips).  I think Carnival has the best "comfort food" at sea.  Why am I not allowed to enjoy both CCL and DCL (and Princess)?  I love me some shwarma on the Disney Magic too!
> 
> 
> 
> Not sure your point here.  I was referencing the fact that the poster said that DCL ships didn't have waterslides and that you could ONLY get food in the MDR and Buffet.  I wasn't making any comparisons.  Not sure why if I point out that DCL has something,  that it is immediately followed by "Well, XYZ line does it better!".  Look, I know Carnival Waterworks is great and a lot of fun, but that had absolutely nothing to do with my post.  It's things like this that I think is what the poster on the other thread is talking about.
> 
> I have been on a whole lot of cruises on 4 different lines (DCL, Princess, CCL, and RCCL) and with the exception of 1 bad cruise, we have had nothing but great experiences.  Each line tends to have things they do well and not so well.  I just wish we could discuss this with civility.



Sorry, I just meant to precise what I thought @trvlgirlmq meant in certain points of her first comment.

EDIT: And I was wrong doing that.

I had not seen the DCL part of that comment regarding food because I would have made a correction too. (My ADHD is kicking hard and my reading skills are a little bit off today).

I'm 100% pro correct information as well.

p.s.: I strongly disagree with the OP of the other thread and that "argument" (for lack of a better word) goes back to 2016. It's not our first round. But I do my best to always exchange and not sound argumentative (the best I can, hoping all the nuances of english language won't get lost in my translation - aka I'm french).


----------



## tidefan

trvlgirlmq said:


> And I said that Carnival and other lines do all the things I listed better than DCL. Just because DCL has pizza at the pool doesn’t mean they do food better than the other lines. All the other lines have a lot more options overall that are included in the price. They also have a lot more activities included than DCL. I would think for the exhorbitant upcharge that DCL people would be seriously offended that there is really so little included in their fare. I certainly can’t drink $5,000.00 with of soda!


I think that you and I are having 2 completely different arguments...


----------



## belle032

tidefan said:


> BTW, I never said CCL didn't have great options.  I love Guy's Burgers and the tacos at Blue Iguana (It does still puzzle me that Blue Iguana has that great salsa bar, but no chips).  I think Carnival has the best "comfort food" at sea.  Why am I not allowed to enjoy both CCL and DCL (and Princess)?  I love me some shwarma on the Disney Magic too!




AMEN!  For the love of everything that is holy, can we please get some tortilla chips at Blue Iguana?! I just want some chips & salsa!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> Omg, I am addicted to those ghost shows! I love paranormal stuff in general and those shows are a definite guilty pleasure!


Lol.  
And at wdw my kids watch some searching for bigfoot show.  They haven't shown Disney cartoons at wdw hotels for years which is a bummer.  We don't have cable, just netflix and utube so when they get to hotels they are fascinated by these shows!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> AMEN!  For the love of everything that is holy, can we please get some tortilla chips at Blue Iguana?! I just want some chips & salsa!



THIS.


----------



## mevelandry

As the original OP, I am not trying to play moderator here, nor sound "like your mom" but I would like to say this regarding regarding this thread:

- Everyone is welcome here.

- Bad reviews are also welcome. But I would encourage everyone to focus on reviewing things that they have experimented. As I always say: seeing a Carnival ship from your DCL ship in Nassau doesn't count as an "experience" 

- I'm doing the best that I can but I know my work on this thread is not perfect so  I'm more than happy to listen to any suggestion that would make this thread better.

- While this thread is meant to focus on the comparisons with DCL, reviews and prices comparisons with DCL, and companies do compete, this thread is not a competition.

- The very vast majority on this thread also love DCL. 

- I would like to encourage everyone to be kind, especially when we have differences of opinions... Remember that we all have one thing in common: our deep love of cruising.

In other words: be kind.

P.s.:  Remember that french is my first language. My english and my syntax sucks. Sometimes I mean well but I don't write things the right way and I use words or idioms, thinking that it means something and... Turns out it doesn't. I'm sorry about that. I'm doing the best I can.


----------



## mevelandry

Looks like I have convinced my husband to aim for a short DCL cruise when the new ships come out.   We're starting to save money now. 

It doesn't change any of our other plans for 2019-2020.


----------



## tidefan

*A review of Regal Princess*



Background

So, DW, DD, and I are avid travelers.  We have done over 20 cruises (DW has done closer to 30) on numerous lines.  Our favorite is DCL, but we do branch out and have sailed on Carnival, RCCL, and Princess as well.  Princess is our second most traveled line after DCL and since I don't see a lot about it here on these threads, I thought I might try to give some insight as to the line, who may enjoy it, who may not enjoy it, and what the strengths and weaknesses are, IMHO, in comparison to other lines.  Also, I'll try to make some additional comparisons to DCL (since that's what this thread is set up to do.  So, here is an initial stab at it (BTW, I am a terrible photographer with my iPhone, so I apologize if the pics aren't that great...).

To save you to the end in case you were wondering...  We LOVED the ship and it is one of our favorites.  I am really looking forward to sailing this class of ship again, BUT, that works for us, I'll detail things that I think some people may want to consider when looking at the ship...

Ship and Itinerary

We wanted to do a Spring Break cruise (our Spring Break was March 9-17) and didn't want to break the bank taking a vacation, so that ruled out DCL.  We had also looked into an Oasis class RCCL ship as we've only done one RCCL cruise and it was a complete disaster, but we think that a LOT of that was due to the ship and we'd have liked to have given RCCL another try, but when we looked at non-DCL options, the Oasis class priced out much higher (30-80% higher) than comparable offerings on either Princess or Carnival (Note:  We booked late, so that could have contributed to that.  Also, the new NCL ships seemed higher as well).  We ended up choosing Princess, and even there we had options.  Either a 7-night Western on the Regal or a 7-night Eastern on the Caribbean Princess.  We had already booked the Regal Princess for what we thought would be our trial run on her for Thanksgiving this year and since that was going to be an Eastern, we decided to do the Western and go ahead and try the Regal Princess now.  Our ports of call were Princess Cays (which, BTW, is RIGHT NEXT to Lighthouse Point, the area that Disney just purchased for it's next "private island"), Falmouth, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.  Not our favorite ports (save Grand Cayman, which we enjoy), but we wanted to see how the newer Royal class of Princess ships stood up.  Most all of the ships that we have been on Princess have either been the Grand Class (Grand, Star, Emerald), and the Sun class (Sun, Dawn - which is now P&O's _Pacific Explorer_).

Port

So, we loaded up and did the 12.5 hour drive down to FLL, breaking it up by spending a night at Old Key West on the way down (since we had points).  We got to FLL around noon, but didn't get to the ship until 1:00 because DD had forgotten some things and we had to make a quick Target run.  Anyway, there were 9 ships in port that day, so for those of you used to Port Canaveral, be mindful of this if you depart from Port Everglades.  And I'm not talking about 9 small ships either.  In addition to Regal Princess leaving that day, there were also ships like Harmony of the Seas, Nieuw Statendam, Adventure of the Seas, Island Princess, Celebrity Edge, and Carnival Conquest among others.  Needless to say, traffic around the port area was crazy.  Fortunately, Princess uses Terminal 2, which is right inside the port entrance, so we weren't in it too long.

Embarkation

One thing we were interested to try was that this is what Princess calls a "medallion class" cruise.  Meaning, that instead of a cruise card, every passenger gets a small disc with a RFID chip in it.  This is very similar to Disney's "Magic Bands", with the exception that Princess sends a lanyard, not a wristband for you to carry around.



I had kind of thought that this would be not as helpful as it ended up being, but the medallions did make the cruise experience easier.  Especially since I was already used to MagicBands.  Similar to MagicBands, the medallion serves as your room key, the way you pay for items on the ship (you can even use it to charge your room in the casino), your ID to get on and off the ship, and it does other things, like you can order a drink from your lounger and the staff can bring it right to you because they can find you via the medallion.  This worked surprisingly well.  For embarkation, there is an app that you take security pictures and scan your passport into prior to boarding, so check-in is a VERY quick process.  From leaving the car in the deck to being on the ship was maybe 20 minutes, tops.  One nice thing I like about Princess.  Rooms are ready immediately upon embarkation.  No waiting until 1:30 like DCL, or having to buy Faster to the Fun like on Carnival.

One thing though, if you go up to the bar to get a drink (I had the Soda and More package) and you ordered more than 1 drink, the staff can see who is there as your face/id pops up on their iPad's.  However, this was really useful.  For instance, if you went to guest services with a question, they'd already know who you are and what stateroom you are in b/c all of the information pulls up.  The other thing that was really useful was the tracking ability of these things.  We could always find each other, either on the app, or by using one of the interactive screens in each elevator lobby.  You just tap your medallion to it, hit "Shipmates" and it shows you where exactly on the ship everyone is.  It was useful enough to us, but I could see it really being useful for those with young children.  Also in each elevator lobby, between the elevators was an interactive screen that scrolled and showed all of the day's activities and where they were.  It also doubled as some kind of interactive thing for the kids (didn't use that) and trivia games.  Yes, I found myself more than once standing the elevator lobby playing trivia.  Never thought I'd do that...





Also to mention, though it is not directly tied to the medallions, is the "Medallion.net" internet they have on the ship.  It was $59.99 for the whole week and was touted as high speed.  My wife used it to keep up all week with her work and it worked fabulously.  Very impressed.  One other note, this is the first ship other than DCL that I've been on that had a song on the ship's horn.  Regal Princess' horn plays the "Love Boat" theme.  Very cheesy, but cool at the same time!






Room

So, my DW took most pictures of our room, so I actually don't have many on my phone. But, we had a quad balcony stateroom on Marina deck (M702).  I was somewhat worried about this location as we were right under the outside deck of Horizon Court (the buffet), however, other than a few scraping chairs a couple of times, we really didn't hear much of anything. I'd gladly take this location again. We were right by the rear stairwell and 1 deck below the Horizon Court (buffet) and the Horizon Terrace, which is a wonderful open deck area with a bar behind the buffet area that overlooks the aft of the ship.

As for the room itself, for those unfamiliar with Princess, there are 3 non-suite balcony categories, Balcony, Deluxe Balcony, and Mini-Suite.  We had the regular balcony and it was fine, but it did not include a loveseat sofa.  The Deluxe balconies include the loveseat and the mini-suites include a full sofa (BTW, I think Mini-suites are probably the best to go with if you are used to DCL.  They are large - 323 square ft - and have a layout similar to DCL's but with a MUCH better closet).  Our room was a bit tight with 4 people in the room (DD brought a friend), but it was fine and it was clean.  That said, I'd probably go the mini-suite or deluxe route if I could for a verandah, or, for a quad, actually, I'd get one of the sideways inside staterooms on this ship.  They are larger and the beds are against the back wall whereas our 4 beds were against a side wall, so for a quad, the layout works better, I think.  Also, interesting to note, there are NO oceanview stateroooms on Regal Princess.  They are all either Interior or Balcony.

What I did like about our stateroom was that it had a LARGE LCD TV on the wall with on-demand programming.  The live TV wasn't great, a few news stations and ESPNs, but the on-demand was really good.  They had a large TV and Movie selection and they would add the feature movies to the selection the day after they had them either in the Vista Lounge or on MUTS (Movies Under the Stars).  We watched "Crazy Rich Asians", "The Favourite", "A Star is Born", and "Bohemian Rhapsody".  And yes, in the TV selection, they have a number of old "Love Boat" episodes on demand.  Also, what I like about Princess' staterooms is the closet setup.  What you sort of lose in the couch,  you gain by having a separate closet area in front of the bathroom.  Hard to explain if you haven't been on a Princess ship, but the closet is open and is huge.  All 4 of us practically hung up all of our clothes for the week.  It was great.  But the area, because it is separated from the main room, allows you to get ready or use the restroom without bothering anyone else in the stateroom.  There is also a cabinet with about 5 deep shelves and a safe next to the closet.  In addition, there are drawers in the main stateroom compartment.  Lots of storage.  I really liked that...  Plus, no closet doors banging around...

Here's a messy picture of our closet:



Even though I didn't get a big picture of our stateroom (I'll need to get DW to send me those), I did sneak a peek into a suite at the end of our hall, so that can give you a bit of an idea as to the decor...



There has been much discussion on the Princess boards in other locales as to the balcony size on Regal Princess.  They are about 4 x 10 ish (I think the website has them at 41 sq ft), so yes, they are not large, but we found that our balcony was just fine.  In fact, it was similar in size to what we've had on say Carnival Sunshine (8A) or Disney Magic (5C).  However, if you are used to say the large Caribe balconies on Princess' Grand Class, then these are definitely smaller.  That being said, we really enjoyed sitting on the balcony and just reading or enjoying a cheese plate (or for DD - Grilled Cheese, quesadillas, and cheese fries) from room service, which is still complementary on Princess.

Upcoming...

The ship, the ports, the food, the entertainment, kid's clubs, and what suggestions I'd give people about the Regal Princess (and Princess in general).


----------



## BrookeMQ

belle032 said:


> AMEN!  For the love of everything that is holy, can we please get some tortilla chips at Blue Iguana?! I just want some chips & salsa!



OMG please.  I say this every time.  They have all those yummy salsas and I want chips.  (they are my weakness).


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> AMEN!  For the love of everything that is holy, can we please get some tortilla chips at Blue Iguana?! I just want some chips & salsa!





BrookeMQ said:


> OMG please.  I say this every time.  They have all those yummy salsas and I want chips.  (they are my weakness).



While we're at it... I'm asking the Universe to send nacho cheese with those chips.


----------



## belle032

https://miami.cbslocal.com/2019/03/21/man-sues-royal-caribbean-cruise-after-bungee-accident/

Oh my, has anyone seen this yet? I'm usually one to dismiss frivolous lawsuits, but this one may actually have some teeth.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> https://miami.cbslocal.com/2019/03/21/man-sues-royal-caribbean-cruise-after-bungee-accident/
> 
> Oh my, has anyone seen this yet? I'm usually one to dismiss frivolous lawsuits, but this one may actually have some teeth.



I did. To me, the video speaks for itself and I'm 100% sure that this will result in a settlement.


----------



## tidefan

mevelandry said:


> I did. To me, the video speaks for itself and I'm 100% sure that this will result in a settlement.


Agree.  Though, we'd have to know all of the specifics, but it doesn't look good..


----------



## mevelandry

tidefan said:


> Agree.  Though, we'd have to know all of the specifics, but it doesn't look good..



I'm sailing on this ship in October and had planned to try this activity. I will most likely not jump very high...


----------



## lucyddr

mcd2745 said:


> Haven't been there before. Not sure what we want to do yet - still in full research mode. Probably something involving snorkeling.



Word of advice:  We did the Exclusive Escapes package that included snorkeling the wall and going to Golfs Cay to see the sting rays.  It was a terrible experience (and trust me....I almost never complain about a shore excursion).  Our ship was late arriving due to an emergency, so they combined two groups.  We packed 25 people on to a 25’ boat. A storm was brewing, so the water was rougher than usual.  There was so much weight on the boat with such a small motor that those of us in front were drenched with each wave. The wall snorkel was highly rushed and we were forced to stay in a “line.”  The second snorkel stop mentioned on the tour description was never offered.  Snorkeling near the wall might have been ok on a good day, but the water was so churned that we couldn’t see anything other than the drop off and some dead coral.  Once at the island, they were only able to find one ray who was not as cooperative as they wanted. The undertow of the waves was seriously dangerous...adults could barely stand.  Lightening was striking and it was pouring on our way back.   It was a bad trip and sadly, totally ruined my kids first snorkeling experience...making it hard to convince them to want to do it again!  

If we went back, I’d seriously plan on some beach time at the ship and pool time at Margaritaville.  If you must leave the port, rent a golf cart and tool around.


----------



## starvenger

tidefan said:


> Agree.  Though, we'd have to know all of the specifics, but it doesn't look good..


It looks really not good. $10 mil seems a bit high (but then I'm not a lawyer), but he's undoubtedly in line for a substantial settlement. 

I don't know if Independence of the Seas has one of these things, but it's probably a hard pass for me until I get more information on root cause.


----------



## mevelandry

lucyddr said:


> Word of advice:  We did the Exclusive Escapes package that included snorkeling the wall and going to Golfs Cay to see the sting rays.  It was a terrible experience (and trust me....I almost never complain about a shore excursion).  Our ship was late arriving due to an emergency, so they combined two groups.  We packed 25 people on to a 25’ boat. A storm was brewing, so the water was rougher than usual.  There was so much weight on the boat with such a small motor that those of us in front were drenched with each wave. The wall snorkel was highly rushed and we were forced to stay in a “line.”  The second snorkel stop mentioned on the tour description was never offered.  Snorkeling near the wall might have been ok on a good day, but the water was so churned that we couldn’t see anything other than the drop off and some dead coral.  Once at the island, they were only able to find one ray who was not as cooperative as they wanted. The undertow of the waves was seriously dangerous...adults could barely stand.  Lightening was striking and it was pouring on our way back.   It was a bad trip and sadly, totally ruined my kids first snorkeling experience...making it hard to convince them to want to do it again!
> 
> If we went back, I’d seriously plan on some beach time at the ship and pool time at Margaritaville.  If you must leave the port, rent a golf cart and tool around.



Wow. The Beach at the Cruise Center looks so much better and cleaner than when we went in October! When we went, the spot where your children were was covered with litter, and chairs and umbrellas.  (p.s.: They look adorable!)


----------



## mevelandry

starvenger said:


> It looks really not good. $10 mil seems a bit high (but then I'm not a lawyer), but he's undoubtedly in line for a substantial settlement.
> 
> I don't know if Independence of the Seas has one of these things, but it's probably a hard pass for me until I get more information on root cause.



Usually you ask more hoping to meet somewhere in the middle.


----------



## mcd2745

lucyddr said:


> Word of advice:  We did the Exclusive Escapes package that included snorkeling the wall and going to Golfs Cay to see the sting rays.  It was a terrible experience (and trust me....I almost never complain about a shore excursion).  Our ship was late arriving due to an emergency, so they combined two groups.  We packed 25 people on to a 25’ boat. A storm was brewing, so the water was rougher than usual.  There was so much weight on the boat with such a small motor that those of us in front were drenched with each wave. The wall snorkel was highly rushed and we were forced to stay in a “line.”  The second snorkel stop mentioned on the tour description was never offered.  Snorkeling near the wall might have been ok on a good day, but the water was so churned that we couldn’t see anything other than the drop off and some dead coral.  Once at the island, they were only able to find one ray who was not as cooperative as they wanted. The undertow of the waves was seriously dangerous...adults could barely stand.  Lightening was striking and it was pouring on our way back.   It was a bad trip and sadly, totally ruined my kids first snorkeling experience...making it hard to convince them to want to do it again!
> 
> If we went back, I’d seriously plan on some beach time at the ship and pool time at Margaritaville.  If you must leave the port, rent a golf cart and tool around.




Appreciate the heads-up. I'm not that interested in any kind of stingray excursions anyway. We've done the stingray experience at Castaway Cay and have gone to Stingray City from Grand Cayman. So, it's a "been there, done that" sort of thing for us. 

I don't know, maybe it's just me and not having been there before, but with Grand Turk, I find it kind of strange to be using the beach for swimming and/or snorkeling so close to the ship. I think I'd want to find a more serene area away from the port, plus I'd think he snorkeling can't be very good. I assume a good number of people just stay in the immediate area...is that a safe assumption?


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> Appreciate the heads-up. I'm not that interested in any kind of stingray excursions anyway. We've done the stingray experience at Castaway Cay and have gone to Stingray City from Grand Cayman. So, it's a "been there, done that" sort of thing for us.
> 
> I don't know, maybe it's just me and not having been there before, but with Grand Turk, I find it kind of strange to be using the beach for swimming and/or snorkeling so close to the ship. I think I'd want to find a more serene area away from the port, plus I'd think he snorkeling can't be very good. I assume a good number of people just stay in the immediate area...is that a safe assumption?



When I was there, there was almost NO fishes around. I think it's a good call.


----------



## starvenger

mevelandry said:


> Usually you ask more hoping to meet somewhere in the middle.


Fair point. Guess I don't sue enough people.


----------



## lklgoodman

Hope you all don't mind me jumping on here, sorry but I haven't read all 167 pages, so I apologize if some of my questions have already been answered.  Little background on my family, there's just 3 of us, My dh, our 10 yr old dd and myself.  We've done 5 DCL cruises so far.  1 Alaskan, 1 WC, and 3EC(all to different islands).  Dh and I did our honeymoon on the Magic in 2001 and sadly haven't been back on her, although I really want to go on her again.  We've been on the Fantasy twice(have another WC booked for 2020 on her) and have been on the Wonder twice.  We only cruise Jan-March and only do 7nights, this is why we haven't been on the Dream and haven't been on the Magic again since they don't do 7nights in the winter.  Both of our Fantasy cruises were SW themed ones, so is our 2020 cruise.  My dd and I aren't SW fans, my dh likes the movies.  I was so excited for our first cruise on the Fantasy, but after our last one, this past January I'm already feeling kinda blah about our 2020 cruise.  I don't care for the shows on the Fantasy, and like many others, I feel like the food isn't as good as it once was.  I enjoy the Anyone Can Cook demos, but they really need to change what they are doing.  They've done the same foods for the past 5 yrs.  My dd is 10 yrs old.  She no longer cares for any of the characters, I admit this makes me happy.  We no longer have to plan our activities around character meets!! She still enjoys going to the Oceaneer's club, however I noticed she started to spend less time at it on our last cruise.  I'm hoping she likes Edge, when we go on our next cruise.  We've never let her do self-check out and I admit, it makes me nervous that she'll be able to do it at the Edge.  I've looked at the RC site to see what kind of cruises they do Jan-March.  The only ones that popped up were ones for their new really large ships.  I'm not interested in going on one of those.  My dd isn't afraid of anything and would love all the zip-lines, rock walls, etc.  I would prefer a ship the size of the Fantasy or smaller with maybe just one of those things.  Not sure if such a ship exists.  I haven't looked at other lines websites yet, but am interested in them.  I feel a little overwhelmed by all the different ships and don't know what  all the different classes are for each one.
My main question for right now is, how do you know if one of the ships on Carnival is one of their newer ships?  Thanks, I have more questions, but just realized I need to start dinner.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

lklgoodman said:


> My main question for right now is, how do you know if one of the ships on Carnival is one of their newer ships?  Thanks, I have more questions, but just realized I need to start dinner.



Hello and welcome.  The easiest way to see the newer ships is on the Carnival website/ select Explore/ Our Ships.  The ships are listed from most recent build to oldest (Mardi Gras to Fantasy).  The Breeze and Vista are favorites of many on this board I believe (myself included).


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> Hope you all don't mind me jumping on here, sorry but I haven't read all 167 pages, so I apologize if some of my questions have already been answered.  Little background on my family, there's just 3 of us, My dh, our 10 yr old dd and myself.  We've done 5 DCL cruises so far.  1 Alaskan, 1 WC, and 3EC(all to different islands).  Dh and I did our honeymoon on the Magic in 2001 and sadly haven't been back on her, although I really want to go on her again.  We've been on the Fantasy twice(have another WC booked for 2020 on her) and have been on the Wonder twice.  We only cruise Jan-March and only do 7nights, this is why we haven't been on the Dream and haven't been on the Magic again since they don't do 7nights in the winter.  Both of our Fantasy cruises were SW themed ones, so is our 2020 cruise.  My dd and I aren't SW fans, my dh likes the movies.  I was so excited for our first cruise on the Fantasy, but after our last one, this past January I'm already feeling kinda blah about our 2020 cruise.  I don't care for the shows on the Fantasy, and like many others, I feel like the food isn't as good as it once was.  I enjoy the Anyone Can Cook demos, but they really need to change what they are doing.  They've done the same foods for the past 5 yrs.  My dd is 10 yrs old.  She no longer cares for any of the characters, I admit this makes me happy.  We no longer have to plan our activities around character meets!! She still enjoys going to the Oceaneer's club, however I noticed she started to spend less time at it on our last cruise.  I'm hoping she likes Edge, when we go on our next cruise.  We've never let her do self-check out and I admit, it makes me nervous that she'll be able to do it at the Edge.  I've looked at the RC site to see what kind of cruises they do Jan-March.  The only ones that popped up were ones for their new really large ships.  I'm not interested in going on one of those.  My dd isn't afraid of anything and would love all the zip-lines, rock walls, etc.  I would prefer a ship the size of the Fantasy or smaller with maybe just one of those things.  Not sure if such a ship exists.  I haven't looked at other lines websites yet, but am interested in them.  I feel a little overwhelmed by all the different ships and don't know what  all the different classes are for each one.
> My main question for right now is, how do you know if one of the ships on Carnival is one of their newer ships?  Thanks, I have more questions, but just realized I need to start dinner.



Hard to tell... I guess we just pay attention when new ships enter in service.  

You might want to look up: Carnival Vista (2016), Horizon (2018), Panorama (2019) and Mardi Gras (2020)

Those are the most recent ships and I feel like they are becoming strong contenders in the market.


----------



## mama&me

tidefan said:


> *A review of Regal Princess*
> 
> View attachment 389687
> Thank you for this review.  My mom and I have taken 5 DCL cruises, with a Mediterranean coming up in May,  but we are thinking of taking the Princess on a British Isles cruise.  Your review will help a lot!
> I grew up with The Love Boat so I hope I get to hear the horn.


----------



## tidefan

trvlgirlmq said:


> Hello and welcome.  The easiest way to see the newer ships is on the Carnival website/ select Explore/ Our Ships.  The ships are listed from most recent build to oldest (Mardi Gras to Fantasy).  The Breeze and Vista are favorites of many on this board I believe (myself included).


One other note on that.  The Sunshine was completely gutted and re-branded (it used to be the Destiny, I think) and has a lot more of the stuff that the newer ships have.  I think they are doing that to the soon to come out Sunrise as well...

We sailed the Sunshine and really enjoyed it.


----------



## hdrolfe

lklgoodman said:


> I haven't looked at other lines websites yet, but am interested in them.  I feel a little overwhelmed by all the different ships and don't know what  all the different classes are for each one.
> My main question for right now is, how do you know if one of the ships on Carnival is one of their newer ships?  Thanks, I have more questions, but just realized I need to start dinner.



This is a little out of date (Horizon is out and not on here, Panorama and Mardi Gras are coming soon) but it might help with sizes. Triumph is being "sunshined" and turned into the Sunrise this year, Victory will become Radiance in a similar manner next year. 

I'd recommend Dream class, Sunshine or Vista class, or Panorama if you want to cruise on the West Coast, Mardi Gras if you can wait


----------



## lklgoodman

Thanks for the info about some of the different ships.  So many different names, we wouldn't go on one until 2021, so at least I have time to learn about them all.  As a 50 yr old  I grew up loving the Love Boat.  Spent every Sat. night watching it followed by Fantasy Island.  I'd book a Princess cruise just so I could hear the song!!


----------



## BrookeMQ

The Grand Turk beach area by the dock has drastically changed since a hurricane.  We went many years ago and there was so much room on the beach.  Now its jam packed with chairs/umbrellas.  You can't even see the beach.  A lot of people just walk past that area and head to Jack's Shack.  Last trip we rented a scooter (ended up with an ATV) and drove around island to the light house and then stopped at Pillroy beach and govenors beach.  On our original trip we hung out at the beach by the ship.  We also walked the opposite direction and checked out the conch shell graveyard


----------



## hdrolfe

We went to Grand Turk in 2015 and it was nice, it was crowded because we were the second ship to arrive so all the spots were taken. We go again next year and I'm not that excited about it. I think we'll be the only ship in port, but with all the local vendors taking over the beach in front of the free chairs it looks hard to get a free spot where I can see the water. I'm not sure what we'll do this time, I have a year to decide I guess so time to think it over. We are also only in port a short time, but it's our second port (after Half Moon Cay which I am excited for) and I know we'll be needing some beach time! We may walk down to Jack's or do a beach excursion through the ship to get more space and less crowding. In theory any way. Since I travel with kiddo I'm not that comfortable renting anything to drive myself.


----------



## mevelandry

Come here, @RaglanRoadie72 !


----------



## RaglanRoadie72

mevelandry said:


> Come here, @RaglanRoadie72 !


----------



## tidefan

lklgoodman said:


> Thanks for the info about some of the different ships.  So many different names, we wouldn't go on one until 2021, so at least I have time to learn about them all.  As a 50 yr old  I grew up loving the Love Boat.  Spent every Sat. night watching it followed by Fantasy Island.  I'd book a Princess cruise just so I could hear the song!!


If Princess were smart, they'd ditch the "Princess Cays" label, invest some $ make the place look like Fantasy Island and call it Fantasy Island. 

I was told by a crewmember (so take it for what it is worth) that some of the show's regulars frequently cruise the line and that the ship allows them to do special things (like let Ted Lange mix drinks - he DID do a training video for them  )  BTW, Ted Lange is the only "crew member" that is allowed to wear a red jacket...


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

lklgoodman said:


> Hope you all don't mind me jumping on here, sorry but I haven't read all 167 pages, so I apologize if some of my questions have already been answered.  Little background on my family, there's just 3 of us, My dh, our 10 yr old dd and myself.  We've done 5 DCL cruises so far.  1 Alaskan, 1 WC, and 3EC(all to different islands).  Dh and I did our honeymoon on the Magic in 2001 and sadly haven't been back on her, although I really want to go on her again.  We've been on the Fantasy twice(have another WC booked for 2020 on her) and have been on the Wonder twice.  We only cruise Jan-March and only do 7nights, this is why we haven't been on the Dream and haven't been on the Magic again since they don't do 7nights in the winter.  Both of our Fantasy cruises were SW themed ones, so is our 2020 cruise.  My dd and I aren't SW fans, my dh likes the movies.  I was so excited for our first cruise on the Fantasy, but after our last one, this past January I'm already feeling kinda blah about our 2020 cruise.  I don't care for the shows on the Fantasy, and like many others, I feel like the food isn't as good as it once was.  I enjoy the Anyone Can Cook demos, but they really need to change what they are doing.  They've done the same foods for the past 5 yrs.  My dd is 10 yrs old.  She no longer cares for any of the characters, I admit this makes me happy.  We no longer have to plan our activities around character meets!! She still enjoys going to the Oceaneer's club, however I noticed she started to spend less time at it on our last cruise.  I'm hoping she likes Edge, when we go on our next cruise.  We've never let her do self-check out and I admit, it makes me nervous that she'll be able to do it at the Edge.  I've looked at the RC site to see what kind of cruises they do Jan-March.  The only ones that popped up were ones for their new really large ships.  I'm not interested in going on one of those.  My dd isn't afraid of anything and would love all the zip-lines, rock walls, etc.  I would prefer a ship the size of the Fantasy or smaller with maybe just one of those things.  Not sure if such a ship exists.  I haven't looked at other lines websites yet, but am interested in them.  I feel a little overwhelmed by all the different ships and don't know what  all the different classes are for each one.
> My main question for right now is, how do you know if one of the ships on Carnival is one of their newer ships?  Thanks, I have more questions, but just realized I need to start dinner.


If you’re not opposed to cruising out of Galveston, I would recommend Liberty of the Seas or Carnival Vista. Both are 7 night itineraries and both ships are similar in size to Disneyland Fantasy. If you’re open to an 8 night itinerary, the 8 night on Carnival Horizon out of Miami is an amazing cruise. We did that itinerary on Vista in 2017 and it’s been my favorite cruise out of our 6 on Disney and 3 on Carnival.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> If you’re not opposed to cruising out of Galveston, I would recommend Liberty of the Seas or Carnival Vista. Both are 7 night itineraries and both ships are similar in size to Disneyland Fantasy. If you’re open to an 8 night itinerary, the 8 night on Carnival Horizon out of Miami is an amazing cruise. We did that itinerary on Vista in 2017 and it’s been my favorite cruise out of our 6 on Disney and 3 on Carnival.



We’re strongly considering that 8 night Southern Caribbean on the Horizon in February 2020. The itinerary looks great and we haven’t done a “new” ship on any line yet. Glad to hear you enjoyed it so much!


----------



## tidefan

*Regal Princess Review (Part 2)

 
*
The Ship

Regal Princess is a big ship.  Yes, she's not quite as large as the Oasis class, but she and her sister ship, Royal Princess, are the 10th and 11th largest cruise ships in the world.  She's still a big ship.  However, she doesn't feel like a big ship.  I don't think that I ever went anywhere on the ship where it felt crowded.  Princess ships have an elegance about them.  They have more of a "teak and brass" feel than some of the other lines.  It carries 3,560 passengers on 142,700 Gross Tons.  For comparison, Disney Fantasy and Carnival Breeze are around 130,000 Gross Tons and Oasis of the Seas is 225,000 Gross Tons.

Regal Princess is centered around "The Piazza", where many of the shops, casino, and entertainment venues were located around.  It was always lively and it seemed as though something was always going on here.  On different occasions, we saw game shows, line dancing lessons, string quartets, party bands (including a Beatles cover band - they were pretty good!), and a whole lot of other stuff.

 

Line Dancing in the Piazza

 

The ship has a pretty traditional layout.  There is not a full promenade deck like on the Grand Class ships, but there are a number of outside deck areas on the promenade deck.  As mentioned before, the ship has a nice wood and brass feel.  It definitely feels more upscale than it's corporate cousin, Carnival, and IMHO, than RCCL.  DCL fans that appreciate "the beauty of the ship", I think would feel at home on this ship.  One really nice touch that I liked was that all of the stateroom hallways contained photos submitted by past passengers with photos from their trips.  It would have the picture, then underneath that the person's name that took it and underneath that, the name of the Princess ship they were sailing.  You can see the photos along the wall in hallway picture below.  I found myself going down some hallways for no other reasons than to look at the pictures...

 

There are a number of bars and restaurants as well as entertainment areas I'll discuss below.  There was also a wedding chapel and a concierge lounge.  One nice addition was the library on the promenade deck. It was filled with not only books, but with shelves and shelves of puzzles and games (Backgammon, Monopoly, Rummikub, Jenga, Cards, Scrabble, and on and on).  This was a small area, but there was usually a number of people in here.

 

Stairwell

 

Symphony Dining Room

 

Lotus Spa

 

Pool Deck

 

Smoke Free Nights in the Casino!!!


----------



## tidefan

The Food

So, one area where this ship really excelled was in it's food service.  Unlike many mainline ships today, there are only 2 upcharge restaurants on the Regal Princess, being the Crown Grill (Steakhouse) and Sabatini's (an Italian place) and a for pay Gelato stand that was hardly ever used.  We didn't eat at either during our cruise.  One of the reasons we like Princess (and DCL, for that matter, and really CCL, though they have more pay places, they still have a bunch of free ones) is that the included food options are diverse and satisfactory.  On the pool deck, there is the Trident Grill and Prego Pizza (pretty standard poolside cruise fare).  Trident Grill would also have extra things like cheese fries, or wings, or BBQ on some nights in addition to the regular menu.  There was also an included soft serve ice cream place by the pool.  This stayed busy, unlike the Gelato stand off of the Piazza.  Also on the Piazza is the International Cafe, which while being the main espresso coffee bar also is a 24/7 sandwich/soup/bistro/pastry kind of place.  The food is all included, our go-to being the ever available ham and cheese croissant.  Also of note, they always had 4 different kinds of cookies here (double chocolate being my favorite).

Another nice option is that on the 2nd sea day, Princess offers a pub lunch in the Crown Grill that is complimentary.  This stayed busy and was really good.



A quick aside.  My wife is Elite with Princess.  Part of this means that by default, they put a minibar setup in our room.  As neither of us are big drinkers, one of the nice things you can do is swap it out for other options, one of which is a 15-count Premium Coffee package for 2 people in the stateroom.  So, DW and I had basically free specialty coffee drinks all week (Caramel Latte for me and Salted Caramel Latte for DW) and had plenty left to get DD and her friend Caramel Frappucinos a few times...

 

Another included option is the dedicated pizzeria, Alfredo's, off of the Piazza.  This place was table service individual pizzas, pastas, and calzones.  DD and her friend LOVED this place.  They literally wanted to eat here every night.  Pizzas were fantastic (they were good on deck too, but these are another level)










The MDR was very good as well, but we only went 3 nights.  One night we went to Alfredo's and the other 3, we ate at the buffet, which brings me to:  The Buffet.

Now, I am not usually a big fan of buffets.  Cabanas is fine, but it's not the number one thing I think about on a DCL cruise.  Carnival's buffets are "good" as well, but I don't remember much about it.  RCCL's Windjammer (at least on the Serenade) was mediocre at best.  On Princess, I had mixed experiences.  Our first cruise on the Dawn Princess was great.  The rest were in the fine, but don't remember much, and last summer, we sailed Emerald Princess to Alaska and it was downright not good (which surprised us).  So, we didn't have big expectations going in.  I had read that the buffet on the Royal class ships was better, but we were in for a very pleasant surprise when we got on board.  Quite honestly, Regal Princess has the best buffet of any of the 23 cruises I've been on, and, it's not even close!

The buffet is huge.  There are literally 3 different buffet areas as well as a 4th area that was dedicated to pastries and desserts.  Unlike other ships, that tend to repeat items at different places, not here.  You had to scan the whole thing because it was different at each area.  Also, there were connections between some of the areas that would contain even more stuff like bread stations, salad bars, and cheese service.  The setup itself was nice because as far as we could tell, at least some part of the buffet was open from 5am until 11pm continuously, so there was always food available.  Most notably, when you came back on board from an excursion, say at around 3:30, you could pop in and get something to eat.  Other lines (looking at you Serenade of the Seas!) we had been on closed the buffet from 2-5pm.  On RCCL that was a big problem because that ship (the Serenade) did not have a poolside grill, pizza, or ice cream.  They were in the buffet.  But, no such problem on Princess.  It's open most all of the way through.

But even better than the hours and the selection was the quality of the food.  I was bracing for the worst, thinking our Emerald experience might be a downward indicator, but man, was the food good.  Also, the staff went out of their way to make us happy.  One thing that happened to us.  We had been doing a bunch of things around the ship and got up to eat late (after 8) and they were taking down one of the 3 lines.  In that line they had a grilled shrimp entree that had been taken up and my wife said, "That sounded good".  The line cook heard my wife and grabbed the serving bowl and offered the rest to my wife.  As they looked a bit "off the line" for a minute, she politely passed.  We found some other things, and sat down to eat our food.  A few minutes later, here comes the cook, tapping my wife on the shoulder.  Turns out, he is the Chef de Partie in charge of that particular line.  He had brought my wife a bowl of steaming hot, freshly cooked shrimp.  His name is Joel from the Philippines, and he became our friend for the rest of the cruise.  Joel sat down with us and we all just started talking.  He said that they all got a lot of joy out of our enjoyment of the buffet and that they take a lot of pride in it.  He mentioned that not only are a lot of the MDR items at the buffet, but sometimes, it's better to get it there.  For instance, they had Filet Mignon on the buffet one night.  He said, sure, you can take the ones out of the serving dish and they are good, "but we'd be more than happy just to cook you one to order".  From there, we were sold.  There were so many good things on the buffet (Beef Wellington, Carved Turkey's, Ham, Filet, Crab Cakes, Shrimp Cocktail, Fried Shrimp, always 2-3 soups, on and on..).  Another thing we liked on the buffet, and this is a Princess thing, is that when you sit to eat, you don't get your drink.  There are servers all over the place to come and get your drink order and bring you (and refill) your drinks.

Other buffet highlights included one station would have an international night that had either a mongolian wok station (pick all of your ingredients and they cook it for you), a german night, crepes one night, fajitas, an asian "hot pot" creation, and a "Create your own pasta" station one night.  I mention the last one because Princess, on their MDR menus, has static items and rotating items every night.  One of the static items is a really good Fettuccine Alfredo.  Back in the day, Princess used to serve this in a parmesan bowl.  However, for the last few cruises, it's been on a regular plated bowl.  However, my wife got a chicken Alfredo at this station in the buffet and when they brought it out, lo and behold, it's in the parmesan bowl.  For the record, I got a spaghetti with meatballs that was fantastic.

I should also mention that one day for lunch, they had a whole sushi area that was excellent:



Here's your shrimp cocktail, DCL fans!



Now, this is not to say that the MDR paled in comparison.  Actually, it was really good as well.  One night, I had some dish that the TV Chef Curtis Stone created for the line that I could best describe as a pot roast cooked in red wine with a cheddar biscuit topping.  This may be my favorite cruise meal ever.  It was so, so good.  They also had really interesting ice creams on their dessert menu.  Two I remember were Butter Almond (so, so good) and some kind of "Kahlua Mascarpone" ice cream (also good!).  Lobster night also did not disappoint.  Service here was top notch as well.  We had Anytime dining, but on the 3 nights we went to dinner, we didn't have to wait.

The Curtis Stone thing...  Not sure what it's called (I think it was Beef Tenderloin Tips and Mushroom Cobbler), but it was SOOOO good...



Finally, I should mention room service.  For some reason, my DD (and her friend) would rather eat room service than just about anything else (though Alfredo's took them away from this quite a bit), and that's been true for a number of years regardless of line we were on.  Princess has a rather large room service menu (bigger than DCL's) and I can't tell you how many times I came back to the room to find grilled cheese and cheese fries...  Room service is still included on Princess.  We would get some things as well and they were all good, but I will say, the cheese plate didn't have anything on DCL's All Hands on Deck...

Bottom line.  I'd put the food options and quality on the Regal Princess up against ANY of the cruises I've taken.  And the best part was... I didn't have to spend a dime on upcharged food to feel like I was eating really good food...

Upcoming... Entertainment, Kid's Area's, and General Thoughts...


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

tidefan said:


> The Food
> 
> So, one area where this ship really excelled was in it's food service.  Unlike many mainline ships today, there are only 2 upcharge restaurants on the Regal Princess, being the Crown Grill (Steakhouse) and Sabatini's (an Italian place) and a for pay Gelato stand that was hardly ever used.  We didn't eat at either during our cruise.  One of the reasons we like Princess (and DCL, for that matter, and really CCL, though they have more pay places, they still have a bunch of free ones) is that the included food options are diverse and satisfactory.  On the pool deck, there is the Trident Grill and Prego Pizza (pretty standard poolside cruise fare).  Trident Grill would also have extra things like cheese fries, or wings, or BBQ on some nights in addition to the regular menu.  There was also an included soft serve ice cream place by the pool.  This stayed busy, unlike the Gelato stand off of the Piazza.  Also on the Piazza is the International Cafe, which while being the main espresso coffee bar also is a 24/7 sandwich/soup/bistro/pastry kind of place.  The food is all included, our go-to being the ever available ham and cheese croissant.  Also of note, they always had 4 different kinds of cookies here (double chocolate being my favorite).
> 
> Another nice option is that on the 2nd sea day, Princess offers a pub lunch in the Crown Grill that is complimentary.  This stayed busy and was really good.
> 
> View attachment 389840
> 
> A quick aside.  My wife is Elite with Princess.  Part of this means that by default, they put a minibar setup in our room.  As neither of us are big drinkers, one of the nice things you can do is swap it out for other options, one of which is a 15-count Premium Coffee package for 2 people in the stateroom.  So, DW and I had basically free specialty coffee drinks all week (Caramel Latte for me and Salted Caramel Latte for DW) and had plenty left to get DD and her friend Caramel Frappucinos a few times...
> 
> View attachment 389829
> 
> Another included option is the dedicated pizzeria, Alfredo's, off of the Piazza.  This place was table service individual pizzas, pastas, and calzones.  DD and her friend LOVED this place.  They literally wanted to eat here every night.  Pizzas were fantastic (they were good on deck too, but these are another level)
> 
> View attachment 389820
> 
> 
> View attachment 389821
> 
> View attachment 389822
> 
> View attachment 389823
> 
> The MDR was very good as well, but we only went 3 nights.  One night we went to Alfredo's and the other 3, we ate at the buffet, which brings me to:  The Buffet.
> 
> Now, I am not usually a big fan of buffets.  Cabanas is fine, but it's not the number one thing I think about on a DCL cruise.  Carnival's buffets are "good" as well, but I don't remember much about it.  RCCL's Windjammer (at least on the Serenade) was mediocre at best.  On Princess, I had mixed experiences.  Our first cruise on the Dawn Princess was great.  The rest were in the fine, but don't remember much, and last summer, we sailed Emerald Princess to Alaska and it was downright not good (which surprised us).  So, we didn't have big expectations going in.  I had read that the buffet on the Royal class ships was better, but we were in for a very pleasant surprise when we got on board.  Quite honestly, Regal Princess has the best buffet of any of the 23 cruises I've been on, and, it's not even close!
> 
> The buffet is huge.  There are literally 3 different buffet areas as well as a 4th area that was dedicated to pastries and desserts.  Unlike other ships, that tend to repeat items at different places, not here.  You had to scan the whole thing because it was different at each area.  Also, there were connections between some of the areas that would contain even more stuff like bread stations, salad bars, and cheese service.  The setup itself was nice because as far as we could tell, at least some part of the buffet was open from 5am until 11pm continuously, so there was always food available.  Most notably, when you came back on board from an excursion, say at around 3:30, you could pop in and get something to eat.  Other lines (looking at you Serenade of the Seas!) we had been on closed the buffet from 2-5pm.  On RCCL that was a big problem because that ship (the Serenade) did not have a poolside grill, pizza, or ice cream.  They were in the buffet.  But, no such problem on Princess.  It's open most all of the way through.
> 
> But even better than the hours and the selection was the quality of the food.  I was bracing for the worst, thinking our Emerald experience might be a downward indicator, but man, was the food good.  Also, the staff went out of their way to make us happy.  One thing that happened to us.  We had been doing a bunch of things around the ship and got up to eat late (after 8) and they were taking down one of the 3 lines.  In that line they had a grilled shrimp entree that had been taken up and my wife said, "That sounded good".  The line cook heard my wife and grabbed the serving bowl and offered the rest to my wife.  As they looked a bit "off the line" for a minute, she politely passed.  We found some other things, and sat down to eat our food.  A few minutes later, here comes the cook, tapping my wife on the shoulder.  Turns out, he is the Chef de Partie in charge of that particular line.  He had brought my wife a bowl of steaming hot, freshly cooked shrimp.  His name is Joel from the Philippines, and he became our friend for the rest of the cruise.  Joel sat down with us and we all just started talking.  He said that they all got a lot of joy out of our enjoyment of the buffet and that they take a lot of pride in it.  He mentioned that not only are a lot of the MDR items at the buffet, but sometimes, it's better to get it there.  For instance, they had Filet Mignon on the buffet one night.  He said, sure, you can take the ones out of the serving dish and they are good, "but we'd be more than happy just to cook you one to order".  From there, we were sold.  There were so many good things on the buffet (Beef Wellington, Carved Turkey's, Ham, Filet, Crab Cakes, Shrimp Cocktail, Fried Shrimp, always 2-3 soups, on and on..).  Another thing we liked on the buffet, and this is a Princess thing, is that when you sit to eat, you don't get your drink.  There are servers all over the place to come and get your drink order and bring you (and refill) your drinks.
> 
> Other buffet highlights included one station would have an international night that had either a mongolian wok station (pick all of your ingredients and they cook it for you), a german night, crepes one night, fajitas, an asian "hot pot" creation, and a "Create your own pasta" station one night.  I mention the last one because Princess, on their MDR menus, has static items and rotating items every night.  One of the static items is a really good Fettuccine Alfredo.  Back in the day, Princess used to serve this in a parmesan bowl.  However, for the last few cruises, it's been on a regular plated bowl.  However, my wife got a chicken Alfredo at this station in the buffet and when they brought it out, lo and behold, it's in the parmesan bowl.  For the record, I got a spaghetti with meatballs that was fantastic.
> 
> I should also mention that one day for lunch, they had a whole sushi area that was excellent:
> 
> View attachment 389841
> 
> Here's your shrimp cocktail, DCL fans!
> 
> View attachment 389834
> 
> Now, this is not to say that the MDR paled in comparison.  Actually, it was really good as well.  One night, I had some dish that the TV Chef Curtis Stone created for the line that I could best describe as a pot roast cooked in red wine with a cheddar biscuit topping.  This may be my favorite cruise meal ever.  It was so, so good.  They also had really interesting ice creams on their dessert menu.  Two I remember were Butter Almond (so, so good) and some kind of "Kahlua Mascarpone" ice cream (also good!).  Lobster night also did not disappoint.  Service here was top notch as well.  We had Anytime dining, but on the 3 nights we went to dinner, we didn't have to wait.
> 
> The Curtis Stone thing...  Not sure what it's called (I think it was Beef Tenderloin Tips and Mushroom Cobbler), but it was SOOOO good...
> 
> View attachment 389837
> 
> Finally, I should mention room service.  For some reason, my DD (and her friend) would rather eat room service than just about anything else (though Alfredo's took them away from this quite a bit), and that's been true for a number of years regardless of line we were on.  Princess has a rather large room service menu (bigger than DCL's) and I can't tell you how many times I came back to the room to find grilled cheese and cheese fries...  Room service is still included on Princess.  We would get some things as well and they were all good, but I will say, the cheese plate didn't have anything on DCL's All Hands on Deck...
> 
> Bottom line.  I'd put the food options and quality on the Regal Princess up against ANY of the cruises I've taken.  And the best part was... I didn't have to spend a dime on upcharged food to feel like I was eating really good food...
> 
> Upcoming... Entertainment, Kid's Area's, and General Thoughts...


Thanks for this awesome review. I seriously had no desire to sail Princess ever, but your review is changing my mind. I’m pretty sure this will be answered in your next section, but if not, could you tell us what they had for daily activities?  We are huge fans of trivia, bingo, towel folding, food demos, and all the corny stuff that DCL and Carnival have. Thanks again, and I really look forward to your next section.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I really want to sail Princess.  It's still too spendy for my budget but someday my kids will be grown and have jobs and maybe they can afford their own vacation!


----------



## starvenger

Thanks for the review! I've been on Princess once - oddly enough on the old Regal Princess (which is now P&O's Pacific Dawn) and that was the genesis of getting me into cruising (even though we didn't do another one until Allure in 2013.

We've been looking to do Princess for our (almost annual) generational cruise, but my brother (with his toddler and upcoming newborn) read up on the on-board nurseries and was not a fan. So it seems like 2021 for us at the earliest for Princess.



tidefan said:


> We had also looked into an Oasis class RCCL ship as we've only done one RCCL cruise and it was a complete disaster, but we think that a LOT of that was due to the ship and we'd have liked to have given RCCL another try, but when we looked at non-DCL options, the Oasis class priced out much higher (30-80% higher) than comparable offerings on either Princess or Carnival (Note: We booked late, so that could have contributed to that. Also, the new NCL ships seemed higher as well).


Typical cruise pricing I think - cost gets higher as more rooms are booked.



tidefan said:


> One thing we were interested to try was that this is what Princess calls a "medallion class" cruise. Meaning, that instead of a cruise card, every passenger gets a small disc with a RFID chip in it. This is very similar to Disney's "Magic Bands", with the exception that Princess sends a lanyard, not a wristband for you to carry around.


Royal does something similar on their ships that use RFID (e.g. Harmony and Symphony). You can use your card or purchase a WOW band which does the same thing as the card. I don't believe they do proximity detection like you mentioned, but frankly I'm not concerned either way with that. The important thing to me is that the tech works as intended.

Curious to know - how did you distinguish between one another's medallions? Also how was the weight.



tidefan said:


> Regal Princess is centered around "The Piazza", where many of the shops, casino, and entertainment venues were located around. It was always lively and it seemed as though something was always going on here.


I do enjoy Royal's Promenade, and this sounds like it's the same kind of idea, but more vertical. One thing I didn't like about the (old) Regal Princess was that it wasn't always easy to find the venues around the ship. This could of course be attributed to it being an old ship. Nevertheless, it's nice to see cruise lines thinking about making things more cohesive.



tidefan said:


> So, one area where this ship really excelled was in it's food service.


This is one thing I remember vividly about Princess - food and service was top notch. There was an excellent (and waist-expanding) souffle every night. Mains were really good.

I think we really only ate at the buffet for breakfast, which of all the buffet breakfasts I've had, was definitely one of them. Then again, I don't expect much from buffet breakfasts, so when I get a deviation from the norm (e.g. congee on Harmony), it's noteworthy.



tidefan said:


> I should also mention that one day for lunch, they had a whole sushi area that was excellent:


If I'm being honest, the sushi must have tasted better than it looked. The maki seems to be kind of sloppily made, and I can't tell if the rest is nigiri or pressed sushi. But so long as it tastes good, I suppose it's not that big a deal.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> We went to Grand Turk in 2015 and it was nice, it was crowded because we were the second ship to arrive so all the spots were taken. We go again next year and I'm not that excited about it. I think we'll be the only ship in port, but with all the local vendors taking over the beach in front of the free chairs it looks hard to get a free spot where I can see the water. I'm not sure what we'll do this time, I have a year to decide I guess so time to think it over. We are also only in port a short time, but it's our second port (after Half Moon Cay which I am excited for) and I know we'll be needing some beach time! We may walk down to Jack's or do a beach excursion through the ship to get more space and less crowding. In theory any way. Since I travel with kiddo I'm not that comfortable renting anything to drive myself.



Look for "Home Sweet Home"... I have not tried it yet but it was our plan for our next visit to GT (that we finally changed for our upcoming cruise) The reviews are stellar!


----------



## tidefan

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Thanks for this awesome review. I seriously had no desire to sail Princess ever, but your review is changing my mind. I’m pretty sure this will be answered in your next section, but if not, could you tell us what they had for daily activities?  We are huge fans of trivia, bingo, towel folding, food demos, and all the corny stuff that DCL and Carnival have. Thanks again, and I really look forward to your next section.


Yes, to give you a sneak preview, if you like trivia, this ship had more of it than I am used to on other ships.  They had at least 2-3 sessions per day, and they were all themed.  

This is something I'll go over where I like to say that Princess is "sneaky fun".  When you first get on, it seems like, what is there to do because there's no waterslides or ice rinks, etc. (though to note, they ARE adding a Water feature to Caribbean Princess, so I suppose that may change in the future), however, they are really, really, good about having so many activities going on that there is a lot to do, it's just different.  For instance, our DD is 15 and she prefers Princess over both CCL and RCCL (still loves DCL, though).  She really enjoys their teen program.  

However, I can't speak for the younger crowd, though there were definitely a good many kids on our ship, but we didn't have experience with that part since DD is older.


----------



## tidefan

starvenger said:


> If I'm being honest, the sushi must have tasted better than it looked. The maki seems to be kind of sloppily made, and I can't tell if the rest is nigiri or pressed sushi. But so long as it tastes good, I suppose it's not that big a deal.



It was really good.  To be honest, this is about the last third of my plate (no judgement, please!) and I thought, hey, let me take a picture.  I should have actually gotten up, gone over to the buffet line where the presentation was much nicer than my plate.  They had more types than this, but I pretty much tried to stick to Salmon, Tuna, and a couple of the rolls...

I was just happy to see that they offered it.  For those used to the sushi day at Cabanas, there is more selection and more quantity available here.  One other thing I should mention, is that there is a bar in the piazza that offers sushi for sale (forgot about that, so that's an extra charge thing as well) where they'd roll it right there for you.  We didn't try that (as we don't believe in paying for dining once we've already paid for a cruise), so I can't really say how that was one way or the other.


----------



## jtntx34

tidefan said:


> The Food
> 
> So, one area where this ship really excelled was in it's food service.  Unlike many mainline ships today, there are only 2 upcharge restaurants on the Regal Princess, being the Crown Grill (Steakhouse) and Sabatini's (an Italian place) and a for pay Gelato stand that was hardly ever used.  We didn't eat at either during our cruise.  One of the reasons we like Princess (and DCL, for that matter, and really CCL, though they have more pay places, they still have a bunch of free ones) is that the included food options are diverse and satisfactory.  On the pool deck, there is the Trident Grill and Prego Pizza (pretty standard poolside cruise fare).  Trident Grill would also have extra things like cheese fries, or wings, or BBQ on some nights in addition to the regular menu.  There was also an included soft serve ice cream place by the pool.  This stayed busy, unlike the Gelato stand off of the Piazza.  Also on the Piazza is the International Cafe, which while being the main espresso coffee bar also is a 24/7 sandwich/soup/bistro/pastry kind of place.  The food is all included, our go-to being the ever available ham and cheese croissant.  Also of note, they always had 4 different kinds of cookies here (double chocolate being my favorite).
> 
> Another nice option is that on the 2nd sea day, Princess offers a pub lunch in the Crown Grill that is complimentary.  This stayed busy and was really good.
> 
> View attachment 389840
> 
> A quick aside.  My wife is Elite with Princess.  Part of this means that by default, they put a minibar setup in our room.  As neither of us are big drinkers, one of the nice things you can do is swap it out for other options, one of which is a 15-count Premium Coffee package for 2 people in the stateroom.  So, DW and I had basically free specialty coffee drinks all week (Caramel Latte for me and Salted Caramel Latte for DW) and had plenty left to get DD and her friend Caramel Frappucinos a few times...
> 
> View attachment 389829
> 
> Another included option is the dedicated pizzeria, Alfredo's, off of the Piazza.  This place was table service individual pizzas, pastas, and calzones.  DD and her friend LOVED this place.  They literally wanted to eat here every night.  Pizzas were fantastic (they were good on deck too, but these are another level)
> 
> View attachment 389820
> 
> 
> View attachment 389821
> 
> View attachment 389822
> 
> View attachment 389823
> 
> The MDR was very good as well, but we only went 3 nights.  One night we went to Alfredo's and the other 3, we ate at the buffet, which brings me to:  The Buffet.
> 
> Now, I am not usually a big fan of buffets.  Cabanas is fine, but it's not the number one thing I think about on a DCL cruise.  Carnival's buffets are "good" as well, but I don't remember much about it.  RCCL's Windjammer (at least on the Serenade) was mediocre at best.  On Princess, I had mixed experiences.  Our first cruise on the Dawn Princess was great.  The rest were in the fine, but don't remember much, and last summer, we sailed Emerald Princess to Alaska and it was downright not good (which surprised us).  So, we didn't have big expectations going in.  I had read that the buffet on the Royal class ships was better, but we were in for a very pleasant surprise when we got on board.  Quite honestly, Regal Princess has the best buffet of any of the 23 cruises I've been on, and, it's not even close!
> 
> The buffet is huge.  There are literally 3 different buffet areas as well as a 4th area that was dedicated to pastries and desserts.  Unlike other ships, that tend to repeat items at different places, not here.  You had to scan the whole thing because it was different at each area.  Also, there were connections between some of the areas that would contain even more stuff like bread stations, salad bars, and cheese service.  The setup itself was nice because as far as we could tell, at least some part of the buffet was open from 5am until 11pm continuously, so there was always food available.  Most notably, when you came back on board from an excursion, say at around 3:30, you could pop in and get something to eat.  Other lines (looking at you Serenade of the Seas!) we had been on closed the buffet from 2-5pm.  On RCCL that was a big problem because that ship (the Serenade) did not have a poolside grill, pizza, or ice cream.  They were in the buffet.  But, no such problem on Princess.  It's open most all of the way through.
> 
> But even better than the hours and the selection was the quality of the food.  I was bracing for the worst, thinking our Emerald experience might be a downward indicator, but man, was the food good.  Also, the staff went out of their way to make us happy.  One thing that happened to us.  We had been doing a bunch of things around the ship and got up to eat late (after 8) and they were taking down one of the 3 lines.  In that line they had a grilled shrimp entree that had been taken up and my wife said, "That sounded good".  The line cook heard my wife and grabbed the serving bowl and offered the rest to my wife.  As they looked a bit "off the line" for a minute, she politely passed.  We found some other things, and sat down to eat our food.  A few minutes later, here comes the cook, tapping my wife on the shoulder.  Turns out, he is the Chef de Partie in charge of that particular line.  He had brought my wife a bowl of steaming hot, freshly cooked shrimp.  His name is Joel from the Philippines, and he became our friend for the rest of the cruise.  Joel sat down with us and we all just started talking.  He said that they all got a lot of joy out of our enjoyment of the buffet and that they take a lot of pride in it.  He mentioned that not only are a lot of the MDR items at the buffet, but sometimes, it's better to get it there.  For instance, they had Filet Mignon on the buffet one night.  He said, sure, you can take the ones out of the serving dish and they are good, "but we'd be more than happy just to cook you one to order".  From there, we were sold.  There were so many good things on the buffet (Beef Wellington, Carved Turkey's, Ham, Filet, Crab Cakes, Shrimp Cocktail, Fried Shrimp, always 2-3 soups, on and on..).  Another thing we liked on the buffet, and this is a Princess thing, is that when you sit to eat, you don't get your drink.  There are servers all over the place to come and get your drink order and bring you (and refill) your drinks.
> 
> Other buffet highlights included one station would have an international night that had either a mongolian wok station (pick all of your ingredients and they cook it for you), a german night, crepes one night, fajitas, an asian "hot pot" creation, and a "Create your own pasta" station one night.  I mention the last one because Princess, on their MDR menus, has static items and rotating items every night.  One of the static items is a really good Fettuccine Alfredo.  Back in the day, Princess used to serve this in a parmesan bowl.  However, for the last few cruises, it's been on a regular plated bowl.  However, my wife got a chicken Alfredo at this station in the buffet and when they brought it out, lo and behold, it's in the parmesan bowl.  For the record, I got a spaghetti with meatballs that was fantastic.
> 
> I should also mention that one day for lunch, they had a whole sushi area that was excellent:
> 
> View attachment 389841
> 
> Here's your shrimp cocktail, DCL fans!
> 
> View attachment 389834
> 
> Now, this is not to say that the MDR paled in comparison.  Actually, it was really good as well.  One night, I had some dish that the TV Chef Curtis Stone created for the line that I could best describe as a pot roast cooked in red wine with a cheddar biscuit topping.  This may be my favorite cruise meal ever.  It was so, so good.  They also had really interesting ice creams on their dessert menu.  Two I remember were Butter Almond (so, so good) and some kind of "Kahlua Mascarpone" ice cream (also good!).  Lobster night also did not disappoint.  Service here was top notch as well.  We had Anytime dining, but on the 3 nights we went to dinner, we didn't have to wait.
> 
> The Curtis Stone thing...  Not sure what it's called (I think it was Beef Tenderloin Tips and Mushroom Cobbler), but it was SOOOO good...
> 
> View attachment 389837
> 
> Finally, I should mention room service.  For some reason, my DD (and her friend) would rather eat room service than just about anything else (though Alfredo's took them away from this quite a bit), and that's been true for a number of years regardless of line we were on.  Princess has a rather large room service menu (bigger than DCL's) and I can't tell you how many times I came back to the room to find grilled cheese and cheese fries...  Room service is still included on Princess.  We would get some things as well and they were all good, but I will say, the cheese plate didn't have anything on DCL's All Hands on Deck...
> 
> Bottom line.  I'd put the food options and quality on the Regal Princess up against ANY of the cruises I've taken.  And the best part was... I didn't have to spend a dime on upcharged food to feel like I was eating really good food...
> 
> Upcoming... Entertainment, Kid's Area's, and General Thoughts...



I am LOVING this review.  I did my first Princess Cruise last June in Alaska and really loved it.  I’m doing my first Disney Cruise in December.  

I thought Princess had a relaxed classy vibe.  I never felt “nickel and dimed”, and I enjoyed the cruise part and sea days more than I thought I would. There were plenty of things to do, but those beds were so comfortable and perfect for naps after long port days that I missed some activities.  

I am pretty sure after you are finished with your review, I’m going to want to book another cruise with Princess.  (Oh, where IS that money tree when I need it?!)


----------



## tidefan

trvlgirlmq said:


> I really want to sail Princess.  It's still too spendy for my budget but someday my kids will be grown and have jobs and maybe they can afford their own vacation!


We find that Princess is consistently less than the Oasis class of RCCL and comparable to other RCCL ships.  Carnival may run less.  With Princess, it is worthwhile to price out their different sales, which are actually different (unlike RCCL where every sale seems to get you the same price).  For instance, when we booked our Thanksgiving cruise, they were running a 3/4th for $99 sale.  The Sip and Sail (free beverage package) is also very popular.  

Value-wise, though, I will say it's hard to beat one of those Carnival last-minute fares!


----------



## tidefan

jtntx34 said:


> I am LOVING this review.  I did my first Princess Cruise last June in Alaska and really loved it.  I’m doing my first Disney Cruise in December.
> 
> I thought Princess had a relaxed classy vibe.  I never felt “nickel and dimed”, and I enjoyed the cruise part and sea days more than I thought I would. There were plenty of things to do, but those beds were so comfortable and perfect for naps after long port days that I missed some activities.
> 
> I am pretty sure after you are finished with your review, I’m going to want to book another cruise with Princess.  (Oh, where IS that money tree when I need it?!)


Thanks, I am new at this and admit that I am no photojournalist (see my sushi pics!).

Let me say this, if you are used to a Grand class ship and enjoyed it, you will love the Royal class ships.  Starting late fall, both 7 night Caribbean ships will be the Regal and the brand new Sky Princess, so you'll have a new Royal-class ship if you do a 7-night caribbean (the Caribbean Princess will still be there on some itineraries as well, and would be the year-round Caribbean ship, but it is a Grand class, though it will be undergoing a refurb, so I believe that it will incorporate some of the newer features.  It's actually already started that process as it is Medallion ready and they apparently redid the buffet on that ship).

BTW, and I meant to answer the question earlier about the medallions.  They are included with your cruise.  You will get them in a box about 3 weeks prior to your cruise (kind of like MagicBands).  It's about the size of between a nickel and a quarter, but thicker.  The middle part has a Princess SeaWitch logo color coded to one's Captain's Circle status.  On the outer metallic band, your name and sailing are engraved.  You also have a PIN that you set up for it (much like Magic Bands as well).

Also, one other thing I saw earlier that I want to comment on is one thing that I think Princess could do better (and CCL) is that RCCL and Celebrity share benefits across the lines.  I really wish that Carnival, Princess, and HAL would do that as well...


----------



## starvenger

tidefan said:


> It was really good.  To be honest, this is about the last third of my plate (no judgement, please!) and I thought, hey, let me take a picture.  I should have actually gotten up, gone over to the buffet line where the presentation was much nicer than my plate.  They had more types than this, but I pretty much tried to stick to Salmon, Tuna, and a couple of the rolls...
> 
> I was just happy to see that they offered it.  For those used to the sushi day at Cabanas, there is more selection and more quantity available here.  One other thing I should mention, is that there is a bar in the piazza that offers sushi for sale (forgot about that, so that's an extra charge thing as well) where they'd roll it right there for you.  We didn't try that (as we don't believe in paying for dining once we've already paid for a cruise), so I can't really say how that was one way or the other.


No judging here. I'm more a sashimi guy than sushi, and usually eat more than I really should. 

I'm sure the overall presentation was nice, but I doubt that individually it looked that much better unless you were stacking another plate on top of your sushi.



tidefan said:


> Thanks, I am new at this and admit that I am no photojournalist (see my sushi pics!).


I hear you. My recap photos are usually a mish-mash of phone pics + camera (a reliable but not very fancy Powershot G10). But it's always fun to do the post-mortem and go through everything.



tidefan said:


> BTW, and I meant to answer the question earlier about the medallions. They are included with your cruise. You will get them in a box about 3 weeks prior to your cruise (kind of like MagicBands). It's about the size of between a nickel and a quarter, but thicker. The middle part has a Princess SeaWitch logo color coded to one's Captain's Circle status. On the outer metallic band, your name and sailing are engraved. You also have a PIN that you set up for it (much like Magic Bands as well).


Very cool, thanks!


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> Look for "Home Sweet Home"... I have not tried it yet but it was our plan for our next visit to GT (that we finally changed for our upcoming cruise) The reviews are stellar!



When researching excursions for our cruise, that was one that definitely got my interest and is probably leading the pack at the moment.


----------



## Numtini

tidefan said:


> when we looked at non-DCL options, the Oasis class priced out much higher (30-80% higher) than comparable offerings on either Princess or Carnival (Note: We booked late, so that could have contributed to that. Also, the new NCL ships seemed higher as well).



Here's my guess, you said this was spring break--did you mean school break? Because Princess usually doesn't come up as a recommendation for kids. Anyone have any info on Princess for kids? It looks like they have kids clubs, but they seemed relatively basic.


----------



## hdrolfe

I have Princess on my radar for when kiddo is older or I travel alone  I do like that they do pricing in CAD, much like RCL and NCL. I'm not sure why Carnival doesn't when their sister lines do. But I still prefer Carnival at the moment for my family.


----------



## belle032

@tidefan Thank you for your awesome review! 

This is why I find this thread so great. I never really considered Princess and now that I can read a trip report and see photos and y’all to someone first hand about their experience,  it really does help!


----------



## mevelandry

Is is me or Princess looks like it could be a "Deluxe" version of Carnival? (I say this as a compliment!)


----------



## tidefan

Numtini said:


> Here's my guess, you said this was spring break--did you mean school break? Because Princess usually doesn't come up as a recommendation for kids. Anyone have any info on Princess for kids? It looks like they have kids clubs, but they seemed relatively basic.


Yes, we were on Spring Break, and I teach at a University.  As it follows, our local schools tend to have the same spring break as The University.  I am going to get into my take on Princess with kids later, and I definitely have some things for people to consider.  A sneak peek is that if you are traveling with kids and want other kids to be on the ship, I would stick to a school break week or a summer/winter breaks.  Now, that is for the Caribbean.  In Alaska, I don't think it's quite as dependent as Princess' Caribbean offerings and I think that there are some very specific reasons for that.

Not to spoil the review ahead, but IMHO, Princess (in the Caribbean) is good for teens/tweens (and not to say for smaller kids, but I just don't have the experience with that), but in Alaska, I think that there is more to do for all ages (b/c you are not really going to do waterslides, flow riders, ropes courses, and rock walls in Alaska very much...).  If it were me, and I had kids 10 and under, I'd do DCL (or Carnival/NCL/RCCL) in the Caribbean.  Kids 11 and up, I think, there seemed to be a good number of them all doing activities, not just in the centers (which, BTW, are much larger on the Regal Princess than they were on the Emerald Princess) but all over the ship.  For instance, Princess partners with Discovery Channel and for the tweens, it seemed like they do a lot of "Shark Week" and "Mythbusters" type of stuff.  I am not exactly sure what they were doing but they all (especially the boys) seemed to really enjoy that kind of stuff.  There was also some kind of interactive thing on the video boards for the kids, but, quite honestly, I wasn't really sure what that was.  One thing I will say is that there were something like 170 teens (13-17) on our ship and so one thing that I think DD likes is that it seems more "manageable", especially from a getting to know people perspective, if you will rather than having say 500-700 teens on board.

ETA:  I was just thinking and a Disney comparison hit me, not that it's perfect, but if Carnival/RCCL/NCL are like going to the Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios (or Universal), then Princess is more like going to Epcot or Animal Kingdom...


----------



## Numtini

Thanks! We're booked for next April with DCL, but after that, we feel like we want to look at other options as our daughter gets a bit older. As a bunch of others said, we hadn't really considered Princess, but your review was really helpful! Thank you so much.


----------



## mevelandry

tidefan said:


> (...)
> ETA:  I was just thinking and a Disney comparison hit me, not that it's perfect, but if Carnival/RCCL/NCL are like going to the Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios (or Universal), then Princess is more like going to Epcot or Animal Kingdom...



So, a little bit more "toned down" and focused on education?


----------



## starvenger

tidefan said:


> For instance, Princess partners with Discovery Channel and for the tweens, it seemed like they do a lot of "Shark Week" and "Mythbusters" type of stuff. I am not exactly sure what they were doing but they all (especially the boys) seemed to really enjoy that kind of stuff.


I just hope the "Mythbusters" type stuff doesn't involve blowing things up. Because they (or at least the original version) seemed to do a LOT of that.


----------



## StarSeven7

Hi everyone, I have kind of a strange situation and I thought I'd get some opinions!  My family (me, DH, DD9, DS6) are booked on a Disney cruise for next January.  We're leaving from San Juan, so we're planning on spending a few extra days there.  My parents just messaged me and told me that they were kind of thinking of joining us....flying down with us and spending time in San Juan, but a Disney cruise is pretty much out of their budget, so they are looking at a Carnival cruise that's the same dates and similar islands.  I don't think there's any overlap between the cruises, so they wouldn't be attempting to meet up with us in port at all.  But I'm really not sure that they would like Carnival at all, they just picked it because it was cheap.  It looks like they could get an interior room on the Carnival Fascination for around $1200 for the 2 of them, vs. $3000 on DCL.  To tell you about my parents - they're in their mid 60's, and I wouldn't say they were "fuddy-duddies," but they're definitely not into partying.  They've never cruised before, other than a steamboat river cruise on the Mississippi about 20 years ago where a historian came and lectured in the evenings.  They LOVED it.  They wouldn't go to the casino, any shows that were "risque" or contained swearing, and probably wouldn't be interested in most of the activities.  My dad would really just like sitting on deck with a drink and relaxing.  My mom would probably be a bit interested in any Broadway-type shows, but on their own, I can't see them doing much of that.  Can you see them enjoying a Carnival cruise at all??  And how is the Carnival Fascination?


----------



## mevelandry

StarSeven7 said:


> Hi everyone, I have kind of a strange situation and I thought I'd get some opinions!  My family (me, DH, DD9, DS6) are booked on a Disney cruise for next January.  We're leaving from San Juan, so we're planning on spending a few extra days there.  My parents just messaged me and told me that they were kind of thinking of joining us....flying down with us and spending time in San Juan, but a Disney cruise is pretty much out of their budget, so they are looking at a Carnival cruise that's the same dates and similar islands.  I don't think there's any overlap between the cruises, so they wouldn't be attempting to meet up with us in port at all.  But I'm really not sure that they would like Carnival at all, they just picked it because it was cheap.  It looks like they could get an interior room on the Carnival Fascination for around $1200 for the 2 of them, vs. $3000 on DCL.  To tell you about my parents - they're in their mid 60's, and I wouldn't say they were "fuddy-duddies," but they're definitely not into partying.  They've never cruised before, other than a steamboat river cruise on the Mississippi about 20 years ago where a historian came and lectured in the evenings.  They LOVED it.  They wouldn't go to the casino, any shows that were "risque" or contained swearing, and probably wouldn't be interested in most of the activities.  My dad would really just like sitting on deck with a drink and relaxing.  My mom would probably be a bit interested in any Broadway-type shows, but on their own, I can't see them doing much of that.  Can you see them enjoying a Carnival cruise at all??  And how is the Carnival Fascination?



The Fantasy Class is not my favorite class to begin with. I'm a little bit hesitant.

How many nights?

In the first post, I made a section with a list of events that I consider not "family friendly" and that one should avoid if they are a little bit on the conservative side. Overall, I find those quite easy to avoid and usually clearly identified.

There are definitely nice areas on the ship where they could relax (like the Serenity Area). There's a nice library where they can borrow books or play board games. PG comedy shows. Mini-Golf.

*****************************************************************************************************************

I'm gonna risk asking the question but know there are no right or wrong answer... Would you and the rest of your family (if you have siblings/cousins, etc) be able to put a little "concentrated effort"* in order to try to find with the extra amount (as a gift) that would permit them to afford the DCL cruise?

-Signed: the lady who keep insisting on bringing her FIL and MIL on vacation with them at least once a year.

p.s.: * By that I mean "working together".


----------



## lklgoodman

starvenger said:


> I just hope the "Mythbusters" type stuff doesn't involve blowing things up. Because they (or at least the original version) seemed to do a LOT of that.



Yes, that would be interesting to see how they do the Mythbuster stuff, however my dd would LOVE seeing stuff being blown up, lol!

  Well I'm extremely sad right now.  I decided to check out the Carnival Mardi Gras ship.  I found a cruise for March 2021 that looks really fun.  And the ship, wow!!  It looks AMAZING!!  My dd would love that roller coaster.  I like that it has some fun things like that, but it doesn't look like a floating amusement park.  The  March cruise has a really great sale going on that sadly ends today.  My dd will be starting jr high next year.  We've taken her out of school for our previous cruises, but don't want to take her out now that she won't be in elementary school anymore.  She's a great student, so taking her out wouldn't be a problem for her, but I don't know yet how the new school will be about her missing school.  Sadly we won't know when her Spring break for 2021 will be until Jan/Feb 2020.  What makes me really, really sad is that I could book this cruise today, get an Ocean Suite for A LOT less than I am paying for an ocean view next Jan on the Fantasy.  And a Havana Cabana would only be slightly more than the OV!!  We don't drink pop and wouldn't need to do the specialty dining because what's included looks really good.  Do you think there will still be cabins available when we could book next Jan/Feb?  I know they would cost more than they do now, but Disney will probably still be a lot more for their 2021 cruises.  I wasn't sure if this ship will probably fill up quickly since it's newer.


----------



## hdrolfe

StarSeven7 said:


> Hi everyone, I have kind of a strange situation and I thought I'd get some opinions!  My family (me, DH, DD9, DS6) are booked on a Disney cruise for next January.  We're leaving from San Juan, so we're planning on spending a few extra days there.  My parents just messaged me and told me that they were kind of thinking of joining us....flying down with us and spending time in San Juan, but a Disney cruise is pretty much out of their budget, so they are looking at a Carnival cruise that's the same dates and similar islands.  I don't think there's any overlap between the cruises, so they wouldn't be attempting to meet up with us in port at all.  But I'm really not sure that they would like Carnival at all, they just picked it because it was cheap.  It looks like they could get an interior room on the Carnival Fascination for around $1200 for the 2 of them, vs. $3000 on DCL.  To tell you about my parents - they're in their mid 60's, and I wouldn't say they were "fuddy-duddies," but they're definitely not into partying.  They've never cruised before, other than a steamboat river cruise on the Mississippi about 20 years ago where a historian came and lectured in the evenings.  They LOVED it.  They wouldn't go to the casino, any shows that were "risque" or contained swearing, and probably wouldn't be interested in most of the activities.  My dad would really just like sitting on deck with a drink and relaxing.  My mom would probably be a bit interested in any Broadway-type shows, but on their own, I can't see them doing much of that.  Can you see them enjoying a Carnival cruise at all??  And how is the Carnival Fascination?



So the thing with the Southern out of San Juan cruises is that they are port intensive. There is often maybe 1 sea day, so liking or not liking the ship can be limited to where they sleep and the food, all to say the ship means less on these cruises than on a longer cruise with more sea days. Personally, I enjoy the food on Carnival, but of course that is subjective. Fascination does have a serenity deck, and Carnival always has "family rated" comedy shows that seem quite popular. They do have other shows as well but I have never heard them called the best at sea or anything  

Not sure what time of year they are looking at? RCL Freedom of the Seas cruises from San Juan as well, and Celebrity does as well, not sure of the ship, And NCL who I believe is moving the Epic there (which is a unique ship with an interesting cabin layout), if they are looking at other options. But Carnival would be the cheapest of those.


----------



## StarSeven7

mevelandry said:


> The Fantasy Class is not my favorite class to begin with. I'm a little bit hesitant.
> 
> How many nights?
> 
> In the first post, I made a section with a list of events that I consider not "family friendly" and that one should avoid if they are a little bit on the conservative side. Overall, I find those quite easy to avoid and usually clearly identified.
> 
> There are definitely nice areas on the ship where they could relax (like the Serenity Area). There's a nice library where they can borrow books or play board games. PG comedy shows. Mini-Golf.
> 
> *****************************************************************************************************************
> 
> I'm gonna risk asking the question but know there are no right or wrong answer... Would you and the rest of your family (if you have siblings/cousins, etc) be able to put a little "concentrated effort"* in order to try to find with the extra amount (as a gift) that would permit them to afford the DCL cruise?
> 
> -Signed: the lady who keep insisting on bringing her FIL and MIL on vacation with them at least once a year.
> 
> p.s.: * By that I mean "working together".




To respond to your second part - I'm thinking about it, but it's about a $2000 difference.  My family is really the only ones who could help out, my siblings are all sort of struggling financially themselves so they probably couldn't contribute more than $100 each.  My parents are NOT fussy at all, they often go backpacking with no facilities, so they would not have any issues with a ship not being "fancy." I don't think they mind not being able to go with us, even though that would probably be their first choice if they could afford it (to go with us I mean, not necessarily DCL).


----------



## StarSeven7

hdrolfe said:


> So the thing with the Southern out of San Juan cruises is that they are port intensive. There is often maybe 1 sea day, so liking or not liking the ship can be limited to where they sleep and the food, all to say the ship means less on these cruises than on a longer cruise with more sea days. Personally, I enjoy the food on Carnival, but of course that is subjective. Fascination does have a serenity deck, and Carnival always has "family rated" comedy shows that seem quite popular. They do have other shows as well but I have never heard them called the best at sea or anything
> 
> Not sure what time of year they are looking at? RCL Freedom of the Seas cruises from San Juan as well, and Celebrity does as well, not sure of the ship, And NCL who I believe is moving the Epic there (which is a unique ship with an interesting cabin layout), if they are looking at other options. But Carnival would be the cheapest of those.


We're looking at January 2020.  The dates of our cruise are Jan. 26-Feb. 2 so they're looking for the same or similar dates.  We saw an RCCL cruise leaving the day before but it looks like the ship is Vision of the Seas.  As I said in the message above this, they're not fussy at all so they're really not looking for something fancy.  But I definitely want them to enjoy themselves!  It seems like Carnival has a reputation as being a "party" cruise line, which is just not them at all.  But in January, from San Juan....maybe the clientele is a bit different!


----------



## tidefan

mevelandry said:


> So, a little bit more "toned down" and focused on education?


Sort of.  I was thinking more of at Epcot and AK I don't rush around and much and I spend more time enjoying the details of things.  I enjoy just being in the park.  It's more about experiences than rides...


----------



## tidefan

StarSeven7 said:


> We're looking at January 2020.  The dates of our cruise are Jan. 26-Feb. 2 so they're looking for the same or similar dates.  We saw an RCCL cruise leaving the day before but it looks like the ship is Vision of the Seas.  As I said in the message above this, they're not fussy at all so they're really not looking for something fancy.  But I definitely want them to enjoy themselves!  It seems like Carnival has a reputation as being a "party" cruise line, which is just not them at all.  But in January, from San Juan....maybe the clientele is a bit different!


It will be different on a 7-night vs. a 3-4 night as well...


----------



## hdrolfe

StarSeven7 said:


> We're looking at January 2020.  The dates of our cruise are Jan. 26-Feb. 2 so they're looking for the same or similar dates.  We saw an RCCL cruise leaving the day before but it looks like the ship is Vision of the Seas.  As I said in the message above this, they're not fussy at all so they're really not looking for something fancy.  But I definitely want them to enjoy themselves!  It seems like Carnival has a reputation as being a "party" cruise line, which is just not them at all.  But in January, from San Juan....maybe the clientele is a bit different!



I wouldn't be worried about at party cruise in that time frame from San Juan. To be honest I wouldn't be worried about that on any 7-night cruise with Carnival, maybe a bit more during certain school breaks when university kids take over? But I got that on RCL when I did a 4-night cruise so I think it's generally just more of a short cruise thing. My first cruise was Carnival Liberty when it did 7-nights from Port Canaveral... my son and I were some of the youngest folks on the ship  time of year we sailed I think. It still hooked us on cruising though! 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/top...-amp-pictorial/?tab=comments#comment-49644901 is a really picture intensive review, she travels with her family (including young daughter) and does a lot of photos of the ship and ports. If the link works lol... I never know what will work on here 

I think Vision is a nice ship for "older" folks as well, it lacks the water slides and ropes course my kiddo likes but is a very nice RCL ship, with a lot of glass and views. I think it's built to enjoy the sea views, more than Freedom of the Seas which feels more inward facing to me.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

StarSeven7 said:


> We're looking at January 2020.  The dates of our cruise are Jan. 26-Feb. 2 so they're looking for the same or similar dates.  We saw an RCCL cruise leaving the day before but it looks like the ship is Vision of the Seas.  As I said in the message above this, they're not fussy at all so they're really not looking for something fancy.  But I definitely want them to enjoy themselves!  It seems like Carnival has a reputation as being a "party" cruise line, which is just not them at all.  But in January, from San Juan....maybe the clientele is a bit different!



That reputation is about 20 years old and people should really stop with it.  The cruise will only have 1 sea day and the others they will be busy in port.  The Fascination is one of the oldest, smallest ships and I was particularly bored.  There is no outdoor movie screen and not much to keep you active. But, if you just want to lay around the pool or watch the water go by it was fine.  I also like the food on Carnival and have no issues with the offerings (and I won't pay for up charge stuff because I am thrifty).  If they are just getting their feet wet then a small ship could be just fine.

Someone mentioned Vision of the Seas and it is a bit bigger but still doesn't have a lot of stuff to do.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

StarSeven7 said:


> We're looking at January 2020.  The dates of our cruise are Jan. 26-Feb. 2 so they're looking for the same or similar dates.  We saw an RCCL cruise leaving the day before but it looks like the ship is Vision of the Seas.  As I said in the message above this, they're not fussy at all so they're really not looking for something fancy.  But I definitely want them to enjoy themselves!  It seems like Carnival has a reputation as being a "party" cruise line, which is just not them at all.  But in January, from San Juan....maybe the clientele is a bit different!



Cruises leaving SJ around the same time:
January 25 RCCL Vision of the Seas
January 25 Celebrity Summit
January 26 Carnival Fascination
January 26 NCL Epic (11 days!)


----------



## StarSeven7

trvlgirlmq said:


> Cruises leaving SJ around the same time:
> January 25 RCCL Vision of the Seas
> January 25 Celebrity Summit
> January 26 Carnival Fascination
> January 26 NCL Epic (11 days!)


Great info, thanks!!!


----------



## StarSeven7

hdrolfe said:


> I wouldn't be worried about at party cruise in that time frame from San Juan. To be honest I wouldn't be worried about that on any 7-night cruise with Carnival, maybe a bit more during certain school breaks when university kids take over? But I got that on RCL when I did a 4-night cruise so I think it's generally just more of a short cruise thing. My first cruise was Carnival Liberty when it did 7-nights from Port Canaveral... my son and I were some of the youngest folks on the ship  time of year we sailed I think. It still hooked us on cruising though!
> 
> https://boards.cruisecritic.com/top...-amp-pictorial/?tab=comments#comment-49644901 is a really picture intensive review, she travels with her family (including young daughter) and does a lot of photos of the ship and ports. If the link works lol... I never know what will work on here
> 
> I think Vision is a nice ship for "older" folks as well, it lacks the water slides and ropes course my kiddo likes but is a very nice RCL ship, with a lot of glass and views. I think it's built to enjoy the sea views, more than Freedom of the Seas which feels more inward facing to me.


Thanks, I'll check out that review!!  My parents definitely would not be doing the water slides or ropes courses, lol, so they wouldn't miss it!


----------



## mevelandry

tidefan said:


> Sort of.  I was thinking more of at Epcot and AK I don't rush around and much and I spend more time enjoying the details of things.  I enjoy just being in the park.  It's more about experiences than rides...



This is pretty much what I meant by "toned down" = less hectic


----------



## mevelandry

StarSeven7 said:


> We're looking at January 2020.  The dates of our cruise are Jan. 26-Feb. 2 so they're looking for the same or similar dates.  We saw an RCCL cruise leaving the day before but it looks like the ship is Vision of the Seas.  As I said in the message above this, they're not fussy at all so they're really not looking for something fancy.  But I definitely want them to enjoy themselves!  It seems like Carnival has a reputation as being a "party" cruise line, which is just not them at all.  But in January, from San Juan....maybe the clientele is a bit different!



Longer cruises on Carnival tend to be much more quiet.


----------



## StarSeven7

So it looks like my parents are pretty sold on the Southern Caribbean on the Carnival Fascination!  Any tips or info about the ship or itinerary would be great!  Thanks! And our ships are both docked in St. Maarten on the same day.  Could my dad and my DH do an excursion together if booked through a 3rd party tour company?


----------



## mevelandry

StarSeven7 said:


> So it looks like my parents are pretty sold on the Southern Caribbean on the Carnival Fascination!  Any tips or info about the ship or itinerary would be great!  Thanks! And our ships are both docked in St. Maarten on the same day.  Could my dad and my DH do an excursion together if booked through a 3rd party tour company?



I wish we had a review of the Fascination here but we do not... However, to follow up on my comment regarding "non-family friendly" events here's a copy-paste of the list:

*IN ORDER TO KEEP OUR CRUISE AS FAMILY FRIENDLY ("À LA DCL") AS POSSIBLE, WHICH ACTIVITIES SHOULD WE AVOID?*

- Stick to Comedy Shows PG and avoid Comedy Shows 18+ (clearly stated in the fun times and they usually happen later in the evening)

- The Quest (it's usually late at night so... Very easy to avoid!)

- The "Hairy Chest Contest" on the main deck is a contest where men sometimes do suggestive dances. It's the only 18+ activity that happens during the day, and it happens only once per cruise

- The Love and Marriage Show is not really hardcore but I would not recommend to conservative families because they ask contestant indiscreet questions

Take note that the schedule for those activities are listed in the Fun Times


If you both book a beach day somewhere, you have strong chances to be there exactly at the same time... but booking through a 3rd party could also be a good idea. This way you can all leave and come back together as well.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

StarSeven7 said:


> So it looks like my parents are pretty sold on the Southern Caribbean on the Carnival Fascination!  Any tips or info about the ship or itinerary would be great!  Thanks! And our ships are both docked in St. Maarten on the same day.  Could my dad and my DH do an excursion together if booked through a 3rd party tour company?



Yay.  OK, I did sail on this ship once so I will try to give some tips.  

As it is their first cruise I would try to book a cabin mid-ship in case the motion gets to them.  

I would also encourage an ocean view room.  I find the inside cabins to be claustrophobic.  Some love them though!

If they don't want to be regimented I would select Anytime Dining.  This allows them to eat dinner in the MDR at whatever time they choose while it is open.

They must try the Sea Day Brunch.  The bananas foster pancakes are to die for!

If you don't want to fight the masses breakfast is served everyday in the MDR.  

St. Thomas - Magen's Bay is one of the best beaches I have ever visited.  You can also take the cable car up the mountain. 

St Maarten - Watching the planes land at Maho Beach is a must!  Or head to Marigot for a bit of France in the Caribbean.  We did a tour with Bernard's and loved it.  Hit all these spots and then some.

St Kitts - I recommend Thenford Grey tours.  Had a great day visiting the fort and some other spots.

St Lucia & Barbados - I have not been.


----------



## hdrolfe

StarSeven7 said:


> So it looks like my parents are pretty sold on the Southern Caribbean on the Carnival Fascination!  Any tips or info about the ship or itinerary would be great!  Thanks! And our ships are both docked in St. Maarten on the same day.  Could my dad and my DH do an excursion together if booked through a 3rd party tour company?



For sure you should be able to do an excursion together through a third party if you are docked together! Provided the times are similar of course. I have heard good things about Bernard's in St Maarten. I am sure they will enjoy it! I would love to do a Southern out of San Juan, the number of ports is awesome, I prefer ports to too many sea days  The sea day brunch on Carnival is great, I love the steak and eggs.


----------



## belle032

StarSeven7 said:


> So it looks like my parents are pretty sold on the Southern Caribbean on the Carnival Fascination!  Any tips or info about the ship or itinerary would be great!  Thanks! And our ships are both docked in St. Maarten on the same day.  Could my dad and my DH do an excursion together if booked through a 3rd party tour company?



I believe they will be OK on the Fascination. My mom, aunt, grandmother and I sailed on the Fantasy (which I believe is the same class) from Charleston on a last minute trip and we had a great time. And considering it rained a lot of the time and did not have great itinerary, it could have gone downhill fast. But it's also what you make of it. I would not choose to sail that class of ship again with my DH, but I think for what your parents are looking for, it will be a great time. The ship will not have all the bells & whistles, but that could actually work in their favor. Smaller ships are the great for just taking in the ocean and enjoying being at sea. And the itinerary sounds really nice!

I also recommend Thenford Grey Tours in St. Kitts if you're looking for a 3rd party tour company. They are HIGHLY recommended and we had an amazing snorkeling tour with them. I've heard their other tours are great as well. 

I remember St. Maarten still being a little beat down due to the hurricane (we were there this past September, so it may be totally different when you visit), and I wish we would have done some kind of excursion. Unfortunately, we didn't plan well that day. 

If you want some AMAZING snorkeling and one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever been on, take an excursion to St. John from St. Thomas. Specifically Trunk Bay, which I believe is where they would take you. My family spent 3 weeks on St. John and the beaches are just picture perfect. You know when you see beach calendars at the store? Trunk Bay is that beach. The island is small, like 9 square miles I believe, and about 75% of it is a nature preserve. So worth visiting.


----------



## StarSeven7

belle032 said:


> I believe they will be OK on the Fascination. My mom, aunt, grandmother and I sailed on the Fantasy (which I believe is the same class) from Charleston on a last minute trip and we had a great time. And considering it rained a lot of the time and did not have great itinerary, it could have gone downhill fast. But it's also what you make of it. I would not choose to sail that class of ship again with my DH, but I think for what your parents are looking for, it will be a great time. The ship will not have all the bells & whistles, but that could actually work in their favor. Smaller ships are the great for just taking in the ocean and enjoying being at sea. And the itinerary sounds really nice!
> 
> I also recommend Thenford Grey Tours in St. Kitts if you're looking for a 3rd party tour company. They are HIGHLY recommended and we had an amazing snorkeling tour with them. I've heard their other tours are great as well.
> 
> I remember St. Maarten still being a little beat down due to the hurricane (we were there this past September, so it may be totally different when you visit), and I wish we would have done some kind of excursion. Unfortunately, we didn't plan well that day.
> 
> If you want some AMAZING snorkeling and one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever been on, take an excursion to St. John from St. Thomas. Specifically Trunk Bay, which I believe is where they would take you. My family spent 3 weeks on St. John and the beaches are just picture perfect. You know when you see beach calendars at the store? Trunk Bay is that beach. The island is small, like 9 square miles I believe, and about 75% of it is a nature preserve. So worth visiting.


Thanks for the info, I will pass that along to them!  They've booked now!  I think they will be fine to just find a quiet spot on the deck and hang out - that's probably what they would enjoy the most!  

My dad really wants to do the America's cup sailing excursion in St. Maarten's - in fact that's what convinced him to do the cruise at all!  I think my DH and dad would try to do that while my mom and I just hung out at the beach with the kids!


----------



## mevelandry

Oh yeah, I agree. The Sea Day brunch is great (and included!) ...

Anytime dining is awesome is you wanna go with your own schedule.

Assigned seating is good if you wanna keep the same team of server each night.

I agree they could go for an ocean view just in case (they have small port holes or windows). Sometimes, they are not much more expensive than an inside cabin.

There is always one show (musical revue) that is not to be missed. I would encourage them to go. The shows are not that long anyway (more or less 50 min)...


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

lklgoodman said:


> Yes, that would be interesting to see how they do the Mythbuster stuff, however my dd would LOVE seeing stuff being blown up, lol!
> 
> Well I'm extremely sad right now.  I decided to check out the Carnival Mardi Gras ship.  I found a cruise for March 2021 that looks really fun.  And the ship, wow!!  It looks AMAZING!!  My dd would love that roller coaster.  I like that it has some fun things like that, but it doesn't look like a floating amusement park.  The  March cruise has a really great sale going on that sadly ends today.  My dd will be starting jr high next year.  We've taken her out of school for our previous cruises, but don't want to take her out now that she won't be in elementary school anymore.  She's a great student, so taking her out wouldn't be a problem for her, but I don't know yet how the new school will be about her missing school.  Sadly we won't know when her Spring break for 2021 will be until Jan/Feb 2020.  What makes me really, really sad is that I could book this cruise today, get an Ocean Suite for A LOT less than I am paying for an ocean view next Jan on the Fantasy.  And a Havana Cabana would only be slightly more than the OV!!  We don't drink pop and wouldn't need to do the specialty dining because what's included looks really good.  Do you think there will still be cabins available when we could book next Jan/Feb?  I know they would cost more than they do now, but Disney will probably still be a lot more for their 2021 cruises.  I wasn't sure if this ship will probably fill up quickly since it's newer.


I would say there will be cabins available at that point but probably not suites or Havana, and definitely at a higher price. Could you book it now and have the deposit money tied up until you find out her spring break schedule?  If that’s a possibility, don’t book under the early saver fare, that doesn’t have a completely refundable deposit. We always book the past guest rate, it’s a little more $ per person but has a completely refundable deposit as long as you cancel in the proper amount of time. 

I can hardly wait until they release summer 2021 for Mardi Gras, that ship looks so amazing!


----------



## tidefan

StarSeven7 said:


> Thanks for the info, I will pass that along to them!  They've booked now!  I think they will be fine to just find a quiet spot on the deck and hang out - that's probably what they would enjoy the most!
> 
> My dad really wants to do the America's cup sailing excursion in St. Maarten's - in fact that's what convinced him to do the cruise at all!  I think my DH and dad would try to do that while my mom and I just hung out at the beach with the kids!


Our favorite thing to do on St Maarten was to go to the French side and spend the day at Ilet Pinel (Pinel Island).  You can take a cooler with drinks and food with you or there are (or at least were before the hurricane) restaurants out there.


----------



## tidefan

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I would say there will be cabins available at that point but probably not suites or Havana, and definitely at a higher price. Could you book it now and have the deposit money tied up until you find out her spring break schedule?  If that’s a possibility, don’t book under the early saver fare, that doesn’t have a completely refundable deposit. We always book the past guest rate, it’s a little more $ per person but has a completely refundable deposit as long as you cancel in the proper amount of time.
> 
> I can hardly wait until they release summer 2021 for Mardi Gras, that ship looks so amazing!


Mardi Gras does look really fun.  My only gripe about the Mardi Gras is that inside cabins are going to shrink to 158 sq. ft.  However, OV's and Balconies will be about the same as before.  However, if I cruise Carnival, I am definitely booking at least an OV...


----------



## lklgoodman

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I would say there will be cabins available at that point but probably not suites or Havana, and definitely at a higher price. Could you book it now and have the deposit money tied up until you find out her spring break schedule?  If that’s a possibility, don’t book under the early saver fare, that doesn’t have a completely refundable deposit. We always book the past guest rate, it’s a little more $ per person but has a completely refundable deposit as long as you cancel in the proper amount of time.
> 
> I can hardly wait until they release summer 2021 for Mardi Gras, that ship looks so amazing!



We could book now, but I know me.  If I were to book now and then had to cancel because her Spring Break time wouldn't work I'd be too upset.  We spend very little time in our cabin.  The suites look great.  All we need are beds and a bath, so just as long as we get something we'd be happy.  I still want to go on Disney's Magic at least one more time.  I'm thinking we could do the 5night Magic during Christmas break 2020 and the Mardi Gras for Spring break if the timing works out.  Of course then we have to see what Disney does with the new ships.


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> We could book now, but I know me.  If I were to book now and then had to cancel because her Spring Break time wouldn't work I'd be too upset.  We spend very little time in our cabin.  The suites look great.  All we need are beds and a bath, so just as long as we get something we'd be happy.  I still want to go on Disney's Magic at least one more time.  I'm thinking we could do the 5night Magic during Christmas break 2020 and the Mardi Gras for Spring break if the timing works out.  Of course then we have to see what Disney does with the new ships.



I can't guarantee that you'll get the same price you see right now but there will be other promos.


----------



## mevelandry

Question of the day (LOL) 

What are your favorite drinks on Carnival vs DCL ? 

Mine are... 

-Carnival: "The Fun Ship" (less expensive on embarkation day!)  and "Hurricane Wave" 

(Anything that taste more like juice than alcohol!) 

-DCL: "Bahama Mama" and "Sunken Treasure". 

What are yours?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

tidefan said:


> Sort of.  I was thinking more of at Epcot and AK I don't rush around and much and I spend more time enjoying the details of things.  I enjoy just being in the park.  It's more about experiences than rides...



Thank you for your review!  One thing I have read in some reviews about Princess on cc is that the kids club doesn't do the Discovery activities they advertise.  For my kids those activities would be a big draw, but they would be disappointed if they did not have them.


----------



## Magical2017

For those that compare cruise lines, does anyone else love reading guide books as much as I do? I am looking for a really great cruise guidebook. I know I can find information online at many sources, but there is something about curling up with a guidebook on a rainy afternoon that I just love. Looking for recommendations (not traveling until 2020, but looking to book by the end of spring).


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

StarSeven7 said:


> Thanks for the info, I will pass that along to them!  They've booked now!  I think they will be fine to just find a quiet spot on the deck and hang out - that's probably what they would enjoy the most!
> 
> My dad really wants to do the America's cup sailing excursion in St. Maarten's - in fact that's what convinced him to do the cruise at all!  I think my DH and dad would try to do that while my mom and I just hung out at the beach with the kids!



Great choice. That Fascination cruise out of San Juan is one I really want to try.  The ship almost doesn't matter because the ports are so great.  Your parents will enjoy it.  The food on Carnival is quite good and there is always a quiet place somewhere on the ship to sit and read.  Plus, what a great price.  Our kids love the clubs too.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

lklgoodman said:


> We could book now, but I know me.  If I were to book now and then had to cancel because her Spring Break time wouldn't work I'd be too upset.  We spend very little time in our cabin.  The suites look great.  All we need are beds and a bath, so just as long as we get something we'd be happy.  I still want to go on Disney's Magic at least one more time.  I'm thinking we could do the 5night Magic during Christmas break 2020 and the Mardi Gras for Spring break if the timing works out.  Of course then we have to see what Disney does with the new ships.



If you are really interested I would book the refundable rate now. Usually the second rate offered.  You have to click other options, or something like that.  Most CCL cruises start low and go up as time goes on, especially during school break times-- and especially new ships.  On our Vista cruise in 2016, the overall cost of our cruise went up $1500 from the time we booked to a few months before sail date.  If the rate drops and you become more sure of your plans, you can flip your rate to easy saver (non refundable fare) and get the savings.  If you loose the spring break lottery, you can get your money back.  No issues with refunds from Carnival, like dcl they are very professional.  We have the same issue with spring break.  Ours hovers around the 2nd week of March.  Torture waiting for those calendars to come out!  We've called it every year except next year (2020).   Annoying.


----------



## tidefan

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Thank you for your review!  One thing I have read in some reviews about Princess on cc is that the kids club doesn't do the Discovery activities they advertise.  For my kids those activities would be a big draw, but they would be disappointed if they did not have them.


I think it is if the kids clubs have been updated.  There is a schedule on the Princess website.  The easy way to ensure that though is to sail a Royal class ship.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

tidefan said:


> I think it is if the kids clubs have been updated.  There is a schedule on the Princess website.  The easy way to ensure that though is to sail a Royal class ship.


Thanks


----------



## starvenger

Magical2017 said:


> For those that compare cruise lines, does anyone else love reading guide books as much as I do? I am looking for a really great cruise guidebook. I know I can find information online at many sources, but there is something about curling up with a guidebook on a rainy afternoon that I just love. Looking for recommendations (not traveling until 2020, but looking to book by the end of spring).


Most of the books I've seen focus on the ports, not the ships. I think the Unofficial WDW guide might have a section for DCL.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

starvenger said:


> Most of the books I've seen focus on the ports, not the ships. I think the Unofficial WDW guide might have a section for DCL.


Unofficial has a separate dcl guide but honestly we didn't find it half as useful as the one for wdw.


----------



## lklgoodman

Thanks for all the info about the refundable and nonrefundable fares.  I need to look at how all of that is done for Carnival.  Yesterday they had the fare in a red box and said that the sale/special price ended yesterday.  So if a fare is in red is that the non-refundable price?  I just looked again this morning and the price is the same as yesterday, but the box is now blue.  Is that the refundable price or do the colors mean something else?  I also want to look to see what all there is to do at some of the ports.  I haven't been to a lot of the places Carnival goes to.  I saw another ship has a trip to Bonaire, I'd love to go there.  I know nothing about Amber Cove or Grand Turk.  When I mentioned how much cheaper Carnival is than Disney(especially if we go with an OV or non-suite), my dh said we could go on 2 cruises a year if we go with Carnival, so that makes me even more excited to try them.  I have a lot of research to do.  I was actually surprised to see that Carnival even had cruises for 2021 for sell.  Do they always have them 2 yrs out?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

lklgoodman said:


> Thanks for all the info about the refundable and nonrefundable fares.  I need to look at how all of that is done for Carnival.  Yesterday they had the fare in a red box and said that the sale/special price ended yesterday.  So if a fare is in red is that the non-refundable price?  I just looked again this morning and the price is the same as yesterday, but the box is now blue.  Is that the refundable price or do the colors mean something else?  I also want to look to see what all there is to do at some of the ports.  I haven't been to a lot of the places Carnival goes to.  I saw another ship has a trip to Bonair, I'd love to go there.  I know nothing about Amber Cove or Grand Turk.  I when I mentioned how much cheaper Carnival is than Disney(especially if we go with an OV or non-suite), my dh said we could go on 2 cruises a year if we go with Carnival, so that makes me even more excited to try them.  I have a lot of research to do.  I was actually surprised to see that Carnival even had cruises for 2021 for sell.  Do they always have them 2 yrs out?



Yes, Carnival generally has cruises open for booking 2, sometimes 2+ years out.  The general easy saver fare has a $50 per person penalty.  Any remainder is a credit towards another cruise.  They do come up with all kinds of names for fares-- I will get on their website later today and look at some of the specific ones.  But the easy saver fare is great because it comes with a price guarantee.   If your cruise drops after paid in full, you get the difference in OBC.  We ended up with about $250 credit on our last cruise.  On a new ship I would be surprised to see the fare go down, but you never know.   That being said I would book another fare category at first until you can fully commit to the cruise.  It is a bit of a game, but it is beneficial to the consumer.  We are the same- we were doing 2 dcl cruises a year and then the prices jumped a few years ago and we were faced with the prospect of one dcl cruise or trying other lines.  So worth it to try another line (or 2 or 3...).  Really, we can do 3 cruises elsewhere for one dcl summer cruise, but we are a family of 5, so the price difference is really big for us.  It is just really great how many choices there are out there today.


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> Thanks for all the info about the refundable and nonrefundable fares.  I need to look at how all of that is done for Carnival.  Yesterday they had the fare in a red box and said that the sale/special price ended yesterday.  So if a fare is in red is that the non-refundable price?  I just looked again this morning and the price is the same as yesterday, but the box is now blue.  Is that the refundable price or do the colors mean something else?  I also want to look to see what all there is to do at some of the ports.  I haven't been to a lot of the places Carnival goes to.  I saw another ship has a trip to Bonair, I'd love to go there.  I know nothing about Amber Cove or Grand Turk.  When I mentioned how much cheaper Carnival is than Disney(especially if we go with an OV or non-suite), my dh said we could go on 2 cruises a year if we go with Carnival, so that makes me even more excited to try them.  I have a lot of research to do.  I was actually surprised to see that Carnival even had cruises for 2021 for sell.  Do they always have them 2 yrs out?



Pretty much, yes. 

And when you book, they'll give you different options (Early Saver, Refundable, etc.)


----------



## hdrolfe

lklgoodman said:


> Thanks for all the info about the refundable and nonrefundable fares.  I need to look at how all of that is done for Carnival.  Yesterday they had the fare in a red box and said that the sale/special price ended yesterday.  So if a fare is in red is that the non-refundable price?  I just looked again this morning and the price is the same as yesterday, but the box is now blue.  Is that the refundable price or do the colors mean something else?  I also want to look to see what all there is to do at some of the ports.  I haven't been to a lot of the places Carnival goes to.  I saw another ship has a trip to Bonair, I'd love to go there.  I know nothing about Amber Cove or Grand Turk.  When I mentioned how much cheaper Carnival is than Disney(especially if we go with an OV or non-suite), my dh said we could go on 2 cruises a year if we go with Carnival, so that makes me even more excited to try them.  I have a lot of research to do.  I was actually surprised to see that Carnival even had cruises for 2021 for sell.  Do they always have them 2 yrs out?



Generally *Early Saver* is the lowest cost but comes with the most restrictions
All cancellations that occur prior to the final payment due date will receive a non-refundable and non-transferable future cruise credit in US dollars in the amount of the deposit less a $50 pp service fee. Future cruise credit must be used on a sailing within 24 months from the date of cancellation

*Fun Select* is the most expensive but also the most flexible 
Guest selects stateroom number. Two category upgrade based on availability in like to like categories only (interior to interior, ocean view to ocean view and balcony to balcony). Free room location upgrade is not available on upper/lower, obstructed, and cove categories. Change fees are not assessed outside of the final payment window. Refundable deposit subject to cancellation penalties. 

You would want to check the terms and conditions closely for whichever rate you want closely. They sometimes have other deals, and once you have sailed with them there is a past guest rate which is kind of between the full price and early saver in terms of cost, but comes with refundable deposits. 

Early Saver are the words to watch for. The rate is nice because if the price comes down you can put in a request to get the better price, if it's before final payment you just only pay the new rate, if it's after you get an OBC in the amount of the difference. But you'd better be sure of your dates. It costs $50 per person to change. 

As for how far out you can book... I'm always surprised DCL doesn't show further out! RCL, NCL, Carnival, MSC have much further along schedules in general, Carnival being one of the soonest to put out their dates/itineraries. 

As for ships, I'd recommend Dream class and above (Dream, Magic, Breeze, Vista, Horizon, Mardi Gras, Panorama). Sunshine and the refurbed/updated Sunrise (due to start soon) and Radiance also look quite nice. They have all the "fun stuff" like water slides, ropes courses, and of course Vista/Horizon/Panorama have the sky ride, Mardi Gras the coaster. Depending on the age of your kids, the family harbour rooms on Horizon/Mardi Gras/Vista/Panorama are pretty cool. If your kids are 12 and up then you could look at the Havana cabins which have their own pool area. But they do tend to book fast (very popular!). My son and I really enjoyed the Magic and are going on it again next March (doing southern to Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Aruba and Curacao). We can't wait!


----------



## starvenger

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Unofficial has a separate dcl guide but honestly we didn't find it half as useful as the one for wdw.


I haven't read the guide recently but I believe you are right on that.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

lklgoodman said:


> When I mentioned how much cheaper Carnival is than Disney(especially if we go with an OV or non-suite), my dh said we could go on 2 cruises a year if we go with Carnival, so that makes me even more excited to try them.


That's one of the reasons we jumped ship to Carnival.  In 2017, we spent 2 straight weeks on Vista, (8 day southern and 6 day western B2B cruises), 2 connecting inside rooms cost us a little less than $10,000, including gratuity and trip insurance.  I priced out the 7 night western on the Disney Fantasy and that would have been $11,000 for 2 insides, not including gratuity.  Our first cruise on Carnival was an 8 night Mediterranean in 2016 on Vista, that cruise was only $3700 for 2 connecting inside cabins, we had so much fun, we knew at that time we had become Carnies.  With that in mind, we've never done anything but Vista class ships, but will be Gold on Carnival this June when we sail her for the 4th time.  We also have a 13 night Transatlantic booked for June 2020 on the Carnival Radiance, they are doing a $200,000,000 makeover of the Carnival Victory and renaming her Radiance.  That cruise is only $5800 for the 4 of us in 2 connecting insides, it's an absolute steal of a price as far as I'm concerned.  We're super excited about that cruise!


----------



## Monykalyn

jtntx34 said:


> I am LOVING this review.  I did my first Princess Cruise last June in Alaska and really loved it.  I’m doing my first Disney Cruise in December.
> 
> I thought Princess had a relaxed classy vibe.  I never felt “nickel and dimed”, and I enjoyed the cruise part and sea days more than I thought I would. There were plenty of things to do, but those beds were so comfortable and perfect for naps after long port days that I missed some activities.
> 
> I am pretty sure after you are finished with your review, I’m going to want to book another cruise with Princess.  (Oh, where IS that money tree when I need it?!)


 Um this is me after reading that review! Haven't sailed on Princess but price looks good. And what a great review @tidefan 



tidefan said:


> ETA: I was just thinking and a Disney comparison hit me, not that it's perfect, but if Carnival/RCCL/NCL are like going to the Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios (or Universal), then Princess is more like going to Epcot or Animal Kingdom...


 I love AK-my favorite park. Had a travel agent tell me once that Princess would be good fit for me as well... hmmm...must not book another cruise right now!



mevelandry said:


> "Sunken Treasure".


 Is this the same drink at Hurricane Hannah's at Beach Club?? Love this drink, and I have the recipe! Don't remember all the drinks I tried on Carnival ship...


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> Um this is me after reading that review! Haven't sailed on Princess but price looks good. And what a great review @tidefan
> 
> I love AK-my favorite park. Had a travel agent tell me once that Princess would be good fit for me as well... hmmm...must not book another cruise right now!
> 
> Is this the same drink at Hurricane Hannah's at Beach Club?? Love this drink, and I have the recipe! Don't remember all the drinks I tried on Carnival ship...



Hard to tell but I'll be at the Beach Club soon. I'll look at what they have there...

Edit: I googled and it looks like it's the same drink.  

DH and I take notes of the drinks we try. This way we know what to order and what not to order.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

I saw on cc today that a couple of people are reporting price drops!  Just a reminder to check your ccl reservation now and again to see if you are so fortunate.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I saw on cc today that a couple of people are reporting price drops!  Just a reminder to check your ccl reservation now and again to see if you are so fortunate.



Thanks!

Just checked mine and the cabins are at a higher price (we paid 1379$/verandah cabin (2A) and they are now 1559$) ...

So... No money back but it's nice to know we got a good deal!


----------



## lucyddr

mcd2745 said:


> Appreciate the heads-up. I'm not that interested in any kind of stingray excursions anyway. We've done the stingray experience at Castaway Cay and have gone to Stingray City from Grand Cayman. So, it's a "been there, done that" sort of thing for us.
> 
> I don't know, maybe it's just me and not having been there before, but with Grand Turk, I find it kind of strange to be using the beach for swimming and/or snorkeling so close to the ship. I think I'd want to find a more serene area away from the port, plus I'd think he snorkeling can't be very good. I assume a good number of people just stay in the immediate area...is that a safe assumption?



We’ve done the rays twice in Grand Cayman but I had read that Goff’s Cay was gorgeous and totally worth seeing.   I booked for the wall stops and conch dive though, and the dive didn’t happen.  Snorkeling at port is nothing....but the wall in Grand Turk is rather incredible! If I had been without small children on a non-stormy day, I could have spent hours there!  

Most people stay between the port beach and a beach a bit farther down called Jacks Shack.  If we went again, we’d spend a bit at the beach and then the rest of the day at the Margaritaville pool.


----------



## mevelandry

lucyddr said:


> We’ve done the rays twice in Grand Cayman but I had read that Goff’s Cay was gorgeous and totally worth seeing.   I booked for the wall stops and conch dive though, and the dive didn’t happen.  Snorkeling at port is nothing....but the wall in Grand Turk is rather incredible! If I had been without small children on a non-stormy day, I could have spent hours there!
> 
> Most people stay between the port beach and a beach a bit farther down called Jacks Shack.  If we went again, we’d spend a bit at the beach and then the rest of the day at the Margaritaville pool.



@RaglanRoadie72 and I spent some time at Jack's Shack (beach was prettier and clean there) and then ate at Margaritaville. Food and drinks were good ... 

but the entertainment made me uncomfortable.


----------



## lucyddr

mevelandry said:


> @RaglanRoadie72 and I spent some time at Jack's Shack (beach was prettier and clean there) and then ate at Margaritaville. Food and drinks were good ...
> 
> but the entertainment made me uncomfortable.



We didn’t go there.  Margaritaville was super clean and good for us.  Kids loved the pool!


----------



## mevelandry

lucyddr said:


> We didn’t go there.  Margaritaville was super clean and good for us.  Kids loved the pool!



Clean and good yet. I was just not comfortable with the suggestive dances contests near the pool... But other than that, I loved Margaritaville.


----------



## lklgoodman

What movies do they show on the Carnival ships, I'm guessing not Disney, but do they have a partnership with Universal or any other studios to show just their movies?  I've only gone to one movie on all of our Disney cruises, so I don't care, but my dh usually goes to them when we cruise.  We live in a small town so don't go to movies very often, too long of a drive to get to a theater.
I decided I'm going to start on page one of this thread and try to read all of it.   I started this morning and have only made it to page page 3, I keep getting interrupted by my dd.  Her school's Spring break is all next week, I'll be lucky if I get to read 1-2 pages each day!


----------



## lucyddr

mevelandry said:


> Clean and good yet. I was just not comfortable with the suggestive dances contests near the pool... But other than that, I loved Margaritaville.



Oh...ok.  We missed them or just didn’t watch.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

lklgoodman said:


> What movies do they show on the Carnival ships, I'm guessing not Disney, but do they have a partnership with Universal or any other studios to show just their movies?  I've only gone to one movie on all of our Disney cruises, so I don't care, but my dh usually goes to them when we cruise.  We live in a small town so don't go to movies very often, too long of a drive to get to a theater.
> I decided I'm going to start on page one of this thread and try to read all of it.   I started this morning and have only made it to page page 3, I keep getting interrupted by my dd.  Her school's Spring break is all next week, I'll be lucky if I get to read 1-2 pages each day!


On our Breeze cruise last week they showed the following:

Green Book
Instant Family
Crazy Rich Asians
Wreck it Ralph 2
Black Panther
Fantastic Beasts
Mama Mia
Bohemian Rhapsody 
Ocean's 8
Mission impossible Fallout
Jurassic World Fallen kingdom


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## Club Disney Chandler

lklgoodman said:


> What movies do they show on the Carnival ships, I'm guessing not Disney, but do they have a partnership with Universal or any other studios to show just their movies?  I've only gone to one movie on all of our Disney cruises, so I don't care, but my dh usually goes to them when we cruise.  We live in a small town so don't go to movies very often, too long of a drive to get to a theater.
> I decided I'm going to start on page one of this thread and try to read all of it.   I started this morning and have only made it to page page 3, I keep getting interrupted by my dd.  Her school's Spring break is all next week, I'll be lucky if I get to read 1-2 pages each day!


They show a variety including some Disney, we’ve seen LaLa Land, Beauty and the Beast, Ghostbusters, Marvel and Star Wars Movies and others.


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## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> What movies do they show on the Carnival ships, I'm guessing not Disney, but do they have a partnership with Universal or any other studios to show just their movies?  I've only gone to one movie on all of our Disney cruises, so I don't care, but my dh usually goes to them when we cruise.  We live in a small town so don't go to movies very often, too long of a drive to get to a theater.
> I decided I'm going to start on page one of this thread and try to read all of it.   I started this morning and have only made it to page page 3, I keep getting interrupted by my dd.  Her school's Spring break is all next week, I'll be lucky if I get to read 1-2 pages each day!



Usually movies that have been recently released on DVD... Unless there is a proper movie theater like on the Vista. 

A partnership is definitely something Carnival should look into!


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## lklgoodman

Club Disney Chandler said:


> They show a variety including some Disney, we’ve seen LaLa Land, Beauty and the Beast, Ghostbusters, Marvel and Star Wars Movies and others.



ACK!!  Not Star Wars, I'm trying to get away from all SW stuff while cruising!!  We'll be doing our 3rd SW cruise next year and we don't even like SW, but that's your only choice for a 7night on DCL in Jan.   
Looks like they a good variety of movies, my dh will be happy!

Is there anywhere on the Carnival site that shows the sq ft of the cabins?  I like that they show the floor plan and I see where it says roomier or roomiest, but would still like to know the sq ft to be able to get a better idea of how the size compares to the OV that we usually get on DCL.


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## hdrolfe

lklgoodman said:


> ACK!!  Not Star Wars, I'm trying to get away from all SW stuff while cruising!!  We'll be doing our 3rd SW cruise next year and we don't even like SW, but that's your only choice for a 7night on DCL in Jan.
> Looks like they a good variety of movies, my dh will be happy!
> 
> Is there anywhere on the Carnival site that shows the sq ft of the cabins?  I like that they show the floor plan and I see where it says roomier or roomiest, but would still like to know the sq ft to be able to get a better idea of how the size compares to the OV that we usually get on DCL.



I don't think Carnival's site lists the sq ft, I usually look at cruisedeckplans to get that. They have pics of cabins as well and the deck plans, I like to use their cabin checker that will show you what is the deck above and below the cabin you are looking at. If you have a ship and cabin in mind I'm sure someone can find it for you  In general ocean view cabins are 220 sq ft on Carnival ships. Mardi Gras's are supposed to be 243. The Dream class, and I think Vista class as well, have deluxe ocean views with an extra bathroom that has a tub/sink.


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## Club Disney Chandler

lklgoodman said:


> ACK!!  Not Star Wars, I'm trying to get away from all SW stuff while cruising!!  We'll be doing our 3rd SW cruise next year and we don't even like SW, but that's your only choice for a 7night on DCL in Jan.
> Looks like they a good variety of movies, my dh will be happy!
> 
> Is there anywhere on the Carnival site that shows the sq ft of the cabins?  I like that they show the floor plan and I see where it says roomier or roomiest, but would still like to know the sq ft to be able to get a better idea of how the size compares to the OV that we usually get on DCL.


If he likes popcorn he’ll be really happy. They also have fresh popped popcorn available every night for the movies. There is no additional charge for it and they pop it all night long at the red frog bar on the pool deck. 

I highly recommend trying to get some of the chairs on deck 11, above the pool for the dive in movies, (actually, I recommend them them anytime you’re near the pool). I circled them in yellow below. They are super comfy chairs with ottomans, that I spend a ton of time in while on Vista/Horizon, it’s truly my favorite spot on the ship. I try to nap out there in the afternoon whenever I can, I live in AZ so get plenty of sun and love to benin the shade during the day but feel the ocean breeze and people watch. We try to get those for the deck parties too. 

You’ll also notice the towel animals on all the lounge chairs, the last Sea day of the cruise the housekeeping staff sets them up for the towel animal invasion.  It’s super cute if you can catch it before all the passengers start removing them so they can use the chairs. My wife took this picture before 6:00 AM, but they were still out at 8:00 when I went up for my breakfast burrito from Blue Iguana. BTW, make sure you have one of those. Their fish and shrimp tacos at lunch are fantastic as well. 

Speaking of food:

Definitely do the Sea day brunch, if you’re a steak eater the steak and eggs is fantastic. It’s a 4 oz version of the filet mignon that they serve in the steakhouse. There is no additional charge for the brunch. 

At lunch at the Lido buffet they will have fresh made ice cream for about 2 hours. This is not the soft serve stuff, it’s hand scooped and home made gelato style ice cream that is heavenly its in the dessert area on Lido. They have 2 different flavors everyday and then you can add your own toppings. 

JiJi’s and Cucina del Capitano are both extra charge restaurants at night but at lunch are included. They have a limited menu at lunch but I recommend both. They are both on deck 11 above Lido buffet. 

Be sure to get several Guy’s burgers, they’re awesome!

The pizza place at the aft of deck 10 is open 24 hours a day and late night they also serve sometime of hot sandwich, the meatball and chicken Parmesan were both great. 

The sandwich place in Lido is also quite tasty, it’s open late and has both hot and cold sandwiches with fries and the sea salt double chocolate chip cookies are to die for. 

There are lots more places to eat on Vista class ships than Disney ships and I really enjoy the food on Carnival more. There is a something on the menu in the MDR everynight called didja ever. It’s stuff you wouldn’t typically try, ie. escargot, frog legs, rattlesnake and others. It’s just a small appetizer portion that are fun to try. If you try the frog legs, ask for them well done, they’re actually quite good if they’re crispy. 

 
Feel free to ask away if you have any other questions.  Just go into the cruise knowing it won’t be Disney and you’ll have a great time.


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## tidefan

*Regal Princess (Part 3)*



Entertainment

I am going to be honest.  We didn't go to any of the shows.  They did have 3 "feature" shows throughout the cruise ("Burn the Floor", "Fiera", and, well, I can't remember the name of the other one) as well as a number of other entertainers such as a comedian and a Beatles cover group.  Completely honest.  We didn't see those either.  Actually, we did sort-of see the Beatles cover band.  They did a dance night in the Piazza, and that was fun.  I am not really a Beatles fan, but I will say that it does seem at least that everyone knows the songs.  I will say that the people that we talked to really enjoyed the shows, but, that is one thing that unless it's DCL, I'm not really a main showroom type, and even on DCL, if it's the umpteenth time that "Dreams" is playing, I'll skip that too...

So, what did we do?  Well, I enjoy movies and this year has been so hectic, that we haven't seen many.  So, I took the opportunity to watch a bunch!  We watched Crazy Rich Asians at "Movies Under the Stars" (known in Princess' lingo as MUTS), and like Carnival, princess provides free popcorn.  They also have nice lounger covers for the loungers and these really nice blankets you can check out.  The Vista Lounge also doubled as a movie theater during parts of the week.  We saw "A Star is Born" there.  Also, once a movie is shown in either area (MUTS or Vista), they will add it to the on-demand video system in your stateroom.  We also saw "Instant Family" (really liked that one), "Bohemian Rhapsody", and "The Favourite" (a bit strange).  We missed "Old Man and the Gun".  So, it wasn't quite DCL's dedicated Dolby Movie Theater, but I would say that the experience watching movies was better that what I experienced on either Carnival or RCCL.

(Editor's Note:  One of my favorite cruise memories was in 2004 on my DD's first cruise, which was a Western Caribbean on the Grand Princess.  I remember watching "Master and Commander: Far Side of the World" in the Princess Theater.  It was late at night and the ship was going between Haiti and Cuba and the seas were up.  It was fun because as the ships in the movie were tossing and turning on the screen, we were doing a much more sedate version of the same thing.  It was almost like an unexpected 4D experience.)

So, if you like Trivia, you will enjoy this ship (though no "Ship on a Stick" for you Carnival folks).  There were at least 3 trivia sessions a day in what they called "Princess Live", which is sort of set up like a TV studio.  The trivia was all themed (Disney Trivia, Motown Trivia, 70's Trivia, etc.) and was very popular.  They also used this studio to host most of the "Game Shows", my favorite of which is "Yes/No", but they had the obligatory Match Game and Love/Marriage, etc..  Just down the hall from there, there was what was called "The Library", which in addition to being well stocked with books (more than I can remember on other lines), had just about every classic board game and then some that you could think of and had a really nice table in the middle of the room that always seemed to be in use.  Jenga was popular as was Monopoly.  One nice touch in here was that each morning, they would put out game/puzzle sheets that you could work.  I took the Sudoku ones a couple of times.

I can't really remember all of the entertainment, but I will say that it seemed as though there was something going on all over the ship all of the time.  For instance, we went to the Vista Lounge one night to see if there would be a movie there and as we walked in the place was packed.  So I peeked in and there was an Irish band doing a sing-along of Irish songs.  I will say that some of that may have been the only NSFW stuff we encountered on the cruise.  But, it sure was fun.  (Not knowing the schedule was our fault.  We really didn't do a good job checking the Patter or the info screens).  Things like this would go on all over the ship.  We'd leave there and go by the Wheelhouse Bar/Crown Grill area and there would be a band or steel drum player there, then as you got to the Piazza, there would be some sort of entertainment there, and that really varied.  One night you could have "The Beatles", the next a DJ, and the next, a string quartet.  BTW, before you put down the string quartet, when we caught them, they were playing a lot of music from "Game of Thrones", which I am a big fan of, so I just found myself sitting there momentarily lost.  I forget sometimes how good the music is on a string quartet, because you just don't hear it much anymore.  Also, the Piazza gets a lot of traffic for the "Pop-up" acts as I call them as both the International Cafe and Alfredo's are located right on the Piazza.  For those that have been on a Radiance RCCL ship, I would equate a lot of this to what they did there in the "Centrum", but I enjoyed most of the Princess acts better. 

One unique thing that Regal Princess has is a feature in the middle of the pool deck that does sort of a mini-Bellagio show by using coordinated fountains and light shows.  They did the show we went to to Michael Jackson music, and quite honestly, after about 3 minutes, we were good.  While interesting, I'm not sure who thought this would be great on a cruise ship, but hey.  I have seen where on the new Sky Princess coming out later this year, that area (between the two family pools) is being redone, which is a nice segue into a discussion about the pools.  There aren't any slides on the ship, but there are 2 pools are of a nice size one in the family area and one in the adult area and 2 smaller pools (one in the family area - and while that one is small it has a large like 6" deep wading area around it - as well as a small one on the aft of the ship - for you Carnival folks, this one reminded me of the size of the one on the Serenity area of the Sunshine).  One thing I like about Princess' pools is that they are freshwater.  Also, the adult pool is especially nice and we never seemed to have trouble finding open loungers.  I will say, though that the adult pool was unexpectedly deep (something I see they are also changing on the ship coming out this year - it will have 2 levels in the adult pool).  I am 6' 3
 and was on my toes to keep my entire head out of the water.  I believe that the family pools were not quite as deep...  Also, by the pool is what Princess calls the "Skywalk".  If you have been to the CN Tower or Space Needle and been out where they have the glass floors that you can look down through, this is similar.  It is actually a curved, cantilevered walkway that extends out over the water on each side of the ship, though one is a separate "walk" and the other is a bar.  Even though it is a bit of a gimmick, I will say it is still a bit unnerving being say 17 stories up looking straight down.

The Cruise Director on this ship was named Lexi, and we really didn't see much of her (as we didn't go to many of the shows).  I did hear that she was not the usual CD and that the ones that are were on vacation.  That wasn't a really big deal, because I can only think of 2 CD's that I think made much of a difference (Jamie Dee on Carnival Sunshine - OMG was she awesome, and Brent from Australia on DCL - who is now at California Adventure, I believe...)

Regal Princess also has a very nice casino, and it's right sized in that it didn't feel either too large or too small as they do on some ships.  It was a nicer casino that we had on the last 3 non-DCL cruises that we had done (Serenade of the Seas, Carnival Sunshine, Emerald Princess).  It had a lot of penny games, but also had a nice variety of slots.  It also had the usual compliment of table games, including a "Virtual Poker Table" which was pretty cool and always seemed to have some folks sitting there and playing (I suspected they were there awhile).  A general comment is that the last few cruises I've been on, the blackjack tables sort of sit empty, which I think is a combination of minimums that are too high (one night, the minimum there was $15 - no one was playing!) and that BlackJack only pays 6 to 5.  As a statistician, I understand that a casino is actually a volume business.  I actually think that if they dropped the minimums to say $5 and went with the typical Vegas 3 to 2 payouts, they'd have a lot more people playing and would probably make more $$, but hey, I am not in charge...

I wanted to save this for last.  My ABSOLUTE favorite thing about the casino was:



Kid's Area's

So, here's the crux of the issue for some DCL cruisers.  Will my kids have fun?  To me (well, my DD), that answer is yes, but it is a different kind of experience.  I will start by saying this.  If you are looking for an amusement park at sea (rock walls, ropes courses, bumper cars, waterslides, etc.) then Princess is probably not the line you want to travel.  However, that is NOT to say that they don't have a really good program for the kids, it's just different.  I will say that most of the experiences I can share are from the teen perspective because we only have 1 child, and she is a teen.  That being said, we did see some of the younger ones throughout the voyage and they all seemed to be having a blast.

So, most of the official Kid's club areas on Regal Princess are located on the back of Deck 17 and are sort of in their own area.  The clubs have a theme in conjunction with Princess' partnership with the Discovery Channel, even down to the Kids Counselors having both Princess and Discovery Channel logos on their shirts.  Having been on Emerald Princess last year, it's clubs were not updated to the newer club look and I can say that the Regal Princess was far superior.  First off, the clubs themselves were a good bit larger on Regal Princess than on Emerald Princess (or what they had on Serenade of the Seas).  The teen club (where we went to sign in our DD) was called "The Beach House" and was really nice.  Upon first glance, it looked like a a very nice large hangout room with the obligatory foosball tables, etc.  However, I went around the corner and saw this!



In addition to skee-ball (have to admit, I was jealous about that), they also had the Xbox setups, etc.  There was quite a lot to do in there.  In addition to that, the teens had their own deck space similar to what you might see in Vibe on the Dream/Fantasy.  It had the same nice thick loungers as the "Sanctuary" and had a quite large dedicated hot tub for the teens.  My DD spent a lot of time up here.  They had fashion shows, games, scavenger hunts, movies, etc, throughout the whole week.  My DD is not a science person, but they had something in there about how they made some of the "Shark Week" shows.  I would have loved to have seen that...  (They had a lot of Discovery Channel related things, related to Shark Week or Mythbusters or Deadliest Catch - BTW, in Alaska, I think that they actually meet people from the show...)

Some have asked how many kids there are on Princess, and I think that varies by itinerary and time of year, but we were one fo the initial Spring Break weeks and there were quite a few kids on board.  There were over 150 teens (13-17).



Another thing to mention about the clubs is that they are strict about their age limits.  On this cruise, one of the 18 year olds was friends with some of the teens, but they would not let her into the club.  Same for the other two age groups.  There were two other large areas for kids.  One for younger kids (3-7) that also had an outdoor play area and one for tweens (8-12).  I didn't go in those clubs, so I can't comment on what they did except for the fact that they always seemed to be full of kids and the kids seemed to be enjoying themselves.  I think that these clubs may have even more of a "Discovery Channel" vibe.  I not sure what all they did, but I did run across the younger kids one day.  They had them paraded outside one of the main restaurants all in chef's hats and chef's jackets.  I think that they had been in the main kitchen doing some kind of cooking with one of the head Chefs.  I thought that was kind of a cool experience.

Didn't see a lot of kids "hanging in the stairwells" as I have seen on some other cruises (Kids activities are not in the Patter.  In your stateroom on embarkation, you receive a schedule of activities in your room for your specific age group along with an introduction letter from the main counselor).  Also, the pools were popular with kids (as they always are), but the main pool seemed large enough that it never seemed like the "People Soup" that you sometimes get on the Dream/Fantasy.  Up on Deck 18, there is a sports area that has a full-size basketball/muti-use court (by the way, WHAT is "pickleball"?) that always seemed to have a game going on.  The jogging track went around this deck and it was 7 times around for a mile.  Better than the Serenade's 16 laps for a mile, but not as nice as those wonderful promenade deck runs on DCL where either 2.5 or 3 laps is a mile.  Around this whole circuit, they had freestanding exercise equipment (sort of like what Carnival has out).  One really interesting thing was that on one side of the basketball court, they had a full golf driving range net set up.  I found myself up there more than a few times hitting golf balls.  It was a bit unique and I liked that.  I could hit a driver, 5-iron, 7-iron, whatever.  There was also a putting green on one of the decks that doubled as a bocce ball court.

So, if there's no "amusements" per se, will my child enjoy Regal Princess?  Well, our DD said at the end of the trip, "I love DCL, but I think that Princess is my favorite".  I asked her why and she said it was because she really got to know a lot of people pretty well over the week.  She said that while she enjoyed Carnival Sunshine, for instance, most of the other teens are out doing "stuff" and not together, so you didn't get to meet as many people.  Also, she said that sometimes, if there are 300-500 teens, it can get overwhelming.  She just seemed to enjoy the pace of it all.  It was more "organized".  Games and activities were available, they'd take them down to Princess Live to do Karaoke (or they'd do it in the club - actually, on the Emerald, some of the girls in the club practiced in the Passenger Choir which rehearsed all week and then gave a performance in the Piazza).  I likened it to a post before about how maybe going on Carnival/RCCL was like going to the Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios whereas Princess feels more like going to Epcot or Animal Kingdom.  They are both enjoyable, but different experiences.

She also really, really, really loves the Alfredo's Pizzeria, so that has something to do with it as well.

General Thoughts

Regal Princess is a really nice cruise ship.  We've always liked Princess, but I will say that it will be hard to go back to the Grand class after sailing on this ship.  Things just seem a bit nicer and the space/passenger ratio is better.  Princess, in general, I find to be a very relaxing cruise line.  For Regal Princess in particular, I find that there is something about the experience that just sneaks up on you about the trip.  You get on the ship on Day 1 worried about if I am going to like this or like that.  What do I need to see, What do I need to do, etc.  And, quite honestly, I feel that way on a number of ships, including the DCL ones.  However, on Princess, by say Day 3, I start thinking, I am really enjoying this ship and by Day 7, you wish you were staying on another week.  It's just relaxing.  I found that on this ship in particular, I didn't need to be on any timetable or rushing about to something here or there.  I could just wander and I would happen into something and have a blast, kind of like with the Irish band.  Now, yes, we did plan some things, like MUTS and the Yes/No gameshow, but in general, you could just go to different areas of the ship and if you didn't find something you like, you could just wander somewhere else and you would find something going on.  I really enjoyed the cruise and the ship.

A few random musings...

- Princess plays just the right amount of "Love Boat" vibe on the ship without being cheesy.  In addition to the horn, some Love Boat episodes are on demand on the TV.  I saw the one where a female college student tries to hide-away in Gopher's cabin.  I caught myself thinking "What cruise line has rooms this size!"  There were 5-6 episodes on demand, however, they DID NOT have the awesome Love Boat/Fantasy Island crossover episode...  At any rate, the main cast of the show are the Godparents of the ship.  Apparently, the inaugural sailing of Regal Princess (2014) was quite something.  They had the whole crew on as well as a number of the more common guest stars (Charo, Florence Henderson, Loni Anderson, Lorenzo Lamas, etc.).  Apparently, they let Ted Lange make drinks, let Gavin MacLeod do the noon Captain's update, let Lauren Tewes greet people on the ship, etc., and what a lot of the crew talked about was apparently Charo did some kind of spanish guitar concert and was awesome.  For those of a certain age... that would have been a lot of fun...

If they were smart, they'd rename the Vista Lounge to the "Acapulco Lounge"...



-  If you are a fan of iTV's "The Cruise", both Dirk and Scott were on our sailing.  I got to meet both and got a picture with Scott (though it's on my wife's phone)...

-  There is a nice, nautical feel to Princess.  Every day at noon, the captain will come on the announcements and give the nautical position of the ship, the weather conditions, and the bearings of the ship.  He also would usually describe some aspect of sailing that would be interesting as well.

-  Announcements.  There just aren't many.  It's a nice change from the constant barrage you might get otherwise.  Also, announcements will not play in the rooms unless the TV is on the bridge cam channel

-  We did not visit the Spa, so I can't comment on it.  A quick note, it is actually on Deck 5 forward, so it's a bit different than a lot of ships that have it on a high, forward deck.  Also, the fitness center is separate from the spa.  It's up on the same deck as the Kid's clubs.  I can say that the fitness center was very nice...

-  Like DCL, Princess manages to have a setup before you get back on the ship where you can get a nice, cold water and a nice, cold refreshing towel.  It's a nice touch.  Those folks in the Carnival Vista tender line in Grand Cayman that was a mile long (which was right next to ours, which had no wait) were definitely giving us side-eye as we walked right up to tender embarkation, got our water and cool towel and immediately boarded our tender...


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

tidefan said:


> *Regal Princess (Part 3)*
> 
> View attachment 390984
> 
> Entertainment
> 
> I am going to be honest.  We didn't go to any of the shows.  They did have 3 "feature" shows throughout the cruise ("Burn the Floor", "Fiera", and, well, I can't remember the name of the other one) as well as a number of other entertainers such as a comedian and a Beatles cover group.  Completely honest.  We didn't see those either.  Actually, we did sort-of see the Beatles cover band.  They did a dance night in the Piazza, and that was fun.  I am not really a Beatles fan, but I will say that it does seem at least that everyone knows the songs.  I will say that the people that we talked to really enjoyed the shows, but, that is one thing that unless it's DCL, I'm not really a main showroom type, and even on DCL, if it's the umpteenth time that "Dreams" is playing, I'll skip that too...
> 
> So, what did we do?  Well, I enjoy movies and this year has been so hectic, that we haven't seen many.  So, I took the opportunity to watch a bunch!  We watched Crazy Rich Asians at "Movies Under the Stars" (known in Princess' lingo as MUTS), and like Carnival, princess provides free popcorn.  They also have nice lounger covers for the loungers and these really nice blankets you can check out.  The Vista Lounge also doubled as a movie theater during parts of the week.  We saw "A Star is Born" there.  Also, once a movie is shown in either area (MUTS or Vista), they will add it to the on-demand video system in your stateroom.  We also saw "Instant Family" (really liked that one), "Bohemian Rhapsody", and "The Favourite" (a bit strange).  We missed "Old Man and the Gun".  So, it wasn't quite DCL's dedicated Dolby Movie Theater, but I would say that the experience watching movies was better that what I experienced on either Carnival or RCCL.
> 
> (Editor's Note:  One of my favorite cruise memories was in 2004 on my DD's first cruise, which was a Western Caribbean on the Grand Princess.  I remember watching "Master and Commander: Far Side of the World" in the Princess Theater.  It was late at night and the ship was going between Haiti and Cuba and the seas were up.  It was fun because as the ships in the movie were tossing and turning on the screen, we were doing a much more sedate version of the same thing.  It was almost like an unexpected 4D experience.)
> 
> So, if you like Trivia, you will enjoy this ship (though no "Ship on a Stick" for you Carnival folks).  There were at least 3 trivia sessions a day in what they called "Princess Live", which is sort of set up like a TV studio.  The trivia was all themed (Disney Trivia, Motown Trivia, 70's Trivia, etc.) and was very popular.  They also used this studio to host most of the "Game Shows", my favorite of which is "Yes/No", but they had the obligatory Match Game and Love/Marriage, etc..  Just down the hall from there, there was what was called "The Library", which in addition to being well stocked with books (more than I can remember on other lines), had just about every classic board game and then some that you could think of and had a really nice table in the middle of the room that always seemed to be in use.  Jenga was popular as was Monopoly.  One nice touch in here was that each morning, they would put out game/puzzle sheets that you could work.  I took the Sudoku ones a couple of times.
> 
> I can't really remember all of the entertainment, but I will say that it seemed as though there was something going on all over the ship all of the time.  For instance, we went to the Vista Lounge one night to see if there would be a movie there and as we walked in the place was packed.  So I peeked in and there was an Irish band doing a sing-along of Irish songs.  I will say that some of that may have been the only NSFW stuff we encountered on the cruise.  But, it sure was fun.  (Not knowing the schedule was our fault.  We really didn't do a good job checking the Patter or the info screens).  Things like this would go on all over the ship.  We'd leave there and go by the Wheelhouse Bar/Crown Grill area and there would be a band or steel drum player there, then as you got to the Piazza, there would be some sort of entertainment there, and that really varied.  One night you could have "The Beatles", the next a DJ, and the next, a string quartet.  BTW, before you put down the string quartet, when we caught them, they were playing a lot of music from "Game of Thrones", which I am a big fan of, so I just found myself sitting there momentarily lost.  I forget sometimes how good the music is on a string quartet, because you just don't hear it much anymore.  Also, the Piazza gets a lot of traffic for the "Pop-up" acts as I call them as both the International Cafe and Alfredo's are located right on the Piazza.  For those that have been on a Radiance RCCL ship, I would equate a lot of this to what they did there in the "Centrum", but I enjoyed most of the Princess acts better.
> 
> One unique thing that Regal Princess has is a feature in the middle of the pool deck that does sort of a mini-Bellagio show by using coordinated fountains and light shows.  They did the show we went to to Michael Jackson music, and quite honestly, after about 3 minutes, we were good.  While interesting, I'm not sure who thought this would be great on a cruise ship, but hey.  I have seen where on the new Sky Princess coming out later this year, that area (between the two family pools) is being redone, which is a nice segue into a discussion about the pools.  There aren't any slides on the ship, but there are 2 pools are of a nice size one in the family area and one in the adult area and 2 smaller pools (one in the family area - and while that one is small it has a large like 6" deep wading area around it - as well as a small one on the aft of the ship - for you Carnival folks, this one reminded me of the size of the one on the Serenity area of the Sunshine).  One thing I like about Princess' pools is that they are freshwater.  Also, the adult pool is especially nice and we never seemed to have trouble finding open loungers.  I will say, though that the adult pool was unexpectedly deep (something I see they are also changing on the ship coming out this year - it will have 2 levels in the adult pool).  I am 6' 3
> and was on my toes to keep my entire head out of the water.  I believe that the family pools were not quite as deep...  Also, by the pool is what Princess calls the "Skywalk".  If you have been to the CN Tower or Space Needle and been out where they have the glass floors that you can look down through, this is similar.  It is actually a curved, cantilevered walkway that extends out over the water on each side of the ship, though one is a separate "walk" and the other is a bar.  Even though it is a bit of a gimmick, I will say it is still a bit unnerving being say 17 stories up looking straight down.
> 
> The Cruise Director on this ship was named Lexi, and we really didn't see much of her (as we didn't go to many of the shows).  I did hear that she was not the usual CD and that the ones that are were on vacation.  That wasn't a really big deal, because I can only think of 2 CD's that I think made much of a difference (Jamie Dee on Carnival Sunshine - OMG was she awesome, and Brent from Australia on DCL - who is now at California Adventure, I believe...)
> 
> Regal Princess also has a very nice casino, and it's right sized in that it didn't feel either too large or too small as they do on some ships.  It was a nicer casino that we had on the last 3 non-DCL cruises that we had done (Serenade of the Seas, Carnival Sunshine, Emerald Princess).  It had a lot of penny games, but also had a nice variety of slots.  It also had the usual compliment of table games, including a "Virtual Poker Table" which was pretty cool and always seemed to have some folks sitting there and playing (I suspected they were there awhile).  A general comment is that the last few cruises I've been on, the blackjack tables sort of sit empty, which I think is a combination of minimums that are too high (one night, the minimum there was $15 - no one was playing!) and that BlackJack only pays 6 to 5.  As a statistician, I understand that a casino is actually a volume business.  I actually think that if they dropped the minimums to say $5 and went with the typical Vegas 3 to 2 payouts, they'd have a lot more people playing and would probably make more $$, but hey, I am not in charge...
> 
> I wanted to save this for last.  My ABSOLUTE favorite thing about the casino was:
> 
> View attachment 390987
> 
> Kid's Area's
> 
> So, here's the crux of the issue for some DCL cruisers.  Will my kids have fun?  To me (well, my DD), that answer is yes, but it is a different kind of experience.  I will start by saying this.  If you are looking for an amusement park at sea (rock walls, ropes courses, bumper cars, waterslides, etc.) then Princess is probably not the line you want to travel.  However, that is NOT to say that they don't have a really good program for the kids, it's just different.  I will say that most of the experiences I can share are from the teen perspective because we only have 1 child, and she is a teen.  That being said, we did see some of the younger ones throughout the voyage and they all seemed to be having a blast.
> 
> So, most of the official Kid's club areas on Regal Princess are located on the back of Deck 17 and are sort of in their own area.  The clubs have a theme in conjunction with Princess' partnership with the Discovery Channel, even down to the Kids Counselors having both Princess and Discovery Channel logos on their shirts.  Having been on Emerald Princess last year, it's clubs were not updated to the newer club look and I can say that the Regal Princess was far superior.  First off, the clubs themselves were a good bit larger on Regal Princess than on Emerald Princess (or what they had on Serenade of the Seas).  The teen club (where we went to sign in our DD) was called "The Beach House" and was really nice.  Upon first glance, it looked like a a very nice large hangout room with the obligatory foosball tables, etc.  However, I went around the corner and saw this!
> 
> View attachment 390989
> 
> In addition to skee-ball (have to admit, I was jealous about that), they also had the Xbox setups, etc.  There was quite a lot to do in there.  In addition to that, the teens had their own deck space similar to what you might see in Vibe on the Dream/Fantasy.  It had the same nice thick loungers as the "Sanctuary" and had a quite large dedicated hot tub for the teens.  My DD spent a lot of time up here.  They had fashion shows, games, scavenger hunts, movies, etc, throughout the whole week.  My DD is not a science person, but they had something in there about how they made some of the "Shark Week" shows.  I would have loved to have seen that...  (They had a lot of Discovery Channel related things, related to Shark Week or Mythbusters or Deadliest Catch - BTW, in Alaska, I think that they actually meet people from the show...)
> 
> Some have asked how many kids there are on Princess, and I think that varies by itinerary and time of year, but we were one fo the initial Spring Break weeks and there were quite a few kids on board.  There were over 150 teens (13-17).
> 
> View attachment 390990
> 
> Another thing to mention about the clubs is that they are strict about their age limits.  On this cruise, one of the 18 year olds was friends with some of the teens, but they would not let her into the club.  Same for the other two age groups.  There were two other large areas for kids.  One for younger kids (3-7) that also had an outdoor play area and one for tweens (8-12).  I didn't go in those clubs, so I can't comment on what they did except for the fact that they always seemed to be full of kids and the kids seemed to be enjoying themselves.  I think that these clubs may have even more of a "Discovery Channel" vibe.  I not sure what all they did, but I did run across the younger kids one day.  They had them paraded outside one of the main restaurants all in chef's hats and chef's jackets.  I think that they had been in the main kitchen doing some kind of cooking with one of the head Chefs.  I thought that was kind of a cool experience.
> 
> Didn't see a lot of kids "hanging in the stairwells" as I have seen on some other cruises (Kids activities are not in the Patter.  In your stateroom on embarkation, you receive a schedule of activities in your room for your specific age group along with an introduction letter from the main counselor).  Also, the pools were popular with kids (as they always are), but the main pool seemed large enough that it never seemed like the "People Soup" that you sometimes get on the Dream/Fantasy.  Up on Deck 18, there is a sports area that has a full-size basketball/muti-use court (by the way, WHAT is "pickleball"?) that always seemed to have a game going on.  The jogging track went around this deck and it was 7 times around for a mile.  Better than the Serenade's 16 laps for a mile, but not as nice as those wonderful promenade deck runs on DCL where either 2.5 or 3 laps is a mile.  Around this whole circuit, they had freestanding exercise equipment (sort of like what Carnival has out).  One really interesting thing was that on one side of the basketball court, they had a full golf driving range net set up.  I found myself up there more than a few times hitting golf balls.  It was a bit unique and I liked that.  I could hit a driver, 5-iron, 7-iron, whatever.  There was also a putting green on one of the decks that doubled as a bocce ball court.
> 
> So, if there's no "amusements" per se, will my child enjoy Regal Princess?  Well, our DD said at the end of the trip, "I love DCL, but I think that Princess is my favorite".  I asked her why and she said it was because she really got to know a lot of people pretty well over the week.  She said that while she enjoyed Carnival Sunshine, for instance, most of the other teens are out doing "stuff" and not together, so you didn't get to meet as many people.  Also, she said that sometimes, if there are 300-500 teens, it can get overwhelming.  She just seemed to enjoy the pace of it all.  It was more "organized".  Games and activities were available, they'd take them down to Princess Live to do Karaoke (or they'd do it in the club - actually, on the Emerald, some of the girls in the club practiced in the Passenger Choir which rehearsed all week and then gave a performance in the Piazza).  I likened it to a post before about how maybe going on Carnival/RCCL was like going to the Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios whereas Princess feels more like going to Epcot or Animal Kingdom.  They are both enjoyable, but different experiences.
> 
> She also really, really, really loves the Alfredo's Pizzeria, so that has something to do with it as well.
> 
> General Thoughts
> 
> Regal Princess is a really nice cruise ship.  We've always liked Princess, but I will say that it will be hard to go back to the Grand class after sailing on this ship.  Things just seem a bit nicer and the space/passenger ratio is better.  Princess, in general, I find to be a very relaxing cruise line.  For Regal Princess in particular, I find that there is something about the experience that just sneaks up on you about the trip.  You get on the ship on Day 1 worried about if I am going to like this or like that.  What do I need to see, What do I need to do, etc.  And, quite honestly, I feel that way on a number of ships, including the DCL ones.  However, on Princess, by say Day 3, I start thinking, I am really enjoying this ship and by Day 7, you wish you were staying on another week.  It's just relaxing.  I found that on this ship in particular, I didn't need to be on any timetable or rushing about to something here or there.  I could just wander and I would happen into something and have a blast, kind of like with the Irish band.  Now, yes, we did plan some things, like MUTS and the Yes/No gameshow, but in general, you could just go to different areas of the ship and if you didn't find something you like, you could just wander somewhere else and you would find something going on.  I really enjoyed the cruise and the ship.
> 
> A few random musings...
> 
> - Princess plays just the right amount of "Love Boat" vibe on the ship without being cheesy.  In addition to the horn, some Love Boat episodes are on demand on the TV.  I saw the one where a female college student tries to hide-away in Gopher's cabin.  I caught myself thinking "What cruise line has rooms this size!"  There were 5-6 episodes on demand, however, they DID NOT have the awesome Love Boat/Fantasy Island crossover episode...  At any rate, the main cast of the show are the Godparents of the ship.  Apparently, the inaugural sailing of Regal Princess (2014) was quite something.  They had the whole crew on as well as a number of the more common guest stars (Charo, Florence Henderson, Loni Anderson, Lorenzo Lamas, etc.).  Apparently, they let Ted Lange make drinks, let Gavin MacLeod do the noon Captain's update, let Lauren Tewes greet people on the ship, etc., and what a lot of the crew talked about was apparently Charo did some kind of spanish guitar concert and was awesome.  For those of a certain age... that would have been a lot of fun...
> 
> If they were smart, they'd rename the Vista Lounge to the "Acapulco Lounge"...
> 
> View attachment 390993
> 
> -  If you are a fan of iTV's "The Cruise", both Dirk and Scott were on our sailing.  I got to meet both and got a picture with Scott (though it's on my wife's phone)...
> 
> -  There is a nice, nautical feel to Princess.  Every day at noon, the captain will come on the announcements and give the nautical position of the ship, the weather conditions, and the bearings of the ship.  He also would usually describe some aspect of sailing that would be interesting as well.
> 
> -  Announcements.  There just aren't many.  It's a nice change from the constant barrage you might get otherwise.  Also, announcements will not play in the rooms unless the TV is on the bridge cam channel
> 
> -  We did not visit the Spa, so I can't comment on it.  A quick note, it is actually on Deck 5 forward, so it's a bit different than a lot of ships that have it on a high, forward deck.  Also, the fitness center is separate from the spa.  It's up on the same deck as the Kid's clubs.  I can say that the fitness center was very nice...
> 
> -  Like DCL, Princess manages to have a setup before you get back on the ship where you can get a nice, cold water and a nice, cold refreshing towel.  It's a nice touch.  Those folks in the Carnival Vista tender line in Grand Cayman that was a mile long (which was right next to ours, which had no wait) were definitely giving us side-eye as we walked right up to tender embarkation, got our water and cool towel and immediately boarded our tender...


Awesome update


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## mevelandry

@tidefan Have you tried Dive-In Movies on Carnival? What would be different between that experience between Carnival and Princess? The description feels pretty similar...   Thanks in advance!


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## mevelandry

tidefan said:


> *Regal Princess (Part 3)*
> 
> View attachment 390984
> 
> Entertainment
> 
> I am going to be honest.  We didn't go to any of the shows.  They did have 3 "feature" shows throughout the cruise ("Burn the Floor", "Fiera", and, well, I can't remember the name of the other one) as well as a number of other entertainers such as a comedian and a Beatles cover group.  Completely honest.  We didn't see those either.  Actually, we did sort-of see the Beatles cover band.  They did a dance night in the Piazza, and that was fun.  I am not really a Beatles fan, but I will say that it does seem at least that everyone knows the songs.  I will say that the people that we talked to really enjoyed the shows, but, that is one thing that unless it's DCL, I'm not really a main showroom type, and even on DCL, if it's the umpteenth time that "Dreams" is playing, I'll skip that too...
> 
> So, what did we do?  Well, I enjoy movies and this year has been so hectic, that we haven't seen many.  So, I took the opportunity to watch a bunch!  We watched Crazy Rich Asians at "Movies Under the Stars" (known in Princess' lingo as MUTS), and like Carnival, princess provides free popcorn.  They also have nice lounger covers for the loungers and these really nice blankets you can check out.  The Vista Lounge also doubled as a movie theater during parts of the week.  We saw "A Star is Born" there.  Also, once a movie is shown in either area (MUTS or Vista), they will add it to the on-demand video system in your stateroom.  We also saw "Instant Family" (really liked that one), "Bohemian Rhapsody", and "The Favourite" (a bit strange).  We missed "Old Man and the Gun".  So, it wasn't quite DCL's dedicated Dolby Movie Theater, but I would say that the experience watching movies was better that what I experienced on either Carnival or RCCL.
> 
> (Editor's Note:  One of my favorite cruise memories was in 2004 on my DD's first cruise, which was a Western Caribbean on the Grand Princess.  I remember watching "Master and Commander: Far Side of the World" in the Princess Theater.  It was late at night and the ship was going between Haiti and Cuba and the seas were up.  It was fun because as the ships in the movie were tossing and turning on the screen, we were doing a much more sedate version of the same thing.  It was almost like an unexpected 4D experience.)
> 
> So, if you like Trivia, you will enjoy this ship (though no "Ship on a Stick" for you Carnival folks).  There were at least 3 trivia sessions a day in what they called "Princess Live", which is sort of set up like a TV studio.  The trivia was all themed (Disney Trivia, Motown Trivia, 70's Trivia, etc.) and was very popular.  They also used this studio to host most of the "Game Shows", my favorite of which is "Yes/No", but they had the obligatory Match Game and Love/Marriage, etc..  Just down the hall from there, there was what was called "The Library", which in addition to being well stocked with books (more than I can remember on other lines), had just about every classic board game and then some that you could think of and had a really nice table in the middle of the room that always seemed to be in use.  Jenga was popular as was Monopoly.  One nice touch in here was that each morning, they would put out game/puzzle sheets that you could work.  I took the Sudoku ones a couple of times.
> 
> I can't really remember all of the entertainment, but I will say that it seemed as though there was something going on all over the ship all of the time.  For instance, we went to the Vista Lounge one night to see if there would be a movie there and as we walked in the place was packed.  So I peeked in and there was an Irish band doing a sing-along of Irish songs.  I will say that some of that may have been the only NSFW stuff we encountered on the cruise.  But, it sure was fun.  (Not knowing the schedule was our fault.  We really didn't do a good job checking the Patter or the info screens).  Things like this would go on all over the ship.  We'd leave there and go by the Wheelhouse Bar/Crown Grill area and there would be a band or steel drum player there, then as you got to the Piazza, there would be some sort of entertainment there, and that really varied.  One night you could have "The Beatles", the next a DJ, and the next, a string quartet.  BTW, before you put down the string quartet, when we caught them, they were playing a lot of music from "Game of Thrones", which I am a big fan of, so I just found myself sitting there momentarily lost.  I forget sometimes how good the music is on a string quartet, because you just don't hear it much anymore.  Also, the Piazza gets a lot of traffic for the "Pop-up" acts as I call them as both the International Cafe and Alfredo's are located right on the Piazza.  For those that have been on a Radiance RCCL ship, I would equate a lot of this to what they did there in the "Centrum", but I enjoyed most of the Princess acts better.
> 
> One unique thing that Regal Princess has is a feature in the middle of the pool deck that does sort of a mini-Bellagio show by using coordinated fountains and light shows.  They did the show we went to to Michael Jackson music, and quite honestly, after about 3 minutes, we were good.  While interesting, I'm not sure who thought this would be great on a cruise ship, but hey.  I have seen where on the new Sky Princess coming out later this year, that area (between the two family pools) is being redone, which is a nice segue into a discussion about the pools.  There aren't any slides on the ship, but there are 2 pools are of a nice size one in the family area and one in the adult area and 2 smaller pools (one in the family area - and while that one is small it has a large like 6" deep wading area around it - as well as a small one on the aft of the ship - for you Carnival folks, this one reminded me of the size of the one on the Serenity area of the Sunshine).  One thing I like about Princess' pools is that they are freshwater.  Also, the adult pool is especially nice and we never seemed to have trouble finding open loungers.  I will say, though that the adult pool was unexpectedly deep (something I see they are also changing on the ship coming out this year - it will have 2 levels in the adult pool).  I am 6' 3
> and was on my toes to keep my entire head out of the water.  I believe that the family pools were not quite as deep...  Also, by the pool is what Princess calls the "Skywalk".  If you have been to the CN Tower or Space Needle and been out where they have the glass floors that you can look down through, this is similar.  It is actually a curved, cantilevered walkway that extends out over the water on each side of the ship, though one is a separate "walk" and the other is a bar.  Even though it is a bit of a gimmick, I will say it is still a bit unnerving being say 17 stories up looking straight down.
> 
> The Cruise Director on this ship was named Lexi, and we really didn't see much of her (as we didn't go to many of the shows).  I did hear that she was not the usual CD and that the ones that are were on vacation.  That wasn't a really big deal, because I can only think of 2 CD's that I think made much of a difference (Jamie Dee on Carnival Sunshine - OMG was she awesome, and Brent from Australia on DCL - who is now at California Adventure, I believe...)
> 
> Regal Princess also has a very nice casino, and it's right sized in that it didn't feel either too large or too small as they do on some ships.  It was a nicer casino that we had on the last 3 non-DCL cruises that we had done (Serenade of the Seas, Carnival Sunshine, Emerald Princess).  It had a lot of penny games, but also had a nice variety of slots.  It also had the usual compliment of table games, including a "Virtual Poker Table" which was pretty cool and always seemed to have some folks sitting there and playing (I suspected they were there awhile).  A general comment is that the last few cruises I've been on, the blackjack tables sort of sit empty, which I think is a combination of minimums that are too high (one night, the minimum there was $15 - no one was playing!) and that BlackJack only pays 6 to 5.  As a statistician, I understand that a casino is actually a volume business.  I actually think that if they dropped the minimums to say $5 and went with the typical Vegas 3 to 2 payouts, they'd have a lot more people playing and would probably make more $$, but hey, I am not in charge...
> 
> I wanted to save this for last.  My ABSOLUTE favorite thing about the casino was:
> 
> View attachment 390987
> 
> Kid's Area's
> 
> So, here's the crux of the issue for some DCL cruisers.  Will my kids have fun?  To me (well, my DD), that answer is yes, but it is a different kind of experience.  I will start by saying this.  If you are looking for an amusement park at sea (rock walls, ropes courses, bumper cars, waterslides, etc.) then Princess is probably not the line you want to travel.  However, that is NOT to say that they don't have a really good program for the kids, it's just different.  I will say that most of the experiences I can share are from the teen perspective because we only have 1 child, and she is a teen.  That being said, we did see some of the younger ones throughout the voyage and they all seemed to be having a blast.
> 
> So, most of the official Kid's club areas on Regal Princess are located on the back of Deck 17 and are sort of in their own area.  The clubs have a theme in conjunction with Princess' partnership with the Discovery Channel, even down to the Kids Counselors having both Princess and Discovery Channel logos on their shirts.  Having been on Emerald Princess last year, it's clubs were not updated to the newer club look and I can say that the Regal Princess was far superior.  First off, the clubs themselves were a good bit larger on Regal Princess than on Emerald Princess (or what they had on Serenade of the Seas).  The teen club (where we went to sign in our DD) was called "The Beach House" and was really nice.  Upon first glance, it looked like a a very nice large hangout room with the obligatory foosball tables, etc.  However, I went around the corner and saw this!
> 
> View attachment 390989
> 
> In addition to skee-ball (have to admit, I was jealous about that), they also had the Xbox setups, etc.  There was quite a lot to do in there.  In addition to that, the teens had their own deck space similar to what you might see in Vibe on the Dream/Fantasy.  It had the same nice thick loungers as the "Sanctuary" and had a quite large dedicated hot tub for the teens.  My DD spent a lot of time up here.  They had fashion shows, games, scavenger hunts, movies, etc, throughout the whole week.  My DD is not a science person, but they had something in there about how they made some of the "Shark Week" shows.  I would have loved to have seen that...  (They had a lot of Discovery Channel related things, related to Shark Week or Mythbusters or Deadliest Catch - BTW, in Alaska, I think that they actually meet people from the show...)
> 
> Some have asked how many kids there are on Princess, and I think that varies by itinerary and time of year, but we were one fo the initial Spring Break weeks and there were quite a few kids on board.  There were over 150 teens (13-17).
> 
> View attachment 390990
> 
> Another thing to mention about the clubs is that they are strict about their age limits.  On this cruise, one of the 18 year olds was friends with some of the teens, but they would not let her into the club.  Same for the other two age groups.  There were two other large areas for kids.  One for younger kids (3-7) that also had an outdoor play area and one for tweens (8-12).  I didn't go in those clubs, so I can't comment on what they did except for the fact that they always seemed to be full of kids and the kids seemed to be enjoying themselves.  I think that these clubs may have even more of a "Discovery Channel" vibe.  I not sure what all they did, but I did run across the younger kids one day.  They had them paraded outside one of the main restaurants all in chef's hats and chef's jackets.  I think that they had been in the main kitchen doing some kind of cooking with one of the head Chefs.  I thought that was kind of a cool experience.
> 
> Didn't see a lot of kids "hanging in the stairwells" as I have seen on some other cruises (Kids activities are not in the Patter.  In your stateroom on embarkation, you receive a schedule of activities in your room for your specific age group along with an introduction letter from the main counselor).  Also, the pools were popular with kids (as they always are), but the main pool seemed large enough that it never seemed like the "People Soup" that you sometimes get on the Dream/Fantasy.  Up on Deck 18, there is a sports area that has a full-size basketball/muti-use court (by the way, WHAT is "pickleball"?) that always seemed to have a game going on.  The jogging track went around this deck and it was 7 times around for a mile.  Better than the Serenade's 16 laps for a mile, but not as nice as those wonderful promenade deck runs on DCL where either 2.5 or 3 laps is a mile.  Around this whole circuit, they had freestanding exercise equipment (sort of like what Carnival has out).  One really interesting thing was that on one side of the basketball court, they had a full golf driving range net set up.  I found myself up there more than a few times hitting golf balls.  It was a bit unique and I liked that.  I could hit a driver, 5-iron, 7-iron, whatever.  There was also a putting green on one of the decks that doubled as a bocce ball court.
> 
> So, if there's no "amusements" per se, will my child enjoy Regal Princess?  Well, our DD said at the end of the trip, "I love DCL, but I think that Princess is my favorite".  I asked her why and she said it was because she really got to know a lot of people pretty well over the week.  She said that while she enjoyed Carnival Sunshine, for instance, most of the other teens are out doing "stuff" and not together, so you didn't get to meet as many people.  Also, she said that sometimes, if there are 300-500 teens, it can get overwhelming.  She just seemed to enjoy the pace of it all.  It was more "organized".  Games and activities were available, they'd take them down to Princess Live to do Karaoke (or they'd do it in the club - actually, on the Emerald, some of the girls in the club practiced in the Passenger Choir which rehearsed all week and then gave a performance in the Piazza).  I likened it to a post before about how maybe going on Carnival/RCCL was like going to the Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios whereas Princess feels more like going to Epcot or Animal Kingdom.  They are both enjoyable, but different experiences.
> 
> She also really, really, really loves the Alfredo's Pizzeria, so that has something to do with it as well.
> 
> General Thoughts
> 
> Regal Princess is a really nice cruise ship.  We've always liked Princess, but I will say that it will be hard to go back to the Grand class after sailing on this ship.  Things just seem a bit nicer and the space/passenger ratio is better.  Princess, in general, I find to be a very relaxing cruise line.  For Regal Princess in particular, I find that there is something about the experience that just sneaks up on you about the trip.  You get on the ship on Day 1 worried about if I am going to like this or like that.  What do I need to see, What do I need to do, etc.  And, quite honestly, I feel that way on a number of ships, including the DCL ones.  However, on Princess, by say Day 3, I start thinking, I am really enjoying this ship and by Day 7, you wish you were staying on another week.  It's just relaxing.  I found that on this ship in particular, I didn't need to be on any timetable or rushing about to something here or there.  I could just wander and I would happen into something and have a blast, kind of like with the Irish band.  Now, yes, we did plan some things, like MUTS and the Yes/No gameshow, but in general, you could just go to different areas of the ship and if you didn't find something you like, you could just wander somewhere else and you would find something going on.  I really enjoyed the cruise and the ship.
> 
> A few random musings...
> 
> - Princess plays just the right amount of "Love Boat" vibe on the ship without being cheesy.  In addition to the horn, some Love Boat episodes are on demand on the TV.  I saw the one where a female college student tries to hide-away in Gopher's cabin.  I caught myself thinking "What cruise line has rooms this size!"  There were 5-6 episodes on demand, however, they DID NOT have the awesome Love Boat/Fantasy Island crossover episode...  At any rate, the main cast of the show are the Godparents of the ship.  Apparently, the inaugural sailing of Regal Princess (2014) was quite something.  They had the whole crew on as well as a number of the more common guest stars (Charo, Florence Henderson, Loni Anderson, Lorenzo Lamas, etc.).  Apparently, they let Ted Lange make drinks, let Gavin MacLeod do the noon Captain's update, let Lauren Tewes greet people on the ship, etc., and what a lot of the crew talked about was apparently Charo did some kind of spanish guitar concert and was awesome.  For those of a certain age... that would have been a lot of fun...
> 
> If they were smart, they'd rename the Vista Lounge to the "Acapulco Lounge"...
> 
> View attachment 390993
> 
> -  If you are a fan of iTV's "The Cruise", both Dirk and Scott were on our sailing.  I got to meet both and got a picture with Scott (though it's on my wife's phone)...
> 
> -  There is a nice, nautical feel to Princess.  Every day at noon, the captain will come on the announcements and give the nautical position of the ship, the weather conditions, and the bearings of the ship.  He also would usually describe some aspect of sailing that would be interesting as well.
> 
> -  Announcements.  There just aren't many.  It's a nice change from the constant barrage you might get otherwise.  Also, announcements will not play in the rooms unless the TV is on the bridge cam channel
> 
> -  We did not visit the Spa, so I can't comment on it.  A quick note, it is actually on Deck 5 forward, so it's a bit different than a lot of ships that have it on a high, forward deck.  Also, the fitness center is separate from the spa.  It's up on the same deck as the Kid's clubs.  I can say that the fitness center was very nice...
> 
> -  Like DCL, Princess manages to have a setup before you get back on the ship where you can get a nice, cold water and a nice, cold refreshing towel.  It's a nice touch.  Those folks in the Carnival Vista tender line in Grand Cayman that was a mile long (which was right next to ours, which had no wait) were definitely giving us side-eye as we walked right up to tender embarkation, got our water and cool towel and immediately boarded our tender...



About that cold water, etc when you embark the ship at ports...  I find that Carnival sometimes do it and sometimes don't. I have no idea why. :/


----------



## elaine amj

I am considering Carnival for our next cruise but a bit hesitant about it. We have cruised on the Disney Dream (loved it) and our latest was on the RCCL Allure of the Seas. We really enjoyed the megaship experience so I am hesitant about a smaller ship. Looking at the Carnival Breeze in late August or the Carnival Legend in March.

From what I gather, the main differences are:
- no major Broadway-like shows, just productions put on by the crew. I generally like even corny variety shows so while we will miss the high quality shows, I imagine we will still be entertained.

- food more or less the same. We are easy to please so I have no worries here.

- teen club sounds pretty good, which will be nice for my DS17.

- a lot more comedy shows. I am worried about this as we generally do not care for R rated comedy shows and didn't even like the ones on Allure.

- less attractions on the ship. I guess we will lay around more? My DD will be 19 by then and I am worried she will be bored. She loves organized activities and will already miss the teen club.

- fewer daytime activities. Not into the sexiest man contest, the casino or trivia but love line dance classes, dance parties and organized activities. Will there be enough for us to do?

- overall vibe. We are not into raunchy things but are generally good at avoiding things we don't like.

Would love to hear from experienced Carnival cruisers.


----------



## tidefan

mevelandry said:


> @tidefan Have you tried Dive-In Movies on Carnival? What would be different between that experience between Carnival and Princess? The description feels pretty similar...   Thanks in advance!


Very similar.  Princess maybe a bit more "cushy"...


----------



## tidefan

elaine amj said:


> I am considering Carnival for our next cruise but a bit hesitant about it. We have cruised on the Disney Dream (loved it) and our latest was on the RCCL Allure of the Seas. We really enjoyed the megaship experience so I am hesitant about a smaller ship. Looking at the Carnival Breeze in late August or the Carnival Legend in March.
> 
> From what I gather, the main differences are:
> - no major Broadway-like shows, just productions put on by the crew. I generally like even corny variety shows so while we will miss the high quality shows, I imagine we will still be entertained.
> 
> - food more or less the same. We are easy to please so I have no worries here.
> 
> - teen club sounds pretty good, which will be nice for my DS17.
> 
> - a lot more comedy shows. I am worried about this as we generally do not care for R rated comedy shows and didn't even like the ones on Allure.
> 
> - less attractions on the ship. I guess we will lay around more? My DD will be 19 by then and I am worried she will be bored. She loves organized activities and will already miss the teen club.
> 
> - fewer daytime activities. Not into the sexiest man contest, the casino or trivia but love line dance classes, dance parties and organized activities. Will there be enough for us to do?
> 
> - overall vibe. We are not into raunchy things but are generally good at avoiding things we don't like.
> 
> Would love to hear from experienced Carnival cruisers.


I think you'll have a blast.  Breeze has a ropes course, which I imagine your DD will love.  Also, there is plenty to do.  Plus, IMHO, the "comfort" food is way better on Carnival than on RCCL and maybe better than DCL...

The Breeze is roughly the same size as the Dream, so I don't think you'll feel as though you are on a "small ship"...


----------



## trvlgirlmq

elaine amj said:


> I am considering Carnival for our next cruise but a bit hesitant about it. We have cruised on the Disney Dream (loved it) and our latest was on the RCCL Allure of the Seas. We really enjoyed the megaship experience so I am hesitant about a smaller ship. Looking at the Carnival Breeze in late August or the Carnival Legend in March.
> 
> From what I gather, the main differences are:
> - no major Broadway-like shows, just productions put on by the crew. I generally like even corny variety shows so while we will miss the high quality shows, I imagine we will still be entertained. - Hasbro the game show and some other variety type shows should be good for you
> 
> - food more or less the same. We are easy to please so I have no worries here.
> 
> - teen club sounds pretty good, which will be nice for my DS17.
> 
> - a lot more comedy shows. I am worried about this as we generally do not care for R rated comedy shows and didn't even like the ones on Allure. - The early show is always family-friendly and more PG
> 
> - less attractions on the ship. I guess we will lay around more? My DD will be 19 by then and I am worried she will be bored. She loves organized activities and will already miss the teen club. - Ropes course, water works, mini golf, etc should keep your teens active!
> 
> - fewer daytime activities. Not into the sexiest man contest, the casino or trivia but love line dance classes, dance parties and organized activities. Will there be enough for us to do? - There are dance classes, organized games that are not trivia like cornhole, etc plus the Groove for St Jude usually on the last sea day
> 
> - overall vibe. We are not into raunchy things but are generally good at avoiding things we don't like. - If you avoid Lido from about 1 - 3 you should be good!  I've never seen anything really raunchy but we also don't go to the nightclubs or stay our past about 10!
> 
> Would love to hear from experienced Carnival cruisers.



I've answered some above.  My kids have been cruising Carnival since they were 7, 9 & 16.  I have never felt they were unsafe or not in a family friendly environment.  You can avoid the things you find offensive (I hate the hairy chest contest, it's just gross!) and seek out music or fun stuff that you know you will enjoy.  The Breeze is a great ship!  Your teens will love the variety of food at lunch especially.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> I've answered some above.  My kids have been cruising Carnival since they were 7, 9 & 16.  I have never felt they were unsafe or not in a family friendly environment.  You can avoid the things you find offensive (I hate the hairy chest contest, it's just gross!) and seek out music or fun stuff that you know you will enjoy.  The Breeze is a great ship!  Your teens will love the variety of food at lunch especially.


Our teen who is very reserved and studious loves to go watch the hairy chest contest.  Lol.  He always gives us a play by play at dinner that night.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Our teen who is very reserved and studious loves to go watch the hairy chest contest.  Lol.  He always gives us a play by play at dinner that night.



I'm not sure I could handle that while eating!


----------



## Numtini

Just the existence of stuff like that is a turnoff. I have that reaction to a lot of stuff on other lines. I think it was an RCL drink thing I saw and everything is sexy this and all that. I'm not a prude, my idea of a romantic movie is Deadpool, but this kind of thing just so tacky and low rent.

The long Princess writeup is the first time I read something and was like "oh, that sounds great." I just wish it had some waterslides. Our daughter would kill me if I booked a ship without a slide.


----------



## mevelandry

elaine amj said:


> I am considering Carnival for our next cruise but a bit hesitant about it. We have cruised on the Disney Dream (loved it) and our latest was on the RCCL Allure of the Seas. We really enjoyed the megaship experience so I am hesitant about a smaller ship. Looking at the Carnival Breeze in late August or the Carnival Legend in March.
> 
> From what I gather, the main differences are:
> - no major Broadway-like shows, just productions put on by the crew. I generally like even corny variety shows so while we will miss the high quality shows, I imagine we will still be entertained.
> 
> - food more or less the same. We are easy to please so I have no worries here.   More choices, and IMO much better options, especially outside of the dining room (dining room to me is similar to DCL), more specialty dining options and just as good as DCL but much more affordable!
> 
> - teen club sounds pretty good, which will be nice for my DS17.
> 
> - a lot more comedy shows. I am worried about this as we generally do not care for R rated comedy shows and didn't even like the ones on Allure. There are PG shows as well. You can always try one for each comedians and see how it goes.
> 
> - *less attractions on the ship.* I guess we will lay around more? My DD will be 19 by then and I am worried she will be bored. She loves organized activities and will already miss the teen club. Depend on the ship. Some of the new ships like Breeze have more attractions/activities available than on DCL.
> 
> - fewer daytime activities. Not into the sexiest man contest, the casino or trivia but love line dance classes, dance parties and organized activities. Will there be enough for us to do? IMO, yes. Feel free to look for old Fun Times online.
> 
> - overall vibe. We are not into raunchy things but are generally good at avoiding things we don't like. Look for longer cruises. The odds of it being quiet are even greater.
> 
> Would love to hear from experienced Carnival cruisers.



My comments in blue...    To DCL lovers, I would recommend new ships. They are in better shape and definitely have more to offer.


----------



## mevelandry

Numtini said:


> Just the existence of stuff like that is a turnoff. I have that reaction to a lot of stuff on other lines. I think it was an RCL drink thing I saw and everything is sexy this and all that. *I'm not a prude, my idea of a romantic movie is Deadpool, but this kind of thing just so tacky and low rent.*
> 
> The long Princess writeup is the first time I read something and was like "oh, that sounds great." I just wish it had some waterslides. Our daughter would kill me if I booked a ship without a slide.



I agree. This is not something I am super comfortable with either... so I always find something else to do during that time.

But Carnival is going more and more family friendly. I believe that this activity's days are numbered.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> I'm not sure I could handle that while eating!



I think the funniest anecdote he's ever told us was from the dream out of NOLA.  He said a cool looking guy stood up to do his thing and took off his Tommy bahama type shirt whirled it around his head and screamed into the mike, "Live from the Dream, I'm from New York, baby!"  And the crowd went wild.  I guess southerners do love Yankees after all, because he won that stick on a ship.


----------



## hdrolfe

elaine amj said:


> I am considering Carnival for our next cruise but a bit hesitant about it. We have cruised on the Disney Dream (loved it) and our latest was on the RCCL Allure of the Seas. We really enjoyed the megaship experience so I am hesitant about a smaller ship. Looking at the Carnival Breeze in late August or the Carnival Legend in March.
> 
> From what I gather, the main differences are:
> - no major Broadway-like shows, just productions put on by the crew. I generally like even corny variety shows so while we will miss the high quality shows, I imagine we will still be entertained.
> 
> - food more or less the same. We are easy to please so I have no worries here.
> 
> - teen club sounds pretty good, which will be nice for my DS17.
> 
> - a lot more comedy shows. I am worried about this as we generally do not care for R rated comedy shows and didn't even like the ones on Allure.
> 
> - less attractions on the ship. I guess we will lay around more? My DD will be 19 by then and I am worried she will be bored. She loves organized activities and will already miss the teen club.
> 
> - fewer daytime activities. Not into the sexiest man contest, the casino or trivia but love line dance classes, dance parties and organized activities. Will there be enough for us to do?
> 
> - overall vibe. We are not into raunchy things but are generally good at avoiding things we don't like.
> 
> Would love to hear from experienced Carnival cruisers.



So there are family comedy shows, they seem to be quite popular though I have not attended. They are quite clear which are family friendly and which are not. 

I would guess the water slides, and ropes course would be fun for your 19-year-old. There are also other activities, there is one on learning to do the towel animals, and other types as well, that are age appropriate and would keep you guys busy. There is also a quieter pool at the back of the ship. I don't like the hairy chest contests etc either, but find it happens around the main pool, and there are other options. They have Lip Sync Battles as well, which are a lot of fun. They involved the kids club for the finale which my son really enjoyed, and the audience seemed to as well. 

I have not cruise Disney, my son started at age 5 on Carnival, we have also done Royal (though not on Oasis class) and he prefers Carnival, it is more fun and more for him to do. He loves to be active and on the go.


----------



## Monykalyn

Does anyone follow any cruise or travel podcasts?
I follow a channel on Youtube: EECC Travels. The couple that do the videos are everyday people who love cruises (they have 4 kids, older teens and have cruised Carnival, NCL and Disney) and recently they did a quick comparison/thoughts on their recent (and first) DCL cruise vs Carnival (with a couple references to NCL). I am not the experienced cruiser but I found it very interesting.


----------



## darnheather

Monykalyn said:


> Does anyone follow any cruise or travel podcasts?
> I follow a channel on Youtube: EECC Travels. The couple that do the videos are everyday people who love cruises (they have 4 kids, older teens and have cruised Carnival, NCL and Disney) and recently they did a quick comparison/thoughts on their recent (and first) DCL cruise vs Carnival (with a couple references to NCL). I am not the experienced cruiser but I found it very interesting.



Not a podcast but I adore Cruising with Wheels on Youtube. A married couple discuss what is like to travel when one is in a wheelchair. They mostly cruise on NCL. They also sometimes bring up other disabilities which I appreciate, but in general it's a nice way to see what NCL offers.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

elaine amj said:


> I am considering Carnival for our next cruise but a bit hesitant about it. We have cruised on the Disney Dream (loved it) and our latest was on the RCCL Allure of the Seas. We really enjoyed the megaship experience so I am hesitant about a smaller ship. Looking at the Carnival Breeze in late August or the Carnival Legend in March.
> 
> From what I gather, the main differences are:
> - no major Broadway-like shows, just productions put on by the crew. I generally like even corny variety shows so while we will miss the high quality shows, I imagine we will still be entertained.
> 
> - food more or less the same. We are easy to please so I have no worries here.
> 
> - teen club sounds pretty good, which will be nice for my DS17.
> 
> - a lot more comedy shows. I am worried about this as we generally do not care for R rated comedy shows and didn't even like the ones on Allure.
> 
> - less attractions on the ship. I guess we will lay around more? My DD will be 19 by then and I am worried she will be bored. She loves organized activities and will already miss the teen club.
> 
> - fewer daytime activities. Not into the sexiest man contest, the casino or trivia but love line dance classes, dance parties and organized activities. Will there be enough for us to do?
> 
> - overall vibe. We are not into raunchy things but are generally good at avoiding things we don't like.
> 
> Would love to hear from experienced Carnival cruisers.


I would do the Breeze if I was you, it’s the last in the Dream class which is just before Vista class. It’s very similar to Vista. They do have a PG comedy show every night and I quite liked the evening stage shows. All the ships have different ones so I don’t know what Breeze has. Personally, I wouldn’t do any other carnival ships before the Dream class.


----------



## Pens Fan

darnheather said:


> Not a podcast but I adore Cruising with Wheels on Youtube. A married couple discuss what is like to travel when one is in a wheelchair. They mostly cruise on NCL. They also sometimes bring up other disabilities which I appreciate, but in general it's a nice way to see what NCL offers.



Honestly, I'm not a fan of those guys, at all.  I'll admit to watching them for awhile as they did show a lot about NCL (which we enjoy), but they showed their true colors several months ago.  They turned out to be the stereotypical YouTuber looking for perks they didn't pay for.  If they don't get them, they trash the product.  I refuse to even give them a click anymore.  I rank them right up there with those horrible Sea Cruisers women.

I also appreciated the disability aspect, coming from a family with multiple disabled siblings.  But then I realized what they were about.


----------



## darnheather

Pens Fan said:


> Honestly, I'm not a fan of those guys, at all.  I'll admit to watching them for awhile as they did show a lot about NCL (which we enjoy), but they showed their true colors several months ago.  They turned out to be the stereotypical YouTuber looking for perks they didn't pay for.  If they don't get them, they trash the product.  I refuse to even give them a click anymore.  I rank them right up there with those horrible Sea Cruisers women.



I must have missed something. I don't know who Sea Cruisers are.


----------



## Pens Fan

darnheather said:


> I must have missed something. I don't know who Sea Cruisers are.



Honestly, if you haven't seen them on You Tube, good for you.  Don't go looking.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Monykalyn said:


> Does anyone follow any cruise or travel podcasts?
> I follow a channel on Youtube: EECC Travels. The couple that do the videos are everyday people who love cruises (they have 4 kids, older teens and have cruised Carnival, NCL and Disney) and recently they did a quick comparison/thoughts on their recent (and first) DCL cruise vs Carnival (with a couple references to NCL). I am not the experienced cruiser but I found it very interesting.


Oh my gosh, I watched part of that today!  I thought they did a great comparison between dcl and ccl.


----------



## elaine amj

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I would do the Breeze if I was you, it’s the last in the Dream class which is just before Vista class. It’s very similar to Vista. They do have a PG comedy show every night and I quite liked the evening stage shows. All the ships have different ones so I don’t know what Breeze has. Personally, I wouldn’t do any other carnival ships before the Dream class.



Good to know. Still trying to understand all the classes on the Carnival ships and how they compare to the RCCL and Disney ones I know.


----------



## jtntx34

tidefan said:


> *Regal Princess (Part 3)*
> 
> View attachment 390984
> 
> Entertainment
> 
> I am going to be honest.  We didn't go to any of the shows.  They did have 3 "feature" shows throughout the cruise ("Burn the Floor", "Fiera", and, well, I can't remember the name of the other one) as well as a number of other entertainers such as a comedian and a Beatles cover group.  Completely honest.  We didn't see those either.  Actually, we did sort-of see the Beatles cover band.  They did a dance night in the Piazza, and that was fun.  I am not really a Beatles fan, but I will say that it does seem at least that everyone knows the songs.  I will say that the people that we talked to really enjoyed the shows, but, that is one thing that unless it's DCL, I'm not really a main showroom type, and even on DCL, if it's the umpteenth time that "Dreams" is playing, I'll skip that too...
> 
> So, what did we do?  Well, I enjoy movies and this year has been so hectic, that we haven't seen many.  So, I took the opportunity to watch a bunch!  We watched Crazy Rich Asians at "Movies Under the Stars" (known in Princess' lingo as MUTS), and like Carnival, princess provides free popcorn.  They also have nice lounger covers for the loungers and these really nice blankets you can check out.  The Vista Lounge also doubled as a movie theater during parts of the week.  We saw "A Star is Born" there.  Also, once a movie is shown in either area (MUTS or Vista), they will add it to the on-demand video system in your stateroom.  We also saw "Instant Family" (really liked that one), "Bohemian Rhapsody", and "The Favourite" (a bit strange).  We missed "Old Man and the Gun".  So, it wasn't quite DCL's dedicated Dolby Movie Theater, but I would say that the experience watching movies was better that what I experienced on either Carnival or RCCL.
> 
> (Editor's Note:  One of my favorite cruise memories was in 2004 on my DD's first cruise, which was a Western Caribbean on the Grand Princess.  I remember watching "Master and Commander: Far Side of the World" in the Princess Theater.  It was late at night and the ship was going between Haiti and Cuba and the seas were up.  It was fun because as the ships in the movie were tossing and turning on the screen, we were doing a much more sedate version of the same thing.  It was almost like an unexpected 4D experience.)
> 
> So, if you like Trivia, you will enjoy this ship (though no "Ship on a Stick" for you Carnival folks).  There were at least 3 trivia sessions a day in what they called "Princess Live", which is sort of set up like a TV studio.  The trivia was all themed (Disney Trivia, Motown Trivia, 70's Trivia, etc.) and was very popular.  They also used this studio to host most of the "Game Shows", my favorite of which is "Yes/No", but they had the obligatory Match Game and Love/Marriage, etc..  Just down the hall from there, there was what was called "The Library", which in addition to being well stocked with books (more than I can remember on other lines), had just about every classic board game and then some that you could think of and had a really nice table in the middle of the room that always seemed to be in use.  Jenga was popular as was Monopoly.  One nice touch in here was that each morning, they would put out game/puzzle sheets that you could work.  I took the Sudoku ones a couple of times.
> 
> I can't really remember all of the entertainment, but I will say that it seemed as though there was something going on all over the ship all of the time.  For instance, we went to the Vista Lounge one night to see if there would be a movie there and as we walked in the place was packed.  So I peeked in and there was an Irish band doing a sing-along of Irish songs.  I will say that some of that may have been the only NSFW stuff we encountered on the cruise.  But, it sure was fun.  (Not knowing the schedule was our fault.  We really didn't do a good job checking the Patter or the info screens).  Things like this would go on all over the ship.  We'd leave there and go by the Wheelhouse Bar/Crown Grill area and there would be a band or steel drum player there, then as you got to the Piazza, there would be some sort of entertainment there, and that really varied.  One night you could have "The Beatles", the next a DJ, and the next, a string quartet.  BTW, before you put down the string quartet, when we caught them, they were playing a lot of music from "Game of Thrones", which I am a big fan of, so I just found myself sitting there momentarily lost.  I forget sometimes how good the music is on a string quartet, because you just don't hear it much anymore.  Also, the Piazza gets a lot of traffic for the "Pop-up" acts as I call them as both the International Cafe and Alfredo's are located right on the Piazza.  For those that have been on a Radiance RCCL ship, I would equate a lot of this to what they did there in the "Centrum", but I enjoyed most of the Princess acts better.
> 
> One unique thing that Regal Princess has is a feature in the middle of the pool deck that does sort of a mini-Bellagio show by using coordinated fountains and light shows.  They did the show we went to to Michael Jackson music, and quite honestly, after about 3 minutes, we were good.  While interesting, I'm not sure who thought this would be great on a cruise ship, but hey.  I have seen where on the new Sky Princess coming out later this year, that area (between the two family pools) is being redone, which is a nice segue into a discussion about the pools.  There aren't any slides on the ship, but there are 2 pools are of a nice size one in the family area and one in the adult area and 2 smaller pools (one in the family area - and while that one is small it has a large like 6" deep wading area around it - as well as a small one on the aft of the ship - for you Carnival folks, this one reminded me of the size of the one on the Serenity area of the Sunshine).  One thing I like about Princess' pools is that they are freshwater.  Also, the adult pool is especially nice and we never seemed to have trouble finding open loungers.  I will say, though that the adult pool was unexpectedly deep (something I see they are also changing on the ship coming out this year - it will have 2 levels in the adult pool).  I am 6' 3
> and was on my toes to keep my entire head out of the water.  I believe that the family pools were not quite as deep...  Also, by the pool is what Princess calls the "Skywalk".  If you have been to the CN Tower or Space Needle and been out where they have the glass floors that you can look down through, this is similar.  It is actually a curved, cantilevered walkway that extends out over the water on each side of the ship, though one is a separate "walk" and the other is a bar.  Even though it is a bit of a gimmick, I will say it is still a bit unnerving being say 17 stories up looking straight down.
> 
> The Cruise Director on this ship was named Lexi, and we really didn't see much of her (as we didn't go to many of the shows).  I did hear that she was not the usual CD and that the ones that are were on vacation.  That wasn't a really big deal, because I can only think of 2 CD's that I think made much of a difference (Jamie Dee on Carnival Sunshine - OMG was she awesome, and Brent from Australia on DCL - who is now at California Adventure, I believe...)
> 
> Regal Princess also has a very nice casino, and it's right sized in that it didn't feel either too large or too small as they do on some ships.  It was a nicer casino that we had on the last 3 non-DCL cruises that we had done (Serenade of the Seas, Carnival Sunshine, Emerald Princess).  It had a lot of penny games, but also had a nice variety of slots.  It also had the usual compliment of table games, including a "Virtual Poker Table" which was pretty cool and always seemed to have some folks sitting there and playing (I suspected they were there awhile).  A general comment is that the last few cruises I've been on, the blackjack tables sort of sit empty, which I think is a combination of minimums that are too high (one night, the minimum there was $15 - no one was playing!) and that BlackJack only pays 6 to 5.  As a statistician, I understand that a casino is actually a volume business.  I actually think that if they dropped the minimums to say $5 and went with the typical Vegas 3 to 2 payouts, they'd have a lot more people playing and would probably make more $$, but hey, I am not in charge...
> 
> I wanted to save this for last.  My ABSOLUTE favorite thing about the casino was:
> 
> View attachment 390987
> 
> Kid's Area's
> 
> So, here's the crux of the issue for some DCL cruisers.  Will my kids have fun?  To me (well, my DD), that answer is yes, but it is a different kind of experience.  I will start by saying this.  If you are looking for an amusement park at sea (rock walls, ropes courses, bumper cars, waterslides, etc.) then Princess is probably not the line you want to travel.  However, that is NOT to say that they don't have a really good program for the kids, it's just different.  I will say that most of the experiences I can share are from the teen perspective because we only have 1 child, and she is a teen.  That being said, we did see some of the younger ones throughout the voyage and they all seemed to be having a blast.
> 
> So, most of the official Kid's club areas on Regal Princess are located on the back of Deck 17 and are sort of in their own area.  The clubs have a theme in conjunction with Princess' partnership with the Discovery Channel, even down to the Kids Counselors having both Princess and Discovery Channel logos on their shirts.  Having been on Emerald Princess last year, it's clubs were not updated to the newer club look and I can say that the Regal Princess was far superior.  First off, the clubs themselves were a good bit larger on Regal Princess than on Emerald Princess (or what they had on Serenade of the Seas).  The teen club (where we went to sign in our DD) was called "The Beach House" and was really nice.  Upon first glance, it looked like a a very nice large hangout room with the obligatory foosball tables, etc.  However, I went around the corner and saw this!
> 
> View attachment 390989
> 
> In addition to skee-ball (have to admit, I was jealous about that), they also had the Xbox setups, etc.  There was quite a lot to do in there.  In addition to that, the teens had their own deck space similar to what you might see in Vibe on the Dream/Fantasy.  It had the same nice thick loungers as the "Sanctuary" and had a quite large dedicated hot tub for the teens.  My DD spent a lot of time up here.  They had fashion shows, games, scavenger hunts, movies, etc, throughout the whole week.  My DD is not a science person, but they had something in there about how they made some of the "Shark Week" shows.  I would have loved to have seen that...  (They had a lot of Discovery Channel related things, related to Shark Week or Mythbusters or Deadliest Catch - BTW, in Alaska, I think that they actually meet people from the show...)
> 
> Some have asked how many kids there are on Princess, and I think that varies by itinerary and time of year, but we were one fo the initial Spring Break weeks and there were quite a few kids on board.  There were over 150 teens (13-17).
> 
> View attachment 390990
> 
> Another thing to mention about the clubs is that they are strict about their age limits.  On this cruise, one of the 18 year olds was friends with some of the teens, but they would not let her into the club.  Same for the other two age groups.  There were two other large areas for kids.  One for younger kids (3-7) that also had an outdoor play area and one for tweens (8-12).  I didn't go in those clubs, so I can't comment on what they did except for the fact that they always seemed to be full of kids and the kids seemed to be enjoying themselves.  I think that these clubs may have even more of a "Discovery Channel" vibe.  I not sure what all they did, but I did run across the younger kids one day.  They had them paraded outside one of the main restaurants all in chef's hats and chef's jackets.  I think that they had been in the main kitchen doing some kind of cooking with one of the head Chefs.  I thought that was kind of a cool experience.
> 
> Didn't see a lot of kids "hanging in the stairwells" as I have seen on some other cruises (Kids activities are not in the Patter.  In your stateroom on embarkation, you receive a schedule of activities in your room for your specific age group along with an introduction letter from the main counselor).  Also, the pools were popular with kids (as they always are), but the main pool seemed large enough that it never seemed like the "People Soup" that you sometimes get on the Dream/Fantasy.  Up on Deck 18, there is a sports area that has a full-size basketball/muti-use court (by the way, WHAT is "pickleball"?) that always seemed to have a game going on.  The jogging track went around this deck and it was 7 times around for a mile.  Better than the Serenade's 16 laps for a mile, but not as nice as those wonderful promenade deck runs on DCL where either 2.5 or 3 laps is a mile.  Around this whole circuit, they had freestanding exercise equipment (sort of like what Carnival has out).  One really interesting thing was that on one side of the basketball court, they had a full golf driving range net set up.  I found myself up there more than a few times hitting golf balls.  It was a bit unique and I liked that.  I could hit a driver, 5-iron, 7-iron, whatever.  There was also a putting green on one of the decks that doubled as a bocce ball court.
> 
> So, if there's no "amusements" per se, will my child enjoy Regal Princess?  Well, our DD said at the end of the trip, "I love DCL, but I think that Princess is my favorite".  I asked her why and she said it was because she really got to know a lot of people pretty well over the week.  She said that while she enjoyed Carnival Sunshine, for instance, most of the other teens are out doing "stuff" and not together, so you didn't get to meet as many people.  Also, she said that sometimes, if there are 300-500 teens, it can get overwhelming.  She just seemed to enjoy the pace of it all.  It was more "organized".  Games and activities were available, they'd take them down to Princess Live to do Karaoke (or they'd do it in the club - actually, on the Emerald, some of the girls in the club practiced in the Passenger Choir which rehearsed all week and then gave a performance in the Piazza).  I likened it to a post before about how maybe going on Carnival/RCCL was like going to the Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios whereas Princess feels more like going to Epcot or Animal Kingdom.  They are both enjoyable, but different experiences.
> 
> She also really, really, really loves the Alfredo's Pizzeria, so that has something to do with it as well.
> 
> General Thoughts
> 
> Regal Princess is a really nice cruise ship.  We've always liked Princess, but I will say that it will be hard to go back to the Grand class after sailing on this ship.  Things just seem a bit nicer and the space/passenger ratio is better.  Princess, in general, I find to be a very relaxing cruise line.  For Regal Princess in particular, I find that there is something about the experience that just sneaks up on you about the trip.  You get on the ship on Day 1 worried about if I am going to like this or like that.  What do I need to see, What do I need to do, etc.  And, quite honestly, I feel that way on a number of ships, including the DCL ones.  However, on Princess, by say Day 3, I start thinking, I am really enjoying this ship and by Day 7, you wish you were staying on another week.  It's just relaxing.  I found that on this ship in particular, I didn't need to be on any timetable or rushing about to something here or there.  I could just wander and I would happen into something and have a blast, kind of like with the Irish band.  Now, yes, we did plan some things, like MUTS and the Yes/No gameshow, but in general, you could just go to different areas of the ship and if you didn't find something you like, you could just wander somewhere else and you would find something going on.  I really enjoyed the cruise and the ship.
> 
> A few random musings...
> 
> - Princess plays just the right amount of "Love Boat" vibe on the ship without being cheesy.  In addition to the horn, some Love Boat episodes are on demand on the TV.  I saw the one where a female college student tries to hide-away in Gopher's cabin.  I caught myself thinking "What cruise line has rooms this size!"  There were 5-6 episodes on demand, however, they DID NOT have the awesome Love Boat/Fantasy Island crossover episode...  At any rate, the main cast of the show are the Godparents of the ship.  Apparently, the inaugural sailing of Regal Princess (2014) was quite something.  They had the whole crew on as well as a number of the more common guest stars (Charo, Florence Henderson, Loni Anderson, Lorenzo Lamas, etc.).  Apparently, they let Ted Lange make drinks, let Gavin MacLeod do the noon Captain's update, let Lauren Tewes greet people on the ship, etc., and what a lot of the crew talked about was apparently Charo did some kind of spanish guitar concert and was awesome.  For those of a certain age... that would have been a lot of fun...
> 
> If they were smart, they'd rename the Vista Lounge to the "Acapulco Lounge"...
> 
> View attachment 390993
> 
> -  If you are a fan of iTV's "The Cruise", both Dirk and Scott were on our sailing.  I got to meet both and got a picture with Scott (though it's on my wife's phone)...
> 
> -  There is a nice, nautical feel to Princess.  Every day at noon, the captain will come on the announcements and give the nautical position of the ship, the weather conditions, and the bearings of the ship.  He also would usually describe some aspect of sailing that would be interesting as well.
> 
> -  Announcements.  There just aren't many.  It's a nice change from the constant barrage you might get otherwise.  Also, announcements will not play in the rooms unless the TV is on the bridge cam channel
> 
> -  We did not visit the Spa, so I can't comment on it.  A quick note, it is actually on Deck 5 forward, so it's a bit different than a lot of ships that have it on a high, forward deck.  Also, the fitness center is separate from the spa.  It's up on the same deck as the Kid's clubs.  I can say that the fitness center was very nice...
> 
> -  Like DCL, Princess manages to have a setup before you get back on the ship where you can get a nice, cold water and a nice, cold refreshing towel.  It's a nice touch.  Those folks in the Carnival Vista tender line in Grand Cayman that was a mile long (which was right next to ours, which had no wait) were definitely giving us side-eye as we walked right up to tender embarkation, got our water and cool towel and immediately boarded our tender...



I think you wrote this to torture me.  I was considering a solo cruise on the new Sky Princess but opted for my first Disney Cruise instead.  It was a terribly difficult choice, but the tipping point for me was being able to go with my friends who had already booked with DCL.  But your review REALLY makes me want to “Come back new.”


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

elaine amj said:


> Good to know. Still trying to understand all the classes on the Carnival ships and how they compare to the RCCL and Disney ones I know.


Dream and Vista class on Carnival are slightly larger than Disney Fantasy. If your daughter is into fitness the gyms on carnival are awesome and they have an outdoor gym on the top deck with a true running track up there. It’s aweomse. The spa on carnival is also great!


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> I agree. This is not something I am super comfortable with either... so I always find something else to do during that time.
> 
> But Carnival is going more and more family friendly. I believe that this activity's days are numbered.


It's not really my thing, but I'd probably get a good laugh out of it. I'm sure the purpose of it is just for fun. My guess is it's just a bunch of middle age+ guys out there strutting their stuff for laughs. I have a hard time believing its anything sexual or that anyone takes it seriously. I'm also sure it's easy to avoid. 

We all have our likes and dislikes. There's a lot of activities on DCL I find cheesy and juvenile. I just avoid those. The great thing about cruising is that you can pick and choose what you like to do.


----------



## tidefan

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I would do the Breeze if I was you, it’s the last in the Dream class which is just before Vista class. It’s very similar to Vista. They do have a PG comedy show every night and I quite liked the evening stage shows. All the ships have different ones so I don’t know what Breeze has. Personally, I wouldn’t do any other carnival ships before the Dream class.


What about the refits like the Sunshine?


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## Club Disney Chandler

tidefan said:


> What about the refits like the Sunshine?


I guess I should correct my previous statement since we are booked for 2020 on Radiance, (currently Victory). I find it very interesting they are taking 3 of their ships and completely redoing them, time will tell if I like it. I am excited that a fried chicken restaurant by Shaq will be added to Radiance. I think I read they’ll have chicken and waffles which I’m a huge fan of. That’s all I need, chicken and waffles everyday of a 13 night transatlantic cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> Does anyone follow any cruise or travel podcasts?
> I follow a channel on Youtube: EECC Travels. The couple that do the videos are everyday people who love cruises (they have 4 kids, older teens and have cruised Carnival, NCL and Disney) and recently they did a quick comparison/thoughts on their recent (and first) DCL cruise vs Carnival (with a couple references to NCL). I am not the experienced cruiser but I found it very interesting.



I listen to Cruise Radio (reviews for ships I'm going to sail on, mostly) and Cruise Radio News.

I kinda have a soft spot for the "Degenerate cruisers" even though they started vlogging pretty recently.

EDIT:  I have never heard of EECC Travels but I'm listening to the podcast now.  

I agree with them...  pretty much 100%. LOL

I just have a few questions: I don't understand what would be included on Castaway Cay that is not on Half Moon Cay ??? 

They never asked us to draw stuff that they would show on the walls in Animator's Palate... Crush never talked to us... (Are we being screwed by DCL???)


----------



## mevelandry

Pens Fan said:


> Honestly, I'm not a fan of those guys, at all.  I'll admit to watching them for awhile as they did show a lot about NCL (which we enjoy), but they showed their true colors several months ago.  They turned out to be the stereotypical YouTuber looking for perks they didn't pay for.  If they don't get them, they trash the product.  I refuse to even give them a click anymore.  I rank them right up there with those horrible Sea Cruisers women.
> 
> I also appreciated the disability aspect, coming from a family with multiple disabled siblings.  But then I realized what they were about.



I used to enjoy some vlogs of the Sea Cruisers... Until I noticed their behavior towards crew members on one of their vlogs (and I was also bothered by how they would waste food by ordering way too many dishes and take only one or two bites) ... and it was before I read about other infos regarding their personal lives. 

But ... you know. We're watching humans... Humans have flaws.


----------



## mevelandry

elaine amj said:


> Good to know. Still trying to understand all the classes on the Carnival ships and how they compare to the RCCL and Disney ones I know.








Fantasy class on your left is the older/smallest. Personal preference but I would avoid them. They are okay ships, just very outdated and not much to do on them. 

I have not experimented Spirit/Conquest and Splendor class but they have their fans. 

Triumph class is currently under HUGE refurbishment where they will become Radiance and Sunrise. I've sailed on the Victory. It was already a great ship so I'm expecting something nice. I have a strong feeling they will be on par with all the new Carnival ships. (TDB)

Dream/Sunshine/Vista class on your right are the most recent ships with all the bells and whistles. Those are the ships I would recommend to DCL fans that want to try Carnival. They is more to do on them. More colors. Much better decor...


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## mevelandry

smmco said:


> It's not really my thing, but I'd probably get a good laugh out of it. I'm sure the purpose of it is just for fun. My guess is it's just a bunch of middle age+ guys out there strutting their stuff for laughs. I have a hard time believing its anything sexual or that anyone takes it seriously. I'm also sure it's easy to avoid.
> 
> We all have our likes and dislikes. There's a lot of activities on DCL I find cheesy and juvenile. I just avoid those. The great thing about cruising is that you can pick and choose what you like to do.



It being sexual or not really depends on the participants... It's happening near the main pool which is pretty hard to miss if you're in the area. But when you know in advance, then you simply go somewhere else. That's what I do. My husband thinks it's funny. I'm just not interested.


----------



## Pens Fan

mevelandry said:


> They never asked us to draw stuff that they would show on the walls in Animator's Palate... Crush never talked to us... (Are we being screwed by DCL???)



The Animator's Palate show varies depending on the ship and duration of the cruise.  I don't remember exactly which ship has what, but I'm pretty sure we saw Crush on a 7 day Fantasy cruise.  I know we've done the drawings on the Magic (though not on our 5 day cruise), but I don't recall if we did that on the Fantasy.  It's been 6 years since we were on the Wonder and it's been renovated since then, so I'm not sure what they do now (no Crush or drawings when were on, though).  We've never been on the Dream.


----------



## mevelandry

Pens Fan said:


> The Animator's Palate show varies depending on the ship and duration of the cruise.  I don't remember exactly which ship has what, but I'm pretty sure we saw Crush on a 7 day Fantasy cruise.  I know we've done the drawings on the Magic (though not on our 5 day cruise), but I don't recall if we did that on the Fantasy.  It's been 6 years since we were on the Wonder and it's been renovated since then, so I'm not sure what they do now (no Crush or drawings when were on, though).  We've never been on the Dream.



I've seen both Animator's Palate shows... We saw crush on other people's screens, not ours. And never saw that drawing thing on the Wonder in 2017 (post-refurbishments). Cleary, DCL has missed opportunities to wow us.


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## lklgoodman

We had the drawing one on our 2018 Wonder cruise, I wonder why you didn't?  Did you have the show with the restaurant changing colors and Mickey shows up?  They have that instead of Crush on the Wonder/Magic.  We also had the Mickey show on the Wonder for our 2014 cruise.   I don't care for the Crush show.

When they do the remodel on the Radiance, do you all think they will do any updates in the cabins, or is it just going to be adding the restaurants and other public area add-ins, which look really great!  I'm looking at the Mardi Gras, Breeze, Radiance, and maybe the Horizon for 2021.
Love all the food options that the Carnival ships have.  I grew up in Oklahoma so the new Guy's restaurant looks so good!!  I grew up eating frog legs, quail, rabbit, snake, so the unusual menu for the one night, wouldn't be that unusual for me!lol!!  My dd doesn't eat meat, so she always thinks it's gross when I mention stuff I ate as a kid.


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## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> We had the drawing one on our 2018 Wonder cruise, I wonder why you didn't?  Did you have the show with the restaurant changing colors and Mickey shows up?  They have that instead of Crush on the Wonder/Magic.  We also had the Mickey show on the Wonder for our 2014 cruise.   I don't care for the Crush show.
> 
> When they do the remodel on the Radiance, do you all think they will do any updates in the cabins, or is it just going to be adding the restaurants and other public area add-ins, which look really great!  I'm looking at the Mardi Gras, Breeze, Radiance, and maybe the Horizon for 2021.
> Love all the food options that the Carnival ships have.  I grew up in Oklahoma so the new Guy's restaurant looks so good!!  I grew up eating frog legs, quail, rabbit, snake, so the unusual menu for the one night, wouldn't be that unusual for me!lol!!  My dd doesn't eat meat, so she always thinks it's gross when I mention stuff I ate as a kid.



Yes, we did have the colors changing and Mickey showing up on the Wonder. But nothing interactive regarding drawing... Or at least not for us. 

The cabins on the Victory (future Radiance) were already remodeled when we went in 2018 (they look exactly like those on the cabins on the Vista) and already had Guy's/Blue Iguana but not Pig & Anchor BBQ, etc. But the Chicken and Waffles should be nice!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

lklgoodman said:


> We had the drawing one on our 2018 Wonder cruise, I wonder why you didn't?  Did you have the show with the restaurant changing colors and Mickey shows up?  They have that instead of Crush on the Wonder/Magic.  We also had the Mickey show on the Wonder for our 2014 cruise.   I don't care for the Crush show.
> 
> When they do the remodel on the Radiance, do you all think they will do any updates in the cabins, or is it just going to be adding the restaurants and other public area add-ins, which look really great!  I'm looking at the Mardi Gras, Breeze, Radiance, and maybe the Horizon for 2021.
> Love all the food options that the Carnival ships have.  I grew up in Oklahoma so the new Guy's restaurant looks so good!!  I grew up eating frog legs, quail, rabbit, snake, so the unusual menu for the one night, wouldn't be that unusual for me!lol!!  My dd doesn't eat meat, so she always thinks it's gross when I mention stuff I ate as a kid.



They will redo the cabins in the new softer colors, add USB ports, big screen TV's etc.  I was on Triumph (being "Sunshined") while they were doing some of the cabin work and we got luck and had a renovated room. It was very nice.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I listen to Cruise Radio (reviews for ships I'm going to sail on, mostly) and Cruise Radio News.
> 
> I kinda have a soft spot for the "Degenerate cruisers" even though they started vlogging pretty recently.
> 
> EDIT:  I have never heard of EECC Travels but I'm listening to the podcast now.
> 
> I agree with them...  pretty much 100%. LOL
> 
> I just have a few questions: I don't understand what would be included on Castaway Cay that is not on Half Moon Cay ???
> 
> They never asked us to draw stuff that they would show on the walls in Animator's Palate... Crush never talked to us... (Are we being screwed by DCL???)


I agree they got it wrong on Castaway.   I forgot that.  They said that no other line had an island where things were free.  Totally wrong, we have been to 2 others, as you mentioned, HMC and also Great Stirrup Cay.  They were probably only thinking of ncl's new island Harvest Cay or maybe even CCL's Amber Cove?


----------



## Monykalyn

we"reofftoneverland said:


> They were probably only thinking of ncl's new island Harvest Cay or maybe even CCL's Amber Cove?


Very possible as they had done their NCL cruise just a couple months prior...


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## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I agree they got it wrong on Castaway.   I forgot that.  They said that no other line had an island where things were free.  Totally wrong, we have been to 2 others, as you mentioned, HMC and also Great Stirrup Cay.  They were probably only thinking of ncl's new island Harvest Cay or maybe even CCL's Amber Cove?



I asked them the question and got the answer. They based their impression on the private islands they've experienced which were Mahogany Bay and Harvest Caye (which did not include lunch nor "included" drinks).


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## mevelandry

Two weeks to go! The last two weeks always feel like they last longer... *Sigh* I'm so ready for that Land & Sea!


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## lilsonicfan

mevelandry said:


> Yes, we did have the colors changing and Mickey showing up on the Wonder. But nothing interactive regarding drawing... Or at least not for us.



I think - but am not certain - that the Animation Magic show in AP is only done on longer cruises, I think it might even have to be at least a 7 day.  Is that possibly why you didn't get it?  And I was underwhelmed by the Crush in AP 'show' as we were seated away from screens so couldn't see terribly well.


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## lklgoodman

For those that have been to some of the different private islands that Carnival has, which ones do you like the most or are there any that you would avoid?  Looking at some of the different options for 2021, there's so many more options than with Disney.  Every time I look at the Carnival site, I see more places and ships that look good!

Thanks to mevelandry for her review of Margaritaville, I've never been to one so wouldn't have known it's not a place I'd want to take my dd, or myself for that matter.


----------



## mevelandry

lilsonicfan said:


> I think - but am not certain - that the Animation Magic show in AP is only done on longer cruises, I think it might even have to be at least a 7 day.  Is that possibly why you didn't get it?  And I was underwhelmed by the Crush in AP 'show' as we were seated away from screens so couldn't see terribly well.



That would explain why we did not get it.


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> For those that have been to some of the different private islands that Carnival has, which ones do you like the most or are there any that you would avoid?  Looking at some of the different options for 2021, there's so many more options than with Disney.  Every time I look at the Carnival site, I see more places and ships that look good!
> 
> Thanks to mevelandry for her review of Margaritaville, I've never been to one so wouldn't have known it's not a place I'd want to take my dd, or myself for that matter.



You COULD take your DD to Margaritaville... However, I would recommend to pick a table "inside", far away from the "entertainment" (which was in front of the DJ booth/near the pool in Grand Turk) if you wanna eat... And to swim near the Flowrider or at the left side of the shop.

Stay away from the DJ booth and the pool bar. That's where the suggestive dances contests happen.

Among the Carnival private island, I have only been to Half Moon Cay (which was amazing) but I'll be visiting Princess Cays soon and will do a Princess Cays VS Castaway Cay comparison.


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## hdrolfe

lklgoodman said:


> For those that have been to some of the different private islands that Carnival has, which ones do you like the most or are there any that you would avoid?  Looking at some of the different options for 2021, there's so many more options than with Disney.  Every time I look at the Carnival site, I see more places and ships that look good!
> 
> Thanks to mevelandry for her review of Margaritaville, I've never been to one so wouldn't have known it's not a place I'd want to take my dd, or myself for that matter.



I've only been to Grand Turk and Mahogany Bay (which is kind of a private island). Going to Half Moon (HMC) next March and am really looking forward to it. From what I understand it is the nicest. Grand Turk was ok when I went, but I think has been more over run since then. Mahogany Bay was amazing, we took the chair lift down to the beach, were able to find a nice spot but I think I would pay for a lounger/shade next time to hopefully get a better spot. I think Princess Caya is supposed to be nice as well, but HMC is nicer (from all reviews I've read comparing the two any way!).


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## tidefan

mevelandry said:


> You COULD take your DD to Margaritaville... However, I would recommend to pick a table "inside", far away from the "entertainment" (which was in front of the DJ booth/near the pool in Grand Turk) if you wanna eat... And to swim near the Flowrider or at the left side of the shop.
> 
> Stay away from the DJ booth and the pool bar. That's where the suggestive dances contests happen.
> 
> Among the Carnival private island, I have only been to Half Moon Cay (which was amazing) but I'll be visiting Princess Cays soon and will do a Princess Cays VS Castaway Cay comparison.


We were just at Princess Cays and it doesn’t even come close to Castaway Cay.  Princess Cays was fine, but nothing to write home about. 

Full Disclosure, we went about 1 month after they had the fire there, so I think that they may have had some areas of the port shut off from passengers.

One last thing.  Princess Cays is about a stone’s throw from Disney’s new Lighthouse Point property, so it will be interesting to see if that makes them step up their game.  Also interesting is that Half Moon Cay is also visible from both of those locations.  With the possibility of all 3 having ships in at the same time, it could make that area look it Grand Cayman looks with all the ships out there...


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## hdrolfe

tidefan said:


> We were just at Princess Cays and it doesn’t even come close to Castaway Cay.  Princess Cays was fine, but nothing to write home about.
> 
> Full Disclosure, we went about 1 month after they had the fire there, so I think that they may have had some areas of the port shut off from passengers.
> 
> One last thing.  Princess Cays is about a stone’s throw from Disney’s new Lighthouse Point property, so it will be interesting to see if that makes them step up their game.  Also interesting is that Half Moon Cay is also visible from both of those locations.  With the possibility of all 3 having ships in at the same time, it could make that area look it Grand Cayman looks with all the ships out there...



Oh that I didn't know, that HMC is so close to Princess Cay! We saw Great Stirrup Cay from Coco Cay. I don't think I'd want to go to GSC after they do the updates to Coco though, I wonder if you'll be able to see the water slide tower and everything from the other island. Also curious how MSC's new private island will fit in, that thing has been under construction for years! Mind you, I do like them since they are generally free and include lunch. Unlike the spots like Grand Turk, Amber Cove, Mahogany Bay, Harvest Caye, well they are free beach but you don't get a free lunch unless you return to the ship


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## mevelandry

tidefan said:


> We were just at Princess Cays and it doesn’t even come close to Castaway Cay.  Princess Cays was fine, but nothing to write home about.
> 
> Full Disclosure, we went about 1 month after they had the fire there, so I think that they may have had some areas of the port shut off from passengers.
> 
> One last thing.  Princess Cays is about a stone’s throw from Disney’s new Lighthouse Point property, so it will be interesting to see if that makes them step up their game.  Also interesting is that Half Moon Cay is also visible from both of those locations.  With the possibility of all 3 having ships in at the same time, it could make that area look it Grand Cayman looks with all the ships out there...



What would you say were the main difference between CC and Princess Cays? What is cool is that we had a cabana on Serenity Bay and we will have a cabana on PC so I will be able to compare that as well.


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## tidefan

mevelandry said:


> What would you say were the main difference between CC and Princess Cays? What is cool is that we had a cabana on Serenity Bay and we will have a cabana on PC so I will be able to compare that as well.


I don't think that there really is a comparison.  Castaway Cay is MUCH nicer that Princess Cays.  Princess Cays is basically a beach, some bars, and a couple of BBQ pavilions.  In the area for the small kids, though, there IS a small pool, so that was nice.

My biggest gripe with Princess Cays (especially in comparison to CC) is that if you want soft drinks, they are only in cans on the island, so none of the packages cover them (at least our "Soda and More" package did not cover them).  If you had the alcohol package, it would cover those drinks on Princess Cays.  Also, there is no soft serve machine on the island like you would have on Castaway.  We did not see the cabanas, but my DW was here before and she said that they do not compare to what you get on Castaway.  I'll be interested to hear what you think of them.

Also, you have to tender in on Princess Cays vs. docking at Castaway.  No tram either (or bike rentals).  I do believe that they have snorkeling gear for rent.


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## hdrolfe

Taking advantage of the $50 deposits and booked Carnival Horizon for December 6, 2020... only 617 days to go! Luckily I have Disney this summer  and Carnival Magic next March... Really excited for Horizon, it's a 6-night but should be amazing. I booked us in family harbor, and it's a Western to Ocho Rios (can't wait to climb Dunn's, it's a bucket list thing), Grand Cayman (for kiddo's birthday!) and Cozumel, which is always great.


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## mevelandry

tidefan said:


> I don't think that there really is a comparison.  Castaway Cay is MUCH nicer that Princess Cays.  Princess Cays is basically a beach, some bars, and a couple of BBQ pavilions.  In the area for the small kids, though, there IS a small pool, so that was nice.
> 
> My biggest gripe with Princess Cays (especially in comparison to CC) is that if you want soft drinks, they are only in cans on the island, so none of the packages cover them (at least our "Soda and More" package did not cover them).  If you had the alcohol package, it would cover those drinks on Princess Cays.  Also, there is no soft serve machine on the island like you would have on Castaway.  We did not see the cabanas, but my DW was here before and she said that they do not compare to what you get on Castaway.  I'll be interested to hear what you think of them.
> 
> Also, you have to tender in on Princess Cays vs. docking at Castaway.  No tram either (or bike rentals).  I do believe that they have snorkeling gear for rent.



I loooove tendering though. That's one thing I liked better on HMC vs Castaway Cay.

There's no bike rental on PC but there's a bike excursion.


----------



## belle032

Little off topic but if anyone has any Southwest flights booked, check prices. My flight in May dropped $20. Not a ton, but makes a potential February 2020 cruise look a little better!


----------



## lklgoodman

belle032 said:


> Little off topic but if anyone has any Southwest flights booked, check prices. My flight in May dropped $20. Not a ton, but makes a potential February 2020 cruise look a little better!



Thanks, we have tickets with them for June.

Just checked and we got $60 for one flight that I can use for our Jan cruise flights, now just need the other flight to drop in price.  I hadn't planned on checking the prices, so would have missed this, so thanks again.


----------



## mevelandry

I have just seen the virtual tour of the upcoming Panorama and I feel like this ship will be another serious contender when it comes to family friendly cruises and/or cruising in general (I honestly can't see myself ever going back on an old Carnival cruise ship again, the Liberty will be our last... the new ships look way too awesome). 

Disney Doe 1, Disney Doe 2 and Disney Doe 3 have some serious competition, now. Can't wait to see what they will offer.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> I have just seen the virtual tour of the upcoming Panorama and I feel like this ship will be another serious contender when it comes to family friendly cruises and/or cruising in general (I honestly can't see myself ever going back on an old Carnival cruise ship again, the Liberty will be our last... the new ships look way too awesome).
> 
> Disney Doe 1, Disney Doe 2 and Disney Doe 3 have some serious competition, now. Can't wait to see what they will offer.



Haven't seen much of the Panorama yet, but the Mardi Gras just looks stunning (even though I'm STILL not thrilled about the name ). I agree with sailing on older ships now though. I can't see us doing anything less than the Dream class...maybe Conquest class if the itinerary/price is right. 

I still haven't pulled the trigger on the Horizon February 2020 sailing yet and I don't know why! I think once our September DCL final payment is paid then I'll go for it. I mean it's just money, right?


----------



## hdrolfe

Panorama looks great, Mardi Gras looks awesome. I can't wait to get back on Magic and try Horizon. I'll have to keep booking cruises I guess! Also want to get to Coco Cay after it's updated so that's only 3+ cruises to book?


----------



## tidefan

hdrolfe said:


> Panorama looks great, Mardi Gras looks awesome. I can't wait to get back on Magic and try Horizon. I'll have to keep booking cruises I guess! Also want to get to Coco Cay after it's updated so that's only 3+ cruises to book?


The Coco Cay refit looks nice, I just wish they wouldn't charge you separate for it.  I would much rather have it in the cruise fare...


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> I have just seen the virtual tour of the upcoming Panorama and I feel like this ship will be another serious contender when it comes to family friendly cruises and/or cruising in general (I honestly can't see myself ever going back on an old Carnival cruise ship again, the Liberty will be our last... the new ships look way too awesome).
> 
> Disney Doe 1, Disney Doe 2 and Disney Doe 3 have some serious competition, now. Can't wait to see what they will offer.


I'll be working in Southern California for 3 months next Winter. I'll have to check out the Panorama. I should have a week off at some point. I have to agree with you on the old ships they don't appeal to me at all on any cruise line...with the exception of Disney. Disney offers a unique experience so even the old ships have something to offer.
I think it's the mentality that new is better. Even if the service is sub par you know the room is new and clean,  and the amenities are first rate.  I'm really looking forward to being on the first  Mardi Gras sailing next Summer.


----------



## mevelandry

tidefan said:


> The Coco Cay refit looks nice, I just wish they wouldn't charge you separate for it.  I would much rather have it in the cruise fare...



Yeah. We have booked the Mariner for October and we paid for the waterpark... At least it wasn't too expensive and if you want you can "bundle" it with other activities like the zipline...


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> I'll be working in Southern California for 3 months next Winter. I'll have to check out the Panorama. I should have a week off at some point. I have to agree with you on the old ships they don't appeal to me at all on any cruise line...with the exception of Disney. Disney offers a unique experience so even the old ships have something to offer.
> I think it's the mentality that new is better. Even if the service is sub par you know the room is new and clean,  and the amenities are first rate.  I'm really looking forward to being on the first  Mardi Gras sailing next Summer.



I usually don't mind older stuff... I guess I'm just a bit fed up with the dated colors (mauve, pink and orange brulée) and the "busy" patterns that old Carnival ships have. Even though they refurbish their older ships they never get rid of those. 

Don't get me wrong, I still get a great experience out of those ships but the Carnival Vista got me hooked and more picky. LOL


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> I usually don't mind older stuff... I guess I'm just a bit fed up with the dated colors (mauve, pink and orange brulée) and the "busy" patterns that old Carnival ships have. Even though they refurbish their older ships they never get rid of those.
> 
> Don't get me wrong, I still get a great experience out of those ships but the Carnival Vista got me hooked and more picky. LOL


Even the Magic and Wonder are starting to look pretty dated.  I do like the size of the older ships unfortunately bigger seems to be the trend now.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I’m dying to try Mardi Gras!  She looks so awesome. I don’t see us doing the older Carnival ships either. I really like all the bells and whistles of the newer larger ships. We look at the ships as our destination and ports as a place to wander around for a bit. Even at Castaway Cay, we only spend a few hours on. We usually debark around 9:30, hit the beach until lunch and then get back on the ship after we eat. I think we could spend 10 days straight on a ship just floating around the ocean, wouldn’t need to stop anywhere for us.


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> Even the Magic and Wonder are starting to look pretty dated.  I do like the size of the older ships unfortunately bigger seems to be the trend now.



Yeah. The Wonder has a few sections in bad shape when we sailed on it after the dry dock (2017).


----------



## mevelandry

As I am preparing my suitcases for our upcoming trip, I keep reading bad reviews about the Liberty. LOL  (The mod of a Carnival Liberty group on FB even renamed his group "Carnival is the Waffle House of Cruising" or something like that... and announced that the ship sucked before closing the group completely!!!)

It feels like it's always the same thing: I always read a lot of bad reviews before I go, so I'm always expecting the worst.

That being said... Even though I did not like the Sensation as much as the Vista and the Victory, it wasn't nearly as bad as the reviews I had read before the cruise. 

p.s.: I take it with a grain of salt, of course.


----------



## hdrolfe

I sailed on the Liberty my first cruise, it was in 2015 so awhile ago, and it was a 7-night cruise, but it hooked us on cruising! They have a Guys burgers, and a Blue Iguana, the ship itself had a nice layout to me. We didn't do the water slide then but I'm sure kiddo would like it now, and I enjoyed the serenity area, it was right outside the kids club so I had a nice time, dropped him off there and was still close in case he hated it. I always found a spot to sit and read, though of course that may have changed. We had an inside cabin and it was fine! I am sure you will have a lovely trip.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> As I am preparing my suitcases for our upcoming trip, I keep reading bad reviews about the Liberty. LOL  (The mod of a Carnival Liberty group on FB even renamed his group "Carnival is the Waffle House of Cruising" or something like that... and announced that the ship sucked before closing the group completely!!!)
> 
> It feels like it's always the same thing: I always read a lot of bad reviews before I go, so I'm always expecting the worst.
> 
> That being said... Even though I did not like the Sensation as much as the Vista and the Victory, it wasn't nearly as bad as the reviews I had read before the cruise.
> 
> p.s.: I take it with a grain of salt, of course.


I am sure you will have a great time!  I've actually read positive things about that ship because it is Conquest class and that class gets very good reviews.  I would ignore Facebook personally.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> As I am preparing my suitcases for our upcoming trip, I keep reading bad reviews about the Liberty. LOL  (The mod of a Carnival Liberty group on FB even renamed his group "Carnival is the Waffle House of Cruising" or something like that... and announced that the ship sucked before closing the group completely!!!)
> 
> It feels like it's always the same thing: I always read a lot of bad reviews before I go, so I'm always expecting the worst.
> 
> That being said... Even though I did not like the Sensation as much as the Vista and the Victory, it wasn't nearly as bad as the reviews I had read before the cruise.
> 
> p.s.: I take it with a grain of salt, of course.



If it's the Conquest class, we really like those ships! We've sailed the Glory (DH's 1st cruise ever!) and the Conquest this past September. The ships are easy to navigate and have all the upgrades (Guys, Blue Iguana, waterslides, etc). One of the best things, which we REALLY missed on the Magic, was an aft pool that was adults-only! And that policy was enforced. 

Yes, it's an "older" ship, but I would sail that class of ship again with no problem. I wouldn't worry. I'm sure you'll have a great time!


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> As I am preparing my suitcases for our upcoming trip, I keep reading bad reviews about the Liberty. LOL  (The mod of a Carnival Liberty group on FB even renamed his group "Carnival is the Waffle House of Cruising" or something like that... and announced that the ship sucked before closing the group completely!!!)
> 
> It feels like it's always the same thing: I always read a lot of bad reviews before I go, so I'm always expecting the worst.
> 
> That being said... Even though I did not like the Sensation as much as the Vista and the Victory, it wasn't nearly as bad as the reviews I had read before the cruise.
> 
> p.s.: I take it with a grain of salt, of course.


I'm sure it we'll be fine and you still have the Beach Club club level to look forward too. We have annual passes to Disney world that expire in September.  We've stayed at Yacht club, Boardwalk walk and AKL this year.
I'm sneaking in one more 5 night  trip this Summer. I'm using Credit card award points to pay for it and I only have enough points for Coronado Springs. We did spend one night at Coronado on our last trip and I will say the room refurbs are gorgeous. I've always been a deluxe snob, but I highly recommend this resort if you ever want to save a little money.
I'm so glad we spent a night there because now I feel like I have an affordable alternative with all the amenities I need. I can't wait to try the new tower.  It's kind of like trying a different cruise line that costs half as much as DCL and liking it....relief.

Enjoy your vacation!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> If it's the Conquest class, we really like those ships! We've sailed the Glory (DH's 1st cruise ever!) and the Conquest this past September. The ships are easy to navigate and have all the upgrades (Guys, Blue Iguana, waterslides, etc). One of the best things, which we REALLY missed on the Magic, was an aft pool that was adults-only! And that policy was enforced.
> 
> Yes, it's an "older" ship, but I would sail that class of ship again with no problem. I wouldn't worry. I'm sure you'll have a great time!



Apparently the Liberty has an aft pool. Aft pools are always my favorite.


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> I'm sure it we'll be fine and you still have the Beach Club club level to look forward too. We have annual passes to Disney world that expire in September.  We've stayed at Yacht club, Boardwalk walk and AKL this year.
> I'm sneaking in one more 5 night  trip this Summer. I'm using Credit card award points to pay for it and I only have enough points for Coronado Springs. We did spend one night at Coronado on our last trip and I will say the room refurbs are gorgeous. I've always been a deluxe snob, but I highly recommend this resort if you ever want to save a little money.
> I'm so glad we spent a night there because now I feel like I have an affordable alternative with all the amenities I need. I can't wait to try the new tower.  It's kind of like trying a different cruise line that costs half as much as DCL and liking it....relief.
> 
> Enjoy your vacation!



I stayed at all the moderates (My favorite is POR but I believe Coronado will be amazing when the refurbs will be over and I heard it will have a Club Level as well!)  and Yacht Club, AKL, Poly and Grand Floridian. Loved all of them. I don't see a huge difference between the moderates and deluxes (outside of the exterior doors and you walk a little more)...

 I also stayed at Art of Animation and we enjoyed it a lot.   (As you said: relief!)

Not sure I mentionned it but since we'll arrive extremely late on the first night, we didn't want to spend a fortune so we picked All-Star Movies for the night. I can't wait to see how we like it. (We're moving at BC the next morning).


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I stayed at all the moderates (My favorite is POR but I believe Coronado will be amazing when the refurbs will be over and I heard it will have a Club Level as well!)  and Yacht Club, AKL, Poly and Grand Floridian. Loved all of them. I don't see a huge difference between the moderates and deluxes (outside of the exterior doors and you walk a little more)...
> 
> I also stayed at Art of Animation and we enjoyed it a lot.   (As you said: relief!)
> 
> Not sure I mentionned it but since we'll arrive extremely late on the first night, we didn't want to spend a fortune so we picked All-Star Movies for the night. I can't wait to see how we like it. (We're moving at BC the next morning).


We’ve stayed at all the value, (except Sports), Polynesian, (free upgrade to Club Level), Contemporary and Grand Floridian. With the exception of being able to see MK fireworks from Contemporary, AoA was our favorite by far. It could be because we got the family suite for the four of us, but it was just a fun hotel. But for the convenience factor, there is nothing better than the Contemporary.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I stayed at all the moderates (My favorite is POR but I believe Coronado will be amazing when the refurbs will be over and I heard it will have a Club Level as well!)  and Yacht Club, AKL, Poly and Grand Floridian. Loved all of them. I don't see a huge difference between the moderates and deluxes (outside of the exterior doors and you walk a little more)...
> 
> I also stayed at Art of Animation and we enjoyed it a lot.   (As you said: relief!)
> 
> Not sure I mentionned it but since we'll arrive extremely late on the first night, we didn't want to spend a fortune so we picked All-Star Movies for the night. I can't wait to see how we like it. (We're moving at BC the next morning).


We love POR too.  My kids say it is their favorite, which kind of surprised me.  Their other favorite is poly.  My favorite may be WL, but I love them all (that we have tried).  Beach Club is a great location and very relaxing.  One thing that bothered me about beach club is when we stayed there, it seemed like everyone we saw in the lobby or solarium had their shoes off and feet on the furniture.  I know that has nothing to do with the resort but it's a pet peeve of mine.  Lol.  We are staying at Boardwalk later this year which is a first for us.  We have also never stayed at the contemporary, Coronado, aoa, pop or AK.  My kids also liked all star sports a lot but dh did not.  .


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’ve stayed at all the value, (except Sports), Polynesian, (free upgrade to Club Level), Contemporary and Grand Floridian. With the exception of being able to see MK fireworks from Contemporary, AoA was our favorite by far. It could be because we got the family suite for the four of us, but it was just a fun hotel. But for the convenience factor, there is nothing better than the Contemporary.



Which family suite did you get at AOA? We got the Lion King because it was my favorite movies. The theming is so well done and immersive. I don't know why they don't do the same with the other All-Stars. 

We've been upgraded (for free) to Club Level at Yacht Club once. Actually, they even put us in a gigantic suite. I told my husband "it doesn't make any sense, the suite must be haunted" LOL. I was crying tears of joy. And of course we got hooked to Club Level after that... So we splurge once in a while. 

That being said, I believe we can still be goofy happy with a value resort and I am just as excited with the idea of trying both hotels.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We love POR too.  My kids say it is their favorite, which kind of surprised me.  Their other favorite is poly.  My favorite may be WL, but I love them all (that we have tried).  Beach Club is a great location and very relaxing.  One thing that bothered me about beach club is when we stayed there, it seemed like everyone we saw in the lobby or solarium had their shoes off and feet on the furniture.  I know that has nothing to do with the resort but it's a pet peeve of mine.  Lol.  We are staying at Boardwalk later this year which is a first for us.  We have also never stayed at the contemporary, Coronado, aoa, pop or AK.  My kids also liked all star sports a lot but dh did not.  .



Ewww for the feet.

I hear only good things about the Boardwalk. That being said, I've always been scared of the creepy clown pool (other than that I love the theming). Since we plan to visit the Boardwalk area a bit maybe we should just go visit because I keep hearing it's nearly as bad when you see it for real.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Which family suite did you get at AOA? We got the Lion King because it was my favorite movies. The theming is so well done and immersive. I don't know why they don't do the same with the other All-Stars.
> 
> We've been upgraded (for free) to Club Level at Yacht Club once. Actually, they even put us in a gigantic suite. I told my husband "it doesn't make any sense, the suite must be haunted" LOL. I was crying tears of joy. And of course we got hooked to Club Level after that... So we splurge once in a while.
> 
> That being said, I believe we can still be goofy happy with a value resort and I am just as excited with the idea of trying both hotels.


We've done both Lion King and Cars, I loved the Cars room so much.  The thing I like most about the Value resorts is the food court, it's so easy to just go individually and grab something to eat whenever we want, don't need to make a full meal together, especially for breakfast when we all get up at different times.  I really wish they'd build a value resort with family suites at Disneyland.  We never stay on property because we really like to have the extra room, especially now that our oldest is in college.  I have to say my all time favorite Disney Resort is the Disneyland Hotel, she's the OG of them all and the most magical in my opinion, I think she'll always be my favorite.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We've done both Lion King and Cars, I loved the Cars room so much.  The thing I like most about the Value resorts is the food court, it's so easy to just go individually and grab something to eat whenever we want, don't need to make a full meal together, especially for breakfast when we all get up at different times.  I really wish they'd build a value resort with family suites at Disneyland.  We never stay on property because we really like to have the extra room, especially now that our oldest is in college.  I have to say my all time favorite Disney Resort is the Disneyland Hotel, she's the OG of them all and the most magical in my opinion, I think she'll always be my favorite.



Aren't building new hotels at Disneyland? Thought I read that somewhere.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Aren't building new hotels at Disneyland? Thought I read that somewhere.


Not that I’m aware of. They’re pretty land locked, I still can’t believe they were able to build the new Star Wars land. They might be able to turn one of the parking lots into a parking structure and use the parking lot next to Paradise Pier hotel to build a fourth hotel. Even at that, I don’t think they’d build a value style resort, they always are selling out the 3 resorts they have now, I wouldn’t think they would need to build a value to try to fill rooms. But that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Not that I’m aware of. They’re pretty land locked, I still can’t believe they were able to build the new Star Wars land. They might be able to turn one of the parking lots into a parking structure and use the parking lot next to Paradise Pier hotel to build a fourth hotel. Even at that, I don’t think they’d build a value style resort, they always are selling out the 3 resorts they have now, I wouldn’t think they would need to build a value to try to fill rooms. But that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong.



I was curious and googled ... Turns out they had plans for a 4th hotel (announced in 2017) but it got cancelled in 2018.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I was curious and googled ... Turns out they had plans for a 4th hotel (announced in 2017) but it got cancelled in 2018.


I think it got cancelled because Anaheim's city council took back a tax deal because Disney wanted to move the hotel a few feet over or something like that.  The relationship between the government in Anaheim and Disney is rocky.


----------



## Dug720

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I think it got cancelled because Anaheim's city council took back a tax deal because Disney wanted to move the hotel a few feet over or something like that.  The relationship between the government in Anaheim and Disney is rocky.



Hence why runDisney no longer has events on the West Coast.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Dug720 said:


> Hence why runDisney no longer has events on the West Coast.



I didn't know they had runDisney there.  That is really a bummer that they no longer have events.  Great weather in California for running.


----------



## Dug720

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I didn't know they had runDisney there.  That is really a bummer that they no longer have events.  Great weather in California for running.



They had a Disneyland Half in August/September, and I think they had a Star Wars...or Marvel...or both? But the majority of the run was on Anaheim streets, so the city government and resources had to be involved. And the bad feelings all cumulated in the events being put "on hiatus" which at this point seems to be permanent.


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> I stayed at all the moderates (My favorite is POR but I believe Coronado will be amazing when the refurbs will be over and I heard it will have a Club Level as well!)  and Yacht Club, AKL, Poly and Grand Floridian. Loved all of them. I don't see a huge difference between the moderates and deluxes (outside of the exterior doors and you walk a little more)...
> 
> I also stayed at Art of Animation and we enjoyed it a lot.   (As you said: relief!)
> 
> Not sure I mentionned it but since we'll arrive extremely late on the first night, we didn't want to spend a fortune so we picked All-Star Movies for the night. I can't wait to see how we like it. (We're moving at BC the next morning).


I have stayed at POR for a couple of nights and I really enjoyed it. I like having a gym and Coronado is the only non-deluxe hotel that offers that. I was extremely impressed with the refurbishments. The wood floors, granite counter tops, rain forest shower and Kuerig coffee pots were a big plus. We moved from there to AKL club level and although the Club level was awesome the rooms compared to compared to Coronado were very dated and old looking.
 I've stayed at most of the deluxes and if price is not a factor the Epcot resorts will always be my first choice. I will say with the option of Uber and Lyft these days location is not as big a deal as it used to be. You can stay at a value or moderate take lyft everywhere and still come out spending half the amount you would have on a deluxe hotel.


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> I have stayed at POR for a couple of nights and I really enjoyed it. I like having a gym and Coronado is the only non-deluxe hotel that offers that. I was extremely impressed with the refurbishments. The wood floors, granite counter tops, rain forest shower and Kuerig coffee pots were a big plus. We moved from there to AKL club level and although the Club level was awesome the rooms compared to compared to Coronado were very dated and old looking.
> I've stayed at most of the deluxes and if price is not a factor the Epcot resorts will always be my first choice. I will say with the option of Uber and Lyft these days location is not as big a deal as it used to be. You can stay at a value or moderate take lyft everywhere and still come out spending half the amount you would have on a deluxe hotel.



I have to admit that the distance to parks has never been a problem for us. I don't mind the Disney transportation (I appreciate the ride and the voice we can hear in the bus). I have stayed at Moderate and Deluxe hotels because I absolutely love the atmosphere over there.

I'm more into it than in the "in your face" theming... Although I can definitely appreciate the latter, at times! 

P.s.: I'm so curious about the Coronado Club Level.


----------



## SamFaniam

I have a question for anyone that has sailed on the Carnival Vista.  Particularly, we are interested in a cove balcony.  It is too close to the water?  Did you get splashed?  Are they ever closed for weather or sea issues? We like to sail on Deck 2 on Disney and though these low balcony rooms might be fun.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

SamFaniam said:


> I have a question for anyone that has sailed on the Carnival Vista.  Particularly, we are interested in a cove balcony.  It is too close to the water?  Did you get splashed?  Are they ever closed for weather or sea issues? We like to sail on Deck 2 on Disney and though these low balcony rooms might be fun.



We sailed Vista in a cove on an 8 night southern Caribbean and loved it.  The cruise director on that ship is a dream cruise director and makes the cruise feel like something incredibly special.  You will love the cove balcony.  They never close it.  No splashing.  Really peaceful and the balcony size is larger than a regular balcony.  One great thing about the cabins on the Vista is that every cabin has its own air conditioning unit so you are truly in control of your cabin temp.  We kept ours ice cold.  On the second floor, you are first off the ship.  One thing I forgot, just make sure you are not under the galley (noise). We were midship to forward and no noise at all.  But we were under the galley on another CCL ship and it was miserable.


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> I have to admit that the distance to parks has never been a problem for us. I don't mind the Disney transportation (I appreciate the ride and the voice we can hear in the bus). I have stayed at Moderate and Deluxe hotels because I absolutely love the atmosphere over there.
> 
> I'm more into it than in the "in your face" theming... Although I can definitely appreciate the latter, at times!
> 
> P.s.: I'm so curious about the Coronado Club Level.


I was originally booked club level at CSR in August, but needed to move trip up to June or July. I’m anxiously waiting for July passholder rates. I may push it back from June to July if I can get a good passholder rate on a club level room in the tower.


----------



## mevelandry

Fun --off topic--fact: I've just realized (or fully integrated) that the super busy designs of the old Carnival ships that I do not like are all from the same person. 

Therefore, I'm now a self-proclaimed Farcus hater.

**Kidding...I like SOME of his designs. Like the Carnival Conquest and Liberty atriums. But otherwise I usually find the patterns way too busy**

I don't know who designed the new ships but I like them so much more.


----------



## lklgoodman

mevelandry said:


> Fun --off topic--fact: I've just realized (or fully integrated) that the super busy designs of the old Carnival ships that I do not like are all from the same person.
> 
> Therefore, I'm now a self-proclaimed Farcus hater.
> 
> **Kidding...I like SOME of his designs. Like the Carnival Conquest and Liberty atriums. But otherwise I usually find the patterns way too busy**
> 
> I don't know who designed the new ships but I like them so much more.



You must not have grown up in the 1970's.  Those colors/patterns were the colors of my childhood, lol!!  We had bright orange, golden yellow, and green CARPET in our KITCHEN, seriously why did people(my parents anyway) put carpet in kitchens back then, at least it wasn't in the bathrooms.  Right next to the kitchen was our living room with turquoise and avocado green floral patterned shag carpet, quite the transition! Maybe I should try out the older CC ships,  they'll take me back to my youth, lol.


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> You must not have grown up in the 1970's.  Those colors/patterns were the colors of my childhood, lol!!  We had bright orange, golden yellow, and green CARPET in our KITCHEN, seriously why did people(my parents anyway) put carpet in kitchens back then, at least it wasn't in the bathrooms.  Right next to the kitchen was our living room with turquoise and avocado green floral patterned shag carpet, quite the transition! Maybe I should try out the older CC ships,  they'll take me back to my youth, lol.



I did but I don't remember the 70's (I was too young). However, I remember the 80's and having avocado green refrigerator and oven! I'm still not a fan of the colors that were popular back then. The 80's can keep them.


----------



## mevelandry

Lucky you who'll get to sail on the Mardi Gras... They've just added: FAMILY FEUD LIVE™


----------



## mevelandry

So... Apparently luxury (and Concierge) is now coming to Carnival with the new "CARNIVAL EXCEL’ SUITES WITH SELECT AMENITIES & NEW RESORT-STYLE LOFT 19 ENCLAVE ACCESS"...

Those are very impressive:  




In your opinion, what type of cabin on DCL would be somewhat similar to this? (Concierge?)  I'd love to see a pricing comparison.


----------



## SamFaniam

Thank for the help on the Cove Balcony cabins.  We have also found information on the Havana area and that looks nice also.  Have any of you sailed in one of these cabins on the Vista?


----------



## mevelandry

SamFaniam said:


> Thank for the help on the Cove Balcony cabins.  We have also found information on the Havana area and that looks nice also.  Have any of you sailed in one of these cabins on the Vista?



@Club Disney Chandler


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> @Club Disney Chandler


I haven’t, we’ve only done inside cabins on deck 8.  We always book 2 connecting cabins so we don’t have to share bathrooms with 2 teens, I don’t know who’s worse, the boy or the girl! In order to make it work cost wise, we have to do insides. With that in mind, if anyone ever books inside cabins on Carnival, try to get the square cabins, they are much more spacious and have an excellent layout, we love those.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> So... Apparently luxury (and Concierge) is now coming to Carnival with the new "CARNIVAL EXCEL’ SUITES WITH SELECT AMENITIES & NEW RESORT-STYLE LOFT 19 ENCLAVE ACCESS"...
> 
> Those are very impressive:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In your opinion, what type of cabin on DCL would be somewhat similar to this? (Concierge?)  I'd love to see a pricing comparison.


I think they are like DCL concierge and NCL Haven. People on the Carnival FB page are freaking out over them, accusing Carnival of creating class warfare and such. My thought is, if you don’t like something about a ship, don’t book it. Why should others who can afford to be pampered, not get to, just because you can’t. I’m sure we’ll never book these cabins, but wow, are they pretty or what?  Holy cow, some of those balconies are amazing!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I haven’t, we’ve only done inside cabins on deck 8.  We always book 2 connecting cabins so we don’t have to share bathrooms with 2 teens, I don’t know who’s worse, the boy or the girl! In order to make it work cost wise, we have to do insides. With that in mind, if anyone ever books inside cabins on Carnival, try to get the square cabins, they are much more spacious and have an excellent layout, we love those.



Sorry, I was sooo sure it was you. 

I'm 99.9% sure someone here had havana cabins... But who?


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think they are like DCL concierge and NCL Haven. People on the Carnival FB page are freaking out over them, accusing Carnival of creating class warfare and such. My thought is, if you don’t like something about a ship, don’t book it. Why should others who can afford to be pampered, not get to, just because you can’t. I’m sure we’ll never book these cabins, but wow, are they pretty or what?  Holy cow, some of those balconies are amazing!



Yeah, I noticed that. Those who complained probably never sailed on other cruise lines because most cruise lines have concierge cabins.

 I'm actually excited about this. Carnival is going to "officially" get in line with the other mass market (RCCL-NCL-DCL) ...  

I can't wait to see the difference in pricing.


----------



## hdrolfe

I haven't been in a Havana cabin... yet. My son is still only 9 and our next few cruises he'll only get up to 11. Once he's 12 though, all bets are off and we'll be moving up! I can't wait. The private pool area (until 7 pm) and just the décor, looks lovely. We have a family harbor booked on Horizon for Dec 2020 and I'm still debating one for early 2021 but it will likely be on Horizon or Mardi Gras, and family harbour if it's available. 

As for the fancy suites, reminds me of the Yacht Suites on MSC. I'm not surprised Carnival has gone this route, they have been adding different types of cabins since vista, with family harbour and Havana... this seems to be a logical step. Not that I'll even be able to afford one lmao. But they sure of look impressive! And maybe the lotto ticket I bought on the weekend will be a winner


----------



## mevelandry

*DCL VS CARNIVAL - CONCIERGE PRICES COMPARISON**

_* Please take note that DCL itineraries are only up until September 2020 and Mardi Gras starts in Octobre 2020. _



*Disney Cruise Lines - 7 nights Eastern Caribbean - 2 adults - Concierge: 1 bedroom suite with verandah (still available): *





Details: Concierge 1-Bedroom Suite with Verandah
( Category 00T )
Sleeps 5 - 622 sq ft Including Verandah
Private Verandah
1 bedroom with queen bed, living area with double convertible sofa, 1 wall pull-down single bed in the living room, walk-in closet, private verandah, whirlpool in the master bathroom and 2 bathrooms with rain shower



*Carnival Cruise Lines - 7 nights Eastern Caribbean - 2 adults - Concierge: Carnival Excel Presidential Suite with wrap-around verandah: *







The largest stateroom with the best view on the ship, the Carnival Excel Presidential Suite features a separate living room and bedroom (each with a TV), a walk-in closet, a lighted vanity and sectional sofa. There’s also a dining area with a wet bar. You’ll find deluxe extras like a bathroom with large shower and two sinks, plus we put the toilet and an extra sink in a separate room for convenience and privacy. Enjoy your private tub on the large wraparound balcony along with plenty of loungy seating options and an al fresco dining table.

*Amenities exclusive to Carnival Excel Presidential Suites:*
• Complimentary access to Thermal Suites and Havana Pool  (This is a great value!!!)

*Plus, all Carnival Excel suites include:*
• Complimentary access to Loft 19, plus priority cabana reservations
• Dedicated concierge phone line
• Guaranteed reservations at most specialty dining spots
• Sparkling wine and fruit basket upon arrival
• Bottomless Bubbles soft drink package
• Complimentary room service, on-demand movies and laundry service
• Upgraded bathroom amenities
• Coffee maker

*Plus, all suites include:*
• Priority check-in and express boarding
• Priority Main Dining Room time assignment
• Priority debarkation at all ports
• Two large bottles of water
• Pillow-top mattress
• Bathrobes


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think they are like DCL concierge and NCL Haven. People on the Carnival FB page are freaking out over them, accusing Carnival of creating class warfare and such. My thought is, if you don’t like something about a ship, don’t book it. Why should others who can afford to be pampered, not get to, just because you can’t. I’m sure we’ll never book these cabins, but wow, are they pretty or what?  Holy cow, some of those balconies are amazing!





mevelandry said:


> Yeah, I noticed that. Those who complained probably never sailed on other cruise lines because most cruise lines have concierge cabins.
> 
> I'm actually excited about this. Carnival is going to "officially" get in line with the other mass market (RCCL-NCL-DCL) ...
> 
> I can't wait to see the difference in pricing.



I haven't read what people have said elsewhere about this and am reading it first here.  I am torn because on one hand I support the free market and have no jealousy about others splurging or having better accommodations.   But on the other hand, I like having cruise lines with different philosophies and hate the idea that the lines are becoming more similar.  I like choice.  It was nice to have a line that did not have concierge or whatever it is called.  When we have sailed ncl, we definitely noticed the missing deck space devoted to the Haven.  It is also disappointing to me because I do think it is a reflection of our society generally.  And I do think there is a growing upper and upper middle class that wants to separate itself from the middle class which is treading water to stay afloat.  So different from when I was a kid.  And finally, I associate more rigid class identity with Europe (hence msc) and have a nostalgia for a less stratified USA.  DCL and CCL and others lines like Princess were originally much more in the American tradition where there was much less class separation.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I haven't read what people have said elsewhere about this and am reading it first here.  I am torn because on one hand I support the free market and have no jealousy about others splurging or having better accommodations.   But on the other hand, I like having cruise lines with different philosophies and hate the idea that the lines are becoming more similar.  I like choice.  It was nice to have a line that did not have concierge or whatever it is called.  When we have sailed ncl, we definitely noticed the missing deck space devoted to the Haven.  It is also disappointing to me because I do think it is a reflection of our society generally.  And I do think there is a growing upper and upper middle class that wants to separate itself from the middle class which is treading water to stay afloat.  So different from when I was a kid.  And finally, I associate more rigid class identity with Europe (hence msc) and have a nostalgia for a less stratified USA.  DCL and CCL and others lines like Princess were originally much more in the American tradition where there was much less class separation.



I respect your opinion 100% and I agree. I wouldn't want social "caste" either.  

I guess the way I see is that... like in many other areas of life, on a cruise line, we "get what we pay for". I believe they can make it discreet. It's not going to be like in the Titanic movie where the lower decks are locked (by the way, I have learned later when I visited the Titanic Exposition that that part wasn't true).


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> *DCL VS CARNIVAL - CONCIERGE PRICES COMPARISON**
> 
> _* Please take note that DCL itineraries are only up until September 2020 and Mardi Gras starts in Octobre 2020. _
> 
> 
> 
> *Disney Cruise Lines - 7 nights Eastern Caribbean - 2 adults - Concierge: 1 bedroom suite with verandah (still available): *
> 
> View attachment 393772
> 
> View attachment 393777
> 
> Details: Concierge 1-Bedroom Suite with Verandah
> ( Category 00T )
> Sleeps 5 - 622 sq ft Including Verandah
> Private Verandah
> 1 bedroom with queen bed, living area with double convertible sofa, 1 wall pull-down single bed in the living room, walk-in closet, private verandah, whirlpool in the master bathroom and 2 bathrooms with rain shower
> 
> 
> 
> *Carnival Cruise Lines - 7 nights Eastern Caribbean - 2 adults - Concierge: Carnival Excel Presidential Suite with wrap-around verandah: *
> 
> View attachment 393773
> 
> View attachment 393776
> 
> 
> 
> The largest stateroom with the best view on the ship, the Carnival Excel Presidential Suite features a separate living room and bedroom (each with a TV), a walk-in closet, a lighted vanity and sectional sofa. There’s also a dining area with a wet bar. You’ll find deluxe extras like a bathroom with large shower and two sinks, plus we put the toilet and an extra sink in a separate room for convenience and privacy. Enjoy your private tub on the large wraparound balcony along with plenty of loungy seating options and an al fresco dining table.
> 
> *Amenities exclusive to Carnival Excel Presidential Suites:*
> • Complimentary access to Thermal Suites and Havana Pool  (This is a great value!!!)
> 
> *Plus, all Carnival Excel suites include:*
> • Complimentary access to Loft 19, plus priority cabana reservations
> • Dedicated concierge phone line
> • Guaranteed reservations at most specialty dining spots
> • Sparkling wine and fruit basket upon arrival
> • Bottomless Bubbles soft drink package
> • Complimentary room service, on-demand movies and laundry service
> • Upgraded bathroom amenities
> • Coffee maker
> 
> *Plus, all suites include:*
> • Priority check-in and express boarding
> • Priority Main Dining Room time assignment
> • Priority debarkation at all ports
> • Two large bottles of water
> • Pillow-top mattress
> • Bathrobes


I’ll take the suite on Mardi Gras please. That suite looks so awesome.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I respect your opinion 100% and I agree. I wouldn't want social "caste" either.
> 
> I guess the way I see is that... like in many other areas of life, on a cruise line, we "get what we pay for". I believe they can make it discreet. It's not going to be like in the Titanic movie where the lower decks are locked (by the way, I have learned later when I visited the Titanic Exposition that that part wasn't true).



 My thoughts on it are not rigid.  A part of me thinks new things are fun and that I am reading into it to much, but another part of me is really turned off by a class system within the ship.  I do not think we will ever sail msc because of this, they have like 4 levels, it is just a bit creepy to us.  I like the way Carnival has tried to create different experiences (family harbor, Havana, spa etc) as opposed to a more stratified system.  I know there are people who love the Haven and dcl concierge (although dcl's isn't as ship within a ship as the Haven) so there is a market for it.  I like the way dcl set up the Wonder and Magic originally.   Just a personal preference.


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> So... Apparently luxury (and Concierge) is now coming to Carnival with the new "CARNIVAL EXCEL’ SUITES WITH SELECT AMENITIES & NEW RESORT-STYLE LOFT 19 ENCLAVE ACCESS"...
> 
> Those are very impressive:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In your opinion, what type of cabin on DCL would be somewhat similar to this? (Concierge?)  I'd love to see a pricing comparison.


Those are really beautiful rooms. We got  boring family Harbor inside rooms. We'll maybe next time. I'm already paying 6,000 for two room, plus excursions, hotels, and  airfare. I really don't see how people do DCL in Europe. We both have decent jobs and we couldn't do it at today's prices. We did DCL in Europe 5 years ago, but boy have prices gone up.


----------



## SamFaniam

smmco said:


> Those are really beautiful rooms. We got  boring family Harbor inside rooms. We'll maybe next time. I'm already paying 6,000 for two room, plus excursions, hotels, and  airfare. I really don't see how people do DCL in Europe. We both have decent jobs and we couldn't do it at today's prices. We did DCL in Europe 5 years ago, but boy have prices gone up.



This is why we are interested in the Havana area.  The price increase from a regular inside to Havana inside was not too bad and you get that wonderful pool area.  I was disappointed to see that the Vista does not have a pool (or very much shade) in their adult Serenity area.  The adult pool area on the Disney classic ships is wonderful - great pool and hot tubs, lots of chaises in sun and shade and comfy sitting areas, good coffee and adult beverages readily available.


----------



## belle032

smmco said:


> Those are really beautiful rooms. We got  boring family Harbor inside rooms. We'll maybe next time. I'm already paying 6,000 for two room, plus excursions, hotels, and  airfare. I really don't see how people do DCL in Europe. We both have decent jobs and we couldn't do it at today's prices. We did DCL in Europe 5 years ago, but boy have prices gone up.



We are doing DCL for the British Isles this year in an ocean view. If this was not a bucket list vacation with the dates/length of trip/ports that worked perfectly for us,  I couldn’t justify it. 

I cannot in good conscience justify DCL for a normal Caribbean cruise just in terms of pricing (although after I sail DCL for the 1st time next month, maybe that opinion will change!) There are just SO many other affordable great options.


----------



## smmco

belle032 said:


> We are doing DCL for the British Isles this year in an ocean view. If this was not a bucket list vacation with the dates/length of trip/ports that worked perfectly for us,  I couldn’t justify it.
> 
> I cannot in good conscience justify DCL for a normal Caribbean cruise just in terms of pricing (although after I sail DCL for the 1st time next month, maybe that opinion will change!) There are just SO many other affordable great options.


We will be getting on the ship after you for the transatlantic. Our transatlantic is about the same price as our port intensive Carnival Baltic cruise next year. A TA should be less, but you know it’s Disney.


----------



## mevelandry

And she's baaaaack! 

I'll be back this week-end with my review of DCL vs Carnival Liberty... And Princess Cays and the review of our cabana at Princess Cays vs the one we had at Castaway Cay.  

But overall, very few let down and an excellent experience with Carnival. We'll be branching out for a year or two but we are "temporarily leaving" Carnival on a high note.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> And she's baaaaack!
> 
> I'll be back this week-end with my review of DCL vs Carnival Liberty... And Princess Cays and the review of our cabana at Princess Cays vs the one we had at Castaway Cay.
> 
> But overall, very few let down and an excellent experience with Carnival. We'll be branching out for a year or two but we are "temporarily leaving" Carnival on a high note.



Welcome back!  Can't wait to read your review.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Welcome back!  Can't wait to read your review.



Thank you!!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> And she's baaaaack!
> 
> I'll be back this week-end with my review of DCL vs Carnival Liberty... And Princess Cays and the review of our cabana at Princess Cays vs the one we had at Castaway Cay.
> 
> But overall, very few let down and an excellent experience with Carnival. We'll be branching out for a year or two but we are "temporarily leaving" Carnival on a high note.


I’m excited to hear about Princess Cays.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’m excited to hear about Princess Cays.



PC was different but very nice. I'll have more time to explain more in details but I can say one thing: while some people prefer less rocky beach, we loved it. More rocks = more fish. We have had our best "beach snorkeling" experience.  

At this point, I can't pick between Castaway Cay, Half Moon Cay and Princess Cays. I love all of them.


----------



## mevelandry

CARNIVAL LIBERTY VS DCL REVIEW (AND TRIP REPORT)

Part I - Pre-cruise stay

We have started the day with a late night (8:00 PM) flight from Montreal to Orlando at the request of my FIL, which turned out to be a terrible idea because not only did the plane was delayed for an hour but we also waited a whole hour to receive our luggage... And of course we were dropped last by the Magical Express! We ended up going to bed around 2:30 AM. (Thankfully we had only booked the Beach Club Club Level room for the 2nd night). 

Which brings me to our second bad idea: since we were travelling with seniors and they were turned off by the fact that our rooms were not on the same level the last time we stayed at a WDW, we figured sharing a room with them for just two nights wouldn't be that bad... Bad mistake: my FIL and MIL both snore like sledgehammers and no earplugs or white noise app could block the sound efficiently enough for my DH and I to get enough sleep on those two nights. 

But... Moving on! 

We spent the first night and early morning at All-Star Movies. It was only our second time in a WDW value hotel (we usually stick to moderate and deluxe) and I was shocked by how much I liked the resort. 

We stayed in a recently refurbished room. They are extremely comfortable and soooo cute! 
 
 

The giant statues of characters were great. 

 

We did not try the pool but it looked nice enough. The only thing I liked less was that the food court was extremely crowded even though it wasn't that late in the morning. 

But overall, yes, I would stay in a WDW value hotel again. I'm supposed to go back to AOA with my friends (girl trip). We are supposed to book a Little Mermaid room and I honestly can't wait. 

...

And then, we moved to the Disney's Beach Club in a Club Level room where we were welcomed with mimosas and a nice breakfast service in the lounge. The food 
in the lounge was good. 

I love the ocean and the beach so I'm in love with the theme of the resort and the room was gorgeous. 

The staff of the Club Level was also extremely nice. 

 
 

I won't give too much details because technically this isn't a hotel review but now I don't know which hotel I prefer between GF, Poly & Beach Club anymore. They are all so special and amazing. 

Outside of the Club Level room, also in the "Here's what I could book because I  saved money by not sailing DCL" category: 

We rented a cabana at Stormalong Bay (Y&BC pool) for half a day. It was huge and sooo comfortable (with soft drinks, water, a bowl of fresh fruits, a fan, a safe and a tv... And a dedicated waiter!) 

  

We went to Epcot that night. It was nice but soooo crowded. Yuck. 

The morning of the cruise, we've had breakfast with the characters at Cape May Cafe. By the way, this place is underrated. It was great and we've had an amazing experience there. I highly recommend it.


----------



## mevelandry

Part II - Embarkation Day

I told my family that I rented a private car for our trip from Beach Club to Port Canaveral. However, for more or less 50$ more than a mini-van I could get a Lincoln Stretch limousine. So... Of course I went for the limo! So you can add that one to the "Here's what I could book because I saved money by not booking with DCL" pile:



(Here's the driver putting my pleasantly-shocked-family's luggage in the limo while I am LMAO behind the camera, taking pictures of the limo.)

They have simplified the check-in at the port. We boarded around 1:00 PM and within 10 minutes we were on the ship.

Crowd: The most quiet cruise we've ever been on. No partying (at least not before midnight). No people of Wal Mart. Many families. Mostly well behaved kids. Many seniors. Most of the guests were very well dressed especially on Elegant Night --women wearing gowns and men dress shirts and ties-- I have not witnessed a single person being tipsy or drunk. So... Goodbye old cliché. Not happening on this cruise.

Cabin: We were very impressed with the cabin. While DCL definitely wins for the decor, we were pleasantly surprised with by the good shape of the cabin. The beds were so comfortable. It was like sleeping on a cloud and on the first night, we even skipped all night entertainment and went to bed at 8:30 PM.

The bathroom felt brand new with lots of shelves. The shower was nice, we could pick between 3 "water jets". I brought my own shampoo because my hair are snotty.

 
Unfortunately, they could not join our two balconies (more on that later) but both were so large that we could easily fit 4 adults on it and still have room to breathe.



Lobby : I would call this ship "toned down Farcus" and I really liked the look of the lobby. However, I still like the look of the Disney Wonder better.
 

Buffet: The choice of food and quality od food was okay. There was so many other choices (Mongolian Wok, Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana, Old Fashioned BBQ --same thing as Pig & Anchor-- and Deli that I did not feel drawn to each there most of the time.

(Pictures to come)

So... Cabanas wins for the buffet but Carnival wins for the other choices of food.

Pool: I'm gonna give it to Disney right away. Unlike most pools I've had on Carnival, the Liberty pools were EXTREMELY COLD, rusty and in need of TLC. It was the end of spring break but they were very crowded so we only went to swim once. There was spot of rust on the lounge chairs and some of them were dirty... Please, Carnival... I know you can do better.



That being said, the tables and chairs in the back (aft) were spotless and in great shape.



Casino: The ventilation was good as even when the casino was full, the air was reasonably breathable.

The promenade was nice. Unfortunately we did not spend much time there.


While we had no time to visit the Library, it was nice. There was a good choice of book but the choice of board games has been better on other ships.

I did not feel like drinking outside of dinner during that cruise. So I passed on Alchemy Bar but it looked nice.



We've had dinner in the Steakhouse and it was fantastic. Excellent quality. Loved it.


----------



## mevelandry

Part III - Entertainment

The two shows we've seen ("Flick" and "America Rocks") were excellent -- I looooved Flick, it was impressive! It's my new favorite musical revue -- and on the 8 cruises I have done (on DCL and Carnival), this cast was hands down the best cast of performer I have ever seen/heard on a cruise.

They blew my mind.

The Love & Marriage show was fun, as usual.

My only deception was: Trivia. There was only one game of Trivia per day, it was around 5:30 PM every day and about sports. That's it. *Booooohhhhh!!!*

The comedy shows were good. We've had Chris Wiles and Russ Nagel. Both were funny but Russ Nagel was definitely much more my cup of tea even though his jokes were influenced by a much more different culture (think bikers, 2nd amendment, etc.) than our culture (french canadians), it was hilarious and we had fun.

Cookie was our cruise director. He was funny.


----------



## mevelandry

Part IV - Nassau Day

It was our 6th time in Nassau (some times we stayed on the ship, sometimes we got off to buy rum cakes and walk around and once we have done Blue Lagoon Beach Day), this time we decided to do the Discover Atlantis Tour and walk in the Marina Village. I was told that it wasn't that awesome so my expectations were low... But we loved it. It was very pretty and fun and while we felt that the "underwater" aquarium was better in Toronto (and I'm not a fan of aquarium and zoos because I prefer to see animals in nature), we have had a great tour.

Atlantis is a gorgeous hotel. I understand why people would want to stay there. It was even better than I imagined.

The Marina Village was super cute and I was hoping to stay there and grab a bite and drink at a restaurant-bar but my family was not hungry and wanted to go back on the ship (they were tired)... 

But overall, I'm glad we visited Atlantis.


----------



## mevelandry

Part V - Princess Cays & Cabana on the Beach

Princess Cays and Castaway Cay are differently organized so it's hard to really compare them. The adult only beach on Princess Cays is actually a secluded cabana section for adults only. I have not visited it but I could tell the beach over there was very rocky.

So if you plan on booking a cabana on Princess Cays, I recommend you stick to the normal non-adult only cabana. They are situated near a small quiet beach that is half-sand, half rocky.

While there were cabanas there, you don't need one to relax in the area: there are chairs for everyone on the beach in front of the cabanas.

(I believe there are 3 or 4 beaches on the island so you can pick the most quiet ones on each side or the more crowded one near the BBQ). I would recommend the quiet beaches. It felt like being in paradise.

So I'll start with the beaches and finish with the cabana.

Some people hate tendering, I love it. It feels like going on an excursion (small boat ride) and the view of the ship in the background is amazing.

The sand on the beach reminded me of the sand Castaway Cay. However, I would recommend to bring water shoes if you plan to swim because the beach is more rocky. The water is very clear. The "centered beach" looks more crowded  than it really was. Half of the chairs that were put on the beach were actually available.




However, rocky beach = amazing beach snorkeling. You did not need to go far in order to see tons of fish and have access to "Finding Nemo" type of underwater background. Unfortunately, the plastic pocket I bought for my cellphone did a crappy job and most of my pictures did not work and the 2 or 3 pictures that actually worked do not represent our amazing experience. 

The BBQ was good enough. None of the BBQ I've experienced so far compare to the Serenity BBQ on Castaway Cay. But they had lots of little "gazebos" where people could eat.




Overall, Princess Cays is a great private island and deciding which one out of Castway Cay and Princess Cays is better really depends on what you are looking for. We are fans of snorkeling and un-crowded beaches so for us, relaxing near the quiet beach at Princess Cays was more our type our experience.

Now, the cabana...

Having a cabana gave us priority boarding of the water shuttle. Once on land, the place where we needed to wait for our ride to get to the cabana was a bit confusing and not very cute (it was a path behind the shops, between the shops and a lagoon).

The cabana was situated on one of the quiet beaches (2 min walk from the BBQ section). The beach was super cute and private and looked amazing with all the palm trees.

  
(Those were the chairs that were available for everyone.)

Our cabana was situated right behind those chairs. At our right was a cabana and the restrooms and right at the left of the previous picture was a small bar with little to no wait.


(This was our "spot")  4 lounging chairs.

Inside the cabana was a table and chairs. Those were not as comfortable as the furniture in a Castway Cay Cabana but good enough.

What DCL (Price: 399$ for the day) did best:

-The CC cabanas look better (and for what it's worth, the cabanas at Half Moon Cay looked better as well, especially the 2-story cabanas).

-Evian water bottles.

-We had a safe.

-We had a drape so we could change privately.

-Screen over the balcony.

-Press the button to call your waiter.

-There was a hammock.

-Free 1 hour bike rental.

-Free sunscreen.

What Carnival (Price: 199$ for the day) did best:

-The cabana looked like the paint was done very recently, they looked almost brand new.

-There was A/C in the cabana.

-We had free snorkeling equipment (there was none at our Serenity Bay Cabana).

- Better view of the beach.

-Super easy access to the bar, the BBQ and the restrooms.

-Better lunch inside the cabana including a fruit plate, veggies & dip, tortillas with fresh salsa, sour cream and guacamole, plus a cooler filled with soft drinks --we had to chose the kinds we wanted the day before-- and two 2 lt of water that we put in the fridge.

-You could close the doors if you had to leave.

-There was plugs so we could recharge our phones.

-There was 4 loungers so we could all lie down outside of the cabana.




So... They both had pros and cons. For us it's a tie.

But since the cabanas on PC were half the price of those on CC,  we feel that the Princess Cays cabanas are a better value.


----------



## mevelandry

Part VI - Sea Day and conclusion

During our sea day, we sent more time relaxing on our balcony than the usual. On DCL, I've had extra large balconies but they were always made out of "white wall" so it was nice, for once, to have a clean transparent window instead. I sat and almost slept on my balcony for a whole hour.

In the afternoon, my MIL and I went to High Tea. It was not the best Afternoon Tea I've ever had because I frequent tea rooms on a regular basis in Montreal and it made me quite picky... But it was free and good enough. We had a good time.

I forgot to mention that I have tried Elegant Night for the first time during this cruise. It was a complete catastrophy: even with all the precautions I took during travel, my gown had so many wrinkles that I had to go to the laundry room to iron it in crash course and my wonderful starfish necklace (the star of my outfit) broke in two pieces as I was going to put it around my neck and I had nothing to repair it.

We have paid 60$ extra each to check luggage just to bring our Elegant Night clothes (we usually travel with carry ons only)...  My hair frizzed that day and my outfit totally bombed... So, I was not a happy camper. LOL I felt so stressed out that I honestly don't want to do Elegant Night on a cruise ever again.

Overall, we came to those conclusions during our cruise:

- Just like we did with DCL after 3 cruises, we are starting to feel a little bit of a repetition on Carnival cruises so we are ready to try something new.

- I can't stand Farcus designs anymore. I prefer the newer ships and their "less busy" decor.

- I like big boats and I cannot lie... 

- 2 nights will be way too short. And other than our upcoming Land & Sea (Universal & CocoCay), as long as we'll be able to afford it, we don't want to do anything shorter than 5 nights from now on.

So... We cancelled our 2 nights Celebrity cruise and our Pelican Grand stay to replace our January 2020 Land & Sea with a 6 nights Western Caribbean cruise on the Adventure of the Seas (Grand Cayman, Cozumel & Costa Maya).

Anybody went to Costa Maya before?


----------



## hdrolfe

Thanks for your review. I am glad you enjoyed it, and know you need longer cruises lol. I have been to Costa Maya twice. First time was on RCL Freedom, the same itinerary you are doing on Adventure. We took the shuttle to the beach and went to Blue Cay. I think it has changed a bit since then but the beach was lovely, the water was very shallow. Kiddo saw lots of little fish in the grassier areas. Blue Cay is at the start of the Malecon and tends to have less sea grass on the beach. The guac was amazing. 

Second time I got off and did some shopping but kiddo was tired so we didn't get to the beach. There was a Starbucks in the port area. You can also see the bird aviary and the place where you can swim with dolphins.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Part III - Entertainement
> 
> The two shows we've seen ("Flick" and "America Rocks") were excellent -- I looooved Flick, it was impressive! It's my new favorite musical revue -- and on the 8 cruises I have done (on DCL and Carnival), this cast was hands down the best cast of performer I have ever seen/heard on a cruise.
> 
> They blew my mind.
> 
> The Love & Marriage show was fun, as usual.
> 
> My only deception was: Trivia. There was only one game of Trivia per day, it was around 5:30 PM every day and about sports. That's it. *Booooohhhhh!!!*
> 
> The comedy shows were good. We've had Chris Wiles and Russ Nagel. Both were funny but Russ Nagel was definitely much more my cup of tea even though his jokes were influenced by a much more different culture (think bikers, 2nd amendment, etc.) than our culture (french canadians), it was hilarious and we had fun.
> 
> Cookie was our cruise director. He was funny.


Thanks for the review. I don’t think we’ll ever do any of the older and smaller Carnival ships. Flick is our favorite show we’ve ever seen too!  The inaugural crew on Vista was amazing, especially Brett who played Flick, simply amazing. I’m so excited he’s back on Vista again and we’ll be able to see him again in June. 

Cookie was part of the Fun Squad in 2017 when we were on Vista, he’s fricking hilarious. I’m so happy he’s a CD now, very well deserved.


----------



## hdrolfe

Oh yeah, Cookie was the CD on my Magic cruise last year April, he was really good, lots of fun. I don't honestly notice that often. The only other one I've ever really noticed is when I had Marc Walker on a RCL cruise. He was great as well. 

I have a soft spot for Liberty, it was my first cruise ship (as an adult) and got me hooked.


----------



## belle032

@mevelandry Thank you for the detailed review!

DH & I both agree that we would not do anything less than 6 nights for a cruise only vacation. Maybe 5 if the opportunity/price/dates/ports were right or if we combined it with something else. We really enjoyed our 8 night. It was a great mix of port days/days at sea. If we were able to get the time off, I'd love to do a longer trip!

DH has no desire to try RCL, he's only been on Carnival and loves it, but I'm hoping to convince him in the future. We're both hesitant on the mega ships though. We actually have friends boarding the Harmony today for their first family vacation so I can't wait to see what they think. Their 1st cruise was on the Carnival Magic for our wedding so I'm eager to see their comparison!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Thanks for your review. I am glad you enjoyed it, and know you need longer cruises lol. I have been to Costa Maya twice. First time was on RCL Freedom, the same itinerary you are doing on Adventure. We took the shuttle to the beach and went to Blue Cay. I think it has changed a bit since then but the beach was lovely, the water was very shallow. Kiddo saw lots of little fish in the grassier areas. Blue Cay is at the start of the Malecon and tends to have less sea grass on the beach. The guac was amazing.
> 
> Second time I got off and did some shopping but kiddo was tired so we didn't get to the beach. There was a Starbucks in the port area. You can also see the bird aviary and the place where you can swim with dolphins.



What was the cost for Blue Cay and how long was the water shuttle ride? (Currently checking all my options).


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Thanks for the review. I don’t think we’ll ever do any of the older and smaller Carnival ships. Flick is our favorite show we’ve ever seen too!  The inaugural crew on Vista was amazing, especially Brett who played Flick, simply amazing. I’m so excited he’s back on Vista again and we’ll be able to see him again in June.
> 
> Cookie was part of the Fun Squad in 2017 when we were on Vista, he’s fricking hilarious. I’m so happy he’s a CD now, very well deserved.



I'm with you on the small and old ships. Liberty was okay but no ship beats the Vista for me on Carnival. I would try the Horizon/Panorama/Mardi Gras, though. 

I'm terrible with names so I'm not sure who played who on the Liberty but the show was amazing. 

Cookie is indeed at the right place right now.  Who's your CD in June?


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> @mevelandry Thank you for the detailed review!
> 
> DH & I both agree that we would not do anything less than 6 nights for a cruise only vacation. Maybe 5 if the opportunity/price/dates/ports were right or if we combined it with something else. We really enjoyed our 8 night. It was a great mix of port days/days at sea. If we were able to get the time off, I'd love to do a longer trip!
> 
> DH has no desire to try RCL, he's only been on Carnival and loves it, but I'm hoping to convince him in the future. We're both hesitant on the mega ships though. We actually have friends boarding the Harmony today for their first family vacation so I can't wait to see what they think. Their 1st cruise was on the Carnival Magic for our wedding so I'm eager to see their comparison!



We have done 3-4-5 and 6 nights so far. We thought that 5 nights was perfect but 6 nights even better (also, I feel less guilty about napping in the afternoon). LOL

I'm happy to try RCCL and very open minded about it. Trying Carnival after DCL has really made me less anxious about trying new things in the future.

Our October cruise will be short again (3 nights) because we wanted to spend some time in Universal Orlando --last time was in 2014 and we really miss it-- but I booked The Key so hopefully, it's going to make our short time there more worth it. The Mariner of the Seas looks so much fun. 

And the Adventure of the Seas (January 2020) still has a bit of the classic look. Love it.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I'm with you on the small and old ships. Liberty was okay but no ship beats the Vista for me on Carnival. I would try the Horizon/Panorama/Mardi Gras, though.
> 
> I'm terrible with names so I'm not sure who played who on the Liberty but the show was amazing.
> 
> Cookie is indeed at the right place right now.  Who's your CD in June?


It’s going to be Matt Mitcham again. We had him in 2016, but had Chris Williams, (The Flying Scotsman), in 2017. CW was awesome, we loved him. Matt is great too though. They’re both excellent in their own ways. I think the Carnival CD’s add a lot more personality to the ships than DCL’s.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> What was the cost for Blue Cay and how long was the water shuttle ride? (Currently checking all my options).



I think it's changed now, I believe I paid $8 for a chair/drink. But I didn't get the drink. I paid about $20 or so for guac and nachos and a bottle of water. Plus a tip. The taxi ride back was about 5 minutes? The shuttle there was a little longer, it's an open air type that goes pretty slow, it was very pretty to look around. I think I paid about $50 for the two of us for everything.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Part IV - Nassau Day
> 
> It was our 6th time in Nassau (some times we stayed on the ship, sometimes we got off to buy rum cakes and walk around and once we have done Blue Lagoon Beach Day), this time we decided to do the Discover Atlantis Tour and walk in the Marina Village. I was told that it wasn't that awesome so my expectations were low... But we loved it. It was very pretty and fun and while we felt that the "underwater" aquarium was better in Toronto (and I'm not a fan of aquarium and zoos because I prefer to see animals in nature), we have had a great tour.
> 
> Atlantis is a gorgeous hotel. I understand why people would want to stay there. It was even better than I imagined.
> 
> The Marina Village was super cute and I was hoping to stay there and grab a bite and drink at a restaurant-bar but my family was not hungry and wanted to go back on the ship (they were tired)...
> 
> But overall, I'm glad we visited Atlantis.
> 
> View attachment 395601 View attachment 395602 View attachment 395603 View attachment 395604 View attachment 395605 View attachment 395606 View attachment 395607 View attachment 395608 View attachment 395609


Kind of off topic, but how was blue lagoon in Nassau? We have thought about going there several times but haven't done it yet.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> It’s going to be Matt Mitcham again. We had him in 2016, but had Chris Williams, (The Flying Scotsman), in 2017. CW was awesome, we loved him. Matt is great too though. They’re both excellent in their own ways. I think the Carnival CD’s add a lot more personality to the ships than DCL’s.



I agree. That's one thing I'm scared to miss on RCCL. (I'm not sure what kind ofnplace the CD hold on RCCL.)


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I think it's changed now, I believe I paid $8 for a chair/drink. But I didn't get the drink. I paid about $20 or so for guac and nachos and a bottle of water. Plus a tip. The taxi ride back was about 5 minutes? The shuttle there was a little longer, it's an open air type that goes pretty slow, it was very pretty to look around. I think I paid about $50 for the two of us for everything.



That sounds like a reasonable price for a whole day.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Kind of off topic, but how was blue lagoon in Nassau? We have thought about going there several times but haven't done it yet.



It's really nice. I loved it there. The lagoon is very shallow and the other beach (I think it's VIP now) was awesome. The lunch included with the pass was reasonably good!


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> What was the cost for Blue Cay and how long was the water shuttle ride? (Currently checking all my options).





hdrolfe said:


> I think it's changed now, I believe I paid $8 for a chair/drink. But I didn't get the drink. I paid about $20 or so for guac and nachos and a bottle of water. Plus a tip. The taxi ride back was about 5 minutes? The shuttle there was a little longer, it's an open air type that goes pretty slow, it was very pretty to look around. I think I paid about $50 for the two of us for everything.



When we went to Costa Maya a couple of years ago (NCL Getaway), we went around to the back of the port area where they rent golf carts.

https://costa-maya-golf-cars.negocio.site/
(website is in spainish, but gives pics of the carts)

We rented one and drove to Blue Cay ourselves. I think it was $8 or $10 per person to access the beach but it included a drink. We also ordered some food which was good. It was a great day as we had the beach mostly to ourselves. It was a lot of fun and I would do it again in a heartbeat if we return to Costa Maya.


----------



## mevelandry

Oh, I realize that I forgot to talk about something important in my review: the Carnival famous chocolate cake (which is a kind of molten lava cake)

By comparison, the chocolate cake sounds just as popular on Carnival than the Palo Chocolate Soufflé is on DCL.

It was my first chocolate cake even though I was on my 5th Carnival cruise.

Well now, I'm extremely sad that I waited so long to order it.

 It was phenomenal. I had it two nights in a row.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Oh, I realize that I forgot to talk about something important in my review: the Carnival famous chocolate cake (which is a kind of molten lava cake)
> 
> By comparison, the chocolate cake sounds just as popular on Carnival than the Palo Chocolate Soufflé is on DCL.
> 
> It was my first chocolate cake even though I was on my 5th Carnival cruise.
> 
> Well now, I'm extremely sad that I waited so long to order it.
> 
> It was phenomenal. I had it two nights in a row.



But did you get it with two ice creams to make the Mickey ears? And did you add Peanut Butter?  If not, make a note for next time. 

My favourite dessert is on the first night, and I can never remember what it's called but it's caramel and pralines and creamy with crunchy sweet bits. So good. I was sad last time I only ordered one


----------



## Racer X

On our shuttle ride back from the port last week, the people on the shuttle that were on Carnival called it the "Walmart" of cruising.  'nuff said?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Racer X said:


> On our shuttle ride back from the port last week, the people on the shuttle that were on Carnival called it the "Walmart" of cruising.  'nuff said?



i LOVE Walmart!  You can find anything and everything you need.  The people are real and not pretentious.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Oh, I realize that I forgot to talk about something important in my review: the Carnival famous chocolate cake (which is a kind of molten lava cake)
> 
> By comparison, the chocolate cake sounds just as popular on Carnival than the Palo Chocolate Soufflé is on DCL.
> 
> It was my first chocolate cake even though I was on my 5th Carnival cruise.
> 
> Well now, I'm extremely sad that I waited so long to order it.
> 
> It was phenomenal. I had it two nights in a row.



I know people love it but I have always found it to be super under-cooked.  Like it's just raw inside and I hate that.  Of course I never licked the spoons when baking and think eating raw cookie dough is disgusting.


----------



## Racer X

So i have to assume that you are alluding to Disney customers as being not real and pretentious?


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> But did you get it with two ice creams to make the Mickey ears? And did you add Peanut Butter?  If not, make a note for next time.
> 
> My favourite dessert is on the first night, and I can never remember what it's called but it's caramel and pralines and creamy with crunchy sweet bits. So good. I was sad last time I only ordered one



I did not know we could do this. I had ice cream with it but barely touched it. The cake by itself was too good.


----------



## mevelandry

Racer X said:


> On our shuttle ride back from the port last week, the people on the shuttle that were on Carnival called it the "Walmart" of cruising.  'nuff said?



From which ship?

They are entitled to their opinion but I do not share it. I had a GREAT experience (on 4 out of 5 CCL cruises). Not the first time I hear it on this board but I've never "seen" it... Other than the line offering a great value for a low price. 

And I don't get good service like that from the staff at Wal Mart. LOL


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I know people love it but I have always found it to be super under-cooked.  Like it's just raw inside and I hate that.  Of course I never licked the spoons when baking and think eating raw cookie dough is disgusting.



LOL I hear you. However, it must be safe otherwise I don't think they'd serve it.


----------



## mevelandry

Racer X said:


> On our shuttle ride back from the port last week, the people on the shuttle that were on Carnival called it the "Walmart" of cruising.  'nuff said?



Just a side note I'd like to add... Not trying to start an argument here.

I came back last week and said I've had a great experience, right? 

Is my opinion/experience not valid enough for you? Why would you try to contradict it with hearsay? 

It doesn't really affect me but I'd really like to understand the motivation behind your comment.


----------



## Racer X

Well it's not hearsay if I heard it myself.  Sorry don't know what boat they were on, however it in no way diminishes your enjoyment.  Sorry you took it that way.  I think the point is that it is more the "economy" option vs other lines.  Much like Target vs Walmart both have pros and cons.  It helps to have the proper expectation.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Racer X said:


> Well it's not hearsay if I heard it myself.  Sorry don't know what boat they were on, however it in no way diminishes your enjoyment.  Sorry you took it that way.  I think the point is that it is more the "economy" option vs other lines.  Much like Target vs Walmart both have pros and cons.  It helps to have the proper expectation.



Why would you come to a thread dedicated to Carnival just to spew your hearsay?  If you haven't been on a Carnival cruise then you have absolutely nothing to contribute. 

Spreading this falsehood yet again shows more a lack in you than it does in any of us who choose to sail on Carnival.


----------



## mevelandry

Racer X said:


> Well it's not hearsay if I heard it myself.  Sorry don't know what boat they were on, however it in no way diminishes your enjoyment.  Sorry you took it that way.  I think the point is that it is more the "economy" option vs other lines.  Much like Target vs Walmart both have pros and cons.  It helps to have the proper expectation.



I said "hearsay" because you reported  someone else's opinion instead of your own. (You heard them say ...) 

Usually when people talk about "Wal Mart" it's not intented as a compliment (more as "people of Wal Mart" like the website who makes fun of people by posting pictures of clients looking trashy or extremely poor), which is why I took this as a negative comment. 

Regarding the "economy" part. I find this to be less true than it used to be. I've compared prices for my next two cruises and Carnival were only 50-100$ less pp. I have a feeling the new ships will be even more expensive. If they plan on asking similar prices, the older ships are going to need serious make overs.


----------



## mevelandry

Everybody is welcome here... I believe we can all communicate through our differences of opinions without fights.


----------



## smmco

Racer X said:


> Well it's not hearsay if I heard it myself.  Sorry don't know what boat they were on, however it in no way diminishes your enjoyment.  Sorry you took it that way.  I think the point is that it is more the "economy" option vs other lines.  Much like Target vs Walmart both have pros and cons.  It helps to have the proper expectation.


I have not cruised Carnival, but there are plenty of people on this thread that have cruised DCL and Carnival that seem to be happy with Carnival. Why is their opinion not as valid as the person on the shuttle. Is it because they are posting about Carnival on a Disney board and you felt the need to stir the pot? Since you haven't cruised Carnival the opinion that has no value is yours.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I love lobster, I also love soggy greasy pizza. I love dressing up in my Armani suits, I also love wearing sweats and a t-shirt. I love driving my Audi, I also love driving my kids Hyundai’s. I love DCL, I also love Carnival.

Each of the above things bring me joy and happiness at different points of time in my life. None is better or worse than the other, they’re just different.


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> I said "hearsay" because you reported  someone else's opinion instead of your own. (You heard them say ...)
> 
> Usually when people talk about "Wal Mart" it's not intented as a compliment (more as "people of Wal Mart" like the website who makes fun of people by posting pictures of clients looking trashy or extremely poor), which is why I took this as a negative comment.
> 
> Regarding the "economy" part. I find this to be less true than it used to be. I've compared prices for my next two cruises and Carnival were only 50-100$ less pp. I have a feeling the new ships will be even more expensive. If they plan on asking similar prices, the older ships are going to need serious make overs.


Carnival and Royal have a lot of ships. I think when Disney comes out with it's next 3 ships you're going to see the prices on the Magic and Wonder plummet. Maybe even the Dream and Fantasy.  I don't find the new ships on Royal and Carnival to be cheap. Cheaper then Disney yes, but I wouldn't call them cheap.


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> Carnival and Royal have a lot of ships. I think when Disney comes out with it's next 3 ships you're going to see the prices on the Magic and Wonder plummet. Maybe even the Dream and Fantasy.  I don't find the new ships on Royal and Carnival to be cheap. Cheaper then Disney yes, but I wouldn't call them cheap.



I started sailing with Carnival in 2016 and I already see a difference in pricing. Not as intense as DCL but it's there.


----------



## smmco

Racer X said:


> Ok so i was happy to leave it on an amicable note but since you decided to throw your 2 cents here even though you have not cruised Carnival, which makes it as valid as mine.  You are also good at cherry picking what you want to quote.  At no time did i say and i quote, "Why is their opinion not as valid as the person on the shuttle".  For i even followed up with it in no means diminishes your experience.   Your reply shows your ignorance and further interest to "stir the pot".


No I haven't cruised Carnival yet, but I do have a cruised booked with them. I lurk here to read valid reviews. Unlike you I've never given an opinion on Carnival. How could I when I haven't sailed with them.  A flippant comment about the income level of Carnival cruisers doesn't qualify as a valid review in my book.


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> No I haven't cruised Carnival yet, but I do have a cruised booked with them. I lurk here to read valid reviews. Unlike you I've never given an opinion on Carnival. How could I when I haven't sailed with them.  A flippant comment about the income level of Carnival cruisers doesn't qualify as a valid review in my book.





Racer X said:


> Ok so again, you show your ignorance... at no time did I mention the income level of Carnival Cruisers.  Seems that you have decided to take it upon yourself to interpret things based on your own bias.



As I mentioned earlier (yesterday?), the "Wal Mart" term (Wal Mart of the Seas, Wal Mart of cruising) is often used to describe the income of Carnival passengers (which is completely ridiculous if you ask me). 

It's definitely a thing, which is why the chances to see the comment interpreted as such are very high. 

... Thanks for coming to my TED talk. 

Now... *Peace*


----------



## PrincessTrisha

trvlgirlmq said:


> I know people love it but I have always found it to be super under-cooked.  Like it's just raw inside and I hate that.  Of course I never licked the spoons when baking and think eating raw cookie dough is disgusting.



Ask for it well done. I have the same issue - I don't like under cooked batter. I order mine well done (and express to my server that I'm looking for one that's fully cooked) and 9 times out of 10, they produce one to my liking.

In addition to the peanut butter, try it with the other ice cream flavours as well. I really like it with the strawberry ice cream and the butter pecan is good too. I found the chocolate ice cream didn't offer enough flavour contrast. If you like it, the orange sherbert is also good with the chocolate melting cake. I am not brave enough to try it with the lime or pineapple sherbert though.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

hdrolfe said:


> But did you get it with two ice creams to make the Mickey ears? And did you add Peanut Butter?  If not, make a note for next time.
> 
> My favourite dessert is on the first night, and I can never remember what it's called but it's caramel and pralines and creamy with crunchy sweet bits. So good. I was sad last time I only ordered one



Would that be this one:




First night dessert Carnival Pride

It's Caramelized phyllo with caramel cream.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> Ask for it well done. I have the same issue - I don't like under cooked batter. I order mine well done (and express to my server that I'm looking for one that's fully cooked) and 9 times out of 10, they produce one to my liking.
> 
> In addition to the peanut butter, try it with the other ice cream flavours as well. I really like it with the strawberry ice cream and the butter pecan is good too. I found the chocolate ice cream didn't offer enough flavour contrast. If you like it, the orange sherbert is also good with the chocolate melting cake. I am not brave enough to try it with the lime or pineapple sherbert though.



Wait, I did not know we could get other flavors than vanilla in the dining room.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

On our 13 night Sunshine cruise they also had another dessert along the same lines as that first night one though it came with chocolate and some other stuff. 

It was also really good.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> Wait, I did not know we could get other flavors than vanilla in the dining room.



Yes, the dessert menu always lists "A Selection of ice creams".

The selections are usually vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and butter pecan. Plus a sherbet - orange, lime, pineapple are the ones I've seen/had.


----------



## AquaDame

Just a note that I have removed a few personal attacks from the last two pages. Please remember to treat each other kindly in here going forward.


----------



## hdrolfe

PrincessTrisha said:


> Would that be this one:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> First night dessert Carnival Pride
> 
> It's Caramelized phyllo with caramel cream.



Oh yes! that's it... I love that dessert  

My son always gets whatever the sherbert/sorbet is for the day. He's not big on desserts.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> Yes, the dessert menu always lists "A Selection of ice creams".
> 
> The selections are usually vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and butter pecan. Plus a sherbet - orange, lime, pineapple are the ones I've seen/had.



So now I'm gonna try the Melting chocolate cake recipe at home and try it with all kinds of ice cream. 

I also have to try the Chocolate Soufflé from Palo at some point. 

I need to do a cruise themed party ASAP.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

mevelandry said:


> So now I'm gonna try the Melting chocolate cake recipe at home and try it with all kinds of ice cream.
> 
> I also have to try the Chocolate Soufflé from Palo at some point.
> 
> I need to do a cruise themed party ASAP.



I've always thought it would be great with cookies and cream ice cream!  the creamy vanilla with the bit of cookie crunch enhancing the rich chocolate melting cake.


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> I've always thought it would be great with cookies and cream ice cream!  the creamy vanilla with the bit of cookie crunch enhancing the rich chocolate melting cake.



Ohhhhh yessss!!!!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I think I’m the only person on the planet that doesn’t like the Chocolate Melting Cake, I’ll try it again and ask for it well done in June. My favorite Carnival dessert is the Bitter n Blanc, I go nuts for that. I think they only have it on 8 night and longer cruises though.


----------



## Monykalyn

mevelandry said:


> So now I'm gonna try the Melting chocolate cake recipe at home and try it with all kinds of ice cream.


I have a crockpot version I make at home (small crock), made mistake of telling my son that the cruise will have it as a option every night in dining room along with unlimited ice cream...he’s 13 and eats everything in sight and skinny as a rail. I’ll gain cruise weight and not eat dessert every night and he’ll eat 3 desserts a night and gain no weight. I’ve also been craving a Guy’s burger...


----------



## hdrolfe

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think I’m the only person on the planet that doesn’t like the Chocolate Melting Cake, I’ll try it again and ask for it well done in June. My favorite Carnival dessert is the Bitter n Blanc, I go nuts for that. I think they only have it on 8 night and longer cruises though.



I had it on my last cruise that was 7 nights. It was pretty good too.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think I’m the only person on the planet that doesn’t like the Chocolate Melting Cake, I’ll try it again and ask for it well done in June. My favorite Carnival dessert is the Bitter n Blanc, I go nuts for that. I think they only have it on 8 night and longer cruises though.



This one sounds good too.


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> I have a crockpot version I make at home (small crock), made mistake of telling my son that the cruise will have it as a option every night in dining room along with unlimited ice cream...he’s 13 and eats everything in sight and skinny as a rail. I’ll gain cruise weight and not eat dessert every night and he’ll eat 3 desserts a night and gain no weight. I’ve also been craving a Guy’s burger...



The deal I did with myself on the last cruise (because I was fresh out of a diet) was that I would only eat half a Guy's Burger... I did. 

 But I did eat a whole Melting chocolate cake. LOL 

I celebrated my 40 year old birthday on that cruise. I gain weight more easily than when I was young. I tought I could count on climbing the stairs and go to the gym but with my FIL and MIL (seniors, in bad shape) we took the elevator almost every single time. And I gained 3 pounds. Boooh!!!


----------



## Lynne G

Thank you for this thread.  While I've cruised with my DH a very long time ago with Royal, and as a family (kids now are 17 and 21) we've sailed 3 times on DCL, with the first, me and the kids, when they were 12 and 15, on a last minute decent priced Fantasy, then the next year, just my DH and I on the Dream, and this January, went on a military discounted DCL Magic with my oldest kid.  But, even with military discounts, and last minute pricing, DCL is getting to expensive for us.  For January 2020, we are doing a Western on Carnival.  For what I paid for an extended veranda, was almost half of what DCL wanted.  So, while the kids are not happy about the decor on the ship, and unhappy about the western ports, I am excited, and hoping the gulf water is warmer than the Atlantic we did this January.  

So, if any one has info on Cozumel, Belize, Rotan, and Grand Cayman ports, I'd be appreciate.  I've been looking at tours online, but not sure which ones yet.  

And, it will be the first time we tender, and first time on Carnival, for 7 nights.


----------



## mevelandry

Lynne G said:


> Thank you for this thread.  While I've cruised with my DH a very long time ago with Royal, and as a family (kids now are 17 and 21) we've sailed 3 times on DCL, with the first, me and the kids, when they were 12 and 15, on a last minute decent priced Fantasy, then the next year, just my DH and I on the Dream, and this January, went on a military discounted DCL Magic with my oldest kid.  But, even with military discounts, and last minute pricing, DCL is getting to expensive for us.  For January 2020, we are doing a Western on Carnival.  For what I paid for an extended veranda, was almost half of what DCL wanted.  So, while the kids are not happy about the decor on the ship, and unhappy about the western ports, I am excited, and hoping the gulf water is warmer than the Atlantic we did this January.
> 
> So, if any one has info on Cozumel, Belize, Rotan, and Grand Cayman ports, I'd be appreciate.  I've been looking at tours online, but not sure which ones yet.
> 
> And, it will be the first time we tender, and first time on Carnival, for 7 nights.



Welcome! Which ship are you sailing on?

For Grand Cayman, I'd definitely recommend the Royal Palms Beach Club. It's just a 4$/pp cab ride away. You can rent a cabana on the beach for 125$ USD... it's just a tent with a table with lounger chairs really but it gives you some shade, is very well situated, and guarantees your entrance at the Beach Club. But if you want to save money, you can also just pay the 2$ entrance fee and rent chairs (10$ each) and umbrellas (15$ each)! The place is very clean and the food they sell is pretty good. There's a nice pool and the beach is amazing.

And you simply can't get bored in Cozumel. There's way too many excursions options.


----------



## Lynne G

mevelandry said:


> Welcome! Which ship are you sailing on?
> 
> For Grand Cayman, I'd definitely recommend the Royal Palms Beach Club. It's just a 4$/pp cab ride away. You can rent a cabana on the beach for 125$ USD... it's just a tent with a table with lounger chairs really but it gives you some shade, is very well situated, and guarantees your entrance at the Beach Club. But if you want to save money, you can also just pay the 2$ entrance fee and rent chairs (10$ each) and umbrellas (15$ each)! The place is very clean and the food they sell is pretty good. There's a nice pool and the beach is amazing.
> 
> And you simply can't get bored in Cozumel. There's way too many excursions options.




Thanks for the info.  The Legend, from Tampa.  I'll admit, the decor is loud.


----------



## hdrolfe

Lynne G said:


> Thank you for this thread.  While I've cruised with my DH a very long time ago with Royal, and as a family (kids now are 17 and 21) we've sailed 3 times on DCL, with the first, me and the kids, when they were 12 and 15, on a last minute decent priced Fantasy, then the next year, just my DH and I on the Dream, and this January, went on a military discounted DCL Magic with my oldest kid.  But, even with military discounts, and last minute pricing, DCL is getting to expensive for us.  For January 2020, we are doing a Western on Carnival.  For what I paid for an extended veranda, was almost half of what DCL wanted.  So, while the kids are not happy about the decor on the ship, and unhappy about the western ports, I am excited, and hoping the gulf water is warmer than the Atlantic we did this January.
> 
> So, if any one has info on Cozumel, Belize, Rotan, and Grand Cayman ports, I'd be appreciate.  I've been looking at tours online, but not sure which ones yet.
> 
> And, it will be the first time we tender, and first time on Carnival, for 7 nights.



For tendering you have two choices to speed things up (make it easier to get off the ship), you can get Faster to the Fun (which has other benefits as well, one per cabin is needed) or you can book your excursion through Carnival. Since you have two tender ports, I'd recommend FTTF but if it's not available it's not the end of the world, I did not have it when I went to Belize and was still able to be in the first tender off the ship by getting to the meeting spot early.

Cozumel - so many great places to go, beaches, I'm sure you can find a great spot depending on how active you want to be.
Belize - cave tubing is a popular option, as well as zip lining. They will offer an excursion through the ship or you can go with a private vendor. We did cave tubing and it was ok, I think we'd have preferred one of the beaches. Oh, there is also a swim with sharks excursion if you like snorkeling 
Roatan - there is a free beach near the ship, walk off and down the path and voila! You can spend money there to get a shade or take the chair lift, we did the chair lift and my kiddo enjoyed it (he was 8).
Grand Cayman - sting rays. We did a private excursion there and swam with the sting rays, went snorkeling and then to a beach, lunch included. It was amazing. My son (he was 7 then) says it is his favourite port. I believe Carnival offers this excursion as well. If you have already done the sting ray thing, then I'd suggest 7-mile beach or an AI.

Which ship will you be on? Some are better than others, I'm guessing Conquest based on your itinerary and Jan 2020. It is an older ship but there is a water slide, a nice serenity area for adults, the good food options  like Guys Burgers and Blue Iguana. And it's not too big so even tendering shouldn't be a big deal. There is also mini golf which is fun.

Ha I was wrong! Legend... hmm... I'm not as familiar with it. I believe it has a water park area at the back with a few water slides though, and should still have Guys and Blue Iguana. I am sure you will have fun!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I can't believe I am saying this but I think we are canceling our Legend Med cruise for next year and trying RCCL!  The kids weren't going to come with us because they just wanted a relaxing beach vacation.  We talked about a compromise or what we could do that would make everyone happy.  They said they were burned out on Carnival but got excited about the big Royal ships with rock walls and ice skating.  I believe a few days at WDW or Universal were also mentioned.   So, it's back to the drawing board to see what we can do to make everyone happy.


----------



## Lynne G

Thank you so much, hdrolfe.  Yep, Legend.  I think they have 2 slides on the back of the ship, with kids water play area.  I'll see if my kids want to do those slides or not.  And yep, we love snorkeling, me and my younger one would do the zip lines, I doubt my older one would want to do so.  My younger one's summer job is helping kids go on a zip line.  So, looking at maybe doing it private, on Roatan.  Swim with sharks or rays sounds right up our alley too.  I'll compare from ship versus buy on my own.  I bought on my own, when I went  on our 7 day DCL, and worked out fine, on St. Martin.  Was much cheaper, and only my family and a couple, from a different ship, were in the tour we booked.


----------



## hdrolfe

Lynne G said:


> Thank you so much, hdrolfe.  Yep, Legend.  I think they have 2 slides on the back of the ship, with kids water play area.  I'll see if my kids want to do those slides or not.  And yep, we love snorkeling, me and my younger one would do the zip lines, I doubt my older one would want to do so.  My younger one's summer job is helping kids go on a zip line.  So, looking at maybe doing it private, on Roatan.  Swim with sharks or rays sounds right up our alley too.  I'll compare from ship versus buy on my own.  I bought on my own, when I went  on our 7 day DCL, and worked out fine, on St. Martin.  Was much cheaper, and only my family and a couple, from a different ship, were in the tour we booked.



In Roatan, you can do the zipline at the beach, I'm not sure of the cost but basically you don't really leave the cruise compound area. Get driven up a hill and end up ziplining down to the beach. Then hang out there. Not as exciting as Belize, but still fun. In Belize the company we went with had a combo tour that was cave tubing and zipline, we were all on the same bus so perhaps if some of you want to do both and some not you could make that work? The cave tubing was interesting, just kiddo's tube was too big for him so he kept sliding down into it and had a hard time seeing. The hike was nice to get to the start of the river, but it was too long. I think if we had been doing both it would have moved along faster. It was a nice time, but one and done for us. I'm sure you can find lots to do. I generally prefer the Weestern itins because there are so many options at all the stops, you never have to repeat what you did the previous visit!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I can't believe I am saying this but I think we are canceling our Legend Med cruise for next year and trying RCCL!  The kids weren't going to come with us because they just wanted a relaxing beach vacation.  We talked about a compromise or what we could do that would make everyone happy.  They said they were burned out on Carnival but got excited about the big Royal ships with rock walls and ice skating.  I believe a few days at WDW or Universal were also mentioned.   So, it's back to the drawing board to see what we can do to make everyone happy.



Cool! Let us know which one you pick.  

Can't wait to see all DCL/CCL/RCCL compare/differ... It's also nice to have so many choices.


----------



## mevelandry

Lynne G said:


> Thank you so much, hdrolfe.  Yep, Legend.  I think they have 2 slides on the back of the ship, with kids water play area.  I'll see if my kids want to do those slides or not.  And yep, we love snorkeling, me and my younger one would do the zip lines, I doubt my older one would want to do so.  My younger one's summer job is helping kids go on a zip line.  So, looking at maybe doing it private, on Roatan.  Swim with sharks or rays sounds right up our alley too.  I'll compare from ship versus buy on my own.  I bought on my own, when I went  on our 7 day DCL, and worked out fine, on St. Martin.  Was much cheaper, and only my family and a couple, from a different ship, were in the tour we booked.



One thing I can say about old Carnival ships. They don't always look good on pictures (Farcus designs) but they usually look at least a little bit better "in person". You kids might end up liking it after all.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> So now I'm gonna try the Melting chocolate cake recipe at home and try it with all kinds of ice cream.
> 
> I also have to try the Chocolate Soufflé from Palo at some point.
> 
> I need to do a cruise themed party ASAP.



I make this recipe at home all the time at the kids' request.  It comes out just like on the ship!  I keep thinking they will tire of it but they still order it pretty much every time they go to the dining room on Carnival.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

My almost 17 year old and I love the designs on the old ccl ships.  He says they are vintage.  Lol.  But he listens to guardians era music.  I told him that music is pre farcus design for the most part.  As far as he's concerned it's all cool because it's from when I "grew up."  Apparantly I grew up in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> The deal I did with myself on the last cruise (because I was fresh out of a diet) was that I would only eat half a Guy's Burger... I did.
> 
> But I did eat a whole Melting chocolate cake. LOL
> 
> I celebrated my 40 year old birthday on that cruise. I gain weight more easily than when I was young. I tought I could count on climbing the stairs and go to the gym but with my FIL and MIL (seniors, in bad shape) we took the elevator almost every single time. And I gained 3 pounds. Boooh!!!


Happy 40!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Racer X said:


> On our shuttle ride back from the port last week, the people on the shuttle that were on Carnival called it the "Walmart" of cruising.  'nuff said?


Carnival is definitely nicer than Walmart.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Happy 40!



Thank you!


----------



## Lynne G

I don’t think any cruise line is cheap.  And sad to hear some want to label some lines as perceived like a lower cost retail place.  I don’t find Walmart that cheap on some things either.  

And just because having lots of money or not, everyone decides what amount of money they choose to use on vacation/holiday, and should not be shamed for doing so.

With that, my kids are old enough, that if mom is willing to pay the way, they happily come.  For me, presents are usually family vacations.  We all enjoy making memories that the kids and I will have, before they go out on their own, and have their own families.  Besides, it is enjoyable now, that all can drink outside the US, and all of us can stay in the adult section if we choose.  And I look forward to fun.  And I have a funny feeling, we will fly into MCO, and visit a park or two before sailing.  This January, we did that, and drove the rental back and forth from Miami.  

Which reminds me, anyone familiar with parking at Tampa? I visited there once, when I overshot going to BGT. (yeah, I was was off) After that, I memorized the turn off the highway.  And I am also happy to go under the bridge going out of Tampa.


----------



## BrookeMQ

Carnival and other lines like Royal have so many ships.  Some old/small.  Some new with lots of new amenities.  Some in the middle.  It can be a different experience on each ship.  When we travel with the kids we pick a newer ship with more thing for them to do.  When we travel by ourselves the ship doesn't matter to me as much.  I still get good service and the food options are mostly the same.  But its a different type of vacation.  Disney only has 4 ships.   As they get more the older ships will same like less of an experience to some.


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## BrookeMQ

We just got back from our trip on the carnival magic.   I will post some of our trip later.


----------



## BrookeMQ

Lynne G said:


> Thank you for this thread.  While I've cruised with my DH a very long time ago with Royal, and as a family (kids now are 17 and 21) we've sailed 3 times on DCL, with the first, me and the kids, when they were 12 and 15, on a last minute decent priced Fantasy, then the next year, just my DH and I on the Dream, and this January, went on a military discounted DCL Magic with my oldest kid.  But, even with military discounts, and last minute pricing, DCL is getting to expensive for us.  For January 2020, we are doing a Western on Carnival.  For what I paid for an extended veranda, was almost half of what DCL wanted.  So, while the kids are not happy about the decor on the ship, and unhappy about the western ports, I am excited, and hoping the gulf water is warmer than the Atlantic we did this January.
> 
> So, if any one has info on Cozumel, Belize, Rotan, and Grand Cayman ports, I'd be appreciate.  I've been looking at tours online, but not sure which ones yet.
> 
> And, it will be the first time we tender, and first time on Carnival, for 7 nights.



We just did the Carnival magic with that exact itinerary.   I am working on a review currently on a different message board.  I can work on doing one here too.   We  had already done those island so I really researched and tried to find good/ new things to do on each island.   I can tell you ahead of time what we did and then post more info later.

Grand Cayman -- we got here at 7am  so an early day.  Tendering is not hard.   They give you a time to head to the coffee shop and get your tickets.  It was 6:30 for us.   We got group one after getting there around 6:30.   They call like 1-3 anyways so we didn't wait long.  We did not have an excursion or faster to the fun.   We walked to Eden Rock and snorkeled.  Then took a cab to the end of 7 mile beach called Cemetery beach.  On other trips we went to the turtle farm.  

Belize -- we did a mayan ruin tour thru carnival.  Its too far to use an outside company.   We really enjoyed it.  Last trip we went to Goffs Caye.  A small island in the middle of the ocean.  

Roatan-- we hired a private driver and went to hold sloths, monkeys and birds.   Then dropped of school supplies to local children.  Then headed to West Bay beach for incredible snorkeling.

Cozumel -- we have been here many times.  We have done Tulum Ruins, chichen itza ruins, and chankanaab park.   The last few times we went to Paradise beach.  they have inflatables in the ocean and a nice pool, good food and drink and inexpensive.   This trip we got a private boat and did Fishing with Pedro.   He took us deep sea fishing, snorkeling, and then to an awesome beach called El Cielo where there are some friendly sting rays. 

I will post a review and some pictures this week.


----------



## Monykalyn

Lynne G said:


> So, if any one has info on Cozumel, Belize, Rotan, and Grand Cayman ports, I'd be appreciate. I've been looking at tours online, but not sure which ones yet.


 In Cozumel we were with a friend who'd been there many many times-we rented moped scooters and toured the island, then stopped at some dive place on the water for lunch. So good and the guy who owns it had just caught a large crab-he ended up frying it as appetizer for us at no charge (he got a good tip!). 
We've got Moby Dick's reserved for our sting ray snorkel and then the hubs and dd are doing a scuba (Carnival excursion- John Heald posted a 10% discount code on earth day!) while the boy and I may try to get to Hell or maybe just Sunset house for lunch


----------



## mevelandry

BrookeMQ said:


> We just got back from our trip on the carnival magic.   I will post some of our trip later.



Awesome!


----------



## quickcat

BrookeMQ said:


> We just got back from our trip on the carnival magic.   I will post some of our trip later.



Looking forward to it! It has some itineraries that I really like so curious as to how you liked it.


----------



## BrookeMQ

Carnival Magic Review -- Spring Break 2019 -- Western Caribbean

Hi everyone I have some time this morning so I figure I will get started on a review of our trip.  Most of my pictures will be of myself, my husband, my ten year old son, and my 8 year old daughter.  We met up with my husbands family (they live across the country) for this cruise.   They picked the date and the actual cruise since their kids are older and can't miss school.  We actually have already done this exact cruise on the dream several years ago.  

We have sailed on many lines Carnival, Disney, Celebrity, Norwegian, and Costa.  I have never had a bad cruise.   We have sailed on Carnival 5 times.   I am open to sail any cruise but often found that Carnival has a good price and the islands we want.   As I mentioned earlier we try to pick newer/updated ships when we sail with the kids.  They love the waterslides, ropes course, etc.  When its just my husband and I we aren't that picky.  I love getting off the ship and exploring the islands. 

I will say that this was our most expensive cruise yet.  The spring break dates made the sailing more than we are used to paying and flights were really high.  And you will see later that we spent a bit more on excursions than we normally do.   

Ok I think that is enough background info.  I tend to ramble.


----------



## BrookeMQ

The first day is always a bit crazy.   The sailing before us got delayed in customs so boarding was delayed.  It was just one line for everyone to get into it didn't matter your arrival time that Carnival gave you.  The line was long but it actually moved pretty fast and we got on right when we should have anyways.

We got are photo taken.   My son was getting a bit impatient.  ha ha 


We went and had lunch.   We love all of the different options that carnival had instead of just a buffet.  My husband got guys burgers, my son had the Mongolian wok,  I had fish tacos, and my daughter had pizza.


----------



## BrookeMQ

The kids enjoyed the waterslides.   We had fun at the sail away party.  




We met up with my husbands family at dinner each night.  We enjoyed most of our meals in the dining room.  I loved the strawberry soup.  Its always a favorite.  The brisket and the mahi mahi were all hits. And of course the chocolate melting cake.     
 
​


----------



## BrookeMQ

Sea Day

We spent our sea day riding the water slides, swimming and playing on the ropes course and mini golf.  My husband loves to play dodgeball in the mornings.

My daughter and I went to sea day brunch.  I love getting the fun French toast (covered in frosted flakes) and she enjoys the pancakes covered in chocolate.

We tried something new this time and went to tea time.  It was cute and I would do it again.  Lipton tea is free but they other "fancier" teas for under $2.  I got a mint one.  The desserts were yummy.


----------



## BrookeMQ

Sea Day continued...

It was the first of two formal nights for this cruise.   My son wasn't into getting pictures as you can see.  We managed to finally get an ok one of our little family.  We also got one of all the cousins and then are entire group

Lobster was on the menu so everyone gets excited.  I don't care for it.  My husband got two.   

The kids enjoyed watching Bumblebee pool side and even had a late night swim.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

BrookeMQ said:


> Sea Day
> 
> We spent our sea day riding the water slides, swimming and playing on the ropes course and mini golf.  My husband loves to play dodgeball in the mornings.
> 
> My daughter and I went to sea day brunch.  I love getting the fun French toast (covered in frosted flakes) and she enjoys the pancakes covered in chocolate.
> 
> We tried something new this time and went to tea time.  It was cute and I would do it again.  Lipton tea is free but they other "fancier" teas for under $2.  I got a mint one.  The desserts were yummy.


Thanks for your review


----------



## BrookeMQ

*Grand Cayman 
*
We have been to Grand Cayman a few times.  On our honeymoon we did an island tour to Hell, Turtle farm, etc.  And we have gone to seven mile beach.  This time we decided to walk to Eden Rock to snorkel and then head to Cemetery beach. (the end of 7 mile beach.

Eden Rock was a short walk maybe 10 minutes tops to the right when we got off the tender.  There is a dive shop there if you need to rent anything.  We got our own equipment at Costco and it has paid for itself.   There was stuff to see right when we got in.  (There is a ladder).   Lots of fans and these fish with cool wing like fins.   There was even a small octopus in a hole in the rock right by the ladder (you can see a tentacle in the picture)  There are three buoys that mark where to snorkel.  They aren't necessarily close but not too far.  I am an ok swimmer and I could do it no problem.   Out there was where the coral was and just lots more to see.


----------



## mevelandry

BrookeMQ said:


> *Grand Cayman
> *
> We have been to Grand Cayman a few times.  On our honeymoon we did an island tour to Hell, Turtle farm, etc.  And we have gone to seven mile beach.  This time we decided to walk to Eden Rock to snorkel and then head to Cemetery beach. (the end of 7 mile beach.
> 
> Eden Rock was a short walk maybe 10 minutes tops to the right when we got off the tender.  There is a dive shop there if you need to rent anything.  We got our own equipment at Costco and it has paid for itself.   There was stuff to see right when we got in.  (There is a ladder).   Lots of fans and these fish with cool wing like fins.   There was even a small octopus in a hole in the rock right by the ladder (you can see a tentacle in the picture)  There are three buoys that mark where to snorkel.  They aren't necessarily close but not too far.  I am an ok swimmer and I could do it no problem.   Out there was where the coral was and just lots more to see.



I'd love to know what you took your underwater pictures with. They look amazing.


----------



## BrookeMQ

mevelandry said:


> I'd love to know what you took your underwater pictures with. They look amazing.


Thanks.  I have an Olympus tough underwater camera.  Its pretty easy to use.


----------



## BrookeMQ

*Grand Cayman continued...
*
We walked back to the cab stand about 5 minutes and got a cab to cemetery beach.  It was about $6 a person. 
Its called cemetery beach because its right next to a cemetery  

There are no facilities here so it keeps the crowds away

It was beautiful and just what we wanted.  We put our towels down in the shade and played in the water all day.


----------



## BrookeMQ

We celebrated my daughters birthday this night also.   I ordered a cake from the candy shop.   The waiters sang to her.


----------



## Monykalyn

OMG @BrookeMQ  I just read your review over lunch break on the CC board   Really loved it!


----------



## mevelandry

Apparently Carnival is slowly starting Netflix streaming on their ships now? 

I can imagine DCL will do the same thing with its upcoming streaming service...


----------



## BrookeMQ

Monykalyn said:


> OMG @BrookeMQ  I just read your review over lunch break on the CC board   Really loved it!


Thanks.  I didn't know if I was allowed to mention that or not.   Its way more detailed if anyone wants to check it out.   I am just doing a quick one here.


----------



## BrookeMQ

mevelandry said:


> Apparently Carnival is slowly starting Netflix streaming on their ships now?
> 
> I can imagine DCL will do the same thing with its upcoming streaming service...


That would be cool.  I usually download a bunch of things from Netflix to watch on the cruise.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Apparently Carnival is slowly starting Netflix streaming on their ships now?
> 
> I can imagine DCL will do the same thing with its upcoming streaming service...



Oh that could be dangerous, though kiddo likes to watch something while he falls asleep so that could be good.


----------



## BrookeMQ

hdrolfe said:


> Oh that could be dangerous, though kiddo likes to watch something while he falls asleep so that could be good.


Yes.  The Tv choices were awful.  The kids usually wind down watching a bit of tv before bed.   We didn't do that all this trip.


----------



## mevelandry

BrookeMQ said:


> Yes.  The Tv choices were awful.  The kids usually wind down watching a bit of tv before bed.   We didn't do that all this trip.



Last week on the Liberty we watched the news (Notre-Dame was burning. Not cool.)


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Thanks for the review, loving it so far.


----------



## BrookeMQ

Day in Roatan

The last time we were in Roatan it rained most of the day and didn't get to snorkel.  The plan was to go see the sloths and then head to West Bay Beach to snorkel.   

We decided to hire a private driver thru Rony's.   It was $25 per person plus any entry fees.   Our driver Brian was awesome and the car was clean, ran well and most importantly had AC.  

Our first stop to the see the sloths was at Manawakie Eco park.  It just opened so there were no crowds there.  In fact it was just us and one other family.   It was $15 a person to get in.  
We were never rushed and got to spend as long as we wanted with the animals. 

First we got to hold the sloths.  We all took a turn.  My poor daughter got too scared and didn't do it.  Poor thing


----------



## BrookeMQ

We also got to hold monkeys.  They are crazy.   They went down my shirt and down my husbands pants.  

My son also got to hold a bird.   

Overall it was a good experience.  If going to Roatan check out Manawakie.  They do their own tours and pick you up if needed.   Our friends did the Daniel Johnson sloth place and to wait a long time to hold any animals and were limited on their time with them.    This was not like that all.


----------



## BrookeMQ

Roatan continued:

We talked with Rony before our trip about donating supplies to some children.  He told us what to collect -- school supplies.  I gathered everything and had my work donate some soccer ball lunch bags and soccer balls.  We met the kids at a church and passed out the supplies.  They were all very sweet.


----------



## BrookeMQ

Roatan continue:

We then headed to West Bay beach.  We couldn't get in the beach club we wanted (three ships had everything crowded).  So we were a bit too far away from beach snorkeling.  So we had someone take us out in a boat to the reef it was awesome.   Best snorkeling I have done so far.   

We stayed and played at the nice beach for awhile too.   

I would definitely recommend Rony's tours.  They have basic tours where you can go with a group to the place of your choice.  But we really liked creating our own tour and having a private driver.


----------



## BrookeMQ

My daughter got a cute picture with thing 1 and thing 2 later.


----------



## Monykalyn

BrookeMQ said:


> My daughter got a cute picture with thing 1 and thing 2 later.


Love this picture!


----------



## mevelandry

BrookeMQ said:


> Roatan continued:
> 
> We talked with Rony before our trip about donating supplies to some children.  He told us what to collect -- school supplies.  I gathered everything and had my work donate some soccer ball lunch bags and soccer balls.  We met the kids at a church and passed out the supplies.  They were all very sweet.



They are adorable!


----------



## BrookeMQ

Belize
We decided to skip a beach day and see some Mayan Ruins.  We picked the Xunantunich.  Its a 2 hour drive by bus.  We used the carnival excursion since its so far away.   The bus ride was a good time for the kids to just rest.  The bus was clean and air conditioned.  We brought the kids tablets and had them watch movies.   Once we go there the tour was great.   They gave us lots of info and were able to climb the big pyramid.   Our time there was a bit rushed since it so far away.   But we knew that ahead of time.  Lunch was provided.  It was chicken and rice and beans and coleslaw.   We all enjoyed it.   The bus ride back was long and we slept most of the way.   Overall it was a good day.


----------



## BrookeMQ

Belize

Our last trip to Belize we went to Goff's Caye.  We used Island marketing for our tour.  Goff's caye is a small island in the middle of the ocean.  It was very pretty.  the tour included a snorkel tour.  My husband did and I stayed with the kids so I can't comment on it.  But we loved the little island.  We were the only boat there.  My  in laws went instead of coming to the ruins with us.  They are into snorkeling and after Roatan the snorkeling just wasn't as good and the water was choppy.   They also weren't the only tour there so I think that soured their opinion since the island isn't very big.  But we loved it.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

BrookeMQ said:


> Belize
> 
> Our last trip to Belize we went to Goff's Caye.  We used Island marketing for our tour.  Goff's caye is a small island in the middle of the ocean.  It was very pretty.  the tour included a snorkel tour.  My husband did and I stayed with the kids so I can't comment on it.  But we loved the little island.  We were the only boat there.  My  in laws went instead of coming to the ruins with us.  They are into snorkeling and after Roatan the snorkeling just wasn't as good and the water was choppy.   They also weren't the only tour there so I think that soured their opinion since the island isn't very big.  But we loved it.


46 days and I’m there, I can hardly wait. Thanks so much for posting this right now, it’s helping me get so excited.


----------



## BrookeMQ

Cozumel

We have been here many times.  We have done Tulum, Chichen Itza, Chankanaab, and Paradise Beach (a few times).   I wanted to do something different.  The underground secret river looked cool but I thought it would be too much for out kids especially the last day.  

In my research I found a beach called El Cielo.  It looked beautiful.  I wanted to go there.   There isn't a lot of tours that go there and the ones I did find had very mixed reviews.   Somehow I found "Fishing with Pedro".   He takes you deep sea fishing, snorkeling and then to El Cielo.   All on his own boat.  And only with however many people you want to go with.  I contacted them.    Pedros wife was very responsive.   She gave us all of the instructions and how to meet them. 

We took a cab to the marina and we met Pedro and Sammy.   We got on the boat and were were off.   The boat ride was awesome.  We trolled for fish while we headed out.  We stopped in deep water and caught one fish.  The current was strong and no one was catching any big fish (people catch barracudas and mahi mahi).   We went to shallow water and caught some yellow tail and a bunch of other fish.  So my son was happy.   

Then we headed to El Cielo


----------



## BrookeMQ

El Cielo was awesome.   The water was amazing.   So much better than all of the beach clubs.  We docked the boat and swam and played.  The sand was so soft.   There are a couple of friendly sting rays that come because they know the fishing boats will feed them.  We snorkeled and checked them out.  I wish we had more time.  This place was so great.  We all loved it.

We rode the boat back and Pedro made fresh ceviche with our catch.  It was yummy.  Even my picky kids ate it.  

My son declared this the best day of the cruise.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

We’ve decided to cancel our transatlantic cruise on Carnival Radiance for June 2020.  I just wasn’t comfortable leaving my restaurant for about 2.5 weeks. We let our daughter pick the cruise as her graduation present and she started having second thoughts on it. So instead we’re doing the 9 night Eastern Caribbean on the Disney Fantasy. I can’t believe we’re doing it, but I have to say I’m excited for the Fantasy again. She’ll always hold a special place in my heart because that’s the ship we fell in love with cruising on.


----------



## BrookeMQ

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’ve decided to cancel our transatlantic cruise on Carnival Radiance for June 2020.  I just wasn’t comfortable leaving my restaurant for about 2.5 weeks. We let our daughter pick the cruise as her graduation present and she started having second thoughts on it. So instead we’re doing the 9 night Eastern Caribbean on the Disney Fantasy. I can’t believe we’re doing it, but I have to say I’m excited for the Fantasy again. She’ll always hold a special place in my heart because that’s the ship we fell in love with cruising on.


Have a great trip!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’ve decided to cancel our transatlantic cruise on Carnival Radiance for June 2020.  I just wasn’t comfortable leaving my restaurant for about 2.5 weeks. We let our daughter pick the cruise as her graduation present and she started having second thoughts on it. So instead we’re doing the 9 night Eastern Caribbean on the Disney Fantasy. I can’t believe we’re doing it, but I have to say I’m excited for the Fantasy again. She’ll always hold a special place in my heart because that’s the ship we fell in love with cruising on.



I'm sure it's going to be great. When was the last time you sailed on the Disney Fantasy? Which ports are you visiting?

For us, the ship we fell in love with cruising on was the Disney Dream. I'm trying to convince my friends to book on DCL instead of RCCL (one of them is dying to try DCL and especially the Dream because of Beauty & the Beast + I'm not sure I wanna do the Mariner twice within 14 months & I don't want to sail on the Carnival Liberty again, it was nice but I'd like a new ship). I'm waiting for the dates to open to book it and we'll decide later what we are going to do.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’ve decided to cancel our transatlantic cruise on Carnival Radiance for June 2020.  I just wasn’t comfortable leaving my restaurant for about 2.5 weeks. We let our daughter pick the cruise as her graduation present and she started having second thoughts on it. So instead we’re doing the 9 night Eastern Caribbean on the Disney Fantasy. I can’t believe we’re doing it, but I have to say I’m excited for the Fantasy again. She’ll always hold a special place in my heart because that’s the ship we fell in love with cruising on.



That sounds like an amazing cruise!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

I should update also that we recently cancelled an NCL cruise for this Thanksgiving because we purchased dvc (resale!) and have double "extra" points we have to use this year.  So we are buying annual passes and will be at wdw 4x from this July to next May (after which we probably will never want to go to wdw again.  Lol).  All trips scheduled around federal holidays to maximize vacation!  We have a short dcl cruise scheduled in December which we will probably cancel because it is such an odd year for us.  But otherwise our next cruise will be on the Panorama summer 2020.  I will still be follow along to see where everyone is going and cruising vicariously until then!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I'm sure it's going to be great. When was the last time you sailed on the Disney Fantasy? Which ports are you visiting?
> 
> For us, the ship we fell in love with cruising on was the Disney Dream. I'm trying to convince my friends to book on DCL instead of RCCL (one of them is dying to try DCL and especially the Dream because of Beauty & the Beast + I'm not sure I wanna do the Mariner twice within 14 months & I don't want to sail on the Carnival Liberty again, it was nice but I'd like a new ship). I'm waiting for the dates to open to book it and we'll decide later what we are going to do.


The last time on the Fantasy was 2014 for a western Caribbean cruise. The ports for this cruise are; St Kitts, Martinique, Antigua, St Thomas and Castaway Cay, plus 3 sea days. This will also be the first time sailing as all adults so we’ll be able to experience Serenity at CC and be able to go as a family to Satellite Falls and the adults only areas on the ship. We’ll essentially be empty nesters after that summer, as both of our kids will be off to college in Northern Arizona. 

HS anyone stayed at the Homewood Suites in Port Canaveral?  I’m pretty sure we’ll stay there the night before the cruise and Uber to the port.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I should update also that we recently cancelled an NCL cruise for this Thanksgiving because we purchased dvc (resale!) and have double "extra" points we have to use this year.  So we are buying annual passes and will be at wdw 4x from this July to next May (after which we probably will never want to go to wdw again.  Lol).  All trips scheduled around federal holidays to maximize vacation!  We have a short dcl cruise scheduled in December which we will probably cancel because it is such an odd year for us.  But otherwise our next cruise will be on the Panorama summer 2020.  I will still be follow along to see where everyone is going and cruising vicariously until then!



Cool! Which DVC is your "home"?


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> The last time on the Fantasy was 2014 for a western Caribbean cruise. The ports for this cruise are; St Kitts, Martinique, Antigua, St Thomas and Castaway Cay, plus 3 sea days. This will also be the first time sailing as all adults so we’ll be able to experience Serenity at CC and be able to go as a family to Satellite Falls and the adults only areas on the ship. We’ll essentially be empty nesters after that summer, as both of our kids will be off to college in Northern Arizona.
> 
> HS anyone stayed at the Homewood Suites in Port Canaveral?  I’m pretty sure we’ll stay there the night before the cruise and Uber to the port.



Amazing itinerary.


----------



## Lynne G

Brooke, thank you for posting about your cruise stops.  Appreciate.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Cool! Which DVC is your "home"?


Saratoga.  We have never stayed there but it was the best value. We are flexible so we do not mind where we stay.  We have always been interested in Dvc but never liked the price and just didn't want to commit.  But we have realized our kids are not going to grow out of disney.  We thought they would, but it is still our 16 year olds favorite vacation and our other 2 love disney parks also.  And... we found out about resale.  Wow.  So much less expensive.


----------



## mevelandry

Welcome, @pattyw !  FYI, you don't have to read the whole thread LOL but you might be very interested in the infos and links posted in the first post. Feel free to ask any question you want!


----------



## pattyw

mevelandry said:


> Welcome, @pattyw !  FYI, you don't have to read the whole thread LOL but you might be very interested in the infos and links posted in the first post. Feel free to ask any question you want!



Thanks for the invitation and welcome @mevelandry !!  

I will start reading through the thread!!


----------



## pattyw

@BrookeMQ - I love your cruise review!! Your pictures are great!! Love the Honduras animal pics- the sloth is so cute!!

@mevelandry - your cruise review was excellent!! Loved all of the pictures and information!!

This thread is wonderful!


----------



## mevelandry

pattyw said:


> @BrookeMQ - I love your cruise review!! Your pictures are great!! Love the Honduras animal pics- the sloth is so cute!!
> 
> @mevelandry - your cruise review was excellent!! Loved all of the pictures and information!!
> 
> This thread is wonderful!



Thank you!


----------



## Lynne G

Bump. 
242 days, 6 hours, and 2 minutes countdown for me.  At least the kids are getting better with the thoughts of going on a Carnival cruise.  When I was looking at 2021 Carnival cruises, my DD asked, well, don't you think we could do another Disney one instead?  Um, maybe.  Military rates tend to not come out until a couple of months before, and sometimes, even those rates, oh my.  Maybe I'll do a on board booking, then move it or cancel it.  I'll be seeing if she asks the same question, after we sail.

Enjoy reading this thread.


----------



## mevelandry

Lynne G said:


> Bump.
> 242 days, 6 hours, and 2 minutes countdown for me.  At least the kids are getting better with the thoughts of going on a Carnival cruise.  When I was looking at 2021 Carnival cruises, my DD asked, well, don't you think we could do another Disney one instead?  Um, maybe.  Military rates tend to not come out until a couple of months before, and sometimes, even those rates, oh my.  Maybe I'll do a on board booking, then move it or cancel it.  I'll be seeing if she asks the same question, after we sail.
> 
> Enjoy reading this thread.



It's very personal but I think it's good to alternate between cruise lines.

When on Carnival, I'd miss a thing or two of Disney. When on Disney, I'd miss a thing or two of Carnival. Now I'm going to try RCCL. We have two RCCL in a row... After that, I hope I can go back to DCL and Carnival or try NCL/Celebrity/Princess/Holland?

Repeating the same experience over and over is not my cup of tea. Skipping a cruise makes me crave going back again.


----------



## Lynne G

mevelandry said:


> It's very personal but I think it's good to alternate between cruise lines.
> 
> When on Carnival, I'd miss a thing or two of Disney. When on Disney, I'd miss a thing or two of Carnival. Now I'm going to try RCCL. We have two RCCL in a row... After that, I hope I can go back to DCL and Carnival or try NCL/Celebrity/Princess/Holland?
> 
> Repeating the same experience over and over is not my cup of tea. Skipping a cruise makes me crave going back again.




Oh I do too.  While I did enjoy my Disney cruises, I am always open to do other things.  As my kids become adults, prices tend to be higher for everything.  But I agree, we all enjoy cruising when we can.  I'd like to try a Royal one too, so I'll be happy to read your thoughts on both of your cruises with them.  I thinking of trying Princess as well, they keep emailing me, but not so much NCL, not fond of some of their routes.  Kids are begging for a river cruise in Europe, so that's on my radar as well.

So many choices, and that's a good thing.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> It's very personal but I think it's good to alternate between cruise lines.
> 
> When on Carnival, I'd miss a thing or two of Disney. When on Disney, I'd miss a thing or two of Carnival. Now I'm going to try RCCL. We have two RCCL in a row... After that, I hope I can go back to DCL and Carnival or try NCL/Celebrity/Princess/Holland?
> 
> Repeating the same experience over and over is not my cup of tea. Skipping a cruise makes me crave going back again.


Were the same way, I think it’s great to go back and forth. I didn’t realize we were doing that, but since 2015, all of our cruises have been alternating between Disney and Carnival. I really want to branch out to RCCL, but my wife has no desire to try them. I think when we take our first cruise without the kids it’s going to be Celebrity. I love their ships and think it would be such a classy experience.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Were the same way, I think it’s great to go back and forth. I didn’t realize we were doing that, but since 2015, all of our cruises have been alternating between Disney and Carnival. *I really want to branch out to RCCL,* *but my wife has no desire to try them.* I think when we take our first cruise without the kids it’s going to be Celebrity. I love their ships and think it would be such a classy experience.



Any particular reasons why?

As I am currently studying RCCL in anticipation of my upcoming cruise with them, I find that they seem to be the "best of both worlds" between Carnival and Disney Cruise Line.


----------



## hdrolfe

We cruise both Carnival and RCCL. We did our first on Carnival then 3 on RCL, went back to Carnival and have two more booked there as kiddo said it was "more fun" but I'm then looking at RCL for after those. I have asked if he wanted to do Disney, with the caveat that it costs more so we wouldn't be able to go as often. He prefers to cruise more even though he thinks the Disney ships look like a lot of fun, and he would love to do a Star Wars cruise. 

Our very first cruise was supposed to be on Disney, I had booked but then the Canadian dollar started to drop and it became so much more to pay. We ended up choosing Carnival for the itinerary, we almost went on RCL that time and I imagine if we had we probably would have been to scared to try Carnival after that. It is funny the preconceived notions people have about certain cruise lines though. I told a friend I was going on Carnival and she said she had "heard things" but she'd never been on it so she left it at that and said to do my own research. 

Any way! 310 days until I'm on the Carnival Magic again  but 108 until we are back at Disney!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Any particular reasons why?
> 
> As I am currently studying RCCL in anticipation of my upcoming cruise with them, I find that they seem to be the "best of both worlds" between Carnival and Disney Cruise Line.


I think the main two reasons are:

1-Royal seems more of a physical entertainment cruiseline. She likes to do more trivia and passive entertainment things, she has no desire for zip lining, ice skating or anything like that. 

2-It really bothers her that they have no self serve laundry rooms on board. I know, that’s kind of a weird one, but that’s how she rolls. She goes through a ton of clothes on a daily basis and needs to do laundry in order to only take only 1 giant suitcase on a week long cruise. 

She’s not worried about price or service on Royal, actually she has a lot of respect for them as a cruiseline, it’s just not for her.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think the main two reasons are:
> 
> 1-Royal seems more of a physical entertainment cruiseline. She likes to do more trivia and passive entertainment things, she has no desire for zip lining, ice skating or anything like that.
> 
> 2-It really bothers her that they have no self serve laundry rooms on board. I know, that’s kind of a weird one, but that’s how she rolls. She goes through a ton of clothes on a daily basis and needs to do laundry in order to only take only 1 giant suitcase on a week long cruise.
> 
> She’s not worried about price or service on Royal, actually she has a lot of respect for them as a cruiseline, it’s just not for her.


I get it!

1- How about the smaller ships? Like the Brilliance & Radiance?

2- Yeah, you are right, they do not have laundry rooms.

They charge 35$/bag to clean up clothes and fold them. I don't think it's that bad... Maybe someday I'll spend a little $ on that little luxury. 

I travel with a carry-on only, I can fit 8 or 9 outfits & 2 bathing suits in there and I wash clothes by hand (if necessary) and suspend everything in the shower so I usually don't need to use the machines.


----------



## pattyw

mevelandry said:


> I travel with a carry-on only, I can fit 8 or 9 outfits & 2 bathing suits in there



Wow ! That's great! I haven't learned how to pack light!! I'm trying to get better, but at the last minute, I always have to add the "just in case" stuff!


----------



## mevelandry

pattyw said:


> Wow ! That's great! I haven't learned how to pack light!! I'm trying to get better, but at the last minute, I always have to add the "just in case" stuff!



I learned by watching videos on youtube how to "roll" my clothes. It works like magic!


----------



## Monykalyn

My challenge with packing light is 1-toiletries: even with travel size, paring down etc I still have a lot. I spend too much money on cut and color for my hair to go cheapy on shampoo and styling products.
2-I could still get away with fairly light but when we travel with the kids it's near impossible.Even thought it's just the teens with us in June I paid for 3 checked bags on way down. coming home we get a free checked and carryon each so not worried about expanding then. Travel size won't cut it with 4 people-we each need a travel size lol!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Monykalyn said:


> My challenge with packing light is 1-toiletries: even with travel size, paring down etc I still have a lot. I spend too much money on cut and color for my hair to go cheapy on shampoo and styling products.
> 2-I could still get away with fairly light but when we travel with the kids it's near impossible.Even thought it's just the teens with us in June I paid for 3 checked bags on way down. coming home we get a free checked and carryon each so not worried about expanding then. Travel size won't cut it with 4 people-we each need a travel size lol!


The morning we were leaving for the airport on one of our cruises, I picked up one of my wife’s medium sized suitcases and about pulled my arm out of my socket. I questioned her on what was in it, she looked at me like I was an idiot and replied, “my shoes and purses, were going for a week you know.”  That was the last cruise that one whole suitcase was devoted to shoes and purses!!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> The morning we were leaving for the airport on one of our cruises, I picked up one of my wife’s medium sized suitcases and about pulled my arm out of my socket. I questioned her on what was in it, she looked at me like I was an idiot and replied, “my shoes and purses, were going for a week you know.”  That was the last cruise that one whole suitcase was devoted to shoes and purses!!



She wouldn't like my lifestyle. I have 1 "everyday" purse and 1 "chic" purse. 1 pair of stilletos. 1 pair of ballerinas. 1 pair of covered shoes for work. 1 running shoes.


----------



## lklgoodman

Monykalyn said:


> My challenge with packing light is 1-toiletries: even with travel size, paring down etc I still have a lot. I spend too much money on cut and color for my hair to go cheapy on shampoo and styling products.
> 2-I could still get away with fairly light but when we travel with the kids it's near impossible.Even thought it's just the teens with us in June I paid for 3 checked bags on way down. coming home we get a free checked and carryon each so not worried about expanding then. Travel size won't cut it with 4 people-we each need a travel size lol!



Same for us.  I also have to use special shampoo for my hair.  I tried to use the Disney shampoo one time, yikes!!  Just for my dd and myself, we use 2 large suite cases and 2 small carry on ones.  I even use packing cubes.  My problem is I pack too many extra clothes, just in case we need them for some reason.  You know, like in case we get stranded at sea for an extra week,lol!!  My dh just takes one suite case, I've been known to put overflow in his.  We don't do FE exchanges or do costumes for the pirate night/SWDAS, if we did it would require even more luggage.  We fly SW, so no bag fees, thankfully.  I refuse to do laundry on vacation, if I did it, I could probably do away with one less bag, maybe, lol!


----------



## pattyw

Monykalyn said:


> My challenge with packing light is 1-toiletries: even with travel size, paring down etc I still have a lot. I spend too much money on cut and color for my hair to go cheapy on shampoo and styling products.
> 2-I could still get away with fairly light but when we travel with the kids it's near impossible.Even thought it's just the teens with us in June I paid for 3 checked bags on way down. coming home we get a free checked and carryon each so not worried about expanding then. Travel size won't cut it with 4 people-we each need a travel size lol!



Yep- same here! I have a lot of hair products! Traveling with a family it is hard to downsize! I was lucky to have DH and two boys! Men don't have to pack as much! I could pack my extra shoes and stuff in their luggage!



Club Disney Chandler said:


> “my shoes and purses, were going for a week you know.



 Yep- I tend to pack many pairs of shoes! What if a strap breaks on one or....?



mevelandry said:


> She wouldn't like my lifestyle. I have 1 "everyday" purse and 1 "chic" purse. 1 pair of stilletos. 1 pair of ballerinas. 1 pair of covered shoes for work. 1 running shoes.



That's great! I need to learn to pack outfits that don't need different accessories!



lklgoodman said:


> . My problem is I pack too many extra clothes, just in case we need them for some reason.



Me too! I worried on our cruise about getting clothes dirty or stined and not having laundry facilities.  I didn't want to pay big bucks for them to launder our clothes. So, I brought extra!



lklgoodman said:


> We fly SW, so no bag fees, thankfully



We always fly SW so we are spoiled by no bag fees! We do take advantage of the 2 carry on bags and 2 checked bags each!


----------



## jujubiee4

Great thread! I'm looking into the future  2020 or 2021. Does anyone know if you pay for a cruise  Royal/NCL/Carnival/Princess
and the cruise price goes lower...do you get a credit or refund?

We have literally only sailed DCL and paid directly to them so I have no experience with other lines or using a TA.  I was told to
look at CruiseCompete.

So any tips would be much appreciated! Thx


----------



## mevelandry

jujubiee4 said:


> Great thread! I'm looking into the future  2020 or 2021. Does anyone know if you pay for a cruise  Royal/NCL/Carnival/Princess
> and the cruise price goes lower...do you get a credit or refund?
> 
> We have literally only sailed DCL and paid directly to them so I have no experience with other lines or using a TA.  I was told to
> look at CruiseCompete.
> 
> So any tips would be much appreciated! Thx



With Carnival: If you book refundable I think you can have them lower your rates until Paid In Full date. 

If you book Early Saver, you'll get a lower rate. If it goes lower (same room category) you can get OBC or upgrade your cabin.


----------



## hdrolfe

jujubiee4 said:


> Great thread! I'm looking into the future  2020 or 2021. Does anyone know if you pay for a cruise  Royal/NCL/Carnival/Princess
> and the cruise price goes lower...do you get a credit or refund?
> 
> We have literally only sailed DCL and paid directly to them so I have no experience with other lines or using a TA.  I was told to
> look at CruiseCompete.
> 
> So any tips would be much appreciated! Thx



Carnival has various rate types. The (usually) cheapest one is Early Saver. This fare has a non-refundable deposit, if you wish to change your cruise you will lose $50 per person and the rest can go towards a future cruise. The benefit is that if the rate drops, you can submit a claim and get the lower rate. Up until pay in full you just pay the lower rate, but even after you can submit a claim and you will get the difference in on board credit.

If you'd rather book with a refundable deposit you can of course do so, the rate is usually higher, but if the fare does go down, you can still choose to take the lower fare, up until PIF. 

They also sometimes offer deals on the deposit, $50 per person or half price, usually linked to the early saver fares. 

I just book through the cruise line itself but I use a website to compare prices across cruise lines to see which one fits my schedule and budget best.


----------



## mevelandry

Ha! Slice of life:

I had put some money on the side because the possibility of me and my friends booking a DCL short cruise (for a girls trip in December 2020) was on the table.

Unfortunately (but fortunately for her) one of my friends is looking to buy a house soon and is trying to save a little money so we went back to the original plan: sailing with RCCL.

Well, with the money I had put on the side for a DCL cruise, I have been able to kill two birds with one stone: not only did I pay in full my part for my cruise with the ladies but I also finished paying off my part for our next "family cruise" (for which I had already paid a deposit)... And I still have money left.

I can appreciate that.


----------



## suedon70

Ok this isn't a Carnival vs DCL comparison, but I just compared an NCL Escape 9-night Baltic cruise in June 2020 for three adults in a mini-suite w/verandah - 2 days in St Petersburg and 5 stops - $6,026

DCL 7-night Baltic in August 2020 with verandah - 1 day in St Petersburg and 4 stops - $9,564

Guess which cruise I chose to place a deposit on? Oh, and the deposit was only $150

Now I love DCL, but for a port-intensive itinerary the choice was clear to me.  First time sailing Norwegian and I've read mixed reviews but I'm actually looking forward to expanding my cruising horizons!


----------



## mevelandry

suedon70 said:


> Ok this isn't a Carnival vs DCL comparison, but I just compared an NCL Escape 9-night Baltic cruise in June 2020 for three adults in a mini-suite w/verandah - 2 days in St Petersburg and 5 stops - $6,026
> 
> DCL 7-night Baltic in August 2020 with verandah - 1 day in St Petersburg and 4 stops - $9,564
> 
> Guess which cruise I chose to place a deposit on? Oh, and the deposit was only $150
> 
> Now I love DCL, but for a port-intensive itinerary the choice was clear to me.  First time sailing Norwegian and I've read mixed reviews but I'm actually looking forward to expanding my cruising horizons!



Smart choice. You get 2 more nights, 1 more port to check off your bucket list and a huge amount of money you can put on excursions.  

You know... For every non-DCL cruise I have done, I have always read bad reviews before I embarked the ship. None of those ships was remotely as bad as the bad reviews I had read. Are they different from DCL? Sure. But that doesn't make them bad. 

(And also, if you ask me, the Escape looks freaking awesome).


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

suedon70 said:


> Ok this isn't a Carnival vs DCL comparison, but I just compared an NCL Escape 9-night Baltic cruise in June 2020 for three adults in a mini-suite w/verandah - 2 days in St Petersburg and 5 stops - $6,026
> 
> DCL 7-night Baltic in August 2020 with verandah - 1 day in St Petersburg and 4 stops - $9,564
> 
> Guess which cruise I chose to place a deposit on? Oh, and the deposit was only $150
> 
> Now I love DCL, but for a port-intensive itinerary the choice was clear to me.  First time sailing Norwegian and I've read mixed reviews but I'm actually looking forward to expanding my cruising horizons!


That’s how we got started on Carnival, 8 night Mediterranean for 4 people in 2 cabins for $4000, can’t beat that. We just went into it knowing it wasn’t going to be a Disney Cruise and we were fine. Enjoy your cruise!!  Please come back here and let us k ow how it went.


----------



## suedon70

mevelandry said:


> Smart choice. You get 2 more nights, 1 more port to check off your bucket list and a huge amount of money you can put on excursions.
> 
> You know... For every non-DCL cruise I have done, I have always read bad reviews before I embarked the ship. None of those ships was remotely as bad as the bad reviews I had read. Are they different from DCL? Sure. But that doesn't make them bad.
> 
> (And also, if you ask me, the Escape looks freaking awesome).



Thanks! Yep I think it'll be worth it, plus 2 additional freebees: free wi-fi and a $50.00 excursion credit per port!  I think the Escape looks pretty awesome too!


----------



## suedon70

Club Disney Chandler said:


> That’s how we got started on Carnival, 8 night Mediterranean for 4 people in 2 cabins for $4000, can’t beat that. We just went into it knowing it wasn’t going to be a Disney Cruise and we were fine. Enjoy your cruise!!  Please come back here and let us k ow how it went.



Thanks! You got a great deal on your Med cruise!
I'll definitely do a mini-TR when we get back


----------



## Monykalyn

suedon70 said:


> Ok this isn't a Carnival vs DCL comparison, but I just compared an NCL Escape 9-night Baltic cruise in June 2020 for three adults in a mini-suite w/verandah - 2 days in St Petersburg and 5 stops - $6,026


Wow that is quite a difference. It is a bucket list cruise for me-would like to do it for our 30th anniversary (2023-between kids graduations too LOL) 
It sounds amazing!


----------



## suedon70

Monykalyn said:


> Wow that is quite a difference. It is a bucket list cruise for me-would like to do it for our 30th anniversary (2023-between kids graduations too LOL)
> It sounds amazing!



Yes! The cruise begins in Copenhagen which we visited back in 2016 on a Scandinavia cruise (Emerald Princess), but the five additional ports (Warnemunde (Berlin), Tallinn, St, Petersburg, Helsinki, and Stockholm) will be new for us! We'll be celebrating my 50th birthday a little late (my birthday is in Feb) but my DH is a CPA so we have to wait until after April to sail! lol


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think the main two reasons are:
> 
> 1-Royal seems more of a physical entertainment cruiseline. She likes to do more trivia and passive entertainment things, she has no desire for zip lining, ice skating or anything like that.
> 
> 2-It really bothers her that they have no self serve laundry rooms on board. I know, that’s kind of a weird one, but that’s how she rolls. She goes through a ton of clothes on a daily basis and needs to do laundry in order to only take only 1 giant suitcase on a week long cruise.
> 
> She’s not worried about price or service on Royal, actually she has a lot of respect for them as a cruiseline, it’s just not for her.


No self serve laundry on ncl either.


----------



## mevelandry

suedon70 said:


> Thanks! Yep I think it'll be worth it, plus 2 additional freebees: free wi-fi and a $50.00 excursion credit per port!  I think the Escape looks pretty awesome too!



Wow. That's a great offert!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Okay.  Help us choose for a fall 2020 cruise.  We have been going back and forth for about 6 months!

1. CCL radiance, 8 night from orlando.  St. Martin, St. Kitts, Grand Turk, san Juan. One balcony, one interior. About $4700

2. Ncl escape, 7 night from orlando.  St.Thomas, Tortola, Great Stirrup Cay, Puerto Plata.  One balcony, one interior.  About $5800

Here are the pros and cons.
Pros ccl:
1. St.Kitts is a new port for us
2. Radiance will be "new" ship
3. Balcony is extended (big for us because we use it).
4. New chicken restaurant.   Lol.
5. $300 obc
6. Self service laundry.  Lol
7. Kids love the kids club.  Teen loves CCL ( his favorite line).
8.  Less expensive cruise with an extra night. ($117/ person/ per night)

Pros ncl:
1. Tortola will be a new port for us.
2.  Well... the Escape.  Cool ship. Awesome ropes course and waterslides.
3.  Comes with 3 night free dining package for 4 of us.  Also comes with one other "free" perk but honestly there are not any available that we would use.
4.  We have 2 cruisenext certificates to use with ncl.  (Worth $500, paid $250, both expire shortly after this cruise, but I have seen that you can sell them on ebay and recoup some cost as they are transferable.)
5. Dh loves the ncl buffet


Cons ccl:
1.  The only cons I can think of is that we sail ccl a lot and it might be nice to branch out.  But we also love ccl and are very comfortable with them-- that is why we keep booking with them.  So not sure it is a negative.

Cons ncl:
1.  Kids do not like their kids club- at all.
2.  One night less for more money ($165/person/night) ($151/person/night if considering cruisenext certificates)
3. Puerto Plata is a throwaway port for us because dh says he will not get off at DR or Belize again.  

Sum.  Both have one new port for us.  (Something we try to do with each cruise).  Both leave from the same port.  I am not sure we would be looking at ncl at all for this trip except for the cruisenext certificates, but it doesn't seem like they make such a dent anyway.  We are inclined to book ccl but wonder if we should branch out.  So hard to decide!!


----------



## hdrolfe

I would do CCL. For the kids club and the extra night. And less expensive? 

I have bookend and cancelled 3 NCL cruises, I always end up reading something about them being crowded or I get confused by the freestyle dining. I dont drink so that perk is lost on me. And when I compare cabin size Carnival usually has a bigger square footage. Plus I know my son likes the kids club on CCL and I am not sure about NCL.


----------



## lklgoodman

I haven't been on either CCL or NCL, but if I had to choose from those 2 trips I would choose CCL.  Main reasons why are it's one more night and less money.  Also I wouldn't want to go with NCL if I knew my dd wouldn't go to the kids club, sorry but I want/need some kid free time(I love my dd dearly, but I don't want to spend ALL my time with her).  Plus she would whine and drive me crazy if she didn't like the club, but your kids may not do that, I just know mine would and it would make the whole cruise crappy.  I've been to Tortola and while it was nice and I enjoyed our day at the beach, it isn't somewhere that I absolutely have to go to again, nothing super special about it.  I haven't been to St. Kitts either, so that would be another pro for me to go with CCL.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I second CCL, Radiance looks like it’s going to be a great ship and I’m now a huge fan of 8 night cruises, one extra night makes a huge difference somehow. I think the ports are better and if your kids don’t like the NCL clubs, that’s another huge reason to go CCL. 

I don’t think the buffet on CCL is that great either, but there are so many other choices to eat on those ships that we hardly ever go up there. I think the chicken shaq looks like it’s going to be great.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Okay.  Help us choose for a fall 2020 cruise.  We have been going back and forth for about 6 months!
> 
> 1. CCL radiance, 8 night from orlando.  St. Martin, St. Kitts, Grand Turk, san Juan. One balcony, one interior. About $4700
> 
> 2. Ncl escape, 7 night from orlando.  St.Thomas, Tortola, Great Stirrup Cay, Puerto Plata.  One balcony, one interior.  About $5800
> 
> Here are the pros and cons.
> Pros ccl:
> 1. St.Kitts is a new port for us
> 2. Radiance will be "new" ship
> 3. Balcony is extended (big for us because we use it).
> 4. New chicken restaurant.   Lol.
> 5. $300 obc
> 6. Self service laundry.  Lol
> 7. Kids love the kids club.  Teen loves CCL ( his favorite line).
> 8.  Less expensive cruise with an extra night. ($117/ person/ per night)
> 
> Pros ncl:
> 1. Tortola will be a new port for us.
> 2.  Well... the Escape.  Cool ship. Awesome ropes course and waterslides.
> 3.  Comes with 3 night free dining package for 4 of us.  Also comes with one other "free" perk but honestly there are not any available that we would use.
> 4.  We have 2 cruisenext certificates to use with ncl.  (Worth $500, paid $250, both expire shortly after this cruise, but I have seen that you can sell them on ebay and recoup some cost as they are transferable.)
> 5. Dh loves the ncl buffet
> 
> 
> Cons ccl:
> 1.  The only cons I can think of is that we sail ccl a lot and it might be nice to branch out.  But we also love ccl and are very comfortable with them-- that is why we keep booking with them.  So not sure it is a negative.
> 
> Cons ncl:
> 1.  Kids do not like their kids club- at all.
> 2.  One night less for more money ($165/person/night) ($151/person/night if considering cruisenext certificates)
> 3. Puerto Plata is a throwaway port for us because dh says he will not get off at DR or Belize again.
> 
> Sum.  Both have one new port for us.  (Something we try to do with each cruise).  Both leave from the same port.  I am not sure we would be looking at ncl at all for this trip except for the cruisenext certificates, but it doesn't seem like they make such a dent anyway.  We are inclined to book ccl but wonder if we should branch out.  So hard to decide!!



Sounds like CCL to me! I LOVED Radiance as Victory so it can only be even better with a complete refurbishment. And extended balconies are awesome.


----------



## belle032

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Okay.  Help us choose for a fall 2020 cruise.  We have been going back and forth for about 6 months!
> 
> 1. CCL radiance, 8 night from orlando.  St. Martin, St. Kitts, Grand Turk, san Juan. One balcony, one interior. About $4700
> 
> 2. Ncl escape, 7 night from orlando.  St.Thomas, Tortola, Great Stirrup Cay, Puerto Plata.  One balcony, one interior.  About $5800
> 
> Here are the pros and cons.
> Pros ccl:
> 1. St.Kitts is a new port for us
> 2. Radiance will be "new" ship
> 3. Balcony is extended (big for us because we use it).
> 4. New chicken restaurant.   Lol.
> 5. $300 obc
> 6. Self service laundry.  Lol
> 7. Kids love the kids club.  Teen loves CCL ( his favorite line).
> 8.  Less expensive cruise with an extra night. ($117/ person/ per night)
> 
> Pros ncl:
> 1. Tortola will be a new port for us.
> 2.  Well... the Escape.  Cool ship. Awesome ropes course and waterslides.
> 3.  Comes with 3 night free dining package for 4 of us.  Also comes with one other "free" perk but honestly there are not any available that we would use.
> 4.  We have 2 cruisenext certificates to use with ncl.  (Worth $500, paid $250, both expire shortly after this cruise, but I have seen that you can sell them on ebay and recoup some cost as they are transferable.)
> 5. Dh loves the ncl buffet
> 
> 
> Cons ccl:
> 1.  The only cons I can think of is that we sail ccl a lot and it might be nice to branch out.  But we also love ccl and are very comfortable with them-- that is why we keep booking with them.  So not sure it is a negative.
> 
> Cons ncl:
> 1.  Kids do not like their kids club- at all.
> 2.  One night less for more money ($165/person/night) ($151/person/night if considering cruisenext certificates)
> 3. Puerto Plata is a throwaway port for us because dh says he will not get off at DR or Belize again.
> 
> Sum.  Both have one new port for us.  (Something we try to do with each cruise).  Both leave from the same port.  I am not sure we would be looking at ncl at all for this trip except for the cruisenext certificates, but it doesn't seem like they make such a dent anyway.  We are inclined to book ccl but wonder if we should branch out.  So hard to decide!!



We had that exact itinerary on the Conquest this past September and loved it! Highly recommend. And having the 8 days was fantastic. It was honestly great having that extra day. I think 8 days is our new favorite. 

And like you said, “new” ship, which is always cool. Plus, that OBC offer is awesome and can’t go wrong with a new chicken restaurant! 

I’m all for branching out but it seems like in this situation I’d vote for CCL.


----------



## belle032

I can't believe there haven't been any posts since I've been gone!

I just got home from a 3-night cruise on the Dream and wanted to share my thoughts! I will preface this by saying that I cruised with my mom and younger brother, who is special needs. You vacation differently depending in who you're with and that's fine. So DH & I would probably have done different activities than we did on this sailing. So here goes!

Overall, the ship is lovely. The light fixture in the lobby is stunning and I loved all the artwork. Nothing was "in your face" Disney. It was elegant and subdued. The little details are wonderful though, such as the glass slippers in the chandelier at Royal Palace, the Mickey heads in the wrought iron gate in the Enchanted Garden and the ship's horn! No one does theming like Disney, that's for sure. 
*
Stateroom*
Our stateroom was #8164 which was a Navigator's Verandah. We loved our room and HIGHLY recommend this cabin if you want a balcony, but at a lower price than a regular verandah room. The balcony is a bit smaller than a regular one, but you really couldn't tell. It still fit 2 chairs and a table just fine. It's just the way the ship is built that causes the verandah to be a little narrower in size. However, it's considered an "obstructed-view" so it's a lower class than a normal verandah. Definitely worth the few hundred dollars in savings!

Loved the split bathroom concept. Really great. I can see where a bathtub is a great perk for families, but I can take or leave it. My husband is also about 6'3 and I really think he'll have a hard time fitting in that shower. I felt like I was almost too tall. The magnifying mirror was a nice little detail too.

I was a little annoyed that the bed didn't split into twins. Not a big deal for some, but I like having my own bed. I can see how it also might be strange if you're sharing a cabin with friends so just someone you don't normally sleep with!

The sliding door to the verandah is genius. Please Carnival take note!! It's so much quieter and easier to use. It's a little thing to take notice of, but such a nice feature!

I didn't really unpack because it was only 3 nights, but it seemed like there was plenty of storage. Outlets/charging stations by the bed were much appreciated too. 

*Food
*
Overall, I think this was the best food I've had on a cruise. It seemed like a higher caliber of food available. For example, the lunch buffet at Cabanas on embarkation day had peel & eat shrimp, mussels, crab claws, etc. I've never seen that on another sailing. I didn't have a bad meal at any of the dining rooms. Oh, and if they have the blueberry/mango twist ice cream at the self-serve place, make yourself a cone!  So yummy! But seriously, we all agreed the food was excellent.

The only negatives I found were the disappointing salad bar and the pizza. The pizza just wasn't great and the slices were tiny. And I've seen better salad bars at a chain buffet restaurant! Oh and to be honest, I also missed Blue Iguana & Guy's Burgers! 

*Ship Spaces
*
We really enjoyed the Quiet Cove pool and the adult deck (Serenity Falls?). It was an upper deck with a fountain/pool. Which is another thing I wish Carnival would take note of - PLEASE put a pool on the Serenity decks! 

The "lido" deck was overall way to crowded, hectic, and loud for us. And there were TONS of kids on this sailing. Between the 2 smaller pools, the movie screen that was always showing a movie, the water slides, kids area, the food & drink stations, etc, it just seemed really crowded all the time. It was hard to even walk through sometimes. One thing I noticed was that the stations that served the pizza, burgers/hot dogs, sandwiches, etc, were on the complete opposite side of the deck than the buffet. But there were no drink stations there. So you had to walk all the way to the other side of the deck just to get a drink. Minor inconvenience, yes, but it was a little annoying trying to navigate through a crowded deck when it would have been so easy just to throw a drink station down there!

I mentioned before that the lobby was very pretty, however, it always quiet. There were character greetings there, guest services, a bar tucked into the far side. It wasn't the center of any activity, which I kind of missed.

Dining rooms were all really cool. I do like the rotating dining room concept, however, I think I'm spoiled with My Time Dining on Carnival. We had the early seating because of my brother, which was at 5:45. That's really early for me. I definitely understand that set dining times are needed because of the rotating concept, but I enjoy the freedom of eating whenever is convenient. 

*Entertainment
*
The shows were the Golden Mickeys, Beauty & the Beast, and Believe. I admit I did not see Beauty & the Beast because I went to watch Avengers: Endgame (amazing btw!) instead. However, my mom said it was not only the best stage show she has seen on a ship, but was probably the best version of B&tB she's ever seen. Golden Mickeys & Believe were also excellent. So yes, Disney wins for best stage shows, but honestly, I wouldn't expect anything less!

We did a few other little things like a drawing class and family game show, but I did miss things like the late-night comedians and varied live music. The ship definitely died down at about 11:00PM. So if you're looking for late-night entertainment, you probably aren't going to find much. 

*Random Other Things 
*
I'll be completely honest: I enjoy having a beverage package. It didn't matter much here because of the short duration and who I was sailing with, but I can see how DH & I would really miss this on a longer voyage. The few times we did order drinks, I was disappointed with the presentation. They used cheap paper cups that look like they came from a gas station, unless you bought the souvenir cup. Very strange to me! And yes, you get paper straws, but seriously, every cup was throwaway paper! Even the cups at the drink stations. Did not seem to be Disney quality at all. I'm all for going green, but why not have reusable cups? 

One of my favorite things to do on the Carnival ships is their movies under the stars. I love throwing on comfy clothes, relaxing on a lounge chair, getting popcorn, etc. So I went to watch Guardians of the Galaxy one night and was really disappointed to find that all the lounge chairs were stacked up and there were just these lousy beach chairs available. And no popcorn. I ended up leaving just because I couldn't get comfortable. So that experience was a bust.

Also, the seats in the Walt Disney Theater were like those old-time theater seats. Not very comfortable and not a lot of leg room. Carnival has that bench seating with tons of room and little tables that I now appreciate much more! 

Castaway Cay was wonderful. It's an awesome port stop and I can see why people love it. Really nice beach day. I was skeptical about the lunch, but it was great! The only negative I can say is $34 to rent snorkel gear? Really? 

*Overall
*
We had a fun time. Would I do a 3-night cruise again? Nope. Wayyyyyy too short and I hate to say it's not worth it, but in my opinion, it almost is. And that's referring to any cruise line. 3-nights just doesn't cut it for me. I would possibly add a 3-night onto a WDW vacation, but even then I don't think I would do less than 4 nights. 

Is DCL my first choice for cruising in the Caribbean? Probably not. The service was wonderful, the ship was beautiful, food was excellent. Did those things justify the MUCH higher price tag? In our case, I don't think so. I also don't think DH & I are their target audience, and that's fine. We enjoy beverage packages, late night entertainment, and adult comedians and we aren't going to find that on DCL. If we had children, my opinion might change. But that's why everyone needs to decide what works best for their family! 

I think our British Isles cruise will be a much different experience and I'm still so very excited for it. But I think we will be getting our Disney fix at WDW in the future. We LOVE cruising and DCL isn't off the table completely, but I see us cruising Carnival and possibly giving Royal and NCL a try before coming back to it. 

Sorry I rambled a bit, but I wanted to get everything down before I forgot!


----------



## suedon70

This was a great review belle032! I agree with so much of this - thanks so much!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> I can't believe there haven't been any posts since I've been gone!
> 
> I just got home from a 3-night cruise on the Dream and wanted to share my thoughts! I will preface this by saying that I cruised with my mom and younger brother, who is special needs. You vacation differently depending in who you're with and that's fine. So DH & I would probably have done different activities than we did on this sailing. So here goes!
> 
> Overall, the ship is lovely. The light fixture in the lobby is stunning and I loved all the artwork. Nothing was "in your face" Disney. It was elegant and subdued. The little details are wonderful though, such as the glass slippers in the chandelier at Royal Palace, the Mickey heads in the wrought iron gate in the Enchanted Garden and the ship's horn! No one does theming like Disney, that's for sure.
> *
> Stateroom*
> Our stateroom was #8164 which was a Navigator's Verandah. We loved our room and HIGHLY recommend this cabin if you want a balcony, but at a lower price than a regular verandah room. The balcony is a bit smaller than a regular one, but you really couldn't tell. It still fit 2 chairs and a table just fine. It's just the way the ship is built that causes the verandah to be a little narrower in size. However, it's considered an "obstructed-view" so it's a lower class than a normal verandah. Definitely worth the few hundred dollars in savings!
> 
> Loved the split bathroom concept. Really great. I can see where a bathtub is a great perk for families, but I can take or leave it. My husband is also about 6'3 and I really think he'll have a hard time fitting in that shower. I felt like I was almost too tall. The magnifying mirror was a nice little detail too.
> 
> I was a little annoyed that the bed didn't split into twins. Not a big deal for some, but I like having my own bed. I can see how it also might be strange if you're sharing a cabin with friends so just someone you don't normally sleep with!
> 
> The sliding door to the verandah is genius. Please Carnival take note!! It's so much quieter and easier to use. It's a little thing to take notice of, but such a nice feature!
> 
> I didn't really unpack because it was only 3 nights, but it seemed like there was plenty of storage. Outlets/charging stations by the bed were much appreciated too.
> 
> *Food
> *
> Overall, I think this was the best food I've had on a cruise. It seemed like a higher caliber of food available. For example, the lunch buffet at Cabanas on embarkation day had peel & eat shrimp, mussels, crab claws, etc. I've never seen that on another sailing. I didn't have a bad meal at any of the dining rooms. Oh, and if they have the blueberry/mango twist ice cream at the self-serve place, make yourself a cone!  So yummy! But seriously, we all agreed the food was excellent.
> 
> The only negatives I found were the disappointing salad bar and the pizza. The pizza just wasn't great and the slices were tiny. And I've seen better salad bars at a chain buffet restaurant! Oh and to be honest, I also missed Blue Iguana & Guy's Burgers!
> 
> *Ship Spaces
> *
> We really enjoyed the Quiet Cove pool and the adult deck (Serenity Falls?). It was an upper deck with a fountain/pool. Which is another thing I wish Carnival would take note of - PLEASE put a pool on the Serenity decks!
> 
> The "lido" deck was overall way to crowded, hectic, and loud for us. And there were TONS of kids on this sailing. Between the 2 smaller pools, the movie screen that was always showing a movie, the water slides, kids area, the food & drink stations, etc, it just seemed really crowded all the time. It was hard to even walk through sometimes. One thing I noticed was that the stations that served the pizza, burgers/hot dogs, sandwiches, etc, were on the complete opposite side of the deck than the buffet. But there were no drink stations there. So you had to walk all the way to the other side of the deck just to get a drink. Minor inconvenience, yes, but it was a little annoying trying to navigate through a crowded deck when it would have been so easy just to throw a drink station down there!
> 
> I mentioned before that the lobby was very pretty, however, it always quiet. There were character greetings there, guest services, a bar tucked into the far side. It wasn't the center of any activity, which I kind of missed.
> 
> Dining rooms were all really cool. I do like the rotating dining room concept, however, I think I'm spoiled with My Time Dining on Carnival. We had the early seating because of my brother, which was at 5:45. That's really early for me. I definitely understand that set dining times are needed because of the rotating concept, but I enjoy the freedom of eating whenever is convenient.
> 
> *Entertainment
> *
> The shows were the Golden Mickeys, Beauty & the Beast, and Believe. I admit I did not see Beauty & the Beast because I went to watch Avengers: Endgame (amazing btw!) instead. However, my mom said it was not only the best stage show she has seen on a ship, but was probably the best version of B&tB she's ever seen. Golden Mickeys & Believe were also excellent. So yes, Disney wins for best stage shows, but honestly, I wouldn't expect anything less!
> 
> We did a few other little things like a drawing class and family game show, but I did miss things like the late-night comedians and varied live music. The ship definitely died down at about 11:00PM. So if you're looking for late-night entertainment, you probably aren't going to find much.
> 
> *Random Other Things
> *
> I'll be completely honest: I enjoy having a beverage package. It didn't matter much here because of the short duration and who I was sailing with, but I can see how DH & I would really miss this on a longer voyage. The few times we did order drinks, I was disappointed with the presentation. They used cheap paper cups that look like they came from a gas station, unless you bought the souvenir cup. Very strange to me! And yes, you get paper straws, but seriously, every cup was throwaway paper! Even the cups at the drink stations. Did not seem to be Disney quality at all. I'm all for going green, but why not have reusable cups?
> 
> One of my favorite things to do on the Carnival ships is their movies under the stars. I love throwing on comfy clothes, relaxing on a lounge chair, getting popcorn, etc. So I went to watch Guardians of the Galaxy one night and was really disappointed to find that all the lounge chairs were stacked up and there were just these lousy beach chairs available. And no popcorn. I ended up leaving just because I couldn't get comfortable. So that experience was a bust.
> 
> Also, the seats in the Walt Disney Theater were like those old-time theater seats. Not very comfortable and not a lot of leg room. Carnival has that bench seating with tons of room and little tables that I now appreciate much more!
> 
> Castaway Cay was wonderful. It's an awesome port stop and I can see why people love it. Really nice beach day. I was skeptical about the lunch, but it was great! The only negative I can say is $34 to rent snorkel gear? Really?
> 
> *Overall
> *
> We had a fun time. Would I do a 3-night cruise again? Nope. Wayyyyyy too short and I hate to say it's not worth it, but in my opinion, it almost is. And that's referring to any cruise line. 3-nights just doesn't cut it for me. I would possibly add a 3-night onto a WDW vacation, but even then I don't think I would do less than 4 nights.
> 
> Is DCL my first choice for cruising in the Caribbean? Probably not. The service was wonderful, the ship was beautiful, food was excellent. Did those things justify the MUCH higher price tag? In our case, I don't think so. I also don't think DH & I are their target audience, and that's fine. We enjoy beverage packages, late night entertainment, and adult comedians and we aren't going to find that on DCL. If we had children, my opinion might change. But that's why everyone needs to decide what works best for their family!
> 
> I think our British Isles cruise will be a much different experience and I'm still so very excited for it. But I think we will be getting our Disney fix at WDW in the future. We LOVE cruising and DCL isn't off the table completely, but I see us cruising Carnival and possibly giving Royal and NCL a try before coming back to it.
> 
> Sorry I rambled a bit, but I wanted to get everything down before I forgot!


Great review!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I can't believe there haven't been any posts since I've been gone!
> 
> I just got home from a 3-night cruise on the Dream and wanted to share my thoughts! I will preface this by saying that I cruised with my mom and younger brother, who is special needs. You vacation differently depending in who you're with and that's fine. So DH & I would probably have done different activities than we did on this sailing. So here goes!
> 
> Overall, the ship is lovely. The light fixture in the lobby is stunning and I loved all the artwork. Nothing was "in your face" Disney. It was elegant and subdued. The little details are wonderful though, such as the glass slippers in the chandelier at Royal Palace, the Mickey heads in the wrought iron gate in the Enchanted Garden and the ship's horn! No one does theming like Disney, that's for sure.
> *
> Stateroom*
> Our stateroom was #8164 which was a Navigator's Verandah. We loved our room and HIGHLY recommend this cabin if you want a balcony, but at a lower price than a regular verandah room. The balcony is a bit smaller than a regular one, but you really couldn't tell. It still fit 2 chairs and a table just fine. It's just the way the ship is built that causes the verandah to be a little narrower in size. However, it's considered an "obstructed-view" so it's a lower class than a normal verandah. Definitely worth the few hundred dollars in savings!
> 
> Loved the split bathroom concept. Really great. I can see where a bathtub is a great perk for families, but I can take or leave it. My husband is also about 6'3 and I really think he'll have a hard time fitting in that shower. I felt like I was almost too tall. The magnifying mirror was a nice little detail too.
> 
> I was a little annoyed that the bed didn't split into twins. Not a big deal for some, but I like having my own bed. I can see how it also might be strange if you're sharing a cabin with friends so just someone you don't normally sleep with!
> 
> The sliding door to the verandah is genius. Please Carnival take note!! It's so much quieter and easier to use. It's a little thing to take notice of, but such a nice feature!
> 
> I didn't really unpack because it was only 3 nights, but it seemed like there was plenty of storage. Outlets/charging stations by the bed were much appreciated too.
> 
> *Food
> *
> Overall, I think this was the best food I've had on a cruise. It seemed like a higher caliber of food available. For example, the lunch buffet at Cabanas on embarkation day had peel & eat shrimp, mussels, crab claws, etc. I've never seen that on another sailing. I didn't have a bad meal at any of the dining rooms. Oh, and if they have the blueberry/mango twist ice cream at the self-serve place, make yourself a cone!  So yummy! But seriously, we all agreed the food was excellent.
> 
> The only negatives I found were the disappointing salad bar and the pizza. The pizza just wasn't great and the slices were tiny. And I've seen better salad bars at a chain buffet restaurant! Oh and to be honest, I also missed Blue Iguana & Guy's Burgers!
> 
> *Ship Spaces
> *
> We really enjoyed the Quiet Cove pool and the adult deck (Serenity Falls?). It was an upper deck with a fountain/pool. Which is another thing I wish Carnival would take note of - PLEASE put a pool on the Serenity decks!
> 
> The "lido" deck was overall way to crowded, hectic, and loud for us. And there were TONS of kids on this sailing. Between the 2 smaller pools, the movie screen that was always showing a movie, the water slides, kids area, the food & drink stations, etc, it just seemed really crowded all the time. It was hard to even walk through sometimes. One thing I noticed was that the stations that served the pizza, burgers/hot dogs, sandwiches, etc, were on the complete opposite side of the deck than the buffet. But there were no drink stations there. So you had to walk all the way to the other side of the deck just to get a drink. Minor inconvenience, yes, but it was a little annoying trying to navigate through a crowded deck when it would have been so easy just to throw a drink station down there!
> 
> I mentioned before that the lobby was very pretty, however, it always quiet. There were character greetings there, guest services, a bar tucked into the far side. It wasn't the center of any activity, which I kind of missed.
> 
> Dining rooms were all really cool. I do like the rotating dining room concept, however, I think I'm spoiled with My Time Dining on Carnival. We had the early seating because of my brother, which was at 5:45. That's really early for me. I definitely understand that set dining times are needed because of the rotating concept, but I enjoy the freedom of eating whenever is convenient.
> 
> *Entertainment
> *
> The shows were the Golden Mickeys, Beauty & the Beast, and Believe. I admit I did not see Beauty & the Beast because I went to watch Avengers: Endgame (amazing btw!) instead. However, my mom said it was not only the best stage show she has seen on a ship, but was probably the best version of B&tB she's ever seen. Golden Mickeys & Believe were also excellent. So yes, Disney wins for best stage shows, but honestly, I wouldn't expect anything less!
> 
> We did a few other little things like a drawing class and family game show, but I did miss things like the late-night comedians and varied live music. The ship definitely died down at about 11:00PM. So if you're looking for late-night entertainment, you probably aren't going to find much.
> 
> *Random Other Things
> *
> I'll be completely honest: I enjoy having a beverage package. It didn't matter much here because of the short duration and who I was sailing with, but I can see how DH & I would really miss this on a longer voyage. The few times we did order drinks, I was disappointed with the presentation. They used cheap paper cups that look like they came from a gas station, unless you bought the souvenir cup. Very strange to me! And yes, you get paper straws, but seriously, every cup was throwaway paper! Even the cups at the drink stations. Did not seem to be Disney quality at all. I'm all for going green, but why not have reusable cups?
> 
> One of my favorite things to do on the Carnival ships is their movies under the stars. I love throwing on comfy clothes, relaxing on a lounge chair, getting popcorn, etc. So I went to watch Guardians of the Galaxy one night and was really disappointed to find that all the lounge chairs were stacked up and there were just these lousy beach chairs available. And no popcorn. I ended up leaving just because I couldn't get comfortable. So that experience was a bust.
> 
> Also, the seats in the Walt Disney Theater were like those old-time theater seats. Not very comfortable and not a lot of leg room. Carnival has that bench seating with tons of room and little tables that I now appreciate much more!
> 
> Castaway Cay was wonderful. It's an awesome port stop and I can see why people love it. Really nice beach day. I was skeptical about the lunch, but it was great! The only negative I can say is $34 to rent snorkel gear? Really?
> 
> *Overall
> *
> We had a fun time. Would I do a 3-night cruise again? Nope. Wayyyyyy too short and I hate to say it's not worth it, but in my opinion, it almost is. And that's referring to any cruise line. 3-nights just doesn't cut it for me. I would possibly add a 3-night onto a WDW vacation, but even then I don't think I would do less than 4 nights.
> 
> Is DCL my first choice for cruising in the Caribbean? Probably not. The service was wonderful, the ship was beautiful, food was excellent. Did those things justify the MUCH higher price tag? In our case, I don't think so. I also don't think DH & I are their target audience, and that's fine. We enjoy beverage packages, late night entertainment, and adult comedians and we aren't going to find that on DCL. If we had children, my opinion might change. But that's why everyone needs to decide what works best for their family!
> 
> I think our British Isles cruise will be a much different experience and I'm still so very excited for it. But I think we will be getting our Disney fix at WDW in the future. We LOVE cruising and DCL isn't off the table completely, but I see us cruising Carnival and possibly giving Royal and NCL a try before coming back to it.
> 
> Sorry I rambled a bit, but I wanted to get everything down before I forgot!



Regarding...

Stateroom: Our first cruise/DCL cruise was in a cabin with a navigators verandah. Fun and nice. What did you think of the decor?

Food: I agree that the pizza is not good and I found the burgers to be just as terrible. That being said, with time, I agree that Cabanas has more choices than the Lido (I feel like they reduced the choices since my first Carnival cruise in 2016?) and it's pretty good! DCL also has better ice cream/better choices of Ice Cream. I got tired of hoping and waiting for Strawberry Frozen Yogurt on my two last Carnival cruises (I don't really care for vanilla and chocolate).

Ship spaces: +1 for pools on Serenity deck.

Random other things: They may have changed that because I do remember plastic transparent glasses just like on Carnival for drinks in 2017...

Did you go to Serenity Bay on Castaway Cay? Which lunch did you get? Cookies or Serenity Bay BBQ (We find that the SB one is the best!)

The only thing that I found to be close to having a drink package was being able to buy a wine package for the cruise so we get a bottle of wine at dinner every night.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Regarding...
> 
> Stateroom: Our first cruise/DCL cruise was in a cabin with a navigators verandah. Fun and nice. What did you think of the decor?
> 
> Food: I agree that the pizza is not good and I found the burgers to be just as terrible. That being said, with time, I agree that Cabanas has more choices than the Lido (I feel like they reduced the choices since my first Carnival cruise in 2016?) and it's pretty good! DCL also has better ice cream/better choices of Ice Cream. I got tired of hoping and waiting for Strawberry Frozen Yogurt on my two last Carnival cruises (I don't really care for vanilla and chocolate).
> 
> Ship spaces: +1 for pools on Serenity deck.
> 
> Random other things: They may have changed that because I do remember plastic transparent glasses just like on Carnival for drinks in 2017...
> 
> Did you go to Serenity Bay on Castaway Cay? Which lunch did you get? Cookies or Serenity Bay BBQ (We find that the SB one is the best!)
> 
> The only thing that I found to be close to having a drink package was being able to buy a wine package for the cruise so we get a bottle of wine at dinner every night.



I really enjoyed Cabanas for breakfast & the embarkation day lunch, but I did find it a little strange that it was only open for dinner on pirate night. And it wasn't a buffet, but technically a table service? There have been nights on other sailings that we spend too long in the pool or get back late from port or just don't want to sit and wait for dinner...you literally just want to grab an assortment of random food from a buffet! And it didn't seem like DCL really offered that option. Even if they just used half of Cabanas as a dinner buffet and the other half as sit-down, I think it would be a good compromise!

Unless I totally missed it, I only saw paper cups and souvenir glasses. Every drink we got was in a paper cup, unless it was beer or wine.

We did not make it over to Serenity Bay unfortunately! We stayed on the family side and had a great time snorkeling, swimming and water sliding. We were pleasantly surprised with Cookies!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> I can't believe there haven't been any posts since I've been gone!
> 
> I just got home from a 3-night cruise on the Dream and wanted to share my thoughts! I will preface this by saying that I cruised with my mom and younger brother, who is special needs. You vacation differently depending in who you're with and that's fine. So DH & I would probably have done different activities than we did on this sailing. So here goes!
> 
> Overall, the ship is lovely. The light fixture in the lobby is stunning and I loved all the artwork. Nothing was "in your face" Disney. It was elegant and subdued. The little details are wonderful though, such as the glass slippers in the chandelier at Royal Palace, the Mickey heads in the wrought iron gate in the Enchanted Garden and the ship's horn! No one does theming like Disney, that's for sure.
> *
> Stateroom*
> Our stateroom was #8164 which was a Navigator's Verandah. We loved our room and HIGHLY recommend this cabin if you want a balcony, but at a lower price than a regular verandah room. The balcony is a bit smaller than a regular one, but you really couldn't tell. It still fit 2 chairs and a table just fine. It's just the way the ship is built that causes the verandah to be a little narrower in size. However, it's considered an "obstructed-view" so it's a lower class than a normal verandah. Definitely worth the few hundred dollars in savings!
> 
> Loved the split bathroom concept. Really great. I can see where a bathtub is a great perk for families, but I can take or leave it. My husband is also about 6'3 and I really think he'll have a hard time fitting in that shower. I felt like I was almost too tall. The magnifying mirror was a nice little detail too.
> 
> I was a little annoyed that the bed didn't split into twins. Not a big deal for some, but I like having my own bed. I can see how it also might be strange if you're sharing a cabin with friends so just someone you don't normally sleep with!
> 
> The sliding door to the verandah is genius. Please Carnival take note!! It's so much quieter and easier to use. It's a little thing to take notice of, but such a nice feature!
> 
> I didn't really unpack because it was only 3 nights, but it seemed like there was plenty of storage. Outlets/charging stations by the bed were much appreciated too.
> 
> *Food
> *
> Overall, I think this was the best food I've had on a cruise. It seemed like a higher caliber of food available. For example, the lunch buffet at Cabanas on embarkation day had peel & eat shrimp, mussels, crab claws, etc. I've never seen that on another sailing. I didn't have a bad meal at any of the dining rooms. Oh, and if they have the blueberry/mango twist ice cream at the self-serve place, make yourself a cone!  So yummy! But seriously, we all agreed the food was excellent.
> 
> The only negatives I found were the disappointing salad bar and the pizza. The pizza just wasn't great and the slices were tiny. And I've seen better salad bars at a chain buffet restaurant! Oh and to be honest, I also missed Blue Iguana & Guy's Burgers!
> 
> *Ship Spaces
> *
> We really enjoyed the Quiet Cove pool and the adult deck (Serenity Falls?). It was an upper deck with a fountain/pool. Which is another thing I wish Carnival would take note of - PLEASE put a pool on the Serenity decks!
> 
> The "lido" deck was overall way to crowded, hectic, and loud for us. And there were TONS of kids on this sailing. Between the 2 smaller pools, the movie screen that was always showing a movie, the water slides, kids area, the food & drink stations, etc, it just seemed really crowded all the time. It was hard to even walk through sometimes. One thing I noticed was that the stations that served the pizza, burgers/hot dogs, sandwiches, etc, were on the complete opposite side of the deck than the buffet. But there were no drink stations there. So you had to walk all the way to the other side of the deck just to get a drink. Minor inconvenience, yes, but it was a little annoying trying to navigate through a crowded deck when it would have been so easy just to throw a drink station down there!
> 
> I mentioned before that the lobby was very pretty, however, it always quiet. There were character greetings there, guest services, a bar tucked into the far side. It wasn't the center of any activity, which I kind of missed.
> 
> Dining rooms were all really cool. I do like the rotating dining room concept, however, I think I'm spoiled with My Time Dining on Carnival. We had the early seating because of my brother, which was at 5:45. That's really early for me. I definitely understand that set dining times are needed because of the rotating concept, but I enjoy the freedom of eating whenever is convenient.
> 
> *Entertainment
> *
> The shows were the Golden Mickeys, Beauty & the Beast, and Believe. I admit I did not see Beauty & the Beast because I went to watch Avengers: Endgame (amazing btw!) instead. However, my mom said it was not only the best stage show she has seen on a ship, but was probably the best version of B&tB she's ever seen. Golden Mickeys & Believe were also excellent. So yes, Disney wins for best stage shows, but honestly, I wouldn't expect anything less!
> 
> We did a few other little things like a drawing class and family game show, but I did miss things like the late-night comedians and varied live music. The ship definitely died down at about 11:00PM. So if you're looking for late-night entertainment, you probably aren't going to find much.
> 
> *Random Other Things
> *
> I'll be completely honest: I enjoy having a beverage package. It didn't matter much here because of the short duration and who I was sailing with, but I can see how DH & I would really miss this on a longer voyage. The few times we did order drinks, I was disappointed with the presentation. They used cheap paper cups that look like they came from a gas station, unless you bought the souvenir cup. Very strange to me! And yes, you get paper straws, but seriously, every cup was throwaway paper! Even the cups at the drink stations. Did not seem to be Disney quality at all. I'm all for going green, but why not have reusable cups?
> 
> One of my favorite things to do on the Carnival ships is their movies under the stars. I love throwing on comfy clothes, relaxing on a lounge chair, getting popcorn, etc. So I went to watch Guardians of the Galaxy one night and was really disappointed to find that all the lounge chairs were stacked up and there were just these lousy beach chairs available. And no popcorn. I ended up leaving just because I couldn't get comfortable. So that experience was a bust.
> 
> Also, the seats in the Walt Disney Theater were like those old-time theater seats. Not very comfortable and not a lot of leg room. Carnival has that bench seating with tons of room and little tables that I now appreciate much more!
> 
> Castaway Cay was wonderful. It's an awesome port stop and I can see why people love it. Really nice beach day. I was skeptical about the lunch, but it was great! The only negative I can say is $34 to rent snorkel gear? Really?
> 
> *Overall
> *
> We had a fun time. Would I do a 3-night cruise again? Nope. Wayyyyyy too short and I hate to say it's not worth it, but in my opinion, it almost is. And that's referring to any cruise line. 3-nights just doesn't cut it for me. I would possibly add a 3-night onto a WDW vacation, but even then I don't think I would do less than 4 nights.
> 
> Is DCL my first choice for cruising in the Caribbean? Probably not. The service was wonderful, the ship was beautiful, food was excellent. Did those things justify the MUCH higher price tag? In our case, I don't think so. I also don't think DH & I are their target audience, and that's fine. We enjoy beverage packages, late night entertainment, and adult comedians and we aren't going to find that on DCL. If we had children, my opinion might change. But that's why everyone needs to decide what works best for their family!
> 
> I think our British Isles cruise will be a much different experience and I'm still so very excited for it. But I think we will be getting our Disney fix at WDW in the future. We LOVE cruising and DCL isn't off the table completely, but I see us cruising Carnival and possibly giving Royal and NCL a try before coming back to it.
> 
> Sorry I rambled a bit, but I wanted to get everything down before I forgot!


Thanks for the review. Our first cruise was on the Dream and she is gorgeous, but all the DCL ships are. 

I like how different the experience is between Carnival and Disney, I still stand by my statement that neither is better than the other, they’re just different.  I’m equally excited about boarding the Carnival Vista in 18 days for the 4th time and boarding the Disney Fantasy in 402 days for the 3rd time. They are both fantastic ships and we’ll have a great time on both.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Found out some interesting info about booking spa treatments on Carnival. I logged on to our cruise planner for our Vista cruise in 18 days to book a massage. I decided on a 75 minute bamboo massage and when I went to book it, I was given timeslots throughout the week with different pricing. During peak periods the massage was $145 during non-peak times it was only $103. I really like that structure, I took a 9:15 AM on the first sea day of the cruise and it was only $103. They also give a 30% discount on each service if you book 3 or more during your trip. I may get a facial and shave while I’m at it!!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Found out some interesting info about booking spa treatments on Carnival. I logged on to our cruise planner for our Vista cruise in 18 days to book a massage. I decided on a 75 minute bamboo massage and when I went to book it, I was given timeslots throughout the week with different pricing. During peak periods the massage was $145 during non-peak times it was only $103. I really like that structure, I took a 9:15 AM on the first sea day of the cruise and it was only $103. They also give a 30% discount on each service if you book 3 or more during your trip. I may get a facial and shave while I’m at it!!



I tried Carnival's spa last year and loved it.  I have read that if you prepay for spa services to make sure that they do not accidentally double charge you.  I guess the spa company is a completely separate company from Carnival and doesn't always receive the information that you have paid.  But I do not know how true this is- just read about it once on CC.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Sorry I have not responded back on our cruise choice dilemma.   I really appreciate all the feedback! We have not booked yet and are still wavering (just a bit) but I am pretty sure it will be CCL.


----------



## mcd2745

belle032 said:


> I really enjoyed Cabanas for breakfast & the embarkation day lunch, but *I did find it a little strange that it was only open for dinner on pirate night. And it wasn't a buffet, but technically a table service? *There have been nights on other sailings that we spend too long in the pool or get back late from port or just don't want to sit and wait for dinner...you literally just want to grab an assortment of random food from a buffet! And it didn't seem like DCL really offered that option. Even if they just used half of Cabanas as a dinner buffet and the other half as sit-down, I think it would be a good compromise!




There is a current thread discussing this exact topic (I posted the exact thing as the last sentence i underlined just the other day)

https://www.disboards.com/threads/is-cabanas-really-closed.3750157/unread


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Found out some interesting info about booking spa treatments on Carnival. I logged on to our cruise planner for our Vista cruise in 18 days to book a massage. I decided on a 75 minute bamboo massage and when I went to book it, I was given timeslots throughout the week with different pricing. During peak periods the massage was $145 during non-peak times it was only $103. I really like that structure, I took a 9:15 AM on the first sea day of the cruise and it was only $103. They also give a 30% discount on each service if you book 3 or more during your trip. I may get a facial and shave while I’m at it!!



Have you thought about booking a Cloud 9 Spa cabin? They come with interesting perks (and even better deals on spa treatments like massages) and the thermal suite.


----------



## belle032

Ughh so indecisive! 

About to pull the trigger and put a deposit down on the 8 night Southern Caribbean on the Horizon for a date in either February or early March 2020. We also plan on doing a WDW trip in September/October of next year as well, mainly because we love Halloween time at the parks!

But then I just happened to see a little “Halloween on the high seas” ad and checked out the Horizon pricing in October. It’s a few hundred dollars less and we’ve never done a Halloween cruise. On our last cruise they were putting up Halloween decorations as we disembarked and we thought it would be so fun to do Halloween sometime!

So now we’re thinking maybe we should literally just switch our plans and do it the opposite way! Has anyone done a Halloween cruise?? 

It’s already stressing me out, especially because I’m such a planner (I really love the planning aspect!) and WDW hasn’t released pricing for 2020 yet.  So it drives me crazy that I can’t immediately get ballpark pricing. Oh and flights are the same issue. DH thinks I’m crazy for trying to do this “so early.” *sigh* I figured fellow Disboarders might understand!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Have you thought about booking a Cloud 9 Spa cabin? They come with interesting perks (and even better deals on spa treatments like massages) and the thermal suite.


We’ve looked into it but always want connecting cabins with our teens. Unfortunately, the Spa 9 cabins don’t offer connecting. I love the decor of them though, they’re so nice.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Ughh so indecisive!
> 
> About to pull the trigger and put a deposit down on the 8 night Southern Caribbean on the Horizon for a date in either February or early March 2020. We also plan on doing a WDW trip in September/October of next year as well, mainly because we love Halloween time at the parks!
> 
> But then I just happened to see a little “Halloween on the high seas” ad and checked out the Horizon pricing in October. It’s a few hundred dollars less and we’ve never done a Halloween cruise. On our last cruise they were putting up Halloween decorations as we disembarked and we thought it would be so fun to do Halloween sometime!
> 
> So now we’re thinking maybe we should literally just switch our plans and do it the opposite way! Has anyone done a Halloween cruise??
> 
> It’s already stressing me out, especially because I’m such a planner (I really love the planning aspect!) and WDW hasn’t released pricing for 2020 yet.  So it drives me crazy that I can’t immediately get ballpark pricing. Oh and flights are the same issue. DH thinks I’m crazy for trying to do this “so early.” *sigh* I figured fellow Disboarders might understand!



Yes! I caught one of the first "Halloween cruise" mid-october last year since Carnival has introduced Halloween celebration on board. The decorations were pretty nice (I'll try to find pictures). I feel like since it was new most people did not get the memo ... but I noticed some children wearing costumes. We wanted to attend the party but... We fell asleep (LOL).

This year people should participate more.

So I'd vote for Land & Sea.  

Edit: Found two pictures we have taken on Carnival Sensation.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’ve looked into it but always want connecting cabins with our teens. Unfortunately, the Spa 9 cabins don’t offer connecting. I love the decor of them though, they’re so nice.



It's nice and the perks are worth it.

Not on Carnival but DH and I will have connecting cabins with his parents in January. How is the soundproofing between connecting rooms on a cruise ship? (They snore very loudly LOL)


----------



## PrincessTrisha

belle032 said:


> Ughh so indecisive!
> 
> About to pull the trigger and put a deposit down on the 8 night Southern Caribbean on the Horizon for a date in either February or early March 2020. We also plan on doing a WDW trip in September/October of next year as well, mainly because we love Halloween time at the parks!
> 
> But then I just happened to see a little “Halloween on the high seas” ad and checked out the Horizon pricing in October. It’s a few hundred dollars less and we’ve never done a Halloween cruise. On our last cruise they were putting up Halloween decorations as we disembarked and we thought it would be so fun to do Halloween sometime!
> 
> So now we’re thinking maybe we should literally just switch our plans and do it the opposite way! Has anyone done a Halloween cruise??
> 
> It’s already stressing me out, especially because I’m such a planner (I really love the planning aspect!) and WDW hasn’t released pricing for 2020 yet.  So it drives me crazy that I can’t immediately get ballpark pricing. Oh and flights are the same issue. DH thinks I’m crazy for trying to do this “so early.” *sigh* I figured fellow Disboarders might understand!



We did a Halloween cruise on the Carnival Dream. They had a bunch of decorations, a costume contest and some special desserts in the dining room. They have really kicked up the celebration in the last few years.

That being said, Halloween in the parks was my absolute favourite time. Days started to cool, nights were breezy and the décor and special offerings are amazing. 

My 2 cents, I'd stick with your original plan.


----------



## belle032

PrincessTrisha said:


> We did a Halloween cruise on the Carnival Dream. They had a bunch of decorations, a costume contest and some special desserts in the dining room. They have really kicked up the celebration in the last few years.
> 
> That being said, Halloween in the parks was my absolute favourite time. Days started to cool, nights were breezy and the décor and special offerings are amazing.
> 
> My 2 cents, I'd stick with your original plan.



Thank you for the input!   We do love Halloweentime at WDW. And DH loves Horror Nights at Universal. So we may end up sticking with the original. Thought it might be fun to try something new, but either way we’ll still have a great time!


----------



## AquaDame

belle032 said:


> I really enjoyed Cabanas for breakfast & the embarkation day lunch, but I did find it a little strange that it was only open for dinner on pirate night. And it wasn't a buffet, but technically a table service? There have been nights on other sailings that we spend too long in the pool or get back late from port or just don't want to sit and wait for dinner...you literally just want to grab an assortment of random food from a buffet! And it didn't seem like DCL really offered that option. Even if they just used half of Cabanas as a dinner buffet and the other half as sit-down, I think it would be a good compromise!
> 
> Unless I totally missed it, I only saw paper cups and souvenir glasses. Every drink we got was in a paper cup, unless it was beer or wine.
> 
> We did not make it over to Serenity Bay unfortunately! We stayed on the family side and had a great time snorkeling, swimming and water sliding. We were pleasantly surprised with Cookies!



I think that's how dinner is always handled in Cabanas... at least whenever we have gone up its been like that. I assume so many people just go to the MDR it would be too much waste to do it as a buffet but I don't know the official reason.

Were the paper cups inside as well as out...? I've always been served drinks in proper glassware inside on DCL (our last cruise was over xmas) but outside they tended to use plastic ware on the Fantasy. I haven't sailed on the Dream since our first ever cruise in 2011 though. On Castaway it was single use cups though which now that you mention it I am annoyed by even if I understand people will be wandering around...!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> It's nice and the perks are worth it.
> 
> Not on Carnival but DH and I will have connecting cabins with his parents in January. How is the soundproofing between connecting rooms on a cruise ship? (They snore very loudly LOL)


Great on both Disney and Carnival


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> It's nice and the perks are worth it.
> 
> Not on Carnival but DH and I will have connecting cabins with his parents in January. How is the soundproofing between connecting rooms on a cruise ship? (They snore very loudly LOL)


I try hard not to book connecting cabins. The last time I had one there was a little girl in the next room that had one of those dry hacking coughs..you know the kind that gets worse at night. I felt bad for her, but it drove me nuts. I've also heard neighbors snoring, farting, fighting you name it. I don't think the connecting rooms are great on Disney. If my kids are in the next room I can just open the door and tell them to shut up so it's not an issue.


----------



## lklgoodman

We've had connecting rooms on several DCL cruises and have never heard anything during any of them.


----------



## smmco

lklgoodman said:


> We've had connecting rooms on several DCL cruises and have never heard anything during any of them.


Consider yourself lucky. On the Magic our neighbors got our bill by mistake and the husband was showing the wife how some people don't spend money in the gift shop. That was kind of funny.


----------



## belle032

AquaDame said:


> I think that's how dinner is always handled in Cabanas... at least whenever we have gone up its been like that. I assume so many people just go to the MDR it would be too much waste to do it as a buffet but I don't know the official reason.
> 
> Were the paper cups inside as well as out...? I've always been served drinks in proper glassware inside on DCL (our last cruise was over xmas) but outside they tended to use plastic ware on the Fantasy. I haven't sailed on the Dream since our first ever cruise in 2011 though. On Castaway it was single use cups though which now that you mention it I am annoyed by even if I understand people will be wandering around...!



Now that I think about it, we only ordered cocktails on the decks or at Castaway Cay and they were all in paper. We ordered beer and wine in the MDRs but didn’t order a cocktail at any of the indoor bars. So I may be rather mistaken and plastic is used inside!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

We always try to avoid connecting rooms too but we have somehow ended up with them a few times.  We have been lucky and never heard anything from the connecting doors.  Knock on wood.  The only loud neighbor noise we have heard is through the balcony on an ncl ship.  The people on both sides of us were both incredibly loud on their balconies and were both smoking illegally out there.  Ugh.  Annoying, but it did not bother us that much.  And then once on dcl, the wonder, we could hear the people moving around in the room next door!  It was weird because it almost sounded like they were in our room, but obviously they were not.  But you could hear someone sit down on the bed and put a book or something on a table.  That kind of thing.  We were in one of those sideways inside cabins.  Not sure if that had anything to do with it.  But... the only time noise has REALLY bothered us was when we ended up under the galley on ccl dream.  Total nightmare.   Avoid being under the galley on ccl at all costs.  Oh... and i forgot on dcl fantasy... awful awful awful aft rocking will keep even a heavy sleeper awake.  Similar to the galley issue on ccl.  So stay away from dcl fantasy aft and and under the galley on any dcl ship.


----------



## Dug720

smmco said:


> I try hard not to book connecting cabins. The last time I had one there was a little girl in the next room that had one of those dry hacking coughs..you know the kind that gets worse at night. I felt bad for her, but it drove me nuts. I've also heard neighbors snoring, farting, fighting you name it. I don't think the connecting rooms are great on Disney. If my kids are in the next room I can just open the door and tell them to shut up so it's not an issue.



FWIW, I have had those issues in non-connecting cabins as well. No door does not mean no noise will carry through.


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> I try hard not to book connecting cabins. The last time I had one there was a little girl in the next room that had one of those dry hacking coughs..you know the kind that gets worse at night. I felt bad for her, but it drove me nuts. I've also heard neighbors snoring, farting, fighting you name it. I don't think the connecting rooms are great on Disney. If my kids are in the next room I can just open the door and tell them to shut up so it's not an issue.



Let's hope the RCCL cabins are better.


----------



## Mika02

Thanks for this Thread Looking to book a Carnival Cruise for the Fall.

So background I have a DCL cruise book currently but unfortuntely due to some recent financial issues looking to travel on a less expensive option. This actually will be my 3rd Cruise booking win the last year. I had to cancel my RCCL booking because I'm having surgery this summer so it cancelled my trip to Europe. 

Right now trying to narrow down the Ship and Itinerary I want. I've cruised on 3 Carnival Sailings but only 2 Ships Carnival Triumph and Carnival Destiny which have both been renamed lol. But both experiences were amazing. But they were all 9 years or more ago.  I've been on 1 DCL sailing Dream to the Bahamas in 2015. Since that's are most recent cruise it's the one my kids remember most. I personally want to avoid the Bahamas and they could careless.  So right now I'm focused on Ships my options for the time I want to Sail are Sensations, Magic, Paradise, Conquest, Vista and Horizon. 

I've read some reviews here on Sensations, Magic and Conquest.  Has anyone been on the other three? What were your thoughts?

TIA


----------



## mevelandry

I've already made a thread about it but...

Fellow Canadians: If you want to cruise with DCL, you should take a look at the "25% off for Canadians" on the Special Offers page. It appears --if I calculate correctly-- that one could get a short 3 or 4 nights cruise for only 200$ more per person than a Carnival cruise on select June and September cruises... Which I find pretty reasonable.

If I did not already have plans with RCCL this fall, I would have booked a cruise with DCL right now.


----------



## mevelandry

Mika02 said:


> Thanks for this Thread Looking to book a Carnival Cruise for the Fall.
> 
> So background I have a DCL cruise book currently but unfortuntely due to some recent financial issues looking to travel on a less expensive option. This actually will be my 3rd Cruise booking win the last year. I had to cancel my RCCL booking because I'm having surgery this summer so it cancelled my trip to Europe.
> 
> Right now trying to narrow down the Ship and Itinerary I want. I've cruised on 3 Carnival Sailings but only 2 Ships Carnival Triumph and Carnival Destiny which have both been renamed lol. But both experiences were amazing. But they were all 9 years or more ago.  I've been on 1 DCL sailing Dream to the Bahamas in 2015. Since that's are most recent cruise it's the one my kids remember most. I personally want to avoid the Bahamas and they could careless.  So right now I'm focused on Ships my options for the time I want to Sail are Sensations, Magic, Paradise, Conquest, Vista and Horizon.
> 
> I've read some reviews here on Sensations, Magic and Conquest.  Has anyone been on the other three? What were your thoughts?
> 
> TIA



Welcome!

You can find links for reviews of the Vista on the first post of the first page of this thread. We may have one about the Horizon too? (Can't remember).

I would highly recommend new ships like Vista (she's my favorite ship so far) and Horizon because they are new, with all the bells and whistles!


----------



## Mika02

mevelandry said:


> Welcome!
> 
> You can find links for reviews of the Vista on the first post of the first page of this thread. We may have one about the Horizon too? (Can't remember).
> 
> I would highly recommend new ships like Vista (she's my favorite ship so far) and Horizon because they are new, with all the bells and whistles!



Awesome I must have missed those on the front page


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Mika02 said:


> Thanks for this Thread Looking to book a Carnival Cruise for the Fall.
> 
> So background I have a DCL cruise book currently but unfortuntely due to some recent financial issues looking to travel on a less expensive option. This actually will be my 3rd Cruise booking win the last year. I had to cancel my RCCL booking because I'm having surgery this summer so it cancelled my trip to Europe.
> 
> Right now trying to narrow down the Ship and Itinerary I want. I've cruised on 3 Carnival Sailings but only 2 Ships Carnival Triumph and Carnival Destiny which have both been renamed lol. But both experiences were amazing. But they were all 9 years or more ago.  I've been on 1 DCL sailing Dream to the Bahamas in 2015. Since that's are most recent cruise it's the one my kids remember most. I personally want to avoid the Bahamas and they could careless.  So right now I'm focused on Ships my options for the time I want to Sail are Sensations, Magic, Paradise, Conquest, Vista and Horizon.
> 
> I've read some reviews here on Sensations, Magic and Conquest.  Has anyone been on the other three? What were your thoughts?
> 
> TIA


I wrote one of the Vista trip reports and highly recommended her or Horizon. We board Vista for the 4th time in 3 years in 15 days. She’s a really great ship. If you can swing the 8 night Southern Caribbean on Horizon, I definitely recommend that itinerary, it’s awesome and Curaçao is amazing.


----------



## Mika02

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I wrote one of the Vista trip reports and highly recommended her or Horizon. We board Vista for the 4th time in 3 years in 15 days. She’s a really great ship. If you can swing the 8 night Southern Caribbean on Horizon, I definitely recommend that itinerary, it’s awesome and Curaçao is amazing.



If I do the newer ships it would be 7 Days on Vista or 6 Days on Horizon and they are both Western (Roatan, Belize and Cozumel)- Vista or (Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel)-Horizon. Of the older ships the Magic is pulling me as it's Southern Caribbean and it's 8 Days.

I do think having a newer ship will be the way to go. I have a 17, 12 and 8 year old are they are skeptical lol My daughter whose 17 is like but if we go I won't find anyone who is as crazy as me about Disney lol. They loved the kids club at Disney when we went.

I showed them a Video on Youtube about the Horizon and my 8 year old is almost all in though.


----------



## hdrolfe

My son was 8 on our last cruise, Carnival Magic. He loved it and we are going back again on her in March. We'll be trying Horizon in Dec 2020. My son has been to Disney multiple times, we are going again this August and we had a few moments when he was upset because he'd rather go back on another cruise!


----------



## Mika02

hdrolfe said:


> My son was 8 on our last cruise, Carnival Magic. He loved it and we are going back again on her in March. We'll be trying Horizon in Dec 2020. My son has been to Disney multiple times, we are going again this August and we had a few moments when he was upset because he'd rather go back on another cruise!



Did he like the kids clubs?


----------



## hdrolfe

Mika02 said:


> Did he like the kids clubs?



He actually does like the kids club on Carnival ships, hates it on RCL and refuses to attend.


----------



## Mika02

hdrolfe said:


> He actually does like the kids club on Carnival ships, hates it on RCL and refuses to attend.



Awesome that's great to know. Did you do the slumber party hours for him at all?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Mika02 said:


> If I do the newer ships it would be 7 Days on Vista or 6 Days on Horizon and they are both Western (Roatan, Belize and Cozumel)- Vista or (Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel)-Horizon. Of the older ships the Magic is pulling me as it's Southern Caribbean and it's 8 Days.
> 
> I do think having a newer ship will be the way to go. I have a 17, 12 and 8 year old are they are skeptical lol My daughter whose 17 is like but if we go I won't find anyone who is as crazy as me about Disney lol. They loved the kids club at Disney when we went.
> 
> I showed them a Video on Youtube about the Horizon and my 8 year old is almost all in though.


We didn’t think we could like Carnival nearly as much as DCL. We are definitely a Disney family, I’m a former Disney Operations Manager and we have consumed tons of the Disney Kool Aid. Just keep in mind it’s not going to be the same experience. It’s a great time but a different experience. We’re doing the same Vista cruise that you’re considering in 2 weeks, I’ll let you know how it goes.


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> Let's hope the RCCL cabins are better.


I'm surprised people say they don't hear their neighbors in connecting cabins. I can usually hear every conversation. I either have really good hearing or really loud neighbors. When my kids are in the cabin next to us they are never in the room and when they come in at 2am I never hear them. They are not loud and drunk. I don't think some people realize how bad the sound proofing is on the older ships. I'm a little bitter because I had one cruise pretty much ruined by my neighbors late night partying. It's not fun to come home from vacation sleep deprived.


----------



## Mika02

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We didn’t think we could like Carnival nearly as much as DCL. We are definitely a Disney family, I’m a former Disney Operations Manager and we have consumed tons of the Disney Kool Aid. Just keep in mind it’s not going to be the same experience. It’s a great time but a different experience. We’re doing the same Vista cruise that you’re considering in 2 weeks, I’ll let you know how it goes.



Awesome cant wait to hear your experience


----------



## hdrolfe

Mika02 said:


> Awesome that's great to know. Did you do the slumber party hours for him at all?


We haven't. He wasn't interested. I am hoping he will on one of the upcoming cruises but we are often in bed by 10  early birds and just so busy all day.


----------



## Mika02

hdrolfe said:


> We haven't. He wasn't interested. I am hoping he will on one of the upcoming cruises but we are often in bed by 10  early birds and just so busy all day.



My kids and I are the opposite night owls lol. The one thing I love about Disney is the Kids Club is open until 12 or midnight. So I a feeling I'll probably be paying for him to stay until 1 because my older two would get to stay that long.


----------



## hdrolfe

Mika02 said:


> My kids and I are the opposite night owls lol. The one thing I love about Disney is the Kids Club is open until 12 or midnight. So I a feeling I'll probably be paying for him to stay until 1 because my older two would get to stay that long.


You could look at the family harbor rooms on Horizon or Vista. The do cost a bit more but I believe you get at least one free night of night owls and the family harbor lounge which serves breakfast, snacks, ice cream and has video games and movies. We are staying in one on Horizon next year and I cant wait to check it out.


----------



## Mika02

hdrolfe said:


> You could look at the family harbor rooms on Horizon or Vista. The do cost a bit more but I believe you get at least one free night of night owls and the family harbor lounge which serves breakfast, snacks, ice cream and has video games and movies. We are staying in one on Horizon next year and I cant wait to check it out.



I was just looking at this last night and I agree I think it would be would be perfect for us. Issue is I need 2 rooms in that category near each other.  Not really finding it bur I will keep searching


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Mika02 said:


> I was just looking at this last night and I agree I think it would be would be perfect for us. Issue is I need 2 rooms in that category near each other.  Not really finding it bur I will keep searching


Could you do one of the family harbor suites?  They sleep 5 and have the split bath like DCL but better because they have 2 showers, one stand up and the other is a tub/shower combo.


----------



## Mika02

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Could you do one of the family harbor suites?  They sleep 5 and have the split bath like DCL but better because they have 2 showers, one stand up and the other is a tub/shower combo.



Does it have separate Sleeping areas? My boyfriend will be traveling with us and it will be our 1st "family" vacation so I wanted to get 2 rooms.


----------



## mevelandry

Mika02 said:


> I was just looking at this last night and I agree I think it would be would be perfect for us. Issue is I need 2 rooms in that category near each other.  Not really finding it bur I will keep searching



Whatever you do, if you pick Family Harbour cabins, avoid booking under the galley. I've heard lots of complains about noise.


----------



## mevelandry

Mika02 said:


> Does it have separate Sleeping areas? My boyfriend will be traveling with us and it will be our 1st "family" vacation so I wanted to get 2 rooms.



I could be wrong but I believe they do.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

Mika02 said:


> Thanks for this Thread Looking to book a Carnival Cruise for the Fall.
> 
> So background I have a DCL cruise book currently but unfortuntely due to some recent financial issues looking to travel on a less expensive option. This actually will be my 3rd Cruise booking win the last year. I had to cancel my RCCL booking because I'm having surgery this summer so it cancelled my trip to Europe.
> 
> Right now trying to narrow down the Ship and Itinerary I want. I've cruised on 3 Carnival Sailings but only 2 Ships Carnival Triumph and Carnival Destiny which have both been renamed lol. But both experiences were amazing. But they were all 9 years or more ago.  I've been on 1 DCL sailing Dream to the Bahamas in 2015. Since that's are most recent cruise it's the one my kids remember most. I personally want to avoid the Bahamas and they could careless.  So right now I'm focused on Ships my options for the time I want to Sail are Sensations, Magic, Paradise, Conquest, Vista and Horizon.
> 
> I've read some reviews here on Sensations, Magic and Conquest.  Has anyone been on the other three? What were your thoughts?
> 
> TIA



In your situation I would eliminate the Sensation and Paradise. They are smaller ships without a lot of the bells and whistles that Carnival is becoming known for. 

The Carnival Magic is a great ship - I sailed on the sister ship, the Carnival Dream with my 16 turning 17 year old god daughter. She loved it. Seriously - loved it.

It has many of the new food options (Guy's burgers, Guy's BBQ, Blue Iguana, Pasta Bar), plus great waterslide area and updated kid/teen areas.

My recommendation is to see if there are 2 porthole cabins available; they are classed as interiors but are the size of oceanview cabins and have 2 round porthole windows. they are located low and towards the front of the ship. Easy to get off and on at the ports.


----------



## Mika02

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Could you do one of the family harbor suites?  They sleep 5 and have the split bath like DCL but better because they have 2 showers, one stand up and the other is a tub/shower combo.





mevelandry said:


> Whatever you do, if you pick Family Harbour cabins, avoid booking under the galley. I've heard lots of complains about noise.



Thanks so it looks like the Family Harbor Cabin are pretty much sold out on both ships. 



PrincessTrisha said:


> In your situation I would eliminate the Sensation and Paradise. They are smaller ships without a lot of the bells and whistles that Carnival is becoming known for.
> 
> The Carnival Magic is a great ship - I sailed on the sister ship, the Carnival Dream with my 16 turning 17 year old god daughter. She loved it. Seriously - loved it.
> 
> It has many of the new food options (Guy's burgers, Guy's BBQ, Blue Iguana, Pasta Bar), plus great waterslide area and updated kid/teen areas.
> 
> My recommendation is to see if there are 2 porthole cabins available; they are classed as interiors but are the size of oceanview cabins and have 2 round porthole windows. they are located low and towards the front of the ship. Easy to get off and on at the ports.



Thanks for the recommendation I will defintely look into it.


----------



## smmco

We booked  two family harbor insides on the Mardi Gras. The rooms are on deck 4.  Maybe they moved them up a couple of decks due to the noise issue.  I'm not sure what's above us on deck 5, but I'm assuming it's just staterooms. 

I like the look of the new boards.


----------



## hdrolfe

smmco said:


> We booked  two family harbor insides on the Mardi Gras. The rooms are on deck 4.  Maybe they moved them up a couple of decks due to the noise issue.  I'm not sure what's above us on deck 5, but I'm assuming it's just staterooms.
> 
> I like the look of the new boards.



Mardi Gras has a totally new deck plan, so 4 is the lowest deck. I think the new plan looks really nice, I believe the galley is at the back of deck 4 now. Deck 5 is cabins yes. 6, 7 & 8 are public spaces, dining rooms, shops, theatre etc. Then 9 to 15 are cabins again, and 16 to 19 are the "fun" stuff like pools, ropes course, roller coaster, buffet, guys burgers (mmm) etc.


----------



## smmco

hdrolfe said:


> Mardi Gras has a totally new deck plan, so 4 is the lowest deck. I think the new plan looks really nice, I believe the galley is at the back of deck 4 now. Deck 5 is cabins yes. 6, 7 & 8 are public spaces, dining rooms, shops, theatre etc. Then 9 to 15 are cabins again, and 16 to 19 are the "fun" stuff like pools, ropes course, roller coaster, buffet, guys burgers (mmm) etc.


That’s a lot of stairs to climb! My quads are burning just thinking about it.  I hope the elevators aren’t too busy. I was so excited about the itinerary and new ship I didn’t really look at the floor plan. I wonder where the teen club will be.


----------



## hdrolfe

smmco said:


> That’s a lot of stairs to climb! My quads are burning just thinking about it.  I hope the elevators aren’t too busy. I was so excited about the itinerary and new ship I didn’t really look at the floor plan. I wonder where the teen club will be.



Deck 17 has The Warehouse, Circle C and Club O2. I think those are the teen club spaces. 

It looks like they will have a lot of elevators, and I suspect they will have the new system that they have on Horizon. You choose the floor you want to go to, select the number of passengers in your party, and it tells you which elevator to take. It takes a bit of getting used to but is supposed to be more efficient, if people use it properly of course. I like to think of all the stair climbing as payment for enjoying the chocolate melting cake and Guys burgers


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Deck 17 has The Warehouse, Circle C and Club O2. I think those are the teen club spaces.
> 
> It looks like they will have a lot of elevators, and I suspect they will have the new system that they have on Horizon. You choose the floor you want to go to, select the number of passengers in your party, and it tells you which elevator to take. It takes a bit of getting used to but is supposed to be more efficient, if people use it properly of course. I like to think of all the stair climbing as payment for enjoying the chocolate melting cake and Guys burgers



And Pig & Anchor


----------



## smmco

hdrolfe said:


> Deck 17 has The Warehouse, Circle C and Club O2. I think those are the teen club spaces.
> 
> It looks like they will have a lot of elevators, and I suspect they will have the new system that they have on Horizon. You choose the floor you want to go to, select the number of passengers in your party, and it tells you which elevator to take. It takes a bit of getting used to but is supposed to be more efficient, if people use it properly of course. I like to think of all the stair climbing as payment for enjoying the chocolate melting cake and Guys burgers


They have elevators like that at the Hyatt in Vancouver. 

These new boards remind me of the WDW magic boards. I've been a member there since 2014 and I'm still not sure what a trophy point is.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

smmco said:


> They have elevators like that at the Hyatt in Vancouver.
> 
> These new boards remind me of the WDW magic boards. I've been a member there since 2014 and I'm still not sure what a trophy point is.


I’ve been a member since 2013 and this is the first time I’ve heard of a trophy point


----------



## belle032

After a long day of yard work, I've been sitting here researching cruises for next year!  So I was completely sold on the Horizon sailing but I started diving too far into the Carnival website!  What would you all choose?

Carnival Horizon: 8 nights out of Miami. Ports are Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao, Aruba. 

Carnival Breeze: 7 nights out of Port Canaveral. Ports are Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya and Mahogany Bay.

Two adults sailing and both would be new ships for us. Horizon is approximately $300 more. We would probably get inside cabins on either sailing. Most ports on both sailings are new for us, except for Grand Turk & Cozumel. Honestly, I'm a little over Grand Turk as we've been on our last 2 cruises and think I would enjoy Cozumel more. We do love 8 day sailings, but the Breeze sailing would also require one less day off from work. And we are planning a WDW trip next fall.

Also random, DH does not like the Horizon/Vista atrium  He loves stepping onboard and having that huge open lobby space, which I enjoy as well. Don't worry, I've already prepared him for the DCL lobbies!

Any input?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> After a long day of yard work, I've been sitting here researching cruises for next year!  So I was completely sold on the Horizon sailing but I started diving too far into the Carnival website!  What would you all choose?
> 
> Carnival Horizon: 8 nights out of Miami. Ports are Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao, Aruba.
> 
> Carnival Breeze: 7 nights out of Port Canaveral. Ports are Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya and Mahogany Bay.
> 
> Two adults sailing and both would be new ships for us. Horizon is approximately $300 more. We would probably get inside cabins on either sailing. Most ports on both sailings are new for us, except for Grand Turk & Cozumel. Honestly, I'm a little over Grand Turk as we've been on our last 2 cruises and think I would enjoy Cozumel more. We do love 8 day sailings, but the Breeze sailing would also require one less day off from work. And we are planning a WDW trip next fall.
> 
> Also random, DH does not like the Horizon/Vista atrium  He loves stepping onboard and having that huge open lobby space, which I enjoy as well. Don't worry, I've already prepared him for the DCL lobbies!
> 
> Any input?


I would pick the 8 night... but Breeze is awesome. And we love Cozumel too.  Can't go wrong with either.  Mahogany bay is really nice too.  Not huge fans of Belize or la Romana, so they cancel each other out (in my opinion). Aruba and Curacao are awesome.  Never been to costa maya but would like to go.


----------



## PrincessTrisha

belle032 said:


> After a long day of yard work, I've been sitting here researching cruises for next year!  So I was completely sold on the Horizon sailing but I started diving too far into the Carnival website!  What would you all choose?
> 
> Carnival Horizon: 8 nights out of Miami. Ports are Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao, Aruba.
> 
> Carnival Breeze: 7 nights out of Port Canaveral. Ports are Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya and Mahogany Bay.
> 
> Two adults sailing and both would be new ships for us. Horizon is approximately $300 more. We would probably get inside cabins on either sailing. Most ports on both sailings are new for us, except for Grand Turk & Cozumel. Honestly, I'm a little over Grand Turk as we've been on our last 2 cruises and think I would enjoy Cozumel more. We do love 8 day sailings, but the Breeze sailing would also require one less day off from work. And we are planning a WDW trip next fall.
> 
> Also random, DH does not like the Horizon/Vista atrium  He loves stepping onboard and having that huge open lobby space, which I enjoy as well. Don't worry, I've already prepared him for the DCL lobbies!
> 
> Any input?



While for me I would probably pick the 8 night because I love Aruba and Curacao plus enjoying the extra night on board; given your thoughts though, you may want to select the Breeze. The atrium is more traditional, you save a vacation day for WDW, and it's still 4 ports with several new ones for you. Miami is easier to fly in same day but Port Canaveral means that you could pop into Disney Springs or stay 1 night pre cruise at a WDW hotel if you needed an urgent Disney fix.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> After a long day of yard work, I've been sitting here researching cruises for next year!  So I was completely sold on the Horizon sailing but I started diving too far into the Carnival website!  What would you all choose?
> 
> Carnival Horizon: 8 nights out of Miami. Ports are Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao, Aruba.
> 
> Carnival Breeze: 7 nights out of Port Canaveral. Ports are Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya and Mahogany Bay.
> 
> Two adults sailing and both would be new ships for us. Horizon is approximately $300 more. We would probably get inside cabins on either sailing. Most ports on both sailings are new for us, except for Grand Turk & Cozumel. Honestly, I'm a little over Grand Turk as we've been on our last 2 cruises and think I would enjoy Cozumel more. We do love 8 day sailings, but the Breeze sailing would also require one less day off from work. And we are planning a WDW trip next fall.
> 
> Also random, DH does not like the Horizon/Vista atrium  He loves stepping onboard and having that huge open lobby space, which I enjoy as well. Don't worry, I've already prepared him for the DCL lobbies!
> 
> Any input?


I haven’t been on either, but did the 8 night itinerary on Vista and loved it, especially Curaçao. I’m also a huge fan of the Skyride so I really like Horizon for that reason. But on the other hand, I believe the Breeze is Carnivals most beloved ship. I don’t think you could go wrong either way, but I’d do Horizon just for the extra night, it really does make a huge difference. We did that as a B2B with the 6 night Western and the passengers attitudes were night and day. Everyone was way more relaxed and chill about everything, like they didn’t have a care in the world.


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> After a long day of yard work, I've been sitting here researching cruises for next year!  So I was completely sold on the Horizon sailing but I started diving too far into the Carnival website!  What would you all choose?
> 
> Carnival Horizon: 8 nights out of Miami. Ports are Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao, Aruba.
> 
> Carnival Breeze: 7 nights out of Port Canaveral. Ports are Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya and Mahogany Bay.
> 
> Two adults sailing and both would be new ships for us. Horizon is approximately $300 more. We would probably get inside cabins on either sailing. Most ports on both sailings are new for us, except for Grand Turk & Cozumel. Honestly, I'm a little over Grand Turk as we've been on our last 2 cruises and think I would enjoy Cozumel more. We do love 8 day sailings, but the Breeze sailing would also require one less day off from work. And we are planning a WDW trip next fall.
> 
> Also random, DH does not like the Horizon/Vista atrium  He loves stepping onboard and having that huge open lobby space, which I enjoy as well. Don't worry, I've already prepared him for the DCL lobbies!
> 
> Any input?



I don't think you can go wrong with either one. I prefer the longer cruise, but I also like to go from Port Canaveral just to add on a bit of Disney  Breeze is highly thought of and those ports are nice. I am going on an 8-night on Magic to HMC, Grand Turk, Curacao and Aruba. But we did that Breeze itinerary last year (only on Magic) and really enjoyed it. Not much help  I do agree with the Cozumel vs Grand Turk though, I think I could go to Cozumel a dozen times and always find something new to try, while Grand Turk is the same every time.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> After a long day of yard work, I've been sitting here researching cruises for next year!  So I was completely sold on the Horizon sailing but I started diving too far into the Carnival website!  What would you all choose?
> 
> Carnival Horizon: 8 nights out of Miami. Ports are Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao, Aruba.
> 
> Carnival Breeze: 7 nights out of Port Canaveral. Ports are Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya and Mahogany Bay.
> 
> Two adults sailing and both would be new ships for us. Horizon is approximately $300 more. We would probably get inside cabins on either sailing. Most ports on both sailings are new for us, except for Grand Turk & Cozumel. Honestly, I'm a little over Grand Turk as we've been on our last 2 cruises and think I would enjoy Cozumel more. We do love 8 day sailings, but the Breeze sailing would also require one less day off from work. And we are planning a WDW trip next fall.
> 
> Also random, DH does not like the Horizon/Vista atrium  He loves stepping onboard and having that huge open lobby space, which I enjoy as well. Don't worry, I've already prepared him for the DCL lobbies!
> 
> Any input?



Not a fan of Grand Turk but Aruba and Curaçao + the Horizon sound soooo nice! 

That being said, it sounds like the Breeze is a better fit for you.


----------



## belle032

I love everyone’s opinions and I agree with pretty much all of them. I LOVE the 8 day sailings and I don’t know if I can pass up Aruba and Curaçao. And the ability to sail of a new ship, which we’ve never done, is pretty enticing too. DH might have to deal with his less than ideal atrium for this one!  Thanks everyone!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I love everyone’s opinions and I agree with pretty much all of them. I LOVE the 8 day sailings and I don’t know if I can pass up Aruba and Curaçao. And the ability to sail of a new ship, which we’ve never done, is pretty enticing too. DH might have to deal with his less than ideal atrium for this one!  Thanks everyone!



He doesn't like the atrium but he might love the layout (so much exterior areas!) and what it has to offer.


----------



## daisyx3

I know you said inside cabin, but if you could get any cabin on Horizon in the Havana area, I would do that since it is just the two of you and you would have that nice area to use all day long instead of the kid soup pools.  Breeze does not have the Havana option.


----------



## Monykalyn

So this is only my second cruise that’s coming up, but I got a call yesterday for an upgrade from balcony to Grand Suite for $478. I took it, as there’s four of us and the extra room will be fabulous! Plus I returned the FTTF and got a refund on that. It’s a room that sleeps five, so kids will still have their own bed.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Monykalyn said:


> So this is only my second cruise that’s coming up, but I got a call yesterday for an upgrade from balcony to Grand Suite for $478. I took it, as there’s four of us and the extra room will be fabulous! Plus I returned the FTTF and got a refund on that. It’s a room that sleeps five, so kids will still have their own bed.


That is awesome, I’d definitely take that! Congratulations


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> So this is only my second cruise that’s coming up, but I got a call yesterday for an upgrade from balcony to Grand Suite for $478. I took it, as there’s four of us and the extra room will be fabulous! Plus I returned the FTTF and got a refund on that. It’s a room that sleeps five, so kids will still have their own bed.



How much was the FTTF for that sailing? 

Sounds like you got a great deal from the upgrade fairy!


----------



## Monykalyn

mevelandry said:


> How much was the FTTF for that sailing?
> 
> Sounds like you got a great deal from the upgrade fairy!


FTTF WAS 59.95 USD.  yeah I was shocked I got a call for that.  Kids first sailing and I’m afraid we are ALL gonna be spoiled now!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

We’re boarding the Vista in a few days going to Cozumel, Honduras and Belize. If anybody has a specific question about the ship or itinerary that I can answer when I get back let me know. This will be our first time flying in the morning of a cruise and our first time sailing out of Galveston. I’ll definitely be posting when I get back and will include pictures. We only have one excursion planned and that’s in Roatan, we’re going to play with sloths and monkeys.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’re boarding the Vista in a few days going to Cozumel, Honduras and Belize. If anybody has a specific question about the ship or itinerary that I can answer when I get back let me know. This will be our first time flying in the morning of a cruise and our first time sailing out of Galveston. I’ll definitely be posting when I get back and will include pictures. We only have one excursion planned and that’s in Roatan, we’re going to play with sloths and monkeys.



What are you doing in Cozumel and Belize?


----------



## lklgoodman

If you go to a beach in Belize, I'd love to hear what you think of it.  Have fun, looking forward to hearing about your trip when you return.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> What are you doing in Cozumel and Belize?


Nothing planned for either, just get off the ship and shop/walk around. I may rent a road bike in Cozumel and take a 20-30 mile ride but haven’t decided yet. The bike rental place doesn’t have any group rides schedule for that day and I’m a little nervous about heading out on my own.

I’d like to do a beach at either location but haven’t convinced the family. They’d rather get back on the ship and eat Guy’s or BI and hang out by the pool. I really can’t blame them for that, she’s such a great ship.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Nothing planned for either, just get off the ship and shop/walk around. I may rent a road bike in Cozumel and take a 20-30 mile ride but haven’t decided yet. The bike rental place doesn’t have any group rides schedule for that day and I’m a little nervous about heading out on my own.
> 
> I’d like to do a beach at either location but haven’t convinced the family. They’d rather get back on the ship and eat Guy’s or BI and hang out by the pool. I really can’t blame them for that, she’s such a great ship.



I would have recommended "El Mirador" (Cozumel) as a nice outside-the-box spot to visit but it's kinda far away from the port.

Did you ever go to Mr. Sanchos? I've made a reservation for the family over there for our next stop to Cozumel. Can't wait to see how it is.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I would have recommended "El Mirador" (Cozumel) as a nice outside-the-box spot to visit but it's kinda far away from the port.
> 
> Did you ever go to Mr. Sanchos? I've made a reservation for the family over there for our next stop to Cozumel. Can't wait to see how it is.


We have not, but that’s what where we were considering and may still go. I’ll let you know what we think if we do.


----------



## mevelandry

So... According to our International News, Trump Administration has banned travel to Cuba (including cruises) starting tomorrow.

I want to tell everyone that might be impacted by this change that I am extremely sorry that you are experiencing changes of itinerary and/or cancellation.

I, for myself, am extremely disappointed. Even thought we (Canadians) are not impacted by that ban, a cruise stopping in Havana has been on "my list" for years. 

p.s.: John Heald posted this on FB:

_"As as so many of you have been asking about our Cuba cruises following the latest news from the US Government I wanted to advise you of the following. We are currently evaluating the recent announcements regarding Cuba and will have additional information in the very near future. If any adjustments are needed to our itineraries, booked guests and their travel advisors will be notified. We thank you for your patience.
I will share all the news as soon as I have any and will be back on Thursday as normal to answer all your questions."_


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Anyone know what brought this decision on?  I haven’t been following this.  We haven’t considered any Cuba cruises because they seem more expensive than others.  Dh isn’t too interested in going there either, but I am open to going anywhere.  I keep pushing the Panama Canal, but dh isn’t into that either.


----------



## Dug720

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Anyone know what brought this decision on?  I haven’t been following this.  We haven’t considered any Cuba cruises because they seem more expensive than others.  Dh isn’t too interested in going there either, but I am open to going anywhere.  I keep pushing the Panama Canal, but dh isn’t into that either.



Can’t really say without getting political.

That said, when I cruised to Cuba (twice), I found the people to be some of the warmest, most genuine people I have met anywhere. They have no issues with us. It is the governments that cannot get along. And blaming them for what their government does is like blaming US citizens for what ours does.


----------



## lklgoodman

Wow, I hadn't heard Trump did that.  I feel bad for those affected, especially the Cuban people.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Anyone know what brought this decision on?  I haven’t been following this.  We haven’t considered any Cuba cruises because they seem more expensive than others.  Dh isn’t too interested in going there either, but I am open to going anywhere.  I keep pushing the Panama Canal, but dh isn’t into that either.



From my Canadian point of view and trying to remain as "not implicated" as possible because it's a delicate subject: Trump reverses what Obama has done during his 8 years as president.

The cuban culture is fascinating and every single friend I have that have been to Cuba has told me that cubans are amazing and very friendly.


----------



## Kennywood

Carnival just plead guilty to pollution and probation violations. They were fined $20 million.

I wonder what environment-friendly cruisers will do about this.


----------



## mevelandry

Kennywood said:


> Carnival just plead guilty to pollution and probation violations. They were fined $20 million.
> 
> I wonder what environment-friendly cruisers will do about this.



If you're really environment-friendly, you should not cruise as cruises are absolutely terrible for the environment.

Carnival did something wrong and they paid for it. Hopefully, they will learn a lesson.

Now, while we are on the subject, they have just announced major changes to the cruise line in order to become "more environment-friendly". Also, LNG fleet is coming. I guess it's a good start.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Greetings from the Amazing Carnival Vista!  I’ll check in with y’all next week


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Greetings from the Amazing Carnival Vista!  I’ll check in with y’all next week
> View attachment 407463



Ahhhhh tell her I miss her!!!! ❤


----------



## mevelandry

I took a chance and asked for DCL prices for the cruise that my friends and I are supposed to do together in December 2020 (3 nights to the Bahamas).

Carnival: 284$/pp
RCCL: 328$/pp
DCL: 794$/pp

Carnival being almost one third the price of DCL and RCCL being less than half the price of DCL.

Conclusion: We confirmed our cruise with RCCL.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I love staying on the ship on port days


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I love staying on the ship on port days View attachment 408093



So empty! Which port is it?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> So empty! Which port is it?


We’re in Cozumel right now. Can see the Disney Fantasy up the coast. This pic is from Lido on Vista, Looking across the Carnival Valor. As much as I love cruising carnival, Disney ships are still the prettiest at sea.


----------



## Mika02

I got to do a ship inspection on the Carnival Sunrise they did a great job on the renovations from what I remember sailing twice on
Triumph rooms feel a lot larger. Didn't get to see a lot of the common spaces waiting for someone I met to send me more photos.


----------



## mcd2745

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I love staying on the ship on port days View attachment 408093



The way things are going down there, one port we'll be staying on the ship is La Romana. However, based on our cruise's FB group...so will most guests. So it will not look anything like your picture. They better clean things up in the DR, otherwise they are going to lose a lot of their tourist revenue.


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> The way things are going down there, one port we'll be staying on the ship is La Romana. However, based on our cruise's FB group...so will most guests. So it will not look anything like your picture. They better clean things up in the DR, otherwise they are going to lose a lot of their tourist revenue.



It's not a new situation though. DR has been considered dangerous for as long as I can remember.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> It's not a new situation though. DR has been considered dangerous for as long as I can remember.



I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing cruise lines cancel or limit their stops to the DR. I’m sure cruise line sponsored excursions wouldn’t be too unsafe, but what is the point if you port there and a vast majority of guests are too nervous to even leave the ship? So unfortunate!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Okay.  Help us choose for a fall 2020 cruise.  We have been going back and forth for about 6 months!
> 
> 1. CCL radiance, 8 night from orlando.  St. Martin, St. Kitts, Grand Turk, san Juan. One balcony, one interior. About $4700
> 
> 2. Ncl escape, 7 night from orlando.  St.Thomas, Tortola, Great Stirrup Cay, Puerto Plata.  One balcony, one interior.  About $5800
> 
> Here are the pros and cons.
> Pros ccl:
> 1. St.Kitts is a new port for us
> 2. Radiance will be "new" ship
> 3. Balcony is extended (big for us because we use it).
> 4. New chicken restaurant.   Lol.
> 5. $300 obc
> 6. Self service laundry.  Lol
> 7. Kids love the kids club.  Teen loves CCL ( his favorite line).
> 8.  Less expensive cruise with an extra night. ($117/ person/ per night)
> 
> Pros ncl:
> 1. Tortola will be a new port for us.
> 2.  Well... the Escape.  Cool ship. Awesome ropes course and waterslides.
> 3.  Comes with 3 night free dining package for 4 of us.  Also comes with one other "free" perk but honestly there are not any available that we would use.
> 4.  We have 2 cruisenext certificates to use with ncl.  (Worth $500, paid $250, both expire shortly after this cruise, but I have seen that you can sell them on ebay and recoup some cost as they are transferable.)
> 5. Dh loves the ncl buffet
> 
> 
> Cons ccl:
> 1.  The only cons I can think of is that we sail ccl a lot and it might be nice to branch out.  But we also love ccl and are very comfortable with them-- that is why we keep booking with them.  So not sure it is a negative.
> 
> Cons ncl:
> 1.  Kids do not like their kids club- at all.
> 2.  One night less for more money ($165/person/night) ($151/person/night if considering cruisenext certificates)
> 3. Puerto Plata is a throwaway port for us because dh says he will not get off at DR or Belize again.
> 
> Sum.  Both have one new port for us.  (Something we try to do with each cruise).  Both leave from the same port.  I am not sure we would be looking at ncl at all for this trip except for the cruisenext certificates, but it doesn't seem like they make such a dent anyway.  We are inclined to book ccl but wonder if we should branch out.  So hard to decide!!



We just booked Radiance last night!  Took us a while to pull the trigger.  Thanks to all for the feedback on this.  We noticed after we booked that the Radiance is getting a ropes course.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> From my Canadian point of view and trying to remain as "not implicated" as possible because it's a delicate subject: Trump reverses what Obama has done during his 8 years as president.
> 
> The cuban culture is fascinating and every single friend I have that have been to Cuba has told me that cubans are amazing and very friendly.



 It never ceases to amaze me how governments have so much control over our lives.  And it seems like the people get along just fine— it is the governments who do not.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We just booked Radiance last night!  Took us a while to pull the trigger.  Thanks to all for the feedback on this.  We noticed after we booked that the Radiance is getting a ropes course.



So my "Tiny Vista" is getting even more Vista'd!


----------



## lklgoodman

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We just booked Radiance last night!  Took us a while to pull the trigger.  Thanks to all for the feedback on this.  We noticed after we booked that the Radiance is getting a ropes course.



I've been looking at this ship for a Spring break 2021 cruise.  We don't have the school calendar yet, so I have to wait until we do.  We've only cruised on DCL.  My dd is 11 and doesn't really care about the characters anymore, last cruise we didn't go to any meets, it was great!  I showed her all the fun activities that the Carnival ships have.  She loves rock climbing, zip-lining, etc so I figured she'd be all excited to go on one of their ships.  Although she said it looked fun, she doesn't want to go because there's no Mickey.  I couldn't believe it!  I reminded her that she doesn't even like going to the meets anymore.  She said it doesn't matter. She still likes having them on the ship, lol!!  I know she'll love the Carnival ships, so I still plan on booking on them once we have her school calendar. She can bring  her Mickey plush with her!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

lklgoodman said:


> I've been looking at this ship for a Spring break 2021 cruise.  We don't have the school calendar yet, so I have to wait until we do.  We've only cruised on DCL.  My dd is 11 and doesn't really care about the characters anymore, last cruise we didn't go to any meets, it was great!  I showed her all the fun activities that the Carnival ships have.  She loves rock climbing, zip-lining, etc so I figured she'd be all excited to go on one of their ships.  Although she said it looked fun, she doesn't want to go because there's no Mickey.  I couldn't believe it!  I reminded her that she doesn't even like going to the meets anymore.  She said it doesn't matter. She still likes having them on the ship, lol!!  I know she'll love the Carnival ships, so I still plan on booking on them once we have her school calendar. She can bring  her Mickey plush with her!



We are Disney fanatics but have mostly switched over for price.  We also realized that we love to cruise and would rather cruise more.  We thought the kids would be the ones to “suffer” by switching to Carnival, but it is the other way around.  Lol.  The kids never looked back and they love ccl, where’s I still have a soft spot for dcl..  (Dh says he never wants to see golden mickeys again.  Lol). Our 11 year old did a couple of scavenger hunts for the first time through the kids club on our last cruise (ccl breeze) and he LOVED it.  Our kids do actually prefer the clubs on CCL, although the dcl kids clubs are beautiful.  Our 11 year old actually still loves interacting with Disney characters but our 9 year old has never been big on it.  We do Disney parks at least a couple of times a year and that satisfies the Disney fix.  For us, we can stretch our dollar in the parks a lot further than on the cruise line.  We barely drink and have never gambled (well... we did try the money claw and do sometimes play the lottery), but we really love carnival!  They have some good itineraries too,


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> I've been looking at this ship for a Spring break 2021 cruise.  We don't have the school calendar yet, so I have to wait until we do.  We've only cruised on DCL.  My dd is 11 and doesn't really care about the characters anymore, last cruise we didn't go to any meets, it was great!  I showed her all the fun activities that the Carnival ships have.  She loves rock climbing, zip-lining, etc so I figured she'd be all excited to go on one of their ships.  Although she said it looked fun, she doesn't want to go because there's no Mickey.  I couldn't believe it!  I reminded her that she doesn't even like going to the meets anymore.  She said it doesn't matter. She still likes having them on the ship, lol!!  I know she'll love the Carnival ships, so I still plan on booking on them once we have her school calendar. She can bring  her Mickey plush with her!



At 13 (2021), she might sing another song...


----------



## hdrolfe

lklgoodman said:


> I've been looking at this ship for a Spring break 2021 cruise.  We don't have the school calendar yet, so I have to wait until we do.  We've only cruised on DCL.  My dd is 11 and doesn't really care about the characters anymore, last cruise we didn't go to any meets, it was great!  I showed her all the fun activities that the Carnival ships have.  She loves rock climbing, zip-lining, etc so I figured she'd be all excited to go on one of their ships.  Although she said it looked fun, she doesn't want to go because there's no Mickey.  I couldn't believe it!  I reminded her that she doesn't even like going to the meets anymore.  She said it doesn't matter. She still likes having them on the ship, lol!!  I know she'll love the Carnival ships, so I still plan on booking on them once we have her school calendar. She can bring  her Mickey plush with her!



Does she like the Cat in the Hat or Dr Seuss characters? They have a really nice character breakfast (it costs $5 per person) where you get to meet a few of the characters and eat green eggs and ham (or other choices, the steak and eggs is yummy!). The ropes course is a lot of fun, and depending on the ship there are other things, like Horizon and Vista have the sky ride (biking in the sky around the ship) or Mardi Gras that will have a roller coaster! On a ship! So cool. And water slides of course  Plus 24 hour ice cream. And pizza.


----------



## lklgoodman

hdrolfe said:


> Does she like the Cat in the Hat or Dr Seuss characters? They have a really nice character breakfast (it costs $5 per person) where you get to meet a few of the characters and eat green eggs and ham (or other choices, the steak and eggs is yummy!). The ropes course is a lot of fun, and depending on the ship there are other things, like Horizon and Vista have the sky ride (biking in the sky around the ship) or Mardi Gras that will have a roller coaster! On a ship! So cool. And water slides of course  Plus 24 hour ice cream. And pizza.



She never really cared for any of the Dr. Seuss books or the characters.  I loved them as a kid, so I will definitely book the breakfast.  Plus I've seen pics of some of the food and it looks yummy!  I showed her all the pics from the different Carnival ships, I know she'll have a blast.  I've told her before, if she doesn't want to go on the vacation dh and I plan, she can stay home with her grandparents and we'll go without her, so far she's never taken us up on it.


----------



## lklgoodman

mevelandry said:


> At 13 (2021), she might sing another song...



True, hopefully she'll still want to do stuff with us and won't only care about being with her friends by then.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

@mevelandry - Can you remove both my upcoming cruises from the list please.  We are in a holding pattern at the moment with my oldest son and his wife moving back to the spare bedroom!  Ugh.  That grocery bill has sure gone up.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> @mevelandry - Can you remove both my upcoming cruises from the list please.  We are in a holding pattern at the moment with my oldest son and his wife moving back to the spare bedroom!  Ugh.  That grocery bill has sure gone up.


I feel for you.  Not fun.  Hopefully they will get back on their feet soon.  They are lucky to have you.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> @mevelandry - Can you remove both my upcoming cruises from the list please.  We are in a holding pattern at the moment with my oldest son and his wife moving back to the spare bedroom!  Ugh.  That grocery bill has sure gone up.



Oops... 

Sure! No problem.


----------



## Neptune's Fork

mevelandry said:


> From my Canadian point of view and trying to remain as "not implicated" as possible because it's a delicate subject: Trump reverses what Obama has done during his 8 years as president.
> 
> The cuban culture is fascinating and every single friend I have that have been to Cuba has told me that cubans are amazing and very friendly.



That's absolutely true and I realize this topic sort of veers this thread off course, but all through history, that's been the case.  Back in WWII the German people were not the problem, it was the government, same today with countries like Iran.  The majority of the people there are great and love Americans and the freedoms we have, it's the regime that causes the strife.  And so it is with Cuba, the majority of the people there are great, the problem is the govt has a heavy hand these days facilitating radical terrorists from the middle east and also providing aid and assistance in the suppression of freedom in Venezuela.  Don't mean to detract from the topic of this thread, but it was brought up so just wanted to expound.


----------



## Neptune's Fork

Just to follow on that, I have a good friend from Venezuela who has pretty much lost everything he has because of the situation there and knows firsthand of the involvement of the Cuban govt in the demise of his country.  But again, it's not the people, it's the govt.


----------



## mevelandry

Neptune's Fork said:


> Just to follow on that, I have a good friend from Venezuela who has pretty much lost everything he has because of the situation there and knows firsthand of the involvement of the Cuban govt in the demise of his country.  But again, it's not the people, it's the govt.



It really sucks. I wish we could all live in peace.


----------



## Monykalyn

We were majorly impacted as we were 48 hours from our port in Cuba. Too upset and angry and disappointed to say much more. I feel like my whole vacation was a huge waste and carnivals pathetic response (compared to other lines) has soured me on the whole experience.  I’ll be looking for land based vacations for a while.
The suite was nice though, my (social anxiety) kid LOVED the kids club- couple nights we were in bed before he was. And I think he had a crush on Erin the CD too.  My daughter loved being able to try lots of different things in dining room, and the trivia contests. 

Happy sailing to those who still love cruising!!


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> We were majorly impacted as we were 48 hours from our port in Cuba. Too upset and angry and disappointed to say much more. I feel like my whole vacation was a huge waste and carnivals pathetic response (compared to other lines) has soured me on the whole experience.  I’ll be looking for land based vacations for a while.
> The suite was nice though, my (social anxiety) kid LOVED the kids club- couple nights we were in bed before he was. And I think he had a crush on Erin the CD too.  My daughter loved being able to try lots of different things in dining room, and the trivia contests.
> 
> Happy sailing to those who still love cruising!!



So sorry you had to change your plans at the last minute.  

Where did you end up going?


----------



## smmco

Monykalyn said:


> We were majorly impacted as we were 48 hours from our port in Cuba. Too upset and angry and disappointed to say much more. I feel like my whole vacation was a huge waste and carnivals pathetic response (compared to other lines) has soured me on the whole experience.  I’ll be looking for land based vacations for a while.
> The suite was nice though, my (social anxiety) kid LOVED the kids club- couple nights we were in bed before he was. And I think he had a crush on Erin the CD too.  My daughter loved being able to try lots of different things in dining room, and the trivia contests.
> 
> Happy sailing to those who still love cruising!!


If port changes are going to ruin your vacation then cruising is probably not for you. I don’t meant that in a snarky way. It’s just the way it is. If you have your heart set on a certain port you are better off taking a land trip. We cruise because our kids love it so much. I try picking different itinerary’s with interesting ports, but I know in the back of my mind those ports may not pan out. So far we’ve been really lucky and not missed a port.


----------



## Monykalyn

smmco said:


> If port changes are going to ruin your vacation then cruising is probably not for you. I don’t meant that in a snarky way. It’s just the way it is. If you have your heart set on a certain port you are better off taking a land trip. We cruise because our kids love it so much. I try picking different itinerary’s with interesting ports, but I know in the back of my mind those ports may not pan out. So far we’ve been really lucky and not missed a port.


This wasn’t a mere PORT change but an entire destination change that we paid a premium to go to. I get that “port” changes happen . But what I if you’d planned hoped dreamed and planned some more to go to Greece and you had a port change to Cozumel(yes I know that can’t actually happen but as an example)? And part of the bitterness is we DID pay more for a small smelly ship for the sole purpose of the destination - not a”port”. Lesson learned. Also Carnival offer $100 pp OBC for those of us already on the dang ship with NO option to cancel like those who hadn’t sailed.  NCL offered 50% off that cruise plus 50% off a future cruise. Again lesson learned. Since I already paid for everything, one sea day to spend $400? For what? Slap in face. 
I wish people could grasp the fact a Cuba cruise cost a premium, people booked to go to Cuba. It’s like booking to go see the rain forest and ending up in Key West. Not a mere port change but whole vacation destination alteration.


----------



## lklgoodman

Monykalyn said:


> This wasn’t a mere PORT change but an entire destination change that we paid a premium to go to. I get that “port” changes happen . But what I if you’d planned hoped dreamed and planned some more to go to Greece and you had a port change to Cozumel(yes I know that can’t actually happen but as an example)? And part of the bitterness is we DID pay more for a small smelly ship for the sole purpose of the destination - not a”port”. Lesson learned. Also Carnival offer $100 pp OBC for those of us already on the dang ship with NO option to cancel like those who hadn’t sailed.  NCL offered 50% off that cruise plus 50% off a future cruise. Again lesson learned. Since I already paid for everything, one sea day to spend $400? For what? Slap in face.
> I wish people could grasp the fact a Cuba cruise cost a premium, people booked to go to Cuba. It’s like booking to go see the rain forest and ending up in Key West. Not a mere port change but whole vacation destination alteration.



I'm sorry that happened to you.  I admit, when we go on cruises, the destinations aren't that important to us, so for me it wouldn't be that big of a deal.  I realize that wasn't the case for you, so I'm sorry it happened, especially for the the way it did. I will say, though that I was surprised that any of the cruise lines gave any sort of compensation, I'm not saying they shouldn't have.  I just thought part of the contract we sign before the cruise says that ports can be swapped out or skipped all together and if they are, then oh well, that's just the way it goes.  Guess I should do a better job of reading it.  In 2018 we were suppose to go to St. Maarten.  When we got to the port we were given a letter saying we weren't going there because of a storm, we ended up going to CC instead.  We weren't given any discounts or anything else, we weren't charged for any port excursions we had planned there.  I didn't expect to get any kind of future discounts or anything else, so I guess that's why I was surprised that the different lines gave compensation for skipping Cuba. I am glad they are offering discounts for those who were affected.   I'm sure if St. Maarten was somewhere I had my heart set on going to, I would have felt different about not being able to go there.  I was actually happy to skip it for a double dip to CC.   Again, I'm sorry this happened to you and ruined your vacation, hopefully in a few years, you will be able to go to Cuba.


----------



## smmco

Monykalyn said:


> This wasn’t a mere PORT change but an entire destination change that we paid a premium to go to. I get that “port” changes happen . But what I if you’d planned hoped dreamed and planned some more to go to Greece and you had a port change to Cozumel(yes I know that can’t actually happen but as an example)? And part of the bitterness is we DID pay more for a small smelly ship for the sole purpose of the destination - not a”port”. Lesson learned. Also Carnival offer $100 pp OBC for those of us already on the dang ship with NO option to cancel like those who hadn’t sailed.  NCL offered 50% off that cruise plus 50% off a future cruise. Again lesson learned. Since I already paid for everything, one sea day to spend $400? For what? Slap in face.
> I wish people could grasp the fact a Cuba cruise cost a premium, people booked to go to Cuba. It’s like booking to go see the rain forest and ending up in Key West. Not a mere port change but whole vacation destination alteration.


I understand. Some people book cruises just to go to castaway and it up disappointed. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be upset. Just pointing out it’s one of the downsides of cruising and there’s not much we can do about it. Cruise lines cover themselves in the cruise contract.


----------



## Mika02

Unfortunately SMMCO is very correct when you cruise things like this Happen and sometimes you have no recourse. 

We were on a Carnival cruise 10-11 years ago and there was a Hurricane when we arrived at the port to board we were told that we would not be going to Grand Turk as it was pretty much washed out. We were disappointed as that was the reason for us being on the ship our kids wanted to see Turks and Caicos. We kept it moving though it was now going to be a day at sea, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, and St. Thomas. And we recieved OBC. Of which my ex and I had been to two. In the middle of the trip they announced that a potential storm was coming through and we were not even going to the Bahamas and they added another Day at sea and given us more OBC. That was of course the only port we had not been on. My In laws were livid. We were disappointed but made the best of it. So I definitely understand if you want to not cruise for a while unfortunately it can always happen again on any cruise line.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Monykalyn said:


> This wasn’t a mere PORT change but an entire destination change that we paid a premium to go to. I get that “port” changes happen . But what I if you’d planned hoped dreamed and planned some more to go to Greece and you had a port change to Cozumel(yes I know that can’t actually happen but as an example)? And part of the bitterness is we DID pay more for a small smelly ship for the sole purpose of the destination - not a”port”. Lesson learned. Also Carnival offer $100 pp OBC for those of us already on the dang ship with NO option to cancel like those who hadn’t sailed.  NCL offered 50% off that cruise plus 50% off a future cruise. Again lesson learned. Since I already paid for everything, one sea day to spend $400? For what? Slap in face.
> I wish people could grasp the fact a Cuba cruise cost a premium, people booked to go to Cuba. It’s like booking to go see the rain forest and ending up in Key West. Not a mere port change but whole vacation destination alteration.


I totally agree with you on this one. Usually I would disagree about a port change, our first Disney Cruise we missed Castaway Cay because of weather, I was bummed for a bit but got over it. If we booked a Cuba cruise and had to miss it, I’d be furious.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

To clarify something on my above post, I do realize it’s not the cruise lines fault, they had zero control over this.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Just got back into Galveston on the Vista, has a great time, will post a review and pics later. 
Still on her, they are just starting the debarkation process.


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> If port changes are going to ruin your vacation then cruising is probably not for you. I don’t meant that in a snarky way. It’s just the way it is. If you have your heart set on a certain port you are better off taking a land trip. We cruise because our kids love it so much. I try picking different itinerary’s with interesting ports, but I know in the back of my mind those ports may not pan out. So far we’ve been really lucky and not missed a port.



I feel like it's a given for most experienced cruisers that they know ports can change or be cancelled. They are allowed to be disappointed if they were really hoping to visit one of them. Thankfully, a change of ports don't happen that often.

That being said, I've always felt like Cuba for US citizens is in its own "niche". In this case, it's not simply a port change but a complete ban so land trips over there are not even an option + they paid an extra charge specifically to go there. I'd be pissed.


----------



## mevelandry

Monykalyn said:


> This wasn’t a mere PORT change but an entire destination change that we paid a premium to go to. I get that “port” changes happen . But what I if you’d planned hoped dreamed and planned some more to go to Greece and you had a port change to Cozumel(yes I know that can’t actually happen but as an example)? And part of the bitterness is we DID pay more for a small smelly ship for the sole purpose of the destination - not a”port”. Lesson learned. Also Carnival offer $100 pp OBC for those of us already on the dang ship with NO option to cancel like those who hadn’t sailed.  NCL offered 50% off that cruise plus 50% off a future cruise. Again lesson learned. Since I already paid for everything, one sea day to spend $400? For what? Slap in face.
> I wish people could grasp the fact a Cuba cruise cost a premium, people booked to go to Cuba. It’s like booking to go see the rain forest and ending up in Key West. Not a mere port change but whole vacation destination alteration.



This is where I believe Carnival did wrong. You did pay a lot more for this cruise s
so the 100$ OBC is like a slap in the face. They should have reimbursed you the price difference pp for a Cozumel cruise.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> This is where I believe Carnival did wrong. You did pay a lot more for this cruise s
> so the 100$ OBC is like a slap in the face. They should have reimbursed you the price difference pp for a Cozumel cruise.



In this case I agree. This was a sailing that the majority of people chose primarily because of the chance to go to Cuba and that was reflected in the higher price tag. True it wasn't Carnival's fault that you couldn't get there, however, I bet most guests wouldn't have booked that sailing if it weren't for that port. It wasn't a simple change like Ocho Rios to Cozumel, it was a change that affected the entire point of the cruise in the first place. Sorry you had to experience that disappointment OP!


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> I feel like it's a given for most experienced cruisers that they know ports can change or be cancelled. They are allowed to be disappointed if they were really hoping to visit one of them. Thankfully, a change of ports don't happen that often.
> 
> That being said, I've always felt like Cuba for US citizens is in its own "niche". In this case, it's not simply a port change but a complete ban so land trips over there are not even an option + they paid an extra charge specifically to go there. I'd be pissed.


You have every right to be disappointed angry etc. I’m still not sure if the cruise line is obligated to compensate. It would be nice if they did.


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> You have every right to be disappointed angry etc. I’m still not sure if the cruise line is obligated to compensate. It would be nice if they did.



Usually I would be against it unless they paid an extra (and extra taxes) just for this port like they did with Cuba. I believe they also had to pay for a 50$ visa?


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> Usually I would be against it unless they paid an extra (and extra taxes) just for this port like they did with Cuba. I believe they also had to pay for a 50$ visa?


Normally they refund all port fees and taxes if you miss a port. I would expect they will see that come off their cc. I’ve gotten refunds before and after cruises for port fees. I know DCL doesn’t notify you. I just see it on the credit card activity.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Monykalyn said:


> This wasn’t a mere PORT change but an entire destination change that we paid a premium to go to. I get that “port” changes happen . But what I if you’d planned hoped dreamed and planned some more to go to Greece and you had a port change to Cozumel(yes I know that can’t actually happen but as an example)? And part of the bitterness is we DID pay more for a small smelly ship for the sole purpose of the destination - not a”port”. Lesson learned. Also Carnival offer $100 pp OBC for those of us already on the dang ship with NO option to cancel like those who hadn’t sailed.  NCL offered 50% off that cruise plus 50% off a future cruise. Again lesson learned. Since I already paid for everything, one sea day to spend $400? For what? Slap in face.
> I wish people could grasp the fact a Cuba cruise cost a premium, people booked to go to Cuba. It’s like booking to go see the rain forest and ending up in Key West. Not a mere port change but whole vacation destination alteration.



I agree that if you pay a premium for a destination that gets cancelled, it would be nice for the cruise line to “make up” for that (Not that they have to...).  It seems like they could have given a decent percentage off a next cruise maybe?  It doesn’t cost the cruise line much if anything to do it and builds good will.  The Cuba situation seems like such a weird situation.  How often does a cruise line cancel a destination mid cruise because  the US government says they can no longer go there!?  Wild.


----------



## mevelandry

For those who were fans of cruise director Matt Mitcham: he has been promoted as Mardi Gras CD!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> For those who were fans of cruise director Matt Mitcham: he has been promoted as Mardi Gras CD!


Oh wow cool!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I guess we got lucky we didn’t miss our cruise last week!  I think Carnival is handling the situation well though and giving a nice compensation package.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I guess we got lucky we didn’t miss our cruise last week!  I think Carnival is handling the situation well though and giving a nice compensation package.
> 
> View attachment 410325



So basically, they get a full refund, a free cruise and 200$/pp for flights? Pretty good!


----------



## quickcat

Wow- a full refund plus a free cruise! That is a nice thing. I get people will be disappointed but a free cruise will take some of it away. Vista looks like an amazing ship!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I guess we got lucky we didn’t miss our cruise last week!  I think Carnival is handling the situation well though and giving a nice compensation package.
> 
> View attachment 410325


That’s incredible compensation


----------



## pezgirlroy

Okay folks I need help and I think this might be a good place to turn.  My husband and I were supposed to go to Punta Cana from July 31 to August 5. Well we have cancelled that.  My oldest will be at summer camp and my youngest will be watched by grandparents.  So we still need to do something.  We are now thinking about a cruise. We have down a few Disney cruises with the whole family and loved them. I have cruised Carnival in the past (long time ago) and I was just fine with it. So we are thinking about a Carnival cruise.  These are the ones we are debating right now. Can anyone give me some thoughts on these/the ship/anything? we will probably do an interior room or just oceanview just because it is just the two of us. Are there plenty of things for just adults to do? Any advice is welcome. Here they are:

Carnival Fasicnation
Departs Sunday July 28 from San Juan
Returns Sunday August 4th
San Juan; St. Thomas; St. Maarten; Saint Kitts; St. Lucia; Barbados; Sea Day; San Juan

Carnival Glory
7 night
July 28, 2019 from New Orleans
New Orleans; Sea Day; Sea Day; Montego Bay; Grand Cayman; Cozumel; Sea Day

7 night Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas
July 28 from San Juan
San Juan, Sea Day, Aruba, Netherland Antilles, Bonaire, Sea day, Netherland Antilles, San Juan

7 night Carnival Miracle
July 28
Tampa, sea day, grand cayman, Honduras, belize, Cozumel, sea day, tampa

Thank you.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

pezgirlroy said:


> Okay folks I need help and I think this might be a good place to turn.  My husband and I were supposed to go to Punta Cana from July 31 to August 5. Well we have cancelled that.  My oldest will be at summer camp and my youngest will be watched by grandparents.  So we still need to do something.  We are now thinking about a cruise. We have down a few Disney cruises with the whole family and loved them. I have cruised Carnival in the past (long time ago) and I was just fine with it. So we are thinking about a Carnival cruise.  These are the ones we are debating right now. Can anyone give me some thoughts on these/the ship/anything? we will probably do an interior room or just oceanview just because it is just the two of us. Are there plenty of things for just adults to do? Any advice is welcome. Here they are:
> 
> Carnival Fasicnation
> Departs Sunday July 28 from San Juan
> Returns Sunday August 4th
> San Juan; St. Thomas; St. Maarten; Saint Kitts; St. Lucia; Barbados; Sea Day; San Juan
> 
> Carnival Glory
> 7 night
> July 28, 2019 from New Orleans
> New Orleans; Sea Day; Sea Day; Montego Bay; Grand Cayman; Cozumel; Sea Day
> 
> 7 night Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas
> July 28 from San Juan
> San Juan, Sea Day, Aruba, Netherland Antilles, Bonaire, Sea day, Netherland Antilles, San Juan
> 
> 7 night Carnival Miracle
> July 28
> Tampa, sea day, grand cayman, Honduras, belize, Cozumel, sea day, tampa
> 
> Thank you.



I have not been on any of these ships!  But... My first choice would be the Fascination.  Those ports are to die for and it is hard to find cruises that go to some of those places.
Second choice: I have been on a sister ship to Glory and I would not hesitate to go on that ship.  Great size.  Plus, New Orleans is one of my favorite departure ports and I love the itinerary.
Third would be Freedom of the Seas, also looks like an amazing ship and definitely great ports.  One reason why it gets 3rd for me is that I am assuming that it is the most expensive of the 4 choices (?).


----------



## belle032

pezgirlroy said:


> Okay folks I need help and I think this might be a good place to turn.  My husband and I were supposed to go to Punta Cana from July 31 to August 5. Well we have cancelled that.  My oldest will be at summer camp and my youngest will be watched by grandparents.  So we still need to do something.  We are now thinking about a cruise. We have down a few Disney cruises with the whole family and loved them. I have cruised Carnival in the past (long time ago) and I was just fine with it. So we are thinking about a Carnival cruise.  These are the ones we are debating right now. Can anyone give me some thoughts on these/the ship/anything? we will probably do an interior room or just oceanview just because it is just the two of us. Are there plenty of things for just adults to do? Any advice is welcome. Here they are:
> 
> Carnival Fasicnation
> Departs Sunday July 28 from San Juan
> Returns Sunday August 4th
> San Juan; St. Thomas; St. Maarten; Saint Kitts; St. Lucia; Barbados; Sea Day; San Juan
> 
> Carnival Glory
> 7 night
> July 28, 2019 from New Orleans
> New Orleans; Sea Day; Sea Day; Montego Bay; Grand Cayman; Cozumel; Sea Day
> 
> 7 night Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas
> July 28 from San Juan
> San Juan, Sea Day, Aruba, Netherland Antilles, Bonaire, Sea day, Netherland Antilles, San Juan
> 
> 7 night Carnival Miracle
> July 28
> Tampa, sea day, grand cayman, Honduras, belize, Cozumel, sea day, tampa
> 
> Thank you.



I know the Fascination is one of the oldest (if not THE oldest) ship in the fleet, but that sounds like a great itinerary. So it will definitely be a smaller ship without all the bells and whistles. Some people prefer that, but it's not for everyone. And if someone is sailing Carnival for the first time, or the first time in a while, I usually recommend a larger/newer ship. And it's personal preference, but I like to have more than 1 sea day!

DH & I love the Glory and the ships in that class.We just sailed on her sister ship, the Conquest, this past September. The ship is a good size, easy to navigate, and has all the upgrades. Something we really liked was that the aft pool was actually adults only and it was enforced. We spent lots of time there! The itinerary looks pretty standard, but I'd enjoy the sea days and we like Cozumel & Grand Cayman.

I can't speak for the RCL ship, but looks like a really fun & different itinerary!

I think the Miracle is kind of it's own class of ship, so I don't know much about it or what to compare it to. Hopefully someone else can elaborate on it!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

pezgirlroy said:


> Okay folks I need help and I think this might be a good place to turn.  My husband and I were supposed to go to Punta Cana from July 31 to August 5. Well we have cancelled that.  My oldest will be at summer camp and my youngest will be watched by grandparents.  So we still need to do something.  We are now thinking about a cruise. We have down a few Disney cruises with the whole family and loved them. I have cruised Carnival in the past (long time ago) and I was just fine with it. So we are thinking about a Carnival cruise.  These are the ones we are debating right now. Can anyone give me some thoughts on these/the ship/anything? we will probably do an interior room or just oceanview just because it is just the two of us. Are there plenty of things for just adults to do? Any advice is welcome. Here they are:
> 
> Carnival Fasicnation
> Departs Sunday July 28 from San Juan
> Returns Sunday August 4th
> San Juan; St. Thomas; St. Maarten; Saint Kitts; St. Lucia; Barbados; Sea Day; San Juan
> 
> Carnival Glory
> 7 night
> July 28, 2019 from New Orleans
> New Orleans; Sea Day; Sea Day; Montego Bay; Grand Cayman; Cozumel; Sea Day
> 
> 7 night Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas
> July 28 from San Juan
> San Juan, Sea Day, Aruba, Netherland Antilles, Bonaire, Sea day, Netherland Antilles, San Juan
> 
> 7 night Carnival Miracle
> July 28
> Tampa, sea day, grand cayman, Honduras, belize, Cozumel, sea day, tampa
> 
> Thank you.



If those are the options, I'd chose the Freedom of the Seas (even though I'm not a huge fan of Royal). It has a great itinerary, it's a large ship with lots to do, it has Sabor which is a great specialty restaurant, Royal frequently has deals on their drink packages and Royal's adult only pool area is better than any of the ones on those particular Carnival ships.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

pezgirlroy said:


> Okay folks I need help and I think this might be a good place to turn.  My husband and I were supposed to go to Punta Cana from July 31 to August 5. Well we have cancelled that.  My oldest will be at summer camp and my youngest will be watched by grandparents.  So we still need to do something.  We are now thinking about a cruise. We have down a few Disney cruises with the whole family and loved them. I have cruised Carnival in the past (long time ago) and I was just fine with it. So we are thinking about a Carnival cruise.  These are the ones we are debating right now. Can anyone give me some thoughts on these/the ship/anything? we will probably do an interior room or just oceanview just because it is just the two of us. Are there plenty of things for just adults to do? Any advice is welcome. Here they are:
> 
> Carnival Fasicnation
> Departs Sunday July 28 from San Juan
> Returns Sunday August 4th
> San Juan; St. Thomas; St. Maarten; Saint Kitts; St. Lucia; Barbados; Sea Day; San Juan
> 
> Carnival Glory
> 7 night
> July 28, 2019 from New Orleans
> New Orleans; Sea Day; Sea Day; Montego Bay; Grand Cayman; Cozumel; Sea Day
> 
> 7 night Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas
> July 28 from San Juan
> San Juan, Sea Day, Aruba, Netherland Antilles, Bonaire, Sea day, Netherland Antilles, San Juan
> 
> 7 night Carnival Miracle
> July 28
> Tampa, sea day, grand cayman, Honduras, belize, Cozumel, sea day, tampa
> 
> Thank you.


I wouldn’t do Fascination just because of the class of ship, I like bigger ships with all the bells and whistles. 

My vote would be either Freedom of the Seas, because I loved Aruba when we were there or the Miracle. Miracle is a Spirit class ship that for some reason, I really love, even though I’ve never been on one. They have some cabins that are considered inside that have French doors that open to the outside of the ship. It’s only about a 1 foot wide balcony that you really can’t go out on and has an obstructed view because of the life boats. They’re a really good value if one is available. 
We just got back from a Vista cruise that stopped in Belize and Honduras, and I love both of those places. Belize is a very long tender from the ship, took about 25 minutes from ship to shore, not including loading and unloading, that’s straight water time. Honduras has a gorgeous beach that is about a 5 minute, very safe walk from the ship. They have chairs, umbrellas, kayaks, etc there. The port shopping area is also very large, clean and safe. It’s in the top left of this picture. You can also take a ski lift type ride over there, it’s $7.00 for an all day pass to ride it, you can purchase the tickets on the ship at the excursion desk. 

So after typing all this out, I changed my mind, I’d definitely do Miracle, just talked myself into it!  LOL

Have a great time and let us know what you end up doing.


----------



## mevelandry

pezgirlroy said:


> Okay folks I need help and I think this might be a good place to turn.  My husband and I were supposed to go to Punta Cana from July 31 to August 5. Well we have cancelled that.  My oldest will be at summer camp and my youngest will be watched by grandparents.  So we still need to do something.  We are now thinking about a cruise. We have down a few Disney cruises with the whole family and loved them. I have cruised Carnival in the past (long time ago) and I was just fine with it. So we are thinking about a Carnival cruise.  These are the ones we are debating right now. Can anyone give me some thoughts on these/the ship/anything? we will probably do an interior room or just oceanview just because it is just the two of us. Are there plenty of things for just adults to do? Any advice is welcome. Here they are:
> 
> Carnival Fasicnation
> Departs Sunday July 28 from San Juan
> Returns Sunday August 4th
> San Juan; St. Thomas; St. Maarten; Saint Kitts; St. Lucia; Barbados; Sea Day; San Juan
> 
> Carnival Glory
> 7 night
> July 28, 2019 from New Orleans
> New Orleans; Sea Day; Sea Day; Montego Bay; Grand Cayman; Cozumel; Sea Day
> 
> 7 night Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas
> July 28 from San Juan
> San Juan, Sea Day, Aruba, Netherland Antilles, Bonaire, Sea day, Netherland Antilles, San Juan
> 
> 7 night Carnival Miracle
> July 28
> Tampa, sea day, grand cayman, Honduras, belize, Cozumel, sea day, tampa
> 
> Thank you.



That's a personal choice but I would avoid Fascination (even though the itinerary is very nice) ... I find the Fantasy class ships to be very old and small with not much to do --I was on the Sensation last year, we did not have a bad cruise but the ship was only so-so. 

It would be quite a shock to go from DCL to that kind of ship.


----------



## pezgirlroy

The other one I am considering is the Valor out of New Orleans for 5 days. Just basically goes to Mexico but then we would spend two days in New Orleans at the end.


----------



## hdrolfe

pezgirlroy said:


> Okay folks I need help and I think this might be a good place to turn.  My husband and I were supposed to go to Punta Cana from July 31 to August 5. Well we have cancelled that.  My oldest will be at summer camp and my youngest will be watched by grandparents.  So we still need to do something.  We are now thinking about a cruise. We have down a few Disney cruises with the whole family and loved them. I have cruised Carnival in the past (long time ago) and I was just fine with it. So we are thinking about a Carnival cruise.  These are the ones we are debating right now. Can anyone give me some thoughts on these/the ship/anything? we will probably do an interior room or just oceanview just because it is just the two of us. Are there plenty of things for just adults to do? Any advice is welcome. Here they are:
> 
> Carnival Fasicnation
> Departs Sunday July 28 from San Juan
> Returns Sunday August 4th
> San Juan; St. Thomas; St. Maarten; Saint Kitts; St. Lucia; Barbados; Sea Day; San Juan
> 
> Carnival Glory
> 7 night
> July 28, 2019 from New Orleans
> New Orleans; Sea Day; Sea Day; Montego Bay; Grand Cayman; Cozumel; Sea Day
> 
> 7 night Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas
> July 28 from San Juan
> San Juan, Sea Day, Aruba, Netherland Antilles, Bonaire, Sea day, Netherland Antilles, San Juan
> 
> 7 night Carnival Miracle
> July 28
> Tampa, sea day, grand cayman, Honduras, belize, Cozumel, sea day, tampa
> 
> Thank you.



So. I have been on Freedom (twice) and for adults, it's a nice ship. The first time my son loved it, the second time he was bored. I'd choose one from San Juan simply because of the ports, and being port intensive (I don't care for sea days). I would probably choose Fascination because while it is a lower class of ship, you only have one sea day. But Freedom is a nice ship and perhaps new ports? Have you been to any of the Southern ports? 

The Miracle itinerary is nice, because I do like the western ports and have heard good things about the ship itself.


----------



## pezgirlroy

hdrolfe said:


> So. I have been on Freedom (twice) and for adults, it's a nice ship. The first time my son loved it, the second time he was bored. I'd choose one from San Juan simply because of the ports, and being port intensive (I don't care for sea days). I would probably choose Fascination because while it is a lower class of ship, you only have one sea day. But Freedom is a nice ship and perhaps new ports? Have you been to any of the Southern ports?
> 
> The Miracle itinerary is nice, because I do like the western ports and have heard good things about the ship itself.


I have been to a few of the ports many years ago. I actually really like Sea Days. So I prefer more than one. I am now really starting to think about the Valor out of New Orleans for the 5 night with a night in new orleans on each end.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

pezgirlroy said:


> I have been to a few of the ports many years ago. I actually really like Sea Days. So I prefer more than one. I am now really starting to think about the Valor out of New Orleans for the 5 night with a night in new orleans on each end.



We love leaving from New Orleans.  The port is located in such a great place in the city.  We drop our bags off at 11 with a porter, park at the port and walk into the French quarter for 2 hours or so before the ship leaves.  They also have a great outlet mall in the river walk which is attached to the port.  So if you have to buy a pair of shoes you forgot before you sail away (we bought crocs at the croc outlet)— super easy.


----------



## hdrolfe

So I currently have a March break cruise booked for 2020, but I'm not sure I'll be able to afford it (given prices on the flights keep going up, and hotels for the night before, or two if I need to get better flights). We are hoping to move next year and so I need to think about something less expensive. I'm considering doing an AI instead but I'm not sure it really compares to a cruise, or Disney for that matter. I may just go in February on a cruise. I will lose my deposit (it's only $100). I'm now considering NCL, they have a flights included special. Maybe from New Orleans? I'd go from Port Canaveral but I just can't resist adding Disney when we do that  I know I can't do another winter without a trip of some sort. We are going to Disney in August (8 weeks!) and cannot wait for that. Ugh, I really need to win the lottery (or make more money!).


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

hdrolfe said:


> So I currently have a March break cruise booked for 2020, but I'm not sure I'll be able to afford it (given prices on the flights keep going up, and hotels for the night before, or two if I need to get better flights). We are hoping to move next year and so I need to think about something less expensive. I'm considering doing an AI instead but I'm not sure it really compares to a cruise, or Disney for that matter. I may just go in February on a cruise. I will lose my deposit (it's only $100). I'm now considering NCL, they have a flights included special. Maybe from New Orleans? I'd go from Port Canaveral but I just can't resist adding Disney when we do that  I know I can't do another winter without a trip of some sort. We are going to Disney in August (8 weeks!) and cannot wait for that. Ugh, I really need to win the lottery (or make more money!).


What time of year are flights least expensive for you?  Just curious.  I do find spring break flights expensive here.  Other than that around Thanksgiving and Christmas.


----------



## hdrolfe

we"reofftoneverland said:


> What time of year are flights least expensive for you?  Just curious.  I do find spring break flights expensive here.  Other than that around Thanksgiving and Christmas.



Early December and January - February (after New Years week and before mid-February) are usually the best prices. I can go from Montreal for cheaper at slightly different times, and could look at flying from Syracuse but both are further to drive, which becomes an issue in unpredictable weather


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

hdrolfe said:


> Early December and January - February (after New Years week and before mid-February) are usually the best prices. I can go from Montreal for cheaper at slightly different times, and could look at flying from Syracuse but both are further to drive, which becomes an issue in unpredictable weather


Not sure why I thought you were coming from England.  Sorry!  But Canada/ upstate NY is far too.  Have you ever cruised out of NYC/New Jersey?  Maybe your March cruise will go down in price?   Our spring break cruise out of Orlando last March (we drove) went down in price as time went on.  I cannot remember how much we ended up getting off the price but it was the most we have ever received in price drops.  I called about 3 times to get drops.  The largest one was about a month before final payment was due.  It was on the Breeze which is a popular ship, so I was surprised at the price drops.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

But regardless, hdrolfe, you will have a great time in August at wdw!


----------



## hdrolfe

I don't think we will get a price drop, the ship seems to be almost full, there is only a handful of balconies left. It is a really good itinerary that I don't really want to give up, Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Curacao and Aruba. On Carnival Magic. 

We will have lots of fun at Disney, we have two EMM hooked, the rhino tour and I am planning for a MNSSHP as well. I may have gone overboard on this trip.


----------



## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> So I currently have a March break cruise booked for 2020, but I'm not sure I'll be able to afford it (given prices on the flights keep going up, and hotels for the night before, or two if I need to get better flights). We are hoping to move next year and so I need to think about something less expensive. I'm considering doing an AI instead but I'm not sure it really compares to a cruise, or Disney for that matter. I may just go in February on a cruise. I will lose my deposit (it's only $100). I'm now considering NCL, they have a flights included special. Maybe from New Orleans? I'd go from Port Canaveral but I just can't resist adding Disney when we do that  I know I can't do another winter without a trip of some sort. We are going to Disney in August (8 weeks!) and cannot wait for that. Ugh, I really need to win the lottery (or make more money!).



I feel your pain about needing a break during the winter! We live in Upstate NY and I am exactly the same way. I get very miserable during January/February up here so it's really nice to have something to look forward to. That's why we're looking at a February cruise as well. And looking a prices, February does seem decently cheaper than March, if the dates would work out for you.

That itinerary does sound fantastic and similar to the 8 day sailing we were ready to book in February 2020. But now we have another couple who wants to sail with us, we have a big DCL trip this September and DH and I want to make a WDW trip next fall. So we might scale back and book a cheaper cruise for February. While it doesn't make too much sense to book anything less than a 7 night because of traveling so far, there are cheaper sailings that we would have just as much fun on!

Have you tried looking at flights out of Buffalo or Rochester? I'm not sure what is close to you, and I know winter flights can be tricky with the weather, but those are my 2 go-to airports. Rochester is closer for us, but Buffalo can sometimes be cheaper.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I need your help!!  I own a restaurant that is super busy at Christmas time so we’ve never been able to take any vacations during those couple weeks. It looks like I’ll be selling towards the end of this year so we should be able to take a cruise in December 2020. I’ve always wanted to do a DCL Christmas cruise and found a 6 night on the Wonder from 12/24 - 12/30, stops in Key West and Castaway Cay. I booked 2 inside cabins for our family of 4, at a cost of about $10,000.  Plus $1500 for airfare I know, outrageous but it’s kind of a once in a lifetime thing. 

Then we started talking about how fun a New Years Eve cruise on Carnival would be and have 3 options. We’ve only been on Vista, 4 cruises, and live her. Here are our options, what would you do?

Carnival Panorama, 7 night Mexican Riviera. 2 inside is about $5000, 2 Havana Cabanas would be about $8800. Long Beach is only a 6 hour drive so there is no air travel for this option. Biggest concern here is, not totally thrilled about the Mexico ports and don’t know how warm it will be compared to Caribbean. 

Carnival Horizon, 8 night southern Caribbean to Aruba, Bonaire and both Dominican Republic ports. 2 insides is about $6000, but will need to spend $2000 on air travel to get to Miami. We did a very similar itinerary on Vista and loved it but not totally excited about Aruba or the La Romana port of DR. Very excited about Bonaire and Amber Cove. Love that it’s 8 days. 

Carnival Mardi Gras, 7 night Western Caribbean, Cozumel, costa Maya and Honduras. 2 insides $4000, 2 inside Havana $6000. Have to add in $2000 for airfare. Just got back from a similar itinerary. Loved Honduras and am excited to go back, 4th time to Cozumel and can take it or leave, indifferent on Costa Maya. With this, the itinerary is mediocre at best but that will give us a ton of time to experience a totally new ship. Also with this, we’re planning on Mardi Gras for June 2021 but will do the other itinerary of San Juan, Cozumel and Amber Cove. 

What would you guys do?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I need your help!!  I own a restaurant that is super busy at Christmas time so we’ve never been able to take any vacations during those couple weeks. It looks like I’ll be selling towards the end of this year so we should be able to take a cruise in December 2020. I’ve always wanted to do a DCL Christmas cruise and found a 6 night on the Wonder from 12/24 - 12/30, stops in Key West and Castaway Cay. I booked 2 inside cabins for our family of 4, at a cost of about $10,000.  Plus $1500 for airfare I know, outrageous but it’s kind of a once in a lifetime thing.
> 
> Then we started talking about how fun a New Years Eve cruise on Carnival would be and have 3 options. We’ve only been on Vista, 4 cruises, and live her. Here are our options, what would you do?
> 
> Carnival Panorama, 7 night Mexican Riviera. 2 inside is about $5000, 2 Havana Cabanas would be about $8800. Long Beach is only a 6 hour drive so there is no air travel for this option. Biggest concern here is, not totally thrilled about the Mexico ports and don’t know how warm it will be compared to Caribbean.
> 
> Carnival Horizon, 8 night southern Caribbean to Aruba, Bonaire and both Dominican Republic ports. 2 insides is about $6000, but will need to spend $2000 on air travel to get to Miami. We did a very similar itinerary on Vista and loved it but not totally excited about Aruba or the La Romana port of DR. Very excited about Bonaire and Amber Cove. Love that it’s 8 days.
> 
> Carnival Mardi Gras, 7 night Western Caribbean, Cozumel, costa Maya and Honduras. 2 insides $4000, 2 inside Havana $6000. Have to add in $2000 for airfare. Just got back from a similar itinerary. Loved Honduras and am excited to go back, 4th time to Cozumel and can take it or leave, indifferent on Costa Maya. With this, the itinerary is mediocre at best but that will give us a ton of time to experience a totally new ship. Also with this, we’re planning on Mardi Gras for June 2021 but will do the other itinerary of San Juan, Cozumel and Amber Cove.
> 
> What would you guys do?



Oh wow, all awesome choices.  My first thought was go Mardi Gras but then I saw that you are booked on it for another time.  So... I would do the 8 night on the Horizon.  We love 8 nights, that itinerary, and the Miami sail away.  Plus, that ship looks even better than the Vista.  We are booked on the panorama summer 2020 and are really just booked for the ship, also not super excited about those ports.
We have done dcl wonder the week before (arrived back on the 24th) and the week after Christmas (left the 26th).  The one before Christmas was the key west/castaway itinerary.  The one after was Nassau/ castaway.  Dcl Christmas cruises are nice but not worth the premium IMO.  It has also gone up a lot since we have done it.  2013/2014.  We feel like Disney’s parks are much more impressive at Christmas time than the ships. We have also cruised with NCL right before Christmas (arriving back the 24th).  That was actually a lot of fun.  It was decorated just as much as the dcl ship and also had the gingerbread creation and other Christmas themed events and theming.  What was really cool about that cruise was getting off at ports before Christmas—- awesome.  We stopped at Cozumel and grand cayman which were both really festive.  Also the Ncl private island which had some greenery but nothing like the real ports. The Key west stop with dcl right before Christmas was not as dressed up for for us, but we also ended up docking at a military base and got bused into town by dcl.  We have been to key west 2 other times on other lines and docked at the regular port both times.  Not sure if dcl docks at the base regularly.   So we did not get the full Christmas port experience at key west.
I imagine that CCL is pretty similar to NCL and Dcl at Christmas.
But just to throw something crazy at you... what about Hawaii since you are close to the west coast? Dh and I were just saying the other day that we really want to do hawaii at Christmas (or just do Hawaii period! because we have never been).  I know NCL has a ship that is based there and CCL does Hawaii too.  I am not sure if CCl does Hawaii in December but I just read a trip report by someone who went on carnival to Hawaii and it looked fabulous.  There were a lot of extra events and lectures on the cruise.  But, sorry to stray from your question.  The cruises you and your family are looking at are all great options!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Oh wow, all awesome choices.  My first thought was go Mardi Gras but then I saw that you are booked on it for another time.  So... I would do the 8 night on the Horizon.  We love 8 nights, that itinerary, and the Miami sail away.  Plus, that ship looks even better than the Vista.  We are booked on the panorama summer 2020 and are really just booked for the ship, also not super excited about those ports.
> We have done dcl wonder the week before (arrived back on the 24th) and the week after Christmas (left the 26th).  The one before Christmas was the key west/castaway itinerary.  The one after was Nassau/ castaway.  Dcl Christmas cruises are nice but not worth the premium IMO.  It has also gone up a lot since we have done it.  2013/2014.  We feel like Disney’s parks are much more impressive at Christmas time than the ships. We have also cruised with NCL right before Christmas (arriving back the 24th).  That was actually a lot of fun.  It was decorated just as much as the dcl ship and also had the gingerbread creation and other Christmas themed events and theming.  What was really cool about that cruise was getting off at ports before Christmas—- awesome.  We stopped at Cozumel and grand cayman which were both really festive.  Also the Ncl private island which had some greenery but nothing like the real ports. The Key west stop with dcl right before Christmas was not as dressed up for for us, but we also ended up docking at a military base and got bused into town by dcl.  We have been to key west 2 other times on other lines and docked at the regular port both times.  Not sure if dcl docks at the base regularly.   So we did not get the full Christmas port experience at key west.
> I imagine that CCL is pretty similar to NCL and Dcl at Christmas.
> But just to throw something crazy at you... what about Hawaii since you are close to the west coast? Dh and I were just saying the other day that we really want to do hawaii at Christmas (or just do Hawaii period! because we have never been).  I know NCL has a ship that is based there and CCL does Hawaii too.  I am not sure if CCl does Hawaii in December but I just read a trip report by someone who went on carnival to Hawaii and it looked fabulous.  There were a lot of extra events and lectures on the cruise.  But, sorry to stray from your question.  The cruises you and your family are looking at are all great options!


Thanks for the input. We went to Hawaii back in 2015 and it was beautiful but we really want a cruise for this trip. 

I’m leaning toward Horizon too, I love 8 night itineraries and agree there is nothing like cruising out of Miami.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I need your help!!  I own a restaurant that is super busy at Christmas time so we’ve never been able to take any vacations during those couple weeks. It looks like I’ll be selling towards the end of this year so we should be able to take a cruise in December 2020. I’ve always wanted to do a DCL Christmas cruise and found a 6 night on the Wonder from 12/24 - 12/30, stops in Key West and Castaway Cay. I booked 2 inside cabins for our family of 4, at a cost of about $10,000.  Plus $1500 for airfare I know, outrageous but it’s kind of a once in a lifetime thing.
> 
> Then we started talking about how fun a New Years Eve cruise on Carnival would be and have 3 options. We’ve only been on Vista, 4 cruises, and live her. Here are our options, what would you do?
> 
> Carnival Panorama, 7 night Mexican Riviera. 2 inside is about $5000, 2 Havana Cabanas would be about $8800. Long Beach is only a 6 hour drive so there is no air travel for this option. Biggest concern here is, not totally thrilled about the Mexico ports and don’t know how warm it will be compared to Caribbean.
> 
> Carnival Horizon, 8 night southern Caribbean to Aruba, Bonaire and both Dominican Republic ports. 2 insides is about $6000, but will need to spend $2000 on air travel to get to Miami. We did a very similar itinerary on Vista and loved it but not totally excited about Aruba or the La Romana port of DR. Very excited about Bonaire and Amber Cove. Love that it’s 8 days.
> 
> Carnival Mardi Gras, 7 night Western Caribbean, Cozumel, costa Maya and Honduras. 2 insides $4000, 2 inside Havana $6000. Have to add in $2000 for airfare. Just got back from a similar itinerary. Loved Honduras and am excited to go back, 4th time to Cozumel and can take it or leave, indifferent on Costa Maya. With this, the itinerary is mediocre at best but that will give us a ton of time to experience a totally new ship. Also with this, we’re planning on Mardi Gras for June 2021 but will do the other itinerary of San Juan, Cozumel and Amber Cove.
> 
> What would you guys do?



I'd do Mardi Gras. The ship looks amazing. 

There are tons of different exciting excursions to do in Cozumel, you sure absolutely none of them would interest you? 

I don't remember if you've been to Costa Maya... The aviary looks fun... So does the restaurant with luchadors (wrestling) LOL  We're going in January and I'm a bit excited about it.


----------



## hdrolfe

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I need your help!!  I own a restaurant that is super busy at Christmas time so we’ve never been able to take any vacations during those couple weeks. It looks like I’ll be selling towards the end of this year so we should be able to take a cruise in December 2020. I’ve always wanted to do a DCL Christmas cruise and found a 6 night on the Wonder from 12/24 - 12/30, stops in Key West and Castaway Cay. I booked 2 inside cabins for our family of 4, at a cost of about $10,000.  Plus $1500 for airfare I know, outrageous but it’s kind of a once in a lifetime thing.
> 
> Then we started talking about how fun a New Years Eve cruise on Carnival would be and have 3 options. We’ve only been on Vista, 4 cruises, and live her. Here are our options, what would you do?
> 
> Carnival Panorama, 7 night Mexican Riviera. 2 inside is about $5000, 2 Havana Cabanas would be about $8800. Long Beach is only a 6 hour drive so there is no air travel for this option. Biggest concern here is, not totally thrilled about the Mexico ports and don’t know how warm it will be compared to Caribbean.
> 
> Carnival Horizon, 8 night southern Caribbean to Aruba, Bonaire and both Dominican Republic ports. 2 insides is about $6000, but will need to spend $2000 on air travel to get to Miami. We did a very similar itinerary on Vista and loved it but not totally excited about Aruba or the La Romana port of DR. Very excited about Bonaire and Amber Cove. Love that it’s 8 days.
> 
> Carnival Mardi Gras, 7 night Western Caribbean, Cozumel, costa Maya and Honduras. 2 insides $4000, 2 inside Havana $6000. Have to add in $2000 for airfare. Just got back from a similar itinerary. Loved Honduras and am excited to go back, 4th time to Cozumel and can take it or leave, indifferent on Costa Maya. With this, the itinerary is mediocre at best but that will give us a ton of time to experience a totally new ship. Also with this, we’re planning on Mardi Gras for June 2021 but will do the other itinerary of San Juan, Cozumel and Amber Cove.
> 
> What would you guys do?



If it was me, I'd choose Mardi Gras. But since you already have her booked for later, I'd probably do Horizon. Bonaire doesn't come up that often on Carnival so the opportunity for a new (rare-ish) port would be nice. Plus it's 8 days.


----------



## belle032

Anyone seeing what’s going on with the NCL ship in Barcelona? Omg, how disappointing and I can’t even imagine the hassle it’s putting people through! But if that’s not an advertisement for trip insurance, I don’t know what is!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> Anyone seeing what’s going on with the NCL ship in Barcelona? Omg, how disappointing and I can’t even imagine the hassle it’s putting people through! But if that’s not an advertisement for trip insurance, I don’t know what is!


Have not seen— will look.  But has anyone seen what is going on with vista?!  Looks like it has lost all power.  Apparently John heald is onboard as well as Matt.  Wild.  I hate to admit it but I wish I was on there.  Seems kind of exciting!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Just saw the NCL issue.  That is a nightmare.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Have not seen— will look.  But has anyone seen what is going on with vista?!  Looks like it has lost all power.  Apparently John heald is onboard as well as Matt.  Wild.  I hate to admit it but I wish I was on there.  Seems kind of exciting!


Sounds like it was only out for about an hour.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Sounds like it was only out for about an hour.


No really a big deal then.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

We made a decision.................we’re going on Mardi Gras!  We’re still going to book her for June 2021 as well. The ship is so big and so new we know we’ll need to spend lots of time on her to figure her all out. We just couldn’t let the thought of spending New Years Eve in that beautiful atrium with a party let by Matt Mitchum go by the wayside.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We made a decision.................we’re going on Mardi Gras!  We’re still going to book her for June 2021 as well. The ship is so big and so new we know we’ll need to spend lots of time on her to figure her all out. We just couldn’t let the thought of spending New Years Eve in that beautiful atrium with a party let by Matt Mitchum go by the wayside.


That image you have put in our heads of Matt at a New Years Eve party is great.  What a blast that will be!


----------



## lilsonicfan

belle032 said:


> Anyone seeing what’s going on with the NCL ship in Barcelona? Omg, how disappointing and I can’t even imagine the hassle it’s putting people through! But if that’s not an advertisement for trip insurance, I don’t know what is!



I have a co-worker who was scheduled to board the Pearl on 7/5, the entire 13 night cruise was cancelled - sadly it was cancelled on the day she was already travelling to Rome   She's been able to make other arrangements, thank goodness, but a huge huge stressor she didn't need.  NCL is refunding the full cruise fare (of course) and offering a 100% credit toward a future cruise, and a small amount toward airline changes.  Not entirely helpful but at least they are doing something, I guess.


----------



## lilsonicfan

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Carnival Panorama, 7 night Mexican Riviera. 2 inside is about $5000, 2 Havana Cabanas would be about $8800. Long Beach is only a 6 hour drive so there is no air travel for this option. Biggest concern here is, not totally thrilled about the Mexico ports and don’t know how warm it will be compared to Caribbean.
> 
> Carnival Horizon, 8 night southern Caribbean to Aruba, Bonaire and both Dominican Republic ports. 2 insides is about $6000, but will need to spend $2000 on air travel to get to Miami. We did a very similar itinerary on Vista and loved it but not totally excited about Aruba or the La Romana port of DR. Very excited about Bonaire and Amber Cove. Love that it’s 8 days.
> 
> Carnival Mardi Gras, 7 night Western Caribbean, Cozumel, costa Maya and Honduras. 2 insides $4000, 2 inside Havana $6000. Have to add in $2000 for airfare. Just got back from a similar itinerary. Loved Honduras and am excited to go back, 4th time to Cozumel and can take it or leave, indifferent on Costa Maya. With this, the itinerary is mediocre at best but that will give us a ton of time to experience a totally new ship. Also with this, we’re planning on Mardi Gras for June 2021 but will do the other itinerary of San Juan, Cozumel and Amber Cove.
> 
> What would you guys do?



We live on the west coast so I've been looking at the Panorama too in hopes of finding a quick and cheap vacation for next year.  But admittedly the ho-hum itinerary puts me off, not to mention the fairly high price.  I have an MSC cruise booked for spring break 2020 in their yacht club (concierge) and the price is almost the same on Panorama, but in Family Harbor rooms at best.  

Anyway, of those choices, the southern Caribbean interests me most.  I've never been to the ABC islands.


----------



## mevelandry

Happy 4th of July, neighbours!


----------



## hdrolfe

Would you do the same cruise, same itinerary, same ship (different cabins), in the same year? Once in January and once in December? 

Carnival Horizon, 6-night to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel (not as exciting as the southern but much cheaper)


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> Would you do the same cruise, same itinerary, same ship (different cabins), in the same year? Once in January and once in December?
> 
> Carnival Horizon, 6-night to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel (not as exciting as the southern but much cheaper)


I would but the rest of my family wouldn’t. I wanted to do the 8 night southern, on Horizon this past summer and was overruled by the rest of the family. We did that itinerary on Vista 2 years ago so they were against it. If I was to do it I’d probably do a different class of cabin, maybe a cove balcony or Cloud 9 Spa cabin.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Would you do the same cruise, same itinerary, same ship (different cabins), in the same year? Once in January and once in December?
> 
> Carnival Horizon, 6-night to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel (not as exciting as the southern but much cheaper)



I'm obsessed with GC and there are so many different excursions in Cozumel that I would without any hesitation!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I would but the rest of my family wouldn’t. I wanted to do the 8 night southern, on Horizon this past summer and was overruled by the rest of the family. We did that itinerary on Vista 2 years ago so they were against it. If I was to do it I’d probably do a different class of cabin, maybe a cove balcony or Cloud 9 Spa cabin.



Yessss... Cloud 9 Spa or Havana would be such a different experience on the ship!!!


----------



## hdrolfe

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I would but the rest of my family wouldn’t. I wanted to do the 8 night southern, on Horizon this past summer and was overruled by the rest of the family. We did that itinerary on Vista 2 years ago so they were against it. If I was to do it I’d probably do a different class of cabin, maybe a cove balcony or Cloud 9 Spa cabin.



I'm not sure my son would care. It would be in a family harbor room, inside in January and we have an ocean view in December. If he was 12 I'd totally do Havana but he'll only be turning 11 on the December 2020 cruise.



mevelandry said:


> I'm obsessed with GC and there are so many different excursions in Cozumel that I would without any hesitation!



That's my thought, I feel like I could go to Cozumel and Grand Cayman a dozen times and never do the same excursions. 

The other option is to try NCL. I'm just nervous of trying a new line! Funny right? So many people are scared to try Carnival and I am nervous of NCL. NCL Escape, to Cozumel, Costa Maya, Roatan and their Harvest Caye in Belize.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> I'm not sure my son would care. It would be in a family harbor room, inside in January and we have an ocean view in December. If he was 12 I'd totally do Havana but he'll only be turning 11 on the December 2020 cruise.
> 
> 
> 
> That's my thought, I feel like I could go to Cozumel and Grand Cayman a dozen times and never do the same excursions.
> 
> The other option is to try NCL. I'm just nervous of trying a new line! Funny right? So many people are scared to try Carnival and I am nervous of NCL. NCL Escape, to Cozumel, Costa Maya, Roatan and their Harvest Caye in Belize.


I think for that itinerary I’d have to try NCL!  I loved Roatan and Belize.


----------



## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> Would you do the same cruise, same itinerary, same ship (different cabins), in the same year? Once in January and once in December?
> 
> Carnival Horizon, 6-night to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel (not as exciting as the southern but much cheaper)



If I really liked the ship, then I would have no problem doing it! I also like Cozumel & Grand Cayman and would be fine visiting twice in one year.

We're actually thinking of sailing on the Conquest again in February 2020 even though we just did this past September. Different itinerary, but probably same type of interior room.  We did really like the ship so it's fine for us. The price is much cheaper than the Breeze sailing we are also considering even though both are 7 nights. So it might come down to flight price. And I was all set to compare flights between Pt. Canaveral & Ft. Lauderdale  this morning, but Southwest pushed back their release dates for February another month!  I just want to book something before we change our minds again!

So after all my rambling, no I would have no problem booking the same ship/itinerary twice if I enjoy either/both.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Looks like some nice trips coming up for everyone.

I think my mom and I have decided to splurge and keep our October 5 day on Valor.  With all the drama in my life right now I need something to look forward to and will need to get away soon!

With the "help" of the younger kids (they are teens so not too young) we are going to stay this side of the pond next summer and do our last family trip to WDW.  Well, our last trip while they are still kids at least.  Both want to go to Europe for their graduation trips in 2021 & 2022 so we will hang on until then.  

So we have booked a stay at the new Coronado Springs Gran Destino tower.  It looks amazing! I'm excited to see HS finally done too!  But sad that Spaceship Earth will be closed (it's cheesy but I love it).  

School starts in 3 weeks and we are back in the thick of band camp and school shopping.  Feels like summer just started and it's really over for us.  At least there are a couple trips for me to dream about!


----------



## WDW&DCLADDICT

Got off the Carnival Horizon, a few weeks ago boarding the ship was easy love the check in process as your keys are delivered to your room, if you are vifp Platinum/Diamond or booked any kind of suite you get priority embarkation and debarkation. The suite we had was one of the family harbor suites very nice and the balcony on deck 2 was even nicer being that close to the water. Overall the drink package and ship chatting plan is the best. Amazing dinning options as you get your time dinning. The crew is amazing and works hard to get to know you, for this cruise there is absolutely nothing negative you can say about it. For those who say Carnival is the Walmart of the cruise industry, you couldn't be more wrong, definitely a great cruise and would do again to make it 4 carnival cruises.


----------



## WDW&DCLADDICT

lilsonicfan said:


> We live on the west coast so I've been looking at the Panorama too in hopes of finding a quick and cheap vacation for next year.  But admittedly the ho-hum itinerary puts me off, not to mention the fairly high price.  I have an MSC cruise booked for spring break 2020 in their yacht club (concierge) and the price is almost the same on Panorama, but in Family Harbor rooms at best.
> 
> Anyway, of those choices, the southern Caribbean interests me most.  I've never been to the ABC islands.


Seen the same thing with MSC there prices almost seem to good to be true, and that is why its been difficult to book one on MSC


----------



## lilsonicfan

WDW&DCLADDICT said:


> Seen the same thing with MSC there prices almost seem to good to be true, and that is why its been difficult to book one on MSC



Yeah, we are paying something like $6,000 for 5 of us to sail in Yacht Club in the Caribbean ... Panorama is similarly priced, but far less amenities.  We did the Yacht Club thing on MSC Seaview in Europe, and really enjoyed it


----------



## PrincessTrisha

After having to cancel our summer cruise on the Carnival Pride due to my Dad's knee surgery, I have gone on a booking spree. The surgery was on July 2nd and went well so we're now booked for B2B 10 night Panama Canal cruises on Princess January 2020, a 9 night on Adventure of the Seas for May 2020, and a 14 night on the Carnival Pride in November 2020. 

I really need to stop. I keep looking to see if we can do one later this fall.....I think I have a terrible addiction.


----------



## mevelandry

WDW&DCLADDICT said:


> Got off the Carnival Horizon, a few weeks ago boarding the ship was easy love the check in process as your keys are delivered to your room, if you are vifp Platinum/Diamond or booked any kind of suite you get priority embarkation and debarkation. The suite we had was one of the family harbor suites very nice and the balcony on deck 2 was even nicer being that close to the water. Overall the drink package and ship chatting plan is the best. Amazing dinning options as you get your time dinning. The crew is amazing and works hard to get to know you, for this cruise there is absolutely nothing negative you can say about it. For those who say Carnival is the Walmart of the cruise industry, you couldn't be more wrong, definitely a great cruise and would do again to make it 4 carnival cruises.



Thanks for the review!!! I've sailed on the Vista, which is a sister ship to the Horizon and I totally agree with you!


----------



## mevelandry

PrincessTrisha said:


> After having to cancel our summer cruise on the Carnival Pride due to my Dad's knee surgery, I have gone on a booking spree. The surgery was on July 2nd and went well so we're now booked for B2B 10 night Panama Canal cruises on Princess January 2020, a 9 night on Adventure of the Seas for May 2020, and a 14 night on the Carnival Pride in November 2020.
> 
> I really need to stop. I keep looking to see if we can do one later this fall.....I think I have a terrible addiction.



Many long cruises! I'm so jealous! 

I'm also sailing on the Adventure of the Seas in 2020! Can't wait!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> Looks like some nice trips coming up for everyone.
> 
> I think my mom and I have decided to splurge and keep our October 5 day on Valor.  With all the drama in my life right now I need something to look forward to and will need to get away soon!
> 
> With the "help" of the younger kids (they are teens so not too young) we are going to stay this side of the pond next summer and do our last family trip to WDW.  Well, our last trip while they are still kids at least.  Both want to go to Europe for their graduation trips in 2021 & 2022 so we will hang on until then.
> 
> So we have booked a stay at the new Coronado Springs Gran Destino tower.  It looks amazing! I'm excited to see HS finally done too!  But sad that Spaceship Earth will be closed (it's cheesy but I love it).
> 
> School starts in 3 weeks and we are back in the thick of band camp and school shopping.  Feels like summer just started and it's really over for us.  At least there are a couple trips for me to dream about!


That resort looks so awesome, would love to stay there one of these days!  Enjoy the trip


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> That resort looks so awesome, would love to stay there one of these days!  Enjoy the trip



Coronado Springs is great and I heard that they are adding a new Club Level option (it's usually found only in Deluxe). It must be quite nice.


----------



## mevelandry

Apparently Carnival Steakhouses won an award from Wine Spectator Magazine. 

I have to say that I am not surprised. Each dinner I've had there was absolutely spectacular (especially for the price) ... And the offer (wine offer as well) is fantastic.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

If anyone is near Galveston and can get away for a few days next week, this cruise on Vista was just announced. The repairs are going to be done early so they created a quick 4 nighter to Cozumel


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> If anyone is near Galveston and can get away for a few days next week, this cruise on Vista was just announced. The repairs are going to be done early so they created a quick 4 nighter to Cozumel View attachment 418337



That's a GREAT deal for such a great ship!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Apparently Carnival Steakhouses won an award from Wine Spectator Magazine.
> 
> I have to say that I am not surprised. Each dinner I've had there was absolutely spectacular (especially for the price) ... And the offer (wine offer as well) is fantastic.



I have steakhouse booked for my Dec 2020 Horizon cruise, it will be my son's 11th birthday and one thing he loves about cruising is he can have steak and pasta (plain, with like no sauce...) every night for dinner. I thought this way he'll get a really nice steak, plus we're in a family harbor room so I think he eats free there. I'm glad to hear it's good. We don't normally do speciality meals, we are always very happy with the regular menus (especially since I don't have to cook or clean up!)


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I have steakhouse booked for my Dec 2020 Horizon cruise, it will be my son's 11th birthday and one thing he loves about cruising is he can have steak and pasta (plain, with like no sauce...) every night for dinner. I thought this way he'll get a really nice steak, plus we're in a family harbor room so I think he eats free there. I'm glad to hear it's good. We don't normally do speciality meals, we are always very happy with the regular menus (especially since I don't have to cook or clean up!)



It's so good that I order from the Steakhouse even in the dining room (which you can do for 20$). They also give (edible) surprises when someone is celebrating a birthday. You'll love it.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> I have steakhouse booked for my Dec 2020 Horizon cruise, it will be my son's 11th birthday and one thing he loves about cruising is he can have steak and pasta (plain, with like no sauce...) every night for dinner. I thought this way he'll get a really nice steak, plus we're in a family harbor room so I think he eats free there. I'm glad to hear it's good. We don't normally do speciality meals, we are always very happy with the regular menus (especially since I don't have to cook or clean up!)


We loved the steakhouse. In case you didn’t see it, Carnival just announced a prepaid $60 dinner package you can buy. For the $60/person you get 3 specialty restaurant dinners. I don’t know if it had to be 3 different restaurants or if you could do dinner more than once in the same restaurant no know it includes the steakhouse, JiJi’s and Cucina, I think Bonsai Tepanyaki is included also.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> If anyone is near Galveston and can get away for a few days next week, this cruise on Vista was just announced. The repairs are going to be done early so they created a quick 4 nighter to Cozumel View attachment 418337


Oh wow I wish I had seen this earlier!  I just checked and the least expensive rate now is around $330.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

hdrolfe said:


> Would you do the same cruise, same itinerary, same ship (different cabins), in the same year? Once in January and once in December?
> 
> Carnival Horizon, 6-night to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel (not as exciting as the southern but much cheaper)


We did about 5 years ago!  It was on Disney and the itinerary was much less exciting (castaway/Nassau) but we generally do not care where we are going.  Just love cruising.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Oh wow I wish I had seen this earlier!  I just checked and the least expensive rate now is around $330.



330$ is a good price for 4 nights on the Vista, though.


----------



## Mika02

So been a crazy few months (my Job eliminated my position and I had surgery last month) so definitely canceling my DCL fall cruise. Looking to book a cruise for my kids and I for the April 2020 Spring break now and there is so many choices.

One of my son's wants to do a resort, The other wants to do a cruise on a newer ship and my daughter has no preference. They will be 18, turning 13 during the vacation and 9. I'm worried about my daughter not sure what she would do since she will be 18 on our vacation and will have aged out of all the clubs be it land or sea. My boys love water park and pools. My oldest boy loves video games  and my youngest boy loves sports. My daughter likes more indoor activities and lounging around relaxing her favorite place is WDW which I'm taking her for her 18th birthday alone but she does like water slides and hot tubs. 

Trying to Narrow down the following cruise choices for them give them the options:

Carnival:
Horizon 8 day (3days at sea, Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao, Arua)
Vista 7 day (3days at sea, Mobay, Grand Cayman, Cozumel)
Breeze 7 day  (2days at sea, Grand Turk, Amber Cove, St. Thomas, San Juan)

Royal:
Harmony of the Seas 7 day (3days at sea, St. Maarten, San Juan, perfect day cococay)
Freedom of the Seas 7 day (2days at sea, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, St. Thomas) 
Liberty of the seas 7 Day (3days at sea, Falmouth Grand Cayman, Cozumel)
Anthem of the Seas 7 days (3 days at sea, Orlando, perfect day cococay, Nassau) 

So my thoughts:

Carnival:

I love the offerings on all the new Ships on Carnival and so did my sons when I showed them the videos. Bonus I think I can get a Family Harbor Interior on the Horizon which I couldn't get in the fall when I was looking and I would love Curacao and Aruba. 

Royal:

Love the ports on Harmony and its the one ship that seems to have everything. Freedom as well love the ports and it has water slides.  Liberty leaves from San Juan which might be nice to come in early and explore but no water slides. Anthem is only on the list because it leaves out NJ where I live so no flights which is a bonus I've heard great things about the ship mostly from adults though it has no water slides and I really don't care for the itinerary except maybe the perfect day.

All the prices are relatively about the same as well but I probably can get the Carnival cruises cheaper as we have past guest benefits.

So sorry for the long post but it you had to narrow these down to 2 or 3 which would they be based on all this. I want to give them a couple of choices to look at.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Mika02 said:


> So been a crazy few months (my Job eliminated my position and I had surgery last month) so definitely canceling my DCL fall cruise. Looking to book a cruise for my kids and I for the April 2020 Spring break now and there is so many choices.
> 
> One of my son's wants to do a resort, The other wants to do a cruise on a newer ship and my daughter has no preference. They will be 18, turning 13 during the vacation and 9. I'm worried about my daughter not sure what she would do since she will be 18 on our vacation and will have aged out of all the clubs be it land or sea. My boys love water park and pools. My oldest boy loves video games  and my youngest boy loves sports. My daughter likes more indoor activities and lounging around relaxing her favorite place is WDW which I'm taking her for her 18th birthday alone but she does like water slides and hot tubs.
> 
> Trying to Narrow down the following cruise choices for them give them the options:
> 
> Carnival:
> Horizon 8 day (3days at sea, Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao, Arua)
> Vista 7 day (3days at sea, Mobay, Grand Cayman, Cozumel)
> Breeze 7 day  (2days at sea, Grand Turk, Amber Cove, St. Thomas, San Juan)
> 
> Royal:
> Harmony of the Seas 7 day (3days at sea, St. Maarten, San Juan, perfect day cococay)
> Freedom of the Seas 7 day (2days at sea, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, St. Thomas)
> Liberty of the seas 7 Day (3days at sea, Falmouth Grand Cayman, Cozumel)
> Anthem of the Seas 7 days (3 days at sea, Orlando, perfect day cococay, Nassau)
> 
> So my thoughts:
> 
> Carnival:
> 
> I love the offerings on all the new Ships on Carnival and so did my sons when I showed them the videos. Bonus I think I can get a Family Harbor Interior on the Horizon which I couldn't get in the fall when I was looking and I would love Curacao and Aruba.
> 
> Royal:
> 
> Love the ports on Harmony and its the one ship that seems to have everything. Freedom as well love the ports and it has water slides.  Liberty leaves from San Juan which might be nice to come in early and explore but no water slides. Anthem is only on the list because it leaves out NJ where I live so no flights which is a bonus I've heard great things about the ship mostly from adults though it has no water slides and I really don't care for the itinerary except maybe the perfect day.
> 
> All the prices are relatively about the same as well but I probably can get the Carnival cruises cheaper as we have past guest benefits.
> 
> So sorry for the long post but it you had to narrow these down to 2 or 3 which would they be based on all this. I want to give them a couple of choices to look at.


My vote is for 8 night Horizon. We did that itinerary on Vista and it was by far my favorite cruise, I absolutely loved it. I’d also love to do Horizon, even though it’s virtually the same as Vista, it has better decor and it has the teppanyaki place on it. I also love 8 night vs 7 night cruises, it’s hard to believe 1 day makes that much of a difference but it really does.


----------



## Mika02

Club Disney Chandler said:


> My vote is for 8 night Horizon. We did that itinerary on Vista and it was by far my favorite cruise, I absolutely loved it. I’d also love to do Horizon, even though it’s virtually the same as Vista, it has better decor and it has the teppanyaki place on it. I also love 8 night vs 7 night cruises, it’s hard to believe 1 day makes that much of a difference but it really does.



This is very true I love the idea of the extra day. Also it's out of Miami and my mom is in Florida so I figured we could leave the night before and stop and visit before heading to the ship the next day and they could see us off.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Mika02 said:


> This is very true I love the idea of the extra day. Also it's out of Miami and my mom is in Florida so I figured we could leave the night before and stop and visit before heading to the ship the next day and they could see us off.


Forgot about the Miami factor, I love cruising out of there. So pretty


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Ok, so I would do the least expensive one (including travel costs) because they all sound great.  I prefer 8 night cruises, so if I take cost out of the equation— I would go Horizon.  But if you are in the NY area and the anthem is all in the least expensive, I am generally swayed by cost.  On the other hand, you are right that the ports on Anthem are so-so.  We took the same Breeze cruise last March and it was awesome.  The Breeze has a great passenger to space ratio and feels very open and relaxing.  Dh loved that ship.   St. Thomas is our favorite port of all time.   We did that horizon cruise a couple of years ago but it was on the vista and it was also awesome.  Assuming the Horizon is almost like the Vista, it has a more bustling feel, more “exciting.”  We are tempted by Royal every time we book a cruise but carnival is usually less expensive so we tend to go that way.  Also our younger kids (9 and 11) love Carnival’s kids club.  Carnival is becoming more popular though and the price difference is not always there anymore.
We saw this video of Jim Zim reviewing Anthem and it definitely looks like an impressive ship.  Not sure if this link works.






Good luck, all great choices.


----------



## hdrolfe

I would do Horizon or Harmony, whichever is less expensive. Horizon for the extra day. I have Horizon booked for Dec 2020 for a 6-night, in Family Harbor which I am really looking forward to. But Harmony (and Perfect Day Coco Cay) look pretty awesome and I hope to do that one day. 

My first cruise ever (many many years ago lol) was with my parents and I was 16. I did not do the teen club or anything, I enjoyed relaxing on deck and watching the ocean. I am an introvert so reading or whatever on deck was (and is) my idea of a great vacation. My son, he likes to be with people and doing things. So for him, we cruise on ships with water slides, ropes courses, or rock climbing and all of that. All to say, you know your daughter but if you are ok with her hanging out with you or relaxing somewhere on the ship, then it probably matters less to her which ship you are on.


----------



## Mika02

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Ok, so I would do the least expensive one (including travel costs) because they all sound great.  I prefer 8 night cruises, so if I take cost out of the equation— I would go Horizon.  But if you are in the NY area and the anthem is all in the least expensive, I am generally swayed by cost.  On the other hand, you are right that the ports on Anthem are so-so.  We took the same Breeze cruise last March and it was awesome.  The Breeze has a great passenger to space ratio and feels very open and relaxing.  Dh loved that ship.   St. Thomas is our favorite port of all time.   We did that horizon cruise a couple of years ago but it was on the vista and it was also awesome.  Assuming the Horizon is almost like the Vista, it has a more bustling feel, more “exciting.”  We are tempted by Royal every time we book a cruise but carnival is usually less expensive so we tend to go that way.  Also our younger kids (9 and 11) love Carnival’s kids club.  Carnival is becoming more popular though and the price difference is not always there anymore.
> We saw this video of Jim Zim reviewing Anthem and it definitely looks like an impressive ship.  Not sure if this link works.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Good luck, all great choices.



Thank I will price them out and see which actually come out ahead. I have been to St. Thomas twice while cruising and I have always loved it. Anthem does look great. Recently did a Ship tour of Adventure of the sea and it was also pretty great.



hdrolfe said:


> I would do Horizon or Harmony, whichever is less expensive. Horizon for the extra day. I have Horizon booked for Dec 2020 for a 6-night, in Family Harbor which I am really looking forward to. But Harmony (and Perfect Day Coco Cay) look pretty awesome and I hope to do that one day.
> 
> My first cruise ever (many many years ago lol) was with my parents and I was 16. I did not do the teen club or anything, I enjoyed relaxing on deck and watching the ocean. I am an introvert so reading or whatever on deck was (and is) my idea of a great vacation. My son, he likes to be with people and doing things. So for him, we cruise on ships with water slides, ropes courses, or rock climbing and all of that. All to say, you know your daughter but if you are ok with her hanging out with you or relaxing somewhere on the ship, then it probably matters less to her which ship you are on.



Yeah I decided not to bring my boyfriend for this trip and just make it just us that way if she needs someone to hang out with I'm around and if not I'll go do something adult alone. Thanks so much for your advice


----------



## mevelandry

Mika02 said:


> So been a crazy few months (my Job eliminated my position and I had surgery last month) so definitely canceling my DCL fall cruise. Looking to book a cruise for my kids and I for the April 2020 Spring break now and there is so many choices.
> 
> One of my son's wants to do a resort, The other wants to do a cruise on a newer ship and my daughter has no preference. They will be 18, turning 13 during the vacation and 9. I'm worried about my daughter not sure what she would do since she will be 18 on our vacation and will have aged out of all the clubs be it land or sea. My boys love water park and pools. My oldest boy loves video games  and my youngest boy loves sports. My daughter likes more indoor activities and lounging around relaxing her favorite place is WDW which I'm taking her for her 18th birthday alone but she does like water slides and hot tubs.
> 
> Trying to Narrow down the following cruise choices for them give them the options:
> 
> Carnival:
> Horizon 8 day (3days at sea, Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao, Arua)
> Vista 7 day (3days at sea, Mobay, Grand Cayman, Cozumel)
> Breeze 7 day  (2days at sea, Grand Turk, Amber Cove, St. Thomas, San Juan)
> 
> Royal:
> Harmony of the Seas 7 day (3days at sea, St. Maarten, San Juan, perfect day cococay)
> Freedom of the Seas 7 day (2days at sea, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, St. Thomas)
> Liberty of the seas 7 Day (3days at sea, Falmouth Grand Cayman, Cozumel)
> Anthem of the Seas 7 days (3 days at sea, Orlando, perfect day cococay, Nassau)
> 
> So my thoughts:
> 
> Carnival:
> 
> I love the offerings on all the new Ships on Carnival and so did my sons when I showed them the videos. Bonus I think I can get a Family Harbor Interior on the Horizon which I couldn't get in the fall when I was looking and I would love Curacao and Aruba.
> 
> Royal:
> 
> Love the ports on Harmony and its the one ship that seems to have everything. Freedom as well love the ports and it has water slides.  Liberty leaves from San Juan which might be nice to come in early and explore but no water slides. Anthem is only on the list because it leaves out NJ where I live so no flights which is a bonus I've heard great things about the ship mostly from adults though it has no water slides and I really don't care for the itinerary except maybe the perfect day.
> 
> All the prices are relatively about the same as well but I probably can get the Carnival cruises cheaper as we have past guest benefits.
> 
> So sorry for the long post but it you had to narrow these down to 2 or 3 which would they be based on all this. I want to give them a couple of choices to look at.



I'd probably go for Horizon or Harmony... However, there are problems in San Juan right now... Don't know if it will be fixed in 2020 and Royal could always change ports.


----------



## Mika02

mevelandry said:


> I'd probably go for Horizon or Harmony... *However, there are problems in San Juan right now*... Don't know if it will be fixed in 2020 and Royal could always change ports.



I saw a FB post last night that had me concerned about just this.


----------



## hdrolfe

San Juan is one place we don't get off the ship any more. We like beaches so it's not the best for that. On a cruise with only 3 ports where San Juan is one of them, I'd probably pick a different cruise. But if you like site seeing it would be nice, and lots of people do like it. We walked up to the fort when we went (4 years ago) but that was "one and done" for us.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> San Juan is one place we don't get off the ship any more. We like beaches so it's not the best for that. On a cruise with only 3 ports where San Juan is one of them, I'd probably pick a different cruise. But if you like site seeing it would be nice, and lots of people do like it. We walked up to the fort when we went (4 years ago) but that was "one and done" for us.



I want to see Old San Juan and the fort so bad... But the timing is not right.


----------



## Mika02

hdrolfe said:


> San Juan is one place we don't get off the ship any more. We like beaches so it's not the best for that. On a cruise with only 3 ports where San Juan is one of them, I'd probably pick a different cruise. But if you like site seeing it would be nice, and lots of people do like it. We walked up to the fort when we went (4 years ago) but that was "one and done" for us.



We actually have done the fort more then 10 years ago when my oldest 2 were little. I'm sure they wont' remember it.  I don't know how the beaches are now but I've been twice to San Juan (the other was my honeymoon) and we had a nice time on the beach both times although it can be windy.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I'd probably go for Horizon or Harmony... However, there are problems in San Juan right now... Don't know if it will be fixed in 2020 and Royal could always change ports.


Wow I didn’t know about this.  So much unrest everywhere


----------



## Mika02

Thanks Everyone for the input. 

Priced everything out with Transportation and narrowed down to Horizon and Vista on Carnival and Anthem and Liberty on Royal to show my kids. They are pretty much all the in the same cost range within my Budget. Harmony is in DCL territory price wise which makes sense, same with Freedom without all the amenities though. I myself am leaning toward one of the Carnival Ships. 

Vista and Liberty have the exact same Itinerary out of the exact same port so I figured I would let them have the comparison. Vista has the most Family Harbor Categories available while Horizon only have Interior. Horizon of course has the extra day and we can visit Grandma (and not pay for hotel or transportation cost just flights ). Either way I think they would have a good time on one of these ships.

Oh speaking of Horizon they have a room that is right up against the Family Lounge and I'm trying to figure out if I would choose that room. I wonder how loud it would be at night we are late owls and pretty heavy sleepers so not sure the noise will necessarily bother us. I'm thinking being as we are interior I figured my kids will probably end up being in there late hours and could just come round the corner to the room.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Mika02 said:


> Thanks Everyone for the input.
> 
> Priced everything out with Transportation and narrowed down to Horizon and Vista on Carnival and Anthem and Liberty on Royal to show my kids. They are pretty much all the in the same cost range within my Budget. Harmony is in DCL territory price wise which makes sense, same with Freedom without all the amenities though. I myself am leaning toward one of the Carnival Ships.
> 
> Vista and Liberty have the exact same Itinerary out of the exact same port so I figured I would let them have the comparison. Vista has the most Family Harbor Categories available while Horizon only have Interior. Horizon of course has the extra day and we can visit Grandma (and not pay for hotel or transportation cost just flights ). Either way I think they would have a good time on one of these ships.
> 
> Oh speaking of Horizon they have a room that is right up against the Family Lounge and I'm trying to figure out if I would choose that room. I wonder how loud it would be at night we are late owls and pretty heavy sleepers so not sure the noise will necessarily bother us. I'm thinking being as we are interior I figured my kids will probably end up being in there late hours and could just come round the corner to the room.


Just be careful that you are not directly under the galley on Horizon or Vista.  We were under the galley on the CCL Dream and it was awful.  We are not light sleepers.  You can google some rooms for galley input!


----------



## lklgoodman

Hey guys, I just saw something really cool on Scott's website, hopefully everyone knows the site I'm talking about since they now block us from posting a link to his blog.  On his tweets feed he has a video of the Carnival Vista being put on a floating dry dock thing.  I thought it was pretty cool, didn't know that's how they get the ships to dry dock.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

lklgoodman said:


> Hey guys, I just saw something really cool on Scott's website, hopefully everyone knows the site I'm talking about since they now block us from posting a link to his blog.  On his tweets feed he has a video of the Carnival Vista being put on a floating dry dock thing.  I thought it was pretty cool, didn't know that's how they get the ships to dry dock.


Thanks for the heads up.  I love his blog but check it only occasionally.  His trip reports are great.


----------



## hdrolfe

lklgoodman said:


> Hey guys, I just saw something really cool on Scott's website, hopefully everyone knows the site I'm talking about since they now block us from posting a link to his blog.  On his tweets feed he has a video of the Carnival Vista being put on a floating dry dock thing.  I thought it was pretty cool, didn't know that's how they get the ships to dry dock.



That was the a first from what I understand, it was a new method of dry docking and I understand it went well, so maybe they will use it to fix other ships in faster times? Because it was so fast Vista was back in service early and they did a 4 night cruise (for really cheap when it first got posted). Kind of cool to see the video though! 

And now I'm looking at a cruise on Vista, flights to Houston seem to be pretty reasonable (cheaper than Miami or FLL from here) and even hotels are really good prices.


----------



## Mika02

So Kids got home yesterday and the Majority have agreed to go on the Vista for spring break. My oldest son didn't want to do 8 days on the Horizon and I acquiesced since it's his birthday week. My daughter is being moody about it so going with the majority on this.

Excited either way!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Mika02 said:


> So Kids got home yesterday and the Majority have agreed to go on the Vista for spring break. My oldest son didn't want to do 8 days on the Horizon and I acquiesced since it's his birthday week. My daughter is being moody about it so going with the majority on this.
> 
> Excited either way!


You’re going to love Vista. We have the Fun Times for the Cozumel, Roatan and Belize itinerary, let me know if you want me to email them to you.


----------



## Mika02

Club Disney Chandler said:


> You’re going to love Vista. We have the Fun Times for the Cozumel, Roatan and Belize itinerary, let me know if you want me to email them to you.



That would be awesome I'll PM you my email.


----------



## mevelandry

Mika02 said:


> So Kids got home yesterday and the Majority have agreed to go on the Vista for spring break. My oldest son didn't want to do 8 days on the Horizon and I acquiesced since it's his birthday week. My daughter is being moody about it so going with the majority on this.
> 
> Excited either way!



Excellent choice. Be sure to keep a little money and book the Thrill Theater once you're on board! It's so much fun!


----------



## Mika02

mevelandry said:


> Excellent choice. Be sure to keep a little money and book the Thrill Theater once you're on board! It's so much fun!



Told my kids with the money we are saving vs the Liberty of the sea they can get a little extras. Except soda just going to bring that on the ship.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Today is the first day of school so the next 9 weeks will be busy with marching band, football and all the other back to school stuff.  In 62 days I will be headed to New Orleans for our little getaway on the Valor. I can't wait to hit Paradise Beach!

A bit of a heads up for anyone who might be interested in Europe cruising.  JH has posted some "poll" questions about the British Isles for 2021.  I did some sleuthing and found the Legend on the Palma de Mallorca schedule for 1 stop only May 24 2021 (from Barcelona to Almeria Spain).  Might this be the next "Sunshined" ship?  One repo cruise from Barcelona to Dover and then a season of BI cruises?


----------



## hdrolfe

Interesting. Legend is Spirit class, and not the oldest one, so I can't see them "sunshining" it, but I could be wrong  who knows! Will be watching to see though. 

Already back to school? our calendars are very different, we don't go back until after Labour Day, which is nice for visiting Disney since so many people go back before that. It is back firing on me this year with Star Wars opening, but we'll make the best of it. That cruise is coming up quick for you, are you spending some time in New Orleans as well? 

I'm anxious for the rest of 2021 to be posted for Carnival and RCL. Though I still haven't entirely sorted out 2020. We have Carnival Horizon for sure in Dec 2020. We have Carnival Magic (8 night southern) currently booked for March but I am hoping to move next year and could use some extra money, so am looking at maybe the Vista or RCL Liberty in Jan/Feb. Vista more than Liberty because kiddo doesn't weigh enough to do one of the slides on Liberty and it would cause a problem. Not sure he can put on 30 lbs in 5 months. I wish I had his metabolism  Any way! It would save me about $2000 between not flying at a peak time and the cruise itself. Then maybe 2021 I can do the southern. I so want to swim with turtles.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

hdrolfe said:


> Interesting. Legend is Spirit class, and not the oldest one, so I can't see them "sunshining" it, but I could be wrong  who knows! Will be watching to see though.
> 
> Already back to school? our calendars are very different, we don't go back until after Labour Day, which is nice for visiting Disney since so many people go back before that. It is back firing on me this year with Star Wars opening, but we'll make the best of it. That cruise is coming up quick for you, are you spending some time in New Orleans as well?
> 
> I'm anxious for the rest of 2021 to be posted for Carnival and RCL. Though I still haven't entirely sorted out 2020. We have Carnival Horizon for sure in Dec 2020. We have Carnival Magic (8 night southern) currently booked for March but I am hoping to move next year and could use some extra money, so am looking at maybe the Vista or RCL Liberty in Jan/Feb. Vista more than Liberty because kiddo doesn't weigh enough to do one of the slides on Liberty and it would cause a problem. Not sure he can put on 30 lbs in 5 months. I wish I had his metabolism  Any way! It would save me about $2000 between not flying at a peak time and the cruise itself. Then maybe 2021 I can do the southern. I so want to swim with turtles.


We have done the 5 day from New Orleans twice before and have no desire to see any more of NO than we have to!  It was not our cup of tea.

We do go back to school early but we are also out the 3rd week of May. 

British Isles is the cruise my niece wants for her graduation trip and if Carnival sails it we will do it.  I am not enamored with the Legend though as I don't like the older, smaller ships with less "bells & whistles".  There isn't even an outdoor movie screen (our favorite nighttime activity).  We will see what they end up doing.


----------



## Dug720

trvlgirlmq said:


> We have done the 5 day from New Orleans twice before and have no desire to see any more of NO than we have to! It was not our cup of tea.



OMG - I have felt like I was the only person alive who does not get the fascination with NO!!! So glad to meet someone else who doesn’t think it is all that!


----------



## duffybear32830

Just did a 5 night Western Caribbean on the Carnival Dream.  We enjoyed it so much I'm kind of afraid I won't like next year's 7 nighter on the Disney Fantasy as much.   ... at least for the price difference anyways. My daughter adored the cruise director.  She, however, REFUSED to go to the kids club on board.  We tried to take her but it was chaos to check her in, I guess it was during an activity switch-over and there was a long wait.  We've been watching videos of the new Mardi Gras, that is really going to be something else.


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> British Isles is the cruise my niece wants for her graduation trip and if Carnival sails it we will do it.  I am not enamored with the Legend though as I don't like the older, smaller ships with less "bells & whistles".  There isn't even an outdoor movie screen (our favorite nighttime activity).  We will see what they end up doing.



I would LOVE them to do the British Isles. We leave in a month for our DCL British Isles trip, but it would be amazing for Carnival to pick up a similar itinerary. Agreed about the ship though. I understand it would need to be a smaller one and the itinerary would definitely be more port intensive than a normal one, but I would miss a few of the upgrades, like the outdoor movie screen.

Wasn't there a cruise on the Legend next year that was way out of the ordinary for Carnival? I believe it was a 16 day Journey that went to Iceland, Ireland, and a few more ports? That's what we need more of!


----------



## belle032

duffybear32830 said:


> Just did a 5 night Western Caribbean on the Carnival Dream.  We enjoyed it so much I'm kind of afraid I won't like next year's 7 nighter on the Disney Fantasy as much.   ... at least for the price difference anyways. My daughter adored the cruise director.  She, however, REFUSED to go to the kids club on board.  We tried to take her but it was chaos to check her in, I guess it was during an activity switch-over and there was a long wait.  We've been watching videos of the new Mardi Gras, that is really going to be something else.



Glad to hear you had such a good time! Was it your first Carnival cruise? That class of ships seems to be the running favorite. Agreed about the Mardi Gras. It looks stunning!


----------



## duffybear32830

belle032 said:


> Glad to hear you had such a good time! Was it your first Carnival cruise? That class of ships seems to be the running favorite. Agreed about the Mardi Gras. It looks stunning!



No, I did a 3 night on the Carnival Ecstasy 12 years ago (pre kid days) and did not like it much.  More of a weekend booze cruise.  I did a lot more research this time vs. none the time before.  The ship and itinerary really fit our needs for this trip.  We just did a beach excursion at Cozumel and took one of the city tours in Merida since Progreso didn't seem to offer much.  I was happy for my daughter to experience a foreign city for the first time .... even if she did look bored some of the time hopefully the memory will stay with her.  It was my daughters first cruise though and she loved it.  Many smiles (except the Camp Ocean refusal).


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> I would LOVE them to do the British Isles. We leave in a month for our DCL British Isles trip, but it would be amazing for Carnival to pick up a similar itinerary. Agreed about the ship though. I understand it would need to be a smaller one and the itinerary would definitely be more port intensive than a normal one, but I would miss a few of the upgrades, like the outdoor movie screen.
> 
> Wasn't there a cruise on the Legend next year that was way out of the ordinary for Carnival? I believe it was a 16 day Journey that went to Iceland, Ireland, and a few more ports? That's what we need more of!


Yes, the Legend is doing a TA that hits Greenland, Iceland, etc. I would love to do that itinerary, my mom not so much.  It was so popular it sold out in a week!

We have been kicking around a BI cruise for a while but the prices on other lines is out of reach. Princess has the best itinerary but we just can't justify the cost.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

duffybear32830 said:


> No, I did a 3 night on the Carnival Ecstasy 12 years ago (pre kid days) and did not like it much.  More of a weekend booze cruise.  I did a lot more research this time vs. none the time before.  The ship and itinerary really fit our needs for this trip.  We just did a beach excursion at Cozumel and took one of the city tours in Merida since Progreso didn't seem to offer much.  I was happy for my daughter to experience a foreign city for the first time .... even if she did look bored some of the time hopefully the memory will stay with her.  It was my daughters first cruise though and she loved it.  Many smiles (except the Camp Ocean refusal).


The Dream was our very first cruise!  It got us hooked and I am going on my 9th in a couple months.  My kids don't like the clubs either.  They prefer to be outside doing the pools and slides.  They also don't care about meeting other kids!


----------



## hdrolfe

My son isn't huge on the kids clubs but he will go on Carnival if, say, I want to get a manicure. He refuses to go to the clubs on RCL. He would much rather be on the water slides, ropes course, eating  I do like that they have specific activities at specific times, so he aims for "free time" and gets to play video games... yeah I know lol. He also enjoyed being part of the show for the last lip sync battle, they had the kids do up big posters and then they were all up on stage dancing and cheering. I am looking forward to going on Horizon and staying in the Family Harbor, I think we'll enjoy the lounge. We often play board games in the library but I don't see one on that ship. We liked the one on Carnival Magic since it was just down from the dining room.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> My son isn't huge on the kids clubs but he will go on Carnival if, say, I want to get a manicure. He refuses to go to the clubs on RCL. He would much rather be on the water slides, ropes course, eating  I do like that they have specific activities at specific times, so he aims for "free time" and gets to play video games... yeah I know lol. He also enjoyed being part of the show for the last lip sync battle, they had the kids do up big posters and then they were all up on stage dancing and cheering. I am looking forward to going on Horizon and staying in the Family Harbor, I think we'll enjoy the lounge. We often play board games in the library but I don't see one on that ship. We liked the one on Carnival Magic since it was just down from the dining room.


Horizon does have a Library on the Promenade deck. It’s labeled as Library Bar, but there is generally not a bartender in there during the day and the only beverage available is wine from a vending type machine. They have plenty of books and games and is usually pretty quiet and peaceful.


----------



## hdrolfe

Thank you! I thought that was a bar!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Thank you! I thought that was a bar!



My husband and I went there on Carnival Vista. They don't seem to use that room very much. I have never seen a bartender and there are A LOT of fun games there.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

More Europe scheduling: Carnival Legend @ Gibraltar May 28, 2021.


----------



## StarGirl11

Starintg to try and do research. Won a cruise with a separate stay at a hotel and I’ve never been on a cruise before (closest I’ve come is ferries, and that’s not anywhere near the same). Its going to be a 4 day cruise in the Bahamas via Carnival (I had the option to also do Mexico, but after finding out the Mexico cruise stopped in Catalina Island I lost interest in it, if I want to do Catalina I’ll do it on my own time). No idea what ship we’re going to be on. Planning for a mid summer date since I will be cruising with a friend who thanks to her work schedule can’t come until mid June.

I can’t do anything but look at this point really. The cruise documentation won’t come through until I do the land portion in December. But any advice? The afore mentioned friend is an experienced cruiser (and that’s partly why I invited her, she loves going on cruises, most of my other friends do not) so she’ll be a hand but I kind of want to see what I can learn on my own without bugging her every second.

I know there’s stuff based on a bit of reading I’ve done that would be open for me to book if I could and probably would. But see above comment about having to wait for paperwork after land trip to really start doing anything with the sea trip.

Sorry in advance if this is the wrong place to be asking about this. Just a bit overwhelmed and again first time cruiser.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

StarGirl11 said:


> Starintg to try and do research. Won a cruise with a separate stay at a hotel and I’ve never been on a cruise before (closest I’ve come is ferries, and that’s not anywhere near the same). Its going to be a 4 day cruise in the Bahamas via Carnival (I had the option to also do Mexico, but after finding out the Mexico cruise stopped in Catalina Island I lost interest in it, if I want to do Catalina I’ll do it on my own time). No idea what ship we’re going to be on. Planning for a mid summer date since I will be cruising with a friend who thanks to her work schedule can’t come until mid June.
> 
> I can’t do anything but look at this point really. The cruise documentation won’t come through until I do the land portion in December. But any advice? The afore mentioned friend is an experienced cruiser (and that’s partly why I invited her, she loves going on cruises, most of my other friends do not) so she’ll be a hand but I kind of want to see what I can learn on my own without bugging her every second.
> 
> I know there’s stuff based on a bit of reading I’ve done that would be open for me to book if I could and probably would. But see above comment about having to wait for paperwork after land trip to really start doing anything with the sea trip.
> 
> Sorry in advance if this is the wrong place to be asking about this. Just a bit overwhelmed and again first time cruiser.


Welcome to the Carnival and cruising family!  There are several ships doing 4 day cruises from Florida next June: Liberty, Elation, Ecstasy. You can start by looking at each of the ships on the Carnival website.  Mevelandry has a review of Ecstasy as well.  For the most part they will be older, smaller ships but full of FUN.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Welcome to the Carnival and cruising family!  There are several ships doing 4 day cruises from Florida next June: Liberty, Elation, Ecstasy. You can start by looking at each of the ships on the Carnival website.  Mevelandry has a review of Ecstasy as well.  For the most part they will be older, smaller ships but full of FUN.



Carnival Liberty, not Ecstasy. 

Considering the Elation and Ecstasy are older ships with only one pool, I'd probably go with Liberty but that's just me.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Carnival Liberty, not Ecstasy.
> 
> Considering the Elation and Ecstasy are older ships with only one pool, I'd probably go with Liberty but that's just me.


Eeek!  It's Monday and it was early


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Eeek!  It's Monday and it was early



No worries!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Legend spotted Europe calls for 2021:

Palma de Mallorca May 24
Gibraltar May 28
Le Havre June 2 & August 28

Unfortunately, none of the UK/Ireland ports ever post calendars of coming years so that part is difficult to ascertain.  I hope they announce itineraries soon.  My CC needs a workout!


----------



## belle032

Fingers crossed that Southwest actually releases their flights through March today! It’s kind of a deciding factor on which February cruise we’re going to book!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Fingers crossed that Southwest actually releases their flights through March today! It’s kind of a deciding factor on which February cruise we’re going to book!



I wish we had lower cost airlines like Southwest in Canada... Our rates are so high!


----------



## lklgoodman

Thank you so much for posting this!!  Normally I would have already bought our tickets for our Jan, cruise but since the Max 8 issue, I hadn't been able to buy them.  I had pretty much given up on them releasing the dates.  I just bought our tickets, so happy!!  I was expecting there to be less choices, but am so happy to see we actually had a much better selection for coming home.  In the past the only direct flight coming home that we could get would be leaving MCO around 3 or 4pm.  They had a 1:30 direct flight this time, Yea!!  2 less hours hanging out at the airport!!  Again, thanks so much for posting, hope you are able to find a good deal for Feb!


----------



## belle032

OK has anyone been on the Fascination? Somewhat recently? I really like the Southern Caribbean itinerary and the prices are great for the ports. The ship looks like it has some upgrades, but the ship itself does play a part in our cruising decisions and it being the oldest & smallest ship worries me. Does anyone have experience?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> OK has anyone been on the Fascination? Somewhat recently? I really like the Southern Caribbean itinerary and the prices are great for the ports. The ship looks like it has some upgrades, but the ship itself does play a part in our cruising decisions and it being the oldest & smallest ship worries me. Does anyone have experience?


I've been on Fascination for a 5 day as well as Elation (a sister ship).  I did not care for the small, older vibe.  The smoke from the casinos permeated that entire floor.  I usually don't have an issue with that but on these ships I did.  These ships are not for me even on a port-intensive itinerary.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> OK has anyone been on the Fascination? Somewhat recently? I really like the Southern Caribbean itinerary and the prices are great for the ports. The ship looks like it has some upgrades, but the ship itself does play a part in our cruising decisions and it being the oldest & smallest ship worries me. Does anyone have experience?


I have seen a trip report on that ship and cruise by Mitsugirly.  If you google her and fascination it should come up.  I also would do that cruise for the ports (amazing) if the price was right.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Well, in a fit of boredom at work my mom and I decided to just go ahead and book our adult only Fall cruise for 2020!  Eeek.  We will be back on my favorite Breeze for a 6 night to Grand Turk, HMC & Amber Cove.  I've only been to GT so I am excited about HMC and meh on Amber Cove.  We also decided to try a cove balcony as we usually do regular ones.  This may change if there are price drops and we decide to upgrade.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> Well, in a fit of boredom at work my mom and I decided to just go ahead and book our adult only Fall cruise for 2020!  Eeek.  We will be back on my favorite Breeze for a 6 night to Grand Turk, HMC & Amber Cove.  I've only been to GT so I am excited about HMC and meh on Amber Cove.  We also decided to try a cove balcony as we usually do regular ones.  This may change if there are price drops and we decide to upgrade.


Awesome!


----------



## mcd2745

So, we are leaving tomorrow morning for our Horizon cruise (first ever on Carnival) on Saturday. I think it's normal, but we've been feeling a little nervous about it  - being something new after 6 DCL, 3 RCCL, and 2 NCL cruises. What hasn't helped is some of the posts we've seen from people in our cruise group on "the social media site that shall not be named here on the DIS" making us wonder what the heck we've gotten into with the "Carnival crowd". As an example, people were wondering why the Carnival Hub app doesn't basically have an equivalent of Tinder built into it for people on the ship to hook up. Perhaps, I'm just old.


----------



## mevelandry

In the recent days, we've seen reappearing the news of the failed inspection of the Carnival Fantasy...

I noticed that the rest of the recent inspections (2018-2019) are pretty good and they are usually scoring notes in the 90+. 

The previous Fantasy inspection had a great score. 

I wonder what happened?


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> So, we are leaving tomorrow morning for our Horizon cruise (first ever on Carnival) on Saturday. I think it's normal, but we've been feeling a little nervous about it  - being something new after 6 DCL, 3 RCCL, and 2 NCL cruises. What hasn't helped is some of the posts we've seen from people in our cruise group on "the social media site that shall not be named here on the DIS" making us wonder what the heck we've gotten into with the "Carnival crowd". As an example, people were wondering why the Carnival Hub app doesn't basically have an equivalent of Tinder built into it for people on the ship to hook up. Perhaps, I'm just old.



Can you be more specific about what you have read? Other than this weird suggestion for hook ups? (WTH?!?!?) LOL

I could rant for hours about the overrated "Carnival crowd" reputation.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mcd2745 said:


> So, we are leaving tomorrow morning for our Horizon cruise (first ever on Carnival) on Saturday. I think it's normal, but we've been feeling a little nervous about it  - being something new after 6 DCL, 3 RCCL, and 2 NCL cruises. What hasn't helped is some of the posts we've seen from people in our cruise group on "the social media site that shall not be named here on the DIS" making us wonder what the heck we've gotten into with the "Carnival crowd". As an example, people were wondering why the Carnival Hub app doesn't basically have an equivalent of Tinder built into it for people on the ship to hook up. Perhaps, I'm just old.


Don't worry too much.  The party crowd (if there is any) won't even get out of bed until Noon   Then they will bake in the sun before going to dinner and then the club or bars to dance the night away.  You will probably never see them!

On a more serious note, have a great time. Eat lots of tacos from Blue Iguana and pizza (so good).  Try the cakes at the lunch buffet.  Sit on deck and watch the ocean.  It might not be as classy as the other cruise lines but it is a relaxing vacation with your family.


----------



## belle032

mcd2745 said:


> So, we are leaving tomorrow morning for our Horizon cruise (first ever on Carnival) on Saturday. I think it's normal, but we've been feeling a little nervous about it  - being something new after 6 DCL, 3 RCCL, and 2 NCL cruises. What hasn't helped is some of the posts we've seen from people in our cruise group on "the social media site that shall not be named here on the DIS" making us wonder what the heck we've gotten into with the "Carnival crowd". As an example, people were wondering why the Carnival Hub app doesn't basically have an equivalent of Tinder built into it for people on the ship to hook up. Perhaps, I'm just old.



Ok before I was married and I worked at WDW, I often wished for a Disney themed dating app! It would have been awesome to find someone who shares that Disney love!  But in all seriousness, go and have a great vacation! I've heard wonderful things about the Horizon and it looks like she is a beautiful ship. Don't walk on board and immediately start looking for drunken craziness because chances are you are just going to worry yourself to death (and not find it!). Check out the Fun Times newsletter or the app and see what you want to do that day and avoid any activities you don't. Side note: avoid the adult comedy shows and the Quest game if you don't want to be a part of anything that could be considered risque or inappropriate. But unfortunately, I think people get it in their minds that as soon as you walk onto a Carnival ship it's like Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras....and it's really just not that at all.

So just have an amazing vacation and enjoy yourselves! And please feel free to come back and tell us all about it - both good and bad.   




mevelandry said:


> In the recent days, we've seen reappearing the news of the failed inspection of the Carnival Fantasy...
> 
> I noticed that the rest of the recent inspections (2018-2019) are pretty good and they are usually scoring notes in the 90+.
> 
> The previous Fantasy inspection had a great score.
> 
> I wonder what happened?



I honestly think it might be time to retire the Fantasy. It's either the oldest or maybe second oldest (is the Fascination older?) and I think she deserves to rest. With multiple new ships coming out, I would be all for slowly letting some old ones go.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I honestly think it might be time to retire the Fantasy. It's either the oldest or maybe second oldest (is the Fascination older?) and I think she deserves to rest. *With multiple new ships coming out, I would be all for slowly letting some old ones go.*



I've been thinking the same thing. Also, Fantasy and Fascination are repeat offenders when it comes to failing CDC inspections. Bye Bye!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> I honestly think it might be time to retire the Fantasy. It's either the oldest or maybe second oldest (is the Fascination older?) and I think she deserves to rest. With multiple new ships coming out, I would be all for slowly letting some old ones go.


Yes, as of now the Fantasy is the oldest ship.  The clientele is usually on the older side as well.


----------



## StarSeven7

belle032 said:


> OK has anyone been on the Fascination? Somewhat recently? I really like the Southern Caribbean itinerary and the prices are great for the ports. The ship looks like it has some upgrades, but the ship itself does play a part in our cruising decisions and it being the oldest & smallest ship worries me. Does anyone have experience?


My parents are booked on the Fascination in January, so I can’t give you any feedback yet! We also read over Mitsugirly’s review. They only paid around $1200 for the 2 of them for an inside room on a 7 night Southern Caribbean and they’re pretty laid back and not fussy so they figured it would be fine for them. It’s also their first cruise so they have nothing to compare it to. We’ll see how they feel afterwards!


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> Can you be more specific about what you have read? Other than this weird suggestion for hook ups? (WTH?!?!?) LOL
> 
> I could rant for hours about the overrated "Carnival crowd" reputation.





trvlgirlmq said:


> Don't worry too much.  The party crowd (if there is any) won't even get out of bed until Noon   Then they will bake in the sun before going to dinner and then the club or bars to dance the night away.  You will probably never see them!
> 
> On a more serious note, have a great time. Eat lots of tacos from Blue Iguana and pizza (so good).  Try the cakes at the lunch buffet.  Sit on deck and watch the ocean.  It might not be as classy as the other cruise lines but it is a relaxing vacation with your family.





belle032 said:


> Ok before I was married and I worked at WDW, I often wished for a Disney themed dating app! It would have been awesome to find someone who shares that Disney love!  But in all seriousness, go and have a great vacation! I've heard wonderful things about the Horizon and it looks like she is a beautiful ship. Don't walk on board and immediately start looking for drunken craziness because chances are you are just going to worry yourself to death (and not find it!). Check out the Fun Times newsletter or the app and see what you want to do that day and avoid any activities you don't. Side note: avoid the adult comedy shows and the Quest game if you don't want to be a part of anything that could be considered risque or inappropriate. But unfortunately, I think people get it in their minds that as soon as you walk onto a Carnival ship it's like Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras....and it's really just not that at all.
> 
> So just have an amazing vacation and enjoy yourselves! And please feel free to come back and tell us all about it - both good and bad.




I'm sure it will be fine and we'll have a great time. As is typically the case, the activity in our cruise group really ratcheted up over the last few weeks, and the "party crowd" is still really in the minority. We had similar apprehensions when we did Alaska (on DCL) a couple of years ago. In the weeks leading up to it, we started Wonder-ing (see what I did there?...i know, lame "dad joke") if we made a big mistake not sticking to the Caribbean. Ended up being our absolute favorite cruise out of all the ones we have done. So it's just our normal feelings before a "first". We definitely are not offended or turned off by anything we'd see/hear at the adult comedy shows or the late night "Newlyweds"-type game shows they do, we enjoy them. Perhaps just a little more sensitive to the talk of things like "hooking up" now that we have a 14-yr old daughter.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> Well, in a fit of boredom at work my mom and I decided to just go ahead and book our adult only Fall cruise for 2020!  Eeek.  We will be back on my favorite Breeze for a 6 night to Grand Turk, HMC & Amber Cove.  I've only been to GT so I am excited about HMC and meh on Amber Cove.  We also decided to try a cove balcony as we usually do regular ones.  This may change if there are price drops and we decide to upgrade.


I want to try a cove balcony so bad, I just can’t talk my wife into it though. I hope you keep it and can give us a report on it.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mcd2745 said:


> So, we are leaving tomorrow morning for our Horizon cruise (first ever on Carnival) on Saturday. I think it's normal, but we've been feeling a little nervous about it  - being something new after 6 DCL, 3 RCCL, and 2 NCL cruises. What hasn't helped is some of the posts we've seen from people in our cruise group on "the social media site that shall not be named here on the DIS" making us wonder what the heck we've gotten into with the "Carnival crowd". As an example, people were wondering why the Carnival Hub app doesn't basically have an equivalent of Tinder built into it for people on the ship to hook up. Perhaps, I'm just old.


I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised at the clientele on Horizon, especially for the 8 night itinerary. When we did that as a B2B followed by the 6 night on Vista in 2017, the vibe was completely different between the 2 cruises. Everyone was so calm and just wanting to relax on the 8 night portion.  The people on the 6 night were fine, but just more ready to have a good time. We earned gold status in 3 years on Carnival and have never heard of anyone wanting a Tinder type portion on the Hub app - crazy!!  I think you’ll have a great time and Curaçao is amazing, by far my favorite Caribbean island.


----------



## belle032

mcd2745 said:


> I'm sure it will be fine and we'll have a great time. As is typically the case, the activity in our cruise group really ratcheted up over the last few weeks, and the "party crowd" is still really in the minority. We had similar apprehensions when we did Alaska (on DCL) a couple of years ago. In the weeks leading up to it, we started Wonder-ing (see what I did there?...i know, lame "dad joke") if we made a big mistake not sticking to the Caribbean. Ended up being our absolute favorite cruise out of all the ones we have done. So it's just our normal feelings before a "first". We definitely are not offended or turned off by anything we'd see/hear at the adult comedy shows or the late night "Newlyweds"-type game shows they do, we enjoy them. Perhaps just a little more sensitive to the talk of things like "hooking up" now that we have a 14-yr old daughter.



I absolutely understand the jitters when trying something new! Especially when you're spending your hard earned time and money on an experience and you're not quite sure how it will turn out or compare to something else! And I hope I didn't offend you with saying "definitely avoid this or that," it's just that a lot of people who "complain" about Carnival say they showed up to a comedy show or other activity and were horrified at how adult it was and how no one warned them or whatever. I didn't mean to throw you in that category! So after all my rambling, just have a GREAT time!


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> I'm sure it will be fine and we'll have a great time. As is typically the case, the activity in our cruise group really ratcheted up over the last few weeks, and the "party crowd" is still really in the minority. We had similar apprehensions when we did Alaska (on DCL) a couple of years ago. In the weeks leading up to it, we started Wonder-ing (see what I did there?...i know, lame "dad joke") if we made a big mistake not sticking to the Caribbean. Ended up being our absolute favorite cruise out of all the ones we have done. So it's just our normal feelings before a "first". We definitely are not offended or turned off by anything we'd see/hear at the adult comedy shows or the late night "Newlyweds"-type game shows they do, we enjoy them. Perhaps just a little more sensitive to the talk of things like "hooking up" now that we have a 14-yr old daughter.



Not gonna lie, I stopped subscribing to cruise groups because I would see people on FB that would make me go "Ooffff... Party Animals" (that and all the "alcohol smugglers" & "swingers" threads on Reddit... Yikes!) and would always worry about the ambiance... Turns out, I never noticed any of them and had a great time every time!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I want to try a cove balcony so bad, I just can’t talk my wife into it though. I hope you keep it and can give us a report on it.


We'll see!  I am a bit worried about hurricane weather and I know they close the balconies off if the waves are too high.  That is the only thing that would really keep me from enjoying the room.


----------



## belle032

We have officially booked the Conquest (again!) for a 7 day Western Caribbean on January 24, 2020. Ports in Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay & Grand Cayman. Looking at dates and overall price, this one worked the best for us and we honestly really liked the Conquest last time, so no regrets!

This is our first time going with just another couple so I think it'll be a little different than normal, but we are both the types of couples that have no problem doing our own thing. You know how you have friends that you love dearly but would never want to vacation with them? Luckily these aren't those people. 

We will be buying the beverage package and might actually do a few excursions this time. I really want to do a Mayan ruins excursion in Belize and we'll need something new to do in Cozumel for sure! If anyone has suggestions for what they enjoyed in our ports, feel free to post!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> We have officially booked the Conquest (again!) for a 7 day Western Caribbean on January 24, 2020. Ports in Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay & Grand Cayman. Looking at dates and overall price, this one worked the best for us and we honestly really liked the Conquest last time, so no regrets!
> 
> This is our first time going with just another couple so I think it'll be a little different than normal, but we are both the types of couples that have no problem doing our own thing. You know how you have friends that you love dearly but would never want to vacation with them? Luckily these aren't those people.
> 
> We will be buying the beverage package and might actually do a few excursions this time. I really want to do a Mayan ruins excursion in Belize and we'll need something new to do in Cozumel for sure! If anyone has suggestions for what they enjoyed in our ports, feel free to post!



Grand Cayman:  Royal Palms Beach Club.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I found this article pretty interesting, just talks about Mardi Gras and the future of Carnival. I really feel like they are trying really hard to get rid of their party reputation, and at the same time attracting more families. https://cruiseradio.net/how-mardi-g...wt2bGccLr54pS0gb-FpoIrCLnZBsNreDkvVTwbpv50pqs


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I found this article pretty interesting, just talks about Mardi Gras and the future of Carnival. I really feel like they are trying really hard to get rid of their party reputation, and at the same time attracting more families. https://cruiseradio.net/how-mardi-g...wt2bGccLr54pS0gb-FpoIrCLnZBsNreDkvVTwbpv50pqs



I really feel like the Mardi Gras will be the beginning of a new era for Carnival. IMO, with the Vista, Horizon and Panorama, they were already going "somewhere else" but THIS is definitely a 180 degree.


----------



## mevelandry

Anyone cruising this week? Can't wait to see how Dorian will affect all cruises...


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I found this article pretty interesting, just talks about Mardi Gras and the future of Carnival. I really feel like they are trying really hard to get rid of their party reputation, and at the same time attracting more families. https://cruiseradio.net/how-mardi-g...wt2bGccLr54pS0gb-FpoIrCLnZBsNreDkvVTwbpv50pqs



Agreed! The ship just looks stunning. I love the mix of sophistication and casual-ness. Beautiful, tropical feeling pool area + 2 story Tiki bar = yes please! Umm those Excel suites? Ah-mazing. Very interested to see the pricing when she debuts!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> Agreed! The ship just looks stunning. I love the mix of sophistication and casual-ness. Beautiful, tropical feeling pool area + 2 story Tiki bar = yes please! Umm those Excel suites? Ah-mazing. Very interested to see the pricing when she debuts!


The excel suites are about the same price as standard verandahs on DCL .  We’re booked, in insides, for New Years Eve 2020, can hardly wait to see that ship and so looking forward to the New Years Party. It’s gonna be so much fun!  I don’t even know what our itinerary is


----------



## babyruth

mevelandry said:


> I really feel like the Mardi Gras will be the beginning of a new era for Carnival. IMO, with the Vista, Horizon and Panorama, they were already going "somewhere else" but THIS is definitely a 180 degree.



But are they going to stop dumping trash in the ocean, or just keep doing it and paying fines? You can’t be “family friendly” while ruining the earth for the young people in the “family”.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> The excel suites are about the same price as standard verandahs on DCL . We’re booked, in insides, for New Years Eve 2020, can hardly wait to see that ship and so looking forward to the New Years Party. It’s gonna be so much fun! I don’t even know what our itinerary is



I feel like I should be surprised, but I'm not.  I love Disney so much, but that's just crazy to me! It's getting harder and harder to justify unfortunately, and I imagine we'll be getting our future Disney fixes at WDW.   But I can't wait to hear a review of the ship,and I'm sure your trip will be amazing. I've always thought NYE was kind of overrated, but I would definitely be up for spending it that way!


----------



## mevelandry

babyruth said:


> But are they going to stop dumping trash in the ocean, or just keep doing it and paying fines? You can’t be “family friendly” while ruining the earth for the young people in the “family”.



I certainly hope that Carnival Corp and every other cruise lines will never do this again... So... Agreed.

That being said, cruises are terrible for the environment to begin with. If cruise lines really cared about the environment, they would stop all activities. If people really cared for the environment, they would stop cruising.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

We have officially cancelled our WDW vacation that was planned for 2020. Too much construction at Epcot and we don't care about SW.  We will most likely do a trip in 2022 for my nieces HS graduation.  I believe most of the updates and new rides will be ready by that time.

The kids don't want to cruise but do want to go to the beach so we are going to try our first all-inclusive.  Lots of research to do now!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> We have officially cancelled our WDW vacation that was planned for 2020. Too much construction at Epcot and we don't care about SW.  We will most likely do a trip in 2022 for my nieces HS graduation.  I believe most of the updates and new rides will be ready by that time.
> 
> The kids don't want to cruise but do want to go to the beach so we are going to try our first all-inclusive.  Lots of research to do now!



Where are you going?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Where are you going?


No clue!  We are looking at Cancun, Punta Cana and possibly some places in Jamaica.


----------



## Dug720

trvlgirlmq said:


> No clue!  We are looking at Cancun, Punta Cana and possibly some places in Jamaica.



I would urge caution with Punta Cana. That is one of the areas where there has been an abnormally high number of American tourist deaths lately.


----------



## lklgoodman

trvlgirlmq said:


> No clue!  We are looking at Cancun, Punta Cana and possibly some places in Jamaica.



Our Jan 2020 cruise stops in Jamaica.  They have a new excursion that goes to a resort that I will probably book.  If you're still in the research stage I can let you know how it is if you're interested.  I don't blame you for cancelling.  Epcot will be a lot better after it's renovation.


----------



## pspookyc

Hi all, been following this thread and thanks to all!! Just returned from 8 day cruise on the Carnival Horizon (my first with Carnival), and we enjoyed it so much we will be booking Mardi Gras for 2020. First time visits to Grand Turk, DR, Curacao and Aruba. Briefly we found the over-all service on par with the best we have seen, the food excellent, and the ship wonderful. 

I hope I can say this, I did post a full review on that other web-site, and it should be up in a few days under my pen-name toocruisin2.


----------



## mevelandry

pspookyc said:


> Hi all, been following this thread and thanks to all!! Just returned from 8 day cruise on the Carnival Horizon (my first with Carnival), and we enjoyed it so much we will be booking Mardi Gras for 2020. First time visits to Grand Turk, DR, Curacao and Aruba. Briefly we found the over-all service on par with the best we have seen, the food excellent, and the ship wonderful.
> 
> I hope I can say this, I did post a full review on that other web-site, and it should be up in a few days under my pen-name toocruisin2.



So happy you had a great time! 

Worst case scenario, feel free to copy-paste your review here!


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> Our Jan 2020 cruise stops in Jamaica.  They have a new excursion that goes to a resort that I will probably book.  If you're still in the research stage I can let you know how it is if you're interested.  I don't blame you for cancelling.  Epcot will be a lot better after it's renovation.



I did not know there were excursions that are going to resorts...? Which ones?


----------



## belle032

pspookyc said:


> Hi all, been following this thread and thanks to all!! Just returned from 8 day cruise on the Carnival Horizon (my first with Carnival), and we enjoyed it so much we will be booking Mardi Gras for 2020. First time visits to Grand Turk, DR, Curacao and Aruba. Briefly we found the over-all service on par with the best we have seen, the food excellent, and the ship wonderful.
> 
> I hope I can say this, I did post a full review on that other web-site, and it should be up in a few days under my pen-name toocruisin2.



So glad to hear you had a wonderful time! That itinerary sounds fantastic. Will try to read your review! But if you can, definitely post it here!


----------



## lklgoodman

mevelandry said:


> I did not know there were excursions that are going to resorts...? Which ones?



For our Didney cruise there's the Jewel Bay Resort excursion.  The excursion includes the beach, pools, and lunch at the restaurant.  There is also a golf course there that isn't included.  Of course we can't see the rooms at the resort, but can see how nice/not nice the rest of the resort is.  It's about an hour from port, so deciding if we'll book with DCL or on our since it would be cheaper.  There's another excursion that goes to Discovery Bay.  I'm trying to find out if this is a resort or not.  There's a Discovery Bay Resort, but I don't know if it's the same one that the DCL excursion goes to or not.  The DCL one is about 30 mins from port, so not sure where that would be.


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> Anyone cruising this week? Can't wait to see how Dorian will affect all cruises...



So...we had an interesting end to our Horizon cruise. Major credit to our Captain. When we left our last port - Aruba - he made the decision to go as fast as he possibly could go, so that he could get into the vicinity of the Port of Miami as soon as possible. As a result, we were in position for them to request to enter the port early on Saturday evening since we were about 12 hours ahead of schedule.

They had been granted permission to do so pretty early in the day on Saturday. So they made an announcement that they would hold an information/Q&A session at 1pm (originally was at 11am, then noon, then 1pm) and everyone should either come to the theater, or watch it on the big screen by the pool or in your staterooms. They announced that they would be docking at POM around 7:15pm and that anyone who wished to disembark would be able to do so, and anyone choosing to remain on board would be welcome to do so and it would be "on us" - meaning the general cruise fare only - but that they did not know when they would be back to the port. It could be Monday, could be Wednesday (today, which is what it ended up being).  If you knew you wanted to disembark Sat night, they asked you to fill out a form and get it guest services ASAP. They also said that they put in a request to remain docked overnight to complete a "normal" debarkation (and I assume conduct an embarkation for the next cruise) Sunday morning. We were hoping that would be the case, as our flight home was Sunday afternoon. 

They gathered us again about 4:30pm and the Captain said he was 99% sure we would not be able to remain in port overnight and that they would probably have to leave the port by 10pm  (this was confirmed about an hour later).  So then we had to make the decision to get off that night. My wife went online and immediately looked for and booked a hotel near PBI - where we were due to fly out of the next day. We normally never get WiFi, but had gotten it the day earlier to monitor the situation (at the initial gathering, they announced that everyone would be refunded for the WiFi the last day). We sent a a message to our kids letting then know that we were getting off that night, and immediately went back to the stateroom and finish up packing (we got most of it ready the day prior).  We went to get some dinner at Pig & Anchor (we still had a $15 voucher fromthe package they sell), and by the time we were done the ship was docking. We returned to our stateroom to wait to disembark.

It was one chaotic debarkation, not to mention how weird it was to disembark at night. First off, everyone had to carry off all their luggage. They initially said they would start with with the higher decks and work their way down (we were on deck 2 - Family Harbor). They ended up doing the opposite. Also during this time, they changed cruise directors (it was Mike Pack's last cruise before his vacation, so he was getting off the ship and "Cookie" took over). They said it would start about 7:30 and that they needed to get everyone off (who wanted to) by 9:30pm because the port was closing at 10pm and they need to leave by then. They didn't start - or finish - on that schedule. I think we walked off just before 9pm. I believe the ship left about 10:40pm. It was crazy with all the people getting off crowding by the elevators (more on those later!) with all their luggage. There were crew members (including Cookie!) grabbing people's luggage and taking them up the stairs from 2 to 3 so they didn't have to wait for the elevators. According to someone from our FB group had posted that as it was getting close to 10pm, they made announcement that they only had 6 more minutes to get people off (even though they still had several decks to go), and that people started running down the stairs with their luggage. Also that at one point, they closed the doors even though there was still a lot of people looking to get off. They eventually re-opened the doors and got everyone off.


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> So...we had an interesting end to our Horizon cruise. Major credit to our Captain. When we left our last port - Aruba - he made the decision to go as fast as he possibly could go, so that he could get into the vicinity of the Port of Miami as soon as possible. As a result, we were in position for them to request to enter the port early on Saturday evening since we were about 12 hours ahead of schedule.
> 
> They had been granted permission to do so pretty early in the day on Saturday. So they made an announcement that they would hold an information/Q&A session at 1pm (originally was at 11am, then noon, then 1pm) and everyone should either come to the theater, or watch it on the big screen by the pool or in your staterooms. They announced that they would be docking at POM around 7:15pm and that anyone who wished to disembark would be able to do so, and anyone choosing to remain on board would be welcome to do so and it would be "on us" - meaning the general cruise fare only - but that they did not know when they would be back to the port. It could be Monday, could be Wednesday (today, which is what it ended up being).  If you knew you wanted to disembark Sat night, they asked you to fill out a form and get it guest services ASAP. They also said that they put in a request to remain docked overnight to complete a "normal" debarkation (and I assume conduct an embarkation for the next cruise) Sunday morning. We were hoping that would be the case, as our flight home was Sunday afternoon.
> 
> They gathered us again about 4:30pm and the Captain said he was 99% sure we would not be able to remain in port overnight and that they would probably have to leave the port by 10pm  (this was confirmed about an hour later).  So then we had to make the decision to get off that night. My wife went online and immediately looked for and booked a hotel near PBI - where we were due to fly out of the next day. We normally never get WiFi, but had gotten it the day earlier to monitor the situation (at the initial gathering, they announced that everyone would be refunded for the WiFi the last day). We sent a a message to our kids letting then know that we were getting off that night, and immediately went back to the stateroom and finish up packing (we got most of it ready the day prior).  We went to get some dinner at Pig & Anchor (we still had a $15 voucher fromthe package they sell), and by the time we were done the ship was docking. We returned to our stateroom to wait to disembark.
> 
> It was one chaotic debarkation, not to mention how weird it was to disembark at night. First off, everyone had to carry off all their luggage. They initially said they would start with with the higher decks and work their way down (we were on deck 2 - Family Harbor). They ended up doing the opposite. Also during this time, they changed cruise directors (it was Mike Pack's last cruise before his vacation, so he was getting off the ship and "Cookie" took over). They said it would start about 7:30 and that they needed to get everyone off (who wanted to) by 9:30pm because the port was closing at 10pm and they need to leave by then. They didn't start - or finish - on that schedule. I think we walked off just before 9pm. I believe the ship left about 10:40pm. It was crazy with all the people getting off crowding by the elevators (more on those later!) with all their luggage. There were crew members (including Cookie!) grabbing people's luggage and taking them up the stairs from 2 to 3 so they didn't have to wait for the elevators. According to someone from our FB group had posted that as it was getting close to 10pm, they made announcement that they only had 6 more minutes to get people off (even though they still had several decks to go), and that people started running down the stairs with their luggage. Also that at one point, they closed the doors even though there was still a lot of people looking to get off. They eventually re-opened the doors and got everyone off.



OOofff. Crazy. 

Thank you for that. 

Based on your experience, my mind in already made up. I think if that happens to us (having the choice between an expedited disembarkation or staying on the ship because of a hurricane), we'll choose to remain on the ship!


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> OOofff. Crazy.
> 
> Thank you for that.
> 
> Based on your experience, my mind in already made up. I think if that happens to us (having the choice between an expedited disembarkation or staying on the ship because of a hurricane), we'll choose to remain on the ship!



Our daughter's first day of high school was today. We couldn't risk having her miss that.  Otherwise, we might have stayed. Based off the FB posts of those who stayed...Sunday, Monday, and early Tuesday were fantastic - great weather, and calm seas. The ship basically went down near the western end of Cuba and stayed in that area. However, after they got the word yesterday that they could return Wednesday morning and started heading toward Miami things went downhill. Apparently, there were several hours during the night that were really bad - people were afraid to sleep in their bed because they felt they may roll off the ship was listing so much. Overall it was mixed among those who were glad they stayed and those who felt they made a mistake. A lot of posts about how weird it was with a less than half-full ship. They apparently gave crew members some extra time off and allowed them to walk around the ship as if they were passengers. 

I'll be back later to post overall thoughts about the ship and cruise (spoiler: it's mostly positive).


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> Our daughter's first day of high school was today. We couldn't risk having her miss that.  Otherwise, we might have stayed. Based off the FB posts of those who stayed...Sunday, Monday, and early Tuesday were fantastic - great weather, and calm seas. The ship basically went down near the western end of Cuba and stayed in that area. However, after they got the word yesterday that they could return Wednesday morning and started heading toward Miami things went downhill. Apparently, there were several hours during the night that were really bad - people were afraid to sleep in their bed because they felt they may roll off the ship was listing so much. Overall it was mixed among those who were glad they stayed and those who felt they made a mistake. A lot of posts about how weird it was with a less than half-full ship. They apparently gave crew members some extra time off and allowed them to walk around the ship as if they were passengers.
> 
> I'll be back later to post overall thoughts about the ship and cruise (spoiler: it's mostly positive).



Can't wait to read it.


----------



## RAC

Club Disney Chandler said:


> The excel suites are about the same price as standard verandahs on DCL .  We’re booked, in insides, for New Years Eve 2020, can hardly wait to see that ship and so looking forward to the New Years Party. It’s gonna be so much fun!  I don’t even know what our itinerary is


We are also booked on Mardi Gras for NYE and can't wait to try this new ship!!


----------



## belle032

We leave tomorrow for our British Isles DCL cruise on the Magic! Fly to JFK tomorrow, fly to London on Saturday and sail on Sunday. It's been a year and 1/2 in the making so it's crazy that it's finally here.

This will be DH & I's first DCL together ( I did a 3 day in May) so I'm very interested to see what he thinks, especially because he's only experienced Carnival and loves it. I'm sure this will be a very different cruise for us in terms of itinerary and overall feel, but in a good way! Although, it does feel strange to be packing sweatshirts and leggings and raincoats over shorts and tank tops!

I promised myself we would be good about taking photos this time, so I hope to do a decent review/trip report when we get back!

Happy sailing everyone!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> We leave tomorrow for our British Isles DCL cruise on the Magic! Fly to JFK tomorrow, fly to London on Saturday and sail on Sunday. It's been a year and 1/2 in the making so it's crazy that it's finally here.
> 
> This will be DH & I's first DCL together ( I did a 3 day in May) so I'm very interested to see what he thinks, especially because he's only experienced Carnival and loves it. I'm sure this will be a very different cruise for us in terms of itinerary and overall feel, but in a good way! Although, it does feel strange to be packing sweatshirts and leggings and raincoats over shorts and tank tops!
> 
> I promised myself we would be good about taking photos this time, so I hope to do a decent review/trip report when we get back!
> 
> Happy sailing everyone!


Have a great time!  I can't wait to do a British Isles cruise so I will definitely want a report/pictures.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

RAC said:


> We are also booked on Mardi Gras for NYE and can't wait to try this new ship!!


I can hardly wait!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> We leave tomorrow for our British Isles DCL cruise on the Magic! Fly to JFK tomorrow, fly to London on Saturday and sail on Sunday. It's been a year and 1/2 in the making so it's crazy that it's finally here.
> 
> This will be DH & I's first DCL together ( I did a 3 day in May) so I'm very interested to see what he thinks, especially because he's only experienced Carnival and loves it. I'm sure this will be a very different cruise for us in terms of itinerary and overall feel, but in a good way! Although, it does feel strange to be packing sweatshirts and leggings and raincoats over shorts and tank tops!
> 
> I promised myself we would be good about taking photos this time, so I hope to do a decent review/trip report when we get back!
> 
> Happy sailing everyone!


Have an amazing time!  I can hardly wait to see pictures.


----------



## mcd2745

I'm not one for long, detailed, day-by-day trip reports, so I will just give a quick summary and thoughts on each of the different aspects of our cruise.

Our info: Family of 4 from NYC - myself, the wife, and two teenagers (son 17 & daughter 14). 12th cruise overall. 6 on DCL, 3 on RCCL, and 2 on NCL, so this was our first on Carnival.

Cruise info: 8-nt Southern Caribbean on Carnival Horizon out of Miami. We booked a Family Harbor Suite (deck 2) stateroom.

Flew into FLL the day before the cruise, spent the night in a Hampton Inn (big fan of Hampton Inns for these type of overnight stays) near FLL and the front desk arranged for a taxi to take us to the Port of Miami at noon the next day. Was planning on just getting an Uber, but they quoted a reasonable price, so we just accepted it and it worked out fine. Got to the port, dropped the luggage with the porter, and went to check in. A Carnival employee outside asked to see our boarding passes, saw we were in a "suite" and said we could go to the priority line (didn't know or wasn't expecting that). I had done online check-in, so apparently there really wasn't anything to do at the port. A women checked our docs right before the security screening and  told us our cards were waiting outside our room and that our room was ready (it wasn't). But it was already a little past 1pm, so it was only a short while longer. We're not ones who always try to be among the first on the ship - particularly for non-DCL cruises. We'd rather have a leisurely morning and check-in after the rush has settled down and we won't have to wait too long for our room to be ready.

Stateroom (2433 - Family Harbor  Suite) :  Loved our stateroom. Good amount of room, and plenty of storage. Long cove balcony with 4 chairs and 2 tables.  The DCL-style split bathrooms, but with two showers, really came in handy.  Our stateroom steward was great also. Was a little noisy with I guess the galley right above us, which may bother some, but not me. I guess that's a result of living most of my life within a stone's throw of JFK airport.

The Family Harbor Lounge, however, was a huge disappointment. First off, I thought it was supposed to be open24/7. It was not. It was closed probably by 10pm. The breakfast buffet was fine in there for the limited space they have. After that though, it was pretty useless. Some snacks (potato chips, tortilaa chips & salsa, PB&J, etc.) in the afternoon, and some cookies in the evening. That was it.

Food: What a pleasant surprise! Pretty much everything and everywhere we ate exceeded expectations. The MDR (Meridian - we had Your Time dining) was excellent  each of the 3 nights we ate in there. Portion sizes were a bit small, but you could always order more. We ate at three specialty restaurants (steakhouse, Italian, and smokehouse)  and all were outstanding. The standout was the steakhouse. Incredible meal - as it should be for that  upcharge. We got the package they offer for $60 which includes the steakhouse (normally $38 pp and two $15 vouchers that can be used at the Italian restaurant ($15 pp), the smokehouse (a la carte) and I believe the Asian restaurant. So $60 for a $68 value. Only got a guy's burger once. It was good, found it very similar to Five Guys, so not sure what the craze is about. The pizza place was just okay and they were constantly running out and people would be waiting around for the next batch to be done.  Didn't get anything from the seafood shack or taco place. As for the buffet...a mixed bag. The selection/variety  was far less than I have seen on any other ship. That said, whatever I did have was fairly good for buffet food. Two things at the buffet though not related to the food - first, it was always insanely warm in there (this was a theme throughout the ship, seemed everywhere except the main theater was lacking AC), and secondly, the floors were always very slippery.

Entertainment:  Saw 3 of the 4 production shows. Obviously, this is the one area no one can match DCL. The performers were actually pretty good, but the shows themselves were just...meh. They were all just singing and dancing - no dialogue. They'll tell you there is a story to them, but I doubt anyone else would agree. Saw a lot of the comedy shows. The comedians were all very good. Love & Marriage show...we've all seen this done before with the same exact formula  - three couples (one older couple, one newlywed couple, and one in between) in a "Newlywed Show" type of game. Still, always good for a few laughs. What was a first for us...The Quest. Wasn't sure what to expect going into that, but we sure had fun. Liar's Club was also very funny.

I've always been someone who never understood why people would ask about certain cruise directors, but I do now. Mike Pack was amazing. I don't know if I've ever seen someone with that much energy. He was EVERYWHERE., and hosted EVERYTHING. Often times, a CD would mainly just introduce the feature shows for the night and make some announcements during the day about what's going on. Not him. He would literally go from one event to the next all evening long.  He was out on the pier at every port, welcoming guests back. Glad we caught him on his last cruise before vacation (which will include his wedding - so congrats Mike!).

The ship: Overall a beautiful ship.  Biggest issue was the casino. They saved me some money because I couldn't set foot in there the smoke was so bad. It was incredibly difficult to even just walk through. It's on deck 4 - same as the theater (forward) and the comedy club and sports bar (both aft). So if we left the theater, and wanted to go to the comedy club,  we would have to go up to deck 5 and then back down. Very poor job ventilating the casino.  Okay, that was probably the second biggest issue. The first, is clearly the infamous elevators. I suppose if everyone used them properly, they would be more efficient. However, that was far from the case (I doubt it ever will be) and it was just a disaster. You waited forever most times. I think most people failed to realize if you have 4 people, you need to press your floor 4 times. So the "smart" system often though it was sending you an elevator with plenty of room, only for it to be full. Gave something for everyone to commiserate over (and provided material for all the comedians).

Lastly, a comment on the "Carnival Crowd". If I said I didn't notice a difference from all our other cruises, I'd be lying. There apparently was an incident where a girl from the 15-17 year old group got jumped and beat up by a large group of other teens. I asked my son about it and he pretty much confirmed it, saying while he didn't see it (was watching the midnight movie on Lido) , he had heard all about it. Never heard of anything like that on our previous cruises. Would it prevent us from sailing Carnival again? Probably not. But there definitely is a difference.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> We leave tomorrow for our British Isles DCL cruise on the Magic! Fly to JFK tomorrow, fly to London on Saturday and sail on Sunday. It's been a year and 1/2 in the making so it's crazy that it's finally here.
> 
> This will be DH & I's first DCL together ( I did a 3 day in May) so I'm very interested to see what he thinks, especially because he's only experienced Carnival and loves it. I'm sure this will be a very different cruise for us in terms of itinerary and overall feel, but in a good way! Although, it does feel strange to be packing sweatshirts and leggings and raincoats over shorts and tank tops!
> 
> I promised myself we would be good about taking photos this time, so I hope to do a decent review/trip report when we get back!
> 
> Happy sailing everyone!



OMG, that's today!!!   I'm sure you'll have an amazing time! (I'm quite envious) I hope you'll post pictures when you come back.


----------



## Lynne G

Mcd, thank you for your report.  Heck, on my Disney Fantasy cruise many years ago, there was a fight at the bar, among grown people.  So, fights happen, regardless of which cruise line you decide.  I am sorry to hear of that violence on your cruise.  And I am happy to hear the food was a good, as other lines.  

Next month, we will start our 90 day countdown to our first Carnival cruise.  I have a funny feeling, while we will enjoy, next year, we will be trying RC again, and I assume, if we cannot do Disney, we will end up with RC more than Carnival.  We shall see.  I will let know, 4 months from now.


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> I'm not one for long, detailed, day-by-day trip reports, so I will just give a quick summary and thoughts on each of the different aspects of our cruise.
> 
> Our info: Family of 4 from NYC - myself, the wife, and two teenagers (son 17 & daughter 14). 12th cruise overall. 6 on DCL, 3 on RCCL, and 2 on NCL, so this was our first on Carnival.
> 
> Cruise info: 8-nt Southern Caribbean on Carnival Horizon out of Miami. We booked a Family Harbor Suite (deck 2) stateroom.
> 
> Flew into FLL the day before the cruise, spent the night in a Hampton Inn (big fan of Hampton Inns for these type of overnight stays) near FLL and the front desk arranged for a taxi to take us to the Port of Miami at noon the next day. Was planning on just getting an Uber, but they quoted a reasonable price, so we just accepted it and it worked out fine. Got to the port, dropped the luggage with the porter, and went to check in. A Carnival employee outside asked to see our boarding passes, saw we were in a "suite" and said we could go to the priority line (didn't know or wasn't expecting that). I had done online check-in, so apparently there really wasn't anything to do at the port. A women checked our docs right before the security screening and  told us our cards were waiting outside our room and that our room was ready (it wasn't). But it was already a little past 1pm, so it was only a short while longer. We're not ones who always try to be among the first on the ship - particularly for non-DCL cruises. We'd rather have a leisurely morning and check-in after the rush has settled down and we won't have to wait too long for our room to be ready.
> 
> Stateroom (2433 - Family Harbor  Suite) :  Loved our stateroom. Good amount of room, and plenty of storage. Long cove balcony with 4 chairs and 2 tables.  The DCL-style split bathrooms, but with two showers, really came in handy.  Our stateroom steward was great also. Was a little noisy with I guess the galley right above us, which may bother some, but not me. I guess that's a result of living most of my life within a stone's throw of JFK airport.
> 
> The Family Harbor Lounge, however, was a huge disappointment. First off, I thought it was supposed to be open24/7. It was not. It was closed probably by 10pm. The breakfast buffet was fine in there for the limited space they have. After that though, it was pretty useless. Some snacks (potato chips, tortilaa chips & salsa, PB&J, etc.) in the afternoon, and some cookies in the evening. That was it.
> 
> Food: What a pleasant surprise! Pretty much everything and everywhere we ate exceeded expectations. The MDR (Meridian - we had Your Time dining) was excellent  each of the 3 nights we ate in there. Portion sizes were a bit small, but you could always order more. We ate at three specialty restaurants (steakhouse, Italian, and smokehouse)  and all were outstanding. The standout was the steakhouse. Incredible meal - as it should be for that  upcharge. We got the package they offer for $60 which includes the steakhouse (normally $38 pp and two $15 vouchers that can be used at the Italian restaurant ($15 pp), the smokehouse (a la carte) and I believe the Asian restaurant. So $60 for a $68 value. Only got a guy's burger once. It was good, found it very similar to Five Guys, so not sure what the craze is about. The pizza place was just okay and they were constantly running out and people would be waiting around for the next batch to be done.  Didn't get anything from the seafood shack or taco place. As for the buffet...a mixed bag. The selection/variety  was far less than I have seen on any other ship. That said, whatever I did have was fairly good for buffet food. Two things at the buffet though not related to the food - first, it was always insanely warm in there (this was a theme throughout the ship, seemed everywhere except the main theater was lacking AC), and secondly, the floors were always very slippery.
> 
> Entertainment:  Saw 3 of the 4 production shows. Obviously, this is the one area no one can match DCL. The performers were actually pretty good, but the shows themselves were just...meh. They were all just singing and dancing - no dialogue. They'll tell you there is a story to them, but I doubt anyone else would agree. Saw a lot of the comedy shows. The comedians were all very good. Love & Marriage show...we've all seen this done before with the same exact formula  - three couples (one older couple, one newlywed couple, and one in between) in a "Newlywed Show" type of game. Still, always good for a few laughs. What was a first for us...The Quest. Wasn't sure what to expect going into that, but we sure had fun. Liar's Club was also very funny.
> 
> I've always been someone who never understood why people would ask about certain cruise directors, but I do now. Mike Pack was amazing. I don't know if I've ever seen someone with that much energy. He was EVERYWHERE., and hosted EVERYTHING. Often times, a CD would mainly just introduce the feature shows for the night and make some announcements during the day about what's going on. Not him. He would literally go from one event to the next all evening long.  He was out on the pier at every port, welcoming guests back. Glad we caught him on his last cruise before vacation (which will include his wedding - so congrats Mike!).
> 
> The ship: Overall a beautiful ship.  Biggest issue was the casino. They saved me some money because I couldn't set foot in there the smoke was so bad. It was incredibly difficult to even just walk through. It's on deck 4 - same as the theater (forward) and the comedy club and sports bar (both aft). So if we left the theater, and wanted to go to the comedy club,  we would have to go up to deck 5 and then back down. Very poor job ventilating the casino.  Okay, that was probably the second biggest issue. The first, is clearly the infamous elevators. I suppose if everyone used them properly, they would be more efficient. However, that was far from the case (I doubt it ever will be) and it was just a disaster. You waited forever most times. I think most people failed to realize if you have 4 people, you need to press your floor 4 times. So the "smart" system often though it was sending you an elevator with plenty of room, only for it to be full. Gave something for everyone to commiserate over (and provided material for all the comedians).
> 
> Lastly, a comment on the "Carnival Crowd". If I said I didn't notice a difference from all our other cruises, I'd be lying. There apparently was an incident where a girl from the 15-17 year old group got jumped and beat up by a large group of other teens. I asked my son about it and he pretty much confirmed it, saying while he didn't see it (was watching the midnight movie on Lido) , he had heard all about it. Never heard of anything like that on our previous cruises. Would it prevent us from sailing Carnival again? Probably not. But there definitely is a difference.



Oh I'm surprised about the Casino... On the Vista (Horizon's sister ship), the ventilation was so good... to this day it's the Casino I tolerated the best as the air was "breathable". Would you say other cruise ships did a better job on this? I suspect that any room the smokers can smoke in is gonna suck, regardless of the ventilation.

_There apparently was an incident where a girl from the 15-17 year old group got jumped and beat up by a large group of other teens. _

Unfortunately, violence exist everywhere. The scariest encounters I've experienced was at a Disney World hotels. Both happened in moderate and deluxe resorts... The worst one was "husband" throwing a tantrum, he was yelling and throwing pieces of luggage to his wife ... I still get cramps in my stomach when I think of it. The other one was a 8-9 yo girl completely enraged (her face turned red), was yelling and punching her grand-mother in the stomach repeatedly. So sad and completely unacceptable.

That being said, your story is absolutely *horrifying*.  (For lack of better words) 

Thankfully, I have never heard of anything like it on any of our previous cruises on Carnival... I think (and I hope) that it was the exception.

Is it the only difference you noticed?


----------



## pspookyc

mevelandry said:


> So happy you had a great time!
> 
> Worst case scenario, feel free to copy-paste your review here!



It's a rather long review; I hope it's okay to post a link. Paul
https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=663905


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mcd2745 said:


> I'm not one for long, detailed, day-by-day trip reports, so I will just give a quick summary and thoughts on each of the different aspects of our cruise.
> 
> Our info: Family of 4 from NYC - myself, the wife, and two teenagers (son 17 & daughter 14). 12th cruise overall. 6 on DCL, 3 on RCCL, and 2 on NCL, so this was our first on Carnival.
> 
> Cruise info: 8-nt Southern Caribbean on Carnival Horizon out of Miami. We booked a Family Harbor Suite (deck 2) stateroom.
> 
> Flew into FLL the day before the cruise, spent the night in a Hampton Inn (big fan of Hampton Inns for these type of overnight stays) near FLL and the front desk arranged for a taxi to take us to the Port of Miami at noon the next day. Was planning on just getting an Uber, but they quoted a reasonable price, so we just accepted it and it worked out fine. Got to the port, dropped the luggage with the porter, and went to check in. A Carnival employee outside asked to see our boarding passes, saw we were in a "suite" and said we could go to the priority line (didn't know or wasn't expecting that). I had done online check-in, so apparently there really wasn't anything to do at the port. A women checked our docs right before the security screening and  told us our cards were waiting outside our room and that our room was ready (it wasn't). But it was already a little past 1pm, so it was only a short while longer. We're not ones who always try to be among the first on the ship - particularly for non-DCL cruises. We'd rather have a leisurely morning and check-in after the rush has settled down and we won't have to wait too long for our room to be ready.
> 
> Stateroom (2433 - Family Harbor  Suite) :  Loved our stateroom. Good amount of room, and plenty of storage. Long cove balcony with 4 chairs and 2 tables.  The DCL-style split bathrooms, but with two showers, really came in handy.  Our stateroom steward was great also. Was a little noisy with I guess the galley right above us, which may bother some, but not me. I guess that's a result of living most of my life within a stone's throw of JFK airport.
> 
> The Family Harbor Lounge, however, was a huge disappointment. First off, I thought it was supposed to be open24/7. It was not. It was closed probably by 10pm. The breakfast buffet was fine in there for the limited space they have. After that though, it was pretty useless. Some snacks (potato chips, tortilaa chips & salsa, PB&J, etc.) in the afternoon, and some cookies in the evening. That was it.
> 
> Food: What a pleasant surprise! Pretty much everything and everywhere we ate exceeded expectations. The MDR (Meridian - we had Your Time dining) was excellent  each of the 3 nights we ate in there. Portion sizes were a bit small, but you could always order more. We ate at three specialty restaurants (steakhouse, Italian, and smokehouse)  and all were outstanding. The standout was the steakhouse. Incredible meal - as it should be for that  upcharge. We got the package they offer for $60 which includes the steakhouse (normally $38 pp and two $15 vouchers that can be used at the Italian restaurant ($15 pp), the smokehouse (a la carte) and I believe the Asian restaurant. So $60 for a $68 value. Only got a guy's burger once. It was good, found it very similar to Five Guys, so not sure what the craze is about. The pizza place was just okay and they were constantly running out and people would be waiting around for the next batch to be done.  Didn't get anything from the seafood shack or taco place. As for the buffet...a mixed bag. The selection/variety  was far less than I have seen on any other ship. That said, whatever I did have was fairly good for buffet food. Two things at the buffet though not related to the food - first, it was always insanely warm in there (this was a theme throughout the ship, seemed everywhere except the main theater was lacking AC), and secondly, the floors were always very slippery.
> 
> Entertainment:  Saw 3 of the 4 production shows. Obviously, this is the one area no one can match DCL. The performers were actually pretty good, but the shows themselves were just...meh. They were all just singing and dancing - no dialogue. They'll tell you there is a story to them, but I doubt anyone else would agree. Saw a lot of the comedy shows. The comedians were all very good. Love & Marriage show...we've all seen this done before with the same exact formula  - three couples (one older couple, one newlywed couple, and one in between) in a "Newlywed Show" type of game. Still, always good for a few laughs. What was a first for us...The Quest. Wasn't sure what to expect going into that, but we sure had fun. Liar's Club was also very funny.
> 
> I've always been someone who never understood why people would ask about certain cruise directors, but I do now. Mike Pack was amazing. I don't know if I've ever seen someone with that much energy. He was EVERYWHERE., and hosted EVERYTHING. Often times, a CD would mainly just introduce the feature shows for the night and make some announcements during the day about what's going on. Not him. He would literally go from one event to the next all evening long.  He was out on the pier at every port, welcoming guests back. Glad we caught him on his last cruise before vacation (which will include his wedding - so congrats Mike!).
> 
> The ship: Overall a beautiful ship.  Biggest issue was the casino. They saved me some money because I couldn't set foot in there the smoke was so bad. It was incredibly difficult to even just walk through. It's on deck 4 - same as the theater (forward) and the comedy club and sports bar (both aft). So if we left the theater, and wanted to go to the comedy club,  we would have to go up to deck 5 and then back down. Very poor job ventilating the casino.  Okay, that was probably the second biggest issue. The first, is clearly the infamous elevators. I suppose if everyone used them properly, they would be more efficient. However, that was far from the case (I doubt it ever will be) and it was just a disaster. You waited forever most times. I think most people failed to realize if you have 4 people, you need to press your floor 4 times. So the "smart" system often though it was sending you an elevator with plenty of room, only for it to be full. Gave something for everyone to commiserate over (and provided material for all the comedians).
> 
> Lastly, a comment on the "Carnival Crowd". If I said I didn't notice a difference from all our other cruises, I'd be lying. There apparently was an incident where a girl from the 15-17 year old group got jumped and beat up by a large group of other teens. I asked my son about it and he pretty much confirmed it, saying while he didn't see it (was watching the midnight movie on Lido) , he had heard all about it. Never heard of anything like that on our previous cruises. Would it prevent us from sailing Carnival again? Probably not. But there definitely is a difference.


Thanks for the review. I haven’t been on Horizon yet but have done 4 Vista cruises. Our first time was in the Mediterranean and the casino smoke was bearable for a short visit, the 2 cruises out of Miami were awful. We did the same thing as you and went up and over. Our cruise this year out of Galveston was great, hardly any casino smoke at all. I think it’s something with Miami crowds. Glad you had a good time and if you go back on a Carnival ship, definitely grab Blue Iguana for breakfast and lunch, that place rocks!!


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> Oh I'm surprised about the Casino... On the Vista (Horizon's sister ship), the ventilation was so good... to this day it's the Casino I tolerated the best as the air was "breathable". Would you say other cruise ships did a better job on this? I suspect that any room the smokers can smoke in is gonna suck, regardless of the ventilation.



Obviously not an issue on DCL ships, but compared to NCL and RCCL, this was, by far, worse than any other ship we have been on that had a casino.




mevelandry said:


> _There apparently was an incident where a girl from the 15-17 year old group got jumped and beat up by a large group of other teens. _
> 
> Unfortunately, violence exist everywhere. The scariest encounters I've experienced was at a Disney World hotels. Both happened in moderate and deluxe resorts... The worst one was "husband" throwing a tantrum, he was yelling and throwing pieces of luggage to his wife ... I still get cramps in my stomach when I think of it. The other one was a 8-9 yo girl completely enraged (her face turned red), was yelling and punching her grand-mother in the stomach repeatedly. So sad and completely unacceptable.
> 
> That being said, your story is absolutely *horrifying*.  (For lack of better words)
> 
> Thankfully, I have never heard of anything like it on any of our previous cruises on Carnival... I think (and I hope) that it was the exception.
> 
> Is it the only difference you noticed?



Not the only difference. It's definitely a more raucous (probably not the right word) crowd overall, that's for sure.


----------



## mcd2745

pspookyc said:


> It's a rather long review; I hope it's okay to post a link. Paul
> https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=663905



I guess you were on the 8-nt that sailed 2 weeks before us. We seem to be in agreement on a lot (Food good, production shows bad, cruise director great, comedy shows excellent, the lounges on deck 5 were our "go to spot" as well, etc.)


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> Obviously not an issue on DCL ships, but compared to NCL and RCCL, this was, by far, worse than any other ship we have been on that had a casino.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not the only difference. It's definitely a more raucous (probably not the right word) crowd overall, that's for sure.



In the sense of "animated" or "obnoxious"? (English is not my first language so I'm not familiar with that term).


----------



## mevelandry

pspookyc said:


> It's a rather long review; I hope it's okay to post a link. Paul
> https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=663905



I'm sorry the Sky Ride wasn't functionning. I know they closed it on all ship, they must have found a flaw... We've done it on the Vista. It was a lot of fun. I hope they can fix it. 

I'm a big fan of the thrill theater. Loved it so much I did it twice. Tried it for Halloween and it was quite the experience 

Thank you for such a complete review. Now you make me want to sail on the Horizon (ok I was already convinced to begin with since I love the Vista LOL) ...

It sounds like you had a great time. I'm very happy for you!


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> I'm sorry the Sky Ride wasn't functionning. I know they closed it on all ship, they must have found a flaw... We've done it on the Vista. It was a lot of fun. I hope they can fix it.



Yes , the discovered a problem with the tracks for the sky ride, so it's been shut down indefinitely on both ships. Apparently, the winds up on top of the ships are causing cracks in the track. I got this directly from a senior official on Horizon. He also said there is no truth to rumors they will dismantle them on both ships, and that they are committed to finding a fix.


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> In the sense of "animated" or "obnoxious"? (English is not my first language so I'm not familiar with that term).



Both. There seemed to be a lot of issues on our cruise. Apparently there were _many_ fights throughout the week - amongst teens and adults. I initially forgot about the woman who only a few hours into the cruise got into an argument with a bartender, and then when the bartender called security,  she pretty much attacked them after they arrived. I saw that first-hand.

Fortunately, I didn't experience it, but I heard a lot of  complaints about people smoking pot on their balconies. Additionally, there were people detained upon trying to get back on the ship in Grand Turk because they tried bringing a large amount of pot on board that they bought on the island.

It was a very unruly group. In the FB group for the cruise, since the cruise ended, there have been more and more reports each day of some pretty bad behavior. Security had their hands full all week. This being our first Carnival cruise, I don't know if this is the norm or not.


----------



## mevelandry

mcd2745 said:


> Both. There seemed to be a lot of issues on our cruise. Apparently there were _many_ fights throughout the week - amongst teens and adults. I initially forgot about the woman who only a few hours into the cruise got into an argument with a bartender, and then when the bartender called security,  she pretty much attacked them after they arrived. I saw that first-hand.
> 
> Fortunately, I didn't experience it, but *I heard a lot of  complaints about people smoking pot on their balconies. *Additionally, there were people detained upon trying to get back on the ship in Grand Turk because they tried bringing a large amount of pot on board that they bought on the island.
> 
> It was a very unruly group. In the FB group for the cruise, since the cruise ended, there have been more and more reports each day of some pretty bad behavior. Security had their hands full all week. This being our first Carnival cruise, I don't know if this is the norm or not.



Argh. This is my pet peeve. That smell makes me nauseous...

I can't believe that in 2019, security still can't find an efficient way to prevent it from being brought on ships.

What you are describing (with the exception of fights) reminds me of what I experienced on the Carnival Sensation. But based on the 4 other cruises I have done with Carnival that were extremely calm and the mostly good reports people post here, I'm confident that this isn't "the norm".

I believe they are being stricter with that kind of behavior. Apparently, if you're being disruptive or get involved in a fight, they'll get you off the ship at the next port.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mcd2745 said:


> Both. There seemed to be a lot of issues on our cruise. Apparently there were _many_ fights throughout the week - amongst teens and adults. I initially forgot about the woman who only a few hours into the cruise got into an argument with a bartender, and then when the bartender called security,  she pretty much attacked them after they arrived. I saw that first-hand.
> 
> Fortunately, I didn't experience it, but I heard a lot of  complaints about people smoking pot on their balconies. Additionally, there were people detained upon trying to get back on the ship in Grand Turk because they tried bringing a large amount of pot on board that they bought on the island.
> 
> It was a very unruly group. In the FB group for the cruise, since the cruise ended, there have been more and more reports each day of some pretty bad behavior. Security had their hands full all week. This being our first Carnival cruise, I don't know if this is the norm or not.



Ugh.  Nightmare.  We’ve never had a problem on carnival with this, so hopefully not a new trend.  Our gripe with Carnival is cabin stewards and cleanliness.  We have had half and half, amazing stewards and some quite poor.  Nice, but in the wrong job.  Lol.  And you have to fight to get the 3rd and 4th beds put away during the day on CCL.  Standard on NCL and dcl.  With dcl and NCL we have had excellent room stewards, well, except the last one on dcl who was very so-so.  But we have had great experiences overall on carnival.


----------



## mcd2745

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Ugh.  Nightmare.  We’ve never had a problem on carnival with this, so hopefully not a new trend.  Our gripe with Carnival is cabin stewards and cleanliness.  We have had half and half, amazing stewards and some quite poor.  Nice, but in the wrong job.  Lol.  And you have to fight to get the 3rd and 4th beds put away during the day on CCL.  Standard on NCL and dcl.  With dcl and NCL we have had excellent room stewards, well, except the last one on dcl who was very so-so.  But we have had great experiences overall on carnival.



We had an excellent steward. That's one thing I definitely can't complain about. We didn't fight to have the extra beds put away on this cruise because of the set up of the room (Family Harbor Suite) we had. They were out of the way, so not a big deal. However, we have had 2 bad stewards on both of our NCL cruises. The stewards were easily the worst part of each cruise. They never put the extra beds away (in fact, we were told it is NCL  standard policy NOT to put the beds away unless you demand that they do so), and were virtually invisible. I must say, only on DCL, do you seem to see your steward in the hallway right outside your room every time you leave or return to your room and it's automatic that they will put the beds away (although we never even had to ask for that on our 3 RCCL cruises either and have had very good stewards). I'm fairly certain that stewards for DCL are responsible for about half the number of rooms that the stewards on NCL & CCL are (I'm thinking something along the lines of 6 vs 12). I saw our steward several times working on rooms pretty far down the hall form our room (I didn't count exactly how many rooms away it was).


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## Club Disney Chandler

Has anyone here cruised on Norwegian Escape?  They have a Northern Europe/Russia cruise in June 2021 that we’re considering. I really know nothing about NCL though. The cabins and the ship look really nice, and it’s a great itinerary.


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## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Has anyone here cruised on Norwegian Escape?  They have a Northern Europe/Russia cruise in June 2021 that we’re considering. I really know nothing about NCL though. The cabins and the ship look really nice, and it’s a great itinerary.


We have looked at that cruise too after reading some reviews.  Looks awesome.
I have been trying to find one of the reviews I read but no luck.  I think it was by TheDougOut on CC.


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## mcd2745

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Has anyone here cruised on Norwegian Escape?  They have a Northern Europe/Russia cruise in June 2021 that we’re considering. I really know nothing about NCL though. The cabins and the ship look really nice, and it’s a great itinerary.



We have not been on Escape, but on sister ships Getaway & Bliss. The ships are very nice and well-designed. Some nice touches such as their 'waterfront" idea of having bar/restaurant seating outside. The 24/7 pub area is a favorite feature of mine that i wish other lines would incorporate in some form. Staterooms were nice too - I like that they have coffee makers in the room (for balcony rooms and up). We enjoyed the "Freestyle" approach to dining and the flexibility it provides, and we never had trouble getting into where ever we wanted to go for dinner. Of course, the "open bar" perk they include with most bookings these days is a plus. The one knock I give NCL is for service. We had two bad room stewards and service in the MDRs tend to be awfully slow.


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## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Has anyone here cruised on Norwegian Escape?  They have a Northern Europe/Russia cruise in June 2021 that we’re considering. I really know nothing about NCL though. The cabins and the ship look really nice, and it’s a great itinerary.


No, but I have been ogling that itinerary for years.  I can't talk my family into it though.  Maybe someday.


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## Pens Fan

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Has anyone here cruised on Norwegian Escape?  They have a Northern Europe/Russia cruise in June 2021 that we’re considering. I really know nothing about NCL though. The cabins and the ship look really nice, and it’s a great itinerary.



We've never sailed on the Escape, but have sailed on a couple of NCL's smaller ships.  We have the Encore booked for 2021 which will be a sister ship to the Escape when it launches this Nov.  We are really looking forward to trying out one of the mega ships, as I'm sure the experience will be very different from our cruises on the Sun and Gem.
I'll echo the previous poster that there are two great Escape reviews on CC from a poster named TheDougOut.  While his cruising style is definitely different than ours (he makes exceptional use of his unlimited beverage package ), his reviews are a fun read and give you lots of info about the ship and it's activities.  There are also some great reviews by a poster named BirdTravels of many NCL ships.

All that being said, while I can't share any first had knowledge about the Breakaway Plus class ships, I can share a bit of info about NCL in general:

Service - for us the service on NCL has always been terrific.  It's different than Disney service in that it's not as personal (dare I say "in your face"?) as Disney's, but just as good overall.  I've found the crew to be friendly and efficient which is all I ask for.  I will note, though, that we sailed in a suite both times.  While that _shouldn't_ make any difference, it's probably kind of naive to assume it doesn't.

Food - We enjoy the food on NCL and definitely prefer the Freestyle model of cruising.  Just understand that Freestyle doesn't really mean "show up when you want and be seated".   If you want to eat at the specialty restaurants, you definitely need to make a reservation - either online before your cruise or as soon as you get on the ship.  Supposedly they only offer about a third of the reservations to be booked online, so don't despair if you have to wait until you get on board.  Just take care of it that first day (through the app, digital boards, your stateroom TV, or at the reservation desk) and you'll be set.  We have never made any reservations for the MDR's, though you can if you prefer.  You can even request a certain server if you find one you like.  We've never waited more that a few minutes for a table in the MDR's without reservations, though YMMV on that.

Entertainment - In my opinion, NCL's evening shows are targeted for adults.  Most of the shows we've seen or that I've read about on other ships are either something most younger children wouldn't be interested in or are not age appropriate.  However, as a family of adults (our son is now 21), we have really enjoyed the evening entertainment on NCL.  While I appreciate the quality of Disney's offerings (and they are fabulous for kids!!), their shows began to grate on me after a few cruises, and we mostly skipped them.

I do find that NCL is really lacking when it comes to daytime _indoor_ activities.  They do have the typical trivia and such, though that's not really our cup of tea.  A lot of their so called activities really are thinly veiled sales pitches for the spa, the jewelry store, etc.  The Escape does appear to have a great outdoor pool deck with lots of water slides, etc.  So on a warm weather cruise, I think you'd find more things to fill your day if those are activities you enjoy.

Demographics - I think this really depends on when and where you sail.  We sailed on the Sun in Alaska in the middle of the summer and there was broad mix of passengers - older, younger, families with kids, etc.  Then my husband and I sailed the Gem to Canada in October and were probably in the younger 10% of the passengers (we were 56 and 60 at the time).  I imagine a Caribbean cruise during summer or spring break will be filled with a lot of young adults enjoying the unlimited beverage package.  Passenger mixes are not a make it or break it for us (well, maybe the last one ) but it is something to consider.

For us, we think NCL is a great option for a port intensive cruise.  They have some really terrific itineraries and while their prices have increased pretty significantly since we first sailed with them in 2017, they still can be a good value, especially when you factor in the different perks they offer at booking.  Just note that some of those perks come with extra gratuity charges (drink package and specialty dining package), so make sure you go far enough in the booking process to see how much those will be when comparing prices.  I probably wouldn't choose them for a transatlantic cruise with tons of sea days, but find them to be a wonderful floating hotel and a great way to see the world.  In a little over a month, we'll be on the NCL Jade sailing to Italy/Greece/Croatia/Montenegro and we can't wait!


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## belle032

Good morning everyone! We are officially home from our DCL British Isles cruise! We had an amazing trip and I feel like there is so much to mention. I'll try my best, but if anyone has any specific questions, please feel free to ask! I won't go day by day or anything, but will try to review and compare different aspects of the actual cruise itself and talk about the ports.

I will start off by saying, this cruise was completely different than your "normal" Caribbean sailing. I mean I was packing jeans and sweatshirts and leggings vs. swimsuits and shorts. The crowd was older and more subdued and we saw few children. I imagine it would be similar to an Alaskan cruise. We expected all this and were fine with it. 

It was also our first cruise where the actual ship came second. Usually the ship plays a big role in what actual cruise we end up choosing. Ports are important, don't get me wrong, but the actual ship is super important to us because we spend a lot of time on it! In this case, it was basically just using the ship as a means to get from Port A to Port B. And all the ports were awesome! DH & I agreed that we needed at least another day in each of them. I think this cruise needed to be a 9 or 10 day for sure. Overnights in each of the ports would have been a real selling point for this voyage. 

Ok, so the ports themselves: 

Dublin - We DEFINITELY needed another day here. I booked tickets for a Hop On-Hop Off bus and tickets to the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum. Both were worth it. Dublin is a really neat city, but it is so bustling and so much traffic in such a small space. Just getting around the city took a lot of time. We also shopped on Grafton Street and found an awesome Irish pub (which was a priority!) for drinks and lunch. If we had had another day, we would have gotten out to the countryside for sure.

Belfast - I'm ashamed to say I didn't know really anything about this country before visiting. It was another bustling city with so much history. We also did a HOHO bus here and also booked tickets for the Crumlin Road Gaol and the Titanic Museum. I highly recommend the HOHO and both of these attractions, especially the Titanic Museum. It covers more of the actual construction of the ship and the berth where it was built is still there. Amazing place. Looking at the itinerary for next year, I see Belfast isn't on it, which I find unfortunate. We had a great time here.

Greenock, Scotland - We booked a 3rd party tour here, through Discover Scotland Tours, and it turned out to be a great decision. We had a small bus of only 16 people and were driven out through the Highlands, saw numerous lochs and castles, had lunch at a pub/inn that you literally picture in your mind when you think of Scotland, and had a great tour guide. It was a full day excursion and we paid about $100 for 2 of us. DCL offered a similar excursion and I believe it was $150 per person. So that was a win. We got some of the best photos on this tour and it was nice to get out of the city!

Liverpool - Home of the Beatles! We actually did an escape room here! (DH & I love escape rooms!) What was great about this port was we could literally walk off the ship into the city. No buses or transfers needed. It was very welcome after the other ports. We had a leisurely day here. The waterfront where we were had tons of shops, museums, and restaurants to enjoy and it was a little more low key than our other days. 

So onto the ship itself:

Stateroom - We had a deluxe Oceanview on deck 2 midship. We loved the location of our room, it was so convenient, especially since the Magic isn't that large or hard to get around. DH & I decided we do like the DCL staterooms over Carnival. The porthole window was huge, decor is so cute, the bed was very comfortable, and you just can't beat the split bathrooms. The only thing I can nitpick about was the lack of shelving/drawer space. The closet needed some shelving because I don't like hanging everything up. And we had maybe 2 deep drawers? The others were very small and shallow. Oh and the hairdryer was hopeless. The most underpowered thing ever. 

Food/Dining - I have mixed feelings about set dining times now. On one hand, we loved having the same dining team with us every night. And getting to experience the theming and different restaurants is wonderful. On the other hand, it's inconvenient. The early dining time was 6PM, which was too early, so we had late dining at 8:30, which was actually pretty late. I don't think we made it out of dinner until 10:30PM every single night, which in turn, cut into the 1 or 2 evening adult activities we wanted to do. So we decided we really enjoy anytime or freestyle dining because it fits our way of eating much more. 

We had dinner in the dining rooms every night except on Frozen night. The menu just did not look appetizing that night and we heard from people who had eaten, that it wasn't that great. However, every meal we had in the dining rooms was great. Really no complaints here. 

Cabanas on the other hand....it was meh. Breakfast left a lot to be desired. Eggs had zero flavor, Mickey waffles were dry and rather hard, fruit was mushy, etc. We ended up only eating breakfast 2 or 3 times. 

I was a little annoyed on embarkation day because we were late to board. The previous sailing had run into some issues with disembarking so everything was running behind. We knew something was up because we had taken DCL transport from Heathrow airport thinking when we arrived at the port at 1:30 PM, we could walk right on. Instead, we arrived to a huge line stretching outside the terminal. We didn't get to even board the ship until almost 3PM. So we dropped our bags off and got up to Cabanas as fast as we could thinking we'll just grab something quick...and it was already closed up. I understand that they still have to get ready for dinner, but under the circumstances, maybe an exception should have been made?  Every other day, lunch was only served until 2PM, which seemed so early to me, especially with the late dinner not until 8:30. It also didn't open again until 6:30 for dinner. It was actually closed off to guests during the "down" time, which I found strange because the Carnival lido deck buffets are still open to guests at all times. Yes, the grill and deli and pizza are still open outside until 6PM, but when it's 60 degrees outside did they not think maybe guests just want to use a table inside instead of on deck? Just a thought! So unfortunately, Cabanas gets an overall thumbs down from me. 

We did not get a chance to order room service and I wish I would have. Just not time.

To be continued!  Also, I keep trying to post photos but does anyone know how to rotate them? They all show up correctly on my computer, but are sideways when I try to insert them in my post!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> Good morning everyone! We are officially home from our DCL British Isles cruise! We had an amazing trip and I feel like there is so much to mention. I'll try my best, but if anyone has any specific questions, please feel free to ask! I won't go day by day or anything, but will try to review and compare different aspects of the actual cruise itself and talk about the ports.
> 
> I will start off by saying, this cruise was completely different than your "normal" Caribbean sailing. I mean I was packing jeans and sweatshirts and leggings vs. swimsuits and shorts. The crowd was older and more subdued and we saw few children. I imagine it would be similar to an Alaskan cruise. We expected all this and were fine with it.
> 
> It was also our first cruise where the actual ship came second. Usually the ship plays a big role in what actual cruise we end up choosing. Ports are important, don't get me wrong, but the actual ship is super important to us because we spend a lot of time on it! In this case, it was basically just using the ship as a means to get from Port A to Port B. And all the ports were awesome! DH & I agreed that we needed at least another day in each of them. I think this cruise needed to be a 9 or 10 day for sure. Overnights in each of the ports would have been a real selling point for this voyage.
> 
> Ok, so the ports themselves:
> 
> Dublin - We DEFINITELY needed another day here. I booked tickets for a Hop On-Hop Off bus and tickets to the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum. Both were worth it. Dublin is a really neat city, but it is so bustling and so much traffic in such a small space. Just getting around the city took a lot of time. We also shopped on Grafton Street and found an awesome Irish pub (which was a priority!) for drinks and lunch. If we had had another day, we would have gotten out to the countryside for sure.
> 
> Belfast - I'm ashamed to say I didn't know really anything about this country before visiting. It was another bustling city with so much history. We also did a HOHO bus here and also booked tickets for the Crumlin Road Gaol and the Titanic Museum. I highly recommend the HOHO and both of these attractions, especially the Titanic Museum. It covers more of the actual construction of the ship and the berth where it was built is still there. Amazing place. Looking at the itinerary for next year, I see Belfast isn't on it, which I find unfortunate. We had a great time here.
> 
> Greenock, Scotland - We booked a 3rd party tour here, through Discover Scotland Tours, and it turned out to be a great decision. We had a small bus of only 16 people and were driven out through the Highlands, saw numerous lochs and castles, had lunch at a pub/inn that you literally picture in your mind when you think of Scotland, and had a great tour guide. It was a full day excursion and we paid about $100 for 2 of us. DCL offered a similar excursion and I believe it was $150 per person. So that was a win. We got some of the best photos on this tour and it was nice to get out of the city!
> 
> Liverpool - Home of the Beatles! We actually did an escape room here! (DH & I love escape rooms!) What was great about this port was we could literally walk off the ship into the city. No buses or transfers needed. It was very welcome after the other ports. We had a leisurely day here. The waterfront where we were had tons of shops, museums, and restaurants to enjoy and it was a little more low key than our other days.
> 
> So onto the ship itself:
> 
> Stateroom - We had a deluxe Oceanview on deck 2 midship. We loved the location of our room, it was so convenient, especially since the Magic isn't that large or hard to get around. DH & I decided we do like the DCL staterooms over Carnival. The porthole window was huge, decor is so cute, the bed was very comfortable, and you just can't beat the split bathrooms. The only thing I can nitpick about was the lack of shelving/drawer space. The closet needed some shelving because I don't like hanging everything up. And we had maybe 2 deep drawers? The others were very small and shallow. Oh and the hairdryer was hopeless. The most underpowered thing ever.
> 
> Food/Dining - I have mixed feelings about set dining times now. On one hand, we loved having the same dining team with us every night. And getting to experience the theming and different restaurants is wonderful. On the other hand, it's inconvenient. The early dining time was 6PM, which was too early, so we had late dining at 8:30, which was actually pretty late. I don't think we made it out of dinner until 10:30PM every single night, which in turn, cut into the 1 or 2 evening adult activities we wanted to do. So we decided we really enjoy anytime or freestyle dining because it fits our way of eating much more.
> 
> We had dinner in the dining rooms every night except on Frozen night. The menu just did not look appetizing that night and we heard from people who had eaten, that it wasn't that great. However, every meal we had in the dining rooms was great. Really no complaints here.
> 
> Cabanas on the other hand....it was meh. Breakfast left a lot to be desired. Eggs had zero flavor, Mickey waffles were dry and rather hard, fruit was mushy, etc. We ended up only eating breakfast 2 or 3 times.
> 
> I was a little annoyed on embarkation day because we were late to board. The previous sailing had run into some issues with disembarking so everything was running behind. We knew something was up because we had taken DCL transport from Heathrow airport thinking when we arrived at the port at 1:30 PM, we could walk right on. Instead, we arrived to a huge line stretching outside the terminal. We didn't get to even board the ship until almost 3PM. So we dropped our bags off and got up to Cabanas as fast as we could thinking we'll just grab something quick...and it was already closed up. I understand that they still have to get ready for dinner, but under the circumstances, maybe an exception should have been made?  Every other day, lunch was only served until 2PM, which seemed so early to me, especially with the late dinner not until 8:30. It also didn't open again until 6:30 for dinner. It was actually closed off to guests during the "down" time, which I found strange because the Carnival lido deck buffets are still open to guests at all times. Yes, the grill and deli and pizza are still open outside until 6PM, but when it's 60 degrees outside did they not think maybe guests just want to use a table inside instead of on deck? Just a thought! So unfortunately, Cabanas gets an overall thumbs down from me.
> 
> We did not get a chance to order room service and I wish I would have. Just not time.
> 
> To be continued!  Also, I keep trying to post photos but does anyone know how to rotate them? They all show up correctly on my computer, but are sideways when I try to insert them in my post!


I can hardly wait to hear more, sounds like it’s going to be a good review.


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## neatokimmo

I just wanted to say hi, we leave on the Horizon for an 8 day southern cruise in 30 days


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## Club Disney Chandler

neatokimmo said:


> I just wanted to say hi, we leave on the Horizon for an 8 day southern cruise in 30 days


Have an awesome time, that’s a great itinerary!  Let us know what you think when you get back please.


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## lklgoodman

Belle032,  can't wait to hear more about your trip.  I would love to try an escape room.  I haven't been on the Magic since 2001.  But we always stay in the same type of cabin when we sail on the Wonder.  Did your cabin not have a large unit with drawers across from your bed, next to the desk? The cabins on the Wonder have it, I use a ton of drawers so I like it.  That's one thing I miss about the Fantasy deck 2 cabins because they don't have it.  The Fantasy does have some drawers next to the closet, but not enough for us.  Did you have a hairdryer in your desk?  Those are usually great.  The ones in the bathroom are horrible.  I don't know why they don't get rid of them.  If the Magic only has the bathroom ones. I'll have to bring mine.  Sounds like you all did some great excursions.  I don't know how to do photos, hopefully someone can help you.


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## belle032

DCL Magic - British Isles! Continued!

*Entertainment* – Overall, it was good. This is where I think you really have to determine what is right for you and your family on a cruise.

The stage shows were wonderful. We saw Tangled & Disney Dreams, missed Twice Charmed. Both shows were extremely well done. Top notch acting, singing, costumes, stage sets, etc. I expected nothing less. Tangled could easily have been a show in Hollywood Studios, it was great. However, Disney Dreams was kind of like Believe. It was cute and had a great message, but a one and done for us.

Character meet & greets were abundant and lines never got too crazy. The lobby was closed off one afternoon for the Princess meet (free, but ticketed) and it was almost empty. They started letting “regular” people in I believe, which was nice.

Adult activities were pretty limited during the day. I honestly saw trivia & bingo. Oh, we did attend the DVC presentation on the 2nd sea day, just because we were curious and I did go to the Officer Pin Trading. On a Caribbean cruise, this wouldn’t affect us much because we would be in the pools or on deck most of the day, however, on this cruise where you spend the majority of time inside, it felt a little lacking. We did do a bunch of trivia, but that was mostly because of the other couples we met and ended up hanging out with quite a bunch. So, we had fun doing it for sure, but if it was just the 2 of us, not so much. There were small stretches of time where we did get a little bored. DH missed having a casino as he likes dropping in and going through $20 or so, but I didn’t mind it at all.

The adult evening entertainment was much better and we had a great time at the various activities, but except for a Club DJ, it was over at 11PM. This really didn’t matter on this particular cruise, because we were so tired every night, but I can see on a Caribbean cruise, we would be a little disappointed. We do enjoy the late-night activities for the most part.

Variety acts were pretty good. We enjoyed the ventriloquist/comedian the most. We actually saw him twice, both an adult and family show. They also had Junk, DNA (a mind reading duo from Britain’s Got Talent), and an Irish singing group.


*Public Spaces* – The ship is beautiful and very clean, no debate here. And it was pretty easy to get around once you got your bearings. It did feel smaller compared to other ships we’ve been on, but I don’t consider that a negative at all. I really liked how the shops are laid out and how you can go from one to the other. DH missed the towering atrium that is attributed to Carnival, but you aren’t going to find that anywhere else anyway.

Dining rooms are wonderful, the theming is second to none and I know you wouldn’t find that anywhere else.

Theaters are a little small and we didn’t really enjoy the “old timey” theater seats, especially DH who is 6’3! I very much prefer the wide benches and tables in the Carnival theaters.

Adult spaces were very nice and we spent almost every evening in them. I appreciate that they keep them adult only for sure. Love the concept for O’Gills, but it feels a little tired and in need of a refresh and Fathoms just needed to be larger! It was standing room only for a lot of adult activities. Piano bar was really pretty, but really smelled like smoke and we didn’t spend time here.

The adult pool was a great space and I could see us spending lots of time here on a warmer weather cruise. Hot tubs were way too small though! Cove Café was awesome, had great coffees and little appetizers. DH found out that you could get larger beers here for the same price as the smaller sizes offered everywhere else on the ship. It was like the Disney Beer mug deal without actually buying the deal. I think we were paying $6 for a 21 oz, where everywhere else it was $6 for a 16 oz. This was confirmed by the other couples we were with. (Just a helpful tip for any beer drinkers out there!) One downside, that I know I’m probably in the minority on, was that you couldn’t have drinks in the pool or hot tubs. Someone had a bottle of water on the side of the hot tub one day and were made to remove it. We do like to have a cocktail or other drink while we’re relaxing in the water on Carnival and I’ve never encountered anyone abusing it or anything, but again, I understand why Disney doesn’t allow it.


*Service* – Top notch, as expected. Amazing dining team and room steward and we did tip them extra at the end of the cruise. No complaints about the service whatsoever. I will say, however, we have never experienced bad service on any cruise line. We appreciate all the crew members no matter what line we sail.

Our Club Host, Tony, was awesome! So fun and we're glad we had him! The Cruise Director was Terry (maybe?) and he seemed nice, but you didn't see him around at all. It wasn't like Carnival where the Cruise Director is EVERYWHERE. I can see why the Club Host play a much bigger part in your cruise experience. 


*Other Passengers* – We met some great people on this cruise. Our dining mates were great, as were the 2 other couples we actually met standing in line on embarkation day. We hung out with them almost every evening and actually spent a day in London with one couple after the cruise. Overall, everyone seemed generally nice, friendly, and happy to be there.

But there was one negative that I have to mention. When talking to someone, the topic of “is this your first cruise?” inevitably came up. And we would say well it’s our first Disney cruise, but we do cruise pretty extensively. And I’m not kidding, 99% of the time, the response would be some variation of “Oh but this is much better, right?” or “You won’t go back to any other cruise lines after this, right? Nothing can come close to this!” And while I did just respond with “Well, we’re having a great time, but actually we really enjoy cruising other lines as well…” it got to the point where I wanted to yell “Stop looking down on us because we don’t exclusively cruise on Disney ships!” It happened enough where I got annoyed of having to defend our decision to cruise other lines. It’s never happened to us before. So, this may have been out of the ordinary, or because over 75% of the passengers were repeat Disney cruisers. Don’t know, but it did rub us the wrong way.


*Overall* – We had a wonderful time. We met some great people, ate great food, and made great memories. The ports were the selling point of this cruise and that’s the main reason why we chose it. Again, the ship itself was secondary. I would book this itinerary again if it was longer. We just needed some more time! Looking at the British Isles itinerary for 2020, I see it’s still 7 days, but they added another port. While it still looks fun, we (and the couples we were with) thought that it was too many ports crammed into too many days. This cruise would be best as a 9 or 10 day.

DH & I both determined that while we had a wonderful time, DCL is probably not our first choice for sailing the Bahamas or Caribbean. And that’s fine. However, for a “specialty” cruise like Europe or the Mediterranean or even Alaska? I would consider DCL for sure. But we cannot justify the price for what we are looking for in our “normal” cruise experience. We like beverage packages and adult comedians and anytime dining and late-night entertainment and bars that are open past midnight. While DCL doesn’t offer that for us, they offer a lot to people who are looking for a great Disney/Family focused experience. We love Disney World, so that’s where our Disney dollars will be spent in the future (planning a trip for Fall 2020!) But no cruise line is better than another. All that matters is the cruise that’s right for YOU.

I think that about covers it! If you have any questions, please please please ask!


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## belle032

lklgoodman said:


> Belle032,  can't wait to hear more about your trip.  I would love to try an escape room.  I haven't been on the Magic since 2001.  But we always stay in the same type of cabin when we sail on the Wonder.  Did your cabin not have a large unit with drawers across from your bed, next to the desk? The cabins on the Wonder have it, I use a ton of drawers so I like it.  That's one thing I miss about the Fantasy deck 2 cabins because they don't have it.  The Fantasy does have some drawers next to the closet, but not enough for us.  Did you have a hairdryer in your desk?  Those are usually great.  The ones in the bathroom are horrible.  I don't know why they don't get rid of them.  If the Magic only has the bathroom ones. I'll have to bring mine.  Sounds like you all did some great excursions.  I don't know how to do photos, hopefully someone can help you.



There was a small unit next to the closet with one deep drawer and maybe 2 other shallow drawers? The storage issue wasn't enough to complain about really, I think I was just looking for some shelves in the closet!  There was a hairdryer in the desk and one in the bathroom. Both were pretty useless. But I also have long, thick hair! If a good hairdryer is important to you, I'd maybe bring your own. It wasn't a big deal to me, I don't dry my hair often, especially on warm weather cruises, but it was a definite observation!


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## lklgoodman

I think we had Junk on one of our cruises, but not sure.  Did they play music with different items and do some break dancing(I remember a guy spinning on his head)  3 or 4 guys maybe?  Kinda like the Bucket and Boards?


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## belle032

lklgoodman said:


> I think we had Junk on one of our cruises, but not sure.  Did they play music with different items and do some break dancing(I remember a guy spinning on his head)  3 or 4 guys maybe?  Kinda like the Bucket and Boards?



Yes, that's exactly what it was. They were fun & entertaining, but I think they would be another one and done type thing!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I don’t know if we’ll keep it for sure but deposit is only $50/person so we had to book it. Now it’s time to research Norwegian and figure out the way they do things. For only $7500 for 4 people in 2 inside cabins, it’s a no brained to book and research. https://www.ncl.com/cruises/9-day-s...40&itineraryCode=ESCAPE9CPHWARTLLLEDHELNYNCPH


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I don’t know if we’ll keep it for sure but deposit is only $50/person so we had to book it. Now it’s time to research Norwegian and figure out the way they do things. For only $7500 for 4 people in 2 inside cabins, it’s a no brained to book and research. https://www.ncl.com/cruises/9-day-s...40&itineraryCode=ESCAPE9CPHWARTLLLEDHELNYNCPH


You did it!  That is so awesome.  I will certainly follow a detailed report if you do one.

I am still anxiously awaiting a Carnival announcement for British Isles.  NCL seems to only do that itinerary at the shoulder season and RCCL only does 1 or 2 from Amsterdam.  Neither of those scenarios fits our time frame or where we want to go.  Our only other option would be shoving 4 of us into an Inside or OV on Princess.  They are too expensive for my budget for anything else so I really need Carnival to come through!

My mom/daughter cruise is coming up in 11 days!  Very excited to get away for a bit of RnR.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I don’t know if we’ll keep it for sure but deposit is only $50/person so we had to book it. Now it’s time to research Norwegian and figure out the way they do things. For only $7500 for 4 people in 2 inside cabins, it’s a no brained to book and research. https://www.ncl.com/cruises/9-day-s...40&itineraryCode=ESCAPE9CPHWARTLLLEDHELNYNCPH


Did you get the fly free offer?  Or is that only domestic?


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> You did it!  That is so awesome.  I will certainly follow a detailed report if you do one.
> 
> I am still anxiously awaiting a Carnival announcement for British Isles.  NCL seems to only do that itinerary at the shoulder season and RCCL only does 1 or 2 from Amsterdam.  Neither of those scenarios fits our time frame or where we want to go.  Our only other option would be shoving 4 of us into an Inside or OV on Princess.  They are too expensive for my budget for anything else so I really need Carnival to come through!
> 
> My mom/daughter cruise is coming up in 11 days!  Very excited to get away for a bit of RnR.



That Carnival Legend cruise that's going to Iceland and I think Ireland/Scotland (correct me if I'm wrong!) sold out in days. I'm really hoping they'll see a new market here and offer more similar cruises to answer the demand! That itinerary looks amazing and it makes me hopeful for the future!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Did you get the fly free offer?  Or is that only domestic?


It would have been reduced air, so $900 from Phoenix. Didn’t do it because we don’t have any choice or say in anything regarding the flights. They can’t even guarantee that we would be on the same flights as our kids because we are booked in separate cabins.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Did you get the fly free offer?  Or is that only domestic?


I started researching some fights and it looks like we can fly Norwegian Air for about $1100 each, so I’ll just book it on my own. 

I also just read that if we book excursions in Russia through NCL, we don’t need a tourist visa, but if we book on our own or just want to get off the ship and explore on our own we’ll need to apply for tourist Visas.  Kind of bummed about that because we overnight there so are in port for about 32 hours.


----------



## bcwife76

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I don’t know if we’ll keep it for sure but deposit is only $50/person so we had to book it. Now it’s time to research Norwegian and figure out the way they do things. For only $7500 for 4 people in 2 inside cabins, it’s a no brained to book and research. https://www.ncl.com/cruises/9-day-s...40&itineraryCode=ESCAPE9CPHWARTLLLEDHELNYNCPH


We have the 7 night booked on the Magic for August 2020, but are seriously considering jumping ship (as it were) to NCL and the Escape for the same itinerary!


----------



## Pens Fan

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I started researching some fights and it looks like we can fly Norwegian Air for about $1100 each, so I’ll just book it on my own.
> 
> I also just read that if we book excursions in Russia through NCL, we don’t need a tourist visa, but if we book on our own or just want to get off the ship and explore on our own we’ll need to apply for tourist Visas.  Kind of bummed about that because we overnight there so are in port for about 32 hours.



There are some independent tour companies that will supply the visas for you.  We've not done that itinerary, but I've read a few trip reports of others that have.  Check out the trip reports on this forum for that route as well as the Russia specific forum on Cruise Critic and I'm sure you can find some vendors that can supply you the required visas and give you a great tour for much less than any cruise line will.

One thing I will add is that if you think there is any chance you will go through NCL for _*any*_ excursions double check to make sure you aren't eligible for an additional $50 per port shore excursion credit for declining the free/reduced airfare.   Note:  this is a seperate offer they have right now in addition to the their normal booking perks you can choose from.  Like you guys we prefer to control our airfare ourselves, but were able to call and add the shore excursion credit to a reservation we have for 2021 as we had declined the reduced airfare at booking.  We don't book a lot of excursions through the cruise line (though we have done a few when it appeared to make sense), but we figured locking in that discount made sense in case we decided to go that route.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I started researching some fights and it looks like we can fly Norwegian Air for about $1100 each, so I’ll just book it on my own.
> 
> I also just read that if we book excursions in Russia through NCL, we don’t need a tourist visa, but if we book on our own or just want to get off the ship and explore on our own we’ll need to apply for tourist Visas.  Kind of bummed about that because we overnight there so are in port for about 32 hours.


If you book a tour with an independent company they will supply the visa.  There are many companies that offer 2-day tours.  I've looked into several and most also offer tours in the other Baltic ports and give a discount if you book for multiple stops.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

bcwife76 said:


> We have the 7 night booked on the Magic for August 2020, but are seriously considering jumping ship (as it were) to NCL and the Escape for the same itinerary!


If you do, please let me know what you think!


----------



## mevelandry

Last day of work before my vacation!  In a week from now, I'll be boarding the Mariner of the Seas (we're staying at Universal for a few days before the cruise).

I'm very excited and I'm not gonna lie... As "budget friendly" cruise lines, I can't wait to see how RCCL and Carnival compare! I'm kind of expecting something in between Carnival and Disney Cruise Line when it comes to decor and entertainment.

I can't wait to write a "Triple Threat Match Review" when I come back 

EDIT: We won the Royal Up bet and have just been upgraded to a  "*Spacious Panoramic Ocean View Stateroom*". I'm so excited. I've always wanted to experience one.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Last day of work for me too @mevelandry!  We are leaving Sunday to drive to New Orleans and Monday we board the Valor.  I need this getaway so badly!  Enjoy your time away and safe travels.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Last day of work for me too @mevelandry!  We are leaving Sunday to drive to New Orleans and Monday we board the Valor.  I need this getaway so badly!  Enjoy your time away and safe travels.



Same to you! Can't wait to read your review when you come back!


----------



## suedon70

mevelandry said:


> Last day of work before my vacation!  In a week from now, I'll be boarding the Mariner of the Seas (we're staying at Universal for a few days before the cruise).
> 
> I'm very excited and I'm not gonna lie... As "budget friendly" cruise lines, I can't wait to see how RCCL and Carnival compare! I'm kind of expecting something in between Carnival and Disney Cruise Line when it comes to decor and entertainment.
> 
> I can't wait to write a "Triple Threat Match Review" when I come back



Hope you have a great time! I will be very interested in your review because my daughter and I will be sailing the Mariner in December


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Last day of work before my vacation!  In a week from now, I'll be boarding the Mariner of the Seas (we're staying at Universal for a few days before the cruise).
> 
> I'm very excited and I'm not gonna lie... As "budget friendly" cruise lines, I can't wait to see how RCCL and Carnival compare! I'm kind of expecting something in between Carnival and Disney Cruise Line when it comes to decor and entertainment.
> 
> I can't wait to write a "Triple Threat Match Review" when I come back





trvlgirlmq said:


> Last day of work for me too @mevelandry!  We are leaving Sunday to drive to New Orleans and Monday we board the Valor.  I need this getaway so badly!  Enjoy your time away and safe travels.


Have a great time both of you!! Great time of year to hit the sea!  I wonder if you will have Halloween  decorations on board.  Can’t wait to hear about your trips.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Last day of work before my vacation!  In a week from now, I'll be boarding the Mariner of the Seas (we're staying at Universal for a few days before the cruise).
> 
> I'm very excited and I'm not gonna lie... As "budget friendly" cruise lines, I can't wait to see how RCCL and Carnival compare! I'm kind of expecting something in between Carnival and Disney Cruise Line when it comes to decor and entertainment.
> 
> I can't wait to write a "Triple Threat Match Review" when I come back





trvlgirlmq said:


> Last day of work for me too @mevelandry!  We are leaving Sunday to drive to New Orleans and Monday we board the Valor.  I need this getaway so badly!  Enjoy your time away and safe travels.



Hope you both have a great time! Can't wait to hear a RCCL comparison. I'm open to RCCL (I did one quite a few years ago with an ex-boyfriend and just don't remember too much about it ) but DH just isn't at all. I would also love to hear about sailing out of New Orleans for the future. We'd like to spend a few days there and just being able to combine that with a cruise would be perfect.

Happy sailing!! 🛳


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Have a great time both of you!! Great time of year to hit the sea!  I wonder if you will have Halloween  decorations on board.  Can’t wait to hear about your trips.



I hope we will.


----------



## mevelandry

And we just got "Royal'ed up" on top of that.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> And we just got "Royal'ed up" on top of that.


Is that an upgrade?  Hope so!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Last day of work before my vacation!  In a week from now, I'll be boarding the Mariner of the Seas (we're staying at Universal for a few days before the cruise).
> 
> I'm very excited and I'm not gonna lie... As "budget friendly" cruise lines, I can't wait to see how RCCL and Carnival compare! I'm kind of expecting something in between Carnival and Disney Cruise Line when it comes to decor and entertainment.
> 
> I can't wait to write a "Triple Threat Match Review" when I come back
> 
> EDIT: We won the Royal Up bet and have just been upgraded to a  "*Spacious Panoramic Ocean View Stateroom*". I'm so excited. I've always wanted to experience one.


So excited for you, those panoramic rooms are awesome!  Can hardly wait to hear about it!!!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> Hope you both have a great time! Can't wait to hear a RCCL comparison. I'm open to RCCL (I did one quite a few years ago with an ex-boyfriend and just don't remember too much about it ) but DH just isn't at all. I would also love to hear about sailing out of New Orleans for the future. We'd like to spend a few days there and just being able to combine that with a cruise would be perfect.
> 
> Happy sailing!! 🛳


We have sailed from New Orleans twice before.  We don't particularly care for the city.  We aren't into drinking and partying so not really our scene. Plus it's dirty, smelly and has a really huge homeless problem.  The best thing about it is sailing down the Mississippi.  That is really neat.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

New Orleans definitely has a grunge element.  It is almost like a Caribbean city.   But we love sailing out of NOLA because the parking is safe and right by the port (like Miami and Canaveral)... plus The port is basically in the city.  Most ports (at least the ones we’ve been too) are in industrial areas.  Nola’s port is blocks from the French quarter and you can walk right along the Mississippi through the river walk (outlet mall- bonus lol) to get there.  Also, food is pretty inexpensive.  Lots of reasonable and unique sandwich shops and bakeries as well as historic buildings, many of which you can tour or have been turned into bars and restaurants so you can see them, and there are museums— like the ww2 museum  (also within walking distance of the port).  
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/It is just a unique city because it was settled by both the French and then the Spanish and then the French.   Mevelandry if that is where you are leaving from, you will love the French history there!  Not as pretty and French and clean (lol) as Quebec but still lots of French influences and lots to see.


----------



## tinkerone

mevelandry said:


> EDIT: We won the Royal Up bet and have just been upgraded to a  "*Spacious Panoramic Ocean View Stateroom*". I'm so excited. I've always wanted to experience one.


Could you share your Royal Up experience?  What did you start with, what was the asking bid, what did you put in as a bid, that sort of thing.  We really love Royal now and have more booked for 2020 but I'm not sure how this program actually works.  We booked a B2B with a central park balcony, which we LOVE, but would like to try one of the suites.  For the cost difference now I wouldn't be bothered but if we could figure out Royal Up and get a good deal we might consider trying.  
Thanks for any information you can give.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Is that an upgrade?  Hope so!



Yes, sort of. You « bet » a certain amount per person in hopes to be upgraded to a better cabin. We went from the cheapest inside cabin to a « Spacious Panoramic Ocean View » with the minimum bid! Crazy! (About 40$ USD/pp when smaller port holes cabins were starting at  100$ USD more /pp) ... 

The Spacious Panoramic Ocean View is like a regular cabin but the port hole goes from the floor to the ceiling and from wall to wall. They were added in 2018 and look amazing.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> We have sailed from New Orleans twice before.  We don't particularly care for the city.  We aren't into drinking and partying so not really our scene. Plus it's dirty, smelly and has a really huge homeless problem.  The best thing about it is sailing down the Mississippi.  That is really neat.



Even in the French Quarter? That’s disappointing.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> New Orleans definitely has a grunge element.  It is almost like a Caribbean city.   But we love sailing out of NOLA because the parking is safe and right by the port (like Miami and Canaveral)... plus The port is basically in the city.  Most ports (at least the ones we’ve been too) are in industrial areas.  Nola’s port is blocks from the French quarter and you can walk right along the Mississippi through the river walk (outlet mall- bonus lol) to get there.  Also, food is pretty inexpensive.  Lots of reasonable and unique sandwich shops and bakeries as well as historic buildings, many of which you can tour or have been turned into bars and restaurants so you can see them, and there are museums— like the ww2 museum  (also within walking distance of the port).
> https://www.nationalww2museum.org/It is just a unique city because it was settled by both the French and then the Spanish and then the French.   Mevelandry if that is where you are leaving from, you will love the French history there!  Not as pretty and French and clean (lol) as Quebec but still lots of French influences and lots to see.



You must like Montreal and Quebec City. People disembark in the best area of both cities.

We are departing from Montreal.  (It’s where we live).


----------



## mevelandry

tinkerone said:


> Could you share your Royal Up experience?  What did you start with, what was the asking bid, what did you put in as a bid, that sort of thing.  We really love Royal now and have more booked for 2020 but I'm not sure how this program actually works.  We booked a B2B with a central park balcony, which we LOVE, but would like to try one of the suites.  For the cost difference now I wouldn't be bothered but if we could figure out Royal Up and get a good deal we might consider trying.
> Thanks for any information you can give.



With great pleasure.

I went on the Royal Up page and entered our sailing info. (Sometimes it will tell you to come back 1 month before your sailing. Depends on the sailing.)

They gave us a choice of three types of cabins we could bet on: Inside Promenade View, Ocean View or Verandah. (I believe people who booked verandah can sometimes bet on suites).

We bet on all three. Now, the bets were all in Canadian Money but if we make the change in USD, the minimum bid for those were, Promenade View 40$ USD/pp, Ocean View 40$ USD/pp and Verandah 100$ USD/pp. You don’t lose any money if your offer is rejected...

I was not expecting to win anything and since we have another cruise coming up soon, I was not able to bet more than the minimum bid. Low expectations. LOL

To my surprise, 7 days before the cruise, we received a « You have been upgraded » email and the new papers we needed for the cruise with the new cabin number. You have to print your papers again because you get new luggage tags, etc. They will send you a new bill with the Royal Up offer included in the total price. They charge your credit card as soon as they accept your offer (same day you receive the response).

*****************************************************************************

When I saw that we received a 1L, I thought it was a small porthole cabin on Deck 1 — I was very happy about it! — then I made a research and it gave me a youtube video of the cabin...

My jaw dropped. I went to my RCCL account to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

I’ve had inside, port holes and verandahs before but never had a panoramic view, and it’s always been on the list of cabins I’d like to have someday. I’m extremely excited.

On top of that, based on videos I’ve seen the cabins are situated around the spa, in a tiny area of the ship on deck 12 (only 30 cabins) we have the Mini-Golf right over us, the gym and the quiet pool right below us, secret doors to get there, etc.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> So excited for you, those panoramic rooms are awesome!  Can hardly wait to hear about it!!!



Will try to post pictures when we get there.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> You must like Montreal and Quebec City. People disembark in the best area of both cities.
> 
> We are departing from Montreal.  (It’s where we live).


Glad to hear you do not have to travel far to get to your cruise... even better!  Unfortunately, I have not been to Montreal,  just Quebec City.  I drove there with friends from New York years ago and it was beautiful.  We have not left from either port but will eventually get there.


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> We have sailed from New Orleans twice before.  We don't particularly care for the city.  We aren't into drinking and partying so not really our scene. Plus it's dirty, smelly and has a really huge homeless problem.  The best thing about it is sailing down the Mississippi.  That is really neat.



My sister-in-law just returned from a work trip in New Orleans. Honestly, she pretty much said everything you did. She had fun, said the food was awesome and the WW2 Museum is absolutely amazing, but she doesn't care to go back. 

DH & I love the "darker" side of cities, so I think we would be really interested in the paranormal/ghost/voodoo aspect of New Orleans. Seeing the French Quarter, trying some yummy food, shopping a bit, and getting a few cocktails would be fun too. But it sounds like a 1-2 days would be more than enough for us. 

Happy to hear the port itself and sailing away is very nice. So I think pairing it with a cruise would be a good way to go.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Glad to hear you do not have to travel far to get to your cruise... even better!  Unfortunately, I have not been to Montreal,  just Quebec City.  I drove there with friends from New York years ago and it was beautiful.  We have not left from either port but will eventually get there.



Montreal has been under major constructions for the last 2 years. However, it will be very nice when everything is done.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> My sister-in-law just returned from a work trip in New Orleans. Honestly, she pretty much said everything you did. She had fun, said the food was awesome and the WW2 Museum is absolutely amazing, but she doesn't care to go back.
> 
> DH & I love the "darker" side of cities, so I think we would be really interested in the paranormal/ghost/voodoo aspect of New Orleans. Seeing the French Quarter, trying some yummy food, shopping a bit, and getting a few cocktails would be fun too. But it sounds like a 1-2 days would be more than enough for us.
> 
> Happy to hear the port itself and sailing away is very nice. So I think pairing it with a cruise would be a good way to go.



I wonder if they have some "Haunted Tours" like we have in Montreal? :O


----------



## trvlgirlmq

View from our room in New Orleans; Carnival Glory (not our ship). Can’t wait to board the Valor tomorrow.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> View from our room in New Orleans; Carnival Glory (not our ship). Can’t wait to board the Valor tomorrow.View attachment 441974


Great view


----------



## trvlgirlmq

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Great view


Loews Hotel 21st Floor! I highly recommend.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> View from our room in New Orleans; Carnival Glory (not our ship). Can’t wait to board the Valor tomorrow.View attachment 441974


I’m very excited to hear about your cruise when you return, please let us know how it went.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> View from our room in New Orleans; Carnival Glory (not our ship). Can’t wait to board the Valor tomorrow.View attachment 441974



Have a great cruise!!!


----------



## wilafur

mevelandry said:


> I wonder if they have some "Haunted Tours" like we have in Montreal? :O


Yup, there are a bunch of haunted tours to choose from while visiting NO. We did a haunted walking tour through the French Quarter and it was a blast.


----------



## MouseinMelbourne

mevelandry said:


> We bet on all three. Now, the bets were all in Canadian Money but if we make the change in USD, the minimum bid for those were, Promenade View 40$ USD/pp, Ocean View 40$ USD/pp and Verandah 100$ USD/pp. You don’t lose any money if your offer is rejected...



Are those bids per person, per DAY?  Or just per person?


----------



## mevelandry

MouseinMelbourne said:


> Are those bids per person, per DAY?  Or just per person?



The "added" rate per person for the whole cruise.

Ex: Let's say we paid 300$/pp, we ended up paying 340$/pp ...


----------



## MouseinMelbourne

mevelandry said:


> The "added" rate per person for the whole cruise.
> 
> Ex: Let's say we paid 300$/pp, we ended up paying 340$/pp ...



wow!  Now I’m feeling even more priced out of DCL.  We need to bite the bullet and try another line.


----------



## mevelandry

MouseinMelbourne said:


> wow!  Now I’m feeling even more priced out of DCL.  We need to bite the bullet and try another line.



I'd recommend it. Worst case scenario, it will make you realize that you're really more satisfied with DCL. Best case scenario, you'll fall in love with a new cruise line and you'll save a lot of money. 

DH and I realized with time that we liked the cruising part more than the Mouse. Now we are ready to miss out on a thing or two to pay only half the DCL prices (and it gives us more money for add-ons).


----------



## mevelandry

Guys, we are currently leaving the Marriott Renaissance Orlando Airport Hotel... 

This hotel is a great value (cheaper than the Hyatt) and the service is Disneyesque here. Plus they have little freebies like Gatorade G2 in the gym, bottles of water, free wifi in the lobby and in the room... (And somehow, we ended up with free continental breakfast which was great.) They have a nice pool and a jacuzzi. A restaurant, a bar and a coffee place with gigantic cinnamon buns...

Good place. We slept like babies. Liked it very much. 

If you need a good hotel in Orlando before a cruise, I recommend it. It's just a 7 min ride from the Airport.


----------



## lklgoodman

mevelandry said:


> Guys, we are currently leaving the Marriott Renaissance Orlando Airport Hotel...
> 
> This hotel is a great value (cheaper than the Hyatt) and the service is Disneyesque here. Plus they have little freebies like Gatorade G2 in the gym, bottles of water, free wifi in the lobby and in the room... (And somehow, we ended up with free continental breakfast which was great.) They have a nice pool and a jacuzzi. A restaurant, a bar and a coffee place with gigantic cinnamon buns...
> 
> Good place. We slept like babies. Liked it very much.
> 
> If you need a good hotel in Orlando before a cruise, I recommend it. It's just a 7 min ride from the Airport.



That's the hotel we're staying in before our next cruise in Jan. Glad to hear you liked it.  Enjoy your cruise!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

My current view! We had a rocky start when we had to return to New Orleans 9 hours after departing for a medical emergency. I’ll say emergency lightly because some idiot overindulged in alcohol and “fell” from deck 10 onto deck 9. Stupid is as stupid does. We arrived only 3 hours late to Cozumel. Kudos to the captain for making up so much time.


----------



## mevelandry

Ok, I am currently on the Mariner of the Seas and you have a new RCCL fan in the house.


----------



## lklgoodman

mevelandry said:


> Ok, I am currently on the Mariner of the Seas and you have a new RCCL fan in the house.



Can't wait to read your review.  Our neighbors LOVE Disney and have done lots of Disney cruises.  They did a RCCL cruise this summer and said they will never sail DCL again.  Not sure which ship they were on, just know it was one of the really big ones with all the fun stuff.


----------



## mcd2745

mevelandry said:


> Last day of work before my vacation!  In a week from now, I'll be boarding the Mariner of the Seas (we're staying at Universal for a few days before the cruise).
> 
> I'm very excited and I'm not gonna lie... As "budget friendly" cruise lines, I can't wait to see how RCCL and Carnival compare! I'm kind of expecting something in between Carnival and Disney Cruise Line when it comes to decor and entertainment.
> 
> I can't wait to write a "Triple Threat Match Review" when I come back
> 
> EDIT: We won the Royal Up bet and have just been upgraded to a  "*Spacious Panoramic Ocean View Stateroom*". I'm so excited. I've always wanted to experience one.




We stayed in one of those on Freedom of the Seas (the largest, "wedge"-shaped room at the corner). It was great.


----------



## quickcat

mevelandry said:


> Ok, I am currently on the Mariner of the Seas and you have a new RCCL fan in the house.


Can hardly wait to hear how you liked it! We are considering switching from the Dream to try out CocoCay. 
Have fun! So jealous- it’s snowing here in Minnesota! Would love to be somewhere with palm trees


----------



## lklgoodman

quickcat said:


> Can hardly wait to hear how you liked it! We are considering switching from the Dream to try out CocoCay.
> Have fun! So jealous- it’s snowing here in Minnesota! Would love to be somewhere with palm trees



My dd would LOVE to have snow right now, not me.  We live in Ohio and it's still been in the 80s all week.  I'm soooooo ready for cooler, Fall weather.  My SIL lives in Albert Lea, MN.  My dd always sulks when she hears about all the snow her cousins get every winter, lol!  Oct. is too early for snow!!!


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> Can't wait to read your review.  Our neighbors LOVE Disney and have done lots of Disney cruises.  They did a RCCL cruise this summer and said they will never sail DCL again.  Not sure which ship they were on, just know it was one of the really big ones with all the fun stuff.



Hi! 

I'm with your neighbors. 

We will most likely never sail with DCL again. 

Everything that Carnival did not have and that I missed from DCL, Royal Caribbean has it (for 1/2 of the price). 

So, for us, it will only be new ships from Carnival + RCCL ships from now on.


----------



## mevelandry

quickcat said:


> Can hardly wait to hear how you liked it! We are considering switching from the Dream to try out CocoCay.
> Have fun! So jealous- it’s snowing here in Minnesota! Would love to be somewhere with palm trees



All I have to say is that for us, CocoCay > Castaway Cay or any other private island we have tried so far.

While it is a tiny bit smaller... It's a whole destination in itself.

They have EVERYTHING (lockers, showers, name it...). The waterpark ($) is great, the beaches are great (mostly sandy, surrounded by rocks that attracts lots of fishes so it's perfect for snorkeling as well), the Oasis pool is gigantic and very nice.

The food they serve there puts Castaway Cay to shame.

Also, the drink packages and the wifi work there (a bit spotty but we managed to make it work when we needed it).

My recommendation: Book a 4 nights that will do a "double dip" there.

If it wasn't for the fact that I have a girls trip booked that stops in CocoCay next year, I'd book another one right away.

Oh and the Mariner is a fantastic ship. Loved it.


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> My dd would LOVE to have snow right now, not me.  We live in Ohio and it's still been in the 80s all week.  I'm soooooo ready for cooler, Fall weather.  My SIL lives in Albert Lea, MN.  My dd always sulks when she hears about all the snow her cousins get every winter, lol!  Oct. is too early for snow!!!



I live in Canada... I like snow at Christmas, hate it the rest of the year. LOL


----------



## mevelandry

FYI...

We have tried Go Port (Canaveral) as shuttles to and from the airport... It was really affordable (15$/pp each way). They were very well organized, fast and efficient. We won't use any other companies from now on.


----------



## Mika02

mevelandry said:


> Hi!
> 
> I'm with your neighbors.
> 
> We will most likely never sail with DCL again.
> 
> Everything that Carnival did not have and that I missed from DCL, Royal Caribbean has it (for 1/2 of the price).
> 
> So, for us, it will only be new ships from Carnival + RCCL ships from now on.



So I did a ship tour for Disney Magic this past Sat and I'm quite torn between this and the Carnival Vista for the same time frame. Pricing is similar but you get 3 extra days on the Vista. I'm really tempted to jump ship for Spring Break. If I don't do it might do it for Christmas since I have my kids next year. I wished they had more things to do for 18 year old on Carnival even the Serenity Deck is 21 plus. 

Question for the folks who have traveled out of Galveston. For anyone that arrived the day before Cruise departure did you stay near the Galveston port or near the Houston airport? If you stayed near the airport did you find it took a long time to get to port with Houston traffic?


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Hi!
> 
> I'm with your neighbors.
> 
> We will most likely never sail with DCL again.
> 
> Everything that Carnival did not have and that I missed from DCL, Royal Caribbean has it (for 1/2 of the price).
> 
> So, for us, it will only be new ships from Carnival + RCCL ships from now on.



Wow, that's amazing. And those Coco Cay photos look so awesome! Definitely more and more tempted to give RCL a try. Can't wait to hear your review!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Wow, that's amazing. And those Coco Cay photos look so awesome! Definitely more and more tempted to give RCL a try. Can't wait to hear your review!



I plan to do a complete review very soon with lots of pictures. I'll post the link here.

But yes, if you like Carnival and Disney, I would recommend to give it a try. To me, it's the best of both worlds with a low price tag.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

A quick Valor review.  

Size: It is a midsize ship and the usual Carnival design where you have to either walk through the casino to get places on Deck 5 or go up/down to get around.  We just hold our breath and walk fast!

Pools: 1 aft for adults and 1 mid for everyone.  This was a Fall Break week so it was pretty crowded. I didn't use the pools but most seats were occupied on our 2 sea days.

Food: Everything we ate was pretty good.  We did MDR 4/5 nights.  We are used to the menus so pretty much had our favorites.  We always choose ATD and we ended up with 3 different wait teams.  All were friendly and efficient and we had no complaints. We did Lido 1 night for dinner and there was an eclectic collection on the buffet. We never got to the pizza this trip but I did have tacos from Blue Iguana, a Guy's burger and a sandwich from the deli.  We also did the Sea Day brunch once and MDR breakfast twice.  I don't know why so many complain about Lido breakfast.  There is literally every breakfast item you could want to choose from.  

Entertainment: Saw 2 production shows and I still dislike them immensely.  They are cheesy and the dancers/singers are never very good.  We did spend every night at the Red Frog Pub listening to the house band Deep Blue Soul.  People, they were put together by Carnival but the level of talent was amazing.  The musicians could all be playing with some big names and the lead singers were phenomenal.  Like, this group could stay together and go on the road.  We had a blast and danced every night away.  We also did the usual trivia and had lots of fun.  I will say the CD was really annoying.  His schtick got old fast.

Room: Our balcony cabin was on Lido deck.  We were near the Atrium elevators and could hear noise when there was something big going on. It was only a couple of nights but I would definitely check my location and move away from the atrium area next time.  We also had the usual rude door banging neighbors.

Boarding/Debarkation:  Both the quickest ever.  We had an 11:30-12 check in time and showed up about 11:15.  We walked right through and into the terminal after parking the car.  My mom uses a cane and after declining a wheelchair they still led us through the handicap line so she didn't have too long.  Once we were checked in and made our way up the elevator they were already boarding out zone. We were literally on ship by 11:30!  We did self assist when we returned and were off the ship and driving out of the garage at 7:30.  

Ports: 
Cozumel - We took a taxi to Paradise Beach.  Spent a few hours lazy on lounge chairs, using the wonderful pool and snacking on nachos and quesadillas.
Progreso - We booked the Holy Guacomole, Salsa and Margaritas excursion through Carnival.  We went to Kokomo Beach Club where we had a cooking class and made guacomole, salsa and 2 kinds of margaritas.  After the class we had about 2 hours to use the beach and pool as well as enjoy the included buffet and 2 drink coupons that we were given. This was a really fun excursion and the beach was gorgeous.

We had a really great time.  Can't wait for next years Mom/Daughter cruise.


----------



## lklgoodman

trvlgirlmq said:


> A quick Valor review.
> 
> Size: It is a midsize ship and the usual Carnival design where you have to either walk through the casino to get places on Deck 5 or go up/down to get around.  We just hold our breath and walk fast!
> 
> Pools: 1 aft for adults and 1 mid for everyone.  This was a Fall Break week so it was pretty crowded. I didn't use the pools but most seats were occupied on our 2 sea days.
> 
> Food: Everything we ate was pretty good.  We did MDR 4/5 nights.  We are used to the menus so pretty much had our favorites.  We always choose ATD and we ended up with 3 different wait teams.  All were friendly and efficient and we had no complaints. We did Lido 1 night for dinner and there was an eclectic collection on the buffet. We never got to the pizza this trip but I did have tacos from Blue Iguana, a Guy's burger and a sandwich from the deli.  We also did the Sea Day brunch once and MDR breakfast twice.  I don't know why so many complain about Lido breakfast.  There is literally every breakfast item you could want to choose from.
> 
> Entertainment: Saw 2 production shows and I still dislike them immensely.  They are cheesy and the dancers/singers are never very good.  We did spend every night at the Red Frog Pub listening to the house band Deep Blue Soul.  People, they were put together by Carnival but the level of talent was amazing.  The musicians could all be playing with some big names and the lead singers were phenomenal.  Like, this group could stay together and go on the road.  We had a blast and danced every night away.  We also did the usual trivia and had lots of fun.  I will say the CD was really annoying.  His schtick got old fast.
> 
> Room: Our balcony cabin was on Lido deck.  We were near the Atrium elevators and could hear noise when there was something big going on. It was only a couple of nights but I would definitely check my location and move away from the atrium area next time.  We also had the usual rude door banging neighbors.
> 
> Boarding/Debarkation:  Both the quickest ever.  We had an 11:30-12 check in time and showed up about 11:15.  We walked right through and into the terminal after parking the car.  My mom uses a cane and after declining a wheelchair they still led us through the handicap line so she didn't have too long.  Once we were checked in and made our way up the elevator they were already boarding out zone. We were literally on ship by 11:30!  We did self assist when we returned and were off the ship and driving out of the garage at 7:30.
> 
> Ports:
> Cozumel - We took a taxi to Paradise Beach.  Spent a few hours lazy on lounge chairs, using the wonderful pool and snacking on nachos and quesadillas.
> Progreso - We booked the Holy Guacomole, Salsa and Margaritas excursion through Carnival.  We went to Kokomo Beach Club where we had a cooking class and made guacomole, salsa and 2 kinds of margaritas.  After the class we had about 2 hours to use the beach and pool as well as enjoy the included buffet and 2 drink coupons that we were given. This was a really fun excursion and the beach was gorgeous.
> 
> We had a really great time.  Can't wait for next years Mom/Daughter cruise.



Sounds like a great time. We've only sailed Disney, so I'm used to how their MDRs work.  On Carnival, can you just wait until dinner time and show up at whatever restaurant you'd like to eat at or do you have to make reservations beforehand.  I'm assuming for the really fancy ones you need ressies, but how about the ones that are equivalent to the MDRs on Disney.  I've booked a Jan 2021 cruise on Disney.  I'm thinking once her Spring break finally gets announced I'll cancel it and book something either on Carnival or RCCL.  Luckily I'll have a long time for research since her school system takes FOREVER to announce the calendars.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> A quick Valor review.
> 
> Size: It is a midsize ship and the usual Carnival design where you have to either walk through the casino to get places on Deck 5 or go up/down to get around.  We just hold our breath and walk fast!
> 
> Pools: 1 aft for adults and 1 mid for everyone.  This was a Fall Break week so it was pretty crowded. I didn't use the pools but most seats were occupied on our 2 sea days.
> 
> Food: Everything we ate was pretty good.  We did MDR 4/5 nights.  We are used to the menus so pretty much had our favorites.  We always choose ATD and we ended up with 3 different wait teams.  All were friendly and efficient and we had no complaints. We did Lido 1 night for dinner and there was an eclectic collection on the buffet. We never got to the pizza this trip but I did have tacos from Blue Iguana, a Guy's burger and a sandwich from the deli.  We also did the Sea Day brunch once and MDR breakfast twice.  I don't know why so many complain about Lido breakfast.  There is literally every breakfast item you could want to choose from.
> 
> Entertainment: Saw 2 production shows and I still dislike them immensely.  They are cheesy and the dancers/singers are never very good.  We did spend every night at the Red Frog Pub listening to the house band Deep Blue Soul.  People, they were put together by Carnival but the level of talent was amazing.  The musicians could all be playing with some big names and the lead singers were phenomenal.  Like, this group could stay together and go on the road.  We had a blast and danced every night away.  We also did the usual trivia and had lots of fun.  I will say the CD was really annoying.  His schtick got old fast.
> 
> Room: Our balcony cabin was on Lido deck.  We were near the Atrium elevators and could hear noise when there was something big going on. It was only a couple of nights but I would definitely check my location and move away from the atrium area next time.  We also had the usual rude door banging neighbors.
> 
> Boarding/Debarkation:  Both the quickest ever.  We had an 11:30-12 check in time and showed up about 11:15.  We walked right through and into the terminal after parking the car.  My mom uses a cane and after declining a wheelchair they still led us through the handicap line so she didn't have too long.  Once we were checked in and made our way up the elevator they were already boarding out zone. We were literally on ship by 11:30!  We did self assist when we returned and were off the ship and driving out of the garage at 7:30.
> 
> Ports:
> Cozumel - We took a taxi to Paradise Beach.  Spent a few hours lazy on lounge chairs, using the wonderful pool and snacking on nachos and quesadillas.
> Progreso - We booked the Holy Guacomole, Salsa and Margaritas excursion through Carnival.  We went to Kokomo Beach Club where we had a cooking class and made guacomole, salsa and 2 kinds of margaritas.  After the class we had about 2 hours to use the beach and pool as well as enjoy the included buffet and 2 drink coupons that we were given. This was a really fun excursion and the beach was gorgeous.
> 
> We had a really great time.  Can't wait for next years Mom/Daughter cruise.


Sounds like a great cruise.  I too am always impressed by the musicians on carnival— really awesome- but not impressed by the production shows.  We don’t really like watching shows so those do not matter to us.  How were the cakes?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Mika02 said:


> So I did a ship tour for Disney Magic this past Sat and I'm quite torn between this and the Carnival Vista for the same time frame. Pricing is similar but you get 3 extra days on the Vista. I'm really tempted to jump ship for Spring Break. If I don't do it might do it for Christmas since I have my kids next year. I wished they had more things to do for 18 year old on Carnival even the Serenity Deck is 21 plus.
> 
> Question for the folks who have traveled out of Galveston. For anyone that arrived the day before Cruise departure did you stay near the Galveston port or near the Houston airport? If you stayed near the airport did you find it took a long time to get to port with Houston traffic?


I would definitely do Vista over the Magic for the extra days. We cruised out of Galveston this past June and I would highly recommend staying close to the port the night before. We flew in the morning of our cruise, which I’ll never do again. It took us almost as long to drive to the port as it did to fly from AZ. That’s probably a little exaggerated but it was an almost 2 hour trip. They were doing some construction on the freeway and there was basically no where to go except through towns which traffic just sucked. 

My 18 and 19 year olds love Vista, they both spent some time on Serenity, both just had hats and sunglasses on and kept to themselves and nobody said a word to them. It’s an awesome ship!!!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Mika02 said:


> So I did a ship tour for Disney Magic this past Sat and I'm quite torn between this and the Carnival Vista for the same time frame. Pricing is similar but you get 3 extra days on the Vista. I'm really tempted to jump ship for Spring Break. If I don't do it might do it for Christmas since I have my kids next year. I wished they had more things to do for 18 year old on Carnival even the Serenity Deck is 21 plus.
> 
> Question for the folks who have traveled out of Galveston. For anyone that arrived the day before Cruise departure did you stay near the Galveston port or near the Houston airport? If you stayed near the airport did you find it took a long time to get to port with Houston traffic?


Also, they can do the nighttime adult shows and casino.


----------



## Mika02

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I would definitely do Vista over the Magic for the extra days. We cruised out of Galveston this past June and I would highly recommend staying close to the port the night before. We flew in the morning of our cruise, which I’ll never do again. *It took us almost as long to drive to the port as it did to fly from AZ. That’s probably a little exaggerated but it was an almost 2 hour trip. They were doing some construction on the freeway and there was basically no where to go except through towns which traffic just sucked.*
> 
> My 18 and 19 year olds love Vista, they both spent some time on Serenity, both just had hats and sunglasses on and kept to themselves and nobody said a word to them. It’s an awesome ship!!!



This is what I was afraid of I Googled and it was 1hr and 20 minutes without traffic. I will definitely look for a hotel near the port. I always come the night before or a few days before my cruise because I get anxiety lol. I know how that ride and traffic before a cruise can be scary lol we once stay in West palm and had to drive to Miami to our cruise on a weekday before a holiday traffic was terrible it was raining and I was trying not to freak out lol.

Omg thank you for your reassurance. I know my youngest 2 in the kids and teen club will have a ball but I'm worried my daughter who will be 18 and aged out of the teen clubs won't. Getting a Family Harbour room but I know although it says 24 hours sometimes it closes early so I don't want her to feel like she has no where to go since she's not a big pool person. I want to try a newer Carnival ship. I also have a deposit I put down on RCCL just have to choose a date and a ship. I would like to cruise way more often then I'm doing.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Mika02 said:


> This is what I was afraid of I Googled and it was 1hr and 20 minutes without traffic. I will definitely look for a hotel near the port. I always come the night before or a few days before my cruise because I get anxiety lol. I know how that ride and traffic before a cruise can be scary lol we once stay in West palm and had to drive to Miami to our cruise on a weekday before a holiday traffic was terrible it was raining and I was trying not to freak out lol.
> 
> Omg thank you for your reassurance. I know my youngest 2 in the kids and teen club will have a ball but I'm worried my daughter who will be 18 and aged out of the teen clubs won't. Getting a Family Harbour room but I know although it says 24 hours sometimes it closes early so I don't want her to feel like she has no where to go since she's not a big pool person. I want to try a newer Carnival ship. I also have a deposit I put down on RCCL just have to choose a date and a ship. I would like to cruise way more often then I'm doing.



I can verify that your youngest two will love the kids club on CCL.  Ours do and have for 3+ years now.  Our teen is the independent type and has never gone! (Well actually we have made him go on a few first nights but he walks in and out on us.    Not even when he was younger, not on ccl or dcl, but he still LOVES cruising.  Another thing he loves on CCL is dive in movies.  In the evening if we want to find him, he is always up there under the stars (sometimes we are there too).  He reads a lot too, gets coffee at the cafe, sits in the sun.  Once we had friends on the same ship and he hung out with them some.  There is someone who writes TR on dcl out of Galveston.  It might be interesting for you to see the Galveston parts because she goes into a lot of detail.  I will find the link.

Edit:  here are a couple of links.  She has at least one more of these if I recall.  And I am pretty sure she stays at different hotels every time.  If I recall, she stays in Galveston before and after, so if you are interested check the end of the report too!

https://disboards.com/threads/cass-rob-kira-christmas-on-the-wonder-get-the-fog-outta-here.3568293/
https://disboards.com/threads/cass-...-the-wonder-2018-third-times-a-charm.3727179/


----------



## trvlgirlmq

lklgoodman said:


> Sounds like a great time. We've only sailed Disney, so I'm used to how their MDRs work.  On Carnival, can you just wait until dinner time and show up at whatever restaurant you'd like to eat at or do you have to make reservations beforehand.  I'm assuming for the really fancy ones you need ressies, but how about the ones that are equivalent to the MDRs on Disney.  I've booked a Jan 2021 cruise on Disney.  I'm thinking once her Spring break finally gets announced I'll cancel it and book something either on Carnival or RCCL.  Luckily I'll have a long time for research since her school system takes FOREVER to announce the calendars.


The MDR has 2 set seatings; early and late and would be about what you have experienced on DCL.  The 3rd option is Anytime Dining where you can go to your assigned dining room anytime from 5:30-9:30.  On 2 nights we did have a short wait of about 15 minutes.  The other 2 nights we were seated right away. I know on a few of the bigger, newer ships you can make a reservation for what time you want to eat in the MDR but this ship did not have that feature.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Sounds like a great cruise.  I too am always impressed by the musicians on carnival— really awesome- but not impressed by the production shows.  We don’t really like watching shows so those do not matter to us.  How were the cakes?


I hate to say it but we were not impressed with the cakes.  I had read they were like the ones you get from the coffee place.  I have had a couple and they are amazing.  Sadly, every cake we tried was dry and tasteless.  They all looked pretty though!


----------



## lklgoodman

trvlgirlmq said:


> The MDR has 2 set seatings; early and late and would be about what you have experienced on DCL.  The 3rd option is Anytime Dining where you can go to your assigned dining room anytime from 5:30-9:30.  On 2 nights we did have a short wait of about 15 minutes.  The other 2 nights we were seated right away. I know on a few of the bigger, newer ships you can make a reservation for what time you want to eat in the MDR but this ship did not have that feature.



Thanks!!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> I hate to say it but we were not impressed with the cakes.  I had read they were like the ones you get from the coffee place.  I have had a couple and they are amazing.  Sadly, every cake we tried was dry and tasteless.  They all looked pretty though!


Sorry to hear it!  I wonder if they have changed them- probably.  We love going to the buffet for “free” cake in the afternoon.


----------



## Mika02

trvlgirlmq said:


> I hate to say it but we were not impressed with the cakes.  I had read they were like the ones you get from the coffee place.  I have had a couple and they are amazing.  Sadly, every cake we tried was dry and tasteless.  They all looked pretty though!



This makes me sad I've always had great cakes and desserts on carnival cruises (sometimes 2 at a time lol)


----------



## tidefan

mevelandry said:


> Hi!
> 
> I'm with your neighbors.
> 
> We will most likely never sail with DCL again.
> 
> Everything that Carnival did not have and that I missed from DCL, Royal Caribbean has it (for 1/2 of the price).
> 
> So, for us, it will only be new ships from Carnival + RCCL ships from now on.


You should also try Princess, Celebrity, and NCL!


----------



## tidefan

mevelandry said:


> Hi!
> 
> I'm with your neighbors.
> 
> We will most likely never sail with DCL again.
> 
> Everything that Carnival did not have and that I missed from DCL, Royal Caribbean has it (for 1/2 of the price).
> 
> So, for us, it will only be new ships from Carnival + RCCL ships from now on.


Interested to see your review.  One of my (many) complaints about RCCL on the Serenade was that they only had 1 "included" food outlet during the day other than the Windjammer (which was closed from 2pm-5pm) called the Park Cafe that (1) had an extremely limited menu, and (2) was in the adult section, so we were always unsure if our DD could go in there to get something.  On that ship, Pizza, Burgers, and the Ice Cream machines are in the Windjammer, so you couldn't get them all day.  Also, it was tough to find something when you'd get back on the ship early as it didn't open back up until 5pm...

Now, that could have been a symptom of our cruise (which, had about 1/3 of the crew walk off in a contract dispute prior to our sailing), but I really hated the limited selection of food during the day...


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Mika02 said:


> This makes me sad I've always had great cakes and desserts on carnival cruises (sometimes 2 at a time lol)


The MDR desserts were all good.  I think they have the best sugar free desserts.  Those cakes were actually tasty.  Go figure.


----------



## bcwife76

Club Disney Chandler said:


> If you do, please let me know what you think!


Which date are you looking at doing it, I think your link went to June 2020 dates? We are looking at the July 22-31 2020 cruise. Still $50 deposits and until tomorrow night you can also get free open bar, free wifi, $100 towards each excursion and free specialty dining. For the four of us it would be a total of $8600 CDN for a balcony room for the 9 night which is nearly $1K LESS (once you do the conversion) for our Disney Magic cruise (deck 2, deluxe inside room) .......


----------



## Mika02

trvlgirlmq said:


> The MDR desserts were all good.  I think they have the best sugar free desserts.  Those cakes were actually tasty.  Go figure.



On my Magic Ship tour I got a no sugar added dessert (I just had weight loss surgery) it was so good


----------



## smmco

Our cruise on the Mardi gras in August is completely sold out. I guess I don't have to worry about the price dropping.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

smmco said:


> Our cruise on the Mardi gras in August is completely sold out. I guess I don't have to worry about the price dropping.


Wow.  That’s exciting.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

bcwife76 said:


> Which date are you looking at doing it, I think your link went to June 2020 dates? We are looking at the July 22-31 2020 cruise. Still $50 deposits and until tomorrow night you can also get free open bar, free wifi, $100 towards each excursion and free specialty dining. For the four of us it would be a total of $8600 CDN for a balcony room for the 9 night which is nearly $1K LESS (once you do the conversion) for our Disney Magic cruise (deck 2, deluxe inside room) .......


We’re booked for the June 6th cruise. Arizona is year round schooling so Brenda is done teaching in May and goes back to work mid July.


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Wow.  That’s exciting.


Yes, it is. I've never been on a maiden voyage. I'm hoping for a Wish maiden voyage, but I have a feeling the price may be prohibitive. The only negative is the flying and jet lag. In case anyone's wondering you need a prescription to buy melatonin in London. I found that out last month. This and the Ginger pills were the only things I forgot to pack for our transatlantic. I'm not a pill taker, but I've found melatonin really helps me sleep 8-9 hours without waking up at 2 am.  I could have really used those Ginger pills for Hurricane Humberto.


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> Sounds like a great time. We've only sailed Disney, so I'm used to how their MDRs work.  On Carnival, can you just wait until dinner time and show up at whatever restaurant you'd like to eat at or do you have to make reservations beforehand.  I'm assuming for the really fancy ones you need ressies, but how about the ones that are equivalent to the MDRs on Disney.  I've booked a Jan 2021 cruise on Disney.  I'm thinking once her Spring break finally gets announced I'll cancel it and book something either on Carnival or RCCL.  Luckily I'll have a long time for research since her school system takes FOREVER to announce the calendars.



There's usually only one dining room (included), other than that you have the buffet and two or three food counters... The Specialty Dining Restaurants ($) have to be booked in advance. 

If you pick "Your Time Dining", all you have to do is show up when you are hungry.


----------



## mevelandry

tidefan said:


> You should also try Princess, Celebrity, and NCL!



It's part of the plan. We were originally supposed to sail on Celebrity in January 2020 until we changed our plans for RCCL... We booked cruises with NCL twice but cancelled because we changed plans. Princess is on my list as well. I keep checking their cruises too.


----------



## mevelandry

Here's my review of the Mariner in a Triple Threat Match... Let me know if you have questions:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/m...reat-match-rccl-vs-dcl-vs-ccl-review.3749558/


----------



## bcwife76

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’re booked for the June 6th cruise. Arizona is year round schooling so Brenda is done teaching in May and goes back to work mid July.


Gotcha, that makes sense! We booked the July 22nd cruise last night. However, we have not cancelled Disney yet.....we booked because for $50 pp (refundable) it seemed like a no brainer to secure all the freebies they were also offering and still have a good choices of rooms left. Gives us some breathing room to decide which one we want to ultimately keep.....


----------



## mevelandry

tidefan said:


> Interested to see your review.  One of my (many) complaints about RCCL on the Serenade was that they only had 1 "included" food outlet during the day other than the Windjammer (which was closed from 2pm-5pm) called the Park Cafe that (1) had an extremely limited menu, and (2) was in the adult section, so we were always unsure if our DD could go in there to get something.  On that ship, Pizza, Burgers, and the Ice Cream machines are in the Windjammer, so you couldn't get them all day.  Also, it was tough to find something when you'd get back on the ship early as it didn't open back up until 5pm...
> 
> Now, that could have been a symptom of our cruise (which, had about 1/3 of the crew walk off in a contract dispute prior to our sailing), but I really hated the limited selection of food during the day...



It is true that there aren't that many options outside of the "buffet hours"... We had the Café (with Pizza) and the Hot Dog stand. That being said, we always found something we liked, at any hours, as long as we were willing to walk a little bit.  

Carnival definitely wins for the food counters. More options, more availabilities.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

bcwife76 said:


> Gotcha, that makes sense! We booked the July 22nd cruise last night. However, we have not cancelled Disney yet.....we booked because for $50 pp (refundable) it seemed like a no brainer to secure all the freebies they were also offering and still have a good choices of rooms left. Gives us some breathing room to decide which one we want to ultimately keep.....


That’s why we booked as well, we’re probably going to keep, the kids are super excited about Russia.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> That’s why we booked as well, we’re probably going to keep, the kids are super excited about Russia.



Russia sounds beautiful.


----------



## h3kta

Mevelandry, do you cruise with kids by any chance? If not, do you think your opinions will be different if you had kids?
I am also considering branching out and checking other cruise lines. Disney is getting far too expensive and their itineraries are a little stale and pretty boring. But I have only done disney cruises and concerned about leaving my (now) comfort zone...


----------



## tinkerone

h3kta said:


> Mevelandry, do you cruise with kids by any chance? If not, do you think your opinions will be different if you had kids?
> I am also considering branching out and checking other cruise lines. Disney is getting far too expensive and their itineraries are a little stale and pretty boring. But* I have only done disney cruises and concerned about leaving my (now) comfort zone...
> *



I had that same concern, mainly because others kept telling me I would be sorry.  I'm here to tell you I wasn't.  

We don't have small children but I can tell you that I have spoken with loads of families who do and have sailed other lines and I have never met one in person who said it was a mistake, that their children weren't happy.  Now, I read on this board a lot that people have had issues but I take that with a grain of salt.  After all, this is a DCL cruise board and some don't want to ever admit defeat.  
I personally am glad I got the nerve to try another line.  I'd still be shaking my head at people who left DCL had I not gone ahead and tried it myself.  Go ahead, give it a go.  I doubt you or your children will be sorry.


----------



## mevelandry

h3kta said:


> Mevelandry, do you cruise with kids by any chance? If not, do you think your opinions will be different if you had kids?
> I am also considering branching out and checking other cruise lines. Disney is getting far too expensive and their itineraries are a little stale and pretty boring. But I have only done disney cruises and concerned about leaving my (now) comfort zone...



We do not have kids and while I can't comment on Kids Clubs, I tend to look at what cruise lines like Carnival and RCCL offer for kids and teenagers regardless, as we do have friends with kids (and teenagers) and always dreamed of doing a "Family & Friends cruise" ... 

So I take a look at everything and sometimes even try some of the activities. 

If we had to bring us with them, I would most likely go for big ships like the Carnival Vista class or RCCL's Mariner of the Seas (or bigger) as I think they have a lot to offer to kids. Kids I saw there seemed like they were having so much fun! The variety of experiences available can be quite impressive.


----------



## mevelandry

One last detail on our RCCL cruise before I go back 100% to Carnival on this thread. 

Completely out of subject, I wanted to say that my husband and I did try a drink package for the first time in our lives and ... Well... We had to drink a lot of specialty ($) coffee, smoothies and Perrier to make it worth it. Turns out we don't drink enough alcohol to break even.

(Oh and I used the Coca Cola machines only once a day so the soda package probably won't be worth it either. There were a lot of different non-alcoolic (includes) drinks available: water, iced tea, tea, apple juice, orange juice, lemonade, tea --slightly better selection than on Carnival-- , hot cocoa and coffee...)

By the way, I haven't seen anyone who looked drunk. And they call it "booze cruises"!


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> One last detail on our RCCL cruise before I go back 100% to Carnival on this thread.
> 
> Completely out of subject, I wanted to say that my husband and I did try a drink package for the first time in our lives and ... Well... We had to drink a lot of specialty ($) coffee, smoothies and Perrier to make it worth it. Turns out we don't drink enough alcohol to break even.
> 
> (Oh and I used the Coca Cola machines only once a day so the soda package probably won't be worth it either. There were a lot of different non-alcoolic (includes) drinks available: water, iced tea, tea, apple juice, orange juice, lemonade, tea --slightly better selection than on Carnival-- , hot cocoa and coffee...)
> 
> By the way, I haven't seen anyone who looked drunk. And they call it "booze cruises"!



Haha you don't have to go back to 100% Carnival...it's always fun to hear about other cruise lines!!

So happy you had a amazing trip and it just goes to show you don't know what else is out there until you try! I should speak for myself though, as DH is very reluctant to go outside of Carnival, especially now that we've "branched out" and tried DCL!  Those photos of Coco Cay might persuade him though!

You don't have to remember exact price, but was the beverage package on RCL similar in price to CCL? We do use our beverage packages to our advantage (and no that does not mean drinking 15 drinks a day and/or getting fall down drunk!) and it has become a part of our vacation.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Haha you don't have to go back to 100% Carnival...it's always fun to hear about other cruise lines!!
> 
> So happy you had a amazing trip and it just goes to show you don't know what else is out there until you try! I should speak for myself though, as DH is very reluctant to go outside of Carnival, especially now that we've "branched out" and tried DCL!  Those photos of Coco Cay might persuade him though!
> 
> You don't have to remember exact price, but was the beverage package on RCL similar in price to CCL? We do use our beverage packages to our advantage (and no that does not mean drinking 15 drinks a day and/or getting fall down drunk!) and it has become a part of our vacation.



Here's how I decribed it in my Triple Threat Match review:

_Royal is like DCL and Carnival had a baby together. _

Combine the cleanliness and chic/classic look of DCL with the variety and fun activities of Carnival.

We paid 69$ CND per person per day for the drink package on Royal, which I believe means somewhere between 55-57$ USD per person per day for you. So yes, very similar to Carnival prices.


----------



## mevelandry

I feel I need to add something. My husband said he missed one thing from Carnival: the Cruise Director. On Royal, the Cruise Directors only seem to appear before shows. On Carnival, they are everywhere.


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## h3kta

mevelandry said:


> I feel I need to add something. My husband said he missed one thing from Carnival: the Cruise Director. On Royal, the Cruise Directors only seem to appear before shows. On Carnival, they are everywhere.


Out of ignorance, what do the cruise directors add? on DCL I feel they only appeared before shows and when there was an event by the giant screen on deck. Didn't care one way or another


----------



## h3kta

Also, do have any opinions of Half Moon Cay vs CocoCay? (Sorry so many questions).
I am not very fond of Castaway Cay. There isn't much to do and the snorkeling is terrible.


----------



## smmco

h3kta said:


> Mevelandry, do you cruise with kids by any chance? If not, do you think your opinions will be different if you had kids?
> I am also considering branching out and checking other cruise lines. Disney is getting far too expensive and their itineraries are a little stale and pretty boring. But I have only done disney cruises and concerned about leaving my (now) comfort zone...


I have one that prefers Royal and one that prefers Disney. The one that prefers Disney will participate in every activity in the Vibe from the time it opens until the time it closes. He loves the activities, loves the counselors, loves being the leader and the center of attention. DCL is a really good fit for him. 

The older one is more of an observer and could care less about the activities. He likes to hang out and socialize. You will never see him up on stage doing karaoke.  He loves the big vibrant Oasis-class ships with all they have to offer.  Royal is not as activity-driven as Disney. There's more to do around the ship and the teen club is basically a night time club. My kids couldn't be more different, and to this day wonder how they were created by the same two people. 

I'm not familiar with Clubs on Royal for the younger children.

I don't think one is necessarily better then the other they are just different. It really depends on the kid.  I'm just happy not being at work. I like to eat, drink, exercise, sleep and read. My needs are pretty simple. 

If you're getting outpriced by Disney I would give it a try. Disney's not going anywhere.


----------



## tinkerone

h3kta said:


> Out of ignorance, what do the cruise directors add? on DCL I feel they only appeared before shows and when there was an event by the giant screen on deck. Didn't care one way or another


For us, cruise directors are pretty much what you say.  The only one we found that did more, seemed to be everywhere, was Christiaan who was CD on our first two sailings on the Magic.  We found Brent was okay as well, just not as out front as Christiaan.  I would be hard put by to name any other cruise director we have had.  That goes for RCCL and DCL.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

h3kta said:


> Out of ignorance, what do the cruise directors add? on DCL I feel they only appeared before shows and when there was an event by the giant screen on deck. Didn't care one way or another


The Carnival CD’s are everywhere all day and night. They lead all the deck and atrium parties, many activities, are always greeting guests getting on and off the ships, and many other things. One of them, The Flying Scotsman, has his own show at night, he has an amazing voice. The big Carnival ships have awesome CD’s, they really add a lot to the experience.


----------



## mevelandry

h3kta said:


> Out of ignorance, what do the cruise directors add? on DCL I feel they only appeared before shows and when there was an event by the giant screen on deck. Didn't care one way or another



On Carnival, the cruise director welcomes people when they embark the ship (and say goodbye when people disembark) and host tons of activities, they make announcements all the time (inserting jokes here and there), they introduce shows, they host game shows, etc. 

Some of them are almost considered like superstars among the cruise line. 

There is also another person (forgot the title) who will introduce comedians at comedy shows, host games, bingo and trivia that you might end up seeing a lot. When they are really good, they can become Cruise Directors at some point.


----------



## mevelandry

h3kta said:


> Also, do have any opinions of Half Moon Cay vs CocoCay? (Sorry so many questions).
> I am not very fond of Castaway Cay. There isn't much to do and the snorkeling is terrible.



Half Moon Cay is a little bit like Castaway Cay. It's a nice beach, with music and a place to eat. It's absolutely beautiful. 

Some people like it less because you have to use tendering to get there. But I think I heard that they will build a dock soon? (Did I dream about it?)


----------



## h3kta

Sounds like I need to branch out and sever that DCL umbilical cord


----------



## mevelandry

h3kta said:


> Sounds like I need to branch out and sever that DCL umbilical cord



You might be very happily surprised.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

h3kta said:


> Sounds like I need to branch out and sever that DCL umbilical cord


If you branch out to Carnival, just remember not all ships are the same experience. We first tried Carnival on Vista when she was on her 4th cruise. I do want to try one ship in the class right before Vista Class, and that is the Breeze. Other than that ship, I’m only doing Vista Class and newer.


----------



## mevelandry

h3kta said:


> Sounds like I need to branch out and sever that DCL umbilical cord





Club Disney Chandler said:


> If you branch out to Carnival, just remember not all ships are the same experience. We first tried Carnival on Vista when she was on her 4th cruise. I do want to try one ship in the class right before Vista Class, and that is the Breeze. Other than that ship, I’m only doing Vista Class and newer.



I agree 100%. Especially if you are a fan of DCL, you are most likely used to ships in great shape/ looking brand new. 

I'd go Vista, Horizon, Panorama ... Or the upcoming Mardi Gras?


----------



## h3kta

Thanks for the tip on Carnival. It is a toss up now between RCCL (their island sounds great) and Carnival. For RCCL I understand I will want to get on the Oasis class ship?


----------



## mevelandry

h3kta said:


> Thanks for the tip on Carnival. It is a toss up now between RCCL (their island sounds great) and Carnival. For RCCL I understand I will want to get on the Oasis class ship?



The Voyager Class (like the Mariner) is pretty nice. But the Quantum looks pretty amazing and the Oasis Class looks spectacular with the "Central Park", IMO.


----------



## tinkerone

mevelandry said:


> The Voyager Class (like the Mariner) is pretty nice. But the Quantum looks pretty amazing and the Oasis Class looks spectacular with the "Central Park", IMO.


We love Central Park.  In the evening we sit out and watch the people stroll by.  There's soft music playing, sometimes a string quartet.  You can hear crickets chirping (piped in of course).  Twinkling lights.  Sitting on the balcony with a glass of wine in the evening is my favorite thing.   I like them better than the ocean view cabins but that's a personal thing.  
We also tried the Boardwalk balconies but didn't love them.


----------



## belle032

Sorry if this is completely off-topic, but if you have any Southwest flights booked, check them. I got a notification in my Southwest app that I can change the dates/times of my flights for our January cruise at no charge. Looking at their social media page, it seems to be because of the ongoing Boeing issues and SW has removed them from service through February. 

So this might only affect flights up until February, but if you're looking for a potential better flight during that time, check out your reservations!


----------



## lklgoodman

belle032 said:


> Sorry if this is completely off-topic, but if you have any Southwest flights booked, check them. I got a notification in my Southwest app that I can change the dates/times of my flights for our January cruise at no charge. Looking at their social media page, it seems to be because of the ongoing Boeing issues and SW has removed them from service through February.
> 
> So this might only affect flights up until February, but if you're looking for a potential better flight during that time, check out your reservations!



Thanks for the info.  We're flying with them in Jan.  I just checked and saw that what we have are still the best times.  I'm glad we won't be on one for our upcoming flight.  We had flown on a Max for our last cruise, but didn't know about it's problems at the time.  I don't know if I will want to fly on one even when they come back to service.  I'm going to install the SW app, I haven't gotten an email or text about the info, so looks like the app is the best way of getting it.  Thanks again for posting!

Edit to add, I hope what I'm thinking is wrong.  I know for our flights there were over 20 different flights I could choose from, both going to MCO and also for coming home.  We fly out of Columbus, Ohio, so not a big airport.  That's a lot of choices, with quite a bit being direct flights.  Do you think they may wait to see what flights most people cancel tickets on, and then SW will cancel those flights????  I hope not, we got REALLY great times.  Direct flight at 9am  the day before, last 3 cruises we had to go at 6am.  Coming home we leave at 1:30, this is several hours earlier than we usually get.  We live an hour from the airport, so getting home late afternoon/early evening is great!!!  I hope they don't cancel our flights because they don't have enough people booked  on them.


----------



## pspookyc

mevelandry said:


> On Carnival, the cruise director welcomes people when they embark the ship (and say goodbye when people disembark) and host tons of activities, they make announcements all the time (inserting jokes here and there), they introduce shows, they host game shows, etc.
> 
> Some of them are almost considered like superstars among the cruise line.
> 
> There is also another person (forgot the title) who will introduce comedians at comedy shows, host games, bingo and trivia that you might end up seeing a lot. When they are really good, they can become Cruise Directors at some point.


We had Mike Pack as CD on the Horizon, and he was everywhere, extremely approachable and a lot of fun.


----------



## belle032

lklgoodman said:


> Thanks for the info.  We're flying with them in Jan.  I just checked and saw that what we have are still the best times.  I'm glad we won't be on one for our upcoming flight.  We had flown on a Max for our last cruise, but didn't know about it's problems at the time.  I don't know if I will want to fly on one even when they come back to service.  I'm going to install the SW app, I haven't gotten an email or text about the info, so looks like the app is the best way of getting it.  Thanks again for posting!
> 
> Edit to add, I hope what I'm thinking is wrong.  I know for our flights there were over 20 different flights I could choose from, both going to MCO and also for coming home.  We fly out of Columbus, Ohio, so not a big airport.  That's a lot of choices, with quite a bit being direct flights.  Do you think they may wait to see what flights most people cancel tickets on, and then SW will cancel those flights????  I hope not, we got REALLY great times.  Direct flight at 9am  the day before, last 3 cruises we had to go at 6am.  Coming home we leave at 1:30, this is several hours earlier than we usually get.  We live an hour from the airport, so getting home late afternoon/early evening is great!!!  I hope they don't cancel our flights because they don't have enough people booked  on them.



You're welcome! But no, I didn't think of that! But now that you explain it that way, it sounds like something they might be moving towards.

I didn't end up changing flights because we got an early morning direct flight from Buffalo to Ft. Lauderdale and flying out of Buffalo in the winter is already iffy enough. I thought early morning would be our best shot out just in case we got delayed. So I really hope it's not cancelled. If we're delayed on the way home, it's still irritating, but at least it's not like we're in jeopardy of missing a cruise ship!


----------



## lklgoodman

belle032 said:


> You're welcome! But no, I didn't think of that! But now that you explain it that way, it sounds like something they might be moving towards.
> 
> I didn't end up changing flights because we got an early morning direct flight from Buffalo to Ft. Lauderdale and flying out of Buffalo in the winter is already iffy enough. I thought early morning would be our best shot out just in case we got delayed. So I really hope it's not cancelled. If we're delayed on the way home, it's still irritating, but at least it's not like we're in jeopardy of missing a cruise ship!



Yep, we always get on the first direct flight out also.  So far we've never had a cancelled flight leaving for a cruise.  Last Jan. when we arrived back to PC at the end of the cruise a huge snow storm had hit a large section of the country.  They announced this and told everyone to check flights since airports were closing/cancelling flights.  Our flight was cancelled but we were able to get on new ones.  I was hoping we'd be stranded in Florida for several days, but we weren't so lucky. I was so glad we weren't  on the cruise after ours. I'm sure there were people who weren't able to get to PC because of the snowstorm.  We get snow in Ohio, but nothing like you get in Buffalo.


----------



## mevelandry

tinkerone said:


> We love Central Park.  In the evening we sit out and watch the people stroll by.  There's soft music playing, sometimes a string quartet.  You can hear crickets chirping (piped in of course).  Twinkling lights.  Sitting on the balcony with a glass of wine in the evening is my favorite thing.   I like them better than the ocean view cabins but that's a personal thing.
> We also tried the Boardwalk balconies but didn't love them.



This sounds pretty amazing. I already showed my husband pictures and he said that cruising on one of those beasts is definitely part of the plans in the future.


----------



## mevelandry

pspookyc said:


> We had Mike Pack as CD on the Horizon, and he was everywhere, extremely approachable and a lot of fun.



I haven't had the pleasure to sail with Mike Pack but we had Kevin Donohue as a CD and he was absolutely fantastic.


----------



## mcd2745

pspookyc said:


> We had Mike Pack as CD on the Horizon, and he was everywhere, extremely approachable and a lot of fun.



We had Mike as well. I don't know where he gets the energy. He was literally everywhere and hosted everything. Best CD I've seen on any cruise line.


----------



## tidefan

mevelandry said:


> I haven't had the pleasure to sail with Mike Pack but we had Kevin Donohue as a CD and he was absolutely fantastic.


We had Jamie Dee.  She was incredible.  By far the best CD we've ever had.  I'd say the second best was Alex on Regal Princess (though I think he's transferred to Sky Princess)...

Now, on the Serenade, we had a husband/wife team that was the worst we've ever had...


----------



## belle032

I see John Heald just announced the Carnival Freedom will be sailing from Seattle for 7 Day Alaska itineraries starting in April 2021.

Alaska is on our 2021 list and happy to see CCL adding another ship there. However, still very open to other cruise lines for this one. I've heard Princess & NCL are great options for these itineraries!


----------



## mcd2745

belle032 said:


> I see John Heald just announced the Carnival Freedom will be sailing from Seattle for 7 Day Alaska itineraries starting in April 2021.
> 
> Alaska is on our 2021 list and happy to see CCL adding another ship there. However, still very open to other cruise lines for this one. I've heard Princess & NCL are great options for these itineraries!



We've only done Alaska once - on DCL. It was amazing and we will definitely do it again someday (not sure when as it's a big trip from NY). 

I've also heard Princess is great for Alaska. I believe they typically carry the most number of passengers in Alaska each year. However, I could definitely recommend NCL Bliss for Alaska. We were on the Bliss in February (Eastern Caribbean), and it was clear how it was designed and built with sailing Alaska in mind. The Observation Lounge is an incredible space and must be great for sailing in Alaska.


----------



## lklgoodman

We've also done an Alaskan cruise on DCL in 2014.  We went with extended family to celebrate my IL's 50th wedding anniversary.  I'd love to do another some day.  We also loved it, but I would go on another line if we were to go it again.  Our dd was too young to do a lot of the more adventurous excursions.  I'd want to pay less on the cruise and pay more for the excursions if we were to do it again.


----------



## belle032

mcd2745 said:


> We've only done Alaska once - on DCL. It was amazing and we will definitely do it again someday (not sure when as it's a big trip from NY).
> 
> I've also heard Princess is great for Alaska. I believe they typically carry the most number of passengers in Alaska each year. However, I could definitely recommend NCL Bliss for Alaska. We were on the Bliss in February (Eastern Caribbean), and it was clear how it was designed and built with sailing Alaska in mind. The Observation Lounge is an incredible space and must be great for sailing in Alaska.




My mom actually sailed on the NCL Bliss to Alaska last year and she raved about it (and she is NOT a cold weather person! ) Said it was probably the prettiest ship she had been on and loved the Observation Deck. Did complain about the go-kart track and how it was a waste of space, especially in Alaska, but she highly recommend the ship itself and Alaska in general. I will definitely be looking into the ship when we decide to book.

My BIL & SIL are sailing on the Emerald Princess in August to Alaska for their honeymoon, so will be very interested to hear their opinion. They came with us when we got married on our cruise in 2017 and at the end of the trip, told us how they preferred all-inclusive resorts to cruising and didn't see themselves cruising again....so not quite sure what we'll get from them!


----------



## lklgoodman

belle032 said:


> My mom actually sailed on the NCL Bliss to Alaska last year and she raved about it (and she is NOT a cold weather person! ) Said it was probably the prettiest ship she had been on and loved the Observation Deck. Did complain about the go-kart track and how it was a waste of space, especially in Alaska, but she highly recommend the ship itself and Alaska in general. I will definitely be looking into the ship when we decide to book.
> 
> My BIL & SIL are sailing on the Emerald Princess in August to Alaska for their honeymoon, so will be very interested to hear their opinion. They came with us when we got married on our cruise in 2017 and at the end of the trip, told us how they preferred all-inclusive resorts to cruising and didn't see themselves cruising again....so not quite sure what we'll get from them!



That's funny that they said they prefer a land trip, yet chose a cruise for their honeymoon.  We did our honeymoon on the DCL Magic back in 2001.  We found out we were one of the three couples on the ship without kids. Apparently DCL wasn't as popular with people without kids back then as it is now. Serenity Bay was like having our own beach!  I didn't know NCL had ships with go carts, my dd would love that!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

We did the Wonder in Alaska in 2018 and agree with others, I will do a different line when we go back. One of my business partners did the Royal Princess in August and lived it. It was his first cruise and said it was the best vacation of his life. 

If I was to go back there soon, I’d definitely be on Bliss. I know a couple of people who sailed her earlier this year and they were very impressed. These are ladies who have a crap ton of money and typically sail Regent or Silver Seas or whatever the high end line is. They thought Bliss was gorgeous and the food was excellent.


----------



## mcd2745

lklgoodman said:


> That's funny that they said they prefer a land trip, yet chose a cruise for their honeymoon.  We did our honeymoon on the DCL Magic back in 2001.  We found out we were one of the three couples on the ship without kids. Apparently DCL wasn't as popular with people without kids back then as it is now. Serenity Bay was like having our own beach!  I didn't know NCL had ships with go carts, my dd would love that!



We did the DCL Wonder for out 1st anniversary back in 2000. I don't know how many couples without kids there were, but i know it was at least 3 since were put at a table with 2 others in the MDRs (both of which were on their honeymoon - one of which was actually a couple of seniors). 

The go carts can be hit or miss. Others enjoyed it, but we had a bad experience. They let about 8 karts go at a time. Unfortunately for us, we were with 4 young kids who had no clue how to drive at all (I've been at go kart tracks where some young kids drive better than adults). The karts are all electronic and can be controlled remotely by the staff. So each time someone (like these kids who couldn't drive) spun out, or got stuck, the worker who stands in the center of the track with a big remote control would shut everyone's kart off until they straightened out whoever was stuck. I don't think I ever made a full lap without being shut down. Very frustrating. I think if you have a full group of 8 who know what they are doing, it would be fun.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

h3kta said:


> Also, do have any opinions of Half Moon Cay vs CocoCay? (Sorry so many questions).
> I am not very fond of Castaway Cay. There isn't much to do and the snorkeling is terrible.


If you do not like CC, you might not like HMC.  It is a beautiful beach and feels to me a bit like a deserted island.  We love it, but that’s our style.  We have not been to Coco cay, but it definitely sounds like it has more activity.

Also,  the cruise director on Carnival reminds me of a really effective camp counselor who rallies everyone in a way I did not think I could be rallied.  Lol.  We are tame, barely drink, spend a lot of time on the ship reading, but the cruise directors on carnival reach even the “boring” guests.  They along with the comedians on Carnival are hysterical and will have you laughing the entire cruise.


----------



## tidefan

belle032 said:


> My BIL & SIL are sailing on the Emerald Princess in August to Alaska for their honeymoon, so will be very interested to hear their opinion. They came with us when we got married on our cruise in 2017 and at the end of the trip, told us how they preferred all-inclusive resorts to cruising and didn't see themselves cruising again....so not quite sure what we'll get from them!


You may want to compare Royal Princess vs. Emerald Princess.  Emerald is from the older Grand+ class of ship, whereas the Royal Princess is the new Royal class of ship (Royal/Regal/Sky/Majestic/Enchanted).  We took Emerald to Alaska a couple of years ago, and while she is a perfectly fine ship, we took the Regal earlier this year (and will again in a few weeks!) and we found it better in a number of ways (especially the buffet was infinitely better and also the Royal class has the included Alfredo's pizzeria whereas the Emerald does not).


----------



## tidefan

Also, I am going again on Regal Princess next month , so if anyone wants specific pictures, info, or answers to any questions, just let me know!


----------



## mevelandry

We're going on another cruise right after the Christmas holidays... Not gonna lie, while cruising 3 times within the same year is absolutely awesome, our budget is tight tight tight! 

The fact that at that time of the year, plane tickets to go from Canada to Florida are expensive (think 150$ CND more pp) sure doesn't help!


----------



## mevelandry

Out of subject but worth mentioning: A friend of my husband's godchild is very sick (He got diagnosed with brain cancer around the age of two and was treated in Jacksonville). Unfortunately, Jacksville won't take him back but St.Jude in Memphis will take him. He'll receive proton therapy treatments there. 

I know Carnival does a lot for St. Jude and I tought that it was worth mentioning that the money you gave/give to St. Jude just by cruising with Carnival is actually gonna indirectly benefit someone in our entourage and a brave and amazing little boy.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

tidefan said:


> Also, I am going again on Regal Princess next month , so if anyone wants specific pictures, info, or answers to any questions, just let me know!


We just booked a “last minute” cruise on Regal for March, so we would love to hear more about it.  Read your other review.  Thanks


----------



## tidefan

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We just booked a “last minute” cruise on Regal for March, so we would love to hear more about it.  Read your other review.  Thanks


Will do.  Let me know any specific questions or photos you want and I'll check it out while on there.  We'll be on the new Sky Princess in March!

Also, I should have mentioned that Princess has $1 deposits (refundable! ) today...


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> We're going on another cruise right after the Christmas holidays... Not gonna lie, while cruising 3 times within the same year is absolutely awesome, our budget is tight tight tight!
> 
> The fact that at that time of the year, plane tickets to go from Canada to Florida are expensive (think 150$ CND more pp) sure doesn't help!


Where to and what ship?


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Where to and what ship?



Adventure of the Seas to Grand Cayman (one of our favorite stops), Costa Maya (never been there before) and Cozumel (been there 2 times already, will try Mr. Sanchos this time!)


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Adventure of the Seas to Grand Cayman (one of our favorite stops), Costa Maya (never been there before) and Cozumel (been there 2 times already, will try Mr. Sanchos this time!)


I love GC too, it was my favorite Caribbean island until we went to Curaçao, holy cow, that island is amazing!  Enjoy the cruise and I look forward to seeing pictures and hearing about the ship.


----------



## neatokimmo

We completed our Carnival Horizon cruise, and it was spectacular. I know Disney is cute and does special things, but I couldn’t imagine spending 5k more when this cruise was so good.

We went to Jacks Shack on Grand Turk, Mambo Beach on Curacao, and eagle beach in Aruba. On the ship we saw comedy shows, big theatrical shows (they did Coldplay, Metallica, & GnR with electric violins), had dance lessons, craft sessions, scavenger hunts, and a big deck party.  I have lots and lots of pictures if anyone wants to see ports and food.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

neatokimmo said:


> We completed our Carnival Horizon cruise, and it was spectacular. I know Disney is cute and does special things, but I couldn’t imagine spending 5k more when this cruise was so good.
> 
> We went to Jacks Shack on Grand Turk, Mambo Beach on Curacao, and eagle beach in Aruba. On the ship we saw comedy shows, big theatrical shows (they did Coldplay, Metallica, & GnR with electric violins), had dance lessons, craft sessions, scavenger hunts, and a big deck party.  I have lots and lots of pictures if anyone wants to see ports and food.


Glad you had an awesome time. I’ve heard the Celestial Strings show is amazing, one of these days we’ll get on Horizon so we can see it. What did you think of the food?


----------



## neatokimmo

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Glad you had an awesome time. I’ve heard the Celestial Strings show is amazing, one of these days we’ll get on Horizon so we can see it. What did you think of the food?


Except for the last day, the food was really good. I mostly eat seafood and I only had a couple of glitches that they fixed. My daughter and husband ate every piece of beef offered and only got one odd meal between them.

The best thing about MDR, they will quickly replace anything you don’t like.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

neatokimmo said:


> Except for the last day, the food was really good. I mostly eat seafood and I only had a couple of glitches that they fixed. My daughter and husband ate every piece of beef offered and only got one odd meal between them.
> 
> The best thing about MDR, they will quickly replace anything you don’t like.


I’m a huge fan of all the different food options Carnival provides. I certainly think DCL blows Carnival out of the water in food presentation, but when it comes to overall choices of places to eat without paying extra, DCL doesn’t even come close.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I love GC too, it was my favorite Caribbean island until we went to Curaçao, holy cow, that island is amazing!  Enjoy the cruise and I look forward to seeing pictures and hearing about the ship.



Curaçao has been on my list for a very long time... Someday *sigh* ... 

Thank you!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Curaçao has been on my list for a very long time... Someday *sigh* ...
> 
> Thank you!



Me too  I even have a cruise booked for March break to go there, but I can't afford it  trying to come up with a plan to at least do some trip...


----------



## neatokimmo

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’m a huge fan of all the different food options Carnival provides. I certainly think DCL blows Carnival out of the water in food presentation, but when it comes to overall choices of places to eat without paying extra, DCL doesn’t even come close.


We were also very impressed with Lido lunch this go around. They had garlic mussels that were the best I’ve had in a restaurant. I saw people walking by with huge plates and I though oh they’ve been to seafood shack. Nope, regular buffet. 

The only place I would not eat again was the Italian place. Their Alfredo tasted like jarred ragu. It was like cloudy garlic water.


----------



## neatokimmo

mevelandry said:


> Curaçao has been on my list for a very long time... Someday *sigh* ...
> 
> Thank you!


Do the Horizon cruise to Aruba and curaçao. For us, Aruba’s water was cleaner for snorkeling.


----------



## mevelandry

neatokimmo said:


> Do the Horizon cruise to Aruba and curaçao. For us, Aruba’s water was cleaner for snorkeling.



Yes, the Horizon does have sailings to ABC islands.


----------



## lklgoodman

mevelandry said:


> Yes, the Horizon does have sailings to ABC islands.



I have always wanted to go to Bonaire and Curacao.  When we get dd's school calendar for 2021, I will look at booking one.  Fingers crossed I can find one during her Spring break.  In the past we have taken dd out of school to cruise in Jan.  She's in middle school now and I don't want to take her out anymore.  Disney's prices are nearly double at end of March.  There's no way I'm paying that!


----------



## belle032

lklgoodman said:


> I have always wanted to go to Bonaire and Curacao.  When we get dd's school calendar for 2021, I will look at booking one.  Fingers crossed I can find one during her Spring break.  In the past we have taken dd out of school to cruise in Jan.  She's in middle school now and I don't want to take her out anymore.  Disney's prices are nearly double at end of March.  There's no way I'm paying that!



We were so close to booking an 8 day itinerary on the Horizon that included Aruba & Curacao, but another couple wanted to cruise with us and it just didn't work out. So we compromised with our 7 day Conquest and a WDW trip in the Fall.

Would still love to book this itinerary as I've never heard anything negative about either island, but we've got to get to Alaska in 2021!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> We were so close to booking an 8 day itinerary on the Horizon that included Aruba & Curacao, but another couple wanted to cruise with us and it just didn't work out. So we compromised with our 7 day Conquest and a WDW trip in the Fall.
> 
> Would still love to book this itinerary as I've never heard anything negative about either island, but we've got to get to Alaska in 2021!


What ship are you planning on for Alaska?


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> What ship are you planning on for Alaska?



Not sure yet! Probably not DCL or Carnival. Seriously considering NCL or Princess, but I'll do a bunch of research before we actually book.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> Not sure yet! Probably not DCL or Carnival. Seriously considering NCL or Princess, but I'll do a bunch of research before we actually book.


I wish Carnival would send Panorama up to Alaska during the summer. I’d definitely do Alaska again if they did.


----------



## bcwife76

Ugh, why are the deposits for RCL $1K? That seems excessive, esp for a cruise that is $3800US total. With the current CAD exchange rate the deposit is $1300CDN. I really want to try Oasis of the Seas for Spring Break 2021, but my dh is reluctant to shell out such a large deposit (refundable as I went all the way to the end of the booking and chose the refundable option!) for a cruise so far in advance.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

bcwife76 said:


> Ugh, why are the deposits for RCL $1K? That seems excessive, esp for a cruise that is $3800US total. With the current CAD exchange rate the deposit is $1300CDN. I really want to try Oasis of the Seas for Spring Break 2021, but my dh is reluctant to shell out such a large deposit (refundable as I went all the way to the end of the booking and chose the refundable option!) for a cruise so far in advance.


This is the reason we haven’t booked with royal.  I know it has to be paid eventually but we really prefer smaller deposits.


----------



## bcwife76

We're also getting 'hung up' on things like drink packages etc, things we've never had to deal with on DCL. Trying to determine if drink packages are worth it or not.....darn, remember when vacation planning was simple?


----------



## lklgoodman

bcwife76 said:


> We're also getting 'hung up' on things like drink packages etc, things we've never had to deal with on DCL. Trying to determine if drink packages are worth it or not.....darn, remember when vacation planning was simple?



The only time I've been to WDW was nearly 30 yrs ago.  I sometimes think about going back, but then I think about how you need to plan for meals, fast passes, etc.  When we went we didn't have to do any planning, we just showed up, it was great!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

bcwife76 said:


> We're also getting 'hung up' on things like drink packages etc, things we've never had to deal with on DCL. Trying to determine if drink packages are worth it or not.....darn, remember when vacation planning was simple?


And all the cruise lines are different, offer different types of drink packages.  So a drink package may make sense on one line and not another.  We just purchased a coffee drink package on princess that gives you I think it is 15 specialty coffees and hot chocolates for $35.  I wish dcl had something like that.


----------



## lklgoodman

we"reofftoneverland said:


> And all the cruise lines are different, offer different types of drink packages.  So a drink package may make sense on one line and not another.  We just purchased a coffee drink package on princess that gives you I think it is 15 specialty coffees and hot chocolates for $35.  I wish dcl had something like that.



That coffee deal would be great!  I don't drink pop or tea, but must have a decent cup of coffee each morning.  And the coffee at the drink stations/MDR isn't very good.


----------



## lklgoodman

I just saw the Carnival Vista and Valor(I think that was the name of the ship) will both be in Cozumel on the same day that we are there on the Fantasy(DCL).  Do Carnival and DCL use the same port?  I would love to see the Vista up close and in person.  Plus, I think if my dd saw the Vista she would get excited about doing a cruise on it.


----------



## belle032

bcwife76 said:


> We're also getting 'hung up' on things like drink packages etc, things we've never had to deal with on DCL. Trying to determine if drink packages are worth it or not.....darn, remember when vacation planning was simple?



Drink packages are really something you have to determine what's best for you and your vacation style. People ask all the time "is the beverage package worth it?" and no one can give you that answer. For DH & I, it is worth it and we factor it in to the overall cost of our vacation. A few specialty coffees, umbrella drinks by the pool, wine with dinner and cocktails during the shows, comedy clubs, etc, and it's paid for. Plus, I like knowing that everything is paid for beforehand and I won't get hit with a surprise bill. It's why we like the dining plan for our WDW trips. It's not right for everyone, but it's right for us.

I believe you can search for average drink prices for any given cruise line. That way you can get a basic idea of what you might need to budget and help determine if you want to pay for a package or not!


----------



## belle032

we"reofftoneverland said:


> And all the cruise lines are different, offer different types of drink packages.  So a drink package may make sense on one line and not another.  We just purchased a coffee drink package on princess that gives you I think it is 15 specialty coffees and hot chocolates for $35.  I wish dcl had something like that.



I would have really enjoyed that on our DCL cruise. Especially because it was a cold weather itinerary. I was in the Cove Cafe at least once a day and it would have been more if it had been covered in a package. I understand the lack of alcohol package, but I think some kind of coffee deal would do really well for them.


----------



## mevelandry

bcwife76 said:


> We're also getting 'hung up' on things like drink packages etc, things we've never had to deal with on DCL. Trying to determine if drink packages are worth it or not.....darn, remember when vacation planning was simple?



If you are having more than 5 drinks a day, it's usually a great deal.

My husband and I tried this and turns out we do not drink enough to make it worth the investment.


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> I just saw the Carnival Vista and Valor(I think that was the name of the ship) will both be in Cozumel on the same day that we are there on the Fantasy(DCL).  Do Carnival and DCL use the same port?  I would love to see the Vista up close and in person.  Plus, I think if my dd saw the Vista she would get excited about doing a cruise on it.



CORRECTION: I read too fast. No, they do not use the same port.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

lklgoodman said:


> I just saw the Carnival Vista and Valor(I think that was the name of the ship) will both be in Cozumel on the same day that we are there on the Fantasy(DCL).  Do Carnival and DCL use the same port?  I would love to see the Vista up close and in person.  Plus, I think if my dd saw the Vista she would get excited about doing a cruise on it.


When we were on Vista in June, the Fantasy was docked at a different port. I took a picture of her from the top of Vista, but she was a ways away.


----------



## hdrolfe

lklgoodman said:


> I just saw the Carnival Vista and Valor(I think that was the name of the ship) will both be in Cozumel on the same day that we are there on the Fantasy(DCL).  Do Carnival and DCL use the same port?  I would love to see the Vista up close and in person.  Plus, I think if my dd saw the Vista she would get excited about doing a cruise on it.



They normally port at different docks. I know because I was on the Carnival Magic and put into a shuttle from Chankanaab with people from the Disney ship. I realized as we went right on by the port where our ship was. 

http://www.cruiseportinsider.com/cozumelschedule2019.html?ezpage=19 this is 2019's schedule showing which ship docks where. (if the link works).


----------



## lklgoodman

Well drats, sounds like we probably won't be close enough to the Vista for my dd to see all her bell and whistles.  If we dock next to some other ship with lots of fun stuff, I may just tell her it's a Carnival ship. Lol!!


----------



## belle032

Has anyone done Mr. Sancho's in Cozumel? It seems like it gets great reviews, but does anyone have first hand experience? I'm thinking of booking it for our group of 4 adults for January!.


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> Well drats, sounds like we probably won't be close enough to the Vista for my dd to see all her bell and whistles.  If we dock next to some other ship with lots of fun stuff, I may just tell her it's a Carnival ship. Lol!!



I apologize. I read your question too fast. :/


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Has anyone done Mr. Sancho's in Cozumel? It seems like it gets great reviews, but does anyone have first hand experience? I'm thinking of booking it for our group of 4 adults for January!.



I'm going... In January. LOL  

EDIT: 2 weeks before you go.


----------



## tinkerone

The thing we find with the drinks package is we need to factor in _everything_ before we decide.  I to like to have a few mixed drinks by the pool, a glass of wine with dinner, but the big thing for me is I love sparkling water.  Even a bottle of water to take off the ship.  We easily go through 6 to 10 bottles of water a day, sparkling and plain.  Fresh squeezed juice at breakfast.  On Royal it even includes smoothies at the spa/gym.  Factor that in and the drinks package is a bargain.  At least for me.


----------



## tinkerone

bcwife76 said:


> Ugh, why are the deposits for RCL $1K? That seems excessive, esp for a cruise that is $3800US total. With the current CAD exchange rate the deposit is $1300CDN. I really want to try Oasis of the Seas for Spring Break 2021, but my dh is reluctant to shell out such a large deposit (refundable as I went all the way to the end of the booking and chose the refundable option!) for a cruise so far in advance.


Deposits on DCL are usually 20% of the cost, so if your cruise is $4500 (not out of range for a Disney cruise) your deposit would be $900 US.  The more the cruise the more the deposit.  I know that they sometimes have specials for deposits but that's never a sure thing. 
Also, why would you book RCL in US dollars if your Canadian?  We have been booking them for the last three years and always book in Canadian funds.  Also the deposit is only $530 Cnd, are you maybe doubling the deposit thinking its per person?  Here's what I see on the site in US when I pull up a random cruise date....

Total           

                                      $2,789.82           

*  Minimum Deposit

            $500.00*

Double check and also think about booking in Canadian dollars.  All you have to do is change the country code at the top of the RCCL page.


----------



## bcwife76

tinkerone said:


> Deposits on DCL are usually 20% of the cost, so if your cruise is $4500 (not out of range for a Disney cruise) your deposit would be $900 US.  The more the cruise the more the deposit.  I know that they sometimes have specials for deposits but that's never a sure thing.
> Also, why would you book RCL in US dollars if your Canadian?  We have been booking them for the last three years and always book in Canadian funds.  Also the deposit is only $530 Cnd, are you maybe doubling the deposit thinking its per person?  Here's what I see on the site in US when I pull up a random cruise date....
> 
> Total
> 
> $2,789.82
> 
> *  Minimum Deposit
> 
> $500.00*
> 
> Double check and also think about booking in Canadian dollars.  All you have to do is change the country code at the top of the RCCL page.


Ugh....thank you!!! I can't believe I didn't change the country on the website, d'oh! Thanks for your help


----------



## mevelandry

tinkerone said:


> The thing we find with the drinks package is we need to factor in _everything_ before we decide.  I to like to have a few mixed drinks by the pool, a glass of wine with dinner, but the big thing for me is I love sparkling water.  Even a bottle of water to take off the ship.  We easily go through 6 to 10 bottles of water a day, sparkling and plain.  Fresh squeezed juice at breakfast.  On Royal it even includes smoothies at the spa/gym.  Factor that in and the drinks package is a bargain.  At least for me.



Sparkling water is how I made it work.


----------



## mevelandry

So... Apparently on the new ships, the Havana section will be closed to all non-Havana guests (even past 7:00 PM).


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> So... Apparently on the new ships, the Havana section will be closed to all non-Havana guests (even past 7:00 PM).



I've never been on a ship with the Havana option, but I don't think this is a bad thing. Guests pay premiums for those rooms to have those private spaces so I'm not upset that now they actually are fully private. I figure it was kind of like DCL opening up Concierge spaces after 7PM to regular guests. Could you imagine the uproar?

Maybe someone who has booked those rooms or taken advantage of the after-7PM freedom will have a different opinion, but I don't see it as a negative.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> So... Apparently on the new ships, the Havana section will be closed to all non-Havana guests (even past 7:00 PM).



My son isn't 12 yet so we haven't gone in havana but we have family harbour booked for Dec 2020. I would be upset if everyone was allowed in that lounge area after a certain time after paying more for the room (in not the best location either, deck 2 a lot of them under the galley). I wasn't planning to take advantage of the after 7 rule so don't think it will impact me. But when kiddo is 12 or older, I can certainly see booking there and enjoying the area.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I've never been on a ship with the Havana option, but I don't think this is a bad thing. Guests pay premiums for those rooms to have those private spaces so I'm not upset that now they actually are fully private. I figure it was kind of like DCL opening up Concierge spaces after 7PM to regular guests. Could you imagine the uproar?
> 
> Maybe someone who has booked those rooms or taken advantage of the after-7PM freedom will have a different opinion, but I don't see it as a negative.



I agree with it too. Truth be told, when we sailed on the Vista, we were allowed to go and never did. And I agree that those who pay more should have it just for them.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> So... Apparently on the new ships, the Havana section will be closed to all non-Havana guests (even past 7:00 PM).


They’re changing it on Vista class too, sometime later this month I believe.


----------



## bcwife76

Took the plunge and booked our first non-Disney cruise for spring break 2021! It was a toss up between Royal (Oasis of the Seas) and NCL (Breakaway), ended up booking NCL. A bit nervous. We will be Platinum (hopefully) by then so I told my dh no better way to celebrate our 11th cruise and turning Platinum than by doing it on another cruise line   It's ok, our first Platinum cruise can then be in 2022 on the Disney Wish


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

bcwife76 said:


> Took the plunge and booked our first non-Disney cruise for spring break 2021! It was a toss up between Royal (Oasis of the Seas) and NCL (Breakaway), ended up booking NCL. A bit nervous. We will be Platinum (hopefully) by then so I told my dh no better way to celebrate our 11th cruise and turning Platinum than by doing it on another cruise line   It's ok, our first Platinum cruise can then be in 2022 on the Disney Wish


You guys got bit by the cruise bug bad, I remember your first cruise was our 4th on DCL. It’s hard taking the plunge to something other than Disney for the first time, but it’s been well worth it for us.

I’m excited to hear about your trip since we have NCL Escape booked for June 2021. We’re still struggling with that cruise a bit too. We’re used to DCL and Carnival now so trying a third cruise line is a little hard for us. In my mind I know it shouldn’t be, but change can be a little hard. Please share any info with us that you find out for the next year and a half, I know you’ll be researching things!!

Jack


----------



## mevelandry

Trying a new cruise line is always a bit stressful because it's new territory. You make adjustments. 

My husband still can't get over the fact that RCCL doesn't have comedy shows every nights... Yet they had none on DCL.


----------



## bcwife76

Club Disney Chandler said:


> You guys got bit by the cruise bug bad, I remember your first cruise was our 4th on DCL. It’s hard taking the plunge to something other than Disney for the first time, but it’s been well worth it for us.
> 
> I’m excited to hear about your trip since we have NCL Escape booked for June 2021. We’re still struggling with that cruise a bit too. We’re used to DCL and Carnival now so trying a third cruise line is a little hard for us. In my mind I know it shouldn’t be, but change can be a little hard. Please share any info with us that you find out for the next year and a half, I know you’ll be researching things!!
> 
> Jack



So my excitement might be shortlived and premature, I've read several bad reviews on the Breakaway regarding smoking, how back the smoke is ALL over the ship etc. Gross. Apparently the Bliss is the only ship in their fleet to have an enclosed smoking area in the casino (preventing it from wafting everywhere) and the only itinerary for March 2021 is Mexico (been there done that). So we could very well be jumping ship (pun intended) to Oasis. I really wanted to try one of the new Carnival ships but either the dates don't work for us or their itineraries are too similar to something we have already sailed with DCL. They are still on the list for Europe, however ;-)
Sigh....too darn complicated for my tastes


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

bcwife76 said:


> So my excitement might be shortlived and premature, I've read several bad reviews on the Breakaway regarding smoking, how back the smoke is ALL over the ship etc. Gross. Apparently the Bliss is the only ship in their fleet to have an enclosed smoking area in the casino (preventing it from wafting everywhere) and the only itinerary for March 2021 is Mexico (been there done that). So we could very well be jumping ship (pun intended) to Oasis. I really wanted to try one of the new Carnival ships but either the dates don't work for us or their itineraries are too similar to something we have already sailed with DCL. They are still on the list for Europe, however ;-)
> Sigh....too darn complicated for my tastes


Did you look into Mardi Gras?


----------



## bcwife76

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Did you look into Mardi Gras? View attachment 451491


Yes the Mardi Gras looks amazing!!! But for scheduling reasons only one of those 4 days could possibly work....Saturday to Saturday cruises are difficult during spring break just because of the way my husband's vacation schedule is structured. Basically  March is the end of an old vacation schedule and the beginning of the new one for the year right in the middle of the month  So planning Spring break trips, unlike the rest of the year, are tricky.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

bcwife76 said:


> Yes the Mardi Gras looks amazing!!! But for scheduling reasons only one of those 4 days could possibly work....Saturday to Saturday cruises are difficult during spring break just because of the way my husband's vacation schedule is structured. Basically  March is the end of an old vacation schedule and the beginning of the new one for the year right in the middle of the month  So planning Spring break trips, unlike the rest of the year, are tricky.


Gotcha


----------



## mevelandry

bcwife76 said:


> So my excitement might be shortlived and premature, I've read several bad reviews on the Breakaway regarding smoking, how back the smoke is ALL over the ship etc. Gross. Apparently the Bliss is the only ship in their fleet to have an enclosed smoking area in the casino (preventing it from wafting everywhere) and the only itinerary for March 2021 is Mexico (been there done that). So we could very well be jumping ship (pun intended) to Oasis. I really wanted to try one of the new Carnival ships but either the dates don't work for us or their itineraries are too similar to something we have already sailed with DCL. They are still on the list for Europe, however ;-)
> Sigh....too darn complicated for my tastes



I think I hear that about every cruise ship that has a casino... Never experienced a smell all over a ship so far.


----------



## bcwife76

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Gotcha





mevelandry said:


> I think I hear that about every cruise ship that has a casino... Never experienced a smell all over a ship so far.



Captain wishy washy reporting for duty    We're going on Carnivals newest ship, Mardi Gras!!! My dh says he'll find a way to make the vacation time work even if he has to take an unpaid day (the ship leaves Saturday so he'd have to take at least one extra day off as it literally leaves the FIRST day of the new vacation schedule lol).


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

bcwife76 said:


> Captain wishy washy reporting for duty    We're going on Carnivals newest ship, Mardi Gras!!! My dh says he'll find a way to make the vacation time work even if he has to take an unpaid day (the ship leaves Saturday so he'd have to take at least one extra day off as it literally leaves the FIRST day of the new vacation schedule lol).


I’m so excited for you. I’m really excited about that ship, she looks amazing, who wouldn’t love a roller coaster 18 decks in the air on a cruise ship?????  Am I right?

The cruise director is going to be Matt Mitchum and he is awesome, makes all the deck parties super fun. Carnival is definitely different than DCL, but still tons of fun, and the casual food options are way better, we live Carnival food. 

I’m anxious to hear what you think about it when you get back.


----------



## belle032

PIF for our January cruise on the Conquest! Considering we are expecting a snowstorm today, I’m already counting down the days until the sunshine!

Now it’s time to pick out excursions, save for the beverage package and start planning our WDW trip


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

bcwife76 said:


> So my excitement might be shortlived and premature, I've read several bad reviews on the Breakaway regarding smoking, how back the smoke is ALL over the ship etc. Gross. Apparently the Bliss is the only ship in their fleet to have an enclosed smoking area in the casino (preventing it from wafting everywhere) and the only itinerary for March 2021 is Mexico (been there done that). So we could very well be jumping ship (pun intended) to Oasis. I really wanted to try one of the new Carnival ships but either the dates don't work for us or their itineraries are too similar to something we have already sailed with DCL. They are still on the list for Europe, however ;-)
> Sigh....too darn complicated for my tastes



We had a cruise scheduled on the breakaway for about a year ago and ended up cancelling because of many overwhelmingly bad reviews.  I am not sure what it is about that ship... if you are going to try another line, I definitely would go with one of the newest ships first so that you will not be disappointed.  We have been on NCL and our kids really did not like their club.  Like refused to go which is very unlike them.  Not sure if that is important to your family.  Our kids love dcl and carnival clubs— I mean really love the Carnival clubs.  We are trying princess in March so I can report back on those clubs soon.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

bcwife76 said:


> Captain wishy washy reporting for duty    We're going on Carnivals newest ship, Mardi Gras!!! My dh says he'll find a way to make the vacation time work even if he has to take an unpaid day (the ship leaves Saturday so he'd have to take at least one extra day off as it literally leaves the FIRST day of the new vacation schedule lol).


Ok just ignore my last post!! I responded without reading through the entire thread!  Your kids will love Carnival.  You cannot go wrong with Carnival’s new ships.  We are going on the Panorama (ship before Mardi gras) summer 2020.  We love their old ships too, but their new ships really compete well with dcl.


----------



## mevelandry

bcwife76 said:


> Captain wishy washy reporting for duty    We're going on Carnivals newest ship, Mardi Gras!!! My dh says he'll find a way to make the vacation time work even if he has to take an unpaid day (the ship leaves Saturday so he'd have to take at least one extra day off as it literally leaves the FIRST day of the new vacation schedule lol).



So exciting!!!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> PIF for our January cruise on the Conquest! Considering we are expecting a snowstorm today, I’m already counting down the days until the sunshine!
> 
> Now it’s time to pick out excursions, save for the beverage package and start planning our WDW trip



Let us know what you pick!


----------



## bcwife76

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Ok just ignore my last post!! I responded without reading through the entire thread!  Your kids will love Carnival.  You cannot go wrong with Carnival’s new ships.  We are going on the Panorama (ship before Mardi gras) summer 2020.  We love their old ships too, but their new ships really compete well with dcl.


Haha thanks! yes my kids LOVE the clubs on DCL and reading through all the info, eventhough they aren't open as long as the DCL ones, they still seem pretty cool. We've booked a Family Harbor room (deck 4 oceanview) in order to take advantage of the kids lounge etc. Eventhough our youngest will be 10 by then I thought it would be a good thing to try. I'm super excited about this cruise, I'm loving all the info about the Mardi Gras and to be honest I was NEVER excited about trying NCL. Now, to call NCL to get my money back lol


----------



## mevelandry

bcwife76 said:


> Haha thanks! yes my kids LOVE the clubs on DCL and reading through all the info, eventhough they aren't open as long as the DCL ones, they still seem pretty cool. We've booked a Family Harbor room (deck 4 oceanview) in order to take advantage of the kids lounge etc. Eventhough our youngest will be 10 by then I thought it would be a good thing to try. I'm super excited about this cruise, I'm loving all the info about the Mardi Gras and to be honest I was NEVER excited about trying NCL. Now, to call NCL to get my money back lol



I think it's important to be excited about the ship you're going to sail on as itineraries are never guaranteed.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

bcwife76 said:


> Haha thanks! yes my kids LOVE the clubs on DCL and reading through all the info, eventhough they aren't open as long as the DCL ones, they still seem pretty cool. We've booked a Family Harbor room (deck 4 oceanview) in order to take advantage of the kids lounge etc. Eventhough our youngest will be 10 by then I thought it would be a good thing to try. I'm super excited about this cruise, I'm loving all the info about the Mardi Gras and to be honest I was NEVER excited about trying NCL. Now, to call NCL to get my money back lol



I feel badly because it probably seems like I am slagging NCL!  Dh and I really like NCL (especially dh and the buffet, really great buffet), but just not the young kids so much.  I do personally feel like it is not an incredibly kid friendly line, not unfriendly, but just geared more towards adults.  But there are many people who do not agree with me on this!  I am sure we will go on them again some time when the price and itinerary draw us in.  Anyone looking for a great price— NCL seems to drop prices dramatically on unfilled ships after pif dates.  And @clubdisneychandler, you probably already know this, but make sure you book things ahead of time. Some things you can book before you get on the ship, other things when you get on.  If you try to get into a comedy club without a reservation (for example), forget it!  And most specialty restaurants will be booked solid before you get on the ship.  It is interesting to me how different lines cruise lines are.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I feel badly because it probably seems like I am slagging NCL!  Dh and I really like NCL (especially dh and the buffet, really great buffet), but just not the young kids so much.  I do personally feel like it is not an incredibly kid friendly line, not unfriendly, but just geared more towards adults.  But there are many people who do not agree with me on this!  I am sure we will go on them again some time when the price and itinerary draw us in.  Anyone looking for a great price— NCL seems to drop prices dramatically on unfilled ships after pif dates.  And @clubdisneychandler, you probably already know this, but make sure you book things ahead of time. Some things you can book before you get on the ship, other things when you get on.  If you try to get into a comedy club without a reservation (for example), forget it!  And most specialty restaurants will be booked solid before you get on the ship.  It is interesting to me how different lines cruise lines are.


Thanks for the info, I wasn’t aware that I should be booking all that stuff early. I still don’t even understand how dinner even works. I get so confused on all this stuff between the different lines. This is where I have to give Carnival points, everything is just so easy with them. I really like how you can book excursions whenever you want, yeah you have to pay at that time but at least you don’t have to be up at midnight trying to book something on a certain day.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Thanks for the info, I wasn’t aware that I should be booking all that stuff early. I still don’t even understand how dinner even works. I get so confused on all this stuff between the different lines. This is where I have to give Carnival points, everything is just so easy with them. I really like how you can book excursions whenever you want, yeah you have to pay at that time but at least you don’t have to be up at midnight trying to book something on a certain day.



It is not as bad as booking Disney fast passes!  But just book things ahead as much as possible.  Very different from carnival in that regard.  We booked specialty restaurants and regular restaurants but you really only needed to prebook the specialty restaurants.  Comedy was very popular and we did not get into their shows because we did not know to prebook and then forgot.  Our teen prebooked on ship once though and did see one comedian— said it was great.  I think some shows are very popular and it is wise to prebook whereas others you can just walk in.  I have read that for things like the golf carts- if you do not prebook, it is very difficult to ride.  They have great libraries if you like that sort of thing.  And the buffet is just great.  Washy- washy at the buffet entrance (employees make you sanitize or wash hands— very fun vibe).


----------



## mevelandry

Carnival will now offer Pepsi Co. Pepsi, Pepsi Zero, Pure Leaf teas, Naked Juice, Gatorade, Sierra Mist, Bubly and Starbucks ready-to-drink coffees) products instead of Coca-Cola.

Source: Cruiseradio.Net


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Carnival will now offer Pepsi Co. Pepsi, Pepsi Zero, Pure Leaf teas, Naked Juice, Gatorade, Sierra Mist, Bubly and Starbucks ready-to-drink coffees) products instead of Coca-Cola.
> 
> Source: Cruiseradio.Net



I was just coming to post this! And I am happy about it  I prefer Pepsi. I know others will not be happy about it. Well I guess I'm not happy if they raise the price of Bottomless Bubbles, but I never buy that any way (feel too guilty since I love pop but kiddo won't drink it). Or is it soda? I call it pop any way


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

I prefer coke over Pepsi but dh prefers Pepsi over coke.  Lol.  And we bring our own store brand soda on board anyway, so it doesn’t matter either way to us!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I was just coming to post this! And I am happy about it  I prefer Pepsi. I know others will not be happy about it. Well I guess I'm not happy if they raise the price of Bottomless Bubbles, but I never buy that any way (feel too guilty since I love pop but kiddo won't drink it). Or is it soda? I call it pop any way



Of course, some people will hate it... but I'm happy as I prefer Pepsi and I'm a huge drinker of Pure Leaf teas.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Carnival will now offer Pepsi Co. Pepsi, Pepsi Zero, Pure Leaf teas, Naked Juice, Gatorade, Sierra Mist, Bubly and Starbucks ready-to-drink coffees) products instead of Coca-Cola.
> 
> Source: Cruiseradio.Net



I prefer Diet Coke when I do drink soda, or when I get a mixed drink, but the switch is fine to me. I'm glad Ginger Ale will now be offered. I know some people are hard core Coke or Pepsi fans, but I'm not one of them. I did see John Heald explicitly state that the price of Bottomless Bubbles is NOT going up so everyone on those other cruise message boards and social media pages can calm down. 

Oh and I see he just stated that there will be news this afternoon about 2021 cruises that he's excited about. Fingers crossed for more Europe!


----------



## hdrolfe

Carnival Legend will be going to do European cruises in 2021 then move to Baltimore (instead of returning to Tampa). Look like some pretty unique (at least for Carnival) cruises.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

hdrolfe said:


> Carnival Legend will be going to do European cruises in 2021 then move to Baltimore (instead of returning to Tampa). Look like some pretty unique (at least for Carnival) cruises.


Are they on carnival ‘s website?


----------



## hdrolfe

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Are they on carnival ‘s website?



I'm not sure, I saw the post on Facebook.


----------



## belle032

OMG you guys! All on the Legend:

Iceland & British Isles
· June 25 and Aug. 6 from London (Dover): Nine-day British Isles voyages calling at Edinburgh, Invergordon and Isle of Skye, Scotland; Belfast (Northern Ireland), UK; Liverpool, England; and Cork (Cobh), Ireland.
· June 13 and July 4 London (Dover): 12-day Iceland & British Isles cruises with calls at Reykjavik, Grundafjordur, Akureyri, and Seydisfjordur, Iceland; Belfast (Northern Ireland), UK; Isle of Skye, Scotland; and Kirkwall, Orkney Islands or Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland/UK.

Check John Heald's post!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Not happy about losing my Coke Zero!

Very happy I just booked 2 balconies on the June 25th British Isles cruise!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

And now I shall hum the theme song to Outlander for the next 590 days because I am going to the Isle of Skye!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

hdrolfe said:


> I'm not sure, I saw the post on Facebook.





belle032 said:


> OMG you guys! All on the Legend:
> 
> Iceland & British Isles
> · June 25 and Aug. 6 from London (Dover): Nine-day British Isles voyages calling at Edinburgh, Invergordon and Isle of Skye, Scotland; Belfast (Northern Ireland), UK; Liverpool, England; and Cork (Cobh), Ireland.
> · June 13 and July 4 London (Dover): 12-day Iceland & British Isles cruises with calls at Reykjavik, Grundafjordur, Akureyri, and Seydisfjordur, Iceland; Belfast (Northern Ireland), UK; Isle of Skye, Scotland; and Kirkwall, Orkney Islands or Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland/UK.
> 
> Check John Heald's post!


Ok, wow.  They are on the website.  Very interesting itineraries.  I am really tempted, I just have to persuade my teen.  It is his pre college summer and he was talking an Alaska cruise but just recently shifted to just driving around the NW for 2 or so weeks to see national parks.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

They also already have Caribbean cruises for early 2022 on the website!  Wow.


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> Not happy about losing my Coke Zero!
> 
> Very happy I just booked 2 balconies on the June 25th British Isles cruise!



That Iceland/BI combo is almost too tempting to pass up. I'm thinking Alaska 2020 and that one 2021. If you don't mind me asking, how much was the deposit? I'm at work and can't look til I get home!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Ok, wow.  They are on the website.  Very interesting itineraries.  I am really tempted, I just have to persuade my teen.  It is his pre college summer and he was talking an Alaska cruise but just recently shifted to just driving around the NW for 2 or so weeks to see national parks.


Ha, ha, this is my youngest DS's HS grad trip!  He wanted London and Ireland so we will work them in too!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> That Iceland/BI combo is almost too tempting to pass up. I'm thinking Alaska 2020 and that one 2021. If you don't mind me asking, how much was the deposit? I'm at work and can't look til I get home!


They have an Early Saver promo and we paid $796 for the four of us.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> Ha, ha, this is my youngest DS's HS grad trip!  He wanted London and Ireland so we will work them in too!


So your son is doing national parks with school and England/Ireland with you?  Sounds perfect!  I wish we could do both but it will be hard for dh and I to get off work for more than 2 weeks in the summer. We have time to decide though, so I will see if I can shift him to the cruise.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> They have an Early Saver promo and we paid $796 for the four of us.


They also have some new financing thing where you can put 0 down but I do not know the details, might be a bad deal.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

we"reofftoneverland said:


> So your son is doing national parks with school and England/Ireland with you?  Sounds perfect!  I wish we could do both but it will be hard for dh and I to get off work for more than 2 weeks in the summer. We have time to decide though, so I will see if I can shift him to the cruise.


We aren’t doing any national parks. We do one family vacation in the summer. My mom and I do a shorter trip without kids in the fall. That’s my travel budget uses up!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

we"reofftoneverland said:


> They also have some new financing thing where you can put 0 down but I do not know the details, might be a bad deal.


Run far and fast from that new service! Interest rates are up to 35%!!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> Run far and fast from that new service! Interest rates are up to 35%!!


Ugh I figured it was something like that.


----------



## tidefan

Less than 2 weeks until...


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

tidefan said:


> Less than 2 weeks until...


Can’t wait to hear how it goes.


----------



## belle032

Does anyone know or remember if Carnival does anything for Cyber Monday? I don't expect anything huge, but I'm hoping for a shore excursion discount or something. There are 1-2 we'd like to book, but I can hold out if there's a possible discount.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> Does anyone know or remember if Carnival does anything for Cyber Monday? I don't expect anything huge, but I'm hoping for a shore excursion discount or something. There are 1-2 we'd like to book, but I can hold out if there's a possible discount.


I’m 99.9% positive they did discounts on excursions and spa stuff last year.


----------



## hmsTigger

belle032 said:


> OMG you guys! All on the Legend:
> 
> Iceland & British Isles
> · June 25 and Aug. 6 from London (Dover): Nine-day British Isles voyages calling at Edinburgh, Invergordon and Isle of Skye, Scotland; Belfast (Northern Ireland), UK; Liverpool, England; and Cork (Cobh), Ireland.
> · June 13 and July 4 London (Dover): 12-day Iceland & British Isles cruises with calls at Reykjavik, Grundafjordur, Akureyri, and Seydisfjordur, Iceland; Belfast (Northern Ireland), UK; Isle of Skye, Scotland; and Kirkwall, Orkney Islands or Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland/UK.
> 
> Check John Heald's post!


Belle,

Where to check John Healds's post?  Thanks for your help!  Ports look awesome.


----------



## belle032

hmsTigger said:


> Belle,
> 
> Where to check John Healds's post?  Thanks for your help!  Ports look awesome.



Do you follow him on the other popular social media page? Check out his statuses from earlier this week, he lists all the itineraries in one status. And I believe they’re up on Carnivals website too! Looks like they are already selling fast!


----------



## hmsTigger

Selling really fast  Non refundable deposits  Is that the norm?  So far out to make a decision but I love the itineraries.  Such a dilemma.  Like the idea of leaving from Dover as well.  Has Carnival done this cruise in the past?
Thanks for your help Belle!


----------



## belle032

hmsTigger said:


> Selling really fast  Non refundable deposits  Is that the norm?  So far out to make a decision but I love the itineraries.  Such a dilemma.  Like the idea of leaving from Dover as well.  Has Carnival done this cruise in the past?
> Thanks for your help Belle!



I don't believe they have. The only similar one I can think of was a Journey cruise on the Legend that was like 16 days and went to Iceland and maybe Ireland and Scotland? Can't remember the exact itinerary but it sold out immediately. So I've been hoping they add more European itineraries and it looks like they are. Seem to be getting a really good response so I hope this becomes a permanent addition!


----------



## hmsTigger

Thanks for your help!  Found the John Heald "page".
The non-refundable deposit is that the norm on Carnival  How much does one stand to lose if cancelled?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

hmsTigger said:


> Thanks for your help!  Found the John Heald "page".
> The non-refundable deposit is that the norm on Carnival  How much does one stand to lose if cancelled?


You don’t have to do a non refundable deposit. You can choose other options just read the fine print to make sure you are booking h the e refundable. It will be the full deposit of $400 per person though. They get you with the low deposit because it is no refundable. If you do book three one and have to cancel you lose $50 per person and the rest is held towards a future cruise within 24 months of cancellation.

Carnival has done BI and Baltic cruises in 2013 and prior years too I believe.


----------



## hdrolfe

Carnival is having a sale on their Pixels package BPIX20 for guests sailing between Dec 7, 2019 & Dec 7, 2020 and certain items in the shop BFSH10 (the gifts and staterooms decoration stuff you order before the cruise).


----------



## wanderlust7

Also 10% off shore excursions: BSHX10 (excludes Alaska).  Appears to only work once.  But might work for multiple if you check out together.  I ended up creating an account for DH to get our second one rebooked.


----------



## belle032

I have 2 different excursions in my cart right now and the promo looks like it's applying to both. Haven't checked out yet, as I'm trying to coordinate with another couple. So you might want to buy all the excursions at once just in case!


----------



## hmsTigger

where are you guys cruising and when?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hmsTigger said:


> where are you guys cruising and when?


Were on the 12/26/30 Mardi Gras, western Caribbean. Stops in Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatan.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Were on the 12/26/30 Mardi Gras, western Caribbean. Stops in Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatan.


I thought I booked early!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> I thought I booked early!


I guess that should be 2020 , oops


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Over 500 days to go and I have booked our first excursion for our BI cruise!


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> Over 500 days to go and I have booked our first excursion for our BI cruise!



I cannot wait to hear reviews of Carnival's BI cruises! I would absolutely book one in the future. We had a great time on our BI DCL cruise, but would love to see a different & longer itinerary and I think Carnival might be able to provide that. 

Speaking of excursions, we booked 2 for our January Caribbean cruise through Carnival. Lamanai Ruins in Belize and a shorter stingray excursion in Grand Cayman. Got the 10% off both which saved a little bit. Planning on the Daniel Johnson sloth/monkey sanctuary in Mahogany Bay and I think I'll try out Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel. So if anyone has any experience with any of these, please feel free to share!


----------



## Lynne G

When are you going in January, Belle?  We're on the Legend and stopping at all the ports you list, in January.  First time on Carnival.  And first time in the Western Caribbean.


----------



## belle032

Lynne G said:


> When are you going in January, Belle?  We're on the Legend and stopping at all the ports you list, in January.  First time on Carnival.  And first time in the Western Caribbean.



We're going on the Conquest (2nd time!) out of Miami. 1/25/20 - 2/1/20

I've never been on the Legend, but we have done the Western Caribbean itinerary before. Any questions about Carnival or the ports, please feel free to ask. Posters on this thread are always happy to help!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> I cannot wait to hear reviews of Carnival's BI cruises! I would absolutely book one in the future. We had a great time on our BI DCL cruise, but would love to see a different & longer itinerary and I think Carnival might be able to provide that.
> 
> Speaking of excursions, we booked 2 for our January Caribbean cruise through Carnival. Lamanai Ruins in Belize and a shorter stingray excursion in Grand Cayman. Got the 10% off both which saved a little bit. Planning on the Daniel Johnson sloth/monkey sanctuary in Mahogany Bay and I think I'll try out Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel. So if anyone has any experience with any of these, please feel free to share!


I've never done a true Western itinerary but would love to see sloths!  We always go to Paradise Beach in Cozumel.  The pool is fabulous and the nachos are too!

We have 6 ports and 2 sea days for BI.  I would love for it to be even longer!  For this itinerary we don't really care too much about the ship but I am intrigued about the drydock they will be doing prior to the Europe sailings.  It's about 5 weeks and in Spain where they have been "sunshining" the ships.  Hoping they add Dive In Movies at least.


----------



## Lynne G

Thanks Belle.  We sail the 5th.  Was going to wait for military rate from Disney, but even with that at discount, we are getting same almost (no Star Wars), at for at least half, the cost, including tips, that the Disney fare I saw did not include tips.  Booked all 4 ports on my own.  Was going to do Cozumel from Carnival, but found cheaper place I hope will be as nice as rated.  So far, all have sent confirming emails, and quickly answered questions I had.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I cannot wait to hear reviews of Carnival's BI cruises! I would absolutely book one in the future. We had a great time on our BI DCL cruise, but would love to see a different & longer itinerary and I think Carnival might be able to provide that.
> 
> Speaking of excursions, we booked 2 for our January Caribbean cruise through Carnival. Lamanai Ruins in Belize and a shorter stingray excursion in Grand Cayman. Got the 10% off both which saved a little bit. Planning on the Daniel Johnson sloth/monkey sanctuary in Mahogany Bay and I think I'll try out Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel. So if anyone has any experience with any of these, please feel free to share!



I’ll try to give you a review of Mr. Sanchos when I come back.  

In Grand Cayman we’re going to Royal Palms.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> I cannot wait to hear reviews of Carnival's BI cruises! I would absolutely book one in the future. We had a great time on our BI DCL cruise, but would love to see a different & longer itinerary and I think Carnival might be able to provide that.
> 
> Speaking of excursions, we booked 2 for our January Caribbean cruise through Carnival. Lamanai Ruins in Belize and a shorter stingray excursion in Grand Cayman. Got the 10% off both which saved a little bit. Planning on the Daniel Johnson sloth/monkey sanctuary in Mahogany Bay and I think I'll try out Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel. So if anyone has any experience with any of these, please feel free to share!


The sloths are awesome!!!!!  One of our best excursions ever, got to hold them and play with the monkeys and parrots too. Definitely book it through Carnival or the sanctuary itself. People that took a taxi over there were waiting for a very long time to get in, organized excursions have priority over drop ins.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> The sloths are awesome!!!!!  One of our best excursions ever, got to hold them and play with the monkeys and parrots too. Definitely book it through Carnival or the sanctuary itself. People that took a taxi over there were waiting for a very long time to get in, organized excursions have priority over drop ins. View attachment 456219


Wow... The sloth’s head is almost doing a 360. What is in his mouth? What is the mission of the sanctuary? 

(Sorry for all the questions, I’m a bit obsessed with animals).


----------



## Lynne G

Great picture Club Disney.  I am hoping to visit that sanctuary too, as we booked going there also, but booked months ago.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Wow... The sloth’s head is almost doing a 360. What is in his mouth? What is the mission of the sanctuary?
> 
> (Sorry for all the questions, I’m a bit obsessed with animals).



I obviously haven't been, so someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like a family run sanctuary that started as a hobby and just grew. Website says that most of their animals have come from locals that realized they couldn't take care of them. 

I'm also an animal lover so I'm happy to book an excursion that not only looks so fun and has great reviews, but also gives back to something I care about!


----------



## bcwife76

hmsTigger said:


> where are you guys cruising and when?


We're booked on the Carnival Mardi Gras 03/13/2021-03-20-2021 eastern carib with stops in San Juan, Amber Cove (DR) and Grand Turk!


----------



## belle032

Just happened to be scrolling through my morning CNN newsletter and saw the 2019 Cruise Critic Editor's Pick Awards. Not sure how much stock is put in these or what the parameters are, but just for fun, here's the list! 

Best New Ship: Norwegian Encore
Best Ship Refurbishment: Oasis of the Seas (Royal Caribbean International)
Best for Adventure: UnCruise Adventures
Best Cabins: Celebrity Cruises
Best Dining: Holland America Line
Best Entertainment: Royal Caribbean International
Best for Families: Disney Cruise Line
Best Itineraries: Holland America Line
Best Nightlife: MSC Cruises
Best Service: Carnival Cruise Line
Best Shore Excursions: Princess Cruises
Best for Solo Travelers: Norwegian Cruise Line
Best Suites: Royal Caribbean International
Best Value for Money: Carnival Cruise Line
Best North American Homeport: Seattle, WA

Some are no surprise, but I thought it was super interesting that CCL won for Best service! And now the Norwegian Encore win makes me more interested in trying NCL.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Did you guys see this?  At first I though yuck, but when I told my kids about it they were so excited that I re-thought it and am now pretty interested.  My kids were already not thrilled about our next cruise being on princess instead of carnival, but now they are really not happy.  Lol

https://cruiseradio.net/guys-burger...c_EsmHhMUJQK2n53_ZOWdGuI8C46GmeOSZNjHDw4VE0RI


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> The sloths are awesome!!!!!  One of our best excursions ever, got to hold them and play with the monkeys and parrots too. Definitely book it through Carnival or the sanctuary itself. People that took a taxi over there were waiting for a very long time to get in, organized excursions have priority over drop ins. View attachment 456219


Awesome photo
That excursion gets rave reviews on the other site. Trying to convince dh to do it next time we go that way.


----------



## hdrolfe

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Did you guys see this?  At first I though yuck, but when I told my kids about it they were so excited that I re-thought it and am now pretty interested.  My kids were already not thrilled about our next cruise being on princess instead of carnival, but now they are really not happy.  Lol
> 
> https://cruiseradio.net/guys-burger...c_EsmHhMUJQK2n53_ZOWdGuI8C46GmeOSZNjHDw4VE0RI



Umm, I think that looks awesome! thanks for sharing. I hope it continues to roll out across the cruiseline. 

For the sloth tour people are mentioning, I have intended to do that in Mahogany Bay but we were tired and the beach was right there so we ended up just doing that instead. Maybe next time, or if we go and dock in Coxen Hole (obviously on a different cruiseline).


----------



## belle032

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Did you guys see this?  At first I though yuck, but when I told my kids about it they were so excited that I re-thought it and am now pretty interested.  My kids were already not thrilled about our next cruise being on princess instead of carnival, but now they are really not happy.  Lol
> 
> https://cruiseradio.net/guys-burger...c_EsmHhMUJQK2n53_ZOWdGuI8C46GmeOSZNjHDw4VE0RI



I'll definitely try it once if it does end up going fleet-wide. I imagine it will considering how popular Guy's is! I also think the Blue Iguana breakfast is really yummy too and I actually might prefer it overall over Guy's. *Gasp!*  And I'm always in favor of more "included" food options. Not to be negative, but I do feel food options are something that DCL lacks and other cruise lines do much better with.


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> I'll definitely try it once if it does end up going fleet-wide. I imagine it will considering how popular Guy's is! I also think the Blue Iguana breakfast is really yummy too and I actually might prefer it overall over Guy's. *Gasp!*  And I'm always in favor of more "included" food options. Not to be negative, but I do feel food options are something that DCL lacks and other cruise lines do much better with.



Oh yeah, a nice breakfast burrito. Mmm. I do like Blue Iguana for lunch too, the taco salad bowl is so good! I really need another cruise  so many food options...


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Wow... The sloth’s head is almost doing a 360. What is in his mouth? What is the mission of the sanctuary?
> 
> (Sorry for all the questions, I’m a bit obsessed with animals).


She was eating a flower from the hibiscus plant, their diet is all plant based. Fun facts about sloths, they sleep about 20 hours/day, eating nothing but plants and only go to the bathroom once/week. 

I can hardly wait to try Guy’s for breakfast!!!!  Bring it on. Also agree with a previous poster that DCL is really behind the other cruise lines when it comes to included food options, they don’t hold a candle to Carnival and the others.


----------



## smmco

I got my flights booked for our Mardi Gras cruise out of Copenhagen. It was a bit of a challenge. It took about 6 weeks of checking the AA sight 50 times a day for AA business class award flights. When the return flight popped up for a 3 pm departure out of LHR I felt like I'd won the lottery. I'd given up on the outbound and was going to settle on economy when AA had a sale on flights to Prague. I had been looking for flights to LHR. My plan was to fly to LHR spend the night and then fly BA from LHR to CPH. I've never been to Prague,.....so I thought why not? We're spending three nights in Prague and then 2 nights in Copenhagen. There's a little snafu getting from PRG to CPH which I hadn't anticipated. There's only one airline with non-stops and only two flights a day. The reviews are horrid. I've never flown these cheap European carriers so I'm a little nervous about it. I have enough miles left to fly BA back to LHR and then on to CPH, but it would mean spending night in LHR. I'll probably do that meaning I will only have one night in CPH. 

I think I'm ok with that hotels in Copenhagen are expensive. I'm pleasantly surprised with Prague. The hotels are reasonably priced.  The  Marriott courtyard I booked actually has two queen beds, free breakfast and is only 150.00 a night.  If you're familiar with traveling in Europe that's a rarity. 

We're sailing on Allure of the Sea super bowl Sunday. I didn't know when I booked this cruise the Superbowl was in Miami. We're spending two nights in Orlando and visiting Seaworld. I got the 40 dollar black Friday tickets. The closest I could get to Fort Lauderdale was West Palm Beach. Everything in Miami and FLL is sold out. The only hotels I could find were the ones that look like you'd book by the hour and I'm sure those will be busy that weekend. Luckily I have some Hyatt points or the Hyatt Place in West Palm beach would have cost me 400.00 for the night. 

Seriously, I watch the NFl every week and I had no idea the Superbowl was in Miami until I started looking for a hotel a month ago. It should be a fun weekend in Florida. I'm looking forward to it.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Just happened to be scrolling through my morning CNN newsletter and saw the 2019 Cruise Critic Editor's Pick Awards. Not sure how much stock is put in these or what the parameters are, but just for fun, here's the list!
> 
> Best New Ship: Norwegian Encore
> Best Ship Refurbishment: Oasis of the Seas (Royal Caribbean International)
> Best for Adventure: UnCruise Adventures
> Best Cabins: Celebrity Cruises
> Best Dining: Holland America Line
> Best Entertainment: Royal Caribbean International
> Best for Families: Disney Cruise Line
> Best Itineraries: Holland America Line
> Best Nightlife: MSC Cruises
> Best Service: Carnival Cruise Line
> Best Shore Excursions: Princess Cruises
> Best for Solo Travelers: Norwegian Cruise Line
> Best Suites: Royal Caribbean International
> Best Value for Money: Carnival Cruise Line
> Best North American Homeport: Seattle, WA
> 
> Some are no surprise, but I thought it was super interesting that CCL won for Best service! And now the Norwegian Encore win makes me more interested in trying NCL.



Wait. Best service for Carnival over DCL? Not gonna lie, knowing how DCL hardcore fans rave about DCL having the best-service-in-the-whole-wide-world, this made me giggle a little bit.  (Slightly ashamed of this *schadenfreude* moment)


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Did you guys see this?  At first I though yuck, but when I told my kids about it they were so excited that I re-thought it and am now pretty interested.  My kids were already not thrilled about our next cruise being on princess instead of carnival, but now they are really not happy.  Lol
> 
> https://cruiseradio.net/guys-burger...c_EsmHhMUJQK2n53_ZOWdGuI8C46GmeOSZNjHDw4VE0RI



It sounds a bit heavy but I keep hearing that breakfast is the best time of the day for heavy meals.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> She was eating a flower from the hibiscus plant, their diet is all plant based. Fun facts about sloths, they sleep about 20 hours/day, eating nothing but plants and only go to the bathroom once/week.
> 
> I can hardly wait to try Guy’s for breakfast!!!!  Bring it on. Also agree with a previous poster that DCL is really behind the other cruise lines when it comes to included food options, they don’t hold a candle to Carnival and the others.



Thank you for the info. This looks very interesting.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I obviously haven't been, so someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like a family run sanctuary that started as a hobby and just grew. Website says that most of their animals have come from locals that realized they couldn't take care of them.
> 
> I'm also an animal lover so I'm happy to book an excursion that not only looks so fun and has great reviews, but also gives back to something I care about!



It’s reassuring since animal ethics is very important for me (I don’t do dolphin swims and I am not the biggest fan of zoos unless those are filled with animals that can’t be reintroduced to nature because they were injured or domesticated) ... Now I wanna go. LOL


----------



## Lynne G

Less than 30 days now, for our first foray into another cruise line.  Happy to hear a breakfast burrito may be had.  

Did book port adventures for all four of our stops.  Seems the ship may be busier than my cruise mates over on CC think. Only suites seem to be left.  And here is hoping a stop at the food guy, we get a private table.  Seems many other lines allow you to say table preference before cruise.  Carnival does not.  Another oh, different than DCL.


----------



## belle032

smmco said:


> I got my flights booked for our Mardi Gras cruise out of Copenhagen. It was a bit of a challenge. It took about 6 weeks of checking the AA sight 50 times a day for AA business class award flights. When the return flight popped up for a 3 pm departure out of LHR I felt like I'd won the lottery. I'd given up on the outbound and was going to settle on economy when AA had a sale on flights to Prague. I had been looking for flights to LHR. My plan was to fly to LHR spend the night and then fly BA from LHR to CPH. I've never been to Prague,.....so I thought why not? We're spending three nights in Prague and then 2 nights in Copenhagen. There's a little snafu getting from PRG to CPH which I hadn't anticipated. There's only one airline with non-stops and only two flights a day. The reviews are horrid. I've never flown these cheap European carriers so I'm a little nervous about it. I have enough miles left to fly BA back to LHR and then on to CPH, but it would mean spending night in LHR. I'll probably do that meaning I will only have one night in CPH.
> 
> I think I'm ok with that hotels in Copenhagen are expensive. I'm pleasantly surprised with Prague. The hotels are reasonably priced.  The  Marriott courtyard I booked actually has two queen beds, free breakfast and is only 150.00 a night.  If you're familiar with traveling in Europe that's a rarity.
> 
> We're sailing on Allure of the Sea super bowl Sunday. I didn't know when I booked this cruise the Superbowl was in Miami. We're spending two nights in Orlando and visiting Seaworld. I got the 40 dollar black Friday tickets. The closest I could get to Fort Lauderdale was West Palm Beach. Everything in Miami and FLL is sold out. The only hotels I could find were the ones that look like you'd book by the hour and I'm sure those will be busy that weekend. Luckily I have some Hyatt points or the Hyatt Place in West Palm beach would have cost me 400.00 for the night.
> 
> Seriously, I watch the NFl every week and I had no idea the Superbowl was in Miami until I started looking for a hotel a month ago. It should be a fun weekend in Florida. I'm looking forward to it.



Omg we’re sailing out of Miami the weekend before Super Bowl and getting back the day before. I’m still having a heck of a time finding a hotel for one night under $250 the the weekend before and we’re flying into FLL. I think I’m just going to have to bite the bullet and book one because prices are only going up. Originally, we thought about staying in Florida the night we disembark but once I realized what was going on I was like NOPE get us out of here!

We almost booked a sailing out of Port Canaveral for the same weekend and while I’m still looking forward to this one, it would have made it a lot easier travel wise!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Some wonderful travel plans being made.  We booked our flights to Hawaii for our land trip next June.  They are sure more expensive than the last time I visited for the "good" flights.  We ended up booking the not so great in order to save $1000.  We still get 9 days in paradise though.


----------



## mevelandry

Lynne G said:


> Less than 30 days now, for our first foray into another cruise line.  Happy to hear a breakfast burrito may be had.
> 
> Did book port adventures for all four of our stops.  Seems the ship may be busier than my cruise mates over on CC think. Only suites seem to be left.  And here is hoping a stop at the food guy, we get a private table.  Seems many other lines allow you to say table preference before cruise.  Carnival does not.  Another oh, different than DCL.



What do you mean by "table preference"?


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Omg we’re sailing out of Miami the weekend before Super Bowl and getting back the day before. I’m still having a heck of a time finding a hotel for one night under $250 the the weekend before and we’re flying into FLL. I think I’m just going to have to bite the bullet and book one because prices are only going up. Originally, we thought about staying in Florida the night we disembark but once I realized what was going on I was like NOPE get us out of here!
> 
> We almost booked a sailing out of Port Canaveral for the same weekend and while I’m still looking forward to this one, it would have made it a lot easier travel wise!



Have you ever tried Hotwire? We got SO lucky with them so far. Always got great hotels at a very reasonable price.


----------



## Lynne G

mevelandry said:


> What do you mean by "table preference"?



Meaning, private or 4 top for the 3 of us going.  We are not fond of sharing a table in the main dining rooms.


----------



## tidefan

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Did you guys see this?  At first I though yuck, but when I told my kids about it they were so excited that I re-thought it and am now pretty interested.  My kids were already not thrilled about our next cruise being on princess instead of carnival, but now they are really not happy.  Lol
> 
> https://cruiseradio.net/guys-burger...c_EsmHhMUJQK2n53_ZOWdGuI8C46GmeOSZNjHDw4VE0RI


Send them to Alfredo's for Pizza (if your Princess ship has it).  That will get them over that!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Lynne G said:


> Meaning, private or 4 top for the 3 of us going.  We are not fond of sharing a table in the main dining rooms.


If you have my time dining you’ll have a choice if alone or with people. The times we’ve had set dining we always had our own table for our family of 4.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Lynne G said:


> Less than 30 days now, for our first foray into another cruise line.  Happy to hear a breakfast burrito may be had.
> 
> Did book port adventures for all four of our stops.  Seems the ship may be busier than my cruise mates over on CC think. Only suites seem to be left.  And here is hoping a stop at the food guy, we get a private table.  Seems many other lines allow you to say table preference before cruise.  Carnival does not.  Another oh, different than DCL.


The breakfast burritos are awesome. They have a great salsa bar too, we bring our own bags of tortilla chips so we can have chips and salsa by the pool. I haven’t been able to find tortilla chips anywhere on the ship.


----------



## mevelandry

Lynne G said:


> Meaning, private or 4 top for the 3 of us going.  We are not fond of sharing a table in the main dining rooms.



You can request in advance and/or on the first night. We've never shared a table with anyone.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> The breakfast burritos are awesome. They have a great salsa bar too, we bring our own bags of tortilla chips so we can have chips and salsa by the pool. I haven’t been able to find tortilla chips anywhere on the ship.



Smart idea. On my next Carnival cruise I'm bringing Tostitos!


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> Smart idea. On my next Carnival cruise I'm bringing Tostitos!


No offense, but those aren't real tortilla chips.


----------



## Lynne G

Woot, breakfast burrito and chips.  

I did request private table the other day, but was told have to do it on the ship, not can reserve in advance.  Oh well.  That will be our first stop.

And with the BF sale, got pictures package. So hoping some great shots will be taken. Think was much cheaper than our picture package on the DCL Fantasy 7 night cruise we took a few years ago. 

Oh and already prepaid our tips.  All paid off back in October.  

Here is hoping unusually hot in the Western Gulf locations the second week of January.


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> No offense, but those aren't real tortilla chips.



I know. They kinda suck but it's the only brand I know from the US. :/


----------



## mevelandry

Lynne G said:


> Woot, breakfast burrito and chips.
> 
> I did request private table the other day, but was told have to do it on the ship, not can reserve in advance.  Oh well.  That will be our first stop.
> 
> And with the BF sale, got pictures package. So hoping some great shots will be taken. Think was much cheaper than our picture package on the DCL Fantasy 7 night cruise we took a few years ago.
> 
> Oh and already prepaid our tips.  All paid off back in October.
> 
> Here is hoping unusually hot in the Western Gulf locations the second week of January.



We are no fans of buying pictures but we bought some because they were really really good. Some photographers are talented.


----------



## Mika02

So I've had to change course a few times this year on my cruise. Between my job burning down in January and then me being laid off mid year and then most recently having 3 surgeries back to back and the long recovery it's been crazy. So I've officially moved our cruise to Christmas of next year (I got my ex husband to agree to let me take the kids from Christmas to after New years eve). My dad has decided to come with as well and he could only go after June so it works out since he didn't want to go alone. I was looking to try to go before my daughter went off to college but it's looking more and more likely that she will be closer to home then we were all thinking.

So now I'm looking at cruising out of the Florida area and doing a few days for the 1st time at Disney world for Christmas. Our options are Carnival Mardi Gras, Legend or Paradise. RCCL Harmony or Independance or DCL Magic.  Right now leaning towards Legend (Grand Cayman, Mahogany Bay, Belize, Cozumel), Harmony (Cococay, Cozumel, Honduras, Costa Maya)  or Magic (Key West, Castaway Cay, Bahamas) because it would give us enough time to coming in for Christmas visit the parks and then hit the ship. If we do Mardi Gras (Cozumel, Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay)  I would probably have to extend our trip a few days into school for my boys to do Disney world. I'm excited for this hopefully my boyfriend can join us as well. Price is not really a factor they are all about the same I guess because it's Christmas but I might be able to get the Carnival down a little since I have Past Guest Credit.

I'm excited to be able to plan the whole thing but It will be really hard to wait to go lol


----------



## lklgoodman

mevelandry said:


> I know. They kinda suck but it's the only brand I know from the US. :/



Mission(comes in a paper sack) and On the Border are a lot better for grocery store bought chips.  If you buy them when you get to the US look for either of those brands instead.


----------



## Lynne G

Well Mika, I can tell you about the Legend on that Western cruise, as we are doing it right after the New Year Day.  I am so sorry to hear of you losing your job, medical issues, and having to cancel the planned cruise.  But yay, for being able to have a family holiday cruise next year.  Time does fly, and will be nice to now have another countdown to look forward to, and wishing you much better health, able to find an even better job, and a great outlook in the next year.  And I guess since money is not the top decider, what ports really are ones you want to visit, how big a ship, and yeah, I would stay with Carnival if you have credit there.  Even though money is not the issue.  Plus, are the kids interested in any of the ships?  Each has some neat fun, is there a ship they prefer?


----------



## Mika02

Lynne G said:


> Well Mika, I can tell you about the Legend on that Western cruise, as we are doing it right after the New Year Day.  I am so sorry to hear of you losing your job, medical issues, and having to cancel the planned cruise.  But yay, for being able to have a family holiday cruise next year.  Time does fly, and will be nice to now have another countdown to look forward to, and wishing you much better health, able to find an even better job, and a great outlook in the next year.  And I guess since money is not the top decider, what ports really are ones you want to visit, how big a ship, and yeah, I would stay with Carnival if you have credit there.  Even though money is not the issue.  Plus, are the kids interested in any of the ships?  Each has some neat fun, is there a ship they prefer?


Thanks, I can't wait to hear you review of the Legend.

So my kids Love Disney. They are worried of Carnival because of things they have heard (drunken people, older broken down ships) my daughter and middle son did a Carnival cruise (San juan, St. Thomas, we missed Bahamas and Grand Turk due to a hurricane) when they were younger I believe 6 and 1. They loved it. But after years of hearing bad things my daughter is leery of Carnival she'll be 18 in a few months. My middle son just like hotels and pools he's not a big adventurer. When they were 13, 8 and my little one was 4 we went on a Disney Cruise on the Disney Magic and really that's all they remember. They love Disney world lol. We had been talking about going for Christmas one day so they will be happy with that part of the trips so being on a Disney cruise is not a necessity.

Being on a ship with a good amount to do would be helpful especially for 17 year old and my 9 year who are busy bees they love rides and theme parks. My 12 year old really is more of a video game guy hates rides hates trying new things. So he would like anywhere where he can hang maybe meet a few people and play some video games or basketball or watch some sports. Any Cruise line with a good kids/teens club would do for the younger two they do well with organized activities. Anything with a good amount of pools, hot tubs and slides they will be happy. 

As to ports I really want to go anywhere that is not Nassau because we did that on Disney and I wasn't that big of a fan. I have cruised a few times I did a Southern Caribbean cruise on my Honeymoon on Carnival (San Juan, Aruba, St. Thomas, Barbados, Dominica) Loved that Itinerary my least favorite place was Barbados since it was so rocky on the beach, then a babymoon (New orleans, Cozumel) Didn't see much in Cozumel it was really hot and I was pregnant . Anywhere new for me would be great. My kids don't care where we go they would go right back to the Bahamas lol We aren't big beach people which is why I'm not taking them to an all inclusive. I think CocoCay they would really enjoy.

Food is also pretty important my daughter and I are big foodies. My middle son is very picky and has multiple allergies (nuts and seafood) and my younger son is not picky will try new stuff (he likes sushi) but he also has nut allergies. I had bariatric surgery this summer and had complications hence the multiple surgeries so there are some things I can't eat or not in large quantities any more. So Cruise line with no sugar added dessert would be great so far I know Disney has that because I did a ship tour on the Magic. So we need lots of variety but lots of the basics too nuggets, fries, burgers and pizza for the kids. 

My Dad has never cruised but he's an adventurer so anything with a beach and food he'll have a good time.  He grew up in Jamaica so he loves island life and wants to see different islands now that he's retired. My boyfriend has never cruised is also not picky he loves steaks he's not a beach person, likes trying new things and go new places. He likes casinos and he like the drinks flowing when he's on vacation. He's pretty laid back.

So all this to say I have been on 3 Carnival Cruises ( 2 ships Triumph and Destiny both of which have been redone and renamed) I had an amazing time on all 3. Went on a Disney Cruise I had an amazing time there too. I did like the kids club better on Disney then on Carnival we literally had to drag the kids out for dinner and then they would crawl in to bed at night. I would like to try Royal I've read their kids club hours are not convenient on sea days but as long as my youngest can sign himself out of the kids club and go to the pools or slides he will be fine he will be 10 when we sail. 

Room wise I will put my kids in 1 room and me and my dad in another if my boyfriend comes I will get us a seperate room and put everyone else in a room together.  I don't have much of a room preference not worried about split bathrooms or anything since we will probably do two rooms. My kids I'm sure would like somewhere comfortable for when they feel like hanging out in the room.


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> Mission(comes in a paper sack) and On the Border are a lot better for grocery store bought chips.  If you buy them when you get to the US look for either of those brands instead.



Duly noted. Thank you!


----------



## mevelandry

Mika02 said:


> So I've had to change course a few times this year on my cruise. Between my job burning down in January and then me being laid off mid year and then most recently having 3 surgeries back to back and the long recovery it's been crazy. So I've officially moved our cruise to Christmas of next year (I got my ex husband to agree to let me take the kids from Christmas to after New years eve). My dad has decided to come with as well and he could only go after June so it works out since he didn't want to go alone. I was looking to try to go before my daughter went off to college but it's looking more and more likely that she will be closer to home then we were all thinking.
> 
> So now I'm looking at cruising out of the Florida area and doing a few days for the 1st time at Disney world for Christmas. Our options are Carnival Mardi Gras, Legend or Paradise. RCCL Harmony or Independance or DCL Magic.  Right now leaning towards Legend (Grand Cayman, Mahogany Bay, Belize, Cozumel), Harmony (Cococay, Cozumel, Honduras, Costa Maya)  or Magic (Key West, Castaway Cay, Bahamas) because it would give us enough time to coming in for Christmas visit the parks and then hit the ship. If we do Mardi Gras (Cozumel, Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay)  I would probably have to extend our trip a few days into school for my boys to do Disney world. I'm excited for this hopefully my boyfriend can join us as well. Price is not really a factor they are all about the same I guess because it's Christmas but I might be able to get the Carnival down a little since I have Past Guest Credit.
> 
> I'm excited to be able to plan the whole thing but It will be really hard to wait to go lol



I love Carnival but I really had a great time on RCCL and CocoCay is absolutely fantastic (totally beats Castaway Cay for me).

I think I've never heard bad reviews about Honduras (Roatan)... It's a great place for snorkeling and as you may have seen here recently, they have a nice Sloth & Monkey sanctuary. 

I'll try Costa Maya next month, it looks fun!


----------



## mevelandry

Mika02 said:


> Thanks, I can't wait to hear you review of the Legend.
> 
> So my kids Love Disney. They are worried of Carnival because of things they have heard (drunken people, older broken down ships) my daughter and middle son did a Carnival cruise (San juan, St. Thomas, we missed Bahamas and Grand Turk due to a hurricane) when they were younger I believe 6 and 1. They loved it. But after years of hearing bad things my daughter is leery of Carnival she'll be 18 in a few months. My middle son just like hotels and pools he's not a big adventurer. When they were 13, 8 and my little one was 4 we went on a Disney Cruise on the Disney Magic and really that's all they remember. They love Disney world lol. We had been talking about going for Christmas one day so they will be happy with that part of the trips so being on a Disney cruise is not a necessity.
> 
> Being on a ship with a good amount to do would be helpful especially for 17 year old and my 9 year who are busy bees they love rides and theme parks. My 12 year old really is more of a video game guy hates rides hates trying new things. So he would like anywhere where he can hang maybe meet a few people and play some video games or basketball or watch some sports. Any Cruise line with a good kids/teens club would do for the younger two they do well with organized activities. Anything with a good amount of pools, hot tubs and slides they will be happy.
> 
> As to ports I really want to go anywhere that is not Nassau because we did that on Disney and I wasn't that big of a fan. I have cruised a few times I did a Southern Caribbean cruise on my Honeymoon on Carnival (San Juan, Aruba, St. Thomas, Barbados, Dominica) Loved that Itinerary my least favorite place was Barbados since it was so rocky on the beach, then a babymoon (New orleans, Cozumel) Didn't see much in Cozumel it was really hot and I was pregnant . Anywhere new for me would be great. My kids don't care where we go they would go right back to the Bahamas lol We aren't big beach people which is why I'm not taking them to an all inclusive. I think CocoCay they would really enjoy.
> 
> Food is also pretty important my daughter and I are big foodies. My middle son is very picky and has multiple allergies (nuts and seafood) and my younger son is not picky will try new stuff (he likes sushi) but he also has nut allergies. I had bariatric surgery this summer and had complications hence the multiple surgeries so there are some things I can't eat or not in large quantities any more. So Cruise line with no sugar added dessert would be great so far I know Disney has that because I did a ship tour on the Magic. So we need lots of variety but lots of the basics too nuggets, fries, burgers and pizza for the kids.
> 
> My Dad has never cruised but he's an adventurer so anything with a beach and food he'll have a good time.  He grew up in Jamaica so he loves island life and wants to see different islands now that he's retired. My boyfriend has never cruised is also not picky he loves steaks he's not a beach person, likes trying new things and go new places. He likes casinos and he like the drinks flowing when he's on vacation. He's pretty laid back.
> 
> So all this to say I have been on 3 Carnival Cruises ( 2 ships Triumph and Destiny both of which have been redone and renamed) I had an amazing time on all 3. Went on a Disney Cruise I had an amazing time there too. I did like the kids club better on Disney then on Carnival we literally had to drag the kids out for dinner and then they would crawl in to bed at night. I would like to try Royal I've read their kids club hours are not convenient on sea days but as long as my youngest can sign himself out of the kids club and go to the pools or slides he will be fine he will be 10 when we sail.
> 
> Room wise I will put my kids in 1 room and me and my dad in another if my boyfriend comes I will get us a seperate room and put everyone else in a room together.  I don't have much of a room preference not worried about split bathrooms or anything since we will probably do two rooms. My kids I'm sure would like somewhere comfortable for when they feel like hanging out in the room.



Side note: With kids I would avoid Carnival Paradise. Not much to do. My husband and I sailed on the sister ship Sensation and we were a little bit bored as there was not much to do on it. They are also older ships and some elevators are broken.


----------



## Mika02

mevelandry said:


> Side note: With kids I would avoid Carnival Paradise. Not much to do. My husband and I sailed on the sister ship Sensation and we were a little bit bored as there was not much to do on it. They are also older ships and some elevators are broken.


I remember you guys here telling me that in one of my early plans. And based on what I've read online so I've definitely crossed it off the list.  It's a Shorter Itin (Grand Cayman and Cozumel out of Tampa) and if I'm going to do a similar short one I will do the Independence of the sea (same exact stops but out of Fort lauderdale) instead. Independence is not in play right now because I don't want to have drive the 3 hours to the port lol.

Can't wait to hear about Costa Maya!


----------



## hdrolfe

Mika02 said:


> I remember you guys here telling me that in one of my early plans. And based on what I've read online so I've definitely crossed it off the list.  It's a Shorter Itin (Grand Cayman and Cozumel out of Tampa) and if I'm going to do a similar short one I will do the Independence of the sea (same exact stops but out of Fort lauderdale) instead. Independence is not in play right now because I don't want to have drive the 3 hours to the port lol.
> 
> Can't wait to hear about Costa Maya!



Costa Maya is lovely. It depends what you want to do. We went to the Malecon to one of the beach clubs and just enjoyed the water. There are ruins if you are willing to do a bit of a drive (I'd suggest the cruise line for that) Or there is the water slide/zipline park. You can actually see this from the ship when you dock. I think it's pretty much the same cost through the cruise line as it is on it's own, but given how close it is, it is possible to walk there I believe. The port area itself has some options, there is an aviary you can get a ticket to walk through, dolphins right there to swim with (if you do that) or just see. Lots of shops and some food/drinks as well. Also a Starbucks to get your wifi fix  

Honestly, from your choices, I'd go with Harmony or Mardi Gras. In your case, because you mentioned the Mardi Gras timing doesn't work as well, Harmony of the Seas. RCL is a great cruise line, that ship has everything you could want to do, water slides, a dry slide from top of the ship to the bottom, zipline, rock climbing, ice skating. You would have to book your shows I believe, It is on my bucket list  And Harmony won't be in Port Canaveral for too much longer, I believe Allure will be replacing it (after she gets updated like Oasis is), I think early 2021.


----------



## belle032

@Mika02 You have some great choices! Based on itinerary and what you're looking for in a cruise, I'd probably go with the Mardi Gras or the Harmony of the Seas. Mardi Gras will be brand new, looks stunning and I imagine it will have plenty of activities for your family. The Harmony has already been around and proven to have lots of activities for everyone. Plus, CocoCay looks awesome and makes me want to give RCCL a try! And I think in terms of food, you'll have a lot more choices on either of these ships versus a smaller ship.

I haven't been on the Legend, but we're doing that same itinerary at the end of January on the Conquest and I'm looking forward to it!

We just got off the Magic and while it was a lovely ship and we had a great time, DH & I felt it was a little lacking in terms of activities. We did a European itinerary, so we didn't utilize the pools/outside space much, but it seemed like on a Caribbean sailing the spaces would get very crowded very quickly. Plus, in that itinerary, the only place I'd really care about going back to is Castaway.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I think Coco Cay looks amazing but I can't get my family to try new things!

I've booked our 2nd excursion for 2021!  We are doing a Beatles tour in Liverpool with Fab4Tours.  We decided to just do the express 2 hour overview so that we can also spend a couple hours at the British Music Experience museum.  

I'm a bit miffed though that we are docked 7 - 4 but none of the tour companies are allowed into the port until 9:30.  Also, pretty much every museum, attraction, etc doesn't open until 10.  So we will have a lot of wasted time and then have to hurry through an amazing city with tons of history. We will make the most of it and maybe be inspired to go back someday.


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> I think Coco Cay looks amazing but I can't get my family to try new things!
> 
> I've booked our 2nd excursion for 2021!  We are doing a Beatles tour in Liverpool with Fab4Tours.  We decided to just do the express 2 hour overview so that we can also spend a couple hours at the British Music Experience museum.
> 
> I'm a bit miffed though that we are docked 7 - 4 but none of the tour companies are allowed into the port until 9:30.  Also, pretty much every museum, attraction, etc doesn't open until 10.  So we will have a lot of wasted time and then have to hurry through an amazing city with tons of history. We will make the most of it and maybe be inspired to go back someday.



We really liked Liverpool! It was so nice to be docked and be able to walk directly off the ship right into the city. This was the only port we didn't book an excursion and there is plenty to do right on the waterfront. DH & I actually did an escape room (so fun!), did some shopping, went through the Maritime Museum and had a couple pints at a pub right nearby. It was sunny and warmer that day so it was really great just to stroll. Museums were all free I believe so go through at your leisure. Overall, a nice relaxing last port day!


----------



## Mika02

I'm laughing because people always say I plan too early but all the rooms I would want on Harmony are already taken lol.

Told my daughter about the plans she got very excited she definitely doesn't want to do the Mardi Gras because she definitely wants some time in the parks before we head on the ship and she also said Independence of the sea is too short she wants 7 full days on our cruise. Other then that she was no help lol.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> We really liked Liverpool! It was so nice to be docked and be able to walk directly off the ship right into the city. This was the only port we didn't book an excursion and there is plenty to do right on the waterfront. DH & I actually did an escape room (so fun!), did some shopping, went through the Maritime Museum and had a couple pints at a pub right nearby. It was sunny and warmer that day so it was really great just to stroll. Museums were all free I believe so go through at your leisure. Overall, a nice relaxing last port day!


Well, I have 2 huge Beatles fans so that was a must for them!  My DS is super excited to see Strawberry Fields.


----------



## Lynne G

Oh and Mika, while we have only done DCL cruises, my then 21 year old and I did the Magic that you are considering.  Not much to do at night, and no slides for adults like on the Fantasy.  In fact, it was on that cruise, that my kid said, not getting off the ship in Nassau anymore.  And I think they are usually only 5 night cruises.

If Harmony was sold out, have you considered the other Oasis ship? And keep checking, cabins can become available any time, as people cancel, or change plans.  Note that the Oasis recently got the upgrades that the Harmony has.  And yep, my kids both prefer the 7 night cruises. Though I have to say, before we boarded the Magic, we spent 4 days at Universal.  This January, because of the college schedule of my younger one, we are only doing the cruise, and no time for park fun.  Oh well.  It is 7 nights, and 4 different ports.  2 at sea days.  So all in my family are very much looking forward to our first Carnival ship, even if the decor is not our favorite, and well, all of us are a little worried about how different or the same the Legend will be to what we have only known.

Whatever you decide, with park fun or not, I am sure all will enjoy the cruise for Christmas. 
.


----------



## Mika02

Lynne G said:


> Oh and Mika, while we have only done DCL cruises, my then 21 year old and I did the Magic that you are considering.  Not much to do at night, and no slides for adults like on the Fantasy.  In fact, it was on that cruise, that my kid said, not getting off the ship in Nassau anymore.  And I think they are usually only 5 night cruises.
> 
> If Harmony was sold out, have you considered the other Oasis ship? And keep checking, cabins can become available any time, as people cancel, or change plans.  Note that the Oasis recently got the upgrades that the Harmony has.  And yep, my kids both prefer the 7 night cruises. Though I have to say, before we boarded the Magic, we spent 4 days at Universal.  This January, because of the college schedule of my younger one, we are only doing the cruise, and no time for park fun.  Oh well.  It is 7 nights, and 4 different ports.  2 at sea days.  So all in my family are very much looking forward to our first Carnival ship, even if the decor is not our favorite, and well, all of us are a little worried about how different or the same the Legend will be to what we have only known.
> 
> Whatever you decide, with park fun or not, I am sure all will enjoy the cruise for Christmas.
> .


Yeah we have the option of 4 or 5 days on Magic I would only do the 5 day one. My daughter wasn't excited about that one truthfully neither am I, only good thing about it would be that we could stay longer in Disney world lol.

I Noticed an Allure of the sea heading out the same time same Itinerary as Harmony as well but leaving from Miami by then it will be Amplified. So I think it will between those 2 and the Carnival Legend. 

Neither the RCCL is sold out just the rooms I would want are booked up mostly the spacious ones for my dad and my kids to go into. I'll figure that out I know it's fairly early enough. My daughter's excitement made me even happier with this option.


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> Well, I have 2 huge Beatles fans so that was a must for them!  My DS is super excited to see Strawberry Fields.



If you have time, make sure to see their statue on the waterfront and The Beatles Story Exhibition!


----------



## hdrolfe

Mika02 said:


> Yeah we have the option of 4 or 5 days on Magic I would only do the 5 day one. My daughter wasn't excited about that one truthfully neither am I only good thing about it would be it we could stay longer in Disney world lol.
> 
> I Noticed an Allure of the sea heading out the same time same Itinerary as Harmony as well but leaving from Miami by then it will be Amplified. So I think it will between those 2 and the Carnival Legend.
> 
> Neither the RCCL is sold out just the rooms I would want are booked up mostly the spacious ones for my dad and my kids to go into. I'll figure that out I know it's fairly early enough. My daughter's excitement made me even happier with this option.



Have you called? Sometimes rooms are not shown online that might be available to book if you call. Also, things can open up closer to pay in full time as people cancel. But that's a risk of course  

I'd suggest Disney first, we've done it both before and after a cruise and it is much more relaxing to do the cruise after the hectic Disney days.


----------



## Mika02

hdrolfe said:


> Have you called? Sometimes rooms are not shown online that might be available to book if you call. Also, things can open up closer to pay in full time as people cancel. But that's a risk of course
> 
> I'd suggest Disney first, we've done it both before and after a cruise and it is much more relaxing to do the cruise after the hectic Disney days.



I haven't called yet. But that was what I was going to do next just want to narrow down my options before I call. I know what room I would want for my dad and the kids, just got narrow down what I want for myself and my boyfriend and then back up rooms incase those don't work out.


----------



## mom2brooke76

My husband and I have been on 13 Disney cruises across the entire fleet and the kids have been 10 times. He and I want to try other lines so booked the Carnival Paradise for the spring break Western Caribbean  after watching some vlogs. Anyway, just yesterday we got a good deal on the Liberty during MLK weekend (we’re FL residents). It was so good that we booked it and are bringing my 15 year old daughter. How are the kids clubs? Obviously it’s not the Vibe, but any experiences good or bad? Thanks!


----------



## PrincessTrisha

Lynne G said:


> I did request private table the other day, but was told have to do it on the ship, not can reserve in advance.  Oh well.  That will be our first stop.



John Heald (Carnival Cruise Ambassador) has a FB page. You can post there and request a table for 2 (or 4 or however many you are traveling with). He'll make your request to the ship. He's good with helping to arrange stuff like that or other celebrations on board.


----------



## Lynne G

Oh thanks PrincessTrisha.  I will try that and see.  I get his feed in my Facebook page.  Guess because of saying Carnival around here.


----------



## mom2brooke76

Still curious how the teen clubs are compared to the Vibe. My daughter is 15.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mom2brooke76 said:


> Still curious how the teen clubs are compared to the Vibe. My daughter is 15.



We have a 17 year old that has been on 5 (trying to remember how many, maybe 6) ccl cruises since age 14 or 15.  Almost every cruise we have made him attend opening night at the clubs.  It is called O2 or circle C I think.  We have checked out the clubs too.  The kids look mostly socioeconomically similar to the Disney kids, lots of phone usage, and the counselors are super engaged.  Very welcoming with lots of activities planned.  Unfortunately I cannot give you a full review because my son likes to freewheel and refuses to hang out at the clubs.  But he has been on several dcl cruises too and he also “refused” to spend time in those clubs.  Ugh.  We have 2 younger kids, who absolutely adore camp ocean (younger ccl club) and prefer it to dcl’s oceaneers.  Camp ocean counselors are very engaged, much more so than on dcl, and so even though the clubs are not as visually wow as on dcl, there seems to be more substance.  Our kids come away with lots of arts and crafts and friends and tales of Gaga ball.  The 11 year old started doing the shipwide scavenger hunts last cruise and loved them.  He is not normally social, so ccl is really doing something right.  It is one of the main reasons we keep going back to ccl!  Sorry I don’t have more info on the older clubs, but if the younger club is an indicator, they are probably great.


----------



## mevelandry

Prices have started to come out regarding Bermuda from NYC (Spring 2021) but Carnival won’t release the dates and I’m annoyed. LOL

So far, most cruise lines ask 1000$ CAD or more per person.

Hoping for a better price from Carnival... They tend to place new ships or re-imagined ships on that itinerary and I like that idea.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Prices have started to come out regarding Bermuda from NYC (Spring 2021) but Carnival won’t release the dates and I’m annoyed. LOL
> 
> So far, most cruise lines ask 1000$ CAD or more per person.
> 
> Hoping for a better price from Carnival... They tend to place new ships or re-imagined ships on that itinerary and I like that idea.



I am getting the impression that on new ships and cool/unusual itineraries prices only go up on CCL. I check regularly for price drops and on our panorama cruise next summer, the price has gone from $5300 to $6200!  This also happened with our vista cruise a couple of years ago.  But I find most CCL cruises have a bit of price drop as the cruise gets closer.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I am getting the impression that on new ships and cool/unusual itineraries prices only go up on CCL. I check regularly for price drops and on our panorama cruise next summer, the price has gone from $5300 to $6200!  This also happened with our vista cruise a couple of years ago.  But I find most CCL cruises have a bit of price drop as the cruise gets closer.



We’ll see. I am trying to find the lowest price as possible as Bermuda cruises can be pricey.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> We’ll see. I am trying to find the lowest price as possible as Bermuda cruises can be pricey.


Have you checked NCL?  We looked at a Bermuda cruise once with them out of nyc.  Good price.  They also do Bermuda out of Boston.  And they have a lot of sailings.  I just looked at them and I think they start at about $600.

Ok edit.  That about $600 is a five day (new ship Joy).   But they do have a lot of options and seem fairly priced.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Have you checked NCL?  We looked at a Bermuda cruise once with them out of nyc.  Good price.  They also do Bermuda out of Boston.  And they have a lot of sailings.  I just looked at them and I think they start at about $600.
> 
> Ok edit.  That about $600 is a five day (new ship Joy).   But they do have a lot of options and seem fairly priced.



I've checked.

We promised my in-laws that we would bring them to see NYC (they have never been there and this is where my husband proposed...), That makes the 4 nights just a little bit too short --I would like to spend at least two days there, there are so many things I'd like to see! A 5 nights would have been perfect-- and the 7 nights too expensive as we are speaking. 

The conversion in Canadian Dollars is rough. It comes to 3000$ CAD for two.


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## Lynne G

So Mevelandy, did you book a Bermuda cruise after all?


----------



## belle032

Question time! 

For those of you who have sailed on RCCL & NCL, which do you prefer and why? I'm always interested in branching out, but DH is very reluctant to leave CCL. We don't have kids, so I don't need any advice on kids clubs, but if anyone has any opinions on these other 2 cruise lines, I'd love to hear them!


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## Mika02

Just Recieved word that the Mardi Gras will not be delivered in time so the 1st 8 summer sailings are cancelled. Just wanted to let anyone know just incase your booked on these sailings.


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## SamFaniam

Club Disney Chandler said:


> You’re going to love Vista. We have the Fun Times for the Cozumel, Roatan and Belize itinerary, let me know if you want me to email them to you.



I know this post is old, but I was wondering if you still have these.  We are considering a Vista cruise with this itinerary.


----------



## mevelandry

Lynne G said:


> So Mevelandy, did you book a Bermuda cruise after all?



Still waiting for the dates to come out...


----------



## mevelandry

Ooof... An accident between two Carnival Ships happened this morning:

The Carnival Glory crashed into Carnival Legend in Cozumel.  

https://cruisefever.net/carnival-cruise-ships-collide-in-cozumel/


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## mevelandry

It looks pretty bad. I hope nobody was killed or injured...   If any of you are on one of the ships as we're speaking, please let us know that you are okay.

EDIT: The dining room was hit. OMG.


----------



## lklgoodman

That would be so disappointing to have your Mardi Gras cruise cancelled.  Hopefully those affected will get some OBC for a future cruise.  At least they announced it now and not just a month or two ahead.  Yikes on the crash!  Does anyone know, what parts of the ship are damaged?  Cabins or public spaces.  Awful to see it happen, but at least it was on older ships and not their newer ones.  Can you imagine being on the sky ride on one of the newer ships and having that happen?  Glad no one was hurt and hope it doesn't impact the cruise for those on board.


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> That would be so disappointing to have your Mardi Gras cruise cancelled.  Hopefully those affected will get some OBC for a future cruise.  At least they announced it now and not just a month or two ahead.  Yikes on the crash!  *Does anyone know, what parts of the ship are damaged?  Cabins or public spaces.  *Awful to see it happen, but at least it was on older ships and not their newer ones.  Can you imagine being on the sky ride on one of the newer ships and having that happen?  Glad no one was hurt and hope it doesn't impact the cruise for those on board.



Based on the deck plans it's the Aft Dining Room.


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## lklgoodman

Must have been posting at same time.  Scary it was the dining room.  I hope no one was in it. That's scary, because cms were probably in there.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Ooof... An accident between two Carnival Ships happened this morning:
> 
> The Carnival Glory crashed into Carnival Legend in Cozumel.
> 
> https://cruisefever.net/carnival-cruise-ships-collide-in-cozumel/


That’s really bad.  The glory hit the legend and the pier?  How does that happen?  Incredible.  I also hope everyone is ok.  That is very serious.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> That’s really bad.  The glory hit the legend and the pier?  How does that happen?  Incredible.  I also hope everyone is ok.  That is very serious.



From what I understand, it was on auto-pilot trying to dock but there were strong winds and the winds pushed the boat a little too far.


----------



## mevelandry




----------



## mom2brooke76

John Heald said there was just one minor injury of a passenger.


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## lklgoodman

Glad to read the dining room was being evacuated when this happened and no serious injuries!


----------



## Dug720

we"reofftoneverland said:


> That’s really bad.  The glory hit the legend and the pier?  How does that happen?  Incredible.  I also hope everyone is ok.  That is very serious.



The Legend hit the Glory and the impact may well have pushed the Glory into the pier.


----------



## belle032

Little bit more info on the collision from John Heald: six guests were treated and released for minor injuries onboard, the hit did not impact the seaworthiness of the ship, the ship will be staying later tonight in Cozumel for some repair work, and all staterooms received a $100 onboard credit. No one on the other ship was injured.

I do have a sneaky suspicion that one of those injured guests will try to sue (not trying to be controversial, but would anyone really be surprised by this?), but I think CCL’s response was good and fair. Obviously any collision is serious and unfortunate, but accidents happen. I’ve very glad no one was seriously hurt and I’m still super excited for our sailing in January!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> Little bit more info on the collision from John Heald: six guests were treated and released for minor injuries onboard, the hit did not impact the seaworthiness of the ship, the ship will be staying later tonight in Cozumel for some repair work, and all staterooms received a $100 onboard credit. No one on the other ship was injured.
> 
> I do have a sneaky suspicion that one of those injured guests will try to sue (not trying to be controversial, but would anyone really be surprised by this?), but I think CCL’s response was good and fair. Obviously any collision is serious and unfortunate, but accidents happen. I’ve very glad no one was seriously hurt and I’m still super excited for our sailing in January!



Thanks for the information.  I agree, fair response.    I hate to say it but if we were on this ship, my kids would be super excited.  They are always watching the ships coming and going in ports and looking for things like this. They live for the pier runners too.  They love going to Cozumel and Nassau because those destinations seem to have a lot of action on the piers.  I guess when you grow up in the suburbs seeing “real” life is exciting.  Lol.


----------



## hdrolfe

I think they have one seaday to spend that OBC. I imagine the spa and bars will be busy. 

Glad no serious injuries.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Chag Chanukah to any fellow Jewish cruisers. I am anxiously awaiting our big family dinner on Tuesday. Mmmmm latkes!!


----------



## belle032

Got our excursions booked for our sailing!

Grand Cayman: Sensational Stingray Swim 
Belize: Lamanai Mayan Ruins & River Boat Safari with Lunch
Cozumel: Mr. Sanchos!
Mahogany Bay: Daniel Johnson Monkey & Sloth Hangout w/Snorkeling

Now just to buy our beverage package in a few weeks and I think we're all set!


----------



## mevelandry

FYI ... There's a sale on Carnival's website right now for cruises between January and April 2020.  

Saw some interesting prices over there!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

We've had a few "refugees" from Mardi Gras join our BI cruise in 2021!  It's selling pretty fast too as I went to check prices and there are several categories sold out already.


----------



## Lynne G

Bump, our first Carnival Cruise is less than a week away.


----------



## smmco

Ours was canceled. We're back on DCL for our Baltic cruise 2020. I'm not sure when we'll try Carnival. We still haven't got our refund.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

smmco said:


> Ours was canceled. We're back on DCL for our Baltic cruise 2020. I'm not sure when we'll try Carnival. We still haven't got our refund.


Sorry to hear this


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Sorry to hear this


I found out about it on another thread on the disboards. I guess the emails from Carnival didn't go out to some people. My flights were booked on miles so I was able to rebook everything. It's just going to be me and my youngest son on DCL. The dates didn't work out for my DH or older son that's taking college classes this Summer. We'll take advantage of the discount and OBC and rebook on Carnival. I just haven't decided what yet. Most likely Panorama or Mardi Gras I have to Feb 18 to pick a new cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> Ours was canceled. We're back on DCL for our Baltic cruise 2020. I'm not sure when we'll try Carnival. We still haven't got our refund.



Was it the Mardi Gras?


----------



## belle032

smmco said:


> I found out about it on another thread on the disboards. I guess the emails from Carnival didn't go out to some people. My flights were booked on miles so I was able to rebook everything. It's just going to be me and my youngest son on DCL. The dates didn't work out for my DH or older son that's taking college classes this Summer. We'll take advantage of the discount and OBC and rebook on Carnival. I just haven't decided what yet. Most likely Panorama or Mardi Gras I have to Feb 18 to pick a new cruise.



Ugh I'm sorry your cruise was cancelled, that sucks! And I was so looking forward to some reviews of the Mardi Gras! I hope you have a great time on DCL and are able to cruise Carnival soon!


----------



## smmco

belle032 said:


> Ugh I'm sorry your cruise was cancelled, that sucks! And I was so looking forward to some reviews of the Mardi Gras! I hope you have a great time on DCL and are able to cruise Carnival soon!


I'm not that happy with Carnival at the moment. I got no notification of the cancellation. The only reason I found about it was from another poster on the dis boards. I wonder how many people still aren't aware. Not everyone hangs out on travel forums. I also had to call to get my money refunded. It's been 10 days and they hadn't processed refunds. They said they were giving people a chance to rebook. They obviously want people to rebook so they don't have to issue refunds. 

I plan on rebooking the Mardi Gras. I just have no idea what dates. It's so far out to book such a benign cruise to the Caribbean. I only booked this cruise far in advance because it was such a great itinerary.


----------



## smmco

duplicate post


----------



## smmco

On a positive note, I was able to rebook on DCL and find AA saver business class seats. Of course, it's costing me more and I had to cancel a trip to WDW I had planned in May. I looked at NCL, but at this point, I just felt like booking something familiar.  I'd like to cruise on the Mardi Gras in April or May 2021 and combine it with a week at WDW resort. It's hard to pick a week this far out because discounts at WDW are such a crapshoot. Some weeks you can get great availability and some weeks you can't. I'm hoping if I book with a refundable deposit I can change dates and keep my discounts and OBC.  

On another topic I have a second-hand review my DH and oldest son sailed on the Norwegian Joy Dec 8. They go a last-minute deal. 500pp for a balcony out of LA. It's now my DH's favorite cruise line. He loved the entertainment on the ship. The go-carts and laser tag were also a hit. There were a lot of teens onboard. Kids skipping school isn't exclusive to DCL. The only negative was the balcony rooms were really tiny. If my Dh notices that then you know they are small. Maybe that's why the third and 4th passengers are usually free. I'd get two rooms if traveling with a family. The insides are 135 sq feet or smaller. I don't think I could do that.  I feel like Carnival and DCl have families in mind when it comes to room size.


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> I'm not that happy with Carnival at the moment. I got no notification of the cancellation. The only reason I found about it was from another poster on the dis boards. I wonder how many people still aren't aware. Not everyone hangs out on travel forums. I also had to call to get my money refunded. It's been 10 days and they hadn't processed refunds. They said they were giving people a chance to rebook. They obviously want people to rebook so they don't have to issue refunds.
> 
> I plan on rebooking the Mardi Gras. I just have no idea what dates. It's so far out to book such a benign cruise to the Caribbean. I only booked this cruise far in advance because it was such a great itinerary.



I’m sorry. I found out because John Heald posted it on Facebook. I don’t know if you are on FB but he provides contant informations about the cruise line among other entertaining stuff. 

Based on previous cancellations I have made for me and my family, I believe it shouldn’t take much longer. (Unfortunately, Holidays can make delays longer.)


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> On a positive note, I was able to rebook on DCL and find AA saver business class seats. Of course, it's costing me more and I had to cancel a trip to WDW I had planned in May. I looked at NCL, but at this point, I just felt like booking something familiar.  I'd like to cruise on the Mardi Gras in April or May 2021 and combine it with a week at WDW resort. It's hard to pick a week this far out because discounts at WDW are such a crapshoot. Some weeks you can get great availability and some weeks you can't. I'm hoping if I book with a refundable deposit I can change dates and keep my discounts and OBC.
> 
> On another topic I have a second-hand review my DH and oldest son sailed on the Norwegian Joy Dec 8. They go a last-minute deal. 500pp for a balcony out of LA. It's now my DH's favorite cruise line. He loved the entertainment on the ship. The go-carts and laser tag were also a hit. There were a lot of teens onboard. Kids skipping school isn't exclusive to DCL. The only negative was the balcony rooms were really tiny. If my Dh notices that then you know they are small. Maybe that's why the third and 4th passengers are usually free. I'd get two rooms if traveling with a family. The insides are 135 sq feet or smaller. I don't think I could do that.  I feel like Carnival and DCl have families in mind when it comes to room size.



Don’t forget that with WDW you can always book with a deposit, and have promos applied later when they come out.

I noticed that Norwegian had GREAT last minute deals.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

smmco said:


> I found out about it on another thread on the disboards. I guess the emails from Carnival didn't go out to some people. My flights were booked on miles so I was able to rebook everything. It's just going to be me and my youngest son on DCL. The dates didn't work out for my DH or older son that's taking college classes this Summer. We'll take advantage of the discount and OBC and rebook on Carnival. I just haven't decided what yet. Most likely Panorama or Mardi Gras I have to Feb 18 to pick a new cruise.



Were you booked through a TA?  We book through Costco, or actually always transfer to Costco, and the only thing I dislike about it is that we get no communication from cruise lines and Costco doesn’t seem to pass on any info either.  So annoying.  We had a cruise booked on NCL (also transferred to Costco) that was cancelled and we received no word at all from NCL.  Even though Costco should have informed us, I did feel annoyed with NCL.  NCL went ahead and automatically rebooked is on another very similar cruise leaving from the same port on a different ship— no cruise credit or discount at all.  So that annoyed me too.  We ended up cancelling for spite.  Lol.  Like Seinfeld.

We had another cruise booked on HAL once that we forgot to transfer to Costco.  That cruise also got cancelled and HAL sent us multiple emails apologizing and offering future onboard credit and price matching for a similar cruise (no specific % off).  We did not end up using their offer, but no hard feelings.  It really does help getting those apologetic emails!


----------



## belle032

smmco said:


> On a positive note, I was able to rebook on DCL and find AA saver business class seats. Of course, it's costing me more and I had to cancel a trip to WDW I had planned in May. I looked at NCL, but at this point, I just felt like booking something familiar.  I'd like to cruise on the Mardi Gras in April or May 2021 and combine it with a week at WDW resort. It's hard to pick a week this far out because discounts at WDW are such a crapshoot. Some weeks you can get great availability and some weeks you can't. I'm hoping if I book with a refundable deposit I can change dates and keep my discounts and OBC.
> 
> On another topic I have a second-hand review my DH and oldest son sailed on the Norwegian Joy Dec 8. They go a last-minute deal. 500pp for a balcony out of LA. It's now my DH's favorite cruise line. He loved the entertainment on the ship. The go-carts and laser tag were also a hit. There were a lot of teens onboard. Kids skipping school isn't exclusive to DCL. The only negative was the balcony rooms were really tiny. If my Dh notices that then you know they are small. Maybe that's why the third and 4th passengers are usually free. I'd get two rooms if traveling with a family. The insides are 135 sq feet or smaller. I don't think I could do that.  I feel like Carnival and DCl have families in mind when it comes to room size.



OMG I wouldn't be happy about the situation either. Like @mevelandry  I heard on it FB from John Heald and I do recommend following him if you use that social media platform. However, you absolutely should have been notified by email ASAP and it sounds like the dropped the ball on that. Glad you were able to book DCL and I understand wanting to go somewhere familiar. 

Also, very cool to hear such a positive experience on Norwegian. It's on my list for Alaska. DH is very reluctant to try anything other than CCL or DCL, but while I love both, I'm open to others. I wish we could swing a shorter sailing on RCCL/NCL and get a feel for them! And that's crazy about the rooms though. Might be fine for DH & I, but that would be really tight for more than 2 people.



mevelandry said:


> Don’t forget that with WDW you can always book with a deposit, and have promos applied later when they come out.
> 
> I noticed that Norwegian had GREAT last minute deals.



I know, I keep getting emails from Norwegian about all these "end of year" deals! If we lived closer to a port, I'd definitely book a sailing to try them out! My co-worker and her husband only sail Norwegian and are whatever their highest level is. They are also foodies and seem to enjoy the finer things, so maybe NCL is doing something right. They are doing the Mediterranean in the spring so can't wait to hear how that is.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> OMG I wouldn't be happy about the situation either. Like @mevelandry  I heard on it FB from John Heald and I do recommend following him if you use that social media platform. However, you absolutely should have been notified by email ASAP and it sounds like the dropped the ball on that. Glad you were able to book DCL and I understand wanting to go somewhere familiar.
> 
> Also, very cool to hear such a positive experience on Norwegian. It's on my list for Alaska. DH is very reluctant to try anything other than CCL or DCL, but while I love both, I'm open to others. I wish we could swing a shorter sailing on RCCL/NCL and get a feel for them! And that's crazy about the rooms though. Might be fine for DH & I, but that would be really tight for more than 2 people.
> 
> 
> 
> I know, I keep getting emails from Norwegian about all these "end of year" deals! If we lived closer to a port, I'd definitely book a sailing to try them out! My co-worker and her husband only sail Norwegian and are whatever their highest level is. They are also foodies and seem to enjoy the finer things, so maybe NCL is doing something right. They are doing the Mediterranean in the spring so can't wait to hear how that is.



The best deals are usually 1-2 weeks before the cruise. The prices are ridiculously low. Of course you don't get to choose your cabin and have to be ready to plan in crash course but I hope I can score one of those deals someday.

(It would have to be departing from Quebec City or NYC because it's the only place we can get to by bus for a very low price).


----------



## Mika02

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Were you booked through a TA?  We book through Costco, or actually always transfer to Costco, and the only thing I dislike about it is that we get no communication from cruise lines and Costco doesn’t seem to pass on any info either.  So annoying.  We had a cruise booked on NCL (also transferred to Costco) that was cancelled and we received no word at all from NCL.  Even though Costco should have informed us, I did feel annoyed with NCL.  NCL went ahead and automatically rebooked is on another very similar cruise leaving from the same port on a different ship— no cruise credit or discount at all.  So that annoyed me too.  We ended up cancelling for spite.  Lol.  Like Seinfeld.
> 
> We had another cruise booked on HAL once that we forgot to transfer to Costco.  That cruise also got cancelled and HAL sent us multiple emails apologizing and offering future onboard credit and price matching for a similar cruise (no specific % off).  We did not end up using their offer, but no hard feelings.  It really does help getting those apologetic emails!


To be fair to NCL  Costco is a price club acting as an agent. Most cruise lines don't like to step on Agents toes so will leave it to the agent to inform the client. It really was Costco's job but that's not the service they provide so it's kind of the drawback to booking with them. It's like I read in another thread here that a someone booked a room with Priceline and when they got to the hotel the hotel gave the room to a rewards member before check in and the hotel was sold out and didn't inform the person so now they won't book with Priceline but really that was the hotel's fault for giving the room away not Priceline. She felt Priceline didn't protect her but I'm not sure if anyone could have protected her against a hotel doing something like that last minute.


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Were you booked through a TA?  We book through Costco, or actually always transfer to Costco, and the only thing I dislike about it is that we get no communication from cruise lines and Costco doesn’t seem to pass on any info either.  So annoying.  We had a cruise booked on NCL (also transferred to Costco) that was cancelled and we received no word at all from NCL.  Even though Costco should have informed us, I did feel annoyed with NCL.  NCL went ahead and automatically rebooked is on another very similar cruise leaving from the same port on a different ship— no cruise credit or discount at all.  So that annoyed me too.  We ended up cancelling for spite.  Lol.  Like Seinfeld.
> 
> We had another cruise booked on HAL once that we forgot to transfer to Costco.  That cruise also got cancelled and HAL sent us multiple emails apologizing and offering future onboard credit and price matching for a similar cruise (no specific % off).  We did not end up using their offer, but no hard feelings.  It really does help getting those apologetic emails!


No we were booked directly through Carnival and several passengers didn’t get emails. According to my pvp he’s had his clients call to inquire about airfare and that’s how they found out. Imagine booking airfare after the cruise had been cancelled. If there was an error with the first round of emails. Why haven’t they sent them out again. It’s been 11 days. There’s nothing on the Carnival website about it either. I haven’t visited cruise critic in months, I rarely use face book, I haven’t logged into Carnival in months since payment wasn’t due to June. and the only way I found out was a poster that told me on the budget board when I posted my 2020 vacation plans. I have no doubt there are people still not aware especially it being a holiday week are people are busy with family.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Mika02 said:


> To be fair to NCL  Costco is a price club acting as an agent. Most cruise lines don't like to step on Agents toes so will leave it to the agent to inform the client. It really was Costco's job but that's not the service they provide so it's kind of the drawback to booking with them. It's like I read in another thread here that a someone booked a room with Priceline and when they got to the hotel the hotel gave the room to a rewards member before check in and the hotel was sold out and didn't inform the person so now they won't book with Priceline but really that was the hotel's fault for giving the room away not Priceline. She felt Priceline didn't protect her but I'm not sure if anyone could have protected her against a hotel doing something like that last minute.


I agree.  It was totally irrational to hold NCL responsible but I still did.  Or rather I didn’t but still did, if that makes any sense.  Costco is not good for service in my opinion.  Great kickbacks, but no service.  We still use them, but I don’t really enjoy using them.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

smmco said:


> No we were booked directly through Carnival and several passengers didn’t get emails. According to my pvp he’s had his clients call to inquire about airfare and that’s how they found out. Imagine booking airfare after the cruise had been cancelled. If there was an error with the first round of emails. Why haven’t they sent them out again. It’s been 11 days. There’s nothing on the Carnival website about it either. I haven’t visited cruise critic in months, I rarely use face book, I haven’t logged into Carnival in months since payment wasn’t due to June. and the only way I found out was a poster that told me on the budget board when I posted my 2020 vacation plans. I have no doubt there are people still not aware especially it being a holiday week are people are busy with family.


That is incredibly disappointing then.  It really confounds me when companies drop the ball on something so simple but so important like sending out an email.  When HAL sent us emails, they sent multiple and they sent them from different sources, both the company and the pvp or whatever they call it, maybe cruise consultant?  We had not used the pvp but she still sent emails explaining the situation and saying to call her to reschedule.  I actually got one from her recently saying the deal had been extended and to call her.  I hope you let carnival know how disappointed you are with the lack of communication.  In my experience with Carnival their customer service has been quite good.  I guess the one bright side is you are on dcl now!


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> That is incredibly disappointing then.  It really confounds me when companies drop the ball on something so simple but so important like sending out an email.  When HAL sent us emails, they sent multiple and they sent them from different sources, both the company and the pvp or whatever they call it, maybe cruise consultant?  We had not used the pvp but she still sent emails explaining the situation and saying to call her to reschedule.  I actually got one from her recently saying the deal had been extended and to call her.  I hope you let carnival know how disappointed you are with the lack of communication.  In my experience with Carnival their customer service has been quite good.  I guess the one bright side is you are on dcl now!


I think I’m even more surprised theres not an alert on their webpage. They canceled 8 cruises that’s a lot and most of them were sold out or close too it. It was also disappointing refunds were not yet processed at 10 days after the fact. I had to call and request it. I probably will send them an email.


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> I think I’m even more surprised theres not an alert on their webpage. They canceled 8 cruises that’s a lot and most of them were sold out or close too it. It was also disappointing refunds were not yet processed at 10 days after the fact. I had to call and request it. I probably will send them an email.



You should!


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> Don’t forget that with WDW you can always book with a deposit, and have promos applied later when they come out.
> 
> I noticed that Norwegian had GREAT last minute deals.


I prefer to wait until discounts are released. It's no guarantee you are going to get a discount on the room you booked. Also booking at rack rate just reduces the number of rooms they discount.


----------



## Lynne G

That so stinks about the cancellations, and not being advised directly.  I'd be ticked.  

Well, hoping nothing goes wrong with our cruise leaving Sunday.  When I come back, I can then say, hey, these are the thoughts of my DCL cruises versus our first Carnival one.  

And yes, thanks to this thread, now joined Heald's Facebook group.  He's funny, and answered my question quickly.


----------



## bcwife76

@smmco That's just ridiculous that you have not received any sort of communication from Carnival regarding the cancellation of your cruise!! I'm so sorry. I do hope that it's just because of the holidays that your refund is held up. I would give them another day or so and if nothing definitely call. Grrrr, that's super frustrating!!! So glad you were able to change your flights at least 

We are booked on the Mardi Gras for March 2021 and thanks to this thread I'm now also following JH on Facebook.


----------



## smmco

bcwife76 said:


> @smmco That's just ridiculous that you have not received any sort of communication from Carnival regarding the cancellation of your cruise!! I'm so sorry. I do hope that it's just because of the holidays that your refund is held up. I would give them another day or so and if nothing definitely call. Grrrr, that's super frustrating!!! So glad you were able to change your flights at least
> 
> We are booked on the Mardi Gras for March 2021 and thanks to this thread I'm now also following JH on Facebook.


No they are holding the refunds so people can rebook and transfer the funds. At least they are hoping people rebook.Carnival doesn’t want to issue refund unless you ask for it which I finally did on Monday. hit my cc this morning. Of course they don’t tell you you have to call for a refund I found this out from a post on cruise critic. The lack of communication has been astounding.

I think for people booked on the Caribbean cruises it was no big deal. I figure they’re thrilled to get the discount on the same itinerary. On my cruise a different story. A lot of people found other cruise lines to sail on in Europe.

I would suggest anyone sailing on a new ship within the first couple of months of launching to book airfare through the cruise line. Especially if the launch is in Europe.

I may or may not rebook. I’m sailing on Allure in Feb and then DCL out of CPH in August. I’m itching to go back to WDW. WDW will most likely be the next vacation. I’m not sure when we’ll cruise again.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Happy New Year fellow cruisers!  I look forward to reading about all of the exciting travels everyone has planned. We have our family vacation to Oahu in June and my DS2 is really excited about it. 

Now, I need all of the DCL experts to help me.  My niece graduates HS in 2022 and has expressed several times in recent months that she really wants to go on a Disney cruise  .  After spending lots of time on this board I know that DCL just doesn't jive with the way we like to vacation.

Some of my concerns are:
1. Cost - duh it's really expensive.  We can afford it but the thought about what else I could do with that much money hurts (2 weeks in Europe anyone)
2. All those small children!
3. Dinner with set times.  I'm on vacation for goodness sake. The fact that there is no buffet or really other dinner choices is also a factor. There also don't seem to be as many choices as we are used to on Carnival for breakfast and lunch (only buffet for free??).
4. I don't really like people therefore I won't be happy to share a table with others.
5. All those small children!
6. My niece won't be 18 until mid-July so we won't be able to all hang out in the adult areas to get away from all those small children.
7. The sleeping arrangements.  No split bed and we won't be able to afford 2 rooms.  We are all used to sleeping alone and even a few nights sharing is not ideal to us.
8. More formal dress for dinner. 

I'm really having a difficult time even fathoming why my mom wants to try to make it happen.  We didn't let the other kids really pick their trips. Is there anything that will even remotely help me?  I don't want to dread a vacation but having to pay probably 3 times as much for a cruise and then not having anything that is familiar is really weighing on me.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> Happy New Year fellow cruisers!  I look forward to reading about all of the exciting travels everyone has planned. We have our family vacation to Oahu in June and my DS2 is really excited about it.
> 
> Now, I need all of the DCL experts to help me.  My niece graduates HS in 2022 and has expressed several times in recent months that she really wants to go on a Disney cruise  .  After spending lots of time on this board I know that DCL just doesn't jive with the way we like to vacation.
> 
> Some of my concerns are:
> 1. Cost - duh it's really expensive.  We can afford it but the thought about what else I could do with that much money hurts (2 weeks in Europe anyone)
> 2. All those small children!
> 3. Dinner with set times.  I'm on vacation for goodness sake. The fact that there is no buffet or really other dinner choices is also a factor. There also don't seem to be as many choices as we are used to on Carnival for breakfast and lunch (only buffet for free??).
> 4. I don't really like people therefore I won't be happy to share a table with others.
> 5. All those small children!
> 6. My niece won't be 18 until mid-July so we won't be able to all hang out in the adult areas to get away from all those small children.
> 7. The sleeping arrangements.  No split bed and we won't be able to afford 2 rooms.  We are all used to sleeping alone and even a few nights sharing is not ideal to us.
> 8. More formal dress for dinner.
> 
> I'm really having a difficult time even fathoming why my mom wants to try to make it happen.  We didn't let the other kids really pick their trips. Is there anything that will even remotely help me?  I don't want to dread a vacation but having to pay probably 3 times as much for a cruise and then not having anything that is familiar is really weighing on me.



The bed not splitting is a big bummer for me on dcl.  So I feel you there.  Make sure you get a room with max number of beds possible.  They will let you book 3 people in a room that accommodates 4 for example (unlike ccl where they fit you perfectly to capacity).  Otherwise all I can say is off season, off season, off season.  And make sure you book with a ta who will give you some onboard credit.  The only way around set dining times and limited food options is room service which on dcl is free.  If you request ahead of time not to be seated with others they will give you your own table.  We have always done this over email on the dcl contact us and we have always received our own table.  It isn’t like Disney world room requests where if you ask me they pay no attention to your request.  . You will have a good time, don’t worry!


----------



## GrrArrgh

There is definitely a buffet on DCL, you can eat there or at the places out by the pool. Though, the meals in the dining rooms are really fun! We never dressed formally -- the nicest clothes I brought were jeans. We were going to skip "formal night" but our waiters told us to come anyway and it was fun and totally fine. I thought everyone was dressed casually and we did a European cruise.

I've been on a number of different cruise lines and enjoyed dcl the most.  At the teen age, cruises can be really boring because there just aren't many people your age or much to do. I saw teens hanging out together all over the ship on DCL and I think the shows would appeal way more to a younger person than would the shows on other lines. I was just on NCL and skipped all the shows because they all sounded like torture.

You will be able to hang out in the adult areas because your niece will be able to do her own thing with the other kids. I think the oldest teen area will still be fine for her if she's 17, plus the kids meet up there the first day, exchange info and hang out around the ship.

For cheapest prices, book as close to opening day as you can and buy Disney gift cards for 5% off from Target. If you book through Costco, you can get a Costco cash card back.

I thought the kid situation was better on DCL than Carnival, honestly.


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> Happy New Year fellow cruisers!  I look forward to reading about all of the exciting travels everyone has planned. We have our family vacation to Oahu in June and my DS2 is really excited about it.
> 
> Now, I need all of the DCL experts to help me.  My niece graduates HS in 2022 and has expressed several times in recent months that she really wants to go on a Disney cruise  .  After spending lots of time on this board I know that DCL just doesn't jive with the way we like to vacation.
> 
> Some of my concerns are:
> 1. Cost - duh it's really expensive.  We can afford it but the thought about what else I could do with that much money hurts (2 weeks in Europe anyone)
> 2. All those small children!
> 3. Dinner with set times.  I'm on vacation for goodness sake. The fact that there is no buffet or really other dinner choices is also a factor. There also don't seem to be as many choices as we are used to on Carnival for breakfast and lunch (only buffet for free??).
> 4. I don't really like people therefore I won't be happy to share a table with others.
> 5. All those small children!
> 6. My niece won't be 18 until mid-July so we won't be able to all hang out in the adult areas to get away from all those small children.
> 7. The sleeping arrangements.  No split bed and we won't be able to afford 2 rooms.  We are all used to sleeping alone and even a few nights sharing is not ideal to us.
> 8. More formal dress for dinner.
> 
> I'm really having a difficult time even fathoming why my mom wants to try to make it happen.  We didn't let the other kids really pick their trips. Is there anything that will even remotely help me?  I don't want to dread a vacation but having to pay probably 3 times as much for a cruise and then not having anything that is familiar is really weighing on me.



That's a tricky one! I feel like all those things you mentioned are a big part of why DCL is not the best choice for DH & I at this point in our lives. And those things you listed are pretty much unchangeable unless DCL decides to change A LOT about their ships.  I believe the Disney Wish will be sailing by then, maybe a brand new ship would get you excited? Although, price-wise I can't imagine it will be budget friendly unfortunately. However, maybe the other ships will see a price drop which would be a "fingers-crossed best case scenario!"

Can you compromise with another cruise line like RCCL? Or maybe spend a few days in WDW to get the Disney fix and combine that with a non-DCL cruise?

If you gotta go with DCL, I'm sure you will have a great time. It's still cruising. Definitely go in the off-season if possible and request your own table at dinner. Room service is still complimentary, which is nice, and Cabanas is a good buffet. I never got very formal for dinner, mostly nice shorts, tops and some sundresses so don't think you need to go all out every night.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Happy New Year fellow cruisers!  I look forward to reading about all of the exciting travels everyone has planned. We have our family vacation to Oahu in June and my DS2 is really excited about it.
> 
> Now, I need all of the DCL experts to help me.  My niece graduates HS in 2022 and has expressed several times in recent months that she really wants to go on a Disney cruise  .  After spending lots of time on this board I know that DCL just doesn't jive with the way we like to vacation.
> 
> Some of my concerns are:
> 1. Cost - duh it's really expensive.  We can afford it but the thought about what else I could do with that much money hurts (2 weeks in Europe anyone)
> 2. All those small children!
> 3. Dinner with set times.  I'm on vacation for goodness sake. The fact that there is no buffet or really other dinner choices is also a factor. There also don't seem to be as many choices as we are used to on Carnival for breakfast and lunch (only buffet for free??).
> 4. I don't really like people therefore I won't be happy to share a table with others.
> 5. All those small children!
> 6. My niece won't be 18 until mid-July so we won't be able to all hang out in the adult areas to get away from all those small children.
> 7. The sleeping arrangements.  No split bed and we won't be able to afford 2 rooms.  We are all used to sleeping alone and even a few nights sharing is not ideal to us.
> 8. More formal dress for dinner.
> 
> I'm really having a difficult time even fathoming why my mom wants to try to make it happen.  We didn't let the other kids really pick their trips. Is there anything that will even remotely help me?  I don't want to dread a vacation but having to pay probably 3 times as much for a cruise and then not having anything that is familiar is really weighing on me.



1. Some itineraries have lower rates per night (like Panorama Canal, cruises from Galveston/Puerto Rico)... 

2. Quiet Cove, Quiet Cove Café, Palo and Remy are our best friends. The late dining in the MDR was a little bit more quiet than the main dining. 

3. I believe Cabanas is open during dinner time + possibly food counters near the main pool? 

4. Call in advance and ask for a private table. Our request has always been granted. 

5. Read no 2 again. LOL 

6. Can you push back the trip until she's 18? Sounds worth it. 

7. I think you can book a cabin and have the sofa as a bed at night. Our last cabin on DCL was like that. Another one had bunk bed. 

8. Nah. People have dinner wearing tshirts there all the time.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Thanks everyone. As this is a graduation trip and she will be off to college in August we will have to travel in summer. She and my DS2 hate the clubs and prefer to hang with each other or us. That’s why the concern because my DS2 will be 19 so old enough for the adult areas with us “real” adults!
We would most likely do a 4 or 5 day cruise so we can also spend a week at WDW. If we don’t do the cruise we will spend about 12 days at the parks. 
Hopefully we have lots of time to figure it out and psych ourselves up!


----------



## GrrArrgh

Maybe she could give the club a try and just pop in once to see how it is. There are also open house hours where anyone can go and check it out. I would just try because it's so much better on DCL than on other lines, and you're paying a lot extra for those decked out areas and services. There's also an 18-20 club that meets  up around the ship -- maybe they could both do that.

I would also honestly not plan on staying in the adult areas all the time -- there isn't a lot to do there. There are a lot of nice open, quiet areas for relaxing all over the ship. And don’t miss the pub. They bring out some snacks late at night.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

My mom and I do an adult only trip in the Autumn usually.  This year we are booked on a 6 day Eastern Caribbean on Carnival Breeze.  We decided to treat ourselves to a cabana on HMC!  We've never been to HMC and are super excited (hopefully we can actually make port)! 

Our British Isles cruise has a growing roll call on that other site (are we allowed to mention it).  Lots of planning and it's still 18 months away. 

My mom still wants to consider the DCL cruise as part of my niece's graduation trip so I guess I will keep watch for news of bookings for summer 2022.

Post-holiday doldrums have set in!  Can't wait for summer vacay


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> My mom and I do an adult only trip in the Autumn usually.  This year we are booked on a 6 day Eastern Caribbean on Carnival Breeze.  We decided to treat ourselves to a cabana on HMC!  We've never been to HMC and are super excited (hopefully we can actually make port)!
> 
> Our British Isles cruise has a growing roll call on that other site (are we allowed to mention it).  Lots of planning and it's still 18 months away.
> 
> My mom still wants to consider the DCL cruise as part of my niece's graduation trip so I guess I will keep watch for news of bookings for summer 2022.
> 
> Post-holiday doldrums have set in!  Can't wait for summer vacay



HMC is awesome.


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> My mom and I do an adult only trip in the Autumn usually.  This year we are booked on a 6 day Eastern Caribbean on Carnival Breeze.  We decided to treat ourselves to a cabana on HMC!  We've never been to HMC and are super excited (hopefully we can actually make port)!
> 
> Our British Isles cruise has a growing roll call on that other site (are we allowed to mention it).  Lots of planning and it's still 18 months away.
> 
> My mom still wants to consider the DCL cruise as part of my niece's graduation trip so I guess I will keep watch for news of bookings for summer 2022.
> 
> Post-holiday doldrums have set in!  Can't wait for summer vacay



We had a great roll call group for our British Isles cruise as well. It was super helpful and everyone was so nice and just excited to go. There's also a trip report here on the DIS from a family who did a longer BI cruise in 2017 I believe. I don't know if she finished it, but what is finished is super detailed and helpful.

I've heard great things about HMC and hope to get there some time! I'm sure the cabana will be awesome.


----------



## mevelandry

Tiny little rant: I don't think I'll book another cruise sailing during winter. 

Trying to avoid the influenza and common colds have been a real nightmare lately... People organizing parties at home and coming to work while they are sick and burning with fever. People coughing without covering their mouths... 

The idea of being sick on vacation is one of my worst "vacation nightmares". 

And yes, this is me: wiping every door handles at work with Clorox wipes like a maniac!

I woke up with cold symptoms this morning and I am furious.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> Tiny little rant: I don't think I'll book another cruise sailing during winter.
> 
> Trying to avoid the influenza and common colds have been a real nightmare lately... People organizing parties at home and coming to work while they are sick and burning with fever. People coughing without covering their mouths...
> 
> The idea of being sick on vacation is one of my worst "vacation nightmares".
> 
> And yes, this is me: wiping every door handles at work with Clorox wipes like a maniac!
> 
> I woke up with cold symptoms this morning and I am furious.


Take vitamin c.  I find it helps me a lot.  Also, if you have any sinus or post nasal drip, Sudafed cuts the run of a cold-  at least for me!


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Take vitamin c.  I find it helps me a lot.  Also, if you have any sinus or post nasal drip, Sudafed cuts the run of a cold-  at least for me!



Got herbal tea with vitamin C right here. Washed my sinus with hydrasense earlier. I packed meds similar to sudafed in my suitcase this morning a corticosteroid pump for the nose just in case. I'll try to have loooong nights of sleep before I leave. 

*fingers crossed*


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Tiny little rant: I don't think I'll book another cruise sailing during winter.
> 
> Trying to avoid the influenza and common colds have been a real nightmare lately... People organizing parties at home and coming to work while they are sick and burning with fever. People coughing without covering their mouths...
> 
> The idea of being sick on vacation is one of my worst "vacation nightmares".
> 
> And yes, this is me: wiping every door handles at work with Clorox wipes like a maniac!
> 
> I woke up with cold symptoms this morning and I am furious.



I love sailing during winter because it gets us out of the snow for a bit, but you're right about sickness. My co-worker has been out all week with a virus and then DH went home sick from work yesterday. He doesn't do that often, so when he does I know he really doesn't feel well.

I've been lysol-ing and clorox wiping alllllll week. Also started on that Emergen-C. Refuse to get sick before we leave on the 24th!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

@mevelandry and belle032,
Can’t wait to hear about your cruises!


----------



## hdrolfe

I love to get away in the winter and don't worry too much about getting sick. Given kiddo is in school and we get exposed to EVERYTHING I figure we've already had it. One benefit of having kids maybe? Get exposed to even more germs  

Sadly I won't be going anywhere this winter  though I may do a train trip and stay in Canada over March break. Otherwise our next cruise is early December 2020 and I cannot wait for that. Only 11 months to go!


----------



## lklgoodman

I have the same fear about winter cruising also.  We hardly get sick, I'm constantly washing my hands.  In 2018 we all came down with the flu about 3 weeks before our cruise.(despite all getting the vaccine,  that was the year it wasn't very affective).  I was so happy to get it when we did because I wasn't worried about getting it right before our cruise.  I just bought some Airborne and plan on making my family take it until our cruise next week.  
Mevelandry, hope you feel better soon and have a great cruise!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I love to get away in the winter and don't worry too much about getting sick. Given kiddo is in school and we get exposed to EVERYTHING I figure we've already had it. One benefit of having kids maybe? Get exposed to even more germs



 I keep wondering how parents survive to all those germs... (I am a bit of a germophobe, especially 2 weeks before a trip)



hdrolfe said:


> Sadly I won't be going anywhere this winter  though *I may do a train trip and stay in Canada* over March break. Otherwise our next cruise is early December 2020 and I cannot wait for that. Only 11 months to go!



Oh! Where are you going?


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> I have the same fear about winter cruising also.  We hardly get sick, I'm constantly washing my hands.  In 2018 we all came down with the flu about 3 weeks before our cruise.(despite all getting the vaccine,  that was the year it wasn't very affective).  I was so happy to get it when we did because I wasn't worried about getting it right before our cruise.  I just bought some Airborne and plan on making my family take it until our cruise next week.
> Mevelandry, hope you feel better soon and have a great cruise!



Thank you. I'm still hopeful I can "break it" as I started taking saline and vitamin C as soon as I have felt the first symptoms. *Fingers crossed*


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> I keep wondering how parents survive to all those germs... (I am a bit of a germophobe, especially 2 weeks before a trip)
> 
> Oh! Where are you going?



Probably just to Toronto, for some reason my son is really interested in going there (I think just to see the CN tower and make scared-of-heights mommy go to the top). 

Yeah when he started daycare at a year, we went through so many colds/illnesses... I feel like my immune system is super charged now lol. But we do still wash hands and all that  just perhaps not as obsessively as some do. And I prefer soap and water to that sanitizer stuff.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Stay healthy @mevelandry!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Stay healthy @mevelandry!



I try!!


----------



## wanderlust7

We were on the Carnival Panorama New Year's sailing.  First time on Carnival (have done 2 DCL, 1 NCL, and 1 MSC).  The food and service exceeded my expectations!  The choices at the buffet was limited, but I guess it's because they have so much variety on the ship.  Guy's Burgers was so good.  I was surprised at the higher end dishes available at no additional fee - steak was consistently good (steak and eggs was filet mignon at sea day brunch), prime rib, Maine lobster, oysters on the half shell, ahi tuna, etc.  We had early dining and the servers would make a point to greet us by name and say hi when they saw us elsewhere on the ship.  Our cabin steward was the best we've had since DCL.  Twice a day, done by the time we got back, and towel animals every day.

Sky Ride was a lot of fun, just a bit of a wait (at least 30 minutes when we've checked).  Only 4 bikes on the track.  Wonder if that's the case on the sister ships?  Kids did Sky Zone (for fee) and had fun, wore them out, lol.  I was a little worried about the wide age range for the kids jump (6-14).  DD is 7, so I worried about an older kid bumping into her.  But it's actually very controlled and supervised.  There are squares marked on the trampoline and there's a rule that only one person can be in each at once.  The digital rock climbing wall was cool too.  The game you pick determines how you'd want to climb.

I'm a bit of a foodie, so we did Chef's Table.  Probably best described as molecular gastronomy.  For example, what looks like a slice off a cob of corn is actually a cocoa butter shell with cream sauce inside.  I preferred the food at Remy's.  But this was quite the experience!  A galley tour, explanations from the chef, even a magician half way through.

Here are a bunch of pictures!  Happy to answer any questions if anyone is going on the Panorama.

ETA: Forgot to mention that I was so impressed by Carnival that I'm now looking at the Mardi Gras for 2022!


----------



## belle032

wanderlust7 said:


> We were on the Carnival Panorama New Year's sailing.  First time on Carnival (have done 2 DCL, 1 NCL, and 1 MSC).  The food and service exceeded my expectations!  The choices at the buffet was limited, but I guess it's because they have so much variety on the ship.  Guy's Burgers was so good.  I was surprised at the higher end dishes available at no additional fee - steak was consistently good (steak and eggs was filet mignon at sea day brunch), prime rib, Maine lobster, oysters on the half shell, ahi tuna, etc.  We had early dining and the servers would make a point to greet us by name and say hi when they saw us elsewhere on the ship.  Our cabin steward was the best we've had since DCL.  Twice a day, done by the time we got back, and towel animals every day.
> 
> Sky Ride was a lot of fun, just a bit of a wait (at least 30 minutes when we've checked).  Only 4 bikes on the track.  Wonder if that's the case on the sister ships?  Kids did Sky Zone (for fee) and had fun, wore them out, lol.  I was a little worried about the wide age range for the kids jump (6-14).  DD is 7, so I worried about an older kid bumping into her.  But it's actually very controlled and supervised.  There are squares marked on the trampoline and there's a rule that only one person can be in each at once.  The digital rock climbing wall was cool too.  The game you pick determines how you'd want to climb.
> 
> I'm a bit of a foodie, so we did Chef's Table.  Probably best described as molecular gastronomy.  For example, what looks like a slice off a cob of corn is actually a cocoa butter shell with cream sauce inside.  I preferred the food at Remy's.  But this was quite the experience!  A galley tour, explanations from the chef, even a magician half way through.
> 
> Here are a bunch of pictures!  Happy to answer any questions if anyone is going on the Panorama.
> 
> ETA: Forgot to mention that I was so impressed by Carnival that I'm now looking at the Mardi Gras for 2022!
> 
> View attachment 464020
> 
> View attachment 464019
> 
> View attachment 464018



So glad to hear you had a wonderful time and that ship looks stunning. Of course I love to hear when everyone has a great cruise, but I'm very happy you were open enough to try CCL and give it a chance. I love when cruisers give new ships and cruise lines a shot so we can hear about them! Yay!

I've yet to try out that class of ship (she's sister to the Horizon & Vista, right?) but it's on my list. Too many options we want to try! #firstworldproblems. I know we're definitely planning Alaska in 2021 but now I'm wondering if we could swing a Caribbean sailing as well...


----------



## mevelandry

wanderlust7 said:


> We were on the Carnival Panorama New Year's sailing.  First time on Carnival (have done 2 DCL, 1 NCL, and 1 MSC).  The food and service exceeded my expectations!  The choices at the buffet was limited, but I guess it's because they have so much variety on the ship.  Guy's Burgers was so good.  I was surprised at the higher end dishes available at no additional fee - steak was consistently good (steak and eggs was filet mignon at sea day brunch), prime rib, Maine lobster, oysters on the half shell, ahi tuna, etc.  We had early dining and the servers would make a point to greet us by name and say hi when they saw us elsewhere on the ship.  Our cabin steward was the best we've had since DCL.  Twice a day, done by the time we got back, and towel animals every day.
> 
> Sky Ride was a lot of fun, just a bit of a wait (at least 30 minutes when we've checked).  Only 4 bikes on the track.  Wonder if that's the case on the sister ships?  Kids did Sky Zone (for fee) and had fun, wore them out, lol.  I was a little worried about the wide age range for the kids jump (6-14).  DD is 7, so I worried about an older kid bumping into her.  But it's actually very controlled and supervised.  There are squares marked on the trampoline and there's a rule that only one person can be in each at once.  The digital rock climbing wall was cool too.  The game you pick determines how you'd want to climb.
> 
> I'm a bit of a foodie, so we did Chef's Table.  Probably best described as molecular gastronomy.  For example, what looks like a slice off a cob of corn is actually a cocoa butter shell with cream sauce inside.  I preferred the food at Remy's.  But this was quite the experience!  A galley tour, explanations from the chef, even a magician half way through.
> 
> Here are a bunch of pictures!  Happy to answer any questions if anyone is going on the Panorama.
> 
> ETA: Forgot to mention that I was so impressed by Carnival that I'm now looking at the Mardi Gras for 2022!
> 
> View attachment 464020
> 
> View attachment 464019
> 
> View attachment 464018



Thanks for sharing. I'm glad you had a lovely experience.

I was just wondering... Because that's what a lot of DCL fans worry about... How were the other passengers on the ship? (Because Carnival has the reputation of being a party boat with drunks everywhere). Would love to know what your experience was by comparison with DCL.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

wanderlust7 said:


> We were on the Carnival Panorama New Year's sailing.  First time on Carnival (have done 2 DCL, 1 NCL, and 1 MSC).  The food and service exceeded my expectations!  The choices at the buffet was limited, but I guess it's because they have so much variety on the ship.  Guy's Burgers was so good.  I was surprised at the higher end dishes available at no additional fee - steak was consistently good (steak and eggs was filet mignon at sea day brunch), prime rib, Maine lobster, oysters on the half shell, ahi tuna, etc.  We had early dining and the servers would make a point to greet us by name and say hi when they saw us elsewhere on the ship.  Our cabin steward was the best we've had since DCL.  Twice a day, done by the time we got back, and towel animals every day.
> 
> Sky Ride was a lot of fun, just a bit of a wait (at least 30 minutes when we've checked).  Only 4 bikes on the track.  Wonder if that's the case on the sister ships?  Kids did Sky Zone (for fee) and had fun, wore them out, lol.  I was a little worried about the wide age range for the kids jump (6-14).  DD is 7, so I worried about an older kid bumping into her.  But it's actually very controlled and supervised.  There are squares marked on the trampoline and there's a rule that only one person can be in each at once.  The digital rock climbing wall was cool too.  The game you pick determines how you'd want to climb.
> 
> I'm a bit of a foodie, so we did Chef's Table.  Probably best described as molecular gastronomy.  For example, what looks like a slice off a cob of corn is actually a cocoa butter shell with cream sauce inside.  I preferred the food at Remy's.  But this was quite the experience!  A galley tour, explanations from the chef, even a magician half way through.
> 
> Here are a bunch of pictures!  Happy to answer any questions if anyone is going on the Panorama.
> 
> ETA: Forgot to mention that I was so impressed by Carnival that I'm now looking at the Mardi Gras for 2022!
> 
> View attachment 464020
> 
> View attachment 464019
> 
> View attachment 464018


I’m so happy to hear you had a great time on Carnival. The number of bike stores the Sky Ride is the same on all 3 ships, 4.  There is usually a line for them. I always go first thing in the morning in Sea days and always do them on Port days, that’s when they tend to be the shortest lines. 

How was the weather in Mexico during your cruise?  We spent a couple days at Disneyland between Christmas and New Years and it was pretty cold, granted I’m going by AZ standards so anything under 75 is freezing for me. 

We’ve got a couple cruises booked for Mardi Gras too, I know we won’t keep them both but are really looking forward to trying that ship. I can hardly wait for Shaq’s Big Chicken restaurant.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

wanderlust7 said:


> We were on the Carnival Panorama New Year's sailing.  First time on Carnival (have done 2 DCL, 1 NCL, and 1 MSC).  The food and service exceeded my expectations!  The choices at the buffet was limited, but I guess it's because they have so much variety on the ship.  Guy's Burgers was so good.  I was surprised at the higher end dishes available at no additional fee - steak was consistently good (steak and eggs was filet mignon at sea day brunch), prime rib, Maine lobster, oysters on the half shell, ahi tuna, etc.  We had early dining and the servers would make a point to greet us by name and say hi when they saw us elsewhere on the ship.  Our cabin steward was the best we've had since DCL.  Twice a day, done by the time we got back, and towel animals every day.
> 
> Sky Ride was a lot of fun, just a bit of a wait (at least 30 minutes when we've checked).  Only 4 bikes on the track.  Wonder if that's the case on the sister ships?  Kids did Sky Zone (for fee) and had fun, wore them out, lol.  I was a little worried about the wide age range for the kids jump (6-14).  DD is 7, so I worried about an older kid bumping into her.  But it's actually very controlled and supervised.  There are squares marked on the trampoline and there's a rule that only one person can be in each at once.  The digital rock climbing wall was cool too.  The game you pick determines how you'd want to climb.
> 
> I'm a bit of a foodie, so we did Chef's Table.  Probably best described as molecular gastronomy.  For example, what looks like a slice off a cob of corn is actually a cocoa butter shell with cream sauce inside.  I preferred the food at Remy's.  But this was quite the experience!  A galley tour, explanations from the chef, even a magician half way through.
> 
> Here are a bunch of pictures!  Happy to answer any questions if anyone is going on the Panorama.
> 
> ETA: Forgot to mention that I was so impressed by Carnival that I'm now looking at the Mardi Gras for 2022!
> 
> View attachment 464020
> 
> View attachment 464019
> 
> View attachment 464018


Thanks for the review!  We are on panorama in June.  How did your kids like the club?  Our love it.    Good to hear that the new jumping area is fun.  We were a bit worried about that.  Not that it’s a huge deal anyway.  But good to know that it is a fun activity.


----------



## wanderlust7

belle032 said:


> So glad to hear you had a wonderful time and that ship looks stunning. Of course I love to hear when everyone has a great cruise, but I'm very happy you were open enough to try CCL and give it a chance. I love when cruisers give new ships and cruise lines a shot so we can hear about them! Yay!
> 
> I've yet to try out that class of ship (she's sister to the Horizon & Vista, right?) but it's on my list. Too many options we want to try! #firstworldproblems. I know we're definitely planning Alaska in 2021 but now I'm wondering if we could swing a Caribbean sailing as well...



I'm a sucker for new, lol.  The ships with bells and whistles works well traveling with the kids (they're 7 and 11).  So we end up on different cruise lines and it's a bit of a learning curve since each does things a little differently.  I love research though, so I don't mind.  

Yes, Panorama is sister ship to Horizon and Vista.  The main difference I heard about was that the Horizon and Vista have the IMAX.  That space on the Panorama is the Sky Zone.



mevelandry said:


> I was just wondering... Because that's what a lot of DCL fans worry about... How were the other passengers on the ship? (Because Carnival has the reputation of being a party boat with drunks everywhere). Would love to know what your experience was by comparison with DCL.



We did see 2 instances of ugly behavior, though I feel that can happen anywhere.  First one, we were heading up to deck 11 (above the pool deck) for the New Year's count down.  Was worried the pool deck would be too crowded (actually it wasn't too bad).  The elevator stopped at 10 first and we heard some sort of altercation going on.  Sounded like a fight, but I don't know if it got physical.  Second was when we went to the show Rock Revolution.  Someone was saving an entire row of seats.  As it got closer to showtime and his party still wasn't there, the people looking for seats were increasing annoyed with him.  One guy came up and told him you can't do that.  To which he replied, back off!  Later there was some accusation of pushing, but his wife(?) was like no I've got witnesses.

I actually didn't see anyone that was obviously drunk.  We're not party people and didn't do any of the late night stuff.



Club Disney Chandler said:


> How was the weather in Mexico during your cruise?  We spent a couple days at Disneyland between Christmas and New Years and it was pretty cold, granted I’m going by AZ standards so anything under 75 is freezing for me.



We had pouring, torrential rain in Puerto Vallarta, lol.  We booked Las Caletas, which DH and I have been to before kids some 15 or so years ago.  Always thought it was an island, but as DH pointed out to me on a map, it is not.    Was really looking forward to taking the kids.  To their credit, Carnival did give us the option of canceling for a full refund.  Seems most people still chose to go though.  The boat picked us up right from the ship like a tender.  Boat ride was pretty rough, luckily DD just slept and didn't throw up.  I thought maybe the rain would be intermittent, but nope, just varying degrees of torrential.  Kids did the zip line - slightly less torrential then.  Animal experiences (hold monkeys and parrots, ride a donkey) were canceled.  Then they went to play on the beach, in the pouring rain.  They didn't care.  DH and I watched them under umbrellas.

Weather was good in Cabo.  We did an UTV excursion that was fun.  Mazatlan we stayed on the ship.  It was the perfect day to go on the water slides - no wait and comfortable temps.  We also did the water slides on the first sea day on the way to Cabo.  It felt fine until we got up to the top of the water slides - soooo windy!  Brrrr!  We did the same ports on the NCL Bliss for spring break.  Weather was better then, though still a little cold the further away we were from Mexico.



we"reofftoneverland said:


> Thanks for the review!  We are on panorama in June.  How did your kids like the club?  Our love it.    Good to hear that the new jumping area is fun.  We were a bit worried about that.  Not that it’s a huge deal anyway.  But good to know that it is a fun activity.



My kids are not much into the kids clubs.  Much as I wish they would be.    On any cruise line, it seems, though I keep trying!  Only DCL is a little better.  They will go if an activity sounds really appealing or if we're going to an adults only thing and tell them to go.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

wanderlust7 said:


> My kids are not much into the kids clubs.  Much as I wish they would be.    On any cruise line, it seems, though I keep trying!  Only DCL is a little better.  They will go if an activity sounds really appealing or if we're going to an adults only thing and tell them to go.



That’s how our teen is.  He never wanted to go to any clubs and still doesn’t.  Makes me a bit sad!  But our younger two usually love them.  It’s amazing how different kids can be.


----------



## smmco

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’m so happy to hear you had a great time on Carnival. The number of bike stores the Sky Ride is the same on all 3 ships, 4.  There is usually a line for them. I always go first thing in the morning in Sea days and always do them on Port days, that’s when they tend to be the shortest lines.
> 
> How was the weather in Mexico during your cruise?  We spent a couple days at Disneyland between Christmas and New Years and it was pretty cold, granted I’m going by AZ standards so anything under 75 is freezing for me.
> 
> We’ve got a couple cruises booked for Mardi Gras too, I know we won’t keep them both but are really looking forward to trying that ship. I can hardly wait for Shaq’s Big Chicken restaurant.


Off topic question. Do you go to DL often? Which fast pass system do you like better? I’m debating going again last time was 2011. I’ve gotten so used to making fast passes in advance Im not sure how to handle the crowds at DL.. I feel like I can’t ride anything at WDW without a FP the standby lines have gotten so ridiculous. 
What hotel do you stay at? Thanks


----------



## lklgoodman

Hope you all don't mind if I ask a somewhat off topic question here.  I'm hoping someone on here will know the answer, if not those who have teenagers. could you ask them for me.  My dd has my old Samsung galaxy  phone.  It is too old for the navigator app to work.  I will use the app on my new phone, but that's all I will use phone for.  We don't buy to use the internet while on the ship.  My dd does a lot of snapchat. And is already having a hissy fit about not being able to get online(grrr tween girl)  Anyway, can she use the snapchat app to only take pics without being online?  I think not.  I told her to just use the phone's camera, but she wants to take pics with snapchat and then post them when we get off the ship.  I don't know anything about Snapchat, but assume her idea won't work.  Anyone know?  TIA


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Just had my 17 YO test Snapchat on airplane mode. According to him yes you can take pictures.


----------



## lklgoodman

trvlgirlmq said:


> Just had my 17 YO test Snapchat on airplane mode. According to him yes you can take pictures.



Ok, thank you so much!!  She will be so happy to know it will work.  And now I won't have to hear her grumble about not being able to do pics that way.  Now I just have to hear how horrible it will be that she can't play some game called Roadblocks for the week.  I'm seriously considering making our 2021 cruise just for dh and I and leaving her with her grandparents!


----------



## smmco

lklgoodman said:


> Ok, thank you so much!!  She will be so happy to know it will work.  And now I won't have to hear her grumble about not being able to do pics that way.  Now I just have to hear how horrible it will be that she can't play some game called Roadblocks for the week.  I'm seriously considering making our 2021 cruise just for dh and I and leaving her with her grandparents!


OK Boomer!  It's Roblox. Kidding, I'm probably older than you, but I do live with a couple of Zoomers.


----------



## lklgoodman

smmco said:


> OK Boomer!  It's Roblox. Kidding, I'm probably older than you, but I do live with a couple of Zoomers.



Lol!!  I wasn't really sure exactly what the name was.  She just started playing it a few months ago.  She has never played any computer games, but she's becoming addicted to Roblox.  Just to show how unfamiliar I am with social media terms.  I grew up in Oklahoma and graduated from University of OK.(Boomer Sooner).  First time I heard "OK Boomer" I thought it was some kind of reference to those us who graduated from OU,  LOL!!  I know it's for Baby Boomers, but don't know what a Zoomer is.


----------



## smmco

lklgoodman said:


> Lol!!  I wasn't really sure exactly what the name was.  She just started playing it a few months ago.  She has never played any computer games, but she's becoming addicted to Roblox.  Just to show how unfamiliar I am with social media terms.  I grew up in Oklahoma and graduated from University of OK.(Boomer Sooner).  First time I heard "OK Boomer" I thought it was some kind of reference to those us who graduated from OU,  LOL!!  I know it's for Baby Boomers, but don't know what a Zoomer is.


It's Gen Z the generation after Millennials. Your daughter's generation.  Some of them like to refer to themselves as Zoomers.


----------



## smmco

On another note. Carnival sent out an apology email to those of us on the inaugural cruise that were not informed. They pushed back the time to rebook with OBC to March 3 and the time to rebook with the 25% discount to Jan 3, 2021. I don't think I'll rebook anytime soon, but hopefully, I'll be able to take advantage of the 25% discount. 
The cancellation really screwed up this year's plans.  I want to sail on the Mardi Gras I'm just not sure when we'll do another Caribbean cruise. I have some ideas just nothing concrete yet. I think I'll have a better idea after we return from our Baltic cruise in August.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

smmco said:


> Off topic question. Do you go to DL often? Which fast pass system do you like better? I’m debating going again last time was 2011. I’ve gotten so used to making fast passes in advance Im not sure how to handle the crowds at DL.. I feel like I can’t ride anything at WDW without a FP the standby lines have gotten so ridiculous.
> What hotel do you stay at? Thanks


We don’t go as often now as we used to. The last few years it’s only been once a year, but we were annual pass holders for several years. I really hate the new FP system, I was much happier when we just went and got paper tickets throughout the day. This new system of paying extra to have electronic access as soon as you walk in the park bothers me. Case in point, our first day there we arrived about 9:30 AM, at the point the first FP time for Space Mountain was already 10:00 PM, Indiana Jones was 10:30 PM. 

Luckily, we’ve been enough that the attractions aren’t as important as they used to be, we have a ton of fun people watching and grazing the food stands. We did wait about 2 hours for Guardians of the Galaxy, I have to do that every time we’re there. 

We are very loyal to Hilton properties so we always stay at the Homewood Suites near the convention center buts right next to the Toy Story parking lot so we just walk into the lot and take the Disney busses to the park. They have a great breakfast every morning and an evening reception with decent food and free beer and wine Monday - Thursday. We try to go back to the hotel late afternoon to take a nap, have dinner and then head back to the parks. We sometimes stay on property but with two teenagers the one bedroom suite at Homewood is much better for us. We also like having the included breakfast downstairs that we can go to whenever we want. There is another Homewood about 1 mile further away that we used to stay at before this new one was built. It’s not as convenient but still is a decent property. The Residence Inn and Embassy Suites in that area are good too. For us, it really is all about the included breakfast, the fact that we can all eat whenever we want is huge for us


----------



## Lynne G

We are back from our first Carnival cruise, so some thoughts on that versus our Disney ones.  
First, would we go with Carnival again? Yes, though not a strong one. 
Second, we did have the soda package as we like soda with our meals. It was a pain to have to get it from the bar, which the bar tenders were not as keen to fill our orders as no extra tip for them and a low cost sale, when not in the dining room. 
Third, we found the food way too bland, and think the cooks had many more misses than hits, then we ever remembered Disney having many more hits than misses in the dining room. 
Fourth, was a tie for waiters and room host. We found them to be as nice as the ones Disney had, and we hugged our room guy, he was so great. 

Lastly, yeah the decor was too dark for us, and I found some of the decor of the Legend gaudy.  But the cabins were nice, lots of storage, and we did not miss the bathroom set up Disney has.  

And a final comment.  Did what we paid for the cruise, it was within our budget.  Sadly, we would pick Disney every time, but even with last minute military rates, our budget was not large enough.  

And most interesting, no real difference in guests, some rude, but very few drunks we saw.  And there were many bars.


----------



## belle032

Lynne G said:


> We are back from our first Carnival cruise, so some thoughts on that versus our Disney ones.
> First, would we go with Carnival again? Yes, though not a strong one.
> Second, we did have the soda package as we like soda with our meals. It was a pain to have to get it from the bar, which the bar tenders were not as keen to fill our orders as no extra tip for them and a low cost sale, when not in the dining room.
> Third, we found the food way too bland, and think the cooks had many more misses than hits, then we ever remembered Disney having many more hits than misses in the dining room.
> Fourth, was a tie for waiters and room host. We found them to be as nice as the ones Disney had, and we hugged our room guy, he was so great.
> 
> Lastly, yeah the decor was too dark for us, and I found some of the decor of the Legend gaudy.  But the cabins were nice, lots of storage, and we did not miss the bathroom set up Disney has.
> 
> And a final comment.  Did what we paid for the cruise, it was within our budget.  Sadly, we would pick Disney every time, but even with last minute military rates, our budget was not large enough.
> 
> And most interesting, no real difference in guests, some rude, but very few drunks we saw.  And there were many bars.



Thank you for your honest review! I've never sailed the Legend, but I do agree about decor. Most of the older Carnival ships had that gaudy Vegas-y style decor, which isn't great to say the least. Some were worse than others. The first ship I ever sailed was the Sensation and god it was all purple and black and gold from what I remember. Ugh. I'm so glad the newer ships ditched that theming and are now much more subdued and pleasing. 

I've never gotten the soda package so I can't comment, but that does sound like a hassle. Will the servers that come around on the pool decks get you soda? 

Food is super subjective so I honestly don't comment one way or another. I'm sorry you had more negatives than positives there. Every ship we've been on (CCL & DCL) have had hits and misses, so I don't argue with people about food taste and quality. Personal preference!

So glad to hear your service was great! People rave about DCL service and while they were perfectly wonderful to us, I never noticed anyone going above and beyond other cruise lines. I also don't think we're their target clientele either and that's fine. But I know we've always had amazing stewards and waiters and bartenders no matter what ship we've been on. Also it's always nice to hear the other guests were pleasant. Again, I've never noticed much of a difference from cruise line to cruise line, but again, it's all rather subjective to the ship, length of cruise, itinerary, etc.

I totally understand the budget issue, and I recommend that if you do choose to give Carnival another try, try a newer ship. I'd absolutely recommend a ship from the Dream class or newer.


----------



## Lynne G

Thanks Belle.  Yep, all is subjective as to each one's experiences.  I always go in with a good attitude, and while we did not particularly like the decor, we did pick the Legend, as the itinerary was what we wanted.  And would we sail it again, yes.  We did like the size of it.  But yes, next time, probably on one of their new ships.

For the soda package, it was to be all over the ship, the only time I had a waiter fill my soda order, was in the theater, never saw one stop and ask me at the pool areas.  Always, had to go to the bar, myself.  I did like that they poured it from cans, not from the machine.  And gave a large cup of ice, which was nice, as I like my soda cold.  Did we save money with it?  Maybe.  I did get every time we did it, listed on my print out.  But it was a deal for me, as we all enjoy soda drinking when on vacation.  

And yes, we like cruising, so we will be cruising with Royal next January, same week.


----------



## belle032

Lynne G said:


> Thanks Belle.  Yep, all is subjective as to each one's experiences.  I always go in with a good attitude, and while we did not particularly like the decor, we did pick the Legend, as the itinerary was what we wanted.  And would we sail it again, yes.  We did like the size of it.  But yes, next time, probably on one of their new ships.
> 
> For the soda package, it was to be all over the ship, the only time I had a waiter fill my soda order, was in the theater, never saw one stop and ask me at the pool areas.  Always, had to go to the bar, myself.  I did like that they poured it from cans, not from the machine.  And gave a large cup of ice, which was nice, as I like my soda cold.  Did we save money with it?  Maybe.  I did get every time we did it, listed on my print out.  But it was a deal for me, as we all enjoy soda drinking when on vacation.
> 
> And yes, we like cruising, so we will be cruising with Royal next January, same week.



It sounds like you really gave it a chance and I think that's awesome. Too many people go in with "Ok I'm going to compare everything on this ship to "fill in the blank" ship that I already love. And when it doesn't live up to their expectations they write it off immediately. And it sounds like the same dilemma I was having with the Carnival Fascination last year when we were looking to book. It's the oldest, smallest ship in the fleet but the itineraries sound great! I just don't know if I want to make that trade. I would go in with a good attitude but still be hesitant for sure.

I understand about the soda package, and yes I would get annoyed to constantly have to go to the bars as well! Just bring me a soda while I lounge on the Lido! 

I'm trying to get DH to try Royal, especially with the CocoCay addition. He's only done DCL & CCL and is hesitant to jump ship. We'll get there though!


----------



## mevelandry

We are still on our Adventure of the Seas cruise and my husband is having a little nap... 

Some of you were curious about Mr. Sanchos. We arrived very early in the morning (8:15) and I think we were the first people there. It was very quiet until 11:00... But even when most tables and chairs were taken, it was still reasonably crowded and the service was still great.

The water was amazing. Unfortunately, I got stung by jellyfishes --it wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined) but the staff told me it happens after a rainy night (and god knows the sea had been very choppy all night)... The sand is a bit rough but you'll find all kinds of sea shell if you are into that. 

The poom was clean and the water was nice. 

You get lockers and kayak rental for free if you leave a deposit. 

It's all inclusive and I booked in advance. The food was good. The drinks were great. The staff was absolutely amazing. The palapas and palm trees provide comfort and shade.


----------



## Dallas_Lady

We're going to be at Mr. Sanchos on March 5- it's now sold out for that day so I'm a little worried that it will feel super crowded.  But with 7  ships in port, that's just the way it is.

Good to hear that the water was nice!  I was worried that it would be a little chilly in early March.  What did you do about the jellyfish sting?  Does it knock you out of commision for the day?


----------



## belle032

@mevelandry Thank you so much for the Mr. Sanchos photos and quick review! We'll be there in 2 weeks and it's nice to see positive things being said about a place when you're going in blind. Looks beautiful! That's horrible about the jellyfish though, I hope you're OK!!

So other than the jellyfish, I hope you're having a wonderful time!


----------



## mevelandry

Dallas_Lady said:


> We're going to be at Mr. Sanchos on March 5- it's now sold out for that day so I'm a little worried that it will feel super crowded.  But with 7  ships in port, that's just the way it is.
> 
> Good to hear that the water was nice!  I was worried that it would be a little chilly in early March.  What did you do about the jellyfish sting?  Does it knock you out of commision for the day?


 
We had 7 ships in port today and it was okay. 

Regarding the jellyfish sting, it's crazy... I entered in the water and within 10 seconds, BAM! 

I talked to the barman and he sent someone pick up vinegar for me. It worked like a charm and provided fast relief. (I went out swimming again and then I got two more... Yikes! Thankfully I still had the glass of vinegar so I treat them right away). As you can imagine, I stuck to the pool after that.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> @mevelandry Thank you so much for the Mr. Sanchos photos and quick review! We'll be there in 2 weeks and it's nice to see positive things being said about a place when you're going in blind. Looks beautiful! That's horrible about the jellyfish though, I hope you're OK!!
> 
> So other than the jellyfish, I hope you're having a wonderful time!



Thank you. I'm okay. Thankfully I am not allergic to it and did not get a severe reaction from it. I was surprised by how fast the vinegar brought me some relief.


----------



## mevelandry

Came back home Yesterday! Let me know if any of you are interested in reviews and/or pictures from Royal Palms in Grand Cayman or Costa Maya!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> We are still on our Adventure of the Seas cruise and my husband is having a little nap...
> 
> Some of you were curious about Mr. Sanchos. We arrived very early in the morning (8:15) and I think we were the first people there. It was very quiet until 11:00... But even when most tables and chairs were taken, it was still reasonably crowded and the service was still great.
> 
> The water was amazing. Unfortunately, I got stung by jellyfishes --it wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined) but the staff told me it happens after a rainy night (and god knows the sea had been very choppy all night)... The sand is a bit rough but you'll find all kinds of sea shell if you are into that.
> 
> The poom was clean and the water was nice.
> 
> You get lockers and kayak rental for free if you leave a deposit.
> 
> It's all inclusive and I booked in advance. The food was good. The drinks were great. The staff was absolutely amazing. The palapas and palm trees provide comfort and shade.
> 
> View attachment 465564View attachment 465560View attachment 465561View attachment 465562View attachment 465563View attachment 465565View attachment 465567


Wow, looks beautiful!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

smmco said:


> OK Boomer!  It's Roblox. Kidding, I'm probably older than you, but I do live with a couple of Zoomers.


This cracks me up!  Our 17 year old says ok boomer to dh and I all the time.  I keep telling him, um, we are in our 40s and are not boomers!  But he still does it.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Lynne G said:


> We are back from our first Carnival cruise, so some thoughts on that versus our Disney ones.
> First, would we go with Carnival again? Yes, though not a strong one.
> Second, we did have the soda package as we like soda with our meals. It was a pain to have to get it from the bar, which the bar tenders were not as keen to fill our orders as no extra tip for them and a low cost sale, when not in the dining room.
> Third, we found the food way too bland, and think the cooks had many more misses than hits, then we ever remembered Disney having many more hits than misses in the dining room.
> Fourth, was a tie for waiters and room host. We found them to be as nice as the ones Disney had, and we hugged our room guy, he was so great.
> 
> Lastly, yeah the decor was too dark for us, and I found some of the decor of the Legend gaudy.  But the cabins were nice, lots of storage, and we did not miss the bathroom set up Disney has.
> 
> And a final comment.  Did what we paid for the cruise, it was within our budget.  Sadly, we would pick Disney every time, but even with last minute military rates, our budget was not large enough.
> 
> And most interesting, no real difference in guests, some rude, but very few drunks we saw.  And there were many bars.



We’ve never purchased the soda package on Carnival but having to get the soda from the bar would drive me crazy!  If you do carnival again, you might want to pick up soda on the way to port. You can put it in your room refrigerator.  Did you try their fast food options (hamburgers, tacos, deli, pizza)? Those are our favorite.  But we also find the dining room food to be quite good overall.  I do think it is hard to go from Disney to another line.  For us, the price difference was just so huge that it was worth it.  On our first carnival cruise we paid about 6k (one balcony, one inside) for an 8 night southern on the vista.  A 7 night on disney fantasy for the same week was about 11k (2 inside rooms).  Also, the jump to balconies with carnival was huge for us.  I would probably pick dcl over carnival also if money was no object, but surprisingly my kids would pick carnival.  Lol.  And they love Disney.  We are dvc, so we are very much on the Disney cool-aid.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

smmco said:


> Off topic question. Do you go to DL often? Which fast pass system do you like better? I’m debating going again last time was 2011. I’ve gotten so used to making fast passes in advance Im not sure how to handle the crowds at DL.. I feel like I can’t ride anything at WDW without a FP the standby lines have gotten so ridiculous.
> What hotel do you stay at? Thanks





Club Disney Chandler said:


> We don’t go as often now as we used to. The last few years it’s only been once a year, but we were annual pass holders for several years. I really hate the new FP system, I was much happier when we just went and got paper tickets throughout the day. This new system of paying extra to have electronic access as soon as you walk in the park bothers me. Case in point, our first day there we arrived about 9:30 AM, at the point the first FP time for Space Mountain was already 10:00 PM, Indiana Jones was 10:30 PM.
> 
> Luckily, we’ve been enough that the attractions aren’t as important as they used to be, we have a ton of fun people watching and grazing the food stands. We did wait about 2 hours for Guardians of the Galaxy, I have to do that every time we’re there.
> 
> We are very loyal to Hilton properties so we always stay at the Homewood Suites near the convention center buts right next to the Toy Story parking lot so we just walk into the lot and take the Disney busses to the park. They have a great breakfast every morning and an evening reception with decent food and free beer and wine Monday - Thursday. We try to go back to the hotel late afternoon to take a nap, have dinner and then head back to the parks. We sometimes stay on property but with two teenagers the one bedroom suite at Homewood is much better for us. We also like having the included breakfast downstairs that we can go to whenever we want. There is another Homewood about 1 mile further away that we used to stay at before this new one was built. It’s not as convenient but still is a decent property. The Residence Inn and Embassy Suites in that area are good too. For us, it really is all about the included breakfast, the fact that we can all eat whenever we want is huge for us


We also prefer the old fastpass system.  We have been to DL 2x now— last time was summer of 2018- and find the paper fastpass system to be much easier.  We are going back again this summer for a couple of days because we are leaving out of Long Beach on the panorama.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Wow, looks beautiful!



It really was. We definitely liked it more than Chankanaab.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> This cracks me up!  Our 17 year old says ok boomer to dh and I all the time.  I keep telling him, um, we are in our 40s and are not boomers!  But he still does it.



Yeah. Doesn't make much sense but kids use it as "an insult/snark" these days.


----------



## mevelandry

Ok, since Carnival will not release dates for Bermuda (from NYC) in 2021 and RCCL's deposit was pretty high... We have a *Norwegian Joy* booking on hold for October 2021... A bit more expensive than we wanted to pay initially BUT the ship is departing from Manhattan which is ideal since we'll travel with my in-laws --we have to make transportation as short as possible with them-- and we'd get a 50$ credit on excursions. 

To be continued...


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Ok, since Carnival will not release dates for Bermuda (from NYC) in 2021 and RCCL's deposit was pretty high... We have a *Norwegian Joy* booking on hold for October 2021... A bit more expensive than we wanted to pay initially BUT the ship is departing from Manhattan which is ideal since we'll travel with my in-laws --we have to make transportation as short as possible with them-- and we'd get a 50$ credit on excursions.
> 
> To be continued...


 
Exciting! I'm tentatively looking at the Norwegian Bliss (I think Bliss & Joy are sister ships?) for Alaska. Definitely 2021 and most likely September/October. It's so hard to branch out but I really want a ship that's "built" for Alaska and I don't think Carnival, Disney or RCL really offer that. Also have my eye on Princess, but leaning towards NCL at the moment.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Exciting! I'm tentatively looking at the Norwegian Bliss (I think Bliss & Joy are sister ships?) for Alaska. Definitely 2021 and most likely September/October. It's so hard to branch out but I really want a ship that's "built" for Alaska and I don't think Carnival, Disney or RCL really offer that. Also have my eye on Princess, but leaning towards NCL at the moment.



I have a lot of friends who sailed with Norwegian and loved it. I'm excited to try it.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Exciting! I'm tentatively looking at the Norwegian Bliss (I think Bliss & Joy are sister ships?) for Alaska. Definitely 2021 and most likely September/October. It's so hard to branch out but I really want a ship that's "built" for Alaska and I don't think Carnival, Disney or RCL really offer that. Also have my eye on Princess, but leaning towards NCL at the moment.



I get it.  

Now, does anyone know if there's a Norwegian thread? I feel like I need one. 

I want to know what freestyle dining is!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> I get it.
> 
> Now, does anyone know if there's a Norwegian thread? I feel like I need one.
> 
> I want to know what freestyle dining is!



Never tried NCL, and I don't see a thread like this for it. However freestyle dining just means you have no set time/table. When you are hungry, you go to one of the "free" dining rooms and they seat you. I believe they may have different menus in the different dining rooms but I'm not 100% on that. If you booked to get the bonuses and have the dining plan, then I believe it is beneficial to make reservations in advance as it can be hard to get in on certain ships.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> I get it.
> 
> Now, does anyone know if there's a Norwegian thread? I feel like I need one.
> 
> I want to know what freestyle dining is!



Agree, there isn't a specific NCL thread that I can see. I'm tempted to join a group on the other social media site just to start researching.


----------



## hdrolfe

I am so sad I had to cancel my March Break cruise and don't have one planned until December now! Considering doing something in August, but they are a bit expensive and of course there is a risk of storms/hurricanes. Thinking of a 6 night on Magic or a 5 night on RCL Independence of the Seas. Long shot would be an 8-night on Horizon but that's (of course) the most expensive. I'm not sure I'll "need" a cruise in the summer, I mean it will be hot here too. I just want the relaxation of it


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

hdrolfe said:


> Never tried NCL, and I don't see a thread like this for it. However freestyle dining just means you have no set time/table. When you are hungry, you go to one of the "free" dining rooms and they seat you. I believe they may have different menus in the different dining rooms but I'm not 100% on that. If you booked to get the bonuses and have the dining plan, then I believe it is beneficial to make reservations in advance as it can be hard to get in on certain ships.


Sometimes you can walk in but reservations are recommended.  For specialty dining, it is like palo where you almost always need reservations.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

hdrolfe said:


> I am so sad I had to cancel my March Break cruise and don't have one planned until December now! Considering doing something in August, but they are a bit expensive and of course there is a risk of storms/hurricanes. Thinking of a 6 night on Magic or a 5 night on RCL Independence of the Seas. Long shot would be an 8-night on Horizon but that's (of course) the most expensive. I'm not sure I'll "need" a cruise in the summer, I mean it will be hot here too. I just want the relaxation of it


You are in Canada, right?  Do you sail out of close ports to cut down on costs?  Are u close to nyc?  We almost always drive to ports to save on airfare.


----------



## hdrolfe

we"reofftoneverland said:


> You are in Canada, right?  Do you sail out of close ports to cut down on costs?  Are u close to nyc?  We almost always drive to ports to save on airfare.



I am in Canada and was looking at cruising from Baltimore or New York (any of the ports there) but the cost of the cruises seems to more than from Florida so I'm not sure it's a savings.  Bermuda would be amazing! I would be happy if kiddo's school board would announce if they are going back after Labour Day or the week before (as the other local school board has decided to do). That last week (August 29 on) is much less expensive.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Never tried NCL, and I don't see a thread like this for it. However freestyle dining just means you have no set time/table. When you are hungry, you go to one of the "free" dining rooms and they seat you. I believe they may have different menus in the different dining rooms but I'm not 100% on that. If you booked to get the bonuses and have the dining plan, then I believe it is beneficial to make reservations in advance as it can be hard to get in on certain ships.



Thank you for the info. We don't know if we're gonna take the "free" drink package or the specialty dining package yet.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Agree, there isn't a specific NCL thread that I can see. I'm tempted to join a group on the other social media site just to start researching.



I'm already on the Norwegian Joy group (since this morning).


----------



## mevelandry

Our Bermuda cruise is officially booked with Norwegian! Yayyyy!!!!


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Sometimes you can walk in but reservations are recommended.  For specialty dining, it is like palo where you almost always need reservations.



Being an overplanner, I would do reservations in advance anyway.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I am in Canada and was looking at cruising from Baltimore or New York (any of the ports there) but the cost of the cruises seems to more than from Florida so I'm not sure it's a savings.  Bermuda would be amazing! I would be happy if kiddo's school board would announce if they are going back after Labour Day or the week before (as the other local school board has decided to do). That last week (August 29 on) is much less expensive.



It's the taxes they add to the Bermuda cruises that are insane...


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> It's the taxes they add to the Bermuda cruises that are insane...



Excursions too, at least through the various ships. I was looking at them to get an idea of what to do and wow, some are expensive! especially in CAD. Really adds to the cost, save on the flight but then spend on everything else...


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Excursions too, at least through the various ships. I was looking at them to get an idea of what to do and wow, some are expensive! especially in CAD. Really adds to the cost, save on the flight but then spend on everything else...



I was told that it was much much cheaper to do things by yourself over there. And apparently, it's pretty safe.


----------



## belle032

Can someone just go on an NCL cruise and report back to us?  I trust everyone on this thread and need some honest reviews!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Can someone just go on an NCL cruise and report back to us? * I trust everyone on this thread *and need some honest reviews!



Same!!!!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Got our excursions booked for our sailing!
> 
> Grand Cayman: Sensational Stingray Swim
> Belize: Lamanai Mayan Ruins & River Boat Safari with Lunch
> *Cozumel: Mr. Sanchos!*
> Mahogany Bay: Daniel Johnson Monkey & Sloth Hangout w/Snorkeling
> 
> Now just to buy our beverage package in a few weeks and I think we're all set!



Just a note for Mr Sanchos. Look for a barman named "Jersy". He is extremely nice and he makes the best drinks.   (He was working at the poor bar).


----------



## Mika02

hdrolfe said:


> I am in Canada and was looking at cruising from Baltimore or New York (any of the ports there) but the cost of the cruises seems to more than from Florida so I'm not sure it's a savings.  Bermuda would be amazing! I would be happy if kiddo's school board would announce if they are going back after Labour Day or the week before (as the other local school board has decided to do). That last week (August 29 on) is much less expensive.



Basically for us NYers it's less expensive though then flying out to Florida certain times a year so it's worth it. 

I have heard great things about NCL. Only one thing someone had bad was about the drink options. But I think if you get a drink package (which right now you can get for free) it's a good option.


----------



## mom2brooke76

Just got off my first Carnival Cruise on the Liberty yesterday, and after 13 Disney cruises I can honestly say I had way more fun on Carnival and the food was overall better IMO. No, the upkeep isn’t on the Disney level, but for $800 for 3 people I can look past some things


----------



## hdrolfe

mom2brooke76 said:


> Just got off my first Carnival Cruise on the Liberty yesterday, and after 13 Disney cruises I can honestly say I had way more fun on Carnival and the food was overall better IMO. No, the upkeep isn’t on the Disney level, but for $800 for 3 people I can look past some things



Carnival Liberty was my first ship (as an adult, I cruised about 25 years earlier so that doesn't count). It's why I love cruising so much! I am glad you enjoyed your Carnival cruise. My son and I find them to be a lot of fun. We enjoy the food, but I think we are less particular than some people. But kiddo asks for steak and plain pasta every night and always gets it without any issues, so he's always happy! I like the choices for quick food, pizza, Guy's, Blue Iguana, the buffet. And the seaday brunch. 
And that is a great price!


----------



## wanderlust7

belle032 said:


> Can someone just go on an NCL cruise and report back to us?  I trust everyone on this thread and need some honest reviews!





mevelandry said:


> Ok, since Carnival will not release dates for Bermuda (from NYC) in 2021 and RCCL's deposit was pretty high... We have a *Norwegian Joy* booking on hold for October 2021... A bit more expensive than we wanted to pay initially BUT the ship is departing from Manhattan which is ideal since we'll travel with my in-laws --we have to make transportation as short as possible with them-- and we'd get a 50$ credit on excursions.
> 
> To be continued...



We've been on 1 NCL and 1 Carnival (Panorama).  NCL was on the Bliss, sister ship to the Joy.  The go karts were fun and DS liked the laser tag.  I made reservations right after we boarded for the go karts and the shows on the touch screens that are near the elevators.  Reservations for go karts can go fast, but laser tag is easy to get into.  The headliner show Jersey Boys was really good.  I like Broadway shows, so I really enjoy that part of NCL and missed it on Carnival.  I think having the reservation system is good too, which Carnival doesn't have.

The buffet on the Bliss was huge with so much variety.  The Indian food was especially good.  I missed that on Carnival, but they make up for it with the multitude of other venues.

I thought the food in the main dining rooms on NCL was not as good as on Carnival.  But I did enjoy Freestyle and having the "free" specialty dining package.  We didn't repeat a single dinner venue on the Bliss.  There's 3 main dining rooms, the 3 night dining package, and then we did buffet one night.  I really enjoyed that and missed it a little on Carnival.  But the flip side of that is we didn't have the personalized service as on Carnival where the servers would recognize us and say hi elsewhere on the ship.

We took the "free" drink package on NCL, but it was of questionable value for us with the gratuities.  We're such lightweights.  I like cocktails and I thought that was better on Carnival.  I liked that Carnival had a long list of special cocktails in the main dining room.  NCL only had a couple signature cocktails in the specialty dining venues.  Also, sometimes the cocktails on NCL were made in batches and didn't taste as good.  Thinking probably more people have the drink package since it's "free", so the quality suffers.

We enjoyed both NCL and Carnival, there's pros and cons to each.  Have NCL Getaway booked for 2021 and Carnival Mardi Gras 2022.  This summer is RCCL Ovation - will be interesting to see the differences!


----------



## wombat_5606

mom2brooke76 said:


> Just got off my first Carnival Cruise on the Liberty yesterday, and after 13 Disney cruises I can honestly say I had way more fun on Carnival and the food was overall better IMO. No, the upkeep isn’t on the Disney level, but for $800 for 3 people I can look past some things



I have just booked a short Liberty cruise! I couldn't be more excited to read your post today! 

I will be traveling with my adult daughter and a friend of hers in 2 weeks. Last minute!!! I don't have a lot of time to do my usual research and the 4 nights is not long enough for trial and error. I would be interested in hearing about anything you would suggest we do and anything you would suggest we don't bother with.

Should we see the shows?
Should we eat in the MDR or stick with the extra dining venues?
What about the pools? Any trouble finding a place to sit there or should we just head to the Serenity area?

I'm Platinum on DCL but I have cruised several other cruise lines through the years and I agree that you can absolutely have more fun and find more value while saving money at the same time. There is too much to see and too many adventures in the world to limit oneself to a Disney itinerary and the repetitive experience IMO.


----------



## mom2brooke76

wombat_5606 said:


> I have just booked a short Liberty cruise! I couldn't be more excited to read your post today!
> 
> I will be traveling with my adult daughter and a friend of hers in 2 weeks. Last minute!!! I don't have a lot of time to do my usual research and the 4 nights is not long enough for trial and error. I would be interested in hearing about anything you would suggest we do and anything you would suggest we don't bother with.
> 
> Should we see the shows?
> Should we eat in the MDR or stick with the extra dining venues?
> What about the pools? Any trouble finding a place to sit there or should we just head to the Serenity area?
> 
> I'm Platinum on DCL but I have cruised several other cruise lines through the years and I agree that you can absolutely have more fun and find more value while saving money at the same time. There is too much to see and too many adventures in the world to limit oneself to a Disney itinerary and the repetitive experience IMO.



Definitely see all of the shows!! So good!! Also, don’t miss going to the Alchemy Bar. It’s hard to find a seat but worth the wait. Also, the piano bar is a blast! If Lady Red is still playing in there when you go then she’s a must see! Also, I recommend attending Groove for St. Jude. It’s a deck party on sea day where you can buy St. Jude shirts for $10 and a St. Jude Build-a-Bear (already built) for $25. ALL of the proceeds go directly to St. Judes which is AWESOME!! We didn’t do specialty dining this cruise, but the MDR was great!! We had Your Time Dining and would go at 6 and they put on a dance show around 7 which is a must see!! If you happen to have Your Time Dining, I recommend you ask for Kristi from Indonesia as your server. Phuong from Vietnam was her assistant. We requested them nightly and they were amazing! Definitely better service than I’ve had the last few years on Disney. Also, the pool deck seemed to be hit or miss as far as loungers go. Try Blue Iguana Cantina for breakfast (they have amazing breakfast burritos!) Let me know if you have any other questions!


----------



## mevelandry

mom2brooke76 said:


> Just got off my first Carnival Cruise on the Liberty yesterday, and after 13 Disney cruises I can honestly say I had way more fun on Carnival and the food was overall better IMO. No, the upkeep isn’t on the Disney level, but for $800 for 3 people I can look past some things



Liberty was my ship on my last Carnival cruise. I can't wait to hear your impressions and what you liked/disliked.


----------



## mevelandry

wanderlust7 said:


> We've been on 1 NCL and 1 Carnival (Panorama).  NCL was on the Bliss, sister ship to the Joy.  The go karts were fun and DS liked the laser tag.  I made reservations right after we boarded for the go karts and the shows on the touch screens that are near the elevators.  Reservations for go karts can go fast, but laser tag is easy to get into.  The headliner show Jersey Boys was really good.  I like Broadway shows, so I really enjoy that part of NCL and missed it on Carnival.  I think having the reservation system is good too, which Carnival doesn't have.
> 
> The buffet on the Bliss was huge with so much variety.  The Indian food was especially good.  I missed that on Carnival, but they make up for it with the multitude of other venues.
> 
> I thought the food in the main dining rooms on NCL was not as good as on Carnival.  But I did enjoy Freestyle and having the "free" specialty dining package.  We didn't repeat a single dinner venue on the Bliss.  There's 3 main dining rooms, the 3 night dining package, and then we did buffet one night.  I really enjoyed that and missed it a little on Carnival.  But the flip side of that is we didn't have the personalized service as on Carnival where the servers would recognize us and say hi elsewhere on the ship.
> 
> We took the "free" drink package on NCL, but it was of questionable value for us with the gratuities.  We're such lightweights.  I like cocktails and I thought that was better on Carnival.  I liked that Carnival had a long list of special cocktails in the main dining room.  NCL only had a couple signature cocktails in the specialty dining venues.  Also, sometimes the cocktails on NCL were made in batches and didn't taste as good.  Thinking probably more people have the drink package since it's "free", so the quality suffers.
> 
> We enjoyed both NCL and Carnival, there's pros and cons to each.  Have NCL Getaway booked for 2021 and Carnival Mardi Gras 2022.  This summer is RCCL Ovation - will be interesting to see the differences!



Hi!

I did not know we needed reservations for shows and go karts. I will pay attention to that. 

Apparently, we have Footloose on our cruise... I loved Jersey Boys (on Broadway) so much that I saw it twice. I'm almost sad it's not on our cruise since we're all huge Franki Valli and The Four Seasons fans.

So with freestyle dining, you eat whenever you want (walk-in)? Do you need reservations for Specialty Dining? Since we'll have an overnight in Bermuda, I'm thinking there are strong chances we might eat over there so I'm not sure we'll take the SD package + My husband loves the idea of the drink package.


----------



## wombat_5606

mom2brooke76 said:


> Definitely see all of the shows!! So good!! Also, don’t miss going to the Alchemy Bar. It’s hard to find a seat but worth the wait. Also, the piano bar is a blast! If Lady Red is still playing in there when you go then she’s a must see! Also, I recommend attending Groove for St. Jude. It’s a deck party on sea day where you can buy St. Jude shirts for $10 and a St. Jude Build-a-Bear (already built) for $25. ALL of the proceeds go directly to St. Judes which is AWESOME!! We didn’t do specialty dining this cruise, but the MDR was great!! We had Your Time Dining and would go at 6 and they put on a dance show around 7 which is a must see!! If you happen to have Your Time Dining, I recommend you ask for Kristi from Indonesia as your server. Phuong from Vietnam was her assistant. We requested them nightly and they were amazing! Definitely better service than I’ve had the last few years on Disney. Also, the pool deck seemed to be hit or miss as far as loungers go. Try Blue Iguana Cantina for breakfast (they have amazing breakfast burritos!) Let me know if you have any other questions!



Thanks! 

Do you have to do anything to be able to see the shows? Are they shown 2 x a night?

We do have Your Time Dining. See, I knew you would help! Thank you for the suggestions for servers. I haven't read anything about the dance show. 

I had read about the Alchemy Bar and good to know it's something we should do, but I hadn't heard about the piano bar. We will definitely check that out.

My daughter and her friend are 30, so is there a good place to go late at night? I'm thinking they will like some music and dancing, while I will most likely go back to the cabin.

Did you try Guys?
Did you try Blue Iguana Cantina for lunch?


----------



## wombat_5606

mevelandry said:


> Liberty was my ship on my last Carnival cruise. I can't wait to hear your impressions and what you liked/disliked.



I would love to hear your opinions and suggestions, too!


----------



## mevelandry

wombat_5606 said:


> I have just booked a short Liberty cruise! I couldn't be more excited to read your post today!
> 
> I will be traveling with my adult daughter and a friend of hers in 2 weeks. Last minute!!! I don't have a lot of time to do my usual research and the 4 nights is not long enough for trial and error. I would be interested in hearing about anything you would suggest we do and anything you would suggest we don't bother with.
> 
> Should we see the shows?
> Should we eat in the MDR or stick with the extra dining venues?
> What about the pools? Any trouble finding a place to sit there or should we just head to the Serenity area?
> 
> I'm Platinum on DCL but I have cruised several other cruise lines through the years and I agree that you can absolutely have more fun and find more value while saving money at the same time. There is too much to see and too many adventures in the world to limit oneself to a Disney itinerary and the repetitive experience IMO.



I have done a review with pictures from April 2019 if you are interested!

https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...ussion-and-comparison-thread.3540991/page-178


----------



## mom2brooke76

mevelandry said:


> Liberty was my ship on my last Carnival cruise. I can't wait to hear your impressions and what you liked/disliked.



I’ll say that for the most part I LOVED it!! My only concern was the muster drills that couldn’t be heard nor was there a crew member within sight to demonstrate. I’ve emailed Carnival concerning this. Clearly, the upkeep of the ship isn’t like DCL and I would have loved clear windows at the lido buffet to take pics out of. Also, there was a mysterious lack of trash cans throughout the ship other than in the staterooms and public restrooms  Everything else I LOVED, from shows, to food, to the hairy chest contest to Alchemy bar!! Oh, and dining room service blew away Disney’s!


----------



## mevelandry

wombat_5606 said:


> I have just booked a short Liberty cruise! I couldn't be more excited to read your post today!
> 
> I will be traveling with my adult daughter and a friend of hers in 2 weeks. Last minute!!! I don't have a lot of time to do my usual research and the 4 nights is not long enough for trial and error. I would be interested in hearing about anything you would suggest we do and anything you would suggest we don't bother with.
> 
> Should we see the shows?
> Should we eat in the MDR or stick with the extra dining venues?
> What about the pools? Any trouble finding a place to sit there or should we just head to the Serenity area?
> 
> I'm Platinum on DCL but I have cruised several other cruise lines through the years and I agree that you can absolutely have more fun and find more value while saving money at the same time. There is too much to see and too many adventures in the world to limit oneself to a Disney itinerary and the repetitive experience IMO.



The comedy shows and the musical revues are great! Do not miss them. 

I recommend to stick to the adult pool in the back (aft) of the ship. It's really quiet over there. 

MDR is good but the choice of included dining counters is excellent. If you don't might paying extra, I really recommend the Steakhouse.


----------



## mevelandry

wombat_5606 said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Do you have to do anything to be able to see the shows? Are they shown 2 x a night?
> 
> We do have Your Time Dining. See, I knew you would help! Thank you for the suggestions for servers. I haven't read anything about the dance show.
> 
> I had read about the Alchemy Bar and good to know it's something we should do, but I hadn't heard about the piano bar. We will definitely check that out.
> 
> My daughter and her friend are 30, so is there a good place to go late at night? I'm thinking they will like some music and dancing, while I will most likely go back to the cabin.
> 
> Did you try Guys?
> Did you try Blue Iguana Cantina for lunch?



You just have to show up to the shows, I recommend 15-20 minutes if you want to secure a good spot. 

I agree that Alchemy Bar is nice. 

Blue Iguana for lunch is awesome. They make all the tortillas on the spot and there's a condiment bar where you can add whatever you like to your dish. 

Guy's Burgers are the best burgers I've had at sea. 

Same for the pizza (it's fresh made and absolutely delicious!)


----------



## mevelandry

wombat_5606 said:


> I would love to hear your opinions and suggestions, too!



What are your stops?


----------



## wombat_5606

mom2brooke76 said:


> Also, there was a mysterious lack of trash cans throughout the ship other than in the staterooms and public restrooms



I am just off a Holland America cruise and I noticed the same thing. It's their new ship and I wondered if it was a cost saving change.


----------



## wombat_5606

mevelandry said:


> What are your stops?



Nassau and Half Moon Cay. 

I've been to Nassau many, many times so I'm letting the girls decide what they want to do.

It was my first time to HMC and I was so excited to be there. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't nice and my husband and I just tendered over, had a drink at the I Wish I Could Stay Here Forever bar and tendered back. So, I'm hoping we can have a nice beach day in a few weeks.

The seas and weather on that cruise were the worst I've seen in 40 years of cruising. We had huge swells every day, except one.


----------



## hdrolfe

I find Carnival lacks garbage cans on all their ships, it was strange. 

I love Guys Burgers, I wish we could eat there every day but there are so many other things to eat we usually only get to them a couple times. Blue Iguana is also great, they have a taco bowl at lunch time, mmm. Both have toppings bars and they have everything you could want. The pizza is good as well, and I believe that's 24 hours, so a nice snack late at night.


----------



## wombat_5606

@mevelandry , I've read your review and I have some questions.

Your preferred the buffet on DCL, so should we go somewhere else for breakfast on Liberty? 

I'm bummed to read about the Trivia. Was it sports every time? 

Sorry to hear your Elegant Night. I would have been upset too! 

Can you tell me a little bit more about Elegant Night on Liberty is like? Do most people participate? Do you really stick out if you don't? The girls aren't going to have anything to wear if people are very fancy. These girls are well educated, but not well compensated and have no need for elegant clothes. 

I think I remember reading that you have been to HMC. Do you have any suggestions for the beach day?


----------



## wombat_5606

hdrolfe said:


> The pizza is good as well, and I believe that's 24 hours, so a nice snack late at night.



I'm glad to hear this. I absolutely hate the pizza on DCL.


----------



## belle032

wombat_5606 said:


> I have just booked a short Liberty cruise! I couldn't be more excited to read your post today!
> 
> I will be traveling with my adult daughter and a friend of hers in 2 weeks. Last minute!!! I don't have a lot of time to do my usual research and the 4 nights is not long enough for trial and error. I would be interested in hearing about anything you would suggest we do and anything you would suggest we don't bother with.
> 
> Should we see the shows?
> Should we eat in the MDR or stick with the extra dining venues?
> What about the pools? Any trouble finding a place to sit there or should we just head to the Serenity area?
> 
> I'm Platinum on DCL but I have cruised several other cruise lines through the years and I agree that you can absolutely have more fun and find more value while saving money at the same time. There is too much to see and too many adventures in the world to limit oneself to a Disney itinerary and the repetitive experience IMO.



We leave on the Conquest this Saturday for the second time and really like this class of ship. I believe the Conquest and Liberty (along with the Freedom & Glory) are all sister ships. Good size and I think an "easy" layout.

We spend a lot of time in the aft pool that was adults only (and enforced!) last time so I hope it's still the same. We see the comedians pretty much every night and enjoy the stage shows and extra shows, like the Love & Marriage one.

Food: Like others have said, I highly recommend Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana Cantina. Blue Iguana is also great for breakfast! You can also try the Sea Day Brunch in the dining room. And I found the 24 hour pizza to be much better than DCL.

If you like a cocktail or two, definitely check out Alchemy Bar. Really unique drinks and the bartenders will create a drink based on your taste. Really cool bar.

And one of my favorite "chill" things is to watch a movie on the deck. Love laying in the loungers at night and watching a movie. And the popcorn is free!


----------



## hdrolfe

My first cruise on Liberty we didn't eat breakfast at the buffet even once, we did the sea day brunch whenever offered and ate in the dining room for breakfast the other days. It always seemed faster.


----------



## mom2brooke76

The breakfast burritos at Blue Iguana Cantina are a must do. We did them twice, buffet once which hubby liked because they had real eggs benedict cooked properly and an omelette station and then did the Dr. Seuss breakfast which was so much fun!!


----------



## belle032

mom2brooke76 said:


> The breakfast burritos at Blue Iguana Cantina are a must do. We did them twice, buffet once which hubby liked because they had real eggs benedict cooked properly and an omelette station and then did the Dr. Seuss breakfast which was so much fun!!



Yes! They are SO good. Full confession: I might like Blue Iguana better the Guy's Burgers *gasp!* If they just had some darn tortilla chips I definitely would.

And the huevos ranchos at the Sea Day brunch is the best breakfast item on board. My opinion!


----------



## wombat_5606

Everyone!!!! Thanks, this is all just what I wanted to know. You've all been so helpful! My last Carnival cruise was when this daughter was 6!! I would normally read pages and pages of trip reports here and on a couple of other sites, but I just don't have the time to do that before we leave. 



belle032 said:


> If they just had some darn tortilla chips I  would.



Oh, no! Do they have salsa or guacamole? Can I bring my own chips?


----------



## wombat_5606

Do you follow the days activities on the Carnival app or do they print something?


----------



## wombat_5606

belle032 said:


> And one of my favorite "chill" things is to watch a movie on the deck. Love laying in the loungers at night and watching a movie. And the popcorn is free!



This is one of my favorites too! Can I find out in advance what movies will be shown?


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> Yes! They are SO good. Full confession: I might like Blue Iguana better the Guy's Burgers *gasp!* If they just had some darn tortilla chips I definitely would.
> 
> And the huevos ranchos at the Sea Day brunch is the best breakfast item on board. My opinion!



Steak and eggs at sea day brunch is amazing... I think the message is, go to the sea day brunch  



wombat_5606 said:


> Do you follow the days activities on the Carnival app or do they print something?



I am not sure if they do print it any more, they did the last time I cruised (which was far too long ago in April 2018) however the app is great and I believe they have even added the kids schedules to it now as well. 



wombat_5606 said:


> This is one of my favorites too! Can I find out in advance what movies will be shown?



You can see what movies will be shown on the ships, I'll have to search at home for the link (it may be to John Heald's facebook page). I am not sure it would give you the exact schedule of which movie is on which night though.


----------



## belle032

wombat_5606 said:


> Everyone!!!! Thanks, this is all just what I wanted to know. You've all been so helpful! My last Carnival cruise was when this daughter was 6!! I would normally read pages and pages of trip reports here and on a couple of other sites, but I just don't have the time to do that before we leave.
> 
> 
> 
> Oh, no! Do they have salsa or guacamole? Can I bring my own chips?



They have a full toppings and salsa bar and I *think* guacamole somewhere. I'm not 100% because I don't actually like it!


----------



## mom2brooke76

wombat_5606 said:


> Everyone!!!! Thanks, this is all just what I wanted to know. You've all been so helpful! My last Carnival cruise was when this daughter was 6!! I would normally read pages and pages of trip reports here and on a couple of other sites, but I just don't have the time to do that before we leave.
> 
> 
> 
> Oh, no! Do they have salsa or guacamole? Can I bring my own chips?



I believe they have salsa and guacamole for toppings and I’m sure you could bring your own chips! I bet you could just ask them for the taco bowl and break that into your own chips


----------



## mom2brooke76

wombat_5606 said:


> Do you follow the days activities on the Carnival app or do they print something?



I personally just used the apps and it sends you reminders for things that you marked that you liked. Our room steward would also leave a paper copy of Fun Times in our room or you can pick one up in front of guest services. You can also view your updated shipboard account on the app. The pizza is much better than DCL’s, but they’re making it fresh 24/7. It’s thin crust. Not all of room service is free. Continental breakfast is and they have a free section of simple sandwiches from 10 am til 6pm I believe, but after 6 everything costs money. We never ordered anything simply because there was enough food to keep us full and if I was hungry late at night I’d run up and get some pizza. We also didn’t have the Cheers package or soda package (we did get my daughter the soda package) and hubby and I were fine. We’re not huge drinkers so it didn’t make financial sense and the free lemonade was good onboard and I drank water the rest of the time. You can even get a 12 pack of bottled water delivered to your room for less than $5


----------



## wombat_5606

I'm reading about Faster to the Fun, which looks to be sold out on my cruise. Is that going to be a problem for us, especially because we will tender at HMC?


----------



## mom2brooke76

wombat_5606 said:


> I'm reading about Faster to the Fun, which looks to be sold out on my cruise. Is that going to be a problem for us, especially because we will tender at HMC?



Our cruise was booked last minute too and we weren’t able to get FTTF until right before the cruise. I’d keep checking to see if it pops up. One guy in my cruise group was only checking on the Carnival site for it. The way I got it was going through the app to the site that way and it worked. He couldn’t believe it. So maybe try that way and see if it shows up.


----------



## hdrolfe

I have cruised with and without FTTF, I don't really see the benefit to be honest. The port we tendered at we got a ticket for our group to get off but it was fairly early as we were there early, I guess if you waited it would be a longer time to get off? It would help with checking in, and your room is supposed to be ready when you board, but even that I am so used to carrying my little bag around before the cabins are available that it seems unnecessary. Getting off the ship, we do self debark so just take our bags off ourselves, I guess if you had an early flight and wanted to have them take your bags it would be handy then. However, the time I bought it, it was $50 for the two of us on a 7-night cruise and I believe it has gone way up since then.


----------



## wombat_5606

hdrolfe said:


> I have cruised with and without FTTF, I don't really see the benefit to be honest. The port we tendered at we got a ticket for our group to get off but it was fairly early as we were there early, I guess if you waited it would be a longer time to get off? It would help with checking in, and your room is supposed to be ready when you board, but even that I am so used to carrying my little bag around before the cabins are available that it seems unnecessary. Getting off the ship, we do self debark so just take our bags off ourselves, I guess if you had an early flight and wanted to have them take your bags it would be handy then. However, the time I bought it, it was $50 for the two of us on a 7-night cruise and I believe it has gone way up since then.



I agree with you, as far as my situation, too. My carry on is no big deal and we will self debark too.

My main concern was with tendering. If getting there early to get a ticket will help with that problem, I will be all good. Can I go get a ticket for my group or does everyone have to be there to get the ticket?


----------



## wombat_5606

hdrolfe said:


> You can see what movies will be shown on the ships, I'll have to search at home for the link (it may be to John Heald's facebook page). I am not sure it would give you the exact schedule of which movie is on which night though.



Yes, that's exactly where it is. I found a post where someone said its posted the 15th of every month.


----------



## mom2brooke76

wombat_5606 said:


> Yes, that's exactly where it is. I found a post where someone said its posted the 15th of every month.



I know this has nothing to do with this last thing you posted, but know that they don’t have straws on the ship other than edible ones for frozen type drinks. So if you want, bring your own or they sell reusable ones on the ship


----------



## wanderlust7

mevelandry said:


> Hi!
> 
> I did not know we needed reservations for shows and go karts. I will pay attention to that.
> 
> Apparently, we have Footloose on our cruise... I loved Jersey Boys (on Broadway) so much that I saw it twice. I'm almost sad it's not on our cruise since we're all huge Franki Valli and The Four Seasons fans.
> 
> So with freestyle dining, you eat whenever you want (walk-in)? Do you need reservations for Specialty Dining? Since we'll have an overnight in Bermuda, I'm thinking there are strong chances we might eat over there so I'm not sure we'll take the SD package + My husband loves the idea of the drink package.



Just checked my TripIt to refresh my memory.  I made the specialty dining reservations ahead of time online.  The headliner show reservations were also online.  What I was remembering about show reservations on the touch screen was for the comedy show.  If you look at your cruise reservation online, under Entertainment, if you see "too early too book", those are the ones you'll be able to book online.  Checked my old e-mails and I made the show reservations 4 months ahead.

We tend to eat early, I think most of the time we went around 6 to the main dining rooms.  Never really had to wait.  Just checked in first (they scan your cruise card) and was seated.

How many nights would you eat on Bermuda?  A 7 night cruise comes with 3 nights specialty dining.  We paid $13.80 gratuities/person.  I wasn't impressed with the main dining room food, so less than $5 each for specialty dining was totally worth it for me.  We did teppanyaki (yummy and fun), Le Bistro (my favorite), and the steakhouse.  The steakhouse is really popular, but it was just okay for me (maybe an off night).  I would have picked Ocean Blue, but there was an upcharge when using the package that made it seem not so worth it.  I think they might have gotten rid of that though.



belle032 said:


> And one of my favorite "chill" things is to watch a movie on the deck. Love laying in the loungers at night and watching a movie. And the popcorn is free!



We loved this too on Carnival.  And it's great that they show fairly new movies.  On NCL last year, we watched Hotel Transylvania 2 one afternoon in the theater.  It's from 2015.    Free popcorn though.  DCL may be the only line that charges for popcorn, lol.


----------



## hdrolfe

wombat_5606 said:


> I agree with you, as far as my situation, too. My carry on is no big deal and we will self debark too.
> 
> My main concern was with tendering. If getting there early to get a ticket will help with that problem, I will be all good. Can I go get a ticket for my group or does everyone have to be there to get the ticket?



We didn't have to wait very long and I travel with my son so he was with me when I went to get the tickets, I think it was a sticker with the number on it? We had to wear the sticker to get on the tender. We got there and were on the first tender. They had one for those without a ship excursion or anything, and then a separate one for those with (so they didn't need a sticker to get off). I believe we were number 7. Also, it will depend a bit on the ship you are on, how many people are on board. We were on the Magic at Belize, the tenders hold quite a few people. We have tendered on RCL (Freedom of the Seas in Grand Cayman and Majesty of the Seas in Coco Cay before the dock) and never had a problem on those trips either, Once the rush clears the ship, you can come and go as you please and shouldn't have to wait in a line, so it depends on your plans for the day.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Wow!  This post has been busy the last couple days. Just to chime in on a couple things earlier that y’all have been posting. 

We rarely eat Lido buffet for breakfast, mostly MDR, especially the Sea Day Brunch. The steak and eggs is awesome! We definitely do Blue Iguana for breakfast and Carnival is also rolling out breakfast at Guy’s. I don’t know if it’s started yet and on what ships, but be sure to ask someone about it. 

Blue Iguana does have guacamole and they will give you a tortilla shell if you ask for one. The only problem is it’s a flour tortilla not corn so it’s not great for chips and salsa. We sometimes bring a bag of tortilla chips for the salsa bar in the afternoon. Be sure to try the fish and/or shrimp tacos, they rock. 

I think the pizza on Carnival is way better than DCL. Also, the deli has some good sandwiches, if they have the sea salt double chocolate chip cookies, be sure to get some, they’re mighty tasty. Also, I don’t know if they do it on all ships, but late at night when only the pizza place is open for food, they’ve served meatball subs and chicken Parmesan sandwiches, this at was on Vista. 

Enjoy the cruise and remember, just go in with an open mind, it’s not gonna be Disney. I really hope we haven’t all set too high of expectations for you. Personally, I just have way more fun on Carnival, but I will admit Disney is a much more refined experience. 

Have fun!!!


----------



## mevelandry

wombat_5606 said:


> Nassau and Half Moon Cay.
> 
> I've been to Nassau many, many times so I'm letting the girls decide what they want to do.
> 
> It was my first time to HMC and I was so excited to be there. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't nice and my husband and I just tendered over, had a drink at the I Wish I Could Stay Here Forever bar and tendered back. So, I'm hoping we can have a nice beach day in a few weeks.
> 
> The seas and weather on that cruise were the worst I've seen in 40 years of cruising. We had huge swells every day, except one.



HMC is heaven when the weather is good.


----------



## mevelandry

wombat_5606 said:


> @mevelandry , I've read your review and I have some questions.
> 
> Your preferred the buffet on DCL, so should we go somewhere else for breakfast on Liberty?
> 
> I'm bummed to read about the Trivia. Was it sports every time?
> 
> Sorry to hear your Elegant Night. I would have been upset too!
> 
> Can you tell me a little bit more about Elegant Night on Liberty is like? Do most people participate? Do you really stick out if you don't? The girls aren't going to have anything to wear if people are very fancy. These girls are well educated, but not well compensated and have no need for elegant clothes.
> 
> I think I remember reading that you have been to HMC. Do you have any suggestions for the beach day?



It's very personal but I was not a fan of the breakfast buffet on Carnival (Other meals are better).  The breakfast is much much better in the dining room (they call it Port Days Breakfast and don't miss the sea day brunch if you have a sea day during your cruise). Blue Iguana has nice options too. I hear Guy's burgers now has breakfast too but I didn't have the chance to try it yet. 

Trivia vary per cruises. I've had plenty of trivia not relating to sports on Carnival. Check in your Fun Times. I hope you'll het lucky. 

I think as long as you dress clean, you'll be fine. When it comes to the dress I was wearing for elegant night, I ordered from Vici Dolls (online), they have dresses that look quite chic for low prices. 

We haven't done anything special on HMC other than swimming and sitting on the "free" chairs since it was just my husband and I. But it was really lovely there. 

In general, I'm a big fan of cabanas. I tend to rent one if they are under 300$ USD and I am travelling with other people. 

You'll most likely get to tender (unless they built the pier already?) I'd recommend to go get a tendering ticket as soon as you can so you can get off the ship early. Otherwise, the line gets long.


----------



## mevelandry

wombat_5606 said:


> I'm glad to hear this. I absolutely hate the pizza on DCL.



Carnival's pizzas, as well as burgers, are the best I've had at sea so far.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Yes! They are SO good. Full confession: I might like Blue Iguana better the Guy's Burgers *gasp!* If they just had some darn tortilla chips I definitely would.
> 
> And the huevos ranchos at the Sea Day brunch is the best breakfast item on board. My opinion!



Agree with everything you said but would add the filet mignon steak and eggs at sea day brunch as well.


----------



## mevelandry

wombat_5606 said:


> Do you follow the days activities on the Carnival app or do they print something?



They do both.


----------



## mevelandry

wombat_5606 said:


> I agree with you, as far as my situation, too. My carry on is no big deal and we will self debark too.
> 
> My main concern was with tendering. If getting there early to get a ticket will help with that problem, I will be all good. Can I go get a ticket for my group or does everyone have to be there to get the ticket?



If you get a ticket to tender early you won't have any problems.


----------



## mevelandry

wanderlust7 said:


> Just checked my TripIt to refresh my memory.  I made the specialty dining reservations ahead of time online.  The headliner show reservations were also online.  What I was remembering about show reservations on the touch screen was for the comedy show.  If you look at your cruise reservation online, under Entertainment, if you see "too early too book", those are the ones you'll be able to book online.  Checked my old e-mails and I made the show reservations 4 months ahead.
> 
> We tend to eat early, I think most of the time we went around 6 to the main dining rooms.  Never really had to wait.  Just checked in first (they scan your cruise card) and was seated.
> 
> How many nights would you eat on Bermuda?  A 7 night cruise comes with 3 nights specialty dining.  We paid $13.80 gratuities/person.  I wasn't impressed with the main dining room food, so less than $5 each for specialty dining was totally worth it for me.  We did teppanyaki (yummy and fun), Le Bistro (my favorite), and the steakhouse.  The steakhouse is really popular, but it was just okay for me (maybe an off night).  I would have picked Ocean Blue, but there was an upcharge when using the package that made it seem not so worth it.  I think they might have gotten rid of that though.
> 
> 
> 
> We loved this too on Carnival.  And it's great that they show fairly new movies.  On NCL last year, we watched Hotel Transylvania 2 one afternoon in the theater.  It's from 2015.    Free popcorn though.  DCL may be the only line that charges for popcorn, lol.



It's a 5 nights cruise with 2 days (an overnight) in Bermuda.  

I'm very interested the the specialty dining option but it will depend on the prices.


----------



## mevelandry

I can't wait to try Norwegian and I know I'm gonna have a great time on my next RCCL cruise but this thread makes me miss Carnival a little bit. 

I was hoping to sail with Carnival again in the Bermuda but I guess we will have to wait a little bit longer for another itinerary.

So far, after sailing with DCL, RCCL and Carnival, I love all three and they all have something special that I miss when I am on one or the other.


----------



## mom2brooke76

Guy’s did not have the breakfast option yet on the Liberty that we were just on. I made sure to check since I had heard about it.


----------



## wombat_5606

mevelandry said:


> You'll most likely get to tender (unless they built the pier already?)



I was there on the 17th and they haven't started it yet. That's the one thing Disney did right with Castaway Cay.




mom2brooke76 said:


> Guy’s did not have the breakfast option yet on the Liberty that we were just on. I made sure to check since I had heard about it.



I will check and report back when I get home.


----------



## belle032

mom2brooke76 said:


> Guy’s did not have the breakfast option yet on the Liberty that we were just on. I made sure to check since I had heard about it.



Just doing a quick Google search shows it's definitely on the Sunrise but it doesn't mention any other ships at the moment. I'll check as well next week though!


----------



## wombat_5606

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Enjoy the cruise and remember, just go in with an open mind, it’s not gonna be Disney. I really hope we haven’t all set too high of expectations for you. Personally, I just have way more fun on Carnival, but I will admit Disney is a much more refined experience.



Everyone has been fine and I understand they are excited about CCL.  Even though I'm Platinum, I only have one Disney cruise out of the last 6 I've taken. I'm pretty much over DCL. I will never say never but I have no burning desire to book with them in the near future.

This cruise is mainly for the two 30 year old women that I am taking with me. My daughter's girlfriend hasn't been on a cruise since she was in high school, so I'm trying to maximize our time onboard with the things people enjoy the most, due to their experience and appreciation for Carnival. For example, the hint for breakfast in the MDR is something I wouldn't have done.

My first Carnival cruise was a free one, in 1999, from my husbands employer, traveling with large group of co-workers that had been responsible for implementing a gigantic project that was preparing to go live after 2 years of 20 hour days. We were the group that everyone hates on Carnival, especially since my husbands employer is in the beverage alcohol business. We were given quite a bit of private event space, so hopefully we didn't ruin anyone's vacation.

The second and last one, was myself and my 2 daughters on the Carnival Paradise in 2001. We had a fantastic time and shortly thereafter began cruising with DCL. 

I've booked last minute. I'm presently at WDW and I am helping my daughter move into a new apartment before we embark in 2 weeks. I didn't have time to find things out on my own. I basically had some time yesterday because it was just too cold at WDW and this morning before I leave for the parks. 

I thought I would go to the Carnival enthusiasts on here because they have the experience to compare and contrast Carnival with Disney. I'm grateful that everyone gave me what I was looking for and since everyone is pretty much saying the same thing, I think it's all good.


----------



## mevelandry

wombat_5606 said:


> Everyone has been fine and I understand they are excited about CCL.  Even though I'm Platinum, I only have one Disney cruise out of the last 6 I've taken. I'm pretty much over DCL. I will never say never but I have no burning desire to book with them in the near future.
> 
> This cruise is mainly for the two 30 year old women that I am taking with me. My daughter's girlfriend hasn't been on a cruise since she was in high school, so I'm trying to maximize our time onboard with the things people enjoy the most, due to their experience and appreciation for Carnival. For example, the hint for breakfast in the MDR is something I wouldn't have done.
> 
> My first Carnival cruise was a free one, in 1999, from my husbands employer, traveling with large group of co-workers that had been responsible for implementing a gigantic project that was preparing to go live after 2 years of 20 hour days. We were the group that everyone hates on Carnival, especially since my husbands employer is in the beverage alcohol business. We were given quite a bit of private event space, so hopefully we didn't ruin anyone's vacation.
> 
> The second and last one, was myself and my 2 daughters on the Carnival Paradise in 2001. We had a fantastic time and shortly thereafter began cruising with DCL.
> 
> I've booked last minute. I'm presently at WDW and I am helping my daughter move into a new apartment before we embark in 2 weeks. I didn't have time to find things out on my own. I basically had some time yesterday because it was just too cold at WDW and this morning before I leave for the parks.
> 
> I thought I would go to the Carnival enthusiasts on here because they have the experience to compare and contrast Carnival with Disney. I'm grateful that everyone gave me what I was looking for and since everyone is pretty much saying the same thing, I think it's all good.



Let us know if you have any other last minute questions.


----------



## wanderlust7

mevelandry said:


> It's a 5 nights cruise with 2 days (an overnight) in Bermuda.
> 
> I'm very interested the the specialty dining option but it will depend on the prices.



Do you have the perks with your booking?  Usually they give at least 3 perks (you can choose which ones), unless it's a Sail Away rate.  I thought you were deciding whether to take the perk (and just pay gratuity on the package), but sounds like it's whether to buy the package?

You can see the package prices online.  For the prix fixe restaurants, you can also see that price online without the package, but most of them are a la carte.  I think it's totally worth it as a perk.  But if you have to pay out of pocket...probably not.


----------



## mevelandry

wanderlust7 said:


> Do you have the perks with your booking?  Usually they give at least 3 perks (you can choose which ones), unless it's a Sail Away rate.  I thought you were deciding whether to take the perk (and just pay gratuity on the package), but sounds like it's whether to buy the package?
> 
> You can see the package prices online.  For the prix fixe restaurants, you can also see that price online without the package, but most of them are a la carte.  I think it's totally worth it as a perk.  But if you have to pay out of pocket...probably not.



On this promotion, we were only getting 1 perk (but it could change). We can pick a credit on excursions, the drink package (we just pay the tips), the specialty dining package, the wifi or... something else I forgot. 

Unless there's a better promotion, I think we'll pay the restaurants OOP. My husband's heart is set on the drink package. LOL


----------



## pezgirlroy

Hi all. We are debating between taking the Carnival Glory out of New Orleans this summer and the Majesty of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) out of New Orleans.  It will just be adults. Any insight at all?  Thank you so much.


----------



## hdrolfe

pezgirlroy said:


> Hi all. We are debating between taking the Carnival Glory out of New Orleans this summer and the Majesty of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) out of New Orleans.  It will just be adults. Any insight at all?  Thank you so much.



I've been on Majesty and on Liberty (which I believe is sister ship to Glory) and I'd choose Glory. Majesty is a small ship with TINY cabins. We had an outside and it was the smallest we've ever had (and we had an inside on Liberty). Unless you are getting suite or something like that. Glory will also have things like Guys and Blue Iguana, Majesty doesn't really have much in the way of extra food venues, even the ice cream on deck only had one pair (trust me, when travelling with a kid this is important stuff!) However, we did have fun on both ships. But Majesty was only a 4-night, Liberty was 7. Glory would also have the adult only area which is quite nice. I'm assuming the itineraries are similar?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

So many great reviews and great trip reports.  

After looking at our budget and shuffling things we decided to go to 1 cabin on our BI cruise.  I know we were all really looking forward to the 2 bathrooms and more space but we need to watch our pence too!  We were very lucky that we got cabin 6232! It's one of only 3 with the "bowling alley" balcony.  I am so excited and hope we get decent enough weather that we can hang out there in the evening.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

HMC is possibly my favorite place on earth.  If you like the deserted island feel you will love it.
Our favorite things to do on ccl:

1) sea day brunch (steak and eggs here too)
2) movies on deck with popcorn
3) comedy shows- lol
4) cappuccino/lattes— get a coffee card day 1
5) library— love to end up reading something I never would have considered reading
6) free continental breakfast in our cabin— breakfast buffet is a zoo for some reason
7) cakes in buffet at lunch— OMG
8) tea time on seadays
9) hairy chest contest— teen loves laughing at this
10) pizza el capitano/ pirate— real flour from italy
11) deli (finally stood in the line for this on the last cruise— Awesome.)
12) guy’s burgers of course!
13) violinists, so talented
14) once you hit gold (I think it’s called gold— crazy i cannot remember) free cocktail on the last night!  Sitting on deck drinking that cocktail that last night looking at the stars, feeling the wind... That’s one bittersweet cocktail!

Things we stay away from on CCL:
1) sail away party- just not for us, we are lame lol
2) breakfast buffet (ok, already said that lol)
3) FTTF— with five of us making it almost $500, would rather spend that money on something else,  just a personal preference— but we also do not rush to get on the ship.
4) pool on seadays.  Too crowded for us, again just personal preference.  We usually hit the water slide on port days after we get back on the ship.
5) guest services right after muster.  Whatever you need, that line is not worth it.  Lol.
6) most shows.  What can I say, it’s just not the golden Mickeys lol

We are going on our first princess cruise in a few weeks and even though I keep trying to talk up the discovery kids program (mythbusters, etc) to the kids, they are not convinced.  “Does it have Guy’s Burgers?”  Um, no.  “I think I’ll skip it then.”  Lol.  So, we’ll see how this goes.


----------



## mom2brooke76

we"reofftoneverland said:


> HMC is possibly my favorite place on earth.  If you like the deserted island feel you will love it.
> Our favorite things to do on ccl:
> 
> 1) sea day brunch (steak and eggs here too)
> 2) movies on deck with popcorn
> 3) comedy shows- lol
> 4) cappuccino/lattes— get a coffee card day 1
> 5) library— love to end up reading something I never would have considered reading
> 6) free continental breakfast in our cabin— breakfast buffet is a zoo for some reason
> 7) cakes in buffet at lunch— OMG
> 8) tea time on seadays
> 9) hairy chest contest— teen loves laughing at this
> 10) pizza el capitano/ pirate— real flour from italy
> 11) deli (finally stood in the line for this on the last cruise— Awesome.)
> 12) guy’s burgers of course!
> 13) violinists, so talented
> 14) once you hit gold (I think it’s called gold— crazy i cannot remember) free cocktail on the last night!  Sitting on deck drinking that cocktail that last night looking at the stars, feeling the wind... That’s one bittersweet cocktail!
> 
> Things we stay away from on CCL:
> 1) sail away party- just not for us, we are lame lol
> 2) breakfast buffet (ok, already said that lol)
> 3) FTTF— with five of us making it almost $500, would rather spend that money on something else,  just a personal preference— but we also do not rush to get on the ship.
> 4) pool on seadays.  Too crowded for us, again just personal preference.  We usually hit the water slide on port days after we get back on the ship.
> 5) guest services right after muster.  Whatever you need, that line is not worth it.  Lol.
> 6) most shows.  What can I say, it’s just not the golden Mickeys lol



Totally agree with you about the buffet cakes! They’re absolutely beautiful and delicious! We enjoyed the stage shows, but I think it was because we’ve seen the Golden Mickey’s 13 times  I personally didn’t eat at the breakfast buffet, but my daughter and hubby did and liked it. I definitely recommend the Blue Iguana Cantina’s breakfast burrito. It’s fantastic! We did do FTTF. I’m not sure if the $500 total comes from traveling with a lot of cabins, but the cost is per cabin, not per person. Whenever we went to guest services it was a nightmare and we were thankful for the FTTF line then lol


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mom2brooke76 said:


> Totally agree with you about the buffet cakes! They’re absolutely beautiful and delicious! We enjoyed the stage shows, but I think it was because we’ve seen the Golden Mickey’s 13 times  I personally didn’t eat at the breakfast buffet, but my daughter and hubby did and liked it. I definitely recommend the Blue Iguana Cantina’s breakfast burrito. It’s fantastic! We did do FTTF. I’m not sure if the $500 total comes from traveling with a lot of cabins, but the cost is per cabin, not per person. Whenever we went to guest services it was a nightmare and we were thankful for the FTTF line then lol


Oh, wow, shows you how little I looked into it!  I just saw the price of FTTF and assumed it was per person and thought no way.   Much more reasonable per cabin!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> So many great reviews and great trip reports.
> 
> After looking at our budget and shuffling things we decided to go to 1 cabin on our BI cruise.  I know we were all really looking forward to the 2 bathrooms and more space but we need to watch our pence too!  We were very lucky that we got cabin 6232! It's one of only 3 with the "bowling alley" balcony.  I am so excited and hope we get decent enough weather that we can hang out there in the evening.


Those balconies look great.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> So many great reviews and great trip reports.
> 
> After looking at our budget and shuffling things we decided to go to 1 cabin on our BI cruise.  I know we were all really looking forward to the 2 bathrooms and more space but we need to watch our pence too!  We were very lucky that we got cabin 6232! It's one of only 3 with the "bowling alley" balcony.  I am so excited and hope we get decent enough weather that we can hang out there in the evening.


Holy cow!  That is an awesome cabin. I never knew those existed, what a great balcony that is.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

We had to cancel our Mardi Gras cruise for New Years Eve because my restaurant sale didn’t go through. However, we booked a B2B on Mardi Gras for June 2021, 14 days straight on her!  We normally book 2 connecting insides but I’m surprising everyone and booked 2 connecting extended balcony cabins, it’s my wife’s 50th birthday so why not, right?  I’m pretty excited about it.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We had to cancel our Mardi Gras cruise for New Years Eve because my restaurant sale didn’t go through. However, we booked a B2B on Mardi Gras for June 2021, 14 days straight on her!  We normally book 2 connecting insides but I’m surprising everyone and booked 2 connecting extended balcony cabins, it’s my wife’s 50th birthday so why not, right?  I’m pretty excited about it.


Sounds like a blast.  You guys won’t want to get off the ship!


----------



## tidefan

we"reofftoneverland said:


> HMC is possibly my favorite place on earth.  If you like the deserted island feel you will love it.
> Our favorite things to do on ccl:
> 
> 1) sea day brunch (steak and eggs here too)
> 2) movies on deck with popcorn
> 3) comedy shows- lol
> 4) cappuccino/lattes— get a coffee card day 1
> 5) library— love to end up reading something I never would have considered reading
> 6) free continental breakfast in our cabin— breakfast buffet is a zoo for some reason
> 7) cakes in buffet at lunch— OMG
> 8) tea time on seadays
> 9) hairy chest contest— teen loves laughing at this
> 10) pizza el capitano/ pirate— real flour from italy
> 11) deli (finally stood in the line for this on the last cruise— Awesome.)
> 12) guy’s burgers of course!
> 13) violinists, so talented
> 14) once you hit gold (I think it’s called gold— crazy i cannot remember) free cocktail on the last night!  Sitting on deck drinking that cocktail that last night looking at the stars, feeling the wind... That’s one bittersweet cocktail!
> 
> Things we stay away from on CCL:
> 1) sail away party- just not for us, we are lame lol
> 2) breakfast buffet (ok, already said that lol)
> 3) FTTF— with five of us making it almost $500, would rather spend that money on something else,  just a personal preference— but we also do not rush to get on the ship.
> 4) pool on seadays.  Too crowded for us, again just personal preference.  We usually hit the water slide on port days after we get back on the ship.
> 5) guest services right after muster.  Whatever you need, that line is not worth it.  Lol.
> 6) most shows.  What can I say, it’s just not the golden Mickeys lol
> 
> We are going on our first princess cruise in a few weeks and even though I keep trying to talk up the discovery kids program (mythbusters, etc) to the kids, they are not convinced.  “Does it have Guy’s Burgers?”  Um, no.  “I think I’ll skip it then.”  Lol.  So, we’ll see how this goes.


Does your Princess ship have an Alfredo's?  This is my DD's favorite.  It's not on the menu, but they make her a mozzarella and ricotta sub that she eats usually every day...


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We had to cancel our Mardi Gras cruise for New Years Eve because my restaurant sale didn’t go through. However, we booked a B2B on Mardi Gras for June 2021, 14 days straight on her!  We normally book 2 connecting insides but I’m surprising everyone and booked 2 connecting extended balcony cabins, it’s my wife’s 50th birthday so why not, right?  I’m pretty excited about it.


That is awesome!  I can't wait to hear all about it.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

tidefan said:


> Does your Princess ship have an Alfredo's?  This is my DD's favorite.  It's not on the menu, but they make her a mozzarella and ricotta sub that she eats usually every day...


we are on your ship!  Regal.  Thanks again for your review.   I am sure the kids will have a great time.  If not, then they are beyond spoiled and we need to do a serious reassessment of how we are raising them!  It just blows me away how much they love carnival.  Thanks for the sub recommendations.  If you have any other don’t miss things let me know!


----------



## tidefan

we"reofftoneverland said:


> we are on your ship!  Regal.  Thanks again for your review.   I am sure the kids will have a great time.  If not, then they are beyond spoiled and we need to do a serious reassessment of how we are raising them!  It just blows me away how much they love carnival.  Thanks for the sub recommendations.  If you have any other don’t miss things let me know!


One thing to note with your kids...  They will let the kids participate in some of the game shows (you'll be able to tell which ones you may NOT want them to go to...), but I would highly recommend letting them go to and even participate in the "Yes/No" game.  Basically, they put you in a hot seat and you have 3 minutes to not say either Yes or No.  Sounds easy, but you wouldn't believe how many people can't do it.  Even if you're not up there it's a lot of fun to watch...

Also, if they are still doing the crew rock band, they are amazing...


----------



## lilsonicfan

Hi all, popping in to ask what you'd choose if you were me .... 
deciding between a 5 day DCL Fantasy cruise or a 7 day Carnival Breeze cruise, both in Sept 2020, same week.  

Fantasy goes to Cozumel and Castaway Cay.
Breeze goes to Cozumel, Belize City, Roatan, Costa Maya.
None of those ports is particularly interesting to me although Castaway is always nice.

We're a family of 5.  The Breeze has one type of room that fits 5, it's an oceanview.  Cost for all 5 of us would be under $4,000. (I'm just going to use Canadian $ as that is how my spreadsheet is laid out!).  But, this type of room doesn't allow the two lower twins to be pushed together when the uppers are in use - which is a negative.  And I prefer balcony rooms anyway.  Two balconies would run us about $6,000 for the 7 night cruise. PPPN is $171.

The Fantasy for some reason doesn't have the family oceanview rooms that hold 5, only the family verandah rooms.  Cost for 5 of us would be about $6,600 after using a placeholder, which we have.  PPPN is $264.

I'm not surprised that the Carnival cost isn't wildly lower; that tends to happen with Caribbean cruise pricing since there are 5 of us, and prices in the Caribbean seem slightly closer across cruise lines than in other areas.  I'm also not surprised that even with a placeholder, the Fantasy comes in pricier.  The trouble I'm having is that I did really love our last DCL cruise (in fairness it was a transatlantic) and am having trouble seeing $6,000 worth of value in the Carnival cruise.... I have sailed Carnival 2x before and hey any day cruising is better than not for sure and I am not super picky but I always said if costs weren't too far off I would choose DCL.  I also feel like DCL might handle hurricane season better, but that sounds (even as I say it) entirely biased 

So what are your thoughts?


----------



## hdrolfe

Breeze is one of the favourite Carnival ships, it has all the updates, water slides, ropes course, Guys and Blue Iguana. Personally, it's a ship I would like to go on. I love the Western itinerary. Mahogany Bay is lovely. In general I'd go with the longer cruise, two extra days for basically the same money? Is there a way you could do a balcony and an inside (across the hall)? It depends on the ages of your kids, but seems to be a popular option in some family situations. Obviously if the kids are too young and you need the connecting rooms then that's the best option.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

tidefan said:


> One thing to note with your kids...  They will let the kids participate in some of the game shows (you'll be able to tell which ones you may NOT want them to go to...), but I would highly recommend letting them go to and even participate in the "Yes/No" game.  Basically, they put you in a hot seat and you have 3 minutes to not say either Yes or No.  Sounds easy, but you wouldn't believe how many people can't do it.  Even if you're not up there it's a lot of fun to watch...
> 
> Also, if they are still doing the crew rock band, they are amazing...


Thanks!  Sounds great.


----------



## MAMA GRAVE

I’m a big fan of the Carnival Magic!

Much nicer than any Disney cruise ship.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

lilsonicfan said:


> Hi all, popping in to ask what you'd choose if you were me ....
> deciding between a 5 day DCL Fantasy cruise or a 7 day Carnival Breeze cruise, both in Sept 2020, same week.
> 
> Fantasy goes to Cozumel and Castaway Cay.
> Breeze goes to Cozumel, Belize City, Roatan, Costa Maya.
> None of those ports is particularly interesting to me although Castaway is always nice.
> 
> We're a family of 5.  The Breeze has one type of room that fits 5, it's an oceanview.  Cost for all 5 of us would be under $4,000. (I'm just going to use Canadian $ as that is how my spreadsheet is laid out!).  But, this type of room doesn't allow the two lower twins to be pushed together when the uppers are in use - which is a negative.  And I prefer balcony rooms anyway.  Two balconies would run us about $6,000 for the 7 night cruise. PPPN is $171.
> 
> The Fantasy for some reason doesn't have the family oceanview rooms that hold 5, only the family verandah rooms.  Cost for 5 of us would be about $6,600 after using a placeholder, which we have.  PPPN is $264.
> 
> I'm not surprised that the Carnival cost isn't wildly lower; that tends to happen with Caribbean cruise pricing since there are 5 of us, and prices in the Caribbean seem slightly closer across cruise lines than in other areas.  I'm also not surprised that even with a placeholder, the Fantasy comes in pricier.  The trouble I'm having is that I did really love our last DCL cruise (in fairness it was a transatlantic) and am having trouble seeing $6,000 worth of value in the Carnival cruise.... I have sailed Carnival 2x before and hey any day cruising is better than not for sure and I am not super picky but I always said if costs weren't too far off I would choose DCL.  I also feel like DCL might handle hurricane season better, but that sounds (even as I say it) entirely biased
> 
> So what are your thoughts?



The breeze is one of ccl’s best ships because it has almost everything vista has but without the crowding.  Not that vista is crowded but the breeze feels “empty”!  It is awesome.  We loved breeze and would sail her again in a minute.  I just did a mock booking for the September 5 cruise and put in for the 3 kids to be in an inside and the 2 adults in a balcony across the hall for  at total of $3900.  This was deck 10 if you’re interested.  This is how we usually do it and it is dreamy having the kids in their own room across the way.  They spend time in our room with the balcony of course.  For booking purposes we book an adult in each room. I agree neither of those itineraries is to die for but they both have Cozumel which we love.  I love dcl, but I personally could not bring myself to spend $6600 (about 7k with tips) for a 5 night for our family of five.  I would much rather do the $3900 cruise and pocket $2700!  That’s a lot of money!  You could almost pay for another cruise.  Or just put it in the stock market .  But... we are all different, and that’s just how I think.

Ok, so to add, I just realized that you are Canadian, so I am not sure how the prices work for you!  I just did a mock booking for 5 in a verandah on dcl fantasy sept 7 and it came to $5400.  That closes the gap to $1500 US dollars. Still would be hard for me to go with dcl!


----------



## lilsonicfan

we"reofftoneverland said:


> The breeze is one of ccl’s best ships because it has almost everything vista has but without the crowding.  Not that vista is crowded but the breeze feels “empty”!  It is awesome.  We loved breeze and would sail her again in a minute.  I just did a mock booking for the September 5 cruise and put in for the 3 kids to be in an inside and the 2 adults in a balcony across the hall for  at total of $3900.  This was deck 10 if you’re interested.  This is how we usually do it and it is dreamy having the kids in their own room across the way.  They spend time in our room with the balcony of course.  For booking purposes we book an adult in each room. I agree neither of those itineraries is to die for but they both have Cozumel which we love.  I love dcl, but I personally could not bring myself to spend $6600 (about 7k with tips) for a 5 night for our family of five.  I would much rather do the $3900 cruise and pocket $2700!  That’s a lot of money!  You could almost pay for another cruise.  Or just put it in the stock market .  But... we are all different, and that’s just how I think.
> 
> Ok, so to add, I just realized that you are Canadian, so I am not sure how the prices work for you!  I just did a mock booking for 5 in a verandah on dcl fantasy sept 7 and it came to $5400.  That closes the gap to $1500 US dollars. Still would be hard for me to go with dcl!



Thank you for the post!  My kids are still fairly young (10/8/7), so connecting rooms would be most ideal or one room if the ship allowed.  Yes, the $5400 price = $6600 CAD.... and so the Breeze one balcony one inside would work out to be $5,265 CAD.  That's great to hear about Breeze being a great ship!!  Appreciate your post and that of hdrolfe as well.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

lilsonicfan said:


> Hi all, popping in to ask what you'd choose if you were me ....
> deciding between a 5 day DCL Fantasy cruise or a 7 day Carnival Breeze cruise, both in Sept 2020, same week.
> 
> Fantasy goes to Cozumel and Castaway Cay.
> Breeze goes to Cozumel, Belize City, Roatan, Costa Maya.
> None of those ports is particularly interesting to me although Castaway is always nice.
> 
> We're a family of 5.  The Breeze has one type of room that fits 5, it's an oceanview.  Cost for all 5 of us would be under $4,000. (I'm just going to use Canadian $ as that is how my spreadsheet is laid out!).  But, this type of room doesn't allow the two lower twins to be pushed together when the uppers are in use - which is a negative.  And I prefer balcony rooms anyway.  Two balconies would run us about $6,000 for the 7 night cruise. PPPN is $171.
> 
> The Fantasy for some reason doesn't have the family oceanview rooms that hold 5, only the family verandah rooms.  Cost for 5 of us would be about $6,600 after using a placeholder, which we have.  PPPN is $264.
> 
> I'm not surprised that the Carnival cost isn't wildly lower; that tends to happen with Caribbean cruise pricing since there are 5 of us, and prices in the Caribbean seem slightly closer across cruise lines than in other areas.  I'm also not surprised that even with a placeholder, the Fantasy comes in pricier.  The trouble I'm having is that I did really love our last DCL cruise (in fairness it was a transatlantic) and am having trouble seeing $6,000 worth of value in the Carnival cruise.... I have sailed Carnival 2x before and hey any day cruising is better than not for sure and I am not super picky but I always said if costs weren't too far off I would choose DCL.  I also feel like DCL might handle hurricane season better, but that sounds (even as I say it) entirely biased
> 
> So what are your thoughts?


The Breeze is Carnival’s most highly rated ship, she is beautiful. I’m a little biased because we always cruise in 2 cabins for the 4 of us, so I’d definitely go with the Breeze. I find there to be a lot more activities to do on Carnival than DCL. By that I mean, when I’m on DCL I feel like we just watch entertainment happen, on Carnival we become one with the entertainment. One example is the Sail Away Party, Carnival's is definitely interactive while Disney we just watch. On the flip side of things, we definitely feel more pampered on Disney than Carnival. 

As far as ports go, we loved Roatan!  There is a beach a few minutes away from the ship via chair lift. There is a few dollar charge for a round trip ticket, and it’s a really great beach. 

We’re spending a ton of money, more than I ever thought I would, for our 9 night Fantasy cruise this June, and I’m pretty sure it will be our last Disney cruise. We have a B2B, (14 nights), cruise booked for the new Carnival Mardi Gras for 2021. The Mardi Gras Cruise costs about 1/3 less than the Fantasy cruise and we get 2 extended length balcony cabins instead of 2 standard insides on the Fantasy.


----------



## Mika02

Club Disney Chandler said:


> The Breeze is Carnival’s most highly rated ship, she is beautiful. I’m a little biased because we always cruise in 2 cabins for the 4 of us, so I’d definitely go with the Breeze. I find there to be a lot more activities to do on Carnival than DCL. By that I mean, when I’m on DCL I feel like we just watch entertainment happen, on Carnival we become one with the entertainment. One example is the Sail Away Party, Carnival's is definitely interactive while Disney we just watch. On the flip side of things, we definitely feel more pampered on Disney than Carnival.
> 
> As far as ports go, we loved Roatan!  There is a beach a few minutes away from the ship via chair lift. There is a few dollar charge for a round trip ticket, and it’s a really great beach.
> View attachment 470078
> We’re spending a ton of money, more than I ever thought I would, for our 9 night Fantasy cruise this June, and I’m pretty sure it will be our last Disney cruise. We have a B2B, (14 nights), cruise booked for the new Carnival Mardi Gras for 2021. The Mardi Gras Cruise costs about 1/3 less than the Fantasy cruise and we get 2 extended length balcony cabins instead of 2 standard insides on the Fantasy.


I have to agree with the the sail away party after 3 Carnival cruises and taking my 1st cruise on DCL I was a bit shocked at how low key the Sailaway party was lol


----------



## belle032

Hi all!

We just got home from our 7 day Western Caribbean sailing on the Conquest! We had fantastic weather and a pretty smooth sailing overall. Won't go into tons of detail as this was our 2nd time on this ship, so if anyone has any particular questions please feel free to ask!

Just some observations:

1) Still really like this class of ship, but we did notice that the Conquest was showing her age a little bit since the last time we sailed. The hull definitely needed a good paint job and there were spots here and there with some wear and tear. She wasn't dirty by any means, just needed a little love.
2) Food was great overall. No breakfast at Guy's though! Really didn't have a bad meal at breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
3) For the first time EVER, our room steward was pretty MIA. We saw him maybe twice? He was very pleasant and friendly when we did see him, but it was a definite difference from all our previous sailings.
4) We had Anytime Dining which really works well for us. The flexibility is great, but one negative it you don't get the same dining team every night. However, we lucked out and got an amazing server on the first night and found out we could request him for future nights. It worked out wonderfully and they saved us a table in his section for every dinner. So got the best of both worlds!
5) We confirmed the beverage package is worth the cost for us!
6) The theater shows were entertaining and fun and the performers were very good. However, the Heart of Soul show needs to be retired. #sorrynotsorry. The 80s show and Flick were the definite favorites.

Ports of Call:

1) Grand Cayman - we did the Sensational Stingray Swim through CCL. We were only in port until 3PM so this was a good, quick excursion to get us out to Stingray City. The water is beyond stunning and I would have been happy to just float there for hours!



2) Mahogany Bay (Roatan, Honduras) - We booked Daniel Johnson Monkey & Sloth Hangout + Snorkeling directly through them. OMG YOU GUYS THIS WAS SO COOL! We were picked up at the port and taken to the animal sanctuary and given a guided tour. We got into the cage with monkeys, HELD A SLOTH, held parrots, and just learned about all the animals. We then jumped on their snorkeling boat, which was just the four of us and two guides, and went out to a reef about 5 minutes away. And I can honestly say it was the best snorkeling we have ever done. Just stunning. So I can't recommend this place enough and if you ever port in Roatan, DO THIS EXCURSION! 





3) Belize - We booked the Lamanai Mayan Ruins through CCL. It was an all day tour and it was HOT, but really glad we did this. We wanted to do something a little different and this was it. It was moderately strenuous and a long day, but to see these ancient ruins in person is just breathtaking. We also got a traditional Belizean lunch and it was delicious. 



4) Cozumel - Mr. Sanchos! We had a great time here even though it was our only rather cloudy day. It's definitely worth the price and the food was super yummy! The beach was very pretty (a little rocky though!) and the pools were awesome. The only thing that was kind of a bummer was that our server wasn't great...at all. We rarely saw him in fact. We heard so many great things about the service and ours was very lackluster. We're really easy to please and very laid back so it doesn't take much to keep us happy, but unfortunately we were disappointed in our guy. We would absolutely go again though and hopefully get a better server next time! 




Overall, we had a great vacation and really lucked out with our excursions! DH & I did agree that we were ready to try a newer and larger ship for our next cruise though. We are absolutely planning Alaska 2021 and thinking if we schedule that for September then we could maybe sneak in a Caribbean sailing next January. But for now, it's time to plan our WDW for this fall!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Glad you had a great cruise!  Flick is my favorite Playlist production on Carnival, I’ve seen it 7 times.  Do you have a ship picked out for Alaska yet?


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Glad you had a great cruise!  Flick is my favorite Playlist production on Carnival, I’ve seen it 7 times.  Do you have a ship picked out for Alaska yet?



We are leaning towards Norwegian, but I will need to do some more research for sure! We enjoy CCL and DCL very much, but I don't think they are necessarily the best choices for Alaska. It looks like both the Norwegian Sun & Norwegian Bliss are our options on NCL for 2021 so there is a good chance it will be one of those two ships!


----------



## Mika02

belle032 said:


> We are leaning towards Norwegian, but I will need to do some more research for sure! We enjoy CCL and DCL very much, but I don't think they are necessarily the best choices for Alaska. It looks like both the Norwegian Sun & Norwegian Bliss are our options on NCL for 2021 so there is a good chance it will be one of those two ships!


Have you looked into Princess or Holland they both are supposed to be amazing for Alaska especially Princess. I think Princess has a Deal right now with Drinks, wifi and gratuities similar to NCL. Check them out.


----------



## belle032

Mika02 said:


> Have you looked into Princess or Holland they both are supposed to be amazing for Alaska especially Princess. I think Princess has a Deal right now with Drinks, wifi and gratuities similar to NCL. Check them out.



Yes, I'm actually considering Princess as well so I will for sure check them out!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> Overall , we had a great vacation and really lucked out with our excursions! DH & I did agree that we were ready to try a newer and larger ship for our next cruise though. We are absolutely planning Alaska 2021 and thinking if we schedule that for September then we could maybe sneak in a Caribbean sailing next January. But for now, it's time to plan our WDW for this fall!



Great photos!  Thanks for your report.  Roatan looks amazing.  The one time we went there, we just hung out at CCL’s beach near the dock.  It was beautiful, but it seems like there are a lot of other things to do there.   

We have also done the stingrays at cayman and loved it so much that we would do it again.  It has been a few years but I remember when we booked we tried to get captain Marvin (I think that was the name) but he was full, so we ended up going with another company.  I cannot remember the name— something like waterways?  They were decent but unremarkable.  It seemed like at cayman you could pick up an excursion at the pier for a deal.  There were people in our group who had done that and were paying less than we were.

We have received so many advertisements in the mail this year for cruising in Alaska— especially from Holland and Princess.  We booked Alaska one year with Disney but ended up canceling.  It was 2014, so now that booking seems like a deal (at least for Disney!).  Every year we think maybe next year but then we always end up doing something else.  I think we will have to just jump in one day with a non refundable deposit to make it happen!  Interested to hear which line you choose.


----------



## Youneek1

I'm looking through this thread and to be honest there is so much that I am just going to ask my question even though I have a feeling there are already answers aplenty here.  

I have cruised exclusively on DCL.  I have a co-worker who is taking her honeymoon on Carnival Conquest in September.  She wants any and all tips, pointers, suggestions, etc.  It sounds like it will be a 3 day (or 4 day), stopping at Nassau only and leaving from Miami.   I've given her the general tips that for me seem universal - don't try to do too much, get travel insurance especially based on the time of year she is traveling, tips for Nassau since we have actually been to that Island multiple times, but...

What suggestions would you offer, especially for those who have been on Carnival and/or Conquest specifically.


----------



## belle032

Youneek1 said:


> I'm looking through this thread and to be honest there is so much that I am just going to ask my question even though I have a feeling there are already answers aplenty here.
> 
> I have cruised exclusively on DCL.  I have a co-worker who is taking her honeymoon on Carnival Conquest in September.  She wants any and all tips, pointers, suggestions, etc.  It sounds like it will be a 3 day (or 4 day), stopping at Nassau only and leaving from Miami.   I've given her the general tips that for me seem universal - don't try to do too much, get travel insurance especially based on the time of year she is traveling, tips for Nassau since we have actually been to that Island multiple times, but...
> 
> What suggestions would you offer, especially for those who have been on Carnival and/or Conquest specifically.



I've sailed the Conquest twice now and we've had a great vacation both times. If you go to the first page of this thread, I believe @mevelandry has linked reviews for different ships so you don't have to search for them. I did a somewhat basic review for our first sailing on the Conquest and you can find it there.

I find the ship very nicely laid out and easy to navigate. Definitely try Guy's Burgers & Blue Iguana Cantina for lunch. Definitely do the Sea Day Brunch in the dining rooms. Pizza is very good and much better than DCL (my opinion!). If they enjoy a good cocktail, the Alchemy Bar on Deck 5 is hands down the best bar on any ship I've sailed on. DH & I really enjoy the comedy shows in the Degas lounge and I believe they're almost every night. Stage shows in the theater are worth seeing, but if you have to skip one, I'd recommend it be Heart of Soul (needs to be replaced IMO!).

Oh and I absolutely recommend these music trivia nights they have in the atrium. They aren't every night, but they'll be listed in the Fun Times and they should be around 8:30PM. They do 80s, 90s, Country music, etc. It's with the cruise director and they are SO fun! The lobby atrium will be packed on all of the floors and people will be singing and having a great time.

The aft pool and hottubs are adults only and that is enforced. I don't imagine there will be a ton of kids, but it's a nice space for adults. There is also a Serenity Deck in the front that is 18+ and it was really nice lounge chairs, hot tubs, it's own bar, etc.

I'm sure you'll get some others chiming in about what they enjoy and if you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask!


----------



## Youneek1

belle032 said:


> I've sailed the Conquest twice now and we've had a great vacation both times. If you go to the first page of this thread, I believe @mevelandry has linked reviews for different ships so you don't have to search for them. I did a somewhat basic review for our first sailing on the Conquest and you can find it there.
> 
> I find the ship very nicely laid out and easy to navigate. Definitely try Guy's Burgers & Blue Iguana Cantina for lunch. Definitely do the Sea Day Brunch in the dining rooms. Pizza is very good and much better than DCL (my opinion!). If they enjoy a good cocktail, the Alchemy Bar on Deck 5 is hands down the best bar on any ship I've sailed on. DH & I really enjoy the comedy shows in the Degas lounge and I believe they're almost every night. Stage shows in the theater are worth seeing, but if you have to skip one, I'd recommend it be Heart of Soul (needs to be replaced IMO!).
> 
> Oh and I absolutely recommend these music trivia nights they have in the atrium. They aren't every night, but they'll be listed in the Fun Times and they should be around 8:30PM. They do 80s, 90s, Country music, etc. It's with the cruise director and they are SO fun! The lobby atrium will be packed on all of the floors and people will be singing and having a great time.
> 
> The aft pool and hottubs are adults only and that is enforced. I don't imagine there will be a ton of kids, but it's a nice space for adults. There is also a Serenity Deck in the front that is 18+ and it was really nice lounge chairs, hot tubs, it's own bar, etc.
> 
> I'm sure you'll get some others chiming in about what they enjoy and if you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask!


Awesome, thank you a ton


----------



## acndis

mevelandry said:


> Came back home Yesterday! Let me know if any of you are interested in reviews and/or pictures from Royal Palms in Grand Cayman or Costa Maya!


Yes!  We are headed to Royal Palms in about a month (Disney Fantasy). We reserved the Palm Beach Cabana (all that was left) and would love to know how long it took you to get there and what time we should head back to the ship.  Thanks in advance!


----------



## mevelandry

acndis said:


> Yes!  We are headed to Royal Palms in about a month (Disney Fantasy). We reserved the Palm Beach Cabana (all that was left) and would love to know how long it took you to get there and what time we should head back to the ship.  Thanks in advance!



I'd say a 7 min cab ride to go to RPBC from the port but remember that you need to get to tender first. 

Sometimes there are long lines to get back on the tendering boat so we leave RPBC about 90-120 min before the ship's departure.


----------



## Dallas_Lady

Hi guys!  I don't post much but I follow along.  I'm going on the Vista out of Galveston in a couple weeks and I'll post back here with my review.  I was torn between the Vista out of Galveston and the Wonder out of New Orleans but the price difference was impossible to ignore.  I showed my kids videos of both ships and they said the Vista looked "cooler" (13 & 11yo) so we shall see!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Dallas_Lady said:


> Hi guys!  I don't post much but I follow along.  I'm going on the Vista out of Galveston in a couple weeks and I'll post back here with my review.  I was torn between the Vista out of Galveston and the Wonder out of New Orleans but the price difference was impossible to ignore.  I showed my kids videos of both ships and they said the Vista looked "cooler" (13 & 11yo) so we shall see!


For what it’s worth, my family likes Vista way more than Wonder, she has a lot more to do. Just go into the cruise knowing it’s not going to be like Disney and you’ll be fine. Carnival is a lot of fun and after sailing Vista in the Mediterranean, Caribbean out of Miami, and Caribbean out of Galveston, I really liked the passengers out of Galveston, really a great group of people.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> For what it’s worth, my family likes Vista way more than Wonder, she has a lot more to do. Just go into the cruise knowing it’s not going to be like Disney and you’ll be fine. Carnival is a lot of fun and after sailing Vista in the Mediterranean, Caribbean out of Miami, and Caribbean out of Galveston, I really liked the passengers out of Galveston, really a great group of people.


Agree. Galveston cruisers seem to drink less and are polite!  We have only taken 2 cruises out of Galveston so not a scientific analysis by any means, just observation.


----------



## tidefan

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Agree. Galveston cruisers seem to drink less and are polite!  We have only taken 2 cruises out of Galveston so not a scientific analysis by any means, just observation.


Hey!  When is your cruise on the Regal?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

tidefan said:


> Hey!  When is your cruise on the Regal?


March 15!


----------



## mevelandry

Dallas_Lady said:


> Hi guys!  I don't post much but I follow along.  I'm going on the Vista out of Galveston in a couple weeks and I'll post back here with my review.  I was torn between the Vista out of Galveston and the Wonder out of New Orleans but the price difference was impossible to ignore.  I showed my kids videos of both ships and they said the Vista looked "cooler" (13 & 11yo) so we shall see!



Everybody is different but my husband and I liked the Vista more than the Wonder. They are both good ships but the Vista has much more to do!


----------



## tidefan

we"reofftoneverland said:


> March 15!


Excellent.  Can't wait to see if you like it.  Speaking of Princess.  I know all the trouble they've had with the Diamond Princess in Japan, I thought that this was a nice touch.  Not sure many corporate presidents would personally greet passengers and crew...


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1230349051117416448


----------



## belle032

Interesting! Sounds like a new cruise port will be available for the region soon. John Heald confirmed as well and says the Magic will offer a series of sailings in the Mediterranean and then undego a two-week drydock in Spain before re-positioning. Wonder what the Med sailings will look like!

https://www.wavy.com/news/local-new...arnival-bringing-carnival-magic-ship-in-2021/


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> Interesting! Sounds like a new cruise port will be available for the region soon. John Heald confirmed as well and says the Magic will offer a series of sailings in the Mediterranean and then undego a two-week drydock in Spain before re-positioning. Wonder what the Med sailings will look like!
> 
> https://www.wavy.com/news/local-new...arnival-bringing-carnival-magic-ship-in-2021/


Well, based on the dates it's doing 1 seven night and 1 eight night in the Med!  Not exactly a "series" !  I guess that marketing sounded better.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

tidefan said:


> Excellent.  Can't wait to see if you like it.  Speaking of Princess.  I know all the trouble they've had with the Diamond Princess in Japan, I thought that this was a nice touch.  Not sure many corporate presidents would personally greet passengers and crew...
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1230349051117416448



That is impressive!


----------



## mevelandry

We are currently in a little "cruise break" (my next one being only in December, which is quite a change from the usually April & October routine)... 

Quite the coincidence with all the coronavirus talk... 

I wonder what will happen in the next months with the whole cruise industry.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> We are currently in a little "cruise break" (my next one being only in December, which is quite a change from the usually April & October routine)...
> 
> Quite the coincidence with all the coronavirus talk...
> 
> I wonder what will happen in the next months with the whole cruise industry.



I understand sickness fears, especially for the elderly or those with young children, but I'm still not at the point where I'm scared to travel. At least domestically. All I know is these cheap cruise fares are REALLY tempting. $100 for 4-5 day cruises?! If we lived closer to a port, I know we'd be jumping on them in a second.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> We are currently in a little "cruise break" (my next one being only in December, which is quite a change from the usually April & October routine)...
> 
> Quite the coincidence with all the coronavirus talk...
> 
> I wonder what will happen in the next months with the whole cruise industry.


I’m not worried at all, granted ours isn’t until June. I still believe the common flu is more potent and dangerous, maybe it’s too much like the boy who cried wolf from the media. Every 2 years there’s another flu that is going to kill us all and it never happens, I just can’t buy into the hysteria of it all.

I agree with @belle032, I’d be all over those low cruise fares if we lived near a port. My cousin who lives near Long Beach booked one yesterday and is jumping on a ship today.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I have a long weekend to Chicago for a convention in April, our family trip to Hawaii in June and a long weekend in NYC in June and I am going on all of them!  Our next cruise isn't until Fall and I hope this has all blown over by then.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

On another note in looking at booking a DCL cruise for my niece's HS graduation trip I priced out the opening day cruises for 2021.  This is going to be a hard nope from us!  The cost is just too high for what we feel is just a Caribbean cruise.  The 7 day on Fantasy was $10,700 before gratuities and other relevant vacation expenses.  The 6 day was $8,300.  As we talked about yes, we could afford to do this but the value is not there for us.  We could go to Europe for 2 weeks for the same cost as a 1 week DCL cruise.  I love making my kids happy but she will have to come up with a new idea


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

We’re on a ship in 2 weeks and are super excited.  Unfortunately, the price hasn’t dropped for us!  I personally am more worried about things like TB than this cold.  What is scary to me is how the media is trying to whip everyone up.  There was no water at our Costco yesterday.  Water?  I don’t even understand what that has to do with a virus.   I think people around here are so used to stockpiling for hurricanes that they are getting mixed up.  On the upside, right now is a good time to buy stock.  Unfortunately we don’t have extra money sitting around to do it!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> On another note in looking at booking a DCL cruise for my niece's HS graduation trip I priced out the opening day cruises for 2021.  This is going to be a hard nope from us!  The cost is just too high for what we feel is just a Caribbean cruise.  The 7 day on Fantasy was $10,700 before gratuities and other relevant vacation expenses.  The 6 day was $8,300.  As we talked about yes, we could afford to do this but the value is not there for us.  We could go to Europe for 2 weeks for the same cost as a 1 week DCL cruise.  I love making my kids happy but she will have to come up with a new idea


Those prices are so hard to swallow.  Even when we book dcl, we usually end up canceling— it’s like jiminy cricket in my head saying over and over, “That’s an awfully expensive cruise!”  He usually gets through to me before final payment.  Lol


----------



## hdrolfe

I had to cancel my March break trip and if I hadn't I would be going regardless of concerns. My next one isn't until December (279 days, whose counting?) but I have noticed some really good prices in May on the Oasis class ships (RCL), and I really wish I could afford to go! Less than $2000 CAD for one week on Symphony or Harmony or Oasis (in an inside)? Even the neighbourhood balconies are only about $2200! If it wasn't for needing flights I'd go.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

I’ve been checking our panorama cruise in June and it is $2000 more than when we booked??!!!  Of course we booked on opening.  But I am wondering if we should cancel and try to pick up a deal instead?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

We have stores here running out of Advil and Tylenol!  According to the pharmacist we spoke to many of them are made in China and if they are not produced there many of the ingredients come from there too.  With the factories shut down there could be a shortage.  We did buy some at the third store we checked!  Just in case.


----------



## hdrolfe

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I’ve been checking our panorama cruise in June and it is $2000 more than when we booked??!!!  Of course we booked on opening.  But I am wondering if we should cancel and try to pick up a deal instead?



Panorama does look like a very nice ship, not sure of the itinerary as I haven't really ever looked at doing the Mexican ports. If you got a good deal I would stay with it.


----------



## wombat_5606

I'm leaving a post about our last minute cruise on the Liberty that some of you helped me with. We had a great time. It was myself, my daughter and a friend of hers traveling in a OV cabin.

First, the cabin had plenty of room and was more than adequate for our needs(We didn't even come close to using the drawer and closet space.) and was very clean and very well maintained. I loved our room steward- always a hi when he saw us and in and out of the room without impacting our day.

We had lots of delicious food, but mainly ate in the buffet and pool area. The pizza and burgers were favorites. I promised to report back on Guy's breakfast. It was not available on our ship the first of Feb. We went to breakfast and dinner in the dining room once each. For the short cruise, we just didn't make eating a priority.

Sadly, my one regret was not going to the Alchemy Bar. The girls aren't big drinkers and honestly, I should have taken myself over there for at least one drink. Oh, well! There is always another cruise.

We played Bingo the first day and the friend won free wifi for herself and $100 OBC, along with $10 in the casino! We were having some fun now!!!

We saw all of the shows and they were very good, especially Flick....amazing! I will say getting into the lounges late at night for the comedians was hard to do. You have to get there early! 

We had one evening at the Piano Bar with Lady Red. We had fun with her clean act and then the one that followed....not for the faint of heart. But, that evening is where our trip took a nasty turn. 

My daughter got sick. It was the evening after spending all day at HMC and she at first thought her day of sun and grilled food had gotten the better of her, but alas, that was not the case. We believe it was the co-worker that had come to work with the flu the day before the cruise.exactly 3 days prior to the day. She interrupted my sleep till the wee hours when I got up and went to Guest Services to see if they had any green apples or saltine crackers available. Unfortunately, they did not have those onboard the ship but she did suggest ginger, which I had forgotten I had and for her to take a dose of Dramamine. We finally got some rest. The friend and I stayed outside on deck the entire sea day and my daughter self-quarantined. We did self disembark early the next morning. (The friend and I never got sick.)

I will say that getting an elevator to disembark was the only thing that I thought was "bad?" on the cruise. I'm not saying it was bad, but some people would perceive it that way. But, we found it was easier to split up and take whatever elevator came next that could take at least one of us. Then we did cause a slight glitch when we got to the deck to disembark. They have the line forming for disembark from where you leave the elevators and don't really have a place for someone to stand if their party is not together. They made it work for us.  The girls did learn my trick for getting a porter to take your bags as soon as you leave the escalator. It is money well spent in my book. 

We did end up getting off the ship in Nassau, but only to go to Del Sol to buy sunglasses. My daughter broke her one pair and we were in port with no open onboard shops, so what could we do? One nice perk is that they have a lifetime guarantee whether lost or damaged. 

HMC tender was absolutely no problem. We wanted to go early and we were able to get on the first tender with no issues. Beautiful day, even if a bit chilly for us in the water. Lunch was delicious but we were unprepared for all of the seating areas scattered around.

I did have a couple of unusually nice things happen that I didn't expect. I use a cane to walk if the distance or time spent walking is long or if I have to stand for a long time, due to severe back issues. I was using my cane when it came time to muster and the staff steered us to a seated lounge instead of on deck. So thankful for that. Also, we got two one liter bottles of water in our cabin for being past passengers, I think?? Unexpected, but still super nice. 

I want to add my voice to once again dispel that never-ending rant that you hear every time you mention Carnival Cruise Lines. I didn't see one drunk, obnoxious person on my short 4 night FUN cruise. 

So, thanks everyone for your contributions to my questions and helping us have fun! We had a great time even with the way it ended.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I understand sickness fears, especially for the elderly or those with young children, but I'm still not at the point where I'm scared to travel. At least domestically. All I know is these cheap cruise fares are REALLY tempting. $100 for 4-5 day cruises?! If we lived closer to a port, I know we'd be jumping on them in a second.



Where did you find 100$ cruise fares?


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> We have stores here running out of Advil and Tylenol!  According to the pharmacist we spoke to many of them are made in China and if they are not produced there many of the ingredients come from there too.  With the factories shut down there could be a shortage.  We did buy some at the third store we checked!  Just in case.



Interesting. We don,t have that kind of problem here (yet) but maybe we should buy some in advance just in case...?


----------



## mevelandry

wombat_5606 said:


> I'm leaving a post about our last minute cruise on the Liberty that some of you helped me with. We had a great time. It was myself, my daughter and a friend of hers traveling in a OV cabin.
> 
> First, the cabin had plenty of room and was more than adequate for our needs(We didn't even come close to using the drawer and closet space.) and was very clean and very well maintained. I loved our room steward- always a hi when he saw us and in and out of the room without impacting our day.
> 
> We had lots of delicious food, but mainly ate in the buffet and pool area. The pizza and burgers were favorites. I promised to report back on Guy's breakfast. It was not available on our ship the first of Feb. We went to breakfast and dinner in the dining room once each. For the short cruise, we just didn't make eating a priority.
> 
> Sadly, my one regret was not going to the Alchemy Bar. The girls aren't big drinkers and honestly, I should have taken myself over there for at least one drink. Oh, well! There is always another cruise.
> 
> We played Bingo the first day and the friend won free wifi for herself and $100 OBC, along with $10 in the casino! We were having some fun now!!!
> 
> We saw all of the shows and they were very good, especially Flick....amazing! I will say getting into the lounges late at night for the comedians was hard to do. You have to get there early!
> 
> We had one evening at the Piano Bar with Lady Red. We had fun with her clean act and then the one that followed....not for the faint of heart. But, that evening is where our trip took a nasty turn.
> 
> My daughter got sick. It was the evening after spending all day at HMC and she at first thought her day of sun and grilled food had gotten the better of her, but alas, that was not the case. We believe it was the co-worker that had come to work with the flu the day before the cruise.exactly 3 days prior to the day. She interrupted my sleep till the wee hours when I got up and went to Guest Services to see if they had any green apples or saltine crackers available. Unfortunately, they did not have those onboard the ship but she did suggest ginger, which I had forgotten I had and for her to take a dose of Dramamine. We finally got some rest. The friend and I stayed outside on deck the entire sea day and my daughter self-quarantined. We did self disembark early the next morning. (The friend and I never got sick.)
> 
> I will say that getting an elevator to disembark was the only thing that I thought was "bad?" on the cruise. I'm not saying it was bad, but some people would perceive it that way. But, we found it was easier to split up and take whatever elevator came next that could take at least one of us. Then we did cause a slight glitch when we got to the deck to disembark. They have the line forming for disembark from where you leave the elevators and don't really have a place for someone to stand if their party is not together. They made it work for us.  The girls did learn my trick for getting a porter to take your bags as soon as you leave the escalator. It is money well spent in my book.
> 
> We did end up getting off the ship in Nassau, but only to go to Del Sol to buy sunglasses. My daughter broke her one pair and we were in port with no open onboard shops, so what could we do? One nice perk is that they have a lifetime guarantee whether lost or damaged.
> 
> HMC tender was absolutely no problem. We wanted to go early and we were able to get on the first tender with no issues. Beautiful day, even if a bit chilly for us in the water. Lunch was delicious but we were unprepared for all of the seating areas scattered around.
> 
> I did have a couple of unusually nice things happen that I didn't expect. I use a cane to walk if the distance or time spent walking is long or if I have to stand for a long time, due to severe back issues. I was using my cane when it came time to muster and the staff steered us to a seated lounge instead of on deck. So thankful for that. Also, we got two one liter bottles of water in our cabin for being past passengers, I think?? Unexpected, but still super nice.
> 
> I want to add my voice to once again dispel that never-ending rant that you hear every time you mention Carnival Cruise Lines. I didn't see one drunk, obnoxious person on my short 4 night FUN cruise.
> 
> So, thanks everyone for your contributions to my questions and helping us have fun! We had a great time even with the way it ended.



I'm so happy you had a great experience.   May I ask what you thought of the decor/furniture? When we sailed on the Liberty, some of the furniture (ex: lounging chairs around the pool) were not in great shape (rusty). I wonder if they replaced those since?

Did you eat in the dining room? If you did, what did you think of the service?


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Interesting. We don,t have that kind of problem here (yet) but maybe we should buy some in advance just in case...?



Purell is sold out in Ottawa but I haven't heard of any problems with advil or tylenol. Yet.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Where did you find 100$ cruise fares?



A 3rd party website called Vacations to Go. I like them to research potential cruises. They have a 90 Day Ticker which lists the best last minute deals by sailing region. I was checking them out and NCL was offering a 4 day Bahamas (I think it sailed today actually!) for $99. There are a bunch listed for March that are under $200 for 3-5 days. I know you have to factor in taxes, port fees, etc. But still some great deals if you can go last minute!


----------



## mom2brooke76

I’ve just got to say WOW! Go look at Cruise Law News and their new article talks about how Carnival ships are being turned away from Jamaica and Grand Cayman, but it seems all other lines are allowed to still dock there. Someone said the Magic did today at Grand Cayman. And I’m the comments a resident of Grand Cayman was getting nasty about Carnival ships and how they want to get rid of them


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> A 3rd party website called Vacations to Go. I like them to research potential cruises. They have a 90 Day Ticker which lists the best last minute deals by sailing region. I was checking them out and NCL was offering a 4 day Bahamas (I think it sailed today actually!) for $99. There are a bunch listed for March that are under $200 for 3-5 days. I know you have to factor in taxes, port fees, etc. But still some great deals if you can go last minute!


I have looked at them a lot but never used them.  Are they good/ easy to use?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

hdrolfe said:


> Purell is sold out in Ottawa but I haven't heard of any problems with advil or tylenol. Yet.


I think there is a run on that here too but you can still get it.  Our local grocery had a table of it at their entrance yesterday with a sign that said, “Last hand sanitizer in stock.”  We skipped because the price was a bit high lol.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mom2brooke76 said:


> I’ve just got to say WOW! Go look at Cruise Law News and their new article talks about how Carnival ships are being turned away from Jamaica and Grand Cayman, but it seems all other lines are allowed to still dock there. Someone said the Magic did today at Grand Cayman. And I’m the comments a resident of Grand Cayman was getting nasty about Carnival ships and how they want to get rid of them


That’s crazy!  Jamaica might not want to be so picky lol.  It’s not such a prize either.


----------



## wombat_5606

mevelandry said:


> I'm so happy you had a great experience.   May I ask what you thought of the decor/furniture? When we sailed on the Liberty, some of the furniture (ex: lounging chairs around the pool) were not in great shape (rusty). I wonder if they replaced those since?
> 
> Did you eat in the dining room? If you did, what did you think of the service?
> [/UOTE]
> 
> The color scheme in the cabins wasn't really to my liking, but I can live with that because I don't spend much time there for a cruise in the Caribbean. I did think the the decor in the public areas was a little strange and at times, too dark. I didn't like those lights in the atrium at all. I've recently been cruising on the new builds on HAL and they are light and bright and I prefer that.
> 
> I feel like the whole ship has a Mexico vibe to me. I wouldn't describe this as an attractive or beautiful ship. It is definitely not to my taste.
> 
> Now that you've asked that, I can't really remember why, but something about the pool area bothered me. I don't feel like it had to do with the chairs, though. Maybe there is some rust around the pool area or on the hand rails, but I didn't take any pictures to jog my memory. I did feel like the decking needed refinishing.
> 
> We hung out at Serenity on both sea days and I have no complaints on those chairs. We always had a chair pad on them and I felt those were in very good shape. By the way, that's the only place where I saw anything inappropriate. They have those sunbeds and a couple next to us were a little too amorous, but did soon go back to their cabin and returned a short time later, but then that just made it even ickier.
> 
> We only ate in the dining room twice and both times the service was good. Our waiters weren't personable, but they gave us competent service. Without a set dining time, maybe they didn't feel like it was necessary to make small talk or be memorable. They were at our table quickly to take our order and brought the food at a reasonable pace, for me. The girls thought it could be a little bit quicker but they don't usually go out to eat. I will say that at breakfast, our waiters came by the table multiple times to fill my coffee cup, without my having to ask. I loved that and I feel like I don't often get good coffee service on other cruiselines.
> 
> Thank you for your help to make our cruise fun. I'm sure we will be back onboard in the future.


----------



## belle032

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I have looked at them a lot but never used them.  Are they good/ easy to use?


I have not used them personally to book, but my mom has with great results. I think she uses the same agent every time. They seem to offer decent perks and she’s gotten upgrade offers a few times. I believe the last cruise was $100 to upgrade to a balcony from an ocean view for a 7 day.  They may price match as well, not 100% sure though.

I usually prefer booking directly through the cruise line, but if I did use a third party for whatever reason I would use them.


----------



## hdrolfe

mom2brooke76 said:


> I’ve just got to say WOW! Go look at Cruise Law News and their new article talks about how Carnival ships are being turned away from Jamaica and Grand Cayman, but it seems all other lines are allowed to still dock there. Someone said the Magic did today at Grand Cayman. And I’m the comments a resident of Grand Cayman was getting nasty about Carnival ships and how they want to get rid of them



That's interesting. I thought there was an MSC cruise that was turned away at both those ports because one of their staff had the flu. They were able to dock in Cozumel. I can't imagine why Carnival would be singled out over the other cruise lines though, Hopefully things improve soon, I mean I'd be upset over missing ports of course but that can happen on any cruise, and I'd rather be on a cruise ship than dealing with snow and freezing rain. But I would really not want to end up quarantined on a ship.


----------



## Mika02

we"reofftoneverland said:


> That’s crazy!  Jamaica might not want to be so picky lol.  It’s not such a prize either.


This was pretty rude fyi and offensive.
They turned away ships where there was documented illness on board as they should it would be absolutely irresponsible to let a illness sweep the island.


----------



## mom2brooke76

Mika02 said:


> This was pretty rude fyi and offensive.
> They turned away ships where there was documented illness on board as they should it would be absolutely irresponsible to let a illness sweep the island.



The ships turned away today are not reporting any illness, so that’s not the case.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Mika02 said:


> This was pretty rude fyi and offensive.
> They turned away ships where there was documented illness on board as they should it would be absolutely irresponsible to let a illness sweep the island.


Why offensive?  Jamaica is a mess.  Just a personal opinion.


----------



## Mika02

mom2brooke76 said:


> The ships turned away today are not reporting any illness, so that’s not the case.



The ships had not been reporting illnesses from crew members and they were sick so they started turning ships away.



we"reofftoneverland said:


> Why offensive?  Jamaica is a mess.  Just a personal opinion.


My family is Jamaican. What you said was offensive Jamaica doesn't need to take people who have potential illnesses if it was America or Canada they have every right to turn people away regardless if they count on the tourism to fund the nation. Your personal opinion is offensive period.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Mika02 said:


> The ships had not been reporting illnesses from crew members and they were sick so they started turning ships away.
> 
> 
> My family is Jamaican. What you said was offensive Jamaica doesn't need to take people who have potential illnesses if it was America or Canada they have every right to turn people away regardless if they count on the tourism to fund the nation. Your personal opinion is offensive period.



I agree that Jamaica should not take ships with people who have Coronavirus.  

I wouldn’t be so offended just because someone thinks a place is a mess.  As for the Caribbean, I also think Dominican Republic and Belize are a mess.  It doesn’t mean that there are not lovely people there, or that people who might have some association with Jamaica, DR, and Belize are not lovely people.  Or that there are not interesting cultural things there.  I hear people say the places where I grew up are a mess all the time.  Doesn’t offend me at all.  

If everyone takes everything personally and is offended all the time by other people having different opinions, no one will ever get exposed to other opinions because they just write them off as “offensive.”  How boring.  My thinking Jamaica is a mess is no reflection upon you.   I appreciate you telling me you think I am wrong or that you have a different take on it, but offended to me is just silly.  Again, just my opinion and at risk of offending.


----------



## Mika02

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I agree that Jamaica should not take ships with people who have Coronavirus.
> 
> I wouldn’t be so offended just because someone thinks a place is a mess.  As for the Caribbean, I also think Dominican Republic and Belize are a mess.  It doesn’t mean that there are not lovely people there, or that people who might have some association with Jamaica, DR, and Belize are not lovely people.  Or that there are not interesting cultural things there.  I hear people say the places where I grew up are a mess all the time.  Doesn’t offend me at all.
> 
> If everyone takes everything personally and is offended all the time by other people having different opinions, no one will ever get exposed to other opinions because they just write them off as “offensive.”  How boring.  My thinking Jamaica is a mess is no reflection upon you.   I appreciate you telling me you think I am wrong or that you have a different take on it, but offended to me is just silly.  Again, just my opinion and at risk of offending.


Your words were that Jamaica should not be picky about the tourist they receive even if those potential tourist are carriers of an illness that could devastate the island implies something that you probably didn't mean to imply but did so yes it's offensive.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Mika02 said:


> Your words were that Jamaica should not be picky about the tourist they receive even if those potential tourist are carriers of an illness that could devastate the island implies something that you probably didn't mean to imply but did so yes it's offensive.



Lol.  You do understand that I was responding to a post that said that carnival ships were being targeted for being carnival ships, not for having Coronavirus?  If that is not what I was responding to, then there is a misunderstanding.  Obviously if there is Coronavirus on a ship, ports should exercise caution, especially ports that do not have the ability to protect their local population because of lack of infrastructure.   My response was also tongue in cheek— a joke.  I feel like you are desperately looking for a reason to be offended.  It must be exhausting.


----------



## mevelandry

Was it your first Carnival cruise? I think you might enjoy the appearance of the new ships more. (I sure did!)


----------



## wombat_5606

mevelandry said:


> Was it your first Carnival cruise? I think you might enjoy the appearance of the new ships more. (I sure did!)



It wasn't my first, but the last one was 2001. 

Yes, I think I will try one of the new ships but I do like to keep the number of passengers down below 3500. Do you know off the top of your head which ship would fit that criteria? I'll do my own research, but just if you have a suggestion, let me know.


----------



## belle032

wombat_5606 said:


> It wasn't my first, but the last one was 2001.
> 
> Yes, I think I will try one of the new ships but I do like to keep the number of passengers down below 3500. Do you know off the top of your head which ship would fit that criteria? I'll do my own research, but just if you have a suggestion, let me know.



The Dream class should fit that requirement, which would be the Magic, Dream & Breeze ships. I believe the Breeze is the highest rated ship in the fleet in terms of passenger reviews. We actually got married on the Carnival Magic and felt it was a much prettier ship in terms of decor. More subdued at least!

 I could be off, but I *think* the Vista & Horizon are around 4,000 passengers.


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Lol.  You do understand that I was responding to a post that said that carnival ships were being targeted for being carnival ships, not for having Coronavirus?  If that is not what I was responding to, then there is a misunderstanding.  Obviously if there is Coronavirus on a ship, ports should exercise caution, especially ports that do not have the ability to protect their local population because of lack of infrastructure.   My response was also tongue in cheek— a joke.  I feel like you are desperately looking for a reason to be offended.  It must be exhausting.


I think it's a millennial thing. If they can't find something to be offended by nothing is right in the world.


----------



## mevelandry

wombat_5606 said:


> It wasn't my first, but the last one was 2001.
> 
> Yes, I think I will try one of the new ships but I do like to keep the number of passengers down below 3500. Do you know off the top of your head which ship would fit that criteria? I'll do my own research, but just if you have a suggestion, let me know.



The Radiance (2800 passengers capacity).  It's not new but is currently  being reimagined. It was already awesome (as the Victory) before that. I think you might like it.


----------



## mevelandry

Ok, I'm not sure how valid this is but I saw someone on Reddit saying that people are cancelling their cruises so much that they could get very very affordable upgrades... And sometimes upgrades + refund!


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Ok, I'm not sure how valid this is but I saw someone on Reddit saying that people are cancelling their cruises so much that they could get very very affordable upgrades... And sometimes upgrades + refund!



I'm seeing that in some FB groups as well. Seems like lots of room upgrades are being offered. And a lot of people doing mock bookings to see their cruise price is much lower now. And I think that results in refunds and/or OBC. Some people are posting that they have hundreds in OBC now!

Also, I've been on the NCL website like every night *this close* to putting a deposit down on our Alaskan cruise. I don't know why I can't just do it! It even includes 5 "free" offers, a room price discount and 2-for-1 deposits. I think it's because I haven't put down our WDW deposit yet as I'm trying to hold out for some kind of late Fall room discount. And Southwest flights don't release til next week...*sigh*. So many first-world vacation problems!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I'm seeing that in some FB groups as well. Seems like lots of room upgrades are being offered. And a lot of people doing mock bookings to see their cruise price is much lower now. And I think that results in refunds and/or OBC. Some people are posting that they have hundreds in OBC now!
> 
> Also, I've been on the NCL website like every night *this close* to putting a deposit down on our Alaskan cruise. I don't know why I can't just do it! It even includes 5 "free" offers, a room price discount and 2-for-1 deposits. I think it's because I haven't put down our WDW deposit yet as I'm trying to hold out for some kind of late Fall room discount. And Southwest flights don't release til next week...*sigh*. So many first-world vacation problems!



There's no refund if you book right now?


----------



## StarSeven7

belle032 said:


> I'm seeing that in some FB groups as well. Seems like lots of room upgrades are being offered. And a lot of people doing mock bookings to see their cruise price is much lower now. And I think that results in refunds and/or OBC. Some people are posting that they have hundreds in OBC now!
> 
> Also, I've been on the NCL website like every night *this close* to putting a deposit down on our Alaskan cruise. I don't know why I can't just do it! It even includes 5 "free" offers, a room price discount and 2-for-1 deposits. I think it's because I haven't put down our WDW deposit yet as I'm trying to hold out for some kind of late Fall room discount. And Southwest flights don't release til next week...*sigh*. So many first-world vacation problems!


On a side note, I was just looking at the NCL site and pricing out cruises and some of those “free” offers are ridiculous! I added “free” drinks to a cruise for my family of 4 (kids are 10 and 6) and the pricing increased $1200!!! We couldn’t drink $1200 worth of drinks in a week if we tried!


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> There's no refund if you book right now?



I'm not sure how it works with NCL as I'm so unfamiliar with it. I'll check into their policies though!



StarSeven7 said:


> On a side note, I was just looking at the NCL site and pricing out cruises and some of those “free” offers are ridiculous! I added “free” drinks to a cruise for my family of 4 (kids are 10 and 6) and the pricing increased $1200!!! We couldn’t drink $1200 worth of drinks in a week if we tried!



Wow that's a lot! It definitely wasn't that much for DH & I, maybe a couple hundred? I know it it definitely less than what we would typically pay for an alcohol package, which we always purchase. So for us it's worth that extra money. But I can see how it isn't if you weren't going to buy it anyway. Luckily, I did notice that you could remove the drink package and the specialty dining option if you chose to.


----------



## mevelandry

StarSeven7 said:


> On a side note, I was just looking at the NCL site and pricing out cruises and some of those “free” offers are ridiculous! I added “free” drinks to a cruise for my family of 4 (kids are 10 and 6) and the pricing increased $1200!!! We couldn’t drink $1200 worth of drinks in a week if we tried!



That is not normal. Did you talk to someone? I'm adding the free package for 5 nights and it's just 265$ (CAD) for 2 adults total that they add to our bill.


----------



## StarSeven7

mevelandry said:


> That is not normal. Did you talk to someone? I'm adding the free package for 5 nights and it's just 265$ (CAD) for 2 adults total that they add to our bill.


No, I’m not really looking at it seriously but I thought that was crazy! I can see charging more for adults but for kids who can’t drink alcohol? Ridiculous!


----------



## StarSeven7

belle032 said:


> I'm not sure how it works with NCL as I'm so unfamiliar with it. I'll check into their policies though!
> 
> 
> 
> Wow that's a lot! It definitely wasn't that much for DH & I, maybe a couple hundred? I know it it definitely less than what we would typically pay for an alcohol package, which we always purchase. So for us it's worth that extra money. But I can see how it isn't if you weren't going to buy it anyway. Luckily, I did notice that you could remove the drink package and the specialty dining option if you chose to.


Yeah, if I ever booked with them I would remove the “free” drink package and pay out of pocket! We Probably spent less than $1200 total on the ship on our DCL cruise and that included an excursion for 4 of us, lots of souvenirs, and some splurging on drinks!!!


----------



## mevelandry

StarSeven7 said:


> No, I’m not really looking at it seriously but I thought that was crazy! I can see charging more for adults but for kids who can’t drink alcohol? Ridiculous!



(Side note: I honestly think that's a bug in the system.)

OMG. Seriously... Call the agent assigned to your reservation...

I just called mine and he pulled a rabbit out of a hat.

*I got ALL the freebies* for just a few dollars more than what the tips for the drink package was supposed to be!


----------



## StarSeven7

mevelandry said:


> (Side note: I honestly think that's a bug in the system.)
> 
> OMG. Seriously... Call the agent assigned to your reservation...
> 
> I just called mine and he pulled a rabbit out of a hat.
> 
> *I got ALL the freebies* for just a few dollars more than what the tips for the drink package was supposed to be!


Good to know that's not normal!  I knew they charged tips on the free drinks package but that seemed crazy to me.  Like I said, I'm not looking seriously right now, just looking at possible options for next summer.  Not even sure if we want to do a cruise but I like to look at options!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Just received an email from Princess that we can cancel our upcoming cruise no questions and get a 100% refund in the form of a cruise credit.  If we do not cancel we get $200 on board credit per cabin as a thank you.  Applies to all cruises from March 9- May 31, 2020.  They must have so many people canceling.  Crazy time for the cruise industry.


----------



## hdrolfe

Looks like Carnival is following Princess with an offer if you sail before May 31st. It's on John Heald's facebook, sorry I can't copy at work. Looks overall like a good deal if you choose to cancel. But I don't think it's a full refund, just future cruise credits.


----------



## lilsonicfan

StarSeven7 said:


> On a side note, I was just looking at the NCL site and pricing out cruises and some of those “free” offers are ridiculous! I added “free” drinks to a cruise for my family of 4 (kids are 10 and 6) and the pricing increased $1200!!! We couldn’t drink $1200 worth of drinks in a week if we tried!



NCL used to charge gratuities on the open bar package only for the first two in the room, so the open bar was only good for 2 people.  Now, I've noticed that the open bar applies to everyone when you are adding it as a free offer, so they charge gratuities for everyone, and it is a ridiculous price depending on the length of the cruise.  Also, it seems insane to charge the same gratuities for kids as you do for adults when kids are clearly not eligible for the "full" open bar package.  I haven't looked into how they price their crazy drink packages as I assume they may have decided to just charge everyone the same whether you have an alcoholic drink package or a non-alcoholic drink package.  I price out NCL cruises frequently and NEVER take the drink package, I definitely don't drink enough to make up the crazy cost.


----------



## StarSeven7

lilsonicfan said:


> NCL used to charge gratuities on the open bar package only for the first two in the room, so the open bar was only good for 2 people.  Now, I've noticed that the open bar applies to everyone when you are adding it as a free offer, so they charge gratuities for everyone, and it is a ridiculous price depending on the length of the cruise.  Also, it seems insane to charge the same gratuities for kids as you do for adults when kids are clearly not eligible for the "full" open bar package.  I haven't looked into how they price their crazy drink packages as I assume they may have decided to just charge everyone the same whether you have an alcoholic drink package or a non-alcoholic drink package.  I price out NCL cruises frequently and NEVER take the drink package, I definitely don't drink enough to make up the crazy cost.


Exactly!  I can see a few hundred dollars being worth it for an adult but for a kid?  No way!


----------



## hdrolfe

Did you put in the ages of everyone? When I do a mock booking and add my son, at the point I put his age it recalculates to lower the gratuity cost.


----------



## StarSeven7

hdrolfe said:


> Did you put in the ages of everyone? When I do a mock booking and add my son, at the point I put his age it recalculates to lower the gratuity cost.


It doesn’t let me put in ages until adding all of the passenger info....maybe it would recalculate at that point? I’m on the Canadian version of the website if that makes a difference and it’s impossible to view the US site within Canada so I don’t know if that version looks any different!


----------



## hdrolfe

StarSeven7 said:


> It doesn’t let me put in ages until adding all of the passenger info....maybe it would recalculate at that point? I’m on the Canadian version of the website if that makes a difference and it’s impossible to view the US site within Canada so I don’t know if that version looks any different!



Yes once you put in the passenger information it should recalculate the total. It's charging you for 2 free adults and 2 paying adults most likely. And I'm also Canadian so only see that version.


----------



## StarSeven7

hdrolfe said:


> Yes once you put in the passenger information it should recalculate the total. It's charging you for 2 free adults and 2 paying adults most likely. And I'm also Canadian so only see that version.


Ok good to know!  Thanks for the response!! I was being lazy and didn’t want to go through the hassle of adding everyone’s name just to get a price!  I wish they would just ask ages on the first screen so you could get an accurate price right away!!


----------



## StarSeven7

Does anyone know if this NCL sale is actually a good deal? On Cruise Critic a lot of people are saying they hiked up prices to take 30% off. I guess the perks are good if you’re looking for those but we probably wouldn’t pay for any of those otherwise and we prefer to do excursions on our own so they’re not super useful to us. The price for 4 of us seems ok but not amazing. Celebrity and RCCL have similar pricing for a 7 night in Europe and it’s about what we paid for our 7 night Southern Caribbean on DCL.


----------



## belle032

StarSeven7 said:


> Does anyone know if this NCL sale is actually a good deal? On Cruise Critic a lot of people are saying they hiked up prices to take 30% off. I guess the perks are good if you’re looking for those but we probably wouldn’t pay for any of those otherwise and we prefer to do excursions on our own so they’re not super useful to us. The price for 4 of us seems ok but not amazing. Celebrity and RCCL have similar pricing for a 7 night in Europe and it’s about what we paid for our 7 night Southern Caribbean on DCL.



I actually asked this in the NCL group I joined on FB! It seems like they run the "free promos" pretty constantly throughout the year and it usually just depends which ones they offer at any given time. Doesn't sound like they offer ALL promos to every stateroom category very often, which I believe they're doing right now, so that might be a perk only if you would purchase at least some of them anyway.

I kind of agree with the whole 30% off idea that it's marked up to be marked down. The price of the cruise we're looking at seems to have remained pretty steady these past few months. So unless you're looking at a last minute deal (especially now with the travel scares), it might not be too much of a discount overall.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

StarSeven7 said:


> Does anyone know if this NCL sale is actually a good deal? On Cruise Critic a lot of people are saying they hiked up prices to take 30% off. I guess the perks are good if you’re looking for those but we probably wouldn’t pay for any of those otherwise and we prefer to do excursions on our own so they’re not super useful to us. The price for 4 of us seems ok but not amazing. Celebrity and RCCL have similar pricing for a 7 night in Europe and it’s about what we paid for our 7 night Southern Caribbean on DCL.


A really good deal last minute on NCL is about $499 per person for an inside room on a 7 night Caribbean. I would consider $699 (no freebies or gratuities) to be a really good deal at this point with them.  I haven’t looked since the corona thing.


----------



## StarSeven7

Thanks for the help everyone!  I'm looking for June/July 2021 so still a long ways out and probably wouldn't book any time really soon since we're still deciding what we want to do.  I'm finding around $5000ish USD for 2 adults, 2 kids in an oceanview on NCL, RCCL, and Celebrity for Mediterranean cruises.  It's obviously cheaper than DCL for Europe but it doesn't seem like an amazing deal that I need to jump on or anything!

I wanted to report back that I did go through all the passenger names/ages screen and it did take off the free drinks gratuities for the kids!  Does that mean the kids don't get a drinks package at all (meaning we'd have to pay for soft drinks for them?) or just that they don't have to pay for gratuities?  The gratuities for DH and I were $185 CAD each for 7 nights which seems much more reasonable.  Funny that they make you go all the way through the booking to get the correct pricing though!

Does anyone have any feedback on NCL, RCCL, or Celebrity with kids?  The ships I'm looking at are Norwegian Pearl, Rhapsody of the Seas, and Celebrity Infinity.  Itinerary is the most important to me and these are the ships that offer itineraries that I would be willing to go on.  (My DH and I have spent a lot of time in Europe and I've been to many of the popular spots in the Med so I'm looking for new destinations that I haven't been to before).  I would probably choose Celebrity if it were just DH and I but I'm not sure it's a great fit for my kids.  They'll be 11 and 8 and they're good kids but they're pretty high energy so feeling like I needed to keep them in line constantly or get glared at from other passengers would be stressful!  I also see that they would be separated into different kids club areas on NCL which my son said right away that he wouldn't like (not surprisingly!) We really don't need a lot of bells and whistles to keep them happy but a good kids club and maybe a pool slide would be nice! Also kids food is a huge plus since they're both picky eaters.

Thanks!


----------



## belle032

Ok I think NCL has pulled me in and I'm going to put down a deposit for Alaska 2021. This is the new cancellation policy per the website:

*"For all new and existing bookings that embark from March 10, 2020 through and including September 30, 2020:*
Cancellation may occur until 48 hours prior to vacation date for a 100% future cruise credit (FCC) which may be redeemed on ANY Norwegian sailing embarking on or before December 31, 2022.
Vacation date includes any pre hotel or cruisetour packages booked through Norwegian.
Future Cruise Credit will include all components of the reservation that have been paid. Including but not limited to: Shore excursions, beverage and dining package gratuities, service charges and air/transfers pre purchased through Norwegian. Cost of insurance on existing bookings is not included in the FCC amount."

I know it's not a full refund but I honestly think that's pretty reasonable. We still want to try NCL no matter what so I'd be fine with a credit.

Just in case anyone is curious about pricing, I am looking at a 7 Night Awe of Alaska (includes Glacier Bay & Inside Passage) on the Norwegian Encore. Dates are Sept. 5-12, 2021.

Deposit: $250
Free at Sea Gratuities: $316.80
Total cost for two adults, Balcony stateroom, all taxes & port fees, all Free at Sea perks (beverage package, specialty dining, shore excursions, Wifi)  + $200 OBC: $5204.43


Just to compare a similar DCL sailing: 7 Night Alaska out of Vancouver (includes Dawes Glacier) on the Wonder. Dates are Sept. 6-13, 2021.

Deposit: $1338.40
Total cost for two adults, Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom w/Verandah +all taxes & port fees: $7089.52
No "perks" or OBC.

Not a SUPER crazy difference for a lot of cruisers, but for how we like to cruise, that is a big difference for us.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> Ok I think NCL has pulled me in and I'm going to put down a deposit for Alaska 2021. This is the new cancellation policy per the website:
> 
> *"For all new and existing bookings that embark from March 10, 2020 through and including September 30, 2020:*
> Cancellation may occur until 48 hours prior to vacation date for a 100% future cruise credit (FCC) which may be redeemed on ANY Norwegian sailing embarking on or before December 31, 2022.
> Vacation date includes any pre hotel or cruisetour packages booked through Norwegian.
> Future Cruise Credit will include all components of the reservation that have been paid. Including but not limited to: Shore excursions, beverage and dining package gratuities, service charges and air/transfers pre purchased through Norwegian. Cost of insurance on existing bookings is not included in the FCC amount."
> 
> I know it's not a full refund but I honestly think that's pretty reasonable. We still want to try NCL no matter what so I'd be fine with a credit.
> 
> Just in case anyone is curious about pricing, I am looking at a 7 Night Awe of Alaska (includes Glacier Bay & Inside Passage) on the Norwegian Encore. Dates are Sept. 5-12, 2021.
> 
> Deposit: $250
> Free at Sea Gratuities: $316.80
> Total cost for two adults, Balcony stateroom, all taxes & port fees, all Free at Sea perks (beverage package, specialty dining, shore excursions, Wifi)  + $200 OBC: $5204.43
> 
> 
> Just to compare a similar DCL sailing: 7 Night Alaska out of Vancouver (includes Dawes Glacier) on the Wonder. Dates are Sept. 6-13, 2021.
> 
> Deposit: $1338.40
> Total cost for two adults, Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom w/Verandah +all taxes & port fees: $7089.52
> No "perks" or OBC.
> 
> Not a SUPER crazy difference for a lot of cruisers, but for how we like to cruise, that is a big difference for us.


Encore looks like a beautiful ship


----------



## mevelandry

lilsonicfan said:


> NCL used to charge gratuities on the open bar package only for the first two in the room, so the open bar was only good for 2 people.  Now, I've noticed that the open bar applies to everyone when you are adding it as a free offer, so they charge gratuities for everyone, and it is a ridiculous price depending on the length of the cruise.  Also, it seems insane to charge the same gratuities for kids as you do for adults when kids are clearly not eligible for the "full" open bar package.  I haven't looked into how they price their crazy drink packages as I assume they may have decided to just charge everyone the same whether you have an alcoholic drink package or a non-alcoholic drink package.  I price out NCL cruises frequently and NEVER take the drink package, I definitely don't drink enough to make up the crazy cost.



Maybe it's because we are just 2 but for us, it wasn't that much (about 100$ USD per person, which is about half the amount we usually spend for drinks during our cruise).


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Ok I think NCL has pulled me in and I'm going to put down a deposit for Alaska 2021. This is the new cancellation policy per the website:
> 
> *"For all new and existing bookings that embark from March 10, 2020 through and including September 30, 2020:*
> Cancellation may occur until 48 hours prior to vacation date for a 100% future cruise credit (FCC) which may be redeemed on ANY Norwegian sailing embarking on or before December 31, 2022.
> Vacation date includes any pre hotel or cruisetour packages booked through Norwegian.
> Future Cruise Credit will include all components of the reservation that have been paid. Including but not limited to: Shore excursions, beverage and dining package gratuities, service charges and air/transfers pre purchased through Norwegian. Cost of insurance on existing bookings is not included in the FCC amount."
> 
> I know it's not a full refund but I honestly think that's pretty reasonable. We still want to try NCL no matter what so I'd be fine with a credit.
> 
> Just in case anyone is curious about pricing, I am looking at a 7 Night Awe of Alaska (includes Glacier Bay & Inside Passage) on the Norwegian Encore. Dates are Sept. 5-12, 2021.
> 
> Deposit: $250
> Free at Sea Gratuities: $316.80
> Total cost for two adults, Balcony stateroom, all taxes & port fees, all Free at Sea perks (beverage package, specialty dining, shore excursions, Wifi)  + $200 OBC: $5204.43
> 
> 
> Just to compare a similar DCL sailing: 7 Night Alaska out of Vancouver (includes Dawes Glacier) on the Wonder. Dates are Sept. 6-13, 2021.
> 
> Deposit: $1338.40
> Total cost for two adults, Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom w/Verandah +all taxes & port fees: $7089.52
> No "perks" or OBC.
> 
> Not a SUPER crazy difference for a lot of cruisers, but for how we like to cruise, that is a big difference for us.


 Not a crazy difference in price but if you count all the perks (which has a value of about 500$ USD per person) ... It's interesting!


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Not a crazy difference in price but if you count all the perks (which has a value of about 500$ USD per person) ... It's interesting!



That's what I think too. Especially because we always buy a beverage package if it's offered. We aren't lushes but we'll easily spend over $316 on drinks in a week, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic. Considering Carnival is $52-ish per person, per day, that's a huge savings. And $200 OBC is a pretty nice bonus too.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> That's what I think too. Especially because we always buy a beverage package if it's offered. We aren't lushes but we'll easily spend over $316 on drinks in a week, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic. Considering Carnival is $52-ish per person, per day, that's a huge savings. And $200 OBC is a pretty nice bonus too.



Absolutely.
p.s.: I love your new picture!!!


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Absolutely.
> p.s.: I love your new picture!!!


 Aww thank you! Animator’s Palate was probably my favorite!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Regal Princess Cruise for this week has been cancelled!  We are next week... this is all so surreal.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Regal Princess Cruise for this week has been cancelled!  We are next week... this is all so surreal.


Best of luck, I hope you make it on


----------



## belle032

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Regal Princess Cruise for this week has been cancelled!  We are next week... this is all so surreal.



I hope you get to sail because I'd love to hear a review! Ugh unfortunately I think cruising is just going to be a mess this year.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Best of luck, I hope you make it on





belle032 said:


> I hope you get to sail because I'd love to hear a review! Ugh unfortunately I think cruising is just going to be a mess this year.


We have started to think about canceling.  Ugh.  We are on the fence.  We are not worried about the virus at all, but if we sail and get quarantined we cannot afford to take an extra two weeks off from work.  I know, belle032, I am thinking if we do sail I will sign up on cc and try to do a blog on the princess forum about sailing during the Coronavirus fear.  Our teen begged us not to cancel before he took off for school this morning.  He loves the entire idea of being on an real adventure.   Lol.


----------



## hdrolfe

I have no cruise booked until December, but watching some of the prices drop (especially on Royal), it sure is tempting! I do worry about being quarantined on the ship for 2 weeks, not so much the virus itself just the reactions of people to the fear of it right now. I can't imagine being confined to a cabin on the ship with my son for 2 weeks...


----------



## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> I have no cruise booked until December, but watching some of the prices drop (especially on Royal), it sure is tempting! I do worry about being quarantined on the ship for 2 weeks, not so much the virus itself just the reactions of people to the fear of it right now. I can't imagine being confined to a cabin on the ship with my son for 2 weeks...



I agree! These cruise prices and flight prices are so tempting. I almost wish I didn't use that week of vacation time in January! Of I'm sure we could swing something if we lived closer to a port. I already have another week set aside for WDW at the end of September so that's something to look forward to though. 

I do think about the quarantine process and just like you, my biggest worry would be being confined to just my cabin with DH for 2 weeks! And considering we had an interior last time, there is a good chance one of us would not have made it out alive if it happened.  Just another argument to get a balcony if you're sailing anytime soon!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I have no cruise booked until December, but watching some of the prices drop (especially on Royal), it sure is tempting! I do worry about being quarantined on the ship for 2 weeks, not so much the virus itself just the reactions of people to the fear of it right now. I can't imagine being confined to a cabin on the ship with my son for 2 weeks...



Did the price drop on RCCL? Mine was still higher than what we paid when I checked yesterday.


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We have started to think about canceling.  Ugh.  We are on the fence.  We are not worried about the virus at all, but if we sail and get quarantined we cannot afford to take an extra two weeks off from work.  I know, belle032, I am thinking if we do sail I will sign up on cc and try to do a blog on the princess forum about sailing during the Coronavirus fear.  Our teen begged us not to cancel before he took off for school this morning.  He loves the entire idea of being on an real adventure.   Lol.


Well, you'll probably get your cruise refunded and a free cruise so there's that to help out financially. I know I still wouldn't want to be quarantined for two weeks. My teen eats up all the drama too, but you know they're kids with no responsibilities. We're cruising out of Copenhagen in August. I've pretty much decided I'm cruising unless DCL cancels.


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> Did the price drop on RCCL? Mine was still higher than what we paid when I checked yesterday.


DCL has discounted every Baltic cruise before the PIF except mine. I'm going to give it a couple more weeks and then I'll have to consider moving my cruise up a week. Changing flights shouldn't be a problem. I spent months looking for AA saver business class flights with my miles. Now there are multiple flights every day with AA saver rates. I feel really bad for how this is going to affect the travel industry.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Did the price drop on RCCL? Mine was still higher than what we paid when I checked yesterday.


There are some between now and May that are very cheap, Symphony for 1700 or so CAD. Two stops in Coco Cay on Mariner for 880CAD. Oasis and Harmony are low as well. At least the ones in May I was looking at.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

We are still on the fence, but dammit, dh’s employer is leaning heavily on employees not to cruise.  They won’t let employees back to work right away who cruise.  Completely crazy.  Last night we were leaning towards going, today up in the air.  And they upgraded our interior cabin to a deluxe balcony lol.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> There are some between now and May that are very cheap, Symphony for 1700 or so CAD. Two stops in Coco Cay on Mariner for 880CAD. Oasis and Harmony are low as well. At least the ones in May I was looking at.



Mine is just in December. Let's just say I won't get my hopes up.


----------



## hdrolfe

I will admit I am kinda of happy I decided in December to cancel my cruise for next week. I am not sure I would want to cancel it, but I also dont know how I would handle being confined to a cabin for two weeks with my son. On my own, sure  but he is high energy and it would be rough.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Mine is just in December. Let's just say I won't get my hopes up.



I get that. My next one is then too and I hope this is all over by then.


----------



## mevelandry

I wouldn't mind being stuck in a cabin with my husband for 2 weeks... as long as we have a balcony. LOL


----------



## lklgoodman

mevelandry said:


> I wouldn't mind being stuck in a cabin with my husband for 2 weeks... as long as we have a balcony. LOL



Our next cruise is just over a year away.  Only concern I have is my dh's job puts him in close contact with clients who travel all over the world. None have been cancelling and his employer is doing business as usual.   I went to the store to get some stuff just in case we would need to self quarantine.  After realizing it could mean my dd would have to stay home from school I realized I need to go back for what I would REALLY need to survive 2 weeks at home--chocolate and booze!!!  Forget the toilet paper and water!!


----------



## belle032

I did it you guys. Deposit is down for Alaska 2021 on the Norwegian Encore! It feels rather strange to be diving into a new cruise line, I'm usually so confident when it comes to planning cruises or Disney trips, but this will be different for us. Hopefully in a good way! 551 days to go!

In other news, hope everyone is staying healthy and happy and any travel plans aren't being too disrupted!


----------



## lklgoodman

belle032 said:


> I did it you guys. Deposit is down for Alaska 2021 on the Norwegian Encore! It feels rather strange to be diving into a new cruise line, I'm usually so confident when it comes to planning cruises or Disney trips, but this will be different for us. Hopefully in a good way! 551 days to go!
> 
> In other news, hope everyone is staying healthy and happy and any travel plans aren't being too disrupted!



How exciting!!!  We did an Alaskan cruise in 2014 on Disney.  It was for my ILs 50th wedding anniversary, with lots of young grandkids.  We really enjoyed it.  If I were to do Alaska again with just my dh and dd I wouldn't pick DCL.  I'd rather spend money on the excursions and not the Disney characters and such.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

lklgoodman said:


> How exciting!!!  We did an Alaskan cruise in 2014 on Disney.  It was for my ILs 50th wedding anniversary, with lots of young grandkids.  We really enjoyed it.  If I were to do Alaska again with just my dh and dd I wouldn't pick DCL.  I'd rather spend money on the excursions and not the Disney characters and such.


I totally agree with you. We did Alaska on DCL in 2018, we let our son pick it for his graduation present. I tried so hard to talk him into NCL but he didn’t want it. If we were to go back would definitely be on NCL or RCCL, unless Carnival was to put one of their Dream or Vista class ships there.


----------



## Discruisin

Saw today where you can book a 7 night Carnival cruise to the Bahamas leaving next week.  Balcony rooms are $120.  Insane.


----------



## mevelandry

Discruisin said:


> Saw today where you can book a 7 night Carnival cruise to the Bahamas leaving next week.  Balcony rooms are $120.  Insane.





Discruisin said:


> Saw today where you can book a 7 night Carnival cruise to the Bahamas leaving next week.  Balcony rooms are $120.  Insane.



Link?


----------



## belle032

Discruisin said:


> Saw today where you can book a 7 night Carnival cruise to the Bahamas leaving next week.  Balcony rooms are $120.  Insane.



 It's a good thing we don't live closer to a port because I don't know if I could resist some of these cruise deals


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

Princess cruises has cancelled all operations for 60 days so we are going to wdw.


----------



## belle032

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Princess cruises has cancelled all operations for 60 days so we are going to wdw.



Ugh I'm sorry! I hope you get to cruise when this *hopefully* starts to wind down. WDW should be a great time though!

Can I ask how Princess is handling the cancellations? Is it a future cruise credit, a refund, etc?


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> Ugh I'm sorry! I hope you get to cruise when this *hopefully* starts to wind down. WDW should be a great time though!
> 
> Can I ask how Princess is handling the cancellations? Is it a future cruise credit, a refund, etc?



Depends on how far away your cruise is.  For us it is a choice of 1) 100% refund+100% cruise credit or 2) 225% cruise credit.  We are going with the 225% cruise credit because about half of our payment was in princess gift cards anyway, so the cash refund isn’t as valuable for us.  We buy the gift cards at the grocery and get fuel points.  Also 2% on Disney visa at grocery stores.  My husband is a bit worried Princess will go bankrupt and the cruise credit will be pointless, so who knows.

We happen to have annual passes at wdw this year (first time ever), so switching to wdw wasn’t too expensive for us.

I saw NCL is requiring a doctor’s note to board if you are 70+.  

I hope in a few weeks everything will calm down Crazy times.  Stay healthy and take care to all and keep cruising!


----------



## lklgoodman

I'm in Ohio.  Our governor just announced that ALL schools are closing starting next Monday until at least April 3.  That's a 3 week Spring break for my dd.  Her Spring break wasn't suppose to start until the end of March.  ACCCKKKKK!!!! Back to the store for more wine(I only bought 2 bottles today).  So far we don't have any cases near us, but I'm happy, relieved, and grateful that Governor Dewine is taking this action.  It's gonna be a LONNNNNGGG 3 weeks though!!!


----------



## belle032

Breaking news: Norwegian is "suspending all sailings between March 13 and April 11, 2020."

Is Carnival the only one left? I imagine it can't be far behind. What a mess!


----------



## lklgoodman

Did RC cancel also?  I feel bad for everyone who just had their cruises cancelled.  I understand why, but how sad to think your cruise was happening on Saturday only to find out last night it was cancelled.  Hopefully most people found out before flying all the way to Florida.  I did see DCL is offering a full refund and not just future credit.(refund for cruises that were cancelled until end of March).


----------



## hdrolfe

Carnival, RCL & Celebrity still haven't cancelled. Apparently RCL is not allowing new staff on board though. I imagine it's a matter of time. This is all a bit crazy! I do wonder how NCL will recover, they are already struggling from what I understand. At least they are offering full refunds.

Not being able to come to Canada through July is impacting some cruises as well.

Updated - RCL just announced 30 days as well. So I think it's just Carnival left? RCL is just their US cruises. I am not sure if Celebrity falls under the RCL announcement


----------



## mevelandry

In Quebec, Canada... All schools and child care are now closed for 2 weeks. They ask people who have to go to work and use public transportation —that would be me—  to try to manage our transportation in order to not be cramped like sardines (yeah... good luck with that!) 

All cruises departing from my province are suspended until July.


----------



## hdrolfe

Looks like all cruises from US are being cancelled at the request of the government for the next 30 days. I don't think Carnival has announced how they will handle refunds or credits but I'm sure it will be in line with what the others are doing.


----------



## our two princesses

First confirmed Columbus, Oh Covid-19 case. He got off the Carnival Valor March 5.


----------



## lklgoodman

our two princesses said:


> First confirmed Columbus, Oh Covid-19 case. He got off the Carnival Valor March 5.



Lovely, we live just north of Columbus(Delaware. OH).  My dh works in Columbus.  Hadn't heard about cases from any cruises besides the Princess ones.  Yesterday during Gov. Dewine's press conference they said something like 150 people were being tested.  A reporter asked the doctor about long term consequences.  She said she expects to see a baby boom, since they are asking people to stay home more.


----------



## our two princesses

lklgoodman said:


> Lovely, we live just north of Columbus(Delaware. OH).  My dh works in Columbus.  Hadn't heard about cases from any cruises besides the Princess ones.  Yesterday during Gov. Dewine's press conference they said something like 150 people were being tested.  A reporter asked the doctor about long term consequences.  She said she expects to see a baby boom, since they are asking people to stay home more.



The mayor was just on at 11:00 this morning. Check out 10tv, etc. They got this man’s test result back last night at 8:00 pm.


----------



## lklgoodman

our two princesses said:


> The mayor was just on at 11:00 this morning. Check out 10tv, etc. They got this man’s test result back last night at 8:00 pm.


Thanks for the info.  Hopefully it won't spread as quickly here as it has in other places.  Not looking forward to no school, church, or dance classes for dd, but also glad our Governor took quick action.


----------



## our two princesses

lklgoodman said:


> Thanks for the info.  Hopefully it won't spread as quickly here as it has in other places.  Not looking forward to no school, church, or dance classes for dd, but also glad our Governor took quick action.



Me too and I hope not either. . We are supposed to sale the DCL TA on 5/11. Right now we’re just playing the waiting game, hoping Disney cancels first.


----------



## lklgoodman

our two princesses said:


> Me too and I hope not either. . We are supposed to sale the DCL TA on 5/11. Right now we’re just playing the waiting game, hoping Disney cancels first.



Our next cruise isn't until March 2021, thankfully.  I  feel so bad for everyone who has cruises planned for the next few months.  Hopefully Disney will give you a good deal if they cancel, and won't wait until the last minute to cancel.


----------



## StarSeven7

lklgoodman said:


> I'm in Ohio.  Our governor just announced that ALL schools are closing starting next Monday until at least April 3.  That's a 3 week Spring break for my dd.  Her Spring break wasn't suppose to start until the end of March.  ACCCKKKKK!!!! Back to the store for more wine(I only bought 2 bottles today).  So far we don't have any cases near us, but I'm happy, relieved, and grateful that Governor Dewine is taking this action.  It's gonna be a LONNNNNGGG 3 weeks though!!!


We're in the same boat in Ontario!  First thing I said was, I gotta stock up on alcohol!


----------



## smmco

I’m curious as to why people that are hoping for a cancellation don’t just rebook. Do you never plan on cruising again? I think if I was dead set against sailing. I’d want to reschedule and make new plans and just move on.


----------



## lklgoodman

smmco said:


> I’m curious as to why people that are hoping for a cancellation don’t just rebook. Do you never plan on cruising again? I think if I was dead set against sailing. I’d want to reschedule and make new plans and just move on.



Luckily our next cruise isn't until March 2021.  However, if we had a cruise that was being affected right now, we wouldn't be able to just pick another one right away.  We took our dd out of school when she was in elementary school for 5 years, but now she's in middle school and we won't take her out anymore.  We took her out this past Jan and it was a big mistake.  Also my dh has to put in for vacation time 15 months ahead, so when Disney was making people pick within 12 months, we wouldn't be able to within that time frame.  My dh can't take vacation time off in the summer, so we are now restricted to when dd has school breaks, which I hate!  If we are ever in this situation, I would much prefer a refund.  We would still cruise, but those are just a few reasons for us.  We don't join any cruise meets or do fish exchanges, so I don't need a lot of planning time.


----------



## smmco

lklgoodman said:


> Luckily our next cruise isn't until March 2021.  However, if we had a cruise that was being affected right now, we wouldn't be able to just pick another one right away.  We took our dd out of school when she was in elementary school for 5 years, but now she's in middle school and we won't take her out anymore.  We took her out this past Jan and it was a big mistake.  Also my dh has to put in for vacation time 15 months ahead, so when Disney was making people pick within 12 months, we wouldn't be able to within that time frame.  My dh can't take vacation time off in the summer, so we are now restricted to when dd has school breaks, which I hate!  If we are ever in this situation, I would much prefer a refund.  We would still cruise, but those are just a few reasons for us.  We don't join any cruise meets or do fish exchanges, so I don't need a lot of planning time.


There are people that still want to cruise so personally I wouldn’t keep posting over and over I hope they cancel. Not referring to you. I’d just reschedule and move on or keep it to myself. There‘s not one thread on here anymore where you can plan and discuss your cruise without someone telling you it’s not going to happen. Even if you cruise is 6 months away. Its a little depressing.


----------



## bunnm09

smmco said:


> I’m curious as to why people that are hoping for a cancellation don’t just rebook. Do you never plan on cruising again? I think if I was dead set against sailing. I’d want to reschedule and make new plans and just move on.



Rebooking is off the table for us. We won’t be able to cruise within the next 12 months after our date in April. We will go on April 30 if they sail but if not we are waiting for cancelation so we can get a refund


----------



## lklgoodman

smmco said:


> There are people that still want to cruise so personally I wouldn’t keep posting over and over I hope they cancel. Not referring to you. I’d just reschedule and move on or keep it to myself. There‘s not one thread on here anymore where you can plan and discuss your cruise without someone telling you it’s not going to happen. Even if you cruise is 6 months away. Its a little depressing.



I wonder if a lot of those who are hoping for cancelation are just really stressed about what to do about their cruises.  If DCL cancels then the decision will be made for them and they won't have to worry about it anymore.  After my previous post I remembered that almost all of our 2021 cruise has been paid with Disney gift cards.  So if I were to be in this situation of choosing between refund or rebooking it wouldn't matter.  The refund would just go back to the gift cards anyway.  We won't let this stop us from cruising.  We've been on all the ships accept for the Dream, so still have to go on her some day. I'm hoping once the Wish sails the Dream will do some 7nights.  I don't even care where it sails, I just want a long cruise.  Plus I still want to try out several of the Carnival ships(Vista, Horizon, and Mardi Gras).  It is rather depressing  seeing only posts about the virus.  I've been reading a lot of trip reports instead.  Our next cruise is out of Miami.  I've never been there, so looking for any kind of info I can find.  Where's your next cruise?  If it's a new ship/or places you haven't been to before  post here if you want.  I've found it very helpful and welcoming place.  Even if your cruise is on a ship/place you've done before, post here if you want.  I'd like to hear about it.


----------



## lklgoodman

StarSeven7 said:


> We're in the same boat in Ontario!  First thing I said was, I gotta stock up on alcohol!



My dd found the 5lb bag of Snickers candy bars I bought.  I told her it was for our church's food drive and then I quickly hid it in my room when she was in the shower.  I should be ashamed, but I'm not!!


----------



## smmco

lklgoodman said:


> I wonder if a lot of those who are hoping for cancelation are just really stressed about what to do about their cruises.  If DCL cancels then the decision will be made for them and they won't have to worry about it anymore.  After my previous post I remembered that almost all of our 2021 cruise has been paid with Disney gift cards.  So if I were to be in this situation of choosing between refund or rebooking it wouldn't matter.  The refund would just go back to the gift cards anyway.  We won't let this stop us from cruising.  We've been on all the ships accept for the Dream, so still have to go on her some day. I'm hoping once the Wish sails the Dream will do some 7nights.  I don't even care where it sails, I just want a long cruise.  Plus I still want to try out several of the Carnival ships(Vista, Horizon, and Mardi Gras).  It is rather depressing  seeing only posts about the virus.  I've been reading a lot of trip reports instead.  Our next cruise is out of Miami.  I've never been there, so looking for any kind of info I can find.  Where's your next cruise?  If it's a new ship/or places you haven't been to before  post here if you want.  I've found it very helpful and welcoming place.  Even if your cruise is on a ship/place you've done before, post here if you want.  I'd like to hear about it.


There's a lot of people that have made up there mind they don't want to cruise. They are upset they're not getting a refund only a cruise credit so they want all cruises canceled. If DCL cancels they get their refund. Our cruise is in August out of Copenhagen. Our original cruise on the Carnival Mardi Gras was canceled 3 months ago because the ship won't be finished on time. So yeah I'd really take this cruise. I can understand not wanting to cruise, but wishing for other people's vacations to be ruined I don't get.

I've cruised out of Miami several times and done a number of Caribean cruises so if you have any questions feel free to ask.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

smmco said:


> There's a lot of people that have made up there mind they don't want to cruise. They are upset they're not getting a refund only a cruise credit so they want all cruises canceled. If DCL cancels they get their refund. Our cruise is in August out of Copenhagen. Our original cruise on the Carnival Mardi Gras was canceled 3 months ago because the ship won't be finished on time. So yeah I'd really take this cruise. I can understand not wanting to cruise, but wishing for other people's vacations to be ruined I don't get.
> 
> I've cruised out of Miami several times and done a number of Caribean cruises so if you have any questions feel free to ask.



I hope things get back to normal ASAP.  I personally think everything closing is crazy, but I was sent down the block as a child to catch the chicken pox from a neighbor to get it over and done with.  About 59 million Americans caught the H1N1 flu virus in 2009 and 12,000 people died... and nothing was ever closed.  My son caught it.  The doctor told him to sleep it off and drink Gatorade and that was it.  There is a lot of fear mongering going on in my opinion.


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I hope things get back to normal ASAP.  I personally think everything closing is crazy, but I was sent down the block as a child to catch the chicken pox from a neighbor to get it over and done with.  About 59 million Americans caught the H1N1 flu virus in 2009 and 12,000 people died... and nothing was ever closed.  My son caught it.  The doctor told him to sleep it off and drink Gatorade and that was it.  There is a lot of fear mongering going on in my opinion.


I agree with you and I work in healthcare. Were in the minority on these boards that's for sure. We're going to WDW in late April. I would be Ok pushing that back, hopefully, it doesn't come to that.  Unfortunately, I booked through Costco because they had a great deal at the dolphin. I've heard that getting through to Costco is a nightmare. It might take days.  If something good comes out of this I hope it's that cruise lines and airlines will come up with a way for us to make changes online. 

As a healthcare worker, it would be nice if people had a little faith in our healthcare system and offered some encouragement to those us on the front lines. I'm tired of people telling me we can't handle this. We handle the flu surges every year without any mitigation. We're actually pretty good at it. 
We live in a great country, We have a lot of resources and a lot of money. 

 Potus and congress have made it easier by getting rid of all the stupid regulations and letting us do what we need to do.


Families can do their part too. Like stay home sleep and drink your Gatorade. If you do come to the hospital don't act like an entitled pain in the butt. You are in the hospital not at the Ritz- Carlton. If your family member is in the hospital help out. You don't need a nursing degree to change linen. 

Stay positive. Positive thinking goes a long way. 

And please if you have a surplus of toilet paper...share it with your neighbors.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

smmco said:


> I agree with you and I work in healthcare. Were in the minority on these boards that's for sure. We're going to WDW in late April. I would be Ok pushing that back, hopefully, it doesn't come to that.  Unfortunately, I booked through Costco because they had a great deal at the dolphin. I've heard that getting through to Costco is a nightmare. It might take days.  If something good comes out of this I hope it's that cruise lines and airlines will come up with a way for us to make changes online.
> 
> As a healthcare worker, it would be nice if people had a little faith in our healthcare system and offered some encouragement to those us on the front lines. I'm tired of people telling me we can't handle this. We handle the flu surges every year without any mitigation. We're actually pretty good at it.
> We live in a great country, We have a lot of resources and a lot of money.
> 
> Potus and congress have made it easier by getting rid of all the stupid regulations and letting us do what we need to do.
> 
> 
> Families can do their part too. Like stay home sleep and drink your Gatorade. If you do come to the hospital don't act like an entitled pain in the butt. You are in the hospital not at the Ritz- Carlton. If your family member is in the hospital help out. You don't need a nursing degree to change linen.
> 
> Stay positive. Positive thinking goes a long way.
> 
> And please if you have a surplus of toilet paper...share it with your neighbors.



Most on these boards do seem fearful.  I am not sure why that is.  But we are at wdw right now and everyone is talking about Coronavirus and every single person we have overheard or spoken with is saying how absolutely ridiculous the entire thing is.  Less than 50 people have died in the US at this point and the entire country has shut down.  Unbelievable!  On the diamond princess, the ship where those poor people were stranded for weeks over by Japan, only about 600 of the 3700 people onboard ended up catching it, and 50% of the people who caught it had no symptoms.  As of the most recent information published only 2 people have died— both elderly with chronic pre existing conditions.

By the way, we love the US healthcare system!


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Most on these boards do seem fearful.  I am not sure why that is.  But we are at wdw right now and everyone is talking about Coronavirus and every single person we have overheard or spoken with is saying how absolutely ridiculous the entire thing is.  Less than 50 people have died in the US at this point and the entire country has shut down.  Unbelievable!  On the diamond princess, the ship where those poor people were stranded for weeks over by Japan, only about 600 of the 3700 people onboard ended up catching it, and 50% of the people who caught it had no symptoms.  As of the most recent information published only 2 people have died— both elderly with chronic pre existing conditions.
> 
> By the way, we love the US healthcare system!


Most of my neighbors and co-workers think this is all insane. The media is mind control and people don't even realize it. If the media stopped talking about the Corona Virus all this fear and insanity would go away. The problem with social media is that anyone that doesn't buy into the media hype is attacked.  I think I need to stay off social media for a month. I need a new hobby, a good book, a netflix binge, anything but this nonsense. I usually spend a lot of time planning my trips, but all that's in limbo now.  CC, dis boards, and WDW magic have always been a nice outlet from my stressful job.  Now all these boards are just irritating.  I don't want to think about my job on my days off.

I'm glad you got to go WDW before it closed down. Hopefully, I get to go next month, That will cheer me up more than anything.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I think it is incredibly shortsighted to not as the big picture here. If you work in healthcare then you should be following the CDC and WHO guidelines and NOT telling people to travel and gather in large groups. The entire reason for closing places and quarantine is to help STOP the spread of the illness to more vulnerable people. Just because you are healthy doesn’t mean others around you aren’t. This country is so far behind ever other in testing and quarantine that we have t seen the peak yet.
Now please get back on topic to Carnival cruises.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> I think it is incredibly shortsighted to not as the big picture here. If you work in healthcare then you should be following the CDC and WHO guidelines and NOT telling people to travel and gather in large groups. The entire reason for closing places and quarantine is to help STOP the spread of the illness to more vulnerable people. Just because you are healthy doesn’t mean others around you aren’t. This country is so far behind ever other in testing and quarantine that we have t seen the peak yet.
> Now please get back on topic to Carnival cruises.



Bear in mind that the cdc has said multiple things on this issue and was pressured by the media to take it’s current position.  The Who is a large bureaucratic globalist institution and I approach any thing they publish with skepticism.  I do not dismiss what they say, but I am critical and aware that they have their own agenda.  I do my own research.  If I were elderly or had serious pre existing conditions, I would be worried about this virus.  I was worried when my son caught h1n1.  At the time I had a toddler at home and a newborn, and the doctor said, they have already been exposed at this point just living in the same house. If I were elderly or had serious pre existing conditions, I would avoid places with a lot of people for a while, but I would not stop living my life.  And I don’t think the entire country should be shut down because of it.  Since carnival cruises has suspended operation because of this virus, it has everything to do with the topic.
That being said, I won’t continue here about this, but it is important for EVERYONE to hear other opinions on this topic as opposed to the media line.  It is important for all opinions to have a space, that is what a democracy is.  More and more in this country, only one opinion is allowed. All other opinions are shut down.


----------



## smmco

I would love to talk about cruises. Everytime I try I get told it’s not going happen. Cruiselines will shut down for months, How dare you worry about a vacation when people are  going to die, The healthcare system will be over run, we don’t have enough vents  blah blah blah. 
If Anyone wants to talk about a cruise I’m all for it.


----------



## hdrolfe

I am just really hoping things are back to normal sooner than later... I have a cruise booked for December and am so looking forward to it! I had been thinking of booking something for May but given current situation, and the fact I may need to use an extra two weeks of vacation since schools will be closed, that doesn't look like it will happen. 

I am super sad about having cancelled my March break cruise, we should be on a cruise ship today  but I am glad I cancelled in December for other reasons so I'm not in FLL or something. I will have to rebook that missed one someday, Aruba and Curacao are calling to me  But in the meantime I have a Western to look forward to! I want to climb Dunn's river falls so badly. I have 266 days until that cruise, and it's time to step up my WW game, and start walking so I'm in shape to do it. We are really excited for the Carnival Horizon and the Family Harbor area.


----------



## smmco

I still have a credit on Carnival to use from our cancelled cruise. I’m thinking I should wait a while prices should drop.


----------



## hdrolfe

smmco said:


> I still have a credit on Carnival to use from our cancelled cruise. I’m thinking I should wait a while prices should drop.



I think some are, but it depends how far out you want to look. I know for my December cruise they seem to be holding steady, but they are opening cabins in a weird way, for instance when I check for two people I can see and book a cabin that holds 3 or 4... Carnival doesn't really normally do that so it's odd. I see bigger drops on RCL cruises for up to May though, some of their prices have really dropped.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

smmco said:


> I would love to talk about cruises. Everytime I try I get told it’s not going happen. Cruiselines will shut down for months, How dare you worry about a vacation when people are  going to die, The healthcare system will be over run, we don’t have enough vents  blah blah blah.
> If Anyone wants to talk about a cruise I’m all for it.


I’m ready for our cruise, got my shirt on and everything, filled out apps for kids new passports, going tomorrow to our TSA Pre-check appt and apply for new passports. Will definitely cruise in June


----------



## smmco

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’m ready for our cruise, got my shirt on and everything, filled out apps for kids new passports, going tomorrow to our TSA Pre-check appt and apply for new passports. Will definitely cruise in JuneView attachment 481099


We just got the kids new passports. Next time they’re paying for their own.
If Disney cancel cruises in May. I think they’ll still sail over to Europe minus passengers to finish out the season. If they don’t for some reason then I’ll book NCL. That will be my third attempt at a Baltic cruise this Summer. 
I’m probably one of the few that thinks they’re only going to sit this out 30 days. This is the one time I’d be in favor of bailouts for the travel industry since this was imposed on them by the government.


----------



## sethschroeder

smmco said:


> As a healthcare worker, it would be nice if people had a little faith in our healthcare system and offered some encouragement to those us on the front lines. I'm tired of people telling me we can't handle this. We handle the flu surges every year without any mitigation. We're actually pretty good at it.



You thinking you can handle it because of the flu and being able to handle it are different. Also you live in one location in a tiny corner of the US. Which doesn't mean my area  or others have the ICU bed space to handle an influx of cases with an unchecked virus spread. 

By the way what do you call the flu shot? That isn't mitigation? That isn't trying to prevent a larger outbreak of the worst strains of the flu virus? Or should people forget about getting the flu vaccine?


----------



## hdrolfe

Oh right, I have to renew kiddo's passport! It expired in December so we'll need a new one for the next trip. I hope I can convince him to get a haircut before we do the picture, he has such a mop of hair lol. At least mine is good 5 years more.


----------



## smmco

sethschroeder said:


> You thinking you can handle it because of the flu and being able to handle it are different. Also you live in one location in a tiny corner of the US. Which doesn't mean my area  or others have the ICU bed space to handle an influx of cases with an unchecked virus spread.
> 
> By the way what do you call the flu shot? That isn't mitigation? That isn't trying to prevent a larger outbreak of the worst strains of the flu virus? Or should people forget about getting the flu vaccine?


There’s a corona virus thread where you can discuss vaccines. It would be nice if we could keep this thread about our upcoming cruises.


----------



## sethschroeder

hdrolfe said:


> Oh right, I have to renew kiddo's passport! It expired in December so we'll need a new one for the next trip. I hope I can convince him to get a haircut before we do the picture, he has such a mop of hair lol. At least mine is good 5 years more.



How old is he? Can you say the Government requires it lol.


----------



## sethschroeder

smmco said:


> There’s a corona virus thread where you can discuss vaccines. It would be nice if we could keep this thread about our upcoming cruises.



And I quoted YOUR post to respond to. I will leave it at that.


----------



## smmco

hdrolfe said:


> Oh right, I have to renew kiddo's passport! It expired in December so we'll need a new one for the next trip. I hope I can convince him to get a haircut before we do the picture, he has such a mop of hair lol. At least mine is good 5 years more.


Once they turn 16 it’s good for 10 years. My sons 151/2 but we couldn’t wait.


----------



## smmco

sethschroeder said:


> And I quoted YOUR post to respond to. I will leave it at that.


Thank you.


----------



## hdrolfe

sethschroeder said:


> How old is he? Can you say the Government requires it lol.





smmco said:


> Once they turn 16 it’s good for 10 years. My sons 151/2 but we couldn’t wait.



He is 10, he'll be turning 11 on the cruise in December. I guess he'll need a few before he can go to the 10-year ones. I do like the Government required haircut for the picture lol. He might fall for it.


----------



## smmco

hdrolfe said:


> He is 10, he'll be turning 11 on the cruise in December. I guess he'll need a few before he can go to the 10-year ones. I do like the Government required haircut for the picture lol. He might fall for it.


I made my 17 year old shave. I told him you can’t have facial hair in a passport picture. I don’t know if that’s true, but it got him to shave.


----------



## smmco

error


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

We are still in wdw and the last night the parks were open I was shocked to see the cast members lining the streets as we walked out of Hollywood studios at the end of the night.  There was music playing and it was very emotional.  All employees were there, front and back of the house:  gift shop cast members, food service, chefs, maintenance workers, fireworks employees in jumpsuits, management, all waving, most of them CRYING,  saying, “bye,” and, “see ya real soon.”  Made me cry too— and I never cry!!  
There are still a lot of visitors here and the cast members are just wonderful.  Everything closes Friday.  We are the last men standing.  Holding the line.  Lol


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We are still in wdw and the last night the parks were open I was shocked to see the cast members lining the streets as we walked out of Hollywood studios at the end of the night.  There was music playing and it was very emotional.  All employees were there, front and back of the house:  gift shop cast members, food service, chefs, maintenance workers, fireworks employees in jumpsuits, management, all waving, most of them CRYING,  saying, “bye,” and, “see ya real soon.”  Made me cry too— and I never cry!!
> There are still a lot of visitors here and the cast members are just wonderful.  Everything closes Friday.  We are the last men standing.  Holding the line.  Lol


I'm glad you're having a good time. We'll be there on April 28. I owe 2500 in taxes if we can defer tax payments for 90 days like Mnuchin was talking about today. I might throw in a three-day cruise or a couple of days at Universal. I'll do my part to put money back in the economy LOL.


----------



## belle032

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We are still in wdw and the last night the parks were open I was shocked to see the cast members lining the streets as we walked out of Hollywood studios at the end of the night.  There was music playing and it was very emotional.  All employees were there, front and back of the house:  gift shop cast members, food service, chefs, maintenance workers, fireworks employees in jumpsuits, management, all waving, most of them CRYING,  saying, “bye,” and, “see ya real soon.”  Made me cry too— and I never cry!!
> There are still a lot of visitors here and the cast members are just wonderful.  Everything closes Friday.  We are the last men standing.  Holding the line.  Lol



Aww I'm a former College Program CM and WDW CM and it's just heartbreaking that it's all "ending"! And I saw so many posts and videos on FB about the college program CMs being made to leave....so sad to watch! I understand why it has to be done, but it's such a shame. 

I hope you have had a great time, even under the crazy circumstances. I imagine it's a much different atomosphere than normal. Enjoy the time you have left!


----------



## smmco

belle032 said:


> Aww I'm a former College Program CM and WDW CM and it's just heartbreaking that it's all "ending"! And I saw so many posts and videos on FB about the college program CMs being made to leave....so sad to watch! I understand why it has to be done, but it's such a shame.
> 
> I hope you have had a great time, even under the crazy circumstances. I imagine it's a much different atomosphere than normal. Enjoy the time you have left!


Do they live in dorm style housing? I’m wondering why they had to shut program down.


----------



## belle032

smmco said:


> Do they live in dorm style housing? I’m wondering why they had to shut program down.



Yes, when I was there there were 3 apartment complexes and you lived with at least 3 other people in the same apartment. Shared bedrooms like a dorm. The International program had its own complex as well. I think with everything closed they had no “good” reason to keep the program going. Meaning they probably don’t want to pay thousands of college kids to just sit there. I also imagine those apartments would become a big liability in terms of spreading sickness. It’s too bad no matter how you look at it.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm
Just to give everyone a bit of “off topic” perspective, yesterday the cdc released their 2019-2020 weekly seasonal flu report, which by the way, big surprise, did not make media headlines.  So far THIS 2019-2020 season, direct quote: “CDC estimates that so far this season, there have been at least 36 million flu illnesses, 370,000 hospitalizations, and 22,000 deaths from flu.”

Those are USA numbers. Not world numbers.


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm
> Just to give everyone a bit of “off topic” perspective, yesterday the cdc released their 2019-2020 weekly seasonal flu report, which by the way, big surprise, did not make media headlines.  So far THIS 2019-2020 season, direct quote: “CDC estimates that so far this season, there have been at least 36 million flu illnesses, 370,000 hospitalizations, and 22,000 deaths from flu.”
> 
> Those are USA numbers. Not world numbers.


And this was a mild flu season. 
I hope you stocked up on toilet paper before you left. My biggest concern in life is where I'm going to find toilet paper when I run out in two weeks. I know first world problems. LOL.


----------



## wombat_5606

we"reofftoneverland said:


> https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm
> Just to give everyone a bit of “off topic” perspective, yesterday the cdc released their 2019-2020 weekly seasonal flu report, which by the way, big surprise, did not make media headlines.  So far THIS 2019-2020 season, direct quote: “CDC estimates that so far this season, there have been at least 36 million flu illnesses, 370,000 hospitalizations, and 22,000 deaths from flu.”
> 
> Those are USA numbers. Not world numbers.



Saw something the other day that I agree with. When this is all over, we will never know if we overreacted to this pandemic, but there will be a way to know if we under reacted.

We have a flu vaccine and we have treatment for seasonal flu and most of the deaths are attributed to people that don't get vaccinated.

But maybe some additional information, just some food for thought from a friend of mine that has now retired from a career in a top position at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, TN. 


Flatten the curve !! 

Understanding COVID-19.....simply A complex disease

Feeling confused as to why Coronavirus is a bigger deal than Seasonal flu? Here it is in a nutshell. I hope this helps. Feel free to share this to others who don’t understand...

It has to do with RNA sequencing.... i.e. genetics.

Seasonal flu is an “all human virus”. The DNA/RNA chains that make up the virus are recognized by the human immune system. This means that your body has some immunity to it before it comes around each year... you get immunity two ways...through exposure to a virus, or by getting a flu shot.

Novel viruses, come from animals.... the WHO tracks novel viruses in animals, (sometimes for years watching for mutations). Usually these viruses only transfer from animal to animal (pigs in the case of H1N1) (birds in the case of the Spanish flu). But once, one of these animal viruses mutates, and starts to transfer from animals to humans... then it’s a problem, Why? Because we have no natural or acquired immunity.. the RNA sequencing of the genes inside the virus isn’t human, and the human immune system doesn’t recognize it so, we can’t fight it off.

Now.... sometimes, the mutation only allows transfer from animal to human, for years it’s only transmission is from an infected animal to a human before it finally mutates so that it can now transfer human to human... once that happens..we have a new contagion phase. And depending on the fashion of this new mutation, thats what decides how contagious, or how deadly it’s gonna be..
H1N1 was deadly....but it did not mutate in a way that was as deadly as the Spanish flu. It’s RNA was slower to mutate and it attacked its host differently, too.

Fast forward.
Now, here comes this Coronavirus... it existed in animals only, for nobody knows how long...but one day, at an animal market, in Wuhan China, in December 2019, it mutated and made the jump from animal to people. At first, only animals could give it to a person... But here is the scary part.... in just TWO WEEKS it mutated again and gained the ability to jump from human to human. Scientists call this quick ability, “slippery”
This Coronavirus, not being in any form a “human” virus (whereas we would all have some natural or acquired immunity). Took off like a rocket. And this was because, Humans have no known immunity...doctors have no known medicines for it.
And it just so happens that this particular mutated animal virus, changed itself in such a way the way that it causes great damage to human lungs..
That’s why Coronavirus is different from seasonal flu, or H1N1 or any other type of influenza.... this one is slippery.  And it’s a lung eater...And, it’s already mutated AGAIN, so that we now have two strains to deal with, strain s, and strain L....which makes it twice as hard to develop a vaccine.

We really have no tools in our shed, with this. History has shown that fast and immediate closings of public places has helped in the past pandemics. Philadelphia and Baltimore were reluctant to close events in 1918 and they were the hardest hit in the US during the Spanish Flu.

And let me end by saying....right now it’s hitting older folks harder... but this genome is so slippery...if it mutates again (and it will). Who is to say, what it will do next.

#flattenthecurve. Stay home folks... and share this to those that just are not catching on.
Stay safe


----------



## smmco

And back to regularly scheduled programming.....
I’ve been looking at Carnival cruises. I think I’m going to stick with the Mardi Gras . I’m starting to wonder if it will be delayed again  due to the shut downs. I was considering a December cruise, but I hate to book again and have it cancelled. 
I think have about a month before I’ll be able to get through on the phones to book anything.


----------



## hdrolfe

smmco said:


> And back to regularly scheduled programming.....
> I’ve been looking at Carnival cruises. I think I’m going to stick with the Mardi Gras . I’m starting to wonder if it will be delayed again  due to the shut downs. I was considering a December cruise, but I hate to book again and have it cancelled.
> I think have about a month before I’ll be able to get through on the phones to book anything.



I always book online, but if you have special circumstances or book through a TA then I guess you'd need to call. Mardi Gras looks amazing and I hope to book one on there, but probably not for a bit. I have Horizon booked in December and given the drop in CAD I will probably not be able to afford another one too closely after that. Any way! I'd assume a longer delay on Mardi Gras, though of course that could be way off and it'll be ready on time. I'd hate to get cancelled on and have to adjust from that.


----------



## smmco

hdrolfe said:


> I always book online, but if you have special circumstances or book through a TA then I guess you'd need to call. Mardi Gras looks amazing and I hope to book one on there, but probably not for a bit. I have Horizon booked in December and given the drop in CAD I will probably not be able to afford another one too closely after that. Any way! I'd assume a longer delay on Mardi Gras, though of course that could be way off and it'll be ready on time. I'd hate to get cancelled on and have to adjust from that.


I get 1500 off our two rooms because our original Mardi Gras Baltic cruise was cancelled. Yeah I have to call. 
I know people on my cruise booked the next inaugural cruise in Nov. I wonder how that works if you get cancelled twice.


----------



## hdrolfe

smmco said:


> I get 1500 off our two rooms because our original Mardi Gras Baltic cruise was cancelled. Yeah I have to call.
> I know people on my cruise booked the next inaugural cruise in Nov. I wonder how that works if you get cancelled twice.



I imagine they'd get an even bigger amount off or obc? Yeah I'd probably wait to call if I were you, but probably not too long in case prices start to climb again. Do you have a PVP you can call? Might be easier to get through than calling the regular 800 number.


----------



## smmco

hdrolfe said:


> I imagine they'd get an even bigger amount off or obc? Yeah I'd probably wait to call if I were you, but probably not too long in case prices start to climb again. Do you have a PVP you can call? Might be easier to get through than calling the regular 800 number.


I'm not in a super big hurry. I'm still worried about my Europe cruise this Summer, We're on a DCL Baltic cruise this August and it's fully paid for. If Disney doesn't extend the 24-hour cancellation to August I may have to temporarily move my cruise out to a dummy cruise.  Take a wait and see approach and then move it back.  I'm not concerned about the virus being a problem. I'm starting to getting a little concerned about what the economic situation is going to look like over there. I do think Northern Europe will fare better than Southern Europe. My flights and hotels are all booked with points and fully refundable.

I just wish DCL would extend the cancellation policy until the end of Summer such as NCL did. If everything falls through my son wants to do the Panama cruise in November that would mean maybe doing a Carnival cruise next Spring.

I'm also going to book a room at WDW in June just in case they don't open back up in April and I have to reschedule that. Thankfully we don't have to worry about losing our jobs through all this. Worrying about vacations seems wrong, but it relieves a lot of stress. I'm really starting to get worried about the economy.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

https://www.epicentro.iss.it/coronavirus/bollettino/Report-COVID-2019_17_marzo-v2.pdf
More “off topic” perspective: According to a new Italian study dated March 17, 2020, the average age of those who have died from the Coronavirus in Italy is 80 and 99% had pre-existing conditions. 

How about we just get this high risk group to quarantine instead of shutting down the entire economy?

Why are car manufacturers like Ford, GM, and Chrysler shutting down in the US?  Makes no sense.  Why is a sheriff in California threatening to shut down a Tesla plant that is still operating?  There is no evidence that these private enterprises have anything to do with the threat of Coronavirus.  At this rate, there won’t be a cruise industry to sail with.  Why?  Because of a really bad pneumonia that is rarely deadly?

#doyourownresearch


----------



## wombat_5606

we"reofftoneverland said:


> https://www.epicentro.iss.it/coronavirus/bollettino/Report-COVID-2019_17_marzo-v2.pdf
> More “off topic” perspective: According to a new Italian study dated March 17, 2020, the average age of those who have died from the Coronavirus in Italy is 80 and 99% had pre-existing conditions.
> 
> How about we just get this high risk group to quarantine instead of shutting down the entire economy?
> 
> Why are car manufacturers like Ford, GM, and Chrysler shutting down in the US?  Makes no sense.  Why is a sheriff in California threatening to shut down a Tesla plant that is still operating?  There is no evidence that these private enterprises have anything to do with the threat of Coronavirus.  At this rate, there won’t be a cruise industry to sail with.  Why?  Because of a really bad pneumonia that is rarely deadly?
> 
> #doyourownresearch



https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/18...of-risk-confirms-young-adults-not-invincible/


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> https://www.epicentro.iss.it/coronavirus/bollettino/Report-COVID-2019_17_marzo-v2.pdf
> More “off topic” perspective: According to a new Italian study dated March 17, 2020, the average age of those who have died from the Coronavirus in Italy is 80 and 99% had pre-existing conditions.
> 
> How about we just get this high risk group to quarantine instead of shutting down the entire economy?
> 
> Why are car manufacturers like Ford, GM, and Chrysler shutting down in the US?  Makes no sense.  Why is a sheriff in California threatening to shut down a Tesla plant that is still operating?  There is no evidence that these private enterprises have anything to do with the threat of Coronavirus.  At this rate, there won’t be a cruise industry to sail with.  Why?  Because of a really bad pneumonia that is rarely deadly?
> 
> #doyourownresearch


I've read about something like this happening for years, but never really thought it would happen and it happened so quickly. I'm not talking about the virus. I'm talking about economic collapse and taking away our civil liberties. Probably not a rabbit hole I want to go down not on these boards.

I read on another forum that when WDW reopens they may do it in a limited capacity. No parades, shows or fireworks, virtual lines, restaurants at 50% capacity, only online ordering at quick service. These are some of the ideas they are throwing around.


----------



## AquaDame

We need to keep this thread on topic please. If you wish to discuss the virus please take it over to the community board.


----------



## lklgoodman

I have a question for those who have cruised from Miami.  What hotel/transport did you use?  Any that you would recommend or never use again?  I'm looking at Miami Comfort Inn and Suites because they provide a shuttle to the port and I can also book transport to the airport after the cruise.  They don't have any pics on their website, so can't tell how nice/yucky it is.  Whenever we cruise out of PC, I usually book somewhere with a nice pool since we usually get a morning flight and a lot of time to relax at a pool.  We won't be able to get direct flights into Miami, so won't have much time at the hotel.  But I still want something clean and non-smoking and pet free(asthma and allergies).  So, if you read all this any recommendations?  Thanks


----------



## smmco

lklgoodman said:


> I have a question for those who have cruised from Miami.  What hotel/transport did you use?  Any that you would recommend or never use again?  I'm looking at Miami Comfort Inn and Suites because they provide a shuttle to the port and I can also book transport to the airport after the cruise.  They don't have any pics on their website, so can't tell how nice/yucky it is.  Whenever we cruise out of PC, I usually book somewhere with a nice pool since we usually get a morning flight and a lot of time to relax at a pool.  We won't be able to get direct flights into Miami, so won't have much time at the hotel.  But I still want something clean and non-smoking and pet free(asthma and allergies).  So, if you read all this any recommendations?  Thanks


The airport is very close to the port. I would Uber or taxi. As far as hotels I’ve stayed at Embassy suites and hyatt house near the airport and Hilton Garden Inn on south beach. South beach is a good distance. Anything downtown or near the airport is going to be close to the port.


----------



## lklgoodman

smmco said:


> The airport is very close to the port. I would Uber or taxi. As far as hotels I’ve stayed at Embassy suites and hyatt house near the airport and Hilton Garden Inn on south beach. South beach is a good distance. Anything downtown or near the airport is going to be close to the port.



Thanks for the info.  I originally thought about staying at a beach resort, but most likely we won't arrive until early evening so we wouldn't have time for the beach.  I wish Southwest would fly to Miami, I know they fly to Fort Lauderdale, but I haven't been able to convince my dh to fly there and then rent a car.  Will just have to wait until I can book flights to see where I can find best deal.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

lklgoodman said:


> Thanks for the info.  I originally thought about staying at a beach resort, but most likely we won't arrive until early evening so we wouldn't have time for the beach.  I wish Southwest would fly to Miami, I know they fly to Fort Lauderdale, but I haven't been able to convince my dh to fly there and then rent a car.  Will just have to wait until I can book flights to see where I can find best deal.


I've flown to FLL for a Miami cruise.  We used a shuttle service to our hotel (once SAS Transportation and once Larrys Limos).  Both on time and fine.


----------



## wombat_5606

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ETf55j9XYAA3Pm_?format=jpg&name=900x900
Carnival is offering their ships as temporary hospitals


----------



## hdrolfe

I would probably fly into FLL if it is cheaper. Stay near the airport and use SAS or one of the other services. It is only an hour or so from FLL to port of Miami, and hotels there are often cheaper.


----------



## lklgoodman

hdrolfe said:


> I would probably fly into FLL if it is cheaper. Stay near the airport and use SAS or one of the other services. It is only an hour or so from FLL to port of Miami, and hotels there are often cheaper.



That's what I want to do.  We can get a direct flight on SW if we fly into FLL.  I just have to convince my dh to do it that way.  I do all the planning and bookings for our trips, so I should just book how I want and tell him it is the only option! Lol. Our cruise isn't until 2021, so a long time away and who knows what airlines will be doing then.


----------



## lklgoodman

wombat_5606 said:


> https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ETf55j9XYAA3Pm_?format=jpg&name=900x900
> Carnival is offering their ships as temporary hospitals



I think they have done this before after natural disasters.  Glad to see them helping again.


----------



## hdrolfe

lklgoodman said:


> That's what I want to do.  We can get a direct flight on SW if we fly into FLL.  I just have to convince my dh to do it that way.  I do all the planning and bookings for our trips, so I should just book how I want and tell him it is the only option! Lol. Our cruise isn't until 2021, so a long time away and who knows what airlines will be doing then.



Since the two airports and ports are so close together (I mean they are like an hour apart, so about the same as flying into MCO and cruising from Port Canaveral) it is really common to fly into whichever is cheaper. There are a few transportation services for shared or private between them. So for sure, go with whatever is easier/cheaper! It is a lot easier for us to get to FLL so that's what I am planning to do for my December cruise. Which I am really looking forward to. Planning is a big part of the fun of the trip though!


----------



## smmco

I cruised out of FLL in Feb and flew home out of MCO. The flight was at 145. We rented a car for 38.00 dollars and we’re at MCO at 1200. We have TSA PreCheck.   This was on Royal and deembarkation seemed a lot smoother. The rental car is less than a minute away. I’m not sure I’d recommend this but it was are only option at the time.


----------



## smmco

Good News. DCL just extended their cancellation policy on August cruises to 30 days out. Now I can relax see what happens and change things if we have to. My time off is approved and we will take some cruise during that time period.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’m ready for our cruise, got my shirt on and everything, filled out apps for kids new passports, going tomorrow to our TSA Pre-check appt and apply for new passports. Will definitely cruise in JuneView attachment 481099


I hope you will be able to cruise!


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> I have a question for those who have cruised from Miami.  What hotel/transport did you use?  Any that you would recommend or never use again?  I'm looking at Miami Comfort Inn and Suites because they provide a shuttle to the port and I can also book transport to the airport after the cruise.  They don't have any pics on their website, so can't tell how nice/yucky it is.  Whenever we cruise out of PC, I usually book somewhere with a nice pool since we usually get a morning flight and a lot of time to relax at a pool.  We won't be able to get direct flights into Miami, so won't have much time at the hotel.  But I still want something clean and non-smoking and pet free(asthma and allergies).  So, if you read all this any recommendations?  Thanks



For our last cruise departing from Miami, we stayed at The Epic. I got a great price for it through Hotwire.

Then we took a cab to the port. It was really close so it did not cost us much.


----------



## wombat_5606

You can think what you want. This is not a cold. It is not seasonal flu. It is changing/damaging lungs in people.




AquaDame said:


> We need to keep this thread on topic please. If you wish to discuss the virus please take it over to the community board.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I hope you will be able to cruise!


Me too!!  I hope we all can continue with our cruising passion soon. Until then, I think I’m going to go buy some puzzles to occupy my time.


----------



## smmco

Netflix has added a lot of movies if anyone’s bored. 
At least five of my coworkers husbands have already been laid off. Things are getting bad quickly.


----------



## lklgoodman

Our town has a lot of family owned restaurants.  Yesterday while driving I noticed all the signs saying they were still open for take out orders.   We don't normally go out for dinner very often, but have decided we are going to order from the different restaurants at least 2 or 3 times each week.  Luckily my dh hasn't been laid off yet, which is quite shocking since just about all other businesses are closed here.  I saw Disney is putting the movie Outward(I think that's the name) on their new streaming service.  We don't have Netflix or any other streaming services, but may have to get Disney's if school stays closed into April.  It's been a long week already!!! God bless all school teachers, this new math system is killing me!


----------



## lklgoodman

Anyone else here in Ohio?  My neighbor said the governor hinted that schools will be probably be closed for rest of the year. My dd misses her friends and teachers. Her sweet teachers have posted messages every day to let the kids know they miss them. She has the best middle school teachers. I'm going to need a really long cruise once this is over with! Won't even care where it goes to, just let me see the ocean! I think I'm going to watch Moana tonight!


----------



## AquaDame

wombat_5606 said:


> You can think what you want. This is not a cold. It is not seasonal flu. It is changing/damaging lungs in people.



Not sure you meant to quote me..? I've never argued against treating this seriously. Let's stay on topic please.


----------



## wombat_5606

AquaDame said:


> Not sure you meant to quote me..? I've never argued against treating this seriously. Let's stay on topic please.



Sorry, didn't mean to quote you.


----------



## belle032

Off topic, but travel related. If you have any Southwest flights booked for this year, I'd check them. Everything is changing, reducing, being disrupted, etc. We have a round trip flight in June to St. Louis for a wedding and I was able to change it due to "extenuating circumstances that might cause a disruption" to our flights. And the flight choices offered now are drastically reduced. I'm not sure what's going to happen in June, but will just have to wait and see.

I also have flights booked in September/October for our planned WDW trip and again, options are majorly reduced now. I had planned 3 one-way trips due to a stop in Atlanta before flying to Orlando. Now, there are zero options to fly from home into Atlanta on the date I need. And Atlanta is a huge airport. So as of right now we're going to have to fly a different airline to get down. We're still able to fly ATL-MCO with no issue, but on our flight from from MCO, there is now ONE option listed (which is what we originally booked on) instead of the 7-8 there were before.  

I'm just at a point now where I'm praying to everything that is holy we will get to go to WDW this September!


----------



## smmco

belle032 said:


> Off topic, but travel related. If you have any Southwest flights booked for this year, I'd check them. Everything is changing, reducing, being disrupted, etc. We have a round trip flight in June to St. Louis for a wedding and I was able to change it due to "extenuating circumstances that might cause a disruption" to our flights. And the flight choices offered now are drastically reduced. I'm not sure what's going to happen in June, but will just have to wait and see.
> 
> I also have flights booked in September/October for our planned WDW trip and again, options are majorly reduced now. I had planned 3 one-way trips due to a stop in Atlanta before flying to Orlando. Now, there are zero options to fly from home into Atlanta on the date I need. And Atlanta is a huge airport. So as of right now we're going to have to fly a different airline to get down. We're still able to fly ATL-MCO with no issue, but on our flight from from MCO, there is now ONE option listed (which is what we originally booked on) instead of the 7-8 there were before.
> 
> I'm just at a point now where I'm praying to everything that is holy we will get to go to WDW this September!


The airlines will most likely get a bailout to get them through the next couple of months. After that, there will be mass layoffs, reduced flights,  and capacity. I don't know how long it will take the airlines to recover from this it's worse the 9/11. In the meantime, I would expect flight selection to be slim pickings  over the next year or two. Take what you can get.


----------



## mevelandry

My friends and I decided to report our decision (regarding our December trip) to September. We’re praying and hoping we’ll be back to « normal life » by that time. So far, we are more on the optimistic side: we think this crisis will make cruising even safer than it used to be. 

Other than that, DH and I are just trying to take care of ourselves, of our finances (!) and dreaming of seeing the ocean again.


----------



## JaimeInParker

we are scheduled for Eastbound Panama Canal in November and hope that we will be sailing but as the saying goes "Man Plans Things but G-d Decides"


----------



## DIS_MIKE

From the Carnival President


----------



## hdrolfe

Looks like RCL is cancelling another month of cruises, Carnival has said they'll announce their plans by the end of this week.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

__
		http://instagr.am/p/B-F0GlSDTIY/

Looks like we’re all completely bored out of our minds now lol


----------



## trvlgirlmq

hdrolfe said:


> Looks like RCL is cancelling another month of cruises, Carnival has said they'll announce their plans by the end of this week.


On CC it was noted that they are not making their announcement until March 30.  Logistics must be a nightmare.

We decided to fully cancel our summer Hawaii trip  With my mom's asthma and recent bout of pneumonia it is not safe for her.  The 14 day quarantine for all arrivals does not help either.  I am hoping to be able to get a refund on airfare and we know we should get most of the condo money back. Our October cruise is up in the air.  We will make a decision before final payment in July.  If we can't go anywhere this year and have to wait until summer 2021 it will be almost 2 years between vacations!  I might hurt someone if I don't get away from my job, house, life!


----------



## monica9

we sail on Carnival's Radiance July 20. It was supposed to take 4 weeks to build in Spain (from and old ship) which they stopped. I'm hoping if the ship isn't ready but cruise lines are able to sail that they will let us cruise on one of their docked ships. Our cruise is 113 days away. I have faith things will be up and running by then.


----------



## belle032

I know everything is so subjective, but is anyone booking cruises for later this year? And when they start back up do you think they'll be any different? I've heard speculation from Carnival about "cruises to nowhere" and the like. Super interesting.

I am crossing fingers we get to WDW in September, but now I'm just wondering if they'll even offer any discounts or it will be more crowded than normal. I've booked flights but haven't booked an actual package yet. I Our next booked cruise is not til September 2021 so I'm not too worried there.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> I know everything is so subjective, but is anyone booking cruises for later this year? And when they start back up do you think they'll be any different? I've heard speculation from Carnival about "cruises to nowhere" and the like. Super interesting.
> 
> I am crossing fingers we get to WDW in September, but now I'm just wondering if they'll even offer any discounts or it will be more crowded than normal. I've booked flights but haven't booked an actual package yet. I Our next booked cruise is not til September 2021 so I'm not too worried there.


I’m not sure I want to cruise anytime soon. Without a full lockdown so many city or states still have too many people out an about. My mom and niece have weakened lungs and I can’t risk being infected and passing it on to them.


----------



## lklgoodman

belle032 said:


> I know everything is so subjective, but is anyone booking cruises for later this year? And when they start back up do you think they'll be any different? I've heard speculation from Carnival about "cruises to nowhere" and the like. Super interesting.
> 
> I am crossing fingers we get to WDW in September, but now I'm just wondering if they'll even offer any discounts or it will be more crowded than normal. I've booked flights but haven't booked an actual package yet. I Our next booked cruise is not til September 2021 so I'm not too worried there.



Our next cruise isn't until March 2021.  I'm slightly concerned that there may not be a vaccine by then.  My dh has is still going into work since his work is considered essential work.  My dd  and I are going on our 3rd week of staying home and going slightly crazy.  Tomorrow starts Spring break, so no common core math for the week, Yippppee!  I figure we'll all probably still get the virus since dh has to go into work and comes into contact with people from all over the country.  He's taking precautions, just not sure how well they will work.  My dd has asthma so I'm worried for her, but not for myself.  I'd love to go somewhere, but we also don't know what the schools will be doing.  I'm pretty sure the rest of this year is a bust.  I wonder if they will just start next year at the usual time, or try to have kids come back some in June or July to finish this year(if it's safe by then).  Next year is the first time we're booked to do our cruise during Spring break.  I had a horrible thought that the school system cancels or changes next year's Spring break time and we won't be able to go on the cruise.  I wish TripAdvisor would stop sending me emails.  Round trip flights to Grand Caymans for $130!!  If we didn't have to deal with dd missing school, then I'd definitely go on a trip once I felt safe to do so.  We have an OV cabin booked for our cruise, I'm thinking about switching it to a verandah, not sure though.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> __
> http://instagr.am/p/B-F0GlSDTIY/
> 
> Looks like we’re all completely bored out of our minds now lol



From now on, we need someone singing this exact song at a hand washing station before entering the buffet.


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> I know everything is so subjective, but is anyone booking cruises for later this year? And when they start back up do you think they'll be any different? I've heard speculation from Carnival about "cruises to nowhere" and the like. Super interesting.
> 
> I am crossing fingers we get to WDW in September, but now I'm just wondering if they'll even offer any discounts or it will be more crowded than normal. I've booked flights but haven't booked an actual package yet. I Our next booked cruise is not til September 2021 so I'm not too worried there.



I have one booked for December and am hoping we will be able to go. Other than perhaps more awareness of hand washing, I doubt they will be much different. I imagine cruises to nowhere will replace some of the summer offerings that can't go on due to Canada's closed ports? I'm not sure I would be interested, we like a sea day or two but we cruise to see new places so ports and excursions are what makes the cruise for us. 

I will say, after being stuck at home and having to cook all the meals for two weeks already, with no real end in sight... I look forward to a vacation where I don't have to do any of that! If it was just me I'd probably be having cereal and popcorn for meals but I have a very fussy 10-year-old.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

belle032 said:


> I know everything is so subjective, but is anyone booking cruises for later this year? And when they start back up do you think they'll be any different? I've heard speculation from Carnival about "cruises to nowhere" and the like. Super interesting.
> 
> I am crossing fingers we get to WDW in September, but now I'm just wondering if they'll even offer any discounts or it will be more crowded than normal. I've booked flights but haven't booked an actual package yet. I Our next booked cruise is not til September 2021 so I'm not too worried there.


We are ready to get on a ship as soon as they open for business!  Again, we do not have health issues, and the numbers do not scare us.  I get that others feel differently.   For us, the panic is worse than the disease.   We have panorama booked for end of June but I am not hopeful.  We are thinking about shifting it to a cruise in August because that looks more likely.

Italy has had about 11000 deaths from covid.  They average 23000 deaths yearly from the flu.


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We are ready to get on a ship as soon as they open for business!  Again, we do not have health issues, and the numbers do not scare us.  I get that others feel differently.   For us, the panic is worse than the disease.   We have panorama booked for end of June but I am not hopeful.  We are thinking about shifting it to a cruise in August because that looks more likely.
> 
> Italy has had about 11000 deaths from covid.  They average 23000 deaths yearly from the flu.


I’m anxious to get on a ship too. We’re not sailing until August out of Copenhagen. I moved our WDW trip from April to end of June. We don’t have health issues. I’d get on a ship tomorrow if I could. My only concern at the moment is the price. I’m wondering if I should hold out for a better price. I also wish the cruise lines were a little more forthcoming with their plans. Maybe we’ll get more answers tomorrow.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> I know everything is so subjective, but is anyone booking cruises for later this year? And when they start back up do you think they'll be any different? I've heard speculation from Carnival about "cruises to nowhere" and the like. Super interesting.
> 
> I am crossing fingers we get to WDW in September, but now I'm just wondering if they'll even offer any discounts or it will be more crowded than normal. I've booked flights but haven't booked an actual package yet. I Our next booked cruise is not til September 2021 so I'm not too worried there.


We’re booked for the 9 night Southern Caribbean on the Disney Fantasy for 6/27/20, we will absolutely be on that ship unless DCL cancels it.

Somebody in our cruise group posted that tomorrow, 3/30/20, WDW will be announcing summer deals for vacations starting on 6/1/20.  Deals will follow for DL Resort.


----------



## hdrolfe

Carnival extended their closure to match RCL's, no cruises through May 11, 2020. Hopefully the last extension to that? Though I am wondering if June is more likely to restart things.


----------



## smmco

My concern is the travel ban to Europe. How far into the Summer are they going to extend that? I expect another 30 days to Mid May. If the extend it past that it's really going to make it tough for cruise lines to make a decision on European sailings.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

hdrolfe said:


> Carnival extended their closure to match RCL's, no cruises through May 11, 2020. Hopefully the last extension to that? Though I am wondering if June is more likely to restart things.


I literally can't see any of the Caribbean islands wanting ships full of Americans who may or may not have self-quarantined going into their shops and restaurants and spreading germs.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’re booked for the 9 night Southern Caribbean on the Disney Fantasy for 6/27/20, we will absolutely be on that ship unless DCL cancels it.
> 
> Somebody in our cruise group posted that tomorrow, 3/30/20, WDW will be announcing summer deals for vacations starting on 6/1/20.  Deals will follow for DL Resort.



I hope those deals will work through December...


----------



## smmco

I hope there's better deals at WDW this Summer. Room rates are high and I'm not a fan of the free dining they are offering.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We are ready to get on a ship as soon as they open for business!  Again, we do not have health issues, and the numbers do not scare us.  I get that others feel differently.   For us, the panic is worse than the disease.   We have panorama booked for end of June but I am not hopeful.  We are thinking about shifting it to a cruise in August because that looks more likely.
> 
> Italy has had about 11000 deaths from covid.  They average 23000 deaths yearly from the flu.



I won’t go into the Flu vs Covid—19 comparison because it’s like comparing apple to oranges...

However, I think we can all agree on one thing:

If everybody stays at home, there is nothing to worry about. If everybody stays at home, our countries will recover faster, our households revenue will recover faster...

...and we’ll be back on a cruise ship faster!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> I literally can't see any of the Caribbean islands wanting ships full of Americans who may or may not have self-quarantined going into their shops and restaurants and spreading germs.



Except that a lot of these people live in the real world and are desperate for people to come back to their shops and restaurants.  It is the same for most Americans.  If you don’t work for the government in some capacity or live off of the government in some capacity, your life is probably more severely impacted economically than by the prospect of covid.  There are a few other lucky people whose companies are status quo, but everyone else we know is either laid off, furloughed, has taken a 20% (we know someone who took an 80%) pay cut, or is facing the prospect of an uncertain future.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I literally can't see any of the Caribbean islands wanting ships full of Americans who may or may not have self-quarantined going into their shops and restaurants and spreading germs.



I’m thinking cruises itineraries could be impacted for a little while, the highlights of the cruises being the cruise lines private islands.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> I won’t go into the Flu vs Covi—19 comparison because it’s like comparing apple to oranges...
> 
> However, I think we can all agree on one thing:
> 
> If everybody stays at home, there is nothing to worry about. If everybody stays at home, our countries will recover faster, our households revenue will recover faster...
> 
> ...and we’ll be back on a cruise ship faster!



Everybody is staying at home... and covid is still spreading.  It is interesting that Sweden has implemented a softer approach and yet still has similar numbers as its neighbors.  Sweden has not closed down bars and restaurants or other businesses and has not closed elementary schools.  But they are advising those over 70 or with health conditions to stay home.


----------



## belle032

smmco said:


> I hope there's better deals at WDW this Summer. Room rates are high and I'm not a fan of the free dining they are offering.



I’m hoping the same for Fall. If no discounts are offered we may hold off on WDW for a year and look into a cruise instead. I do know for a fact that we will vacation SOMEWHERE as it will be sorely needed!


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Everybody is staying at home... and covid is still spreading.  It is interesting that Sweden has implemented a softer approach and yet still has similar numbers as its neighbors.  Sweden has not closed down bars and restaurants or other businesses and has not closed elementary schools.  But they are advising those over 70 or with health conditions to stay home.


Even healthcare workers in states that don't have an outbreak are affected. Hospital census is low in our state. No one is coming to the hospital and hospital staff are not getting their hours. Since I can't travel and I'm ok financially I've been signing up for voluntary days off.  I watch the news and wonder how much I'm being told and how much is a lie.


----------



## lklgoodman

I'm hoping things will be back to "normal" by June.  The head of Ohio's health dept and our governor do an info update every day.  They think the peak in Ohio will come mid-May.  We have almost 1700 cases here so far.  If we don't peak until mid-May, I'm afraid it will be July or later until it gets back to "normal".  I'll just be glad when I can go to the grocery store and find a container of Lysol wipes!!


----------



## tidefan

lklgoodman said:


> I'm hoping things will be back to "normal" by June.  The head of Ohio's health dept and our governor do an info update every day.  They think the peak in Ohio will come mid-May.  We have almost 1700 cases here so far.  If we don't peak until mid-May, I'm afraid it will be July or later until it gets back to "normal".  I'll just be glad when I can go to the grocery store and find a container of Lysol wipes!!


He's not getting the credit that some other Governors are getting, but Mike DeWine is doing a great job up there it seems like for you guys!

I can't see this being over by May.  Even if it was, the ships would have to be staffed up as well as the ports.  Then you have the supply chain of getting the ship supplied for its sailings.  Logistically, these things will take time to get back into place.


----------



## lklgoodman

tidefan said:


> He's not getting the credit that some other Governors are getting, but Mike DeWine is doing a great job up there it seems like for you guys!
> 
> I can't see this being over by May.  Even if it was, the ships would have to be staffed up as well as the ports.  Then you have the supply chain of getting the ship supplied for its sailings.  Logistically, these things will take time to get back into place.



I agree about our governor.  I watch the updates he gives each day.  The head of our health dept., Dr Amy Acton, has done a great job also.  She has such a reassuring presence, even when she's giving not so great info.  I had no idea who she was the first couple of times I saw her.  They keep reminding us why it is so important to follow their directions and that better day are ahead.  While I appreciate hearing from them each day, I look forward to when I no longer do.

Edit to add. Gov DeWine just made it official that schools remain closed now until May 1.  Not loving him so much now, lol!!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I believe this is how we all feel right about now


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

This is a good one too...


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> Everybody is staying at home... and covid is still spreading.  It is interesting that Sweden has implemented a softer approach and yet still has similar numbers as its neighbors.  Sweden has not closed down bars and restaurants or other businesses and has not closed elementary schools.  But they are advising those over 70 or with health conditions to stay home.



From what I understand COVID-19 can take up to 14 days to show up. I don’t know when people have started staying at home where you live but here in Quebec (Canada) we have been among the first ones to stay at home as much as possible as of March 19 so it hasn’t been 14 days yet... And most numbers coming out come from tests taken (up to 7) days ago. So it’s normal to see stats going up.  

It’s safe to say that we should see some sort of improvement after three weeks of « flattening the curve », possibly around Good Friday. 

I don’t know about Sweden but time will tell if they will be okay or not. I believe there are also less people per mi2 so it might play a role in numbers as well.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> This is a good one too...
> 
> View attachment 484531


I’m seriously thinking of doing this again...


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I feel very fortunate that I received a full refund from AA for our cancelled flights to Hawaii!  Tonight my mom will cancel the condo ($100 fee).  I hope we can do something this year to get away but I am fearful that not enough is being done in certain parts of the country.  Florida was way late to the game and with such an elderly population will probably feel the effects for a while.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> From what I understand COVID-19 can take up to 14 days to show up. I don’t know when people have started staying at home where you live but here in Quebec (Canada) we have been among the first ones to stay at home as much as possible as of March 19 so it hasn’t been 14 days yet... And most numbers coming out come from tests taken (up to 7) days ago. So it’s normal to see stats going up.
> 
> It’s safe to say that we should see some sort of improvement after three weeks of « flattening the curve », possibly around Good Friday.
> 
> I don’t know about Sweden but time will tell if they will be okay or not. I believe there are also less people per mi2 so it might play a role in numbers as well.



My husband looks up our local stats every night, and as of tonight there are 90 people in our county of 590,000 who have tested positive.  The stats give detailed information about gender, age range, whether or not the person has been hospitalized, whether or not they have been sent home, how they are doing.  No deaths, only one remains hospitalized, all the rest have recovered or are recovering at home.  A surprising number are over 70, even over 80, and are recovering at home.  Our first case was early March (cannot remember exact date dh said), and our schools have been closed since around March 7.  Word on the street is that it is virtually impossible to get tested (so weird), so I suspect there are many, many more cases where we live but that obviously they are not serious because if they were hospitalized that would be reported.  I am glad to see that the death rate appears to be much lower than worst estimates.  I just hope the media starts reporting on this because there are a lot of really scared people out there— understandably.  This is a great article by two Stanford medical professors about how low the fatality rate really is.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/is-the-coronavirus-as-deadly-as-they-say-11585088464
On another note, we have decided to cancel our panorama cruise with Carnival before paid in full.  Very sad about this.  But we are scared we will pay and then it will be cancelled.  We already have about $6000 tied up in refunds/ cruise credit with Princess Cruises and we don’t want to have another $5500 with Carnival.  We also haven’t received the refunds and cruise credit from Princess yet, so not too happy about that either.  They did say it could take up to 60 days but still we are not very happy about the situation.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> My husband looks up our local stats every night, and as of tonight there are 90 people in our county of 590,000 who have tested positive.  The stats give detailed information about gender, age range, whether or not the person has been hospitalized, whether or not they have been sent home, how they are doing.  No deaths, only one remains hospitalized, all the rest have recovered or are recovering at home.  A surprising number are over 70, even over 80, and are recovering at home.  Our first case was early March (cannot remember exact date dh said), and our schools have been closed since around March 7.  Word on the street is that it is virtually impossible to get tested (so weird), so I suspect there are many, many more cases where we live but that obviously they are not serious because if they were hospitalized that would be reported.  I am glad to see that the death rate appears to be much lower than worst estimates.  I just hope the media starts reporting on this because there are a lot of really scared people out there— understandably.  This is a great article by two Stanford medical professors about how low the fatality rate really is.
> 
> https://www.wsj.com/articles/is-the-coronavirus-as-deadly-as-they-say-11585088464
> On another note, we have decided to cancel our panorama cruise with Carnival before paid in full.  Very sad about this.  But we are scared we will pay and then it will be cancelled.  We already have about $6000 tied up in refunds/ cruise credit with Princess Cruises and we don’t want to have another $5500 with Carnival.  We also haven’t received the refunds and cruise credit from Princess yet, so not too happy about that either.  They did say it could take up to 60 days but still we are not very happy about the situation.



It sucks that you had to cancel but I guess it’s better than expecting a trip that end up not happening.

My friends and I will wait until September but even though it‘s early in the process, the rise of cases in Canada and the USA doesn’t make me super confident that we’ll all be good to travel, not only for health reasons but for financial reason as both friends lost their job due to COVID-19.

As of now, I work from home and I had paid the trip in full in advance and I am healthy so I think I might be okay but who knows...


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> It sucks that you had to cancel but I guess it’s better than expecting a trip that end up not happening.
> 
> My friends and I will wait until September but even though it‘s early in the process, the rise of cases in Canada and the USA doesn’t make me super confident that we’ll all be good to travel, not only for health reasons but for financial reason as both friends lost their job due to COVID-19.
> 
> As of now, I work from home and I had paid the trip in full in advance and I am healthy so I think I might be okay but who knows...



There are some rumors on cc that carnival will start cruising August 1.  No idea if that is true.  It looks like they have cancelled NYC cruises into the fall.  I think they will cruise as soon as they legally can and it will be different start dates for different ports/ships.  We are ready to cruise as soon as they get going!  But we just don’t want any more money out there in limbo.  We have two more cruises booked with them over the next two years.  And now we will shift this June Panorama one.  Calling today.  Probably shifting the deposit to a 2022 cruise, just because we have others out there and a Princess credit (which we don’t have yet) to use before dec 2021– I think that was the expiry.  I hope it will work out for you to travel next fall.  I am definitely glass half full and am always searching for good news.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> It sucks that you had to cancel but I guess it’s better than expecting a trip that end up not happening.
> 
> My friends and I will wait until September but even though it‘s early in the process, the rise of cases in Canada and the USA doesn’t make me super confident that we’ll all be good to travel, not only for health reasons but for financial reason as both friends lost their job due to COVID-19.
> 
> As of now, I work from home and I had paid the trip in full in advance and I am healthy so I think I might be okay but who knows...


To top off the lack of travel my mom's hours are getting cut and her employers will no longer pay for her medical insurance.  So guess it's good she won't be paying for any vacations this year.  I'm going to put my vacation money into new windows for the house.  I have been wanting them, and we really need them as what we have are original from the 60's.  I have put it off every year in order to take our wonderful vacations so this seems like a good time to do it.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

trvlgirlmq said:


> To top off the lack of travel my mom's hours are getting cut and her employers will no longer pay for her medical insurance.  So guess it's good she won't be paying for any vacations this year.  I'm going to put my vacation money into new windows for the house.  I have been wanting them, and we really need them as what we have are original from the 60's.  I have put it off every year in order to take our wonderful vacations so this seems like a good time to do it.


Sorry to hear about your mom’s job cutbacks.  I hope it turns around for her as soon as possible.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> To top off the lack of travel my mom's hours are getting cut and her employers will no longer pay for her medical insurance.  So guess it's good she won't be paying for any vacations this year.  I'm going to put my vacation money into new windows for the house.  I have been wanting them, and we really need them as what we have are original from the 60's.  I have put it off every year in order to take our wonderful vacations so this seems like a good time to do it.



Sorry about you mom's hours getting cut.


----------



## hdrolfe

The announced cancellation of all Alaska through and including June 30, 2020
All San Francisco sailings through 2020
All Radiance sailings up to and including November 1, 2020
All Legend sailings up to and including October 30, 2020

They still have Sunrise sailings from New York on their website, at least for August, I was just looking yesterday to see if they were coming down in price (and feeling optimistic about being able to sail again).


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

We moved our June panorama cruise a few days ago.  We moved it to an ABC (actually without the C) cruise out of Fort Lauderdale Nov 2021.  Even though we booked early saver they did not charge us to move it.  Sad to miss Panorama.  But we still haven’t received anything back from our Princess cruise, so we only want to pay in full for cruises we are pretty sure will sail.  We are on CCL Radiance for this Nov 2020, and we saw that CCL cancelled all Radiance cruises up to November.  Cutting it close but we think that one will sail.  Hopefully things will start opening up soon and we can jump on a deal.  From what I have read on CC it does look like CCL is not sailing through May at this point.  I personally think it will be longer for CCL to set sail unfortunately .  I hope I am wrong.


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> We moved our June panorama cruise a few days ago.  We moved it to an ABC (actually without the C) cruise out of Fort Lauderdale Nov 2021.  Even though we booked early saver they did not charge us to move it.  Sad to miss Panorama.  But we still haven’t received anything back from our Princess cruise, so we only want to pay in full for cruises we are pretty sure will sail.  We are on CCL Radiance for this Nov 2020, and we saw that CCL cancelled all Radiance cruises up to November.  Cutting it close but we think that one will sail.  Hopefully things will start opening up soon and we can jump on a deal.  From what I have read on CC it does look like CCL is not sailing through May at this point.  I personally think it will be longer for CCL to set sail unfortunately .  I hope I am wrong.


Why it taking so long for refund? DCL seems to dragging their feet cancelling and refunding too Considering all the people out of work I’m sure some of them could use the money.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

smmco said:


> Why it taking so long for refund? DCL seems to dragging their feet cancelling and refunding too Considering all the people out of work I’m sure some of them could use the money.



I don’t know.  I am sure they will refund it in the end, but we just don’t want to end up with even more money out there in limbo.  I didn’t realize DCL was dragging their feet too.  That makes me feel a bit better.  For some reason I would feel more comfortable if our money was with DCL or CCL.  Princess is an unknown for us— this would have been our first sailing with them.  We opted for all FCC with Princess, so the only money we will get back will be taxes and fees, prepaid grats, prepaid coffee packages, internet and water for the room.  We used some gift cards on the bookings, so I am not sure if we will get money put back on gift cards or on the credit card.  I looked up past CC statements and about 60% was gift cards, 40% credit cards.  I am not very impressed with their response overall.  We had to fill out an online form for each cabin stating whether we wanted 100% refund plus 100% FCC or 225% FCC.  We received a vague auto reply form back that basically just said thanks for submitting. But the form went to spam and was flagged as dangerous— I’ve never even seen that happen in my email before.  Since then there has been 0 communication from them.  They did initially say it could take up to 60 days, so they are still within that framework but it is still a weird experience.


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I don’t know.  I am sure they will refund it in the end, but we just don’t want to end up with even more money out there in limbo.  I didn’t realize DCL was dragging their feet too.  That makes me feel a bit better.  For some reason I would feel more comfortable if our money was with DCL or CCL.  Princess is an unknown for us— this would have been our first sailing with them.  We opted for all FCC with Princess, so the only money we will get back will be taxes and fees, prepaid grats, prepaid coffee packages, internet and water for the room.  We used some gift cards on the bookings, so I am not sure if we will get money put back on gift cards or on the credit card.  I looked up past CC statements and about 60% was gift cards, 40% credit cards.  I am not very impressed with their response overall.  We had to fill out an online form for each cabin stating whether we wanted 100% refund plus 100% FCC or 225% FCC.  We received a vague auto reply form back that basically just said thanks for submitting. But the form went to spam and was flagged as dangerous— I’ve never even seen that happen in my email before.  Since then there has been 0 communication from them.  They did initially say it could take up to 60 days, so they are still within that framework but it is still a weird experience.


When our carnival cruise cancelled. I called after two weeks. They weren’t going to process refunds for another month because they were hoping people would rebook.They did process the refund over on the phone. 
I think late June/ July possible for cruises. Of course I’ve always been against the shut down so I may be overly optimistic.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

smmco said:


> When our carnival cruise cancelled. I called after two weeks. They weren’t going to process refunds for another month because they were hoping people would rebook.They did process the refund over on the phone.
> I think late June/ July possible for cruises. Of course I’ve always been against the shut down so I may be overly optimistic.



I forgot about how you went through that.  Unfortunately, from what I have read on CC, when you call now they tell you that they are working as quickly as they can.  But I will call soon to check on it.  I have been putting it off. 

I really like the CEO of CCL and was happy to see him in an interview challenging the CDC a bit.  He said that he you are not any more likely to catch this virus on a cruise ship than any other place you go where there are other people.  So I think he will press to open as soon as they legally can.  I hope you are right on June/July.

 I was talking to our doctor the other day because I noticed on his website he has a “What is Covid 19?” section.  On his website he says that it is a cold virus that in the majority of people who even have symptoms presents itself as a mild respiratory infection.  Good grief, it is so nice to have a doctor present this reasonably.  I really wish they would not just have that Fauci guy presenting doomsday scenarios and have some other voices, maybe some doctors who actually practice medicine as opposed to someone who is a lifelong bureaucrat with an MD, telling the public about this virus.  

DH pointed out to me last week that 18,000 people died in a heatwave in Italy in 2016, more than with corona.


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I forgot about how you went through that.  Unfortunately, from what I have read on CC, when you call now they tell you that they are working as quickly as they can.  But I will call soon to check on it.  I have been putting it off.
> 
> I really like the CEO of CCL and was happy to see him in an interview challenging the CDC a bit.  He said that he you are not any more likely to catch this virus on a cruise ship than any other place you go where there are other people.  So I think he will press to open as soon as they legally can.  I hope you are right on June/July.
> 
> I was talking to our doctor the other day because I noticed on his website he has a “What is Covid 19?” section.  On his website he says that it is a cold virus that in the majority of people who even have symptoms presents itself as a mild respiratory infection.  Good grief, it is so nice to have a doctor present this reasonably.  I really wish they would not just have that Fauci guy presenting doomsday scenarios and have some other voices, maybe some doctors who actually practice medicine as opposed to someone who is a lifelong bureaucrat with an MD, telling the public about this virus.
> 
> DH pointed out to me last week that 18,000 people died in a heatwave in Italy in 2016, more than with corona.


I don't know what to believe. I certainly don't believe the media, I don't know how accurate graphs and predictions are. A lot of people put a lot of faith in these things, but it seems to me there are too many variables for them to be accurate. Hospital admissions are below the predictions of the task force. 
I'm don't trust the numbers on all the Corona Virus deaths. I even heard the FDA commissioner say a lot of the deaths in Italy many be reclassified.  I know NYC is a hot mess, but that's not surprising considering you have millions of people living on top of each. The media doesn't give a lot of attention to the states that are doing well during all of this. 

I do think this is going to end up being seasonal like the flu. I really expect it to die out in the Summer. It may come back next Fall, but a lot of people should have immunity by then, and treatments should be available. Where I work we are using hydroxychloroquine to treat the few positive cases that we have. Our 60 bed ICU had 1 vented patient over the weekend and I don't think it was a COVID patient. The models tell us we'll be out of ICU beds and vents in three weeks. I'm not buying that. We would need a huge surge from where we are now.  Aren't we all sitting in our homes so that doesn't happen? ???

Confusing and weird times to say the least. I wish I could fast forward the clock 3 months so this would all be over with. I still plan on cruising in August. I'm not sure it will be Europe or the Caribbean. I'm waiting to see what DCL decides to do with its European itineraries. 

I'm extremely concerned about the economy. I'm not worried about the virus or catching the virus. It's the economy, and losing our freedom are the things that keep me up at night. I can't wrap my brain around what 20% unemployment would look like in this country. Frightening to say the least.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I forgot about how you went through that.  Unfortunately, from what I have read on CC, when you call now they tell you that they are working as quickly as they can.  But I will call soon to check on it.  I have been putting it off.
> 
> I really like the CEO of CCL and was happy to see him in an interview challenging the CDC a bit.  He said that he you are not any more likely to catch this virus on a cruise ship than any other place you go where there are other people.  So I think he will press to open as soon as they legally can.  I hope you are right on June/July.
> 
> I was talking to our doctor the other day because I noticed on his website he has a “What is Covid 19?” section.  On his website he says that it is a cold virus that in the majority of people who even have symptoms presents itself as a mild respiratory infection.  Good grief, it is so nice to have a doctor present this reasonably.  I really wish they would not just have that Fauci guy presenting doomsday scenarios and have some other voices, maybe some doctors who actually practice medicine as opposed to someone who is a lifelong bureaucrat with an MD, telling the public about this virus.
> 
> DH pointed out to me last week that 18,000 people died in a heatwave in Italy in 2016, more than with corona.



With all due respect... You'll find tons of different opinions about COVID-19. I don't want to create tensions... I don't wanna play moderator... But this thread is not the right place to discuss who's right and who's wrong on this matter.

How about we talk about cruising again?


----------



## AndreaDM

I was booked on a June 12 on the Liberty, it's not showing up anymore on the Carnival website, but I haven't received a cancellation notice. I'm sure I will though, no cruises out of FL are showing before the end of June. I really, really just want the refund instead of funds being tied up not knowing when or if I'll be able to go.


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> With all due respect... You'll find tons of different opinions about COVID-19. I don't want to create tensions... I don't wanna play moderator... But this thread is not the right place to discuss who's right and who's wrong on this matter.
> 
> How about we talk about cruising again?


There not much going on with cruising right now.


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> There not much going on with cruising right now.



But there will be...

...and @AquaDame already asked that we stay on topic as much as possible.


----------



## smmco

AndreaDM said:


> I was booked on a June 12 on the Liberty, it's not showing up anymore on the Carnival website, but I haven't received a cancellation notice. I'm sure I will though, no cruises out of FL are showing before the end of June. I really, really just want the refund instead of funds being tied up not knowing when or if I'll be able to go.





mevelandry said:


> But there will be...
> 
> ...and @AquaDame already asked that we stay on topic as much as possible.


I guess we can discuss cancelations. That’s the only current topic. 
Im sure you’ll hear something soon. If you want a refund call them.


----------



## lklgoodman

Right now I would LOVE to be on a ship, any ship that has toilet paper!!  All the toilet paper one could ever need or want!!!!  None of our stores have had it in stock forover 3 weeks(and I didn't hoard it beforehand)  On-line sites like Walmart/Target say it is available in the stores only, but we are suppose to be staying home, auuuuuggggghhhhh!!!  It's getting worse here and I just want some freaking TP!!  I don't care if there's no vax before next March(our next cruise).  If the ship is going and has TP I will be on it!!!  Yes, I'm worried because we are nearly out of tp, what has happened to me!


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

mevelandry said:


> With all due respect... You'll find tons of different opinions about COVID-19. I don't want to create tensions... I don't wanna play moderator... But this thread is not the right place to discuss who's right and who's wrong on this matter.
> 
> How about we talk about cruising again?



I have noticed that when people say “with all due respect,” they mean just the opposite.  Just an observation...

It matters what the people running our society, like politicians and CEOs of cruise companies, think about corona, because they decide when we start cruising again.  So yes, I am happy when I hear the Carnival CEO say something that is grounded and positive and signals an opening for cruising.  Apparently, you are not?


----------



## smmco

lklgoodman said:


> Right now I would LOVE to be on a ship, any ship that has toilet paper!!  All the toilet paper one could ever need or want!!!!  None of our stores have had it in stock forover 3 weeks(and I didn't hoard it beforehand)  On-line sites like Walmart/Target say it is available in the stores only, but we are suppose to be staying home, auuuuuggggghhhhh!!!  It's getting worse here and I just want some freaking TP!!  I don't care if there's no vax before next March(our next cruise).  If the ship is going and has TP I will be on it!!!  Yes, I'm worried because we are nearly out of tp, what has happened to me!


Ugh. I got lucky last week. I showed up at Costco an hour after opening and they had four packages left. That was before the stay at home order. Now the line to get into Costco is like Avatar at Animal Kingdom. 

I just got back from Sprouts and all the employees are wearing gloves and touching everything with their dirty gloves. They also had masks on and they probably wear the same mask for weeks. It’s so gross. The reason we go through so much PPE at the hospital is because we wear gloves and masks for one task and then discard. Were limited to one N95 for the shift if we have a covid or TB patient but we put a paper mask over it and we go through dozens of those a day. We don’t walk around the halls with gloves on. We wash our hands.
 If you want to cover your face fine. I don’t do it unless I’m in a contact room, but Please ditch the gloves.and wash your hands. 
Sorry for the rant. 

Have you tried Target? You have to get there before they open and there’s a line, but I had success three weeks ago. I only got 6 rolls though. I was able to get some trifold paper towels at Sams. I haven’t seen regular ones in forever.
Thank God there’s no shortage of wine or I’d never make it through this.


----------



## Joe Brig

The 2019 environmental score:
  Disney = A-
  Carnival = F
Not sure how scientific these rating are, but there are videos of Carnival employees dumping full plastic bags of trash into the ocean.  Plus millions in fines for Carnival's environmental crimes.  I'll stick with Disney.


----------



## lklgoodman

smmco said:


> Ugh. I got lucky last week. I showed up at Costco an hour after opening and they had four packages left. That was before the stay at home order. Now the line to get into Costco is like Avatar at Animal Kingdom.
> 
> I just got back from Sprouts and all the employees are wearing gloves and touching everything with their dirty gloves. They also had masks on and they probably wear the same mask for weeks. It’s so gross. The reason we go through so much PPE at the hospital is because we wear gloves and masks for one task and then discard. Were limited to one N95 for the shift if we have a covid or TB patient but we put a paper mask over it and we go through dozens of those a day. We don’t walk around the halls with gloves on. We wash our hands.
> If you want to cover your face fine. I don’t do it unless I’m in a contact room, but Please ditch the gloves.and wash your hands.
> Sorry for the rant.
> 
> Have you tried Target? You have to get there before they open and there’s a line, but I had success three weeks ago. I only got 6 rolls though. I was able to get some trifold paper towels at Sams. I haven’t seen regular ones in forever.
> Thank God there’s no shortage of wine or I’d never make it through this.



We sadly don't have a Costco or Target. We only have 3 grocery stores and a really old Walmart, so really limited.  Once online stores get some, we'll be fine.  My dh said he'd get some from work if we get desperate.  His company isn't providing him any protection despite putting him in close contact with people who have to fly in from all over the country.  We figure the least they can do is give him a few rolls. We have woods behind our house, so we teased our dd that she'll have to go gather leaves, lol!!  I'm a huge germaphobe already.  I had read that wearing gloves can actually put more germs onto items.  So yes, as you said, wash your hands!  I've been ordering groceries online and then having them delivered to our house.  Sadly they won't let you buy alcohol that way.  I just realized we have a drive thru alcohol store in town.  I wonder if they are open.  Probably not.  I can't wait for this to be over.  Time to watch Moana again--my make me feel happy movie.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

AndreaDM said:


> I was booked on a June 12 on the Liberty, it's not showing up anymore on the Carnival website, but I haven't received a cancellation notice. I'm sure I will though, no cruises out of FL are showing before the end of June. I really, really just want the refund instead of funds being tied up not knowing when or if I'll be able to go.


Maybe it was a glitch earlier, I just did a search and they’re all still showing up.


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I have noticed that when people say “with all due respect,” they mean just the opposite.  Just an observation...
> 
> It matters what the people running our society, like politicians and CEOs of cruise companies, think about corona, because they decide when we start cruising again.  So yes, I am happy when I hear the Carnival CEO say something that is grounded and positive and signals an opening for cruising.  Apparently, you are not?



French is my first language so I use expressions the way I interpret them: when I start a comment with « with all due respect », it means that I respect you and I don’t want to create tensions just because I disagree with you on the subject.

Now, COVID-19 is obviously one of those subjects who make everyone more emotional and conversations more «volatile »... (x times worse on social media!)

I believe it is possible to discuss what is going on in the cruising world regarding the cruise line industry without playing doctors/discussing the virus/the dangerosity of the virus itself... 

***
There are so many things we can talk about that is directly related to cruising: 

-The consequences right now (cancellations, refunds);
-The new rules the CDC wants to impose on cruise ships;
-What we think the new rules will be for a while/in the long run;
-The financial consequences of all the changes;
-How we think our «new normal » in the cruising world will be... 

Or we could just talk about cruising and cruise ships like we used to because we will be cruising again (and hopefully, very soon).


----------



## mevelandry

Joe Brig said:


> The 2019 environmental score:
> Disney = A-
> Carnival = F
> Not sure how scientific these rating are, but there are videos of Carnival employees dumping full plastic bags of trash into the ocean.  Plus millions in fines for Carnival's environmental crimes.  I'll stick with Disney.



When it comes to Carnival: Yes, there is room for lots of improvement. It’s definitely a work in progress. They made a few interesting changes recently, I’m hopeful their 2020 environmental score will be much better.

When it comes to DCL vs CCL score: it’s easier to control 4 ships than 27. Doesn’t mean CCL shouldn’t make more of an effort in that area. I am hopeful that they will make more efforts to get in line with recommendations and will be up there when I sail with them again.

There are some cruise lines (other than DCL) with As in their environmental cards if the environmental scores are a priority. I’ve been experiencing other cruise lines than DCL and CCL since 2018... My husband and my wallet like them more than DCL. I have a soft spot for all of them.


----------



## smmco

lklgoodman said:


> We sadly don't have a Costco or Target. We only have 3 grocery stores and a really old Walmart, so really limited.  Once online stores get some, we'll be fine.  My dh said he'd get some from work if we get desperate.  His company isn't providing him any protection despite putting him in close contact with people who have to fly in from all over the country.  We figure the least they can do is give him a few rolls. We have woods behind our house, so we teased our dd that she'll have to go gather leaves, lol!!  I'm a huge germaphobe already.  I had read that wearing gloves can actually put more germs onto items.  So yes, as you said, wash your hands!  I've been ordering groceries online and then having them delivered to our house.  Sadly they won't let you buy alcohol that way.  I just realized we have a drive thru alcohol store in town.  I wonder if they are open.  Probably not.  I can't wait for this to be over.  Time to watch Moana again--my make me feel happy movie.


You are probably better off just ordering online. I just get angry every time I go to the grocery store. I feel angry and depressed most of the time now.  I saw a survey said only 4% worry about their health during all this. 30% worry about the economy and 30% about social isolation and boredom. Hopefully, the shut down ends soon and we can have something to look forward to like a cruise. I can't wait to go out to lunch. Picking up food and bringing it home is not the same.


----------



## we"reofftoneverland

smmco said:


> You are probably better off just ordering online. I just get angry every time I go to the grocery store. I feel angry and depressed most of the time now.  I saw a survey said only 4% worry about their health during all this. 30% worry about the economy and 30% about social isolation and boredom. Hopefully, the shut down ends soon and we can have something to look forward to like a cruise. I can't wait to go out to lunch. Picking up food and bringing it home is not the same.


I am not sure that toilet paper has anything to do with cruising.  You guys might want to watch out what you talk about on this cruising only thread.  Apparently even topics that impact cruising directly are not allowed.  Toilet paper is really a subtopic of the coronavirus issue.  So I’m calling foul.

Edit: In Case it gets lost in translation, just want to point out that I am joking!! I don’t care what y’all talk about.  It’s all interesting to me.  I love to hear different view points.  And I am not a controlling person like at least one other person on this thread.


----------



## smmco

My flights to Berlin we’re just cancelled. I spent an hour on hold to get miles back. It looks like AA’s Europe flights this summer consist of LHR and BCN and that’s it.

Its cheap to fly from London to any city in Europe, but I didn’t rebook anything because I don’t even know if the cruise is sailing. If anything I’d like to switch to the 11 day cruise because they have a great GT rate, but of course everything is  in limbo.

They’ve taken the TA and med cruises off the website but haven’t cancelled. Only the Baltic and British Isles cruises remain. I would really love some answers.


----------



## smmco

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I am not sure that toilet paper has anything to do with cruising.  You guys might want to watch out what you talk about on this cruising only thread.  Apparently even topics that impact cruising directly are not allowed.  Toilet paper is really a subtopic of the coronavirus issue.  So I’m calling foul.
> 
> Edit: In Case it gets lost in translation, just want to point out that I am joking!! I don’t care what y’all talk about.  It’s all interesting to me.  I love to hear different view points.  And I am not a controlling person like at least one other person on this thread.


I went to Costco today to pick up Pizza. They had TP so I bought some. I'm starting to feel like a hoarder. I have enough toilet paper now to last through July.  I'm so traumatized by not being able to find toilet paper I feel like I have to buy it every time I see it.


----------



## lklgoodman

Once this is over and life is back to normal I plan on having enough TP, paper towels, and disinfecting wipes to last a month at all times, lol!!  Weird enough, our grocery store got wiped out of pretty much all of the food about 4 weeks ago.  But it just took them a few days and they had all the food back in stock.  One funny thing when almost all the food was gone is that there was a ton of broccoli in the produce section and nothing else.  Luckily we all like broccoli, but I guess no one else in our town does, lol!!  Yesterday I came across a couple of the small bottles of the DCL shampoo and conditioner in my closet.  I color my hair, so usually I use special shampoo for colored hair.  I figured I could use the DCL stuff since I won't color my hair for awhile, no need since I don't go anywhere.  Oh my!!!  I love the smell of the shampoo and conditioner, but I totally forgot that it doesn't love my hair.  It makes my hair very puffy!  Thank goodness no one except my family sees me, because my hair looks bad!! But it smells good, lol!  Does anyone else get puffy hair from using it? Lol


----------



## mevelandry

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I am not sure that toilet paper has anything to do with cruising.  You guys might want to watch out what you talk about on this cruising only thread.  Apparently even topics that impact cruising directly are not allowed.  Toilet paper is really a subtopic of the coronavirus issue.  So I’m calling foul.
> 
> Edit: In Case it gets lost in translation, just want to point out that I am joking!! I don’t care what y’all talk about.  It’s all interesting to me.  I love to hear different view points.  And I am not a controlling person like at least one other person on this thread.



I was really trying to be as delicate as possible in my reply (I really did the best I could) and I´m really sad that my comment was interpreted the opposite way it was intended to.

I was just trying to encourage everyone to follow the « rules » that @AquaDame gave us a few days ago (March 19, 2020). 

**************************

On that note, I think I’m gonna take a little break from this thread for a while.

I’ll come back when the crisis is over.

All of you, take care. I hope all of you and your families will be spared and can get back on a ship ASAP.


----------



## wombat_5606

mevelandry said:


> I was really trying to be as delicate as possible in my reply (I really did the best I could) and I´m really sad that my comment was interpreted the opposite way it was intended to.
> 
> I was just trying to encourage everyone to follow the « rules » that @AquaDame gave us a few days ago (March 19, 2020).
> 
> **************************
> 
> On that note, I think I’m gonna take a little break from this thread for a while.
> 
> I’ll come back when the crisis is over.
> 
> All of you, take care. I hope all of you and your families will be spared and can get back on a ship ASAP.



I appreciated your post on the reminder. Some people posting in this thread, and some others, have their opinions and will state them every time they get a chance, regardless of the rules.

Stay Safe!


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> I was really trying to be as delicate as possible in my reply (I really did the best I could) and I´m really sad that my comment was interpreted the opposite way it was intended to.
> 
> I was just trying to encourage everyone to follow the « rules » that @AquaDame gave us a few days ago (March 19, 2020).
> 
> **************************
> 
> On that note, I think I’m gonna take a little break from this thread for a while.
> 
> I’ll come back when the crisis is over.
> 
> All of you, take care. I hope all of you and your families will be spared and can get back on a ship ASAP.


Thank you for all your hard work in keeping this thread open and helpful to everyone looking at the possibility of cruising outside of DCL. It’s invaluable and I love having a space to come and talk to people who both love Disney and cruising in general.

I also realize that this thread has to walk a delicate balance because it isn’t purely a DCL conversation here and there are rules to be followed, such as staying on topic as much as possible. I know this is a strange time in our world right now, but hopefully we can keep this thread for what it is meant for...at least the majority of the time!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

With our canceled Hawaiian vacation funds we decided to pay off our British Isles cruise for next year. Nice to have a big chunk of the trip paid off. Of course we also decided to add a week in Provence to make up for the lack of vacation this year  We will be sending DS2 off to college with a huge bang!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

FYI the Ignore feature is amazing


----------



## smmco

lklgoodman said:


> Once this is over and life is back to normal I plan on having enough TP, paper towels, and disinfecting wipes to last a month at all times, lol!!  Weird enough, our grocery store got wiped out of pretty much all of the food about 4 weeks ago.  But it just took them a few days and they had all the food back in stock.  One funny thing when almost all the food was gone is that there was a ton of broccoli in the produce section and nothing else.  Luckily we all like broccoli, but I guess no one else in our town does, lol!!  Yesterday I came across a couple of the small bottles of the DCL shampoo and conditioner in my closet.  I color my hair, so usually I use special shampoo for colored hair.  I figured I could use the DCL stuff since I won't color my hair for awhile, no need since I don't go anywhere.  Oh my!!!  I love the smell of the shampoo and conditioner, but I totally forgot that it doesn't love my hair.  It makes my hair very puffy!  Thank goodness no one except my family sees me, because my hair looks bad!! But it smells good, lol!  Does anyone else get puffy hair from using it? Lol


Enjoy those hair products . They no longer have the mini tubes. At least they still have the big bottles. Royal has nothing but body wash.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

we"reofftoneverland said:


> I am not sure that toilet paper has anything to do with cruising.  You guys might want to watch out what you talk about on this cruising only thread.  Apparently even topics that impact cruising directly are not allowed.  Toilet paper is really a subtopic of the coronavirus issue.  So I’m calling foul.
> 
> Edit: In Case it gets lost in translation, just want to point out that I am joking!! I don’t care what y’all talk about.  It’s all interesting to me.  I love to hear different view points.  And I am not a controlling person like at least one other person on this thread.


I don’t think anyone is trying to be controlling, we’ve been warned by the moderator to stay on topic. The owners of Dreams Unlimited are very kind to let this thread stay alive, they could have shut it down a long time ago. Different points of view are fantastic, that’s the point of this thread, but the topic is DCL vs other cruise lines, not let’s debate about Covid-19.


----------



## smmco

Since COVID is the thing that is keeping us from cruising it's hard not to mention it. Now that things aren't appearing as dire as people thought and the CDC's predictions have been lowered. I'm feeling a lot more optimistic about cruising in August. I'm still not optimistic that DCL won't pull the plug on it anyway. There are quite a few Northern European countries that will be opening back up the end of the month. That's also a good sign for Baltic cruises.

I need to call AA and see what the penalties are if I rebook and have to cancel. I've considered a land trip. I'm just not sure a teen would like that. I'm also looking at NCL.


----------



## AquaDame

smmco said:


> Since COVID is the thing that is keeping us from cruising it's hard not to mention it.



Mentioning it sure, but you and another poster were getting into a very heated argument when I requested this thread stay on topic. You yourself said in one of your replies (that I removed because you were fighting) that if they wanted to discuss the virus there were already several threads discussing it and asked when they were taking a Carnival cruise. Now you're mad at me for agreeing that they should stay on topic? When I was defending you?  

Yes, I'm controlling sometimes. I'm a mod. I wasn't even following this thread until someone reported that argument.


----------



## smmco

AquaDame said:


> Mentioning it sure, but you and another poster were getting into a very heated argument when I requested this thread stay on topic. You yourself said in one of your replies (that I removed because you were fighting) that if they wanted to discuss the virus there were already several threads discussing it and asked when they were taking a Carnival cruise. Now you're mad at me for agreeing that they should stay on topic? When I was defending you?
> 
> Yes, I'm controlling sometimes. I'm a mod. I wasn't even following this thread until someone reported that argument.


II did not make the controlling comment and I don’t think it was directed at you anyway. I think your really confused about who posted what. 
I’m not mad about anything you said


----------



## smmco

I agree with not debating Covid, but it’s hard not to mention the word when it affects my plans, when I cruise, if I I can fly to my cruise and  and which cruise-line I cruise on. 
It’s the elephant in the room when talking about any upcoming plans. 
Carnival pulled out of Europe. DCL to Be determined. NCL is my only other option. 
Any thoughts on NCL would be appreciated.


----------



## tidefan

smmco said:


> Since COVID is the thing that is keeping us from cruising it's hard not to mention it. Now that things aren't appearing as dire as people thought and the CDC's predictions have been lowered. I'm feeling a lot more optimistic about cruising in August. I'm still not optimistic that DCL won't pull the plug on it anyway. There are quite a few Northern European countries that will be opening back up the end of the month. That's also a good sign for Baltic cruises.
> 
> I need to call AA and see what the penalties are if I rebook and have to cancel. I've considered a land trip. I'm just not sure a teen would like that. I'm also looking at NCL.


Isn’t Denmark planning a phased reopening in the next month?  

Not sure if that would involve cruising though...


----------



## smmco

tidefan said:


> Isn’t Denmark planning a phased reopening in the next month?
> 
> Not sure if that would involve cruising though...


Yes that’s what I read. My cruise is more than 4 months away. Four months is a long time. Geez I just got off a cruise 6 weeks ago and none of this was even being talked about. I can’t believe we’ve only be shut down for 3 weeks. It feels like 3 months.


----------



## AquaDame

smmco said:


> II did not make the controlling comment and I don’t think it was directed at you anyway. I think your really confused about who posted what.
> I’m not mad about anything you said



You're right - I am. Apologies to you - I must be getting tired which is no excuse.


----------



## John VN

Joe Brig said:


> The 2019 environmental score:
> Disney = A-
> Carnival = F
> Not sure how scientific these rating are, but there are videos of Carnival employees dumping full plastic bags of trash into the ocean.  Plus millions in fines for Carnival's environmental crimes.  I'll stick with Disney.





mevelandry said:


> When it comes to Carnival: Yes, there is room for lots of improvement. It’s definitely a work in progress. They made a few interesting changes recently, I’m hopeful their 2020 environmental score will be much better.
> 
> When it comes to DCL vs CCL score: it’s easier to control 4 ships than 27. Doesn’t mean CCL shouldn’t make more of an effort in that area. I am hopeful that they will make more efforts to get in line with recommendations and will be up there when I sail with them again.
> 
> There are some cruise lines (other than DCL) with As in their environmental cards if the environmental scores are a priority. I’ve been experiencing other cruise lines than DCL and CCL since 2018... My husband and my wallet like them more than DCL. I have a soft spot for all of them.



Pretty sure most every cruise line could do a bit more to clean up their act.  The following I found interesting >>>

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/About-MSC/MSC-Sustainability.aspx
DW and I have done 1 MSC Yacht Club on Seaside and for the price/value I think nothing could compare with that sailing. We have 2 more this year(???) and if they are cancelled we will most likely re-book.


----------



## smmco

I read that Carnival pulled May and June cruises off the website to keep capacity low. As they ease back in to full operations. When I have the time I’ll look for where I saw that on cc.


----------



## smmco

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5259/
Found it.


----------



## belle032

Just released: All North America Carnival sailings are cancelled through June 26, 2020. Also, all Carnival Sunrise sailings out of NY are cancelled through the end of the year.

I imagine other cruise lines will follow suit as it seems to be the trend.


----------



## hdrolfe

Was just coming on to post the same thing... sad no cruises on Carnival until at least June 27. At home I am wishing my employer and my son's school would just make the same announcement, dragging things out is kind of annoying. I am glad Carnival is following the recommendations. Sad about the Sunrise cruises though, I had been looking at those (before everything fell to pieces). I am still crossing my fingers I'll be able to cruise in December, but if not I am looking at some for December 2021 instead, which I may go on in addition to 2020 if they all happen. At least I can be looking at cruises, helps pass the time


----------



## smmco

Over the next few days, they'll be telling us how they plan on reopening the country.  Hopefully, the cruise lines have come up with a plan that will satisfy the CDC so they will lift the restrictions earlier.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

If DCL follows Carnival’s lead we should be able to make our cruise, we’re booked for the Fantasy 9 night Southern Caribbean set to leave on.................6/27 . Deep down I really believe it’s going to happen.


----------



## smmco

Over the weekend we never had more than 4 patients in the ED at one time. I can't tell you how abnormal that is. We are normally packed with patients.   We had six drive through testing tents, but we closed them all due to lack of interest. Over 3 weeks we only had 18 people drive through to get tested. The few patients that we've had die of COVID have been over 80 with multiple underlying conditions. I work for a large healthcare company and this is the norm across the state.

Over the last three weeks, we have averaged 10 to 20 patients on our Covid\ Rule out COVID floor, but only about half of them test positive.  Most of the positives don't need to be in the hospital. Hospitals get Federal money for admitting COVID patients. I can't really blame them they are losing money by not doing elective surgeries.

I know this off-topic, but I feel like since I work in healthcare I have a duty to tell people whats going on. I belong to a few private nursing groups on Facebook and this is pretty much the norm across the country with the exception of  New York. Even NYC is getting better.

I don't know where this all leading,  but I hope this all behind us soon and we can return to normal.  I'd love to be able to cruise and visit WDW this Summer. I'd also love to go out dinner. Curbside pick up kind of sucks.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

smmco said:


> Over the weekend we never had more than 4 patients in the ED at one time. I can't tell you how abnormal that is. We are normally packed with patients.   We had six drive through testing tents, but we closed them all due to lack of interest. Over 3 weeks we only had 18 people drive through to get tested. The few patients that we've had die of COVID have been over 80 with multiple underlying conditions. I work for a large healthcare company and this is the norm across the state.
> 
> Over the last three weeks, we have averaged 10 to 20 patients on our Covid\ Rule out COVID floor, but only about half of them test positive.  Most of the positives don't need to be in the hospital. Hospitals get Federal money for admitting COVID patients. I can't really blame them they are losing money by not doing elective surgeries.
> 
> I know this off-topic, but I feel like since I work in healthcare I have a duty to tell people whats going on. I belong to a few private nursing groups on Facebook and this is pretty much the norm across the country with the exception of  New York. Even NYC is getting better.
> 
> I don't know where this all leading,  but I hope this all behind us soon and we can return to normal.  I'd love to be able to cruise and visit WDW this Summer. I'd also love to go out dinner. Curbside pick up kind of sucks.


Thanks for the info and as a restaurant owner, I can hardly wait to have my restaurant open again and welcome everyone.


----------



## lklgoodman

smmco said:


> Over the weekend we never had more than 4 patients in the ED at one time. I can't tell you how abnormal that is. We are normally packed with patients.   We had six drive through testing tents, but we closed them all due to lack of interest. Over 3 weeks we only had 18 people drive through to get tested. The few patients that we've had die of COVID have been over 80 with multiple underlying conditions. I work for a large healthcare company and this is the norm across the state.
> 
> Over the last three weeks, we have averaged 10 to 20 patients on our Covid\ Rule out COVID floor, but only about half of them test positive.  Most of the positives don't need to be in the hospital. Hospitals get Federal money for admitting COVID patients. I can't really blame them they are losing money by not doing elective surgeries.
> 
> I know this off-topic, but I feel like since I work in healthcare I have a duty to tell people whats going on. I belong to a few private nursing groups on Facebook and this is pretty much the norm across the country with the exception of  New York. Even NYC is getting better.
> 
> I don't know where this all leading,  but I hope this all behind us soon and we can return to normal.  I'd love to be able to cruise and visit WDW this Summer. I'd also love to go out dinner. Curbside pick up kind of sucks.



I'm glad that's what it's like where you are, but that isn't the norm everywhere.  I live in Ohio and it has been increasing A LOT just this past week.  Of course it isn't as bad as NY because our population isn't as big as theirs.  Our cases have been increasing by the hundreds every day and our death rate doubled in just one week.  What is scary is we've been on complete lockdown for 5 weeks and it's still getting worse. Everyone I know has been staying home.  It's still not as bad as it could have been without the lockdown, so for that I'm thankful.  Maybe your state can send stuff to us, because we are going to run out quickly if it continues like this.  My SIL is a pharmacist in MN at a hospital. They also don't have many cases, thankfully and said she will probably have her hours cut.  My other SIL is a L&D nurse in Omaha.  They also don't have a lot of cases, but are making the nurses work in all different areas in the hospital, I don't know the reason for that since they don't have a lot of cases. Hopefully this will be a better week here in Ohio. Hopefully it won't spread to anymore parts of the country where it's not bad.  My dh still has to work with clients who fly in from all over the country and it scares me.  He had a client from FL last week.  I told him if he has anyone from NY, I don't want to know.  I'm so ready for normal life.  I kinda like ordering groceries online and just driving up to get them.  I may keep doing it once life is normal.
Club Disney Chandler this must be really hard for you as a restaurant owner. I just found out a local cheese and wine shop in our town is selling toilet paper and they will even deliver it. Of course after I ordered the tp I had to get some cheese and several bottles of wine, lol!


----------



## wombat_5606

smmco said:


> I know this off-topic, but I feel like since I work in healthcare I have a duty to tell people whats going on. I belong to a few private nursing groups on Facebook and this is pretty much the norm across the country with the exception of New York. Even NYC is getting better.



Could it possibly be because the stay at home and social distancing orders are working? Personally, I'm glad your hospital and others across the country aren't swamped.


----------



## smmco

lklgoodman said:


> I'm glad that's what it's like where you are, but that isn't the norm everywhere.  I live in Ohio and it has been increasing A LOT just this past week.  Of course it isn't as bad as NY because our population isn't as big as theirs.  Our cases have been increasing by the hundreds every day and our death rate doubled in just one week.  What is scary is we've been on complete lockdown for 5 weeks and it's still getting worse. Everyone I know has been staying home.  It's still not as bad as it could have been without the lockdown, so for that I'm thankful.  Maybe your state can send stuff to us, because we are going to run out quickly if it continues like this.  My SIL is a pharmacist in MN at a hospital. They also don't have many cases, thankfully and said she will probably have her hours cut.  My other SIL is a L&D nurse in Omaha.  They also don't have a lot of cases, but are making the nurses work in all different areas in the hospital, I don't know the reason for that since they don't have a lot of cases. Hopefully this will be a better week here in Ohio. Hopefully it won't spread to anymore parts of the country where it's not bad.  My dh still has to work with clients who fly in from all over the country and it scares me.  He had a client from FL last week.  I told him if he has anyone from NY, I don't want to know.  I'm so ready for normal life.  I kinda like ordering groceries online and just driving up to get them.  I may keep doing it once life is normal.
> Club Disney Chandler this must be really hard for you as a restaurant owner. I just found out a local cheese and wine shop in our town is selling toilet paper and they will even deliver it. Of course after I ordered the tp I had to get some cheese and several bottles of wine, lol!


I would keep an eye on hospitalization rates, not cases. Cases will keep increasing as we test more, and 85% or more of those that test positive don't need hospital care. I wouldn't be alarmed by rising cases. The more testing the better. Maybe someday we will actually know what the real death rate is. 

I'd say more, but I don't want to get off topic anymore.

I'm really enjoying the unpaid days off. It's made me realize I should take at least a short staycation every year. I usually don't take days off unless I'm getting on a plane to somewhere.  That being said my August vacation can't come soon enough. I can't wait to get on a  plane and actually go somewhere.


----------



## mevelandry

wombat_5606 said:


> Could it possibly be because the stay at home and social distancing orders are working? Personally, I'm glad your hospital and others across the country aren't swamped.



We have taken the stay at home and social distancing orders very seriously. Apparently, my province is currently « peaking » (80% of the hospital beds going to COVID-19 patients are still available). Today, they have announced a slow reopening, starting by the end of the week. My FIL has also received a call saying they will start his cancer treatment very soon which is great news.

I’m hopeful that we will start welcoming cruise ships again in July and... I think my cruise with the girls in December might happen after all!


----------



## wombat_5606

mevelandry said:


> We have taken the stay at home and social distancing orders very seriously. Apparently, my province is currently « peaking » (80% of the hospital beds going to COVID-19 patients are still available). Today, they have announced a slow reopening, starting by the end of the week. My FIL has also received a call saying they will start his cancer treatment very soon which is great news.
> 
> I’m hopeful that we will start welcoming cruise ships again in July and... I think my cruise with the girls in December might happen after all!



What kind of plans are they taking to reopen? 

It would be great if things could start to move in that direction, but in my area we are still a couple of weeks before peak. People do appear to be taking the orders to stay at home well, so we don't anticipate our hospitals to be overwhelmed, but they are still expecting our surge to come and are preparing for that.

That is very good news about your FIL's treatment. I wish him well. 

We have a cruise in Europe in October, but since we are in the risk group, age-wise, we are thankful we have the advantage of waiting till July to decide. I will keep my fingers crossed for your December trip!!!


----------



## smmco

I put some business class seats on hold to LHR two days ago. I checked today and the business class seats to LHR out of Lax and DFW are pretty full the first week of August. Half the coach seats were gone.  I guess airlines know what they are doing when they reduce capacity.  I was happy to see I'm not the only one still planning on Europe in August. 

I'm feeling more confident that my cruise will happen. If not were going to do a land trip to Germany\ Austria followed by a week at WDW, maybe Washington DC,  or maybe a Caribbean cruise.  I have three weeks off in August, and I'm going to keep all my options open. 

Models say we'll peak in 2 weeks. Maybe that will take us from 50% capacity to 70%?  We've not only flattened the curve we've sent it underground.


----------



## lklgoodman

Mevelandry glad to hear about your FIL.  I knew unnecessary surgeries were being cancelled, but am surprised cancer treatments would be cancelled, best of luck with his treatments.  We still haven't peaked.  Our governor won't say when things may open up.  Different concerts and festivals for the end of June are being cancelled though.  The head of the Health Dept said something last week that made it sound like she thinks it could be July when things get back to normal.  For those with kids, how are you handling summer camps or activities?  Normally I would have dd already registered for summer camps.  I haven't done anything since we have no idea when things will be open.  I thought about cancelling our next cruise and using the money to get a pool for our backyard, but most of the cruise fare has been paid with Disney gift cards, so can't really do that. Plus, we only have 2 or 3 months of warm enough weather for a pool.


----------



## mevelandry

My husband just showed me a CNBC interview with "experts" saying they do not believe for one second that people are rebooking their cancelled cruises with cruises in 2021 and that people will be that interested in cruising even once the crisis is over... 

My answer was: *Bwahahahaha!!!*


----------



## mevelandry

wombat_5606 said:


> What kind of plans are they taking to reopen?
> 
> It would be great if things could start to move in that direction, but in my area we are still a couple of weeks before peak. People do appear to be taking the orders to stay at home well, so we don't anticipate our hospitals to be overwhelmed, but they are still expecting our surge to come and are preparing for that.
> 
> That is very good news about your FIL's treatment. I wish him well.
> 
> We have a cruise in Europe in October, but since we are in the risk group, age-wise, we are thankful we have the advantage of waiting till July to decide. I will keep my fingers crossed for your December trip!!!



Reopening in the next days are mining companies, construction sites and everything related to gardening (for the summer season). Social distancing is still enforced and there will be severe restrictions but it's a start. I'm expecting to see things reopening the same way they shut down (restaurants permitted only at 50% capacity at first, etc.) ... It's encouraging. 

I'm thinking they could start with cruiseships not operating at full capacity in the first weeks/months. 

Still praying and hoping our December cruise will happen. 

That being said, I'm happy we only booked a cruise with my in laws next year. Already told them to be prepared to have to present health certificates and possibly proof of vaccines if they want to cruise in the future. (They'll be over 70 yo.)

I know everything will be different but I'll comply with whatever rule they add if I have to. I'm also expecting a serious jump in costs for cleaning and housekeeping.


----------



## lklgoodman

mevelandry said:


> My husband just showed me a CNBC interview with "experts" saying they do not believe for one second that people are rebooking their cancelled cruises for 2021 and that people will be that interested in cruising even once the crisis is over...
> 
> My answer was: *Bwahahahaha!!!*



Our next cruise isn't until March 2021 and it can't come soon enough.  After 5 weeks of being stuck in the house I'm about ready to book a cruise for just myself.  I love my family, but today has been one of those days that I just need to get away from them!!!


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> Mevelandry glad to hear about your FIL.  I knew unnecessary surgeries were being cancelled, but am surprised cancer treatments would be cancelled, best of luck with his treatments.  We still haven't peaked.  Our governor won't say when things may open up.  Different concerts and festivals for the end of June are being cancelled though.  The head of the Health Dept said something last week that made it sound like she thinks it could be July when things get back to normal.  For those with kids, how are you handling summer camps or activities?  Normally I would have dd already registered for summer camps.  I haven't done anything since we have no idea when things will be open.  I thought about cancelling our next cruise and using the money to get a pool for our backyard, but most of the cruise fare has been paid with Disney gift cards, so can't really do that. Plus, we only have 2 or 3 months of warm enough weather for a pool.



While cancer treatments weren't cancelled, they were definitely running late.

Most festivals from April to September are cancelled here. It will be a very quiet summer.

All my friends want to sell their kids. LOL

I'm sorry you can't get money back because of all the giftcards. I hope you'll get to experience your cruise instead.


----------



## wombat_5606

@mevelandry  Our area wants much more testing before we re-open anything, so please post and let us know how things go for your area. Stay safe!

I have been pricing cruises for 2021 because we had a March cruise canceled. It was a ridiculously low rate with HAL and in March 2021, the prices have doubled! I'm hoping when things calm down some, I will be able to call and I hope they can get my offer(or close to it) transferred to a new cruise. 

I hope you get to go in December! 

Even though we aren't yet in our 70's, we're close. We don't have any major illnesses but I can't be absolutely positive, at this point, that cruising wouldn't put me in a vulnerable position, especially when we might be exposed to someone with asymptomatic Covid day after day. 

If I don't get to go this year, it won't be heartbreaking. I will be back on a cruise ship one day.


----------



## wombat_5606

lklgoodman said:


> Our next cruise isn't until March 2021 and it can't come soon enough.  After 5 weeks of being stuck in the house I'm about ready to book a cruise for just myself.  I love my family, but today has been one of those days that I just need to get away from them!!!



I'm right there with you!!!!! 

I have spent about 30 years taking a annual vacation by myself. I started when my last child was 2 years old and I have kept it up even though the girls are gone and my husband has retired. I have done cruises and land trips. My trip for 2020 would have started next week for 14 days!


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Reopening in the next days are mining companies, construction sites and everything related to gardening (for the summer season). Social distancing is still enforced and there will be severe restrictions but it's a start. I'm expecting to see things reopening the same way they shut down (restaurants permitted only at 50% capacity at first, etc.) ... It's encouraging.
> 
> I'm thinking they could start with cruiseships not operating at full capacity in the first weeks/months.
> 
> Still praying and hoping our December cruise will happen.
> 
> That being said, I'm happy we only booked a cruise with my in laws next year. Already told them to be prepared to have to present health certificates and possibly proof of vaccines if they want to cruise in the future. (They'll be over 70 yo.)
> 
> I know everything will be different but I'll comply with whatever rule they add if I have to. I'm also expecting a serious jump in costs for cleaning and housekeeping.



I like the idea of a slow and cautious reopening of certain businesses and I'm realllyyyy hoping that idea gets considered in May. It would make a huge difference if our doggy daycare reopened or I could get back to horseback riding with my trainer! Low risk things that resume a tiny sense of normalcy.

However, we're in upstate NY and while we have mostly been fortunate here, the NYC situation will most likely set the trend as to what happens in the rest of the state. What could work here might not work in the city. And I think our "stay at home" order was just extended til May 15...so who knows anymore.



lklgoodman said:


> Our next cruise isn't until March 2021 and it can't come soon enough.  After 5 weeks of being stuck in the house I'm about ready to book a cruise for just myself.  I love my family, but today has been one of those days that I just need to get away from them!!!



I would book a cruise in a second to get out of here. Especially since we woke up to SNOW.  I always thought I'd be a good candidate for working from home, I'm pretty introverted and easy going, but it really does take a toll on you. And I don't even have kids...just an extremely needy, energetic dog who is so excited that Mom is home all day!

We're still hoping to make it to WDW at the end of September. Haven't booked anything yet just to be safe. But as long as traveling is a go later this year we WILL be either WDW-ing or cruising for sure.


----------



## lklgoodman

Wombat--sorry about your trip that was cancelled.  We were lucky that we were able to cruise this year in Jan.
Belle--my SIL lives in Minn and had snow at Easter!!  It's been in the low 40s here, but thankfully no snow. I have a cat who gives me a look every day like "why are you all still here"!  Between my dd playing her violin and practicing all her different dances for her Fall recital, our poor cat hasn't had a decent nap. 
I have a friend who works at the small liberal arts college we have in our town.  She said the professors there are now making plans for next Fall's classes to be done online.  I'm sure we will take things slowly, but that seems absolutely nuts!  Our governor said he's going to start opening some stuff on May 1.  Will be interesting to see how much he opens.  From the way he's been talking I thought it would be a lot later.


----------



## smmco

It's funny how people in NYC have such a different perspective than those of us in other states. It's a big nothing burger in my state and I'm so ready for things to go back to normal. The economic suffering is huge and it's going to get worse. It boggles my mind how we ended up here in such a short amount of time. The suffering isn't something that going to end as soon as we open.  The damage is done and it's going to be long-lasting.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I saw on the WDW website they plan on re-opening 5/10!  Woo Hoo, at least we’ll have that as a fall back if we can’t do our cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> (...) The economic suffering is huge and it's going to get worse. It boggles my mind how we ended up here in such a short amount of time. The suffering isn't something that going to end as soon as we open.  The damage is done and it's going to be long-lasting.



Every area of the economy (all around the world) will be shaken up for a while. I’m expecting big changes everywhere... Some good, some bad.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I saw on the WDW website they plan on re-opening 5/10!  Woo Hoo, at least we’ll have that as a fall back if we can’t do our cruise.



Whatttt?!? That is great news.

I have a short land part to plan in December (with our cruise) and I was wondering if I was going to be able to make reservations!


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## wombat_5606

lklgoodman said:


> Wombat--sorry about your trip that was cancelled.  We were lucky that we were able to cruise this year in Jan.
> Belle--my SIL lives in Minn and had snow at Easter!!  It's been in the low 40s here, but thankfully no snow. I have a cat who gives me a look every day like "why are you all still here"!  Between my dd playing her violin and practicing all her different dances for her Fall recital, our poor cat hasn't had a decent nap.
> I have a friend who works at the small liberal arts college we have in our town.  She said the professors there are now making plans for next Fall's classes to be done online.  I'm sure we will take things slowly, but that seems absolutely nuts!  Our governor said he's going to start opening some stuff on May 1.  Will be interesting to see how much he opens.  From the way he's been talking I thought it would be a lot later.



With everything going on at your house, I feel bad for complaining about my 2 week getaway. It does sound like you need one more than me!  

I probably sound ridiculous talking about my missing my trip since I just got home at the end of Feb. from almost 3 months in Florida. While I was there, I did 2 cruises, neither DCL . I did one with my husband and one with my daughter and her friend. I've had plenty of vacation. I'm just ready for one alone. 

One where I don't have to be involved with anyone else's plans for the day. No noise that I don't make. One where you can choose to have popcorn for dinner without talking about it. Walk on the beach at 6am or 6pm with a delicious cocktail in my hand. Stay up till 1am reading a good book. Solo traveling is heaven for me. Hopefully, I can get a trip in before the end of the year. If not, I may add an extra week onto next year or get on a ship by myself.

We are talking about getting some people back to work in May in our state, but they seem to think it may be later in the month. Obviously I don't work. We are in the age group that dies, so I'm looking for more protections in place that will let me live out my natural life, before I go about my business. Luckily my daughter and her family that live close have taken very good care of us. They don't want to kill us either. I agree this is all nuts. 

Stay safe!


----------



## hdrolfe

@wombat_5606 that sounds like an amazing vacation plan. I can't wait for my son to be old enough that I can go off on my own (single parent, he's only 10 and gets quite mad that I would think of leaving him home with someone while I'm off on my own lol).  

I have a December cruise booked and am seriously considering adding a second week to it, perhaps on a different ship or even cruise line. We are sailing 6 nights on the Horizon out of Miami, we could stay on for the 8-night after it, switch to the Carnival Magic, try MSC Seaside or RCL Symphony, or spend a day in Miami/FLL and then pick up the RCL Oasis. We are limited to ships with great water slides  the MSC is only $49 to book so even if it falls through for whatever reason, I'd only be out that. We've just never cruised them before and not sure how they have been handling the covid closures. We enjoy Carnival and those two RCL ships do sound pretty amazing, plus they both have Coco Cay as a port, which kiddo is desperate to try out. Just a bigger outlay up front in terms of deposits, What to do... We've been on the Carnival Magic before, we did love the ship, but it's two of the same ports as the cruise we're doing so it might be nice to change it up. Anyway... 

Keep safe everyone  we will cruise again!!


----------



## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> @wombat_5606 that sounds like an amazing vacation plan. I can't wait for my son to be old enough that I can go off on my own (single parent, he's only 10 and gets quite mad that I would think of leaving him home with someone while I'm off on my own lol).
> 
> I have a December cruise booked and am seriously considering adding a second week to it, perhaps on a different ship or even cruise line. We are sailing 6 nights on the Horizon out of Miami, we could stay on for the 8-night after it, switch to the Carnival Magic, try MSC Seaside or RCL Symphony, or spend a day in Miami/FLL and then pick up the RCL Oasis. We are limited to ships with great water slides  the MSC is only $49 to book so even if it falls through for whatever reason, I'd only be out that. We've just never cruised them before and not sure how they have been handling the covid closures. We enjoy Carnival and those two RCL ships do sound pretty amazing, plus they both have Coco Cay as a port, which kiddo is desperate to try out. Just a bigger outlay up front in terms of deposits, What to do... We've been on the Carnival Magic before, we did love the ship, but it's two of the same ports as the cruise we're doing so it might be nice to change it up. Anyway...
> 
> Keep safe everyone  we will cruise again!!



I love the B2B idea on different ships. It would be so cool to walk off of one and walk right back onto another one! I've been browsing 8 day cruises in October (especially around Halloween) to the Southern Caribbean and it seems like the Horizon & Breeze are the options. Which is fine by me considering I'd love to try either of those ships. I think the Magic on a 7 day is another viable option, it's just not sailing the southern itinerary. But seems like those sailings are all still very popular and the ships are well booked up because they aren't showing a lot of availability. It's a lot of "Let us choose your room!" only options. I wonder if that will change.

Figure it was good to have a back up in case WDW doesn't work out. If they don't offer any type of discount, we may unfortunately have to push it back until they do.


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> I love the B2B idea on different ships. It would be so cool to walk off of one and walk right back onto another one! I've been browsing 8 day cruises in October (especially around Halloween) to the Southern Caribbean and it seems like the Horizon & Breeze are the options. Which is fine by me considering I'd love to try either of those ships. I think the Magic on a 7 day is another viable option, it's just not sailing the southern itinerary. But seems like those sailings are all still very popular and the ships are well booked up because they aren't showing a lot of availability. It's a lot of "Let us choose your room!" only options. I wonder if that will change.
> 
> Figure it was good to have a back up in case WDW doesn't work out. If they don't offer any type of discount, we may unfortunately have to push it back until they do.



Horizon and Breeze are very popular ships. We really enjoyed Magic which is similar to Breeze, just a bit "louder" in colours. Southern would be really nice, it's what I was supposed to do on March break  we'll do it eventually. But really, there are so many places I want to cruise to! 

I think the port of Miami is pretty easy to get off one and onto another ship, from what I understand of the layout of the port any way. 

I'm considering Port Canaveral for late 2021 or early 2022 so we can add on some Disney/Universal maybe. Especially once Mardi Gras is sailing.


----------



## wombat_5606

hdrolfe said:


> @wombat_5606 that sounds like an amazing vacation plan. I can't wait for my son to be old enough that I can go off on my own (single parent, he's only 10 and gets quite mad that I would think of leaving him home with someone while I'm off on my own lol).
> 
> I have a December cruise booked and am seriously considering adding a second week to it, perhaps on a different ship or even cruise line. We are sailing 6 nights on the Horizon out of Miami, we could stay on for the 8-night after it, switch to the Carnival Magic, try MSC Seaside or RCL Symphony, or spend a day in Miami/FLL and then pick up the RCL Oasis. We are limited to ships with great water slides  the MSC is only $49 to book so even if it falls through for whatever reason, I'd only be out that. We've just never cruised them before and not sure how they have been handling the covid closures. We enjoy Carnival and those two RCL ships do sound pretty amazing, plus they both have Coco Cay as a port, which kiddo is desperate to try out. Just a bigger outlay up front in terms of deposits, What to do... We've been on the Carnival Magic before, we did love the ship, but it's two of the same ports as the cruise we're doing so it might be nice to change it up. Anyway...
> 
> Keep safe everyone  we will cruise again!!



I, fortunately, broke my kids in early. My youngest was only 2 when I started solo traveling. Their Dad also took some time off to be with them, so it was a kind of vacation for them too. They actually enjoyed when Mom was gone. It was a win-win situation.

I like your plans, but I wish I could offer some suggestions. I don't know anything about those ships or cruiselines. But, I will add, no matter your decision, longer is better! 

My kids missed all of the the fun, exciting things they have on ships now. The youngest was 18 when she took her first Disney trip. The oldest daughter was pregnant with my granddaughter! Prior to Disney, we had cruised with HAL, Princess and Carnival. There were kids clubs, but not with the activities of today.

Whatever you decide, I know you'll have fun!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> @wombat_5606 that sounds like an amazing vacation plan. I can't wait for my son to be old enough that I can go off on my own (single parent, he's only 10 and gets quite mad that I would think of leaving him home with someone while I'm off on my own lol).
> 
> I have a December cruise booked and am seriously considering adding a second week to it, perhaps on a different ship or even cruise line. We are sailing 6 nights on the Horizon out of Miami, we could stay on for the 8-night after it, switch to the Carnival Magic, try MSC Seaside or RCL Symphony, or spend a day in Miami/FLL and then pick up the RCL Oasis. We are limited to ships with great water slides  the MSC is only $49 to book so even if it falls through for whatever reason, I'd only be out that. We've just never cruised them before and not sure how they have been handling the covid closures. We enjoy Carnival and those two RCL ships do sound pretty amazing, plus they both have Coco Cay as a port, which kiddo is desperate to try out. Just a bigger outlay up front in terms of deposits, What to do... We've been on the Carnival Magic before, we did love the ship, but it's two of the same ports as the cruise we're doing so it might be nice to change it up. Anyway...
> 
> Keep safe everyone  we will cruise again!!


Do the B2B on Horizon!  We did that same thing on Vista when she was in Miami and it was fantastic. The turn around day was great, they took really good care of us. Plus as soon as you get back on the ship that day you can go immediately to excursion desk and get signed up for the behind the scenes tour. It’s about $100/person but totally worth it. They limit each cruise to about 40 people for that tour so it’s hard to get, but if you’re on the B2B it’s easy to get.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> @wombat_5606 that sounds like an amazing vacation plan. I can't wait for my son to be old enough that I can go off on my own (single parent, he's only 10 and gets quite mad that I would think of leaving him home with someone while I'm off on my own lol).
> 
> I have a December cruise booked and am seriously considering adding a second week to it, perhaps on a different ship or even cruise line. We are sailing 6 nights on the Horizon out of Miami, we could stay on for the 8-night after it, switch to the Carnival Magic, try MSC Seaside or RCL Symphony, or spend a day in Miami/FLL and then pick up the RCL Oasis. We are limited to ships with great water slides  the MSC is only $49 to book so even if it falls through for whatever reason, I'd only be out that. We've just never cruised them before and not sure how they have been handling the covid closures. We enjoy Carnival and those two RCL ships do sound pretty amazing, plus they both have Coco Cay as a port, which kiddo is desperate to try out. Just a bigger outlay up front in terms of deposits, What to do... We've been on the Carnival Magic before, we did love the ship, but it's two of the same ports as the cruise we're doing so it might be nice to change it up. Anyway...
> 
> Keep safe everyone  we will cruise again!!



I'm obsessed with Coco Cay... It's a stop I would definitely recommend.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Do the B2B on Horizon!  We did that same thing on Vista when she was in Miami and it was fantastic. The turn around day was great, they took really good care of us. Plus as soon as you get back on the ship that day you can go immediately to excursion desk and get signed up for the behind the scenes tour. It’s about $100/person but totally worth it. They limit each cruise to about 40 people for that tour so it’s hard to get, but if you’re on the B2B it’s easy to get.



Oh... I forgot to mention. On our last two cruises the RCCL ships had a "peek-a-boo bridge" (a window where you can see the bridge and crew). That was really cool. 

I never thought I'd be interested in seeing a Behind the scene Tour before but now I am!


----------



## lklgoodman

Wombat--I totally understand about needing to take a vacation just by yourself.  I work from home, so I'm used to being home with just my cat for almost 8 hrs every day.  Having my dd home all the time has definitely been an adjustment.  Our cruise earlier this year was the WC one on the Fantasy that wasn't able to port at GC or Jamaica due to weather.  We still had a great time, but I felt like we needed a re-do cruise since we didn't get to go to either of the ports.  This was our 2nd WC cruise and we missed both of those ports on our first cruise also.  We always book our cruises on opening day, so having one cancelled after so much planning would be really sad.

If anyone needs a laugh get this.  I had to go pick up a prescription.  I was in my car waiting at a red light with a car in front of me.  As I waited for the light to change, I realize I had stopped a good 6 ft behind the car in front of me, lol!!  Apparently I've taken social distancing overboard!!


----------



## mevelandry

My friends and I decided to work on a plan B...

We decided to go to Universal Orlando if our cruise doesn't happen...

... If we can still travel, of course!


----------



## smmco

I didn’t like coco cay. The allure was just ok. It needs a refurb bad, but I read they cancelled the 165 million redo.


----------



## hdrolfe

smmco said:


> I didn’t like coco cay. The allure was just ok. It needs a refurb bad, but I read they cancelled the 165 million redo.



The cancelled refurb is why I wasn't even going to look at Allure now  hopefully they'll be able to reschedule it soon. 

My son is obsessed with water slides so he really wants to go to Coco Cay. We went about 4 years ago before the updates and it was a lovely beach day, but he wants to go back and have the excitement of waterslides.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> The cancelled refurb is why I wasn't even going to look at Allure now  hopefully they'll be able to reschedule it soon.
> 
> My son is obsessed with water slides so he really wants to go to Coco Cay. We went about 4 years ago before the updates and it was a lovely beach day, but he wants to go back and have the excitement of waterslides.



The slides are fun ... but my husband and I LOVED the wave pool. First wave pool I felt like I was not going to drown in (I’m a bad swimmer).


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> The slides are fun ... but my husband and I LOVED the wave pool. First wave pool I felt like I was not going to drown in (I’m a bad swimmer).



Thanks, my son loves wave pools too, there is one at Calypso water park near us, and the ones in each of the Disney parks were a lot of fun as well.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Oh... I forgot to mention. On our last two cruises the RCCL ships had a "peek-a-boo bridge" (a window where you can see the bridge and crew). That was really cool.
> 
> I never thought I'd be interested in seeing a Behind the scene Tour before but now I am!


The tour is fantastic, we got to go to the bridge, the crew quarters, kitchen, laundry room, and even the engineering room. It was totally fascinating.

We went to Grand Cayman on the first leg of the cruise and I noticed as we were tendering, that Vista had no anchor dropped and was remaining still in the water. Any other time we had been there, the ship always was anchored. I was able to ask the engineer about the lack of anchor on Vista, he told me the new ships are equipped with GPS anchoring systems. When islands would rather they don’t drop an anchor, they set the GPS and the side thrusters will automatically keep the ship in place without an anchor.

There were many things we got to see that were fascinating, I highly recommend a tour if you ever get the chance.


----------



## smmco

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I saw on the WDW website they plan on re-opening 5/10!  Woo Hoo, at least we’ll have that as a fall back if we can’t do our cruise.


I don't know about 5/10, but I think definitely 6/1 or soon after.  I'm sure the Governor of Florida and Disney have a plan for this. I have a reservation at the WDW at the end of June and in August if my cruise cancels, although I'm still hoping for at least a land trip to Europe in August. 
I plan on upgrading my tickets to annual passes. I think this is going to be a good year to visit WDW from a price standpoint. 

I wonder what Disneyland will do.  Different state different Governor.


----------



## lovin'fl

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I saw on the WDW website they plan on re-opening 5/10!  Woo Hoo, at least we’ll have that as a fall back if we can’t do our cruise.


No they don't. Where do you see that?

On WDW site it says closed until further notice. ALso allows cancellations with no penalty through June 30. And says you currently cannot book any trip before June 1. 

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/travel-information/


----------



## StarSeven7

lovin'fl said:


> No they don't. Where do you see that?
> 
> On WDW site it says closed until further notice. ALso allows cancellations with no penalty through June 30. And says you currently cannot book any trip before June 1.
> 
> https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/travel-information/


I think people are getting confused because they've been slowly cancelling days on the calendar and up until this point they've only "officially" cancelled through 5/9 and reservations after that are still intact.  It doesn't mean they're going to open 5/10 though, it just means that they haven't officially changed it to "closed" on the park calendar.


----------



## lovin'fl

StarSeven7 said:


> I think people are getting confused because they've been slowly cancelling days on the calendar and up until this point they've only "officially" cancelled through 5/9 and reservations after that are still intact.  It doesn't mean they're going to open 5/10 though, it just means that they haven't officially changed it to "closed" on the park calendar.


I figured it was something like that. Universal Orlando announced they are closed through May 31 so I expect WDW is the same. And I would not be surprised if it's until June 30. Or if they do open sometime in June, it will not be everything and maybe just resorts and DS.


----------



## smmco

People that had their trips cancelled this Spring were offered free dining starting June 1. I think they open in June. They opened the some of the beaches in Florida yesterday and thousands flocked to them. Models now have the death toll prediction in Florida dropping to 1363. People have had enough. They want to go back to living and working.


----------



## belle032

A lot of people are posting in my Disney FB groups that May 10 is the opening. It's really the website is showing operating hours starting May 10, which unfortunately is not the same thing. I'm hoping for some kind of opening in June, but I don't think it will happen sooner. I won't be mad if I'm wrong though!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

lovin'fl said:


> No they don't. Where do you see that?
> 
> On WDW site it says closed until further notice. ALso allows cancellations with no penalty through June 30. And says you currently cannot book any trip before June 1.
> 
> https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/travel-information/


I guess that should be clarified, you can book resort stays starting on 5/10 and the website shows park hours starting on those days.


----------



## belle032

I guess the Florida governor announced schools will remain closed until the end of the year, which was May 28. I just don't see WDW or cruise ports opening until at least June.

Maybe resorts can open up again in some kind of capacity?


----------



## smmco

belle032 said:


> I guess the Florida governor announced schools will remain closed until the end of the year, which was May 28. I just don't see WDW or cruise ports opening until at least June.
> 
> Maybe resorts can open up again in some kind of capacity?


It wouldn’t make sense to open up school for three weeks .


----------



## BrookeMQ

I dont thinks it’s possible for the parks to  be open may 10.  All of the employees are furloughed.  Even office employees.  And park employees Have not been working for awhile.  They have not been told any time line of going back to work.


----------



## lklgoodman

belle032 said:


> I guess the Florida governor announced schools will remain closed until the end of the year, which was May 28. I just don't see WDW or cruise ports opening until at least June.
> 
> Maybe resorts can open up again in some kind of capacity?



I wish our governor would make an announcement about our schools.  My dd wants to go back, but I've told her I doubt they will be re-opening. (I'd love to be wrong, going on our 6th week of no school, ughh!)


----------



## hdrolfe

Also wishing we had a timeline on schools reopening here... they keep pushing it week by week. Just make the call already! 

Any way  I booked the MSC Seaside for right after the Carnival Horizon we are doing in December. It is really well priced, and only a $49 (CAD) deposit so worst case I'm out fifty bucks. PIF is in September so I am assuming by then I'll have a much better idea if we can actually go. And now I have something to plan, well two weeks of cruises to plan


----------



## belle032

@hdrolfe Would love to hear an MSC review! I’ve seen their ships in port but really don’t know much about them!


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> @hdrolfe Would love to hear an MSC review! I’ve seen their ships in port but really don’t know much about them!



I've booked and cancelled cruises on their ships a few times, I am really hoping this one will go ahead. I showed kiddo videos of the water slides and the room I booked, which in interior in Fantastica experience (only because there were more choices of rooms, I don't think the experience will get us much). I will post reviews for MSC and for Horizon when we get back, and compare the two.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> @hdrolfe Would love to hear an MSC review! I’ve seen their ships in port but really don’t know much about them!


I’ve seen them too. They are absolutely gorgeous.


----------



## smmco

belle032 said:


> A lot of people are posting in my Disney FB groups that May 10 is the opening. It's really the website is showing operating hours starting May 10, which unfortunately is not the same thing. I'm hoping for some kind of opening in June, but I don't think it will happen sooner. I won't be mad if I'm wrong though!


I'm not a big fan of Dr. Fauci, but he does seem to think the virus is seasonal. I think WDW will open this Summer. I won't pretend to know the date. I would expect sometime after June 1.  I don't think the Florida Governor is going to stop them from opening once they enter phase three.  I think it's entirely up to Disney. 
I do expect the first couple of months will be a little weird in terms of the changes they will probably have to make. I'm getting used to weird so maybe it will just feel normal.


----------



## lklgoodman

I wonder if DL will open before DW.  Aren't there a lot less cases in Cal. than in Fl?  It's been nearly 25 yrs since I went to DW and I haven't been to DL.  I read and article the other day about all the changes that could happen when the parks opened.  I don't remember where I read the article, I think it may have been a link at the bottom of this forum.  The article had a lot of attractions that could still be closed even when the parks open.  I would hope if Disney closes a lot of attractions, that they then lower the admission prices, do they ever do that???  Since our next cruise is only 5 nights, I'm thinking about a parks visit(Universal, since dd is a huge Harry Potter fan).  We've never been to Universal and honestly I don't really care about going to any of the parks, but I know my dh and dd would love to go.  Just not sure if it would be worth it if they have a lot of it closed, especially if they don't lower the admission prices.


----------



## lklgoodman

Well my wish came true.  Our governor just announced no more school for the rest of the year.  He just said they don't know what will happen in the Fall, but they are asking teachers to make plans in case we have to continue online learning next year, Yikes!!!  We are so lucky that our school system has used Chromebooks for years, so my dd already knew how to do her assignments. The school gives them their own Chromebook to use and Spectrum has been providing free service to families who can't afford it.  My heart breaks for the children and their families who are in schools that are unable to provide these services.  And now I need to yell at dd to stop snapchatting with her friends and to finish her schoolwork, sigh!!

Hdrolfe--I also look forward to your MSC review
  I've seen their commercials, but don't know anything about them.


----------



## smmco

This is an interview on CNBC with the Carnival CEO from April 14 if anyone is interested. I like this guy he makes me want to take a Carnival cruise.


----------



## lklgoodman

Thanks for posting.  Glad he brought up the info about getting noro on a ship vs landbase.  I always get irritated when someone who has never cruised says that cruise ships are floating petri dishes. People who say that should see how much cleaning is done on the ships.


----------



## smmco

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ne...ce-begins-looking-a-specifics/?outputType=ampAn article about what’s going on in Florida to reopen. I thought some of you like myself that may have to settle for WDW other than a cruise this Summer might be interested.

I thought the governors comment about how if we can fight over toilet paper at Costco we should be able to eat in a restaurant safely to be spot on. He should have also brought up  standing in line for two hours for toilet paper vs standing in line for a ride.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

smmco said:


> https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ne...ce-begins-looking-a-specifics/?outputType=ampAn article about what’s going on in Florida to reopen. I thought some of you like myself that may have to settle for WDW other than a cruise this Summer might be interested.
> 
> I thought the governors comment about how if we can fight over toilet paper at Costco we should be able to eat in a restaurant safely to be spot on. He should have also brought up  standing in line for two hours for toilet paper vs standing in line for a ride.


We spent all weekend planning our back up WDW vacation for late June/early July. Our cruise is 9 nights and we were planning on a few days at WDW anyway. We now have a great 13 day WDW vacation planned. I can honestly say, if the cruise doesn’t happen, I won’t be disappointed, we have an amazing land trip planned at this point. We just need to do some research on Universal Studios, we’ve got 2 days planned to go there.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We spent all weekend planning our back up WDW vacation for late June/early July. Our cruise is 9 nights and we were planning on a few days at WDW anyway. We now have a great 13 day WDW vacation planned. I can honestly say, if the cruise doesn’t happen, I won’t be disappointed, we have an amazing land trip planned at this point. We just need to do some research on Universal Studios, we’ve got 2 days planned to go there.



Two days at Universal is perfect IMO. Although, I haven't done Volcano Bay yet (and it looks awesome!) so I don't know if that would change things. If you or anyone going is a Harry Potter fan, definitely get the park to park ticket so you can ride the Hogwarts express. Plus, it's just another way to travel between parks besides going through City Walk. Overall, I obviously prefer Disney, but Universal is a great time and offers a few more thrills.


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> Thanks for posting.  Glad he brought up the info about getting noro on a ship vs landbase.  I always get irritated when someone who has never cruised says that cruise ships are floating petri dishes. People who say that should see how much cleaning is done on the ships.



And they should check CDC inspection reports to see how strict they are about it.


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ne...ce-begins-looking-a-specifics/?outputType=ampAn article about what’s going on in Florida to reopen. I thought some of you like myself that may have to settle for WDW other than a cruise this Summer might be interested.
> 
> I thought the governors comment about how if we can fight over toilet paper at Costco we should be able to eat in a restaurant safely to be spot on. He should have also brought up  standing in line for two hours for toilet paper vs standing in line for a ride.



I think social distancing at Disney World is mostly manageable: Control crowds. Put soap or Purell at the entrance of each ride. Put dots on the floor in the waiting lines (like they do in grocery stores) to reinforce social distancing. Take one minute between all « rides » to have cast members wipe all handles, seats and seat belts. Sell Mickey face masks... Problem solved.

I’d be more worried about Fireworks and the parades (unless they start booking « spots ») but other than that, it would be fine.

I’m 100% sure cruise lines can manage that too.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We spent all weekend planning our back up WDW vacation for late June/early July. Our cruise is 9 nights and we were planning on a few days at WDW anyway. We now have a great 13 day WDW vacation planned. I can honestly say, if the cruise doesn’t happen, I won’t be disappointed, we have an amazing land trip planned at this point. We just need to do some research on Universal Studios, we’ve got 2 days planned to go there.



I can help a little bit with that (Universal) if you have questions.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Two days at Universal is perfect IMO. Although, I haven't done Volcano Bay yet (and it looks awesome!) so I don't know if that would change things. If you or anyone going is a Harry Potter fan, definitely get the park to park ticket so you can ride the Hogwarts express. Plus, it's just another way to travel between parks besides going through City Walk. Overall, I obviously prefer Disney, but Universal is a great time and offers a few more thrills.



Our room had Volcano Bay view when we stayed there in October. It’s soooo pretty! Cabana Bay Beach Resort has the price of a WDW value but I found that the grounds of the hotel have the look of a moderate/deluxe.

I have to be 100% honest here. Disney is very sentimental for me but I like Universal parks and hotels more.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> Two days at Universal is perfect IMO. Although, I haven't done Volcano Bay yet (and it looks awesome!) so I don't know if that would change things. If you or anyone going is a Harry Potter fan, definitely get the park to park ticket so you can ride the Hogwarts express. Plus, it's just another way to travel between parks besides going through City Walk. Overall, I obviously prefer Disney, but Universal is a great time and offers a few more thrills.


Thanks for the tips, none of us are really HP fans but all of us want to experience that, it’s themed so we’ll. I’m actually kind of excited about it.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I can help a little bit with that (Universal) if you have questions.


Thanks, I’m pretty sure I’ll need the help, I literally know nothing about that place.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Thanks for the tips, none of us are really HP fans but all of us want to experience that, it’s themed so we’ll. I’m actually kind of excited about it.



I love HP and initially I was so bummed to hear Disney wasn't going to handle any theme park dedicated to it. Now, I am beyond happy that they didn't. It doesn't need any Disney theming or Mickey touch. Universal did an amazing job with it and it's awesome just the way it is. I only wish they had the physical space to expand it even more.

Feel free to ask any Universal questions as you plan!


----------



## smmco

mevelandry said:


> I think social distancing at Disney World is mostly manageable: Control crowds. Put soap or Purell at the entrance of each ride. Put dots on the floor in the waiting lines (like they do in grocery stores) to reinforce social distancing. Take one minute between all « rides » to have cast members wipe all handles, seats and seat belts. Sell Mickey face masks... Problem solved.
> 
> I’d be more worried about Fireworks and the parades (unless they start booking « spots ») but other than that, it would be fine.
> 
> I’m 100% sure cruise lines can manage that too.


They could make back all their losses selling mickey PPE. 

I don't think there's going to be fireworks and parades the first couple of months. I think it will be a different kind of experience when they first open, but I'm OK with that. I plan on upgrading to annual passes anyway. I pushed my April trip back to the first week of July. 

DCL hasn't offered the 24-hour cancellation for their August European cruises like other cruise lines are doing. My PIF date is in two weeks I think I'll have to move it to next year. I can't go into the penalty period when there are still travel restrictions in Europe. I figure I can always move it back to this year if things are a go. I'm 99% sure the virus will be gone by August, but I can't predict what governments will do. Cruising has such a black eye right now. 

 I've got some other ideas for a vacation if it doesn't work out. Maybe a land trip to Europe, or maybe a land trip to Washington DC and the East coast.


----------



## mevelandry

smmco said:


> They could make back all their losses selling mickey PPE.
> 
> I don't think there's going to be fireworks and parades the first couple of months. I think it will be a different kind of experience when they first open, but I'm OK with that. I plan on upgrading to annual passes anyway. I pushed my April trip back to the first week of July.



I trust that Disney will find a way to make sure everyone has fun even if it means making some changes to the experience.


----------



## belle032

NCL officially announced the cancellation of all their cruises through June 30. I think that makes all the major cruise lines out of the game until at least July.


----------



## mevelandry

When you miss cruising so much that you decide to decorate your laundry room with the old cruise themed backdrop you used for a birthday last year... Just to cheer yourself up.

I'll blame cabin fever for that one.


----------



## smmco

https://www.businessinsider.com/nor...move-after-the-cdc-blocks-crew-members-2020-4This is just so sad.


----------



## smmco

belle032 said:


> NCL officially announced the cancellation of all their cruises through June 30. I think that makes all the major cruise lines out of the game until at least July.


This is why I'm going to reschedule and than rebook if it looks likes our cruise is going to be a go. One thing I'm sure of prices are not going up. It's concerning to me that they haven't offered a discount because there are a lot of empty rooms. I'm guessing if it sails they will offer some good GT rates and I'll end up saving money. 
If I was cruising out of Florida I would wait it out, but it's in Europe and I didn't get the cancel for any reason insurance. I paid in full back in February and I thought I'd just buy a comprehensive plan through a third-party site. I never saw this coming. I'm keeping fingers crossed DCL will change cancellation policy in the next two weeks.


----------



## belle032

Thoughts on the Carnival news?

I appreciate just hearing a plan, even though I know it could change at any time. But seeing actual dates is heartening. I like the fact that not every ship in the fleet will immediately start sailing and that it looks like they are testing every class of ship before going all in.

We had planned on WDW this October, but that is looking less and less likely. DH & I don't know what WDW will actually look like even if they are open and if they open at different capacity levels, the logistics might not be worth it.

So I have my eye on either a Breeze or Horizon sailing over Halloween now that I know they "realistic" options.


----------



## lklgoodman

About the Carnival news, I have a question.  Are those the ships that normally sail from those ports?  Just wondering if they are or if they are using a lot of different ships and if so, why.


----------



## SamFaniam

lklgoodman said:


> About the Carnival news, I have a question.  Are those the ships that normally sail from those ports?  Just wondering if they are or if they are using a lot of different ships and if so, why.



I can’t speak to the other ports, because we have have never looked at them, but those are the three ships that routinely sail out of Galveston.


----------



## belle032

lklgoodman said:


> About the Carnival news, I have a question.  Are those the ships that normally sail from those ports?  Just wondering if they are or if they are using a lot of different ships and if so, why.



I think they are pretty normal for the most part. The Horizon has been in Miami for sure. The Breeze sailing I was looking into in October was out of Ft. Lauderdale so I wonder if that itinerary would change.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

lklgoodman said:


> About the Carnival news, I have a question.  Are those the ships that normally sail from those ports?  Just wondering if they are or if they are using a lot of different ships and if so, why.


Yes, the ships that are sailing are at their normal ports with their "current" itineraries. The Breeze moves to FLL in October and that was already planned.  I am booked on Breeze in October (booked a year ago so way before any of this started) and we are unsure if we will still go.  They are still booking my sailing so that tells me they aren't planning on reducing capacity.  Final payment is early July so we will see how we feel at that time.


----------



## hdrolfe

I believe those are the ships normally in those ports. Magic was to move to Miami from FLL (I think in May?). Breeze is due to move to FLL in October (I think Mardi Gras was to replace her but of course that's delayed now so not sure but I guess Port Canaveral will be a ship down). Horizon and Sensation have been in Miami for ages (I have a Horizon booked for December, fingers crossed!).  Elation is out of Port Canaveral as well. Liberty is there as well but doesn't look to be starting in August. Maybe Radiance was to replace the Breeze? She's due there in November as well. 

Interesting news, a slow restart which seems to make sense, and of course follows with the move to send their staff home.


----------



## lklgoodman

Did the Mardi Gras do any cruises before all this started?  If I remember correctly she was suppose to start in Jan(I think), but wasn't ready in time.  I know some on here had their cruises cancelled when she wasn't ready.  I would still love to sail on her someday.  I didn't know if the Mardi Gras was completed before all this happened or not.


----------



## hdrolfe

lklgoodman said:


> Did the Mardi Gras do any cruises before all this started?  If I remember correctly she was suppose to start in Jan(I think), but wasn't ready in time.  I know some on here had their cruises cancelled when she wasn't ready.  I would still love to sail on her someday.  I didn't know if the Mardi Gras was completed before all this happened or not.



Nov 14 2020 was the date. I'm not sure if it's been further delayed due to COVID.


----------



## lklgoodman

hdrolfe said:


> Nov 14 2020 was the date. I'm not sure if it's been further delayed due to COVID.



Thanks.  I didn't realize it was later this year, maybe it was Jan when the delayed was announced.  Hopefully this horrible virus won't cause a longer delay for it.  It looks like such a fun ship.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Thoughts on the Carnival news?
> 
> I appreciate just hearing a plan, even though I know it could change at any time. But seeing actual dates is heartening. I like the fact that not every ship in the fleet will immediately start sailing and that it looks like they are testing every class of ship before going all in.
> 
> We had planned on WDW this October, but that is looking less and less likely. DH & I don't know what WDW will actually look like even if they are open and if they open at different capacity levels, the logistics might not be worth it.
> 
> So I have my eye on either a Breeze or Horizon sailing over Halloween now that I know they "realistic" options.



Are you going to make a booking with Carnival, just in case? 

It’s hard to plan anything in 2020 at this point. 

My friends and I are trying to remain realistic. I heard similar chatter about RCCL. It sounds like there will be less ships than anticipated so who knows what will happen with our booking. (We have a Universal Orlando back-up plan but who knows...)

If WDW is open, I’m expecting a smaller capacity, higher prices, and I’m definitely expecting no parades and no fireworks.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Are you going to make a booking with Carnival, just in case?
> 
> It’s hard to plan anything in 2020 at this point.
> 
> My friends and I are trying to remain realistic. I heard similar chatter about RCCL. It sounds like there will be less ships than anticipated so who knows what will happen with our booking. (We have a Universal Orlando back-up plan but who knows...)
> 
> If WDW is open, I’m expecting a smaller capacity, higher prices, and I’m definitely expecting no parades and no fireworks.



Not yet, I'm still very hesitant to book anything anywhere at this point. I have our original flights to Florida booked since I jumped on the Southwest pricing on opening day, but those can be easily changed or cancelled. I should be booking WDW dining reservations and fastpasses right now, and technically I still can, but it's all just too much gray area. And with the WDW Senior VP coming out and saying they have no reopening date at this time, it seems pointless to try to book anything.

I think I'm trying to come to terms with the fact we may not vacation anywhere this year, which is really hard for me to admit, but I'm still holding out hope.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Not yet, I'm still very hesitant to book anything anywhere at this point. I have our original flights to Florida booked since I jumped on the Southwest pricing on opening day, but those can be easily changed or cancelled. I should be booking WDW dining reservations and fastpasses right now, and technically I still can, but it's all just too much gray area. And with the WDW Senior VP coming out and saying they have no reopening date at this time, it seems pointless to try to book anything.
> 
> I think I'm trying to come to terms with the fact we may not vacation anywhere this year, which is really hard for me to admit, but I'm still holding out hope.



Yeah, that’s the saddest part (that we might not be able to vacation anywhere.)... All plans are « maybe ».


----------



## belle032

My SIL & BIL's honeymoon cruise was just cancelled. Princess sailing to Alaska in August. I had a feeling it was coming when I saw Carnival was cancelling all Alaskan sailings through August.

Feel so sorry for them. First their June wedding and now their August honeymoon. I know they're not the only ones with affected plans, but still stinks. I think they're actually more bummed about the cruise, which honestly I think I would be too! 

Hopefully, they can reschedule, but with the Alaskan season being so short, it'll have to be for next year. And I'm not sure how Princess is handling refunds and rebookings. 

Fingers crossed Carnival (and maybe some other lines!) can do a slow restart like they're planning in August so we can get a feel for how it's all going to go.


----------



## lklgoodman

belle032 said:


> My SIL & BIL's honeymoon cruise was just cancelled. Princess sailing to Alaska in August. I had a feeling it was coming when I saw Carnival was cancelling all Alaskan sailings through August.
> 
> Feel so sorry for them. First their June wedding and now their August honeymoon. I know they're not the only ones with affected plans, but still stinks. I think they're actually more bummed about the cruise, which honestly I think I would be too!
> 
> Hopefully, they can reschedule, but with the Alaskan season being so short, it'll have to be for next year. And I'm not sure how Princess is handling refunds and rebookings.
> 
> Fingers crossed Carnival (and maybe some other lines!) can do a slow restart like they're planning in August so we can get a feel for how it's all going to go.



That's sad!  My dh and I did a Disney cruise on the Magic for our honeymoon.  We did an Alaska one for my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary several years ago, it was so fun and special.  I would be a crying mess if this had happened when I got married.  Columbus, Ohio has already cancelled the big July 4 fireworks celebration.  I was surprised they canceled it already, makes me even more worried that all the pools and parks will stay closed most of the summer.  It's going to be a long summer, it was in the 40s here yesterday, so it's hard to even think of swimming right now.  Hugs to your BIL&SIL!!!


----------



## mevelandry

Hi!

I just wanted to take some time to ask how you are all doing.

Did anyone have to cancel plans?

On our side, as time goes by, I’m feeling our chances of doing the trip are pretty slim. 

My friends also seem turned off by the idea that WDW/the cruise experience might be drastically changed with the implementation of new sanitary rules.

I’m in a « glass half full » place. I’ve said it many times but I’d cruise in a hazmat suit if I have to. I’d rather have a different cruise than no cruise at all.


----------



## lklgoodman

We haven't had to cancel or change any vacation plans.  Our last cruise was this past Jan.  It was the Fantasy cruise that had to skip both GC and Jamaica due to weather--I don't feel bad about missing those ports like I did right after the cruise, at least we were able to cruise.  Our next cruise is March 2021. I already wonder if and how it might be affected.  I probably wouldn't want to go to WDW as soon as they open it.  Mainly because I would want to wait to hear from others about what all was opened/closed.  Hopefully there won't be any major outbreaks and they will be able to open more attractions by Fall.   I guess it depends on how important the things that could be closed are to you.  It would suck to have to pay the same amount and have a lot of stuff closed.  Are they offering a discount?  Ohio is very slowing opening back up.  My dd and I are still staying home though and will continue to stay home for a lot longer(she has asthma).  We have a big backyard with woods behind our house, so we can go out for walks without encountering others, thankfully.  My dh has been going to work all this time.  I just wish we could know if any of the parks/pools will be open this summer.  If they stay closed we will just go to one of the lakes close by.  Ocean water I'm fine with since I can see the fish. Lake water just icks me out, lol!!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Hi!
> 
> I just wanted to take some time to ask how you are all doing.
> 
> Did anyone have to cancel plans?
> 
> On our side, as time goes by, I’m feeling our chances of doing the trip are pretty slim.
> 
> My friends also seem turned off by the idea that WDW/the cruise experience might be drastically changed with the implementation of new sanitary rules.
> 
> I’m in a « glass half full » place. I’ve said it many times but I’d cruise in a hazmat suit if I have to. I’d rather have a different cruise than no cruise at all.


My family is doing ok.  I'm still working from home and we don't have a timeline to go back to the office.  My mom has been going to work the whole time because she is a nanny and the mom in the family is a doctor who still had to work. The dad has been working from home.  My son just went to his school for the first time in 2 months to turn in books and clean out lockers. 

My state has opened bars, restaurants, nail salons, etc.  The pictures I am seeing show these places packed with no one wearing masks or social distancing. We are still seeing about 500 new cases a day. My family is not changing what we are doing for now.  Only grocery shopping once a week and the occasional online dinner order to pick up.  I do have an appointment to get my hair cut next month and I will probably keep it because I am desperate!

We had to cancel our summer family vacation to Hawaii.  Would have been leaving in a couple of weeks so kind of sad and bummed right now. I do have a convention that is still planned for the end of August and I will most likely go.  They capped attendance even before this thing so hopefully that will help although I do have to fly.  Our October cruise is still on and not sure if we will cancel and lose deposit or make final payment and play it by ear. 

I have been playing around with research for next year but it doesn't feel the same. I mean, are we going to be able to travel even? Will there still be quarantine when you arrive to a different country? It's all so up in the air and I can't get excited.


----------



## lklgoodman

Trvlgrlmq--sorry to hear about your trip to Hawaii being canceled.  The restaurants with outdoor seating just opened a few days ago, along with doctor offices.  Some retail stores are opening, but big stores like Kohls are still closed.  Our town has a really quaint old fashion downtown area with a lot of family owned shops.  We don't have a mall in our town, so no big retailers(we have a Wal-mart and Meijers)  I just hope all the shops will make it through this.  Most people here have always been good about supporting small businesses, so hopefully they will all be able to re-open. I can only imagine how much celebrating there will be when we can have First Friday downtown again!


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> We haven't had to cancel or change any vacation plans.  Our last cruise was this past Jan.  It was the Fantasy cruise that had to skip both GC and Jamaica due to weather--I don't feel bad about missing those ports like I did right after the cruise, at least we were able to cruise.  Our next cruise is March 2021. I already wonder if and how it might be affected.  I probably wouldn't want to go to WDW as soon as they open it.  Mainly because I would want to wait to hear from others about what all was opened/closed.  Hopefully there won't be any major outbreaks and they will be able to open more attractions by Fall.   I guess it depends on how important the things that could be closed are to you.  It would suck to have to pay the same amount and have a lot of stuff closed.  Are they offering a discount?  Ohio is very slowing opening back up.  My dd and I are still staying home though and will continue to stay home for a lot longer(she has asthma).  We have a big backyard with woods behind our house, so we can go out for walks without encountering others, thankfully.  My dh has been going to work all this time.  I just wish we could know if any of the parks/pools will be open this summer.  If they stay closed we will just go to one of the lakes close by.  Ocean water I'm fine with since I can see the fish. Lake water just icks me out, lol!!



I have to say, I am looking at how Disneyland Shanghai is doing things right now and my friends would me extremely disappointed if they cannot take pictures with the characters... I don’t care about characters that much so not being able to meet characters wouldn’t change my plans.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> My family is doing ok.  I'm still working from home and we don't have a timeline to go back to the office.  My mom has been going to work the whole time because she is a nanny and the mom in the family is a doctor who still had to work. The dad has been working from home.  My son just went to his school for the first time in 2 months to turn in books and clean out lockers.
> 
> My state has opened bars, restaurants, nail salons, etc.  The pictures I am seeing show these places packed with no one wearing masks or social distancing. We are still seeing about 500 new cases a day. My family is not changing what we are doing for now.  Only grocery shopping once a week and the occasional online dinner order to pick up.  I do have an appointment to get my hair cut next month and I will probably keep it because I am desperate!
> 
> We had to cancel our summer family vacation to Hawaii.  Would have been leaving in a couple of weeks so kind of sad and bummed right now. I do have a convention that is still planned for the end of August and I will most likely go.  They capped attendance even before this thing so hopefully that will help although I do have to fly.  Our October cruise is still on and not sure if we will cancel and lose deposit or make final payment and play it by ear.
> 
> I have been playing around with research for next year but it doesn't feel the same. I mean, are we going to be able to travel even? Will there still be quarantine when you arrive to a different country? It's all so up in the air and I can't get excited.


I believe you are in Tennessee?

Here in Montreal, we are « a hot spot » (5th worst town in the world right now which is pretty awful) the reopening of businesses has been pushed back twice already and I am expecting a third time...

I have a hard time believing our cruise port will reopen on July 1st.

I don’t know about Quebec City cruise port as they are not having it as bad as us...

EDIT: Doesn't look great for Vancouver either: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/brit...e-this-summer-1.5567086?__vfz=medium=sharebar


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> I believe you are in Tennessee?
> 
> Here in Montreal, we are « a hot spot » (5th worst town in the world right now which is pretty awful) the reopening of businesses has been pushed back twice already and I am expecting a third time...
> 
> I have a hard time believing our cruise port will reopen on July 1st.
> 
> I don’t know about Quebec City cruise port as they are not having it as bad as us...
> 
> EDIT: Doesn't look great for Vancouver either: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-health-officials-say-cruise-ships-not-welcome-this-summer-1.5567086?__vfz=medium=sharebar


Yes, in Tennessee.  I don't know where we stack up by state but my county has the 4th highest number of cases in the entire state and we are lodged between number 1 & 2 so not a good location.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Hi!
> 
> I just wanted to take some time to ask how you are all doing.
> 
> Did anyone have to cancel plans?
> 
> On our side, as time goes by, I’m feeling our chances of doing the trip are pretty slim.
> 
> My friends also seem turned off by the idea that WDW/the cruise experience might be drastically changed with the implementation of new sanitary rules.
> 
> I’m in a « glass half full » place. I’ve said it many times but I’d cruise in a hazmat suit if I have to. I’d rather have a different cruise than no cruise at all.



Our state is still pretty much on lockdown, although our "PAUSE" act ends on Friday. We are now starting to slowly open up by region (only if the region meets 7 different criteria) and by phase. Because our region currently meets those criteria, we can start Phase 1 reopening, which is mainly construction, manufacturing, landscaping, some retail, etc. I believe things like hair salons and our wineries/breweries (huge part of the local economy) are Phase 2 or 3. I believe each phase lasts at least 2 weeks. So at least it's something!

I have been working from home since March and will continue to do so until at least June 1. DH works in water so is considered essential and still goes in everyday. Good news-our doggy daycare reopens next week and I'm very excited for that. My pup hasn't been alone more than a few hours in months and needs the playtime!

Vacations are just on hold. I am coming to terms with the fact that WDW will most likely not be happening this Fall. Even if it's open, I can't see us going if the experience will be vastly different. I don't know if it will ever be the same, but I know it will eventually get better. So we might just wait for that time. We do have two out of state weddings in September on back-to-back weekends that we will attend as long as they still happen. I do plan on traveling for Christmas as well.

And honestly, I'm very interested to see how Carnival handles their return to cruising, especially if it happens in August. I know they have a lot of eyes on them since they're the only ones that have announced any date of return. I sincerely hope it goes well.


----------



## lklgoodman

trvlgirlmq said:


> Yes, in Tennessee.  I don't know where we stack up by state but my county has the 4th highest number of cases in the entire state and we are lodged between number 1 & 2 so not a good location.



Last month the county north of us was number 1 with the most cases and deaths.  The county south of us was number 2 with the most.  Thankfully our county is in the middle with the number of cases. We still have new cases each day, but the increase is now slower.  Many years ago my dh got out of the Air Force and got a job with Northwest Airlines.  We were told he was going to fly out of Memphis.  I was so excited to move there and had dreams about Memphis in May.  We had our house packed up and were going to leave in a few days when we found out he was being sent to Detroit, MI instead.  I was devastated(no offense to anyone who lives in the Detroit area, but I was glad when he got a job with a different airlines and we moved).  We met some wonderful people in Michigan.  The cost of living was just a lot higher than we had expected.  I still get sad we weren't able to move to TN, it's such a pretty state.


----------



## lklgoodman

I saw an article today about WDW re-opening.  It didn't really say much, but did say everyone will have to wear masks.  If they open anytime this summer, that is going to be so miserable in the heat and humidity.  I feel bad for the cms!  Hopefully they will get extra break times and will be able to carry water bottles/cool packs or something! I think the masks is a good idea, but still, in the heat, ugghhh!!!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

We’re doing well as far as Covid goes, Arizona is definitely opening back up. My restaurant opens tomorrow and the governor gave the go ahead for gyms and movie theaters to open this week too. The stay at home order expires Friday and they are working with all the school districts to make sure they are opening for the upcoming year.

Our biggest hurdle came today when DCL announced our 6/27 Fantasy Cruise was cancelled. It was a graduation present for our daughter and she’s pretty upset about it. Our plan B is WDW but who knows if that’s going to happen.

If we don’t get to go there I think we’re just going to save the money and put it towards business class airfare for our Greece cruise next year. We’ll probably head to England early and stay there a few days, then take a train to Rome to start the cruise.

I realize these are definitely 1st world problems but it’s still pretty disappointing, she got through graduation being cancelled and really only wanted the cruise. It’s all going to work out in the end but for today, it’s pretty damn disappointing.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Our state is still pretty much on lockdown, although our "PAUSE" act ends on Friday. We are now starting to slowly open up by region (only if the region meets 7 different criteria) and by phase. Because our region currently meets those criteria, we can start Phase 1 reopening, which is mainly construction, manufacturing, landscaping, some retail, etc. I believe things like hair salons and our wineries/breweries (huge part of the local economy) are Phase 2 or 3. I believe each phase lasts at least 2 weeks. So at least it's something!
> 
> I have been working from home since March and will continue to do so until at least June 1. DH works in water so is considered essential and still goes in everyday. Good news-our doggy daycare reopens next week and I'm very excited for that. My pup hasn't been alone more than a few hours in months and needs the playtime!
> 
> Vacations are just on hold. I am coming to terms with the fact that WDW will most likely not be happening this Fall. Even if it's open, I can't see us going if the experience will be vastly different. I don't know if it will ever be the same, but I know it will eventually get better. So we might just wait for that time. We do have two out of state weddings in September on back-to-back weekends that we will attend as long as they still happen. I do plan on traveling for Christmas as well.
> 
> And honestly, I'm very interested to see how Carnival handles their return to cruising, especially if it happens in August. I know they have a lot of eyes on them since they're the only ones that have announced any date of return. I sincerely hope it goes well.





I think checking how Disneyland Shanghai does it will tell us what to expect for WDW. When it reopens and during the months that follow.

I wonder... When Florida reopens, will cruise lines follow?


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> I saw an article today about WDW re-opening.  It didn't really say much, but did say everyone will have to wear masks.  If they open anytime this summer, that is going to be so miserable in the heat and humidity.  I feel bad for the cms!  Hopefully they will get extra break times and will be able to carry water bottles/cool packs or something! I think the masks is a good idea, but still, in the heat, ugghhh!!!



I noticed that Disney was already selling masks so I’m expecting it to become a thing in the parks...

I also heard Royal Caribbean has patented a mask so I’m expecting it on cruises as well, at least for the crew and maybe in crowded places like the theaters.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’re doing well as far as Covid goes, Arizona is definitely opening back up. My restaurant opens tomorrow and the governor gave the go ahead for gyms and movie theaters to open this week too. The stay at home order expires Friday and they are working with all the school districts to make sure they are opening for the upcoming year.
> 
> Our biggest hurdle came today when DCL announced our 6/27 Fantasy Cruise was cancelled. It was a graduation present for our daughter and she’s pretty upset about it. Our plan B is WDW but who knows if that’s going to happen.
> 
> If we don’t get to go there I think we’re just going to save the money and put it towards business class airfare for our Greece cruise next year. We’ll probably head to England early and stay there a few days, then take a train to Rome to start the cruise.
> 
> I realize these are definitely 1st world problems but it’s still pretty disappointing, she got through graduation being cancelled and really only wanted the cruise. It’s all going to work out in the end but for today, it’s pretty damn disappointing.



I’m so sorry your cruise got cancelled. 

Of course, it’s a 1st world problem but for most of us, I believe travelling/cruising is a passion so having to stay away from it is so hard and is just adding up to everything else.

(I’m a little ashamed to admit that I bawled when I saw the video that someone from RCCL posted on Youtube called «Come sail away with Royal».)

Good luck with the reopening. I saw what you will be doing for the restaurant (social distancing)... You got this.


----------



## hdrolfe

So far I still have my plans for December, but am not sure if they will happen or not. Mostly because if we have to fly, travel across the border, it's possible there would be issues with that (two week isolation when we come back?). As well, not sure which ports will be open even then, I know Grand Cayman has closed until September (at least). Not sure if I'd want to have to wear a mask while cruising. I understand if they need to change buffets from self serve and things like that, but a mask would be difficult I think, for a week long trip, how many would you need? You are supposed to change it every 4 hours, or less if it gets "wet". Any way. I'm anxious to see how things go when the cruiselines start back up and see what they do. 

I'm working from home, my son is refusing the school work, and our province is going to announce something today about the next step in reopening. I am hoping I'll be able to see my parents again soon. I'm not sure I want my son going back to school if they do open before September. Another first world problem, I'd really like to get a haircut! But not the end of the world of course. My son did let me cut his so he doesn't look quite so scruffy  

Mean time, I am trying to not overeat (stress eater ha ha) and keep up some walking. I am thankful I am able to work from home and still getting paid. And hey, if I have to work from home all summer, I will probably save some vacation days so be able to take a nice time off in the winter.


----------



## lklgoodman

I saw Old Navy is selling masks also.  They come in packs of 5 for only $12.50.  They have adult and kid sizes. They are using material left over from the clothes they make, which I think is a great idea.  I ordered some for my dd and I, we don't go anywhere now, but thought she may need them once school starts. They ship out first of June.  Just thought I'd let everyone know.

Club Disney Chandler--good to hear you will be opening up your restaurant soon.  I saw on the Today show this morning a restaurant in Virginia is going to put mannequins at empty tables.  They had a pic with them all dressed up fancy sitting at the tables as if they were eating. Guess it's to make the social distancing seem not as odd.  Sorry about your dd's senior yr ending as it is.  Our town put yard signs of congrats in all the senior's yards.  First time I saw them I burst out crying, even though I don't know anyone graduating this year.  I feel so bad for them.
Tomorrow is the last day my dd will have school work even though their last day of school is May 27.  They're giving them the rest of the time to finish any work they haven't done.  She's been getting her work done, so now I'm going to need to figure out something for her to do.  If I leave it up to her she will watch TV and play computer games all day long.  It's going to be a lonnnngggg summer!!


----------



## belle032

Hypothetical question: if both the Disney parks and cruises (whatever line you want!) were back up and running to some extent this year, and you had to choose one, which would you feel more comfortable doing? 

Just curious to see opinions and thoughts!


----------



## lklgoodman

belle032 said:


> Hypothetical question: if both the Disney parks and cruises (whatever line you want!) were back up and running to some extent this year, and you had to choose one, which would you feel more comfortable doing?
> 
> Just curious to see opinions and thoughts!



I would pick a cruise, but that's only because I have no desire to go to the parks(even before the virus I felt this way.)  I know a lot of people don't want to go on a cruise because they are afraid of being quarantined to their cabin.  If we were to be on a vacation and had to be quarantined, I'd rather be in my cabin with the peaceful ocean than stuck in a hotel room. Plus on a cruise you're with the same large group of people, so it might be easier to know if someone comes down sick.  At the parks, there will be a lot more different people every day. I think it would be a lot harder to track if someone becomes ill.  On the ships if you miss a meal the cms will ask about you(I often miss at least one night because of seasickness).  At the parks, no one will know or frankly care like on the ships. I haven't been to the parks in a really long time, and although I remember them being nice and clean. I don't remember them as clean as the ships.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> Hypothetical question: if both the Disney parks and cruises (whatever line you want!) were back up and running to some extent this year, and you had to choose one, which would you feel more comfortable doing?
> 
> Just curious to see opinions and thoughts!


The cruise. We are still contemplating our booked October cruise and figure we hang on our balcony and just relax and read or nap. We can go get food at off times and still be distanced from people.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Hypothetical question: if both the Disney parks and cruises (whatever line you want!) were back up and running to some extent this year, and you had to choose one, which would you feel more comfortable doing?
> 
> Just curious to see opinions and thoughts!



100% a cruise. Let’s just say that the ship you’re on is sailing at half capacity with 2000 guests.

On that ship, you‘ll cross paths with those same 2000 guests for a whole week.

In the parks... Let’s say that each park accepts 2000 guests. By the end of the week, you could have been exposed to 8000 guests... Probably more because guests can come and go at pretty much any time.

On top of that, most of the guests will be kids, kids are not as good as adults with the proper use of a mask and with social distancing.

Ok, now I’m not so sure I wanna go to WDW anymore. LOL


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> Hypothetical question: if both the Disney parks and cruises (whatever line you want!) were back up and running to some extent this year, and you had to choose one, which would you feel more comfortable doing?
> 
> Just curious to see opinions and thoughts!


Cruise for sure


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I don’t know if it will happen or not but we just booked Carnival Horizon for a 6 night Western out of Miami, for 8/2. It’s the same itinerary that we did on Vista in 2017 but I’m totally ok with that, I just want to be on a ship. Hopefully it all works out and we’ll be able to do it. It’s only the 2nd week back in school for my wife but she’s taking the week off.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I don’t know if it will happen or not but we just booked Carnival Horizon for a 6 night Western out of Miami, for 8/2. It’s the same itinerary that we did on Vista in 2017 but I’m totally ok with that, I just want to be on a ship. Hopefully it all works out and we’ll be able to do it. It’s only the 2nd week back in school for my wife but she’s taking the week off.



Exciting! I really hope you get to sail! Both because I want everyone to be able to enjoy a vacation in the near future and I'm selfish and want to hear about your experience. Especially right at the beginning of cruising "round 2!"


----------



## hdrolfe

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I don’t know if it will happen or not but we just booked Carnival Horizon for a 6 night Western out of Miami, for 8/2. It’s the same itinerary that we did on Vista in 2017 but I’m totally ok with that, I just want to be on a ship. Hopefully it all works out and we’ll be able to do it. It’s only the 2nd week back in school for my wife but she’s taking the week off.



I have that ship/itinerary booked for December, so I will be looking for a report (provided you get to go). I do hope you get to go and it is a great time.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I just found out that John Heald is going to be on our cruise (if it happens)!!!  I’m super excited now


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I just found out that John Heald is going to be on our cruise (if it happens)!!!  I’m super excited now


NO WAY!!!! I’m so jealous!!!


----------



## travelmomof3

We had never cruise before and ended up booking three cruises this year:  spring break - 10 day Panama Canal with HAL, 7 day Alaska DCL, and 6 day Caribbean DCL over New Years.  The first two were cancelled by the cruise lines and we opted to cancel our New Years cruise as well.

So I only have customer service and refund issues to go off but I will not ever sail Holland America.  They have strung me (and many others) along with our refunds.  Initially told 5-10 days then when I called back, same story for another 5-10 days, then 60.  It's been 75 days.  We have called again and they said it should be soon.  I'm not holding my breath.  I just started a dispute with my CC company.  Because of that they'll never have us as customers.  DCL has been truthful with great service, so even though they are much more $$ than other lines I will only book with them in the future.

And that is how you get customers, HAL!


----------



## mevelandry

travelmomof3 said:


> We had never cruise before and ended up booking three cruises this year:  spring break - 10 day Panama Canal with HAL, 7 day Alaska DCL, and 6 day Caribbean DCL over New Years.  The first two were cancelled by the cruise lines and we opted to cancel our New Years cruise as well.
> 
> So I only have customer service and refund issues to go off but I will not ever sail Holland America.  They have strung me (and many others) along with our refunds.  Initially told 5-10 days then when I called back, same story for another 5-10 days, then 60.  It's been 75 days.  We have called again and they said it should be soon.  I'm not holding my breath.  I just started a dispute with my CC company.  Because of that they'll never have us as customers.  DCL has been truthful with great service, so even though they are much more $$ than other lines I will only book with them in the future.
> 
> And that is how you get customers, HAL!



I’m sorry you experienced problems with your refund.

I’m following with Carnival and RCCL and so far, it seems to take 3 to 6 weeks for them to refund the guests. 

How long did it take for DCL to refund?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I’m still waiting for a refund from Carnival that was submitted April 2!


----------



## travelmomof3

mevelandry said:


> I’m sorry you experienced problems with your refund.
> 
> I’m following with Carnival and RCCL and so far, it seems to take 3 to 6 weeks for them to refund the guests.
> 
> How long did it take for DCL to refund?



Thanks!  We finally got our DCL Alaska cruise refund at about 3 weeks.  Holland America STILL hasn't refunded.  It has been 11 weeks!  We have a charge back in place with conditional credit on our CC, however.  Hoping it fully goes through.  HAL has been stringing us along and we are DONE!


----------



## FightingIrishman

I have had really bad customer service from RCCL as well. It is extremely difficult to get correct answers from them by phone and they have strict guidelines for future cruise credit use and non-refundables. Their cruise costs may pale in comparison to DCL but I'd rather pay good money than have to deal with ongoing customer service problems when things go awry.


----------



## mevelandry

travelmomof3 said:


> Thanks!  We finally got our DCL Alaska cruise refund at about 3 weeks.  Holland America STILL hasn't refunded.  It has been 11 weeks!  We have a charge back in place with conditional credit on our CC, however.  Hoping it fully goes through.  HAL has been stringing us along and we are DONE!



I’m happy you received your DCL refund within a decent delay.


----------



## mevelandry

FightingIrishman said:


> I have had really bad customer service from RCCL as well. It is extremely difficult to get correct answers from them by phone and they have strict guidelines for future cruise credit use and non-refundables. Their cruise costs may pale in comparison to DCL but I'd rather pay good money than have to deal with ongoing customer service problems when things go awry.


Have you tried tweeting them? I noticed that whenever it gets « public », they get their **** together faster.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Well, it’s the unofficial start of summer but just feels blah without a vacation to look forward to. I’ve been putting my energy into next year as we have another person joining our group so lots of changes to make. My DS, who is amazing , asked his his GF could come if her mom paid her part. We decided to say yes because she is a sweet girl and they have been together for 2 years and probably in it for the long haul. No drama here thankfully. This meant adding a cabin to the cruise and booking her in the 3 excursions we have reserved. It’s kept my mind off the no travel this summer for the most part.
Hope everyone is having a nice long weekend!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> Well, it’s the unofficial start of summer but just feels blah without a vacation to look forward to. I’ve been putting my energy into next year as we have another person joining our group so lots of changes to make. My DS, who is amazing , asked his his GF could come if her mom paid her part. We decided to say yes because she is a sweet girl and they have been together for 2 years and probably in it for the long haul. No drama here thankfully. This meant adding a cabin to the cruise and booking her in the 3 excursions we have reserved. It’s kept my mind off the no travel this summer for the most part.
> Hope everyone is having a nice long weekend!


I feel the same way, even though we have Carnival Horizon booked for 8/2 this year. None of us can get excited about it because we’re all afraid we’re going to lose it.


----------



## tinkerone

I did a Lift and Shift with Royal, no issues to speak of.  It was done quickly, within minutes.  I managed to get the same cabin and weeks I wanted.  There was one snafu with the OBC.  They only credited $100 when it should have been $150 but a quick call back corrected that.  Received an email next day stating what monies would be refunded for drink packages, dining, excursions, all clearly noted.  That was last Wednesday so I'll see how long it takes.  It was less than two weeks when I changed my drink package last month as the price went down.  
I'm having no issues with RCCL.


----------



## hdrolfe

My Carnival/MSC cruises are in December and I'm worried we won't be able to go, or it will be so different that it won't be as much fun as we usually have. I don't have to PIF until September so I still have some time, but it's hard because I want to be booking excursions and and researching, but I don't want to spend the money and then have to wait for a refund. I think my deposits would be forefeit at this point, but it's not a huge loss. I haven't even booked flights yet... 

Trying to focus on things I can control though. My boss confirmed I can work from home until school is back in September so I am taking the time to focus on getting healthier (that's code for losing weight  )  and spending less money on "stuff" although that is hard since we are home all day, and the online shopping is so convenient! But I have no summer camp expenses, no parking to pay, less gas to use in the car. My hydro will be higher (hello 38C with the humidex already, thank goodness for AC!).   I just want to plan my trip  and enjoy two weeks on a cruise.


----------



## belle032

I think I'm in the same boat (no pun intended!) as everyone else. I should be counting down the days until WDW and planning out fastpasses and dining reservations (which I actually love to do!)...but nope. I know with Disney Springs reopening and hopefully a plan for the parks soon to follow gives us some hope about a return to "normal," but I've come to terms with the fact that WDW is really not going to happen this year. Originally, I thought we would go as long as they were open in some capacity, even if masks were required, but I've since realized it's not feasible. DH & I were out getting flowers and such this weekend and it was about 80 degrees outside. We left the greenhouses after wearing masks less than an hour, and I looked at him and said "just think about doing this ALL DAY at WDW." His response was "Absolutely not happening." I agreed. There is no way. We have Alaska booked next September, so maybe we could swing a trip in the beginning of 2021, but we were so looking forward to Halloween in the parks, so we'll see.

So I have like 4 potential cruises saved on the Carnival website for the end of October/beginning of November, but yet to pull the trigger. I'd really like to see how that first month goes for sailing guests and what they think about any changes and precautions. Basically just is is worth it? Is cruising still fun? The problem is waiting that long and then trying to book for the Fall will probably be difficult, especially if ships aren't sailing at full capacity. Thanksgiving time might be more feasible at that point.

On the "real life" side, I'm working from home at the moment, but we did just get word of possible voluntary furloughs that would last until the end of July. I think that could be good or bad, I'm not sure yet. It's a little scary but definitely something to think about. I live in Upstate NY, so that extra $600 per week in unemployment is looking really nice for our vacation savings account and more realistic things, like a new roof.

But, I'm glad everyone is trying to find some positives to focus on! We're finally getting sunshine and warm weather. I too am trying to get healthier. My workout program is going well, eating more under control, but still a work in progress. My dog's daycare opened back up so we're both excited about that. And I can finally resume my horseback riding lessons with my trainer after over a month off. But like all of you, this would all be much sweeter if I had a vacation on the horizon!


----------



## belle032

Update to my last post: DH got a casino offer and a 7 day on the Magic sailing right after Thanksgiving is looking REALLLLLYYYY good right about now.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Well, it’s the unofficial start of summer but just feels blah without a vacation to look forward to. I’ve been putting my energy into next year as we have another person joining our group so lots of changes to make. My DS, who is amazing , asked his his GF could come if her mom paid her part. We decided to say yes because she is a sweet girl and they have been together for 2 years and probably in it for the long haul. No drama here thankfully. This meant adding a cabin to the cruise and booking her in the 3 excursions we have reserved. It’s kept my mind off the no travel this summer for the most part.
> Hope everyone is having a nice long weekend!



Regarding « Blah »: Ah! I get it. I’m trying to find joy in the spring/summer so ... I’ve never been as invested in my backyard as I am now. LOL

When it comes to my girls trip in December... The reopening of WDW is pretty eventful. Lots of disappointment coming with the absence of meet and greet, parade and fireworks. However, I trust the Disney imagineers to find us some replacements to bring us some magic.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I think I'm in the same boat (no pun intended!) as everyone else. I should be counting down the days until WDW and planning out fastpasses and dining reservations (which I actually love to do!)...but nope. I know with Disney Springs reopening and hopefully a plan for the parks soon to follow gives us some hope about a return to "normal," but I've come to terms with the fact that WDW is really not going to happen this year. Originally, I thought we would go as long as they were open in some capacity, even if masks were required, but I've since realized it's not feasible. DH & I were out getting flowers and such this weekend and it was about 80 degrees outside. We left the greenhouses after wearing masks less than an hour, and I looked at him and said "just think about doing this ALL DAY at WDW." His response was "Absolutely not happening." I agreed. There is no way. We have Alaska booked next September, so maybe we could swing a trip in the beginning of 2021, but we were so looking forward to Halloween in the parks, so we'll see.
> 
> So I have like 4 potential cruises saved on the Carnival website for the end of October/beginning of November, but yet to pull the trigger. I'd really like to see how that first month goes for sailing guests and what they think about any changes and precautions. Basically just is is worth it? Is cruising still fun? The problem is waiting that long and then trying to book for the Fall will probably be difficult, especially if ships aren't sailing at full capacity. Thanksgiving time might be more feasible at that point.
> 
> On the "real life" side, I'm working from home at the moment, but we did just get word of possible voluntary furloughs that would last until the end of July. I think that could be good or bad, I'm not sure yet. It's a little scary but definitely something to think about. I live in Upstate NY, so that extra $600 per week in unemployment is looking really nice for our vacation savings account and more realistic things, like a new roof.
> 
> But, I'm glad everyone is trying to find some positives to focus on! We're finally getting sunshine and warm weather. I too am trying to get healthier. My workout program is going well, eating more under control, but still a work in progress. My dog's daycare opened back up so we're both excited about that. And I can finally resume my horseback riding lessons with my trainer after over a month off. But like all of you, this would all be much sweeter if I had a vacation on the horizon!


They are opening July 11!  The experience will be different but it’s happening!


----------



## Neptune's Fork

mevelandry said:


> I noticed that Disney was already selling masks so I’m expecting it to become a thing in the parks...
> 
> I also heard Royal Caribbean has patented a mask so I’m expecting it on cruises as well, at least for the crew and maybe in crowded places like the theaters.



I wonder how well those masks will go over in summer when it's temps in the 90s and very humid.  People will feel like they're suffocating.


----------



## lklgoodman

Neptune's Fork said:


> I wonder how well those masks will go over in summer when it's temps in the 90s and very humid.  People will feel like they're suffocating.



I went into the grocery store for the first time yesterday.  I've been doing curb pick up since March.  I only had the mask on for a short time and it drove me crazy.  I opened the door of the giant frozen food freezer and I wanted to stick my head in it.  I feel so thankful that just about everyone around here wears them.  I feel so bad for all the store employees, they have to be miserable, and that's in air conditioning.  Hopefully the WDW cms will get a lot of extra water breaks and more pay.


----------



## mevelandry

Neptune's Fork said:


> I wonder how well those masks will go over in summer when it's temps in the 90s and very humid.  People will feel like they're suffocating.


It’s probably not going to be very comfortable.

I’ve been wearing a mask when I go out since mid-march... and in 80 degrees+ temp these days (in public transportations without A/C) and the textile needs to be very light for it to be comfortable.

But fall/late fall should be more comfortable. 

It takes some time to get used to it (some people get anxious as soon as they put it on)...


----------



## mevelandry

Carnival Mardi Gras...



« Be still, my heart »

I’m THIS CLOSE to book for 2022. I won’t for now (because there are huge (professional) changes coming my way and I need to wait for a few months before I invest in more projects) but... I am in love.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Carnival Mardi Gras...
> 
> View attachment 497739
> 
> « Be still, my heart »
> 
> I’m THIS CLOSE to book for 2022. I won’t for now (because there are huge (professional) changes coming my way and I need to wait for a few months before I invest in more projects) but... I am in love.


I love it!  I want to sail on this ship so bad but we already have our 2021 & 2022 vacations planned due to 2 high school graduations.


----------



## hdrolfe

Oh that does look nice, doesn't it? I was thinking of booking it for late 2021 but am hesitant until I know if I will be going this December. It cruises from Port Canaveral too so adding on a few Disney or Universal days would be nice. Ah what to do... I guess keep waiting and watching at this point. My son turns 12 in December 2021 so maybe after that and we can book Havana. Hmm.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Carnival Mardi Gras...
> 
> View attachment 497739
> 
> « Be still, my heart »
> 
> I’m THIS CLOSE to book for 2022. I won’t for now (because there are huge (professional) changes coming my way and I need to wait for a few months before I invest in more projects) but... I am in love.



Looks amazing! So much more visually appealing than the current pool set up. And love that it's bigger. I assume this is the Lido pool? I wonder if there is an adult pool as well?



hdrolfe said:


> Oh that does look nice, doesn't it? I was thinking of booking it for late 2021 but am hesitant until I know if I will be going this December. It cruises from Port Canaveral too so adding on a few Disney or Universal days would be nice. Ah what to do... I guess keep waiting and watching at this point. My son turns 12 in December 2021 so maybe after that and we can book Havana. Hmm.



Love this idea! We have Alaska booked for 2021, but 2022 sounds super appealing. Especially since we're forgoing WDW this year.


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> Looks amazing! So much more visually appealing than the current pool set up. And love that it's bigger. I assume this is the Lido pool? I wonder if there is an adult pool as well?



I don't think the newer ships have an adults only pool. It looks like there are two whirlpools on Serenity, and there would be a pool for Havana. The Tides pool in the aft on Dream Class and above is not adults only. But who knows, there seem to be a lot of smaller pools around, one on the top deck, a couple down lower. Not sure what they are for. Maybe one is adults only? 

Loft 19 has a pool & cabanas
Waterworks on Deck 18 (water slides etc)
Beach Pool & Tides Pool on Deck 16
Patio Pool & Havana pool on Deck 8


----------



## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> I don't think the newer ships have an adults only pool. It looks like there are two whirlpools on Serenity, and there would be a pool for Havana. The Tides pool in the aft on Dream Class and above is not adults only. But who knows, there seem to be a lot of smaller pools around, one on the top deck, a couple down lower. Not sure what they are for. Maybe one is adults only?
> 
> Loft 19 has a pool & cabanas
> Waterworks on Deck 18 (water slides etc)
> Beach Pool & Tides Pool on Deck 16
> Patio Pool & Havana pool on Deck 8



Why oh why can't Carnival put an adult pool in the Serenity area?! It just seems like a given, but yet there are always only hot tubs. Love me a hot tub, but sometimes I want a pool! It's hot in the Caribbean! And I'm not going to constantly trek back and forth from the aft pool to the Serenity deck. That's one thing I really liked about the Disney Dream. It has that waterfall/wading pool/fountain that was a great addition to the adult area. If you can't do a full size pool, some kind of similar water feature would be much appreciated.


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> Why oh why can't Carnival put an adult pool in the Serenity area?! It just seems like a given, but yet there are always only hot tubs. Love me a hot tub, but sometimes I want a pool! It's hot in the Caribbean! And I'm not going to constantly trek back and forth from the aft pool to the Serenity deck. That's one thing I really liked about the Disney Dream. It has that waterfall/wading pool/fountain that was a great addition to the adult area. If you can't do a full size pool, some kind of similar water feature would be much appreciated.



I still travel with my son so wouldn't use an adult only pool, but I can certainly appreciate that there are adults who would like one! My kid is pretty good and not too splashy in pools but I know now all kids are. I'm not sure what the patio pool on deck 8 is for, it looks like a cool location right at the back of the ship... maybe it will be adult only? I'll end up at the waterworks/water slides all the time any way... at least until he's older and doesn't want to spend all his time with me


----------



## mevelandry

I’m sorry to report that the Government of Canada has decided to forbid all cruise ships from docking in Canada for 2020.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Looks amazing! So much more visually appealing than the current pool set up. And love that it's bigger. I assume this is the Lido pool? I wonder if there is an adult pool as well?
> 
> 
> 
> Love this idea! We have Alaska booked for 2021, but 2022 sounds super appealing. Especially since we're forgoing WDW this year.



I think there will be one and/or an Havana pool. I’ve seen a picture of an aft pool but I’m not sure what this is.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Why oh why can't Carnival put an adult pool in the Serenity area?! It just seems like a given, but yet there are always only hot tubs. Love me a hot tub, but sometimes I want a pool! It's hot in the Caribbean! And I'm not going to constantly trek back and forth from the aft pool to the Serenity deck. That's one thing I really liked about the Disney Dream. It has that waterfall/wading pool/fountain that was a great addition to the adult area. If you can't do a full size pool, some kind of similar water feature would be much appreciated.


The Sunshine does have an adult only pool in the Serenity section.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> The Sunshine does have an adult only pool in the Serenity section.



That's right! And it looks so awesome! I just hope they follow suit with future ships and/or drydocks!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> I don't think the newer ships have an adults only pool. It looks like there are two whirlpools on Serenity, and there would be a pool for Havana. The Tides pool in the aft on Dream Class and above is not adults only. But who knows, there seem to be a lot of smaller pools around, one on the top deck, a couple down lower. Not sure what they are for. Maybe one is adults only?
> 
> Loft 19 has a pool & cabanas
> Waterworks on Deck 18 (water slides etc)
> Beach Pool & Tides Pool on Deck 16
> Patio Pool & Havana pool on Deck 8


Mardi Gras doesn’t have a pool in Havana, only 1 hot tub on the far side. Carnival really screwed up Havana on this class of ship, it’s in the front now and only has 1 hot tub, it’s a far cry from Vista class. It’s a huge bummer because Mardi Gras actually has connecting cabins which Vista doesn’t.


----------



## hdrolfe

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Mardi Gras doesn’t have a pool in Havana, only 1 hot tub on the far side. Carnival really screwed up Havana on this class of ship, it’s in the front now and only has 1 hot tub, it’s a far cry from Vista class. It’s a huge bummer because Mardi Gras actually has connecting cabins which Vista doesn’t.



Interesting, I thought the deck plan showed a pool, albeit a seemingly small one


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> Interesting, I thought the deck plan showed a pool, albeit a seemingly small one
> 
> View attachment 498102


That’s what I thought too, then at some point it was changed to a hot tub. Now you’ve got me second guessing myself. We ended up not booking Havana specifically because of the lack of pool. Maybe it’s time to do more research.


----------



## tinkerone

Club Disney Chandler said:


> That’s what I thought too, then at some point it was changed to a hot tub. Now you’ve got me second guessing myself. We ended up not booking Havana specifically because of the lack of pool. Maybe it’s time to do more research.


Symphony of the Seas has a 'pool' in their adult only section.  That 'pool' is really a cold hot tub.  There is no swimming in it, you couldn't, but there is loads of space to sit.  People are more than pleased with this 'pool' but it's really not a pool at all, at least not a swimming pool.  Maybe that's what that 'pool' actually is, a cool sitting area.


----------



## belle032

tinkerone said:


> Symphony of the Seas has a 'pool' in their adult only section.  That 'pool' is really a cold hot tub.  There is no swimming in it, you couldn't, but there is loads of space to sit.  People are more than pleased with this 'pool' but it's really not a pool at all, at least not a swimming pool.  Maybe that's what that 'pool' actually is, a cool sitting area.



Interesting, so maybe like more like the water feature on the Dream. Enough to get your feet wet and cool off, but not enough for full on swimming. I'd be fine with that. Hot tubs are great, but please just throw a pool up there!


----------



## tinkerone

belle032 said:


> Interesting, so maybe like more like the water feature on the Dream. Enough to get your feet wet and cool off, but not enough for full on swimming. I'd be fine with that. Hot tubs are great, but please just throw a pool up there!


Not quite the Dreams water feature but similar.  Where the seating is in the center on the Dream it would be on the wall side of the Dreams water feature.  Hope you can picture that, not sure how to explain it clearly.  Also the water on the Dreams is at best knee deep but the water on the Symphony is waist deep.  

As you can see, while they call it a pool it doesn't quite make it.  Lol.


----------



## mevelandry

Hey guys, 

Since none of us can sail right now... 

Has anyone started baking their own favorite dishes from cruise lines?

I’ve done the Chocolate Souffle from Palo last week-end... It was absolutely AMAZING!



 (Recipe here: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...e-disney-cruise-lines-palo-chocolate-souffle/)

So now... Next week-end, I want to bake a Grand Marnier Souffle...  

... And the week-end after that: the Carnival Chocolate Melting Cake!


----------



## AquaDame

Some people go out for valentines day... our tradition is to bake Palo's chocolate souffle.


----------



## hdrolfe

With NCL releasing their safety measures to return to cruising, I am becoming more hopeful that I'll be able to go in December. Provided I can cross the border and all that. And they didn't include masks on the list... I am hoping that was not an oversight and they won't be needed. Though I do also recognize the ports may require them. 

I am a little concerned about excursions though. We are going to Ocho Rios, mostly because I must climb Dunn's, which you have to hold hands to do. Not sure that will be able to happen. So we may need to book another cruise there for another time. I went there with my parents close to 30 years ago and didn't climb... it's a regret and I have to do it!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

The convention I was supposed to go to in April which was moved to end of August was just cancelled.  Another bummer in the suckfest that is 2020.  I now have nonrefundable airfare to Chicago. I'm unsure if flying will be safe enough in a couple of months to warrant me still going but for leisure only. I won't cancel until closer to the date just to see how the summer plays out.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

hdrolfe said:


> With NCL releasing their safety measures to return to cruising, I am becoming more hopeful that I'll be able to go in December. Provided I can cross the border and all that. And they didn't include masks on the list... I am hoping that was not an oversight and they won't be needed. Though I do also recognize the ports may require them.
> 
> I am a little concerned about excursions though. We are going to Ocho Rios, mostly because I must climb Dunn's, which you have to hold hands to do. Not sure that will be able to happen. So we may need to book another cruise there for another time. I went there with my parents close to 30 years ago and didn't climb... it's a regret and I have to do it!


I don't think I would want to cruise with the measures they have put in place.  I don't want to spend my vacation having my temperature checked a million times a day and I sure don't want to miss out on trivia, shows, etc because there is a capacity limit and I miss the cut. I would rather not vacation than have a diminished experience.


----------



## hdrolfe

trvlgirlmq said:


> I don't think I would want to cruise with the measures they have put in place.  I don't want to spend my vacation having my temperature checked a million times a day and I sure don't want to miss out on trivia, shows, etc because there is a capacity limit and I miss the cut. I would rather not vacation than have a diminished experience.



I think the temperature checks will be needed for flying as well, and I believe are in place in some countries for all kinds of things. It's pretty instant though, a scan of your head. As for the other stuff, I believe most of the crusies will be sailing at 30-50% capactity, NCL has said they need 30% to break even, so getting a spot may not be as much of a problem with the reduced capacity. However, we don't do trivia and the only shows I've been to were pretty quiet (except the skating show we went to on RCL, that was packed). As long as we can take advantage of the pool/water slides, kiddo won't have a problem with it. Being served on buffet instead of picking it our yourself will be an adjustment I guess? Especially for my shy kid. I am anxious to see what happens in August when (if?) they start up again, see what the reviews are like, before I make a final decision. But this does make me hopeful we'll be able to go.


----------



## mevelandry

AquaDame said:


> Some people go out for valentines day... our tradition is to bake Palo's chocolate souffle.



Who needs a valentine's day date when you can feast on Palo's souffle?!? ❤


----------



## mevelandry

And the update none of you has asked for:

The Carnival Warm Chocolate Melting Cake that I have baked myself (ridiculously easy to make)! Just like Palo's Chocolate Souffle, it was to die for.


----------



## wombat_5606

mevelandry said:


> And the update none of you has asked for:
> 
> The Carnival Warm Chocolate Melting Cake that I have baked myself (ridiculously easy to make)! Just like Palo's Chocolate Souffle, it was to die for.



Would you please share your recipe? That looks absolutely delicious and picture perfect!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> And the update none of you has asked for:
> 
> The Carnival Warm Chocolate Melting Cake that I have baked myself (ridiculously easy to make)! Just like Palo's Chocolate Souffle, it was to die for.
> 
> View attachment 500420


I have made this too but we bake it all the way through. We like the cake part, not the melting part!


----------



## hdrolfe

Official Carnival recipe https://www.carnival.com/recipes/melting-chocolate-cake-recipe.aspx 

CARNIVAL’S MELTING CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE
Are you craving some chocolate cake? Learn how to make Carnival’s famous melting chocolate cake at home!




SERVES
*4 servings*





TOTAL TIME
*14 Mins*





DIFFICULTY
*2/5*
INGREDIENTS:

6oz Dark Chocolate
6oz Butter
4 Eggs
3oz Sugar
2oz Flour
HOW TO MAKE IT:

Melt the chocolate and butter
Mix eggs and sugar and whisk for a few minutes, then add flour
Add the egg mix to the melted chocolate and mix
Pour the mix in a greased mold
Bake directly in the oven at 390°F for 14 minutes


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Official Carnival recipe https://www.carnival.com/recipes/melting-chocolate-cake-recipe.aspx
> 
> CARNIVAL’S MELTING CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE
> Are you craving some chocolate cake? Learn how to make Carnival’s famous melting chocolate cake at home!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SERVES
> *4 servings*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> TOTAL TIME
> *14 Mins*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> DIFFICULTY
> *2/5*
> INGREDIENTS:
> 
> 6oz Dark Chocolate
> 6oz Butter
> 4 Eggs
> 3oz Sugar
> 2oz Flour
> HOW TO MAKE IT:
> 
> Melt the chocolate and butter
> Mix eggs and sugar and whisk for a few minutes, then add flour
> Add the egg mix to the melted chocolate and mix
> Pour the mix in a greased mold
> Bake directly in the oven at 390°F for 14 minutes



This is the recipe I used. 

It takes about 5 min to mix and it's ready to eat within 30 minutes.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I have made this too but we bake it all the way through. We like the cake part, not the melting part!



I'm sure it's just as good.


----------



## AquaDame

Thanks for the recipe!! soon as we finish the lemon tart I made last night I'm trying this...!


----------



## wombat_5606

AquaDame said:


> Thanks for the recipe!! soon as we finish the lemon tart I made last night I'm trying this...!



Thanks, now I want a lemon tart!


----------



## AquaDame

wombat_5606 said:


> Thanks, now I want a lemon tart!



In case you're serious... 

The recipe is from Americas Test Kitchen (it came out VERY lemony but I like that!)

*Ingredients*

Crust
1 ½ cups (7½ ounces) all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons (2¼ ounces) sugar
½ teaspoon table salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons water
Filling
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon table salt
3 large eggs plus 3 large yolks
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest plus ½ cup juice (3 lemons)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
 *Instructions*

For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in bowl.
Add oil and water and stir until uniform dough forms.
Using your hands, crumble three-quarters of dough over bottom of 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough to even thickness in bottom of pan. Crumble remaining dough and scatter evenly around edge of pan, then press crumbled dough into fluted sides of pan. Press dough to even thickness.
Place pan on rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is deep golden brown and firm to touch, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
For the filling: About 5 minutes before crust is finished baking, whisk sugar, flour, and salt in medium saucepan until combined.
Whisk in eggs and yolks until no streaks of egg remain.
Whisk in lemon zest and juice.
Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly and scraping corners of saucepan, until mixture thickens slightly and registers 160 degrees, 5 to 8 minutes.
Off heat, whisk in oil until incorporated.
Strain curd through fine-mesh strainer set over bowl. Pour curd into warm tart shell.
Bake until filling is set and barely jiggles when pan is shaken, 8 to 12 minutes. Let tart cool completely on wire rack, at least 2 hours.
Remove outer metal ring of tart pan. Slide thin metal spatula between tart and pan bottom, then carefully slide tart onto serving platter.
Cut tart into wedges, wiping knife clean between cuts if necessary, and serve. (Leftovers can be wrapped loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
 *Additional notes*
Use a fresh, high-quality extra-virgin olive oil here; our favorite is California Olive Ranch Everyday Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Make sure that all your metal equipment—saucepan, strainer, and whisk—is nonreactive, or the filling may have a metallic flavor.


----------



## wombat_5606

AquaDame said:


> In case you're serious...



I was. Thank you for posting your recipe.

Since it's now getting a little warm where I live, I've been craving lemons. I bought a 3 lb bag from Sam's this week, so I'm happy to have this.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

After our 9 night Fantasy Cruise got cancelled we decided to book Carnival Horizon for 6 night on 8/2.  My wife is a teacher but she decided she’d take a week off from school, (we start in July in our district).  We found out our kids college decide to start on 8/12 now instead of 8/24  That means we would get back on 8/8 and have to drive up to northern Arizona to get them moved in on 8/9. It’s not a big deal for our son because he’s just moving into the fraternity house and is already established. Our daughter is starting her first year up there and still doesn’t even know when they’re opening up the dorms to move in there. So even if Carnival doesn’t cancel our cruise, we still may have to if daughter decides she wants to go to school earlier.

If Horizon gets cancelled, I’ve now booked Carnival Panorama for the first week in December. We wouldn’t normally be able to do a cruise then but the purpose of NAU starting early is so the semester ends at Thanksgiving. My wife said she could take that week off instead of August.

I’m bound and determined to get a cruise in this year!


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> After our 9 night Fantasy Cruise got cancelled we decided to book Carnival Horizon for 6 night on 8/2.  My wife is a teacher but she decided she’d take a week off from school, (we start in July in our district).  We found out our kids college decide to start on 8/12 now instead of 8/24  That means we would get back on 8/8 and have to drive up to northern Arizona to get them moved in on 8/9. It’s not a big deal for our son because he’s just moving into the fraternity house and is already established. Our daughter is starting her first year up there and still doesn’t even know when they’re opening up the dorms to move in there. So even if Carnival doesn’t cancel our cruise, we still may have to if daughter decides she wants to go to school earlier.
> 
> If Horizon gets cancelled, I’ve now booked Carnival Panorama for the first week in December. We wouldn’t normally be able to do a cruise then but the purpose of NAU starting early is so the semester ends at Thanksgiving. My wife said she could take that week off instead of August.
> 
> I’m bound and determined to get a cruise in this year!



I hear you about cruising this year. I have at least 5 sailings saved on the Carnival website right now! And I'd like to make a decision by the end of the month because DH got a great casino rate and it expires June 30. We'd love another 8 day, but none of the dates seem to be working out for us.

I'm looking at a bunch of Magic sailings, particularly a 7 night on Oct. 31. We'd love to do a Halloween cruise, but I worry that there's more likelihood of cancellation if they don't get somewhat up and running by August.

Also, looking at 2 different sailings the weekend directly after Thanksgiving. The same Magic out of Miami and also a 6 night on the Radiance out of Port Canaveral. In my mind, we could fly down a day or 2 early, do Disney Springs & a value resort before going to the port on Sunday. However, you can't make any reservations on the Disney site, who knows if they'll even take new reservations, don't know cost, etc. Lots of unknowns with that one. And, just found out our dog boarding place is closed that week, which could be a deal breaker. 

And now I'm looking at another 7 night the first week of December. It's a touch more pricey (flights seem really expensive and I'm not sure why?). Magic again, but prefer the itinerary. And I feel like if ships will be more likely to sail and have a new "routine" up and running relatively smoothly. 

Ugh so many factors & unknowns!


----------



## hdrolfe

Sorry you may not get to go on Horizon in August @Club Disney Chandler but it sounds like some exciting steps for your family! Getting the kids off to College and settled. And you would get to go on Panorama which is the same as Horizon but newer, and thus nicer  

We have Horizon booked for early December and MSC for the week after it... I am still hopeful! But not sure what will happen with the border (we're in Canada). I know we can fly to the US at this point any way. Just have to isolate for two weeks when we return (so far, maybe that will change by December). 

I'm looking at what to book after for late 2021 or early 2022 and not sure if we want to do RCL Harmony (with stops in both Labadee and Coco Cay) or Mardi Gras. I'd love to do both but the price is a bit high for both ships still since they are new and nice. If for some reason we don't get to do Horizon in December, maybe I'd consider a B2B on there instead. So many trips, so little time   The benefit of Harmony or Mardi Gras is they are out of Port Canaveral and of course if we are all the way there, we have to go to Disney (or maybe Universal this time?) for at least a few days! Instead of B2B, land and sea


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> Sorry you may not get to go on Horizon in August @Club Disney Chandler but it sounds like some exciting steps for your family! Getting the kids off to College and settled. And you would get to go on Panorama which is the same as Horizon but newer, and thus nicer
> 
> We have Horizon booked for early December and MSC for the week after it... I am still hopeful! But not sure what will happen with the border (we're in Canada). I know we can fly to the US at this point any way. Just have to isolate for two weeks when we return (so far, maybe that will change by December).
> 
> I'm looking at what to book after for late 2021 or early 2022 and not sure if we want to do RCL Harmony (with stops in both Labadee and Coco Cay) or Mardi Gras. I'd love to do both but the price is a bit high for both ships still since they are new and nice. If for some reason we don't get to do Horizon in December, maybe I'd consider a B2B on there instead. So many trips, so little time   The benefit of Harmony or Mardi Gras is they are out of Port Canaveral and of course if we are all the way there, we have to go to Disney (or maybe Universal this time?) for at least a few days! Instead of B2B, land and sea


We have a B2B booked on Mardi Gras for June 2021 and the 8 night Greek Isles on the Disney Magic, I don’t know which one we’ll end up keeping. Both have pros and cons but I think I’m actually leaning toward Mardi Gras. I love the Disney ships and service but we always just end up having more fun on Carnival.

I really want to try RCCL so bad, but my wife really has no interest in them for some reason.  One of these days maybe we’ll do it.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> After our 9 night Fantasy Cruise got cancelled we decided to book Carnival Horizon for 6 night on 8/2.  My wife is a teacher but she decided she’d take a week off from school, (we start in July in our district).  We found out our kids college decide to start on 8/12 now instead of 8/24  That means we would get back on 8/8 and have to drive up to northern Arizona to get them moved in on 8/9. It’s not a big deal for our son because he’s just moving into the fraternity house and is already established. Our daughter is starting her first year up there and still doesn’t even know when they’re opening up the dorms to move in there. So even if Carnival doesn’t cancel our cruise, we still may have to if daughter decides she wants to go to school earlier.
> 
> If Horizon gets cancelled, I’ve now booked Carnival Panorama for the first week in December. We wouldn’t normally be able to do a cruise then but the purpose of NAU starting early is so the semester ends at Thanksgiving. My wife said she could take that week off instead of August.
> 
> I’m bound and determined to get a cruise in this year!



But if it doesn’t get cancelled... You’ll do both, right?  

(I know I would! )


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We have a B2B booked on Mardi Gras for June 2021 and the 8 night Greek Isles on the Disney Magic, I don’t know which one we’ll end up keeping. Both have pros and cons but I think I’m actually leaning toward Mardi Gras. I love the Disney ships and service but we always just end up having more fun on Carnival.
> 
> I really want to try RCCL so bad, but my wife really has no interest in them for some reason.  One of these days maybe we’ll do it.


In my opinion, RCCL is the perfect mix between DCL and Carnival! The best of both worlds (Best buffet, specialty dining on par with specialty dining found on DCL and CCL, best selection of entertainment and amazing performers, excellent cleanliness, nice cabins, excellent service from the staff), best activities for kids, fun and large main pools and great adult section with gigantic hot tubs!!!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> In my opinion, RCCL is the perfect mix between DCL and Carnival! The best of both worlds (Best buffet, specialty dining on par with specialty dining found on DCL and CCL, best selection of entertainment and amazing performers, excellent cleanliness, nice cabins, excellent service from the staff), best activities for kids, fun and large main pools and great adult section with gigantic hot tubs!!!



We are looking forward to trying an Oasis class RCL at some point, and going back to Coco Cay because my son is obsessed with water slides. But he hates the kids club on RCL, and will go to the one on Carnival. We also have more fun on Carnival, and not sure why that is since we don't do trivia or games and such, we rarely go to shows (I'd love to but kiddo won't and on RCL I can't even make him go to kids club while I go to a show). 

I do love that we have the choice though, and they go to different ports, and their ships are different as well. Maybe it's too much variety, how will we ever have time to try them all?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> But if it doesn’t get cancelled... You’ll do both, right?
> 
> (I know I would! )


I wish we could. My wife won’t take two weeks off from school, it’s a miracle she’s even going to take off one. Plus, the restaurant isn’t doing that great right now, so I’m watching my cruise funds just dwindle to nothing


----------



## auntlynne

DCL v Carnival.  
Sailings on each: DCL 17, Carnival 1

My Carnival experience:
One week out, I booked on the Carnival Fantasy, 5 nights, RT Mobile, Alabama.  Solo cruiser, ~ $400 inside cabin, cheapest category - with cruise line option of cabin.  I was assigned a porthole room, forward, lowest deck.

Parking and embarkation: late reservation date meant last embarkation time, but I managed to secure one of the last spots in the parking deck.  There was no time to enjoy the terminal, as all pre-boarding time was spent in line.  Which was in the parking deck most of the time.  This was Superbowl weekend and in the South, and the atmosphere was very much that of a pregame tailgate, with people happy to meet up with families and friends.  Lots of matching t-shirts for family reunions, birthdays and Pre-wedding festivities.  And people carrying refrigerator boxes of soda - allowed - as no free soda (and now Pepsi).  Patient and friendly despite an hourlong wait.  X-ray and check-in efficient enough, then walk into ship.  (It might be worth it to pay for Faster to the Fun if you can’t stand long).

No family announcement nor lovely atrium to set the tone.  Room was ready, with luggage outside the door on arrival.  And key to room was at the door, not in your hand at check-in.  

Cabin:  Twin beds, chair, desk.  I liked having a shower with no tub underneath.  No thermostat in room; housekeeping had to come close the vent in the ceiling to cut down the very cold air.  Likewise, no hairdryer, but they were prompt to bring one when called - and brought an extra blanket (nice and cozy) without being asked.  

Appearance - couldn’t hold a candle to DCL, but who can?

Food - A great soup every night on main menu.  Probably comparable meals to DCL, but I’m not such a fan of theirs, either.  I have never been hungry on a ship, though.

They offer afternoon tea on Sea Days.  Very few partakers; also not advertised, just a line on the food listings.  A very peaceful time on a party ship.  I knew to look for it and was satisfied.  Treats varied by the day; one was excellent, the other okay.

Carnival’s desserts were superior.  

Atmosphere - crowd was predominantly 20s to 60s.  Southern.  More racial diversity of passengers than DCL.

Sail-away party was no big deal. Some people standing around grandstand in pool area; cruise director and staff leading / teaching a dance.  

I missed the neat and tidy cast member uniforms over the t-shirts of Carnival.  One rainy morning, the multi-level atrium was alive with a lesson in the Thriller dance.  

My day usually had a few rounds of trivia, usually standing-room only in a smaller pub.

i went to the night-time comedy shows.  First showing was PG-13/14 or stronger; adult show was borderline vulgar - from the same mouth /mind.  Two comedians on the ship.  That was about it for my cruise-led activities.  I actually read a book on a ship, after having lugged the same one around for several vacations.

The biggest downside - Smoke.  The casino allowed smoking and there was no wall separating it from the major thoroughfare.  That is what would keep me off Carnival.

Positive - Crew members were friendly and conscientious about their work.  The assistant waiter was excellent at making suggestions, and like a DCL, they knew my name by the second visit.  The food came out quickly; wait staff did not hover but were there when needed.  And no requests to make sure we reviewed them positively on the exit survey.

Cheap and close to home.  Destination was Cozumel, where Carnival has its own dock / port shops.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

auntlynne said:


> DCL v Carnival.
> Sailings on each: DCL 17, Carnival 1
> 
> My Carnival experience:
> One week out, I booked on the Carnival Fantasy, 5 nights, RT Mobile, Alabama.  Solo cruiser, ~ $400 inside cabin, cheapest category - with cruise line option of cabin.  I was assigned a porthole room, forward, lowest deck.
> 
> Parking and embarkation: late reservation date meant last embarkation time, but I managed to secure one of the last spots in the parking deck.  There was no time to enjoy the terminal, as all pre-boarding time was spent in line.  Which was in the parking deck most of the time.  This was Superbowl weekend and in the South, and the atmosphere was very much that of a pregame tailgate, with people happy to meet up with families and friends.  Lots of matching t-shirts for family reunions, birthdays and Pre-wedding festivities.  And people carrying refrigerator boxes of soda - allowed - as no free soda (and now Pepsi).  Patient and friendly despite an hourlong wait.  X-ray and check-in efficient enough, then walk into ship.  (It might be worth it to pay for Faster to the Fun if you can’t stand long).
> 
> No family announcement nor lovely atrium to set the tone.  Room was ready, with luggage outside the door on arrival.  And key to room was at the door, not in your hand at check-in.
> 
> Cabin:  Twin beds, chair, desk.  I liked having a shower with no tub underneath.  No thermostat in room; housekeeping had to come close the vent in the ceiling to cut down the very cold air.  Likewise, no hairdryer, but they were prompt to bring one when called - and brought an extra blanket (nice and cozy) without being asked.
> 
> Appearance - couldn’t hold a candle to DCL, but who can?
> 
> Food - A great soup every night on main menu.  Probably comparable meals to DCL, but I’m not such a fan of theirs, either.  I have never been hungry on a ship, though.
> 
> They offer afternoon tea on Sea Days.  Very few partakers; also not advertised, just a line on the food listings.  A very peaceful time on a party ship.  I knew to look for it and was satisfied.  Treats varied by the day; one was excellent, the other okay.
> 
> Carnival’s desserts were superior.
> 
> Atmosphere - crowd was predominantly 20s to 60s.  Southern.  More racial diversity of passengers than DCL.
> 
> Sail-away party was no big deal. Some people standing around grandstand in pool area; cruise director and staff leading / teaching a dance.
> 
> I missed the neat and tidy cast member uniforms over the t-shirts of Carnival.  One rainy morning, the multi-level atrium was alive with a lesson in the Thriller dance.
> 
> My day usually had a few rounds of trivia, usually standing-room only in a smaller pub.
> 
> i went to the night-time comedy shows.  First showing was PG-13/14 or stronger; adult show was borderline vulgar - from the same mouth /mind.  Two comedians on the ship.  That was about it for my cruise-led activities.  I actually read a book on a ship, after having lugged the same one around for several vacations.
> 
> The biggest downside - Smoke.  The casino allowed smoking and there was no wall separating it from the major thoroughfare.  That is what would keep me off Carnival.
> 
> Positive - Crew members were friendly and conscientious about their work.  The assistant waiter was excellent at making suggestions, and like a DCL, they knew my name by the second visit.  The food came out quickly; wait staff did not hover but were there when needed.  And no requests to make sure we reviewed them positively on the exit survey.
> 
> Cheap and close to home.  Destination was Cozumel, where Carnival has its own dock / port shops.


Thanks for the review. After 4 Carnival cruises on the Vista, I have to admit, I’m scared to death to try their Fantasy class ships. I really don’t think I’d like them at all, I’m definitely not a fan of the decor at all. Also, I agree that Carnival’s desserts are better than DCL’s, but I do miss the presentation of food on DCL when on Carnival. Disney’s dishes are gorgeous.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Thanks for the review. After 4 Carnival cruises on the Vista, I have to admit, I’m scared to death to try their Fantasy class ships. I really don’t think I’d like them at all, I’m definitely not a fan of the decor at all. Also, I agree that Carnival’s desserts are better than DCL’s, but I do miss the presentation of food on DCL when on Carnival. Disney’s dishes are gorgeous.


I've been on 2 Fantasy class ships.  Skip them!  I know people love them because they are smaller, easier to navigate, etc. They also have a lot less to do and we were just plain bored.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> I've been on 2 Fantasy class ships.  Skip them!  I know people love them because they are smaller, easier to navigate, etc. They also have a lot less to do and we were just plain bored.


Thanks, that’s what I was figuring. They just don’t seem like they would be my cruising style.


----------



## belle032

auntlynne said:


> DCL v Carnival.
> Sailings on each: DCL 17, Carnival 1
> 
> My Carnival experience:
> One week out, I booked on the Carnival Fantasy, 5 nights, RT Mobile, Alabama.  Solo cruiser, ~ $400 inside cabin, cheapest category - with cruise line option of cabin.  I was assigned a porthole room, forward, lowest deck.
> 
> Parking and embarkation: late reservation date meant last embarkation time, but I managed to secure one of the last spots in the parking deck.  There was no time to enjoy the terminal, as all pre-boarding time was spent in line.  Which was in the parking deck most of the time.  This was Superbowl weekend and in the South, and the atmosphere was very much that of a pregame tailgate, with people happy to meet up with families and friends.  Lots of matching t-shirts for family reunions, birthdays and Pre-wedding festivities.  And people carrying refrigerator boxes of soda - allowed - as no free soda (and now Pepsi).  Patient and friendly despite an hourlong wait.  X-ray and check-in efficient enough, then walk into ship.  (It might be worth it to pay for Faster to the Fun if you can’t stand long).
> 
> No family announcement nor lovely atrium to set the tone.  Room was ready, with luggage outside the door on arrival.  And key to room was at the door, not in your hand at check-in.
> 
> Cabin:  Twin beds, chair, desk.  I liked having a shower with no tub underneath.  No thermostat in room; housekeeping had to come close the vent in the ceiling to cut down the very cold air.  Likewise, no hairdryer, but they were prompt to bring one when called - and brought an extra blanket (nice and cozy) without being asked.
> 
> Appearance - couldn’t hold a candle to DCL, but who can?
> 
> Food - A great soup every night on main menu.  Probably comparable meals to DCL, but I’m not such a fan of theirs, either.  I have never been hungry on a ship, though.
> 
> They offer afternoon tea on Sea Days.  Very few partakers; also not advertised, just a line on the food listings.  A very peaceful time on a party ship.  I knew to look for it and was satisfied.  Treats varied by the day; one was excellent, the other okay.
> 
> Carnival’s desserts were superior.
> 
> Atmosphere - crowd was predominantly 20s to 60s.  Southern.  More racial diversity of passengers than DCL.
> 
> Sail-away party was no big deal. Some people standing around grandstand in pool area; cruise director and staff leading / teaching a dance.
> 
> I missed the neat and tidy cast member uniforms over the t-shirts of Carnival.  One rainy morning, the multi-level atrium was alive with a lesson in the Thriller dance.
> 
> My day usually had a few rounds of trivia, usually standing-room only in a smaller pub.
> 
> i went to the night-time comedy shows.  First showing was PG-13/14 or stronger; adult show was borderline vulgar - from the same mouth /mind.  Two comedians on the ship.  That was about it for my cruise-led activities.  I actually read a book on a ship, after having lugged the same one around for several vacations.
> 
> The biggest downside - Smoke.  The casino allowed smoking and there was no wall separating it from the major thoroughfare.  That is what would keep me off Carnival.
> 
> Positive - Crew members were friendly and conscientious about their work.  The assistant waiter was excellent at making suggestions, and like a DCL, they knew my name by the second visit.  The food came out quickly; wait staff did not hover but were there when needed.  And no requests to make sure we reviewed them positively on the exit survey.
> 
> Cheap and close to home.  Destination was Cozumel, where Carnival has its own dock / port shops.



Thank you for your review! Yes, the Fantasy is one of the smallest and oldest ships in the fleet. I sailed on her a few years ago out of Charleston with the same idea you did, cheap and close to home. I think it went to Nassau & Freeport, so not the best itinerary either! And I agree with other posters. I would skip the Fantasy class ships now. They just don't live up to the rest of the fleet.

I totally agree with you about the decor!  Thank God CCL has gotten more subtle and modern with their theming. Something I do like that DCL seems to be missing though: Carnival atriums are more of a hub of activity. DCL ships have very pretty lobbies (those light fixtures are beyond gorgeous!), but they are more of a pass through than anything. I feel like it's wasted space almost? Besides the show on the last night, we only ever saw some characters meet & greets there.

DCL staterooms are beautiful and yes, definitely outshine any others. Plus, you can't beat that split bathroom!

Activities are definitely a matter of taste. I honestly felt the same on the Disney Magic with the lack of activities. It felt like bingo & trivia were your options during the day. Maybe it's a smaller ship thing? It was lacking and we did experience a little boredom some days. And yes, the casino smoke is awful on those smaller ships. Sorry you had to deal with that. DH likes to gamble a little, but I usually try to avoid the casino. Not my thing. We love the comedians, but can see how they are not for everyone. And of course, DCL stage shows are second to none!

Glad the crew and food were positives for you! I always thought DCL & CCL food was very comparable. We never go hungry. I love the rotational dining with DCL, but overall, we prefer the "your time dining" and our dining staff on CCL. On our last DCL, DH & I were afraid to not show up to a meal because we were hounded with "was the last meal not good enough for you?" and "did we do something wrong?" I felt SO guilty for skipping a meal. And I think like you mentioned, it also has to do with the constant talk of the surveys. I swear their jobs must hinge solely on these surveys with how much they push them. And that's probably not their fault and I can't blame them too much, but it does get tiring!

Glad you gave CCL a chance and if you ever decide to again, I would highly recommend their newer & larger ships to get a different experience. Happy cruising!


----------



## DCLDVC1

auntlynne said:


> DCL v Carnival.
> Sailings on each: DCL 17, Carnival 1
> 
> My Carnival experience:
> One week out, I booked on the Carnival Fantasy, 5 nights, RT Mobile, Alabama.  Solo cruiser, ~ $400 inside cabin, cheapest category - with cruise line option of cabin.  I was assigned a porthole room, forward, lowest deck.
> 
> Parking and embarkation: late reservation date meant last embarkation time, but I managed to secure one of the last spots in the parking deck.  There was no time to enjoy the terminal, as all pre-boarding time was spent in line.  Which was in the parking deck most of the time.  This was Superbowl weekend and in the South, and the atmosphere was very much that of a pregame tailgate, with people happy to meet up with families and friends.  Lots of matching t-shirts for family reunions, birthdays and Pre-wedding festivities.  And people carrying refrigerator boxes of soda - allowed - as no free soda (and now Pepsi).  Patient and friendly despite an hourlong wait.  X-ray and check-in efficient enough, then walk into ship.  (It might be worth it to pay for Faster to the Fun if you can’t stand long).
> 
> No family announcement nor lovely atrium to set the tone.  Room was ready, with luggage outside the door on arrival.  And key to room was at the door, not in your hand at check-in.
> 
> Cabin:  Twin beds, chair, desk.  I liked having a shower with no tub underneath.  No thermostat in room; housekeeping had to come close the vent in the ceiling to cut down the very cold air.  Likewise, no hairdryer, but they were prompt to bring one when called - and brought an extra blanket (nice and cozy) without being asked.
> 
> Appearance - couldn’t hold a candle to DCL, but who can?
> 
> Food - A great soup every night on main menu.  Probably comparable meals to DCL, but I’m not such a fan of theirs, either.  I have never been hungry on a ship, though.
> 
> They offer afternoon tea on Sea Days.  Very few partakers; also not advertised, just a line on the food listings.  A very peaceful time on a party ship.  I knew to look for it and was satisfied.  Treats varied by the day; one was excellent, the other okay.
> 
> Carnival’s desserts were superior.
> 
> Atmosphere - crowd was predominantly 20s to 60s.  Southern.  More racial diversity of passengers than DCL.
> 
> Sail-away party was no big deal. Some people standing around grandstand in pool area; cruise director and staff leading / teaching a dance.
> 
> I missed the neat and tidy cast member uniforms over the t-shirts of Carnival.  One rainy morning, the multi-level atrium was alive with a lesson in the Thriller dance.
> 
> My day usually had a few rounds of trivia, usually standing-room only in a smaller pub.
> 
> i went to the night-time comedy shows.  First showing was PG-13/14 or stronger; adult show was borderline vulgar - from the same mouth /mind.  Two comedians on the ship.  That was about it for my cruise-led activities.  I actually read a book on a ship, after having lugged the same one around for several vacations.
> 
> The biggest downside - Smoke.  The casino allowed smoking and there was no wall separating it from the major thoroughfare.  That is what would keep me off Carnival.
> 
> Positive - Crew members were friendly and conscientious about their work.  The assistant waiter was excellent at making suggestions, and like a DCL, they knew my name by the second visit.  The food came out quickly; wait staff did not hover but were there when needed.  And no requests to make sure we reviewed them positively on the exit survey.
> 
> Cheap and close to home.  Destination was Cozumel, where Carnival has its own dock / port shops.



You can't go wrong for $80/night!


----------



## lklgoodman

DCL does some things in the atrium besides character meets, but not a lot.  They do the Jack Jack Diaper dash races, some golf game, and they have singers/musicians performing at night.  They do several activities there during the Star War cruises also.. The singers/musicians are usually after the second dinner, they're usually there for around 30 mins so easy to miss.  I actually like that they don't do a ton of stuff in the atrium because when they do stuff there it's usually crowded.  We do like the baby racing though, always a lot of fun. I haven't been on Carnival, but the pics I've seen of their ships look like their atriums are better set up for activities.  
Our town has closed the pools for the entire season.  And the local lake is closed because of some weird algea or something, grrr!!!  If cruises are running by Sept. I'm thinking about booking a 4 or 5 night cruise.  Our town has a huge harness race mid-Sept every year, so no school for several days during it.  I don't even care where the cruise goes to!!  I need a beach!!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> We are looking forward to trying an Oasis class RCL at some point, and going back to Coco Cay because my son is obsessed with water slides. But he hates the kids club on RCL, and will go to the one on Carnival. We also have more fun on Carnival, and not sure why that is since we don't do trivia or games and such, we rarely go to shows (I'd love to but kiddo won't and on RCL I can't even make him go to kids club while I go to a show).
> 
> I do love that we have the choice though, and they go to different ports, and their ships are different as well. Maybe it's too much variety, how will we ever have time to try them all?



I couldn’t compare kids club as I do not have kids but when comparing activities on RCCL, the only Carnival ship that comes close is the Vista and more recent ships. I have tried all activities that adults can also do and they are both amazing options. 

I believe you could try everything during a 6 day+ cruise. During short cruises, you’d have to skip a port and keep a tight scheduleshich is not very relaxing. My friends and I are facing that problem with our girls cruise. We probably won’t get off the ship for very long in Nassau.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I wish we could. My wife won’t take two weeks off from school, it’s a miracle she’s even going to take off one. Plus, the restaurant isn’t doing that great right now, so I’m watching my cruise funds just dwindle to nothing



I’m sorry. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon.


----------



## mevelandry

auntlynne said:


> DCL v Carnival.
> Sailings on each: DCL 17, Carnival 1
> 
> My Carnival experience:
> One week out, I booked on the Carnival Fantasy, 5 nights, RT Mobile, Alabama.  Solo cruiser, ~ $400 inside cabin, cheapest category - with cruise line option of cabin.  I was assigned a porthole room, forward, lowest deck.
> 
> Parking and embarkation: late reservation date meant last embarkation time, but I managed to secure one of the last spots in the parking deck.  There was no time to enjoy the terminal, as all pre-boarding time was spent in line.  Which was in the parking deck most of the time.  This was Superbowl weekend and in the South, and the atmosphere was very much that of a pregame tailgate, with people happy to meet up with families and friends.  Lots of matching t-shirts for family reunions, birthdays and Pre-wedding festivities.  And people carrying refrigerator boxes of soda - allowed - as no free soda (and now Pepsi).  Patient and friendly despite an hourlong wait.  X-ray and check-in efficient enough, then walk into ship.  (It might be worth it to pay for Faster to the Fun if you can’t stand long).
> 
> No family announcement nor lovely atrium to set the tone.  Room was ready, with luggage outside the door on arrival.  And key to room was at the door, not in your hand at check-in.
> 
> Cabin:  Twin beds, chair, desk.  I liked having a shower with no tub underneath.  No thermostat in room; housekeeping had to come close the vent in the ceiling to cut down the very cold air.  Likewise, no hairdryer, but they were prompt to bring one when called - and brought an extra blanket (nice and cozy) without being asked.
> 
> Appearance - couldn’t hold a candle to DCL, but who can?
> 
> Food - A great soup every night on main menu.  Probably comparable meals to DCL, but I’m not such a fan of theirs, either.  I have never been hungry on a ship, though.
> 
> They offer afternoon tea on Sea Days.  Very few partakers; also not advertised, just a line on the food listings.  A very peaceful time on a party ship.  I knew to look for it and was satisfied.  Treats varied by the day; one was excellent, the other okay.
> 
> Carnival’s desserts were superior.
> 
> Atmosphere - crowd was predominantly 20s to 60s.  Southern.  More racial diversity of passengers than DCL.
> 
> Sail-away party was no big deal. Some people standing around grandstand in pool area; cruise director and staff leading / teaching a dance.
> 
> I missed the neat and tidy cast member uniforms over the t-shirts of Carnival.  One rainy morning, the multi-level atrium was alive with a lesson in the Thriller dance.
> 
> My day usually had a few rounds of trivia, usually standing-room only in a smaller pub.
> 
> i went to the night-time comedy shows.  First showing was PG-13/14 or stronger; adult show was borderline vulgar - from the same mouth /mind.  Two comedians on the ship.  That was about it for my cruise-led activities.  I actually read a book on a ship, after having lugged the same one around for several vacations.
> 
> The biggest downside - Smoke.  The casino allowed smoking and there was no wall separating it from the major thoroughfare.  That is what would keep me off Carnival.
> 
> Positive - Crew members were friendly and conscientious about their work.  The assistant waiter was excellent at making suggestions, and like a DCL, they knew my name by the second visit.  The food came out quickly; wait staff did not hover but were there when needed.  And no requests to make sure we reviewed them positively on the exit survey.
> 
> Cheap and close to home.  Destination was Cozumel, where Carnival has its own dock / port shops.



Hi auntlynne!

Thank you so very much for your review!

I believe DCL is the only cruise line doing announcement... As an introvert, that is one of the things I don’t really miss when I am cruising on a non-DCL cruise line.

I have to say that the Fantasy Class on CCL is my least favorite... The new CCL ships (Vista, Horizon, Panorama) look much much much better than any ship from the Fantasy Class. Farcus designs have to go! 

When it comes to looks, I have to say that I find that Royal Caribbean is pretty much on par with DCL. A little bit different but beautiful. 

I love the afternoon tea. I wish more cruise lines would offer it.

Now that you talk about it, I have never noticed what cast members are wearing on any cruise line I have sailed on.

Unfortunately, on Carnival, all ships are not created equal when it comes to how they manage smoke in the casino. The new ships are doing a much better job (but if it was just me, smoking anywhere inside would be banned).

What did you think of the music? I believe you did not go to see the musical shows?


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Thanks for the review. After 4 Carnival cruises on the Vista, I have to admit, I’m scared to death to try their Fantasy class ships. I really don’t think I’d like them at all, I’m definitely not a fan of the decor at all. Also, I agree that Carnival’s desserts are better than DCL’s, but I do miss the presentation of food on DCL when on Carnival. Disney’s dishes are gorgeous.



Friendly advice: I am a huge fan of Carnival but if there is one class of ships I would skip entirely on Carnival, it’s this one. The Fantasy Class ships need to be retired or or at the very minimum, be completely redone...


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I've been on 2 Fantasy class ships.  Skip them!  I know people love them because they are smaller, easier to navigate, etc. They also have a lot less to do and we were just plain bored.



I could not agree more. The only thing that saved our cruise was the amazing staff and the fact that we had the Serenity section almost to ourselves most of the trip!

I would only go back on Fantasy class if I had a very port intensive cruise with no sea day.


----------



## wombat_5606

@mevelandry , could I ask you to amend your Post 1 to include the 'class' of ship, if it's not too much trouble. I would appreciate it because when posts indicate just the class it would be very nice to have a quick resource.


----------



## hdrolfe

This could help. Dream Class, Vista Class and the new Mardi Gras would be highly recommended by most. Conquest, Spritit and Sunshine Class seem to have some die hard followers as well. Fantasy seems to be the least recommended. 

I've cruise on Conquest and Dream class, both were great but Dream class had more for my son to do. However, Carnival Liberty was our first cruise and is what got us hooked.


----------



## wombat_5606

hdrolfe said:


> This could help. Dream Class, Vista Class and the new Mardi Gras would be highly recommended by most. Conquest, Spritit and Sunshine Class seem to have some die hard followers as well. Fantasy seems to be the least recommended.
> 
> I've cruise on Conquest and Dream class, both were great but Dream class had more for my son to do. However, Carnival Liberty was our first cruise and is what got us hooked.



Thank you!!! I appreciate your comments, too! 

My most recent cruise was on the Liberty, also. It was a short cruise and it was fine, but want to keep looking. Now I can more easily follow the comments and reviews with this to refer to.


----------



## mevelandry

wombat_5606 said:


> @mevelandry , could I ask you to amend your Post 1 to include the 'class' of ship, if it's not too much trouble. I would appreciate it because when posts indicate just the class it would be very nice to have a quick resource.



Excellent suggestion! I will add that. 



hdrolfe said:


> This could help. Dream Class, Vista Class and the new Mardi Gras would be highly recommended by most. Conquest, Spritit and Sunshine Class seem to have some die hard followers as well. Fantasy seems to be the least recommended.
> 
> I've cruise on Conquest and Dream class, both were great but Dream class had more for my son to do. However, Carnival Liberty was our first cruise and is what got us hooked.



Thank you. I will use that picture.


----------



## belle032

Just saw this update from Norwegian. I imagine others will follow suit? Fingers crossed that October is the magic month then!


*Updated June 16, 2020:    *Your safety is our #1 priority—both on and off our ships. Due to the current global environment, we are extending the suspension of 2020 cruises to include:

All sailings through August 30th
All sailings in September except Seattle-based Alaska cruises
The select October sailings listed below
 

DestinatonAffected Ship(s)Suspended Voyage DatesAlaskaNorwegian BlissOctober 12AlaskaNorwegian JoyOctober 4Canada/New EnglandNorwegian BreakawayOctober 4 - October 11Canada/New EnglandNorwegian GemOctober 2 - October 9


----------



## mevelandry

Hi guys, 

Just came accross an article stating that Carnival announced that they were going to retire (at least) 6 cruise ships in the next days. 

Which ship do you think they should get rid of? 

-My answer: most of the Fantasy Class, starting with Carnival Sensation! Maybe keep one or two that are in better shape... Get rid of the rest. 

What do you guys think?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> Just came accross an article stating that Carnival announced that they were going to retire (at least) 6 cruise ships in the next days.
> 
> Which ship do you think they should get rid of?
> 
> -My answer: most of the Fantasy Class, starting with Carnival Sensation! Maybe keep one or two that are in better shape... Get rid of the rest.
> 
> What do you guys think?


Would love for them to get rid of the entire Fantasy Class but this is the whole Carnival corporation so across all their lines.  I am sure a few will come from Costa and P&O, they have a lot of older ships too.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

On another note it looks like they are gearing up to cancel August & September sailings. No longer available to book and JH cryptically said they are looking at their operations now.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> Just came accross an article stating that Carnival announced that they were going to retire (at least) 6 cruise ships in the next days.
> 
> Which ship do you think they should get rid of?
> 
> -My answer: most of the Fantasy Class, starting with Carnival Sensation! Maybe keep one or two that are in better shape... Get rid of the rest.
> 
> What do you guys think?



I'm going to agree with the Fantasy class, at least some of them. I think the Paradise & Elation might be a touch newer, but the Fantasy, Ecstasy, Sensation, Imagination, Inspiration & Fascination could definitely be put to rest. My very first cruise was on the Sensation and it was 20+ years ago. Not sure if any others are "ready" to retire? But then again, we enjoy the Conquest class and they seem so much smaller and older than other ships now!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> On another note it looks like they are gearing up to cancel August & September sailings. No longer available to book and JH cryptically said they are looking at their operations now.



They say they will announce their plans on monday but it sounds like all the cruise lines are cancelling until Sept. 15?


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> (...) But then again, we enjoy the Conquest class and they seem so much smaller and older than other ships now!



Farcus...


----------



## auntlynne

mevelandry said:


> Hi auntlynne!
> 
> ...
> 
> I love the afternoon tea. I wish more cruise lines would offer it.
> 
> ...
> 
> What did you think of the music? I believe you did not go to see the musical shows?



I got used to afternoon tea on a cruise when sailing Princess in Alaska.  Now I miss it when I have a day at sea and nobody is offering me sandwiches and scones. 

Side note:  no other cruise line has fan info like DCL.  Trying to find the scoop on rooms, entertainment, dining, is so hard for other cruises.  Since Carnival owns Princess, I had a heads up to look for tea. 

I didn’t even bother with the shows.  I didn’t enjoy them on Princess, and skip some on DCL (Villians, Twice Charmed, Hercules), so made a calculated decision  and used my time relaxing.  Probably relaxed more than on most cruises.


----------



## auntlynne

belle032 said:


> ...
> Activities are definitely a matter of taste. I honestly felt the same on the Disney Magic with the lack of activities. It felt like bingo & trivia were your options during the day. Maybe it's a smaller ship thing? It was lacking and we did experience a little boredom some days. ...



We sailed the first EBTA on DCL; boy, what a snoozer for activities.  The Navigator looked like a blank sheet of paper.  Four years later, I did a PC, and they had learned some tricks, like Hide and Seek with the officers.  

I find most cruises to be light on the activity side, no matter the carrier.  I mostly like cruising as a floating hotel & transport to see new places; on a port heavy cruise, I barely have the need for shipboard activities.  Maybe as I get older, I will look for relaxing chill-out itineraries.  I always love trivia and Disney’s production shows plus current run movies.  And as long as dinner continues to take two hours... that takes up a good chunk of time.  Now, maybe one day I will get to the gym.?


----------



## mevelandry

auntlynne said:


> I got used to afternoon tea on a cruise when sailing Princess in Alaska.  Now I miss it when I have a day at sea and nobody is offering me sandwiches and scones.
> 
> Side note:  no other cruise line has fan info like DCL.  Trying to find the scoop on rooms, entertainment, dining, is so hard for other cruises.  Since Carnival owns Princess, I had a heads up to look for tea.
> 
> I didn’t even bother with the shows.  I didn’t enjoy them on Princess, and skip some on DCL (Villians, Twice Charmed, Hercules), so made a calculated decision  and used my time relaxing.  Probably relaxed more than on most cruises.



I find that Facebook groups are pretty much essentials if you want to get as many info as you want on cruise lines. I come here for DCL and Carnival but on Facebook for Royal Caribbean (plus Royal Caribbean Blog and podcast) and Norwegian.


----------



## hdrolfe

Given the extension for cruises to start to mid-September, it looks like I will be cancelling my December cruises. My PIF is in September and if they haven't started going then I don't think I will be comfortable paying them off, not having any examples of how it's going. I will lose my deposits, but it's not a huge amount of money, and the only problem is I don't know when I will be able to book anything else. I get it's a first world problem, but it just makes me sad. We weren't able to get away for March break which is when this whole isolation thing started, I wish we could get away this coming winter. I may look into an all inclusive instead, but I just don't know how it could be as fun as a cruise or Disney!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> Given the extension for cruises to start to mid-September, it looks like I will be cancelling my December cruises. My PIF is in September and if they haven't started going then I don't think I will be comfortable paying them off, not having any examples of how it's going. I will lose my deposits, but it's not a huge amount of money, and the only problem is I don't know when I will be able to book anything else. I get it's a first world problem, but it just makes me sad. We weren't able to get away for March break which is when this whole isolation thing started, I wish we could get away this coming winter. I may look into an all inclusive instead, but I just don't know how it could be as fun as a cruise or Disney!


We just found out our August cruise is being cancelled. We have a December as a back up but who knows what will become of that. We want to do something in the next couple weeks before my wife has to go back to work, but there is just nothing to do, everything is closed. It’s really depressing. We can’t go out of the country even if we were able to find a place because the state department has our kids passports. We sent them in for renewal on 3/16, then everything shut down, it’s very frustrating.


----------



## wombat_5606

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We just found out our August cruise is being cancelled. We have a December as a back up but who knows what will become of that. We want to do something in the next couple weeks before my wife has to go back to work, but there is just nothing to do, everything is closed. It’s really depressing. We can’t go out of the country even if we were able to find a place because the state department has our kids passports. We sent them in for renewal on 3/16, then everything shut down, it’s very frustrating.



It's not even easy to travel from state to state. 

https://www.travelpulse.com/news/im...-still-have-covid-19-travel-restrictions.html


----------



## hdrolfe

Oh, my kid's passport! It expired in December and I'd planned to go in on March break to get it renewed but it was closed. Shoot.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

wombat_5606 said:


> It's not even easy to travel from state to state.
> 
> https://www.travelpulse.com/news/im...-still-have-covid-19-travel-restrictions.html


Thanks for the info, luckily at this point we can still go to California.


----------



## belle032

It's so quiet! Ughhh I miss cruising! Does anyone have any 2020 cruise plans left or are y'all choosing to wait until 2021?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> It's so quiet! Ughhh I miss cruising! Does anyone have any 2020 cruise plans left or are y'all choosing to wait until 2021?


Just waiting for my October cruise to be cancelled so I can request my refund! Looks like I won't be traveling or having a vacation until at least summer 2021. I am going crazy but I refuse to go to the beach in Florida and come home with the virus.


----------



## hdrolfe

I haven't officially cancelled my December cruises but unless things shift as suddenly back as they did getting to this state, I don't see them happening.


----------



## tinkerone

belle032 said:


> It's so quiet! Ughhh I miss cruising! Does anyone have any 2020 cruise plans left or are y'all choosing to wait until 2021?


We moved our October B2B on Symphony of the Seas to 2021.  I figured it will not be sailing anyways and with their 'lift and shift' it was soooo easy.  Not one dollar more either.  We even managed to get the same cabin which was a bonus.


----------



## auntlynne

belle032 said:


> It's so quiet! Ughhh I miss cruising! Does anyone have any 2020 cruise plans left or are y'all choosing to wait until 2021?



Last week, we PIF a Nov 7 Magic cruise, 5 nights, San Juan - Antigua - St Thomas - CC - Miami.  We are going or getting the FCC to apply to Sep 2021 Magic to Norway. 

DCL pricing now makes cruise planning a search for the best price.  I am stuck in 2011, when 11 nights in the Med was $2K (2 pax) for an inside; I’m still not used to current pricing


----------



## hdrolfe

From John Heald:
Over the next few weeks you will see us start to post cruises for 2022.
Later today you will see:
￼ Carnival Dream
6 & 8 day Galveston
Carnival Glory
7 & 14 day New Orleans
Carnival Horizon
6 & 8 day Miami
Carnival Paradise
4 & 5 day Tampa
Carnival Vista
7 day Galveston
There will also be 14 day Journey Cruises￼ from New Orleans and Galveston
They will show on Carnival.com later tonight so please speak with your Travel Advisor and take a look at some of the great itineraries. And there is much more to come


----------



## auntlynne

I was all excited - cruises for DCL in 2022.  Kept reading and saw it was Carnival.  Bummed.

I’m not sure why I care - I keep saying this year’s cruise might be my last.  Then I booked next September because it was good pricing for DCL to Norway.  And I am sitting on a Celebrity reservation for May 2021 to Alaska,  That was for a first attempt on Celebrity. I have friends who were DCL fans who jumped lines and had good things to say about Celebrity.

If COVID hangs around like the 1918 flu did, I may end up living out my threat of never cruising again.  I have been so fortunate to see as much of the world as I have, it won’t be as sad as it would be for those who put it off for real retirement.


----------



## AquaDame

auntlynne said:


> I was all excited - cruises for DCL in 2022.  Kept reading and saw it was Carnival.  Bummed.
> 
> I’m not sure why I care - I keep saying this year’s cruise might be my last.  Then I booked next September because it was good pricing for DCL to Norway.  And I am sitting on a Celebrity reservation for May 2021 to Alaska,  That was for a first attempt on Celebrity. I have friends who were DCL fans who jumped lines and had good things to say about Celebrity.
> 
> If COVID hangs around like the 1918 flu did, I may end up living out my threat of never cruising again.  I have been so fortunate to see as much of the world as I have, it won’t be as sad as it would be for those who put it off for real retirement.



1918 was a couple of years... right? When I go looking it says it was worldwide from 1918-1919. I'm hopeful things can resume as normal by 2022 at least.

We're very grateful that we happened to spend the last few years going on some major trips and were always going to be more chill for 2020. The only real loss was a trip to WDW/New Orleans in October and a trip we have planned for May of next year is now on steps but can be moved if needed (also non-refundable though.. ugh). I had been feeling uneasy about our whole 'travel while you're young!' motto but now I can't regret a thing. Knocking out China in 2018 and East Africa/South Africa last summer may have been one of the best decisions we've made to date, even though we went BIG for our last trip. We are still paying off some credit for the safari... made much easier now by sitting at home.    I can't imagine when we'd be able to get back now that tensions are high(er).


----------



## auntlynne

AquaDame said:


> 1918 was a couple of years... right? When I go looking it says it was worldwide from 1918-1919. I'm hopeful things can resume as normal by 2022 at least.
> 
> We're very grateful that we happened to spend the last few years going on some major trips and were always going to be more chill for 2020. The only real loss was a trip to WDW/New Orleans in October and a trip we have planned for May of next year is now on steps but can be moved if needed (also non-refundable though.. ugh). I had been feeling uneasy about our whole 'travel while you're young!' motto but now I can't regret a thing. Knocking out China in 2018 and East Africa/South Africa last summer may have been one of the best decisions we've made to date, even though we went BIG for our last trip. We are still paying off some credit for the safari... made much easier now by sitting at home.    I can't imagine when we'd be able to get back now that tensions are high(er).



I have been so fortunate to have traveled before age 55 (and then was sick for several years).  Now much better - and still have a functioning mind to remember (and relive) all the fun of seeing the world.  There’s still much of the world I could see (or see again), but I have done so much more than the majority of people, living or dead.  Just one cruise throws most of us in that category 

Yes, the 1918 flu dragged on for over two years (Feb 1918 - April 2020, per Wikipedia).  One hundred years later, we basically picked up where That one ended.  Time will tell if / how this generation handles such a life changer.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> It's so quiet! Ughhh I miss cruising! Does anyone have any 2020 cruise plans left or are y'all choosing to wait until 2021?



I still have our reservation for December 2020 but seeing all the spikes in COVID cases everywhere in the USA, I am 100% expecting them to cancel our flights/sailings before Sept 15. My friends want to wait to see what happens but on my side, my hopes are at 0%.


----------



## belle032

Looks like the Costa Victoria is the first of those 6 ships to be retired and dismantled. Makes me wonder if any actual Carnival ships are on the list.


----------



## mevelandry

Oh shoot.

Norwegian has just cancelled our October 2021 cruise. At the same time, we lost all the freebies we were supposed to receive (free drink package, free wifi, specialty dining, $ for excursions) so we are disappointed. We’ll receive a 10% future credit that can be applied on a cruise before Dec 31, 2022.

I’m sad.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Oh shoot.
> 
> Norwegian has just cancelled our October 2021 cruise. At the same time, we lost all the freebies we were supposed to receive (free drink package, free wifi, specialty dining, $ for excursions) so we are disappointed. We’ll receive a 10% future credit that can be applied on a cruise before Dec 31, 2022.
> 
> I’m sad.



Oh no, did they give a reason? We're booked on NCL in September 2021.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Oh shoot.
> 
> Norwegian has just cancelled our October 2021 cruise. At the same time, we lost all the freebies we were supposed to receive (free drink package, free wifi, specialty dining, $ for excursions) so we are disappointed. We’ll receive a 10% future credit that can be applied on a cruise before Dec 31, 2022.
> 
> I’m sad.



They have a current promo with all of those plus free gratuities, not sure how that compares in cost but might be something to compare?


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Oh no, did they give a reason? We're booked on NCL in September 2021.



« Fleet redeployment » it looks like most sailings from august to mid-october has been cancelled.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> They have a current promo with all of those plus free gratuities, not sure how that compares in cost but might be something to compare?



I’ll wait a bit. They said we will be to use our FCC starting July 8.


----------



## mevelandry

I have my eyes on a Carnival Magic cruise to Bermuda... 

To be continued.


----------



## Pens Fan

mevelandry said:


> Oh shoot.
> 
> Norwegian has just cancelled our October 2021 cruise. At the same time, we lost all the freebies we were supposed to receive (free drink package, free wifi, specialty dining, $ for excursions) so we are disappointed. We’ll receive a 10% future credit that can be applied on a cruise before Dec 31, 2022.
> 
> I’m sad.



Sorry your cruise was cancelled, but I wouldn't worry too much about losing the freebies.  NCL has offered some version of that for years.  Sometimes they limit what you can get based on room category, but often (very often) the run "deals" where you can get all of them for most categories. I've even seen them offer all that you received plus OBC, free or reduced airfare, or free 3rd and 4th passenger in the cabin at times.

Offering the "freebies" (we all know they aren't really free   ) is SOP for NCL.  Hopefully you can rebook something else using your future credit.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> « Fleet redeployment » it looks like most sailings from august to mid-october has been cancelled.



Interesting, I'll have to keep an eye out for that. Our sailing is to Alaska so who knows if it'll be affected. And I wouldn't worry too much about losing your freebies. I received all of them too, including a nice OBC. I imagine NCL will be running those deals quite often, if not constantly, for the foreseeable future.


----------



## mevelandry

Alright! We just replaced the cancelled NCL cruise with a Bermuda cruise on the Carnival Magic in 2021!  (First time on Magic)

On top of that, when I showed a Carnival Magic vlog (review) to my family, everyone said: «OMG, we need to book those Cloud 9 spa cabins!! » so I had to update our bookings less than an hour later.* LOL

As much as we were excited to try NCL and really liked RCCL, we also miss Carnival a lot so we are VERY excited to go back. 


*Yes, I told them about the mandatory sales pitch at the beginning. Still worth it.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Interesting, I'll have to keep an eye out for that. Our sailing is to Alaska so who knows if it'll be affected. And I wouldn't worry too much about losing your freebies. I received all of them too, including a nice OBC. I imagine NCL will be running those deals quite often, if not constantly, for the foreseeable future.



The thing is we had received some extra perks (because of COVID) for the most basic inside cabin. I'm not sure we'll ever get that back but I'll let them surprise us.


----------



## hdrolfe

Oh Magic is such a nice ship. You will love it! And Bermuda to boot? Awesome!


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Alright! We just replaced the cancelled NCL cruise with a Bermuda cruise on the Carnival Magic in 2021!  (First time on Magic)
> 
> On top of that, when I showed a Carnival Magic vlog (review) to my family, everyone said: «OMG, we need to book those Cloud 9 spa cabins!! » so I had to update our bookings less than an hour later.* LOL
> 
> As much as we were excited to try NCL and really liked RCCL, we also miss Carnival a lot so we are VERY excited to go back.
> 
> 
> *Yes, I told them about the mandatory sales pitch at the beginning. Still worth it.



Yay, love the Magic! We got married on her in 2017 so I'm a little partial.   I was looking at a couple sailings on her as well, there are some good prices to be had. But I'd really like to do Southern Caribbean next so decisions will have to be made! You'll have a great time!


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> Yay, love the Magic! We got married on her in 2017 so I'm a little partial.   I was looking at a couple sailings on her as well, there are some good prices to be had. But I'd really like to do Southern Caribbean next so decisions will have to be made! You'll have a great time!



Magic will be doing Southern's out of Port Canaveral at some point soon I believe. I think only two of the ABC at a time but still could be nice.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Oh Magic is such a nice ship. You will love it! And Bermuda to boot? Awesome!


I know!!! I’m so excited. Bermuda has been on my list since I started cruising 5 years ago!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Yay, love the Magic! We got married on her in 2017 so I'm a little partial.   I was looking at a couple sailings on her as well, there are some good prices to be had. But I'd really like to do Southern Caribbean next so decisions will have to be made! You'll have a great time!



The vlogs I’ve seen seem to show that public areas are a bit similar to Carnival Vista... Which is my favorite ship. So excited to go back to Carnival!

AND it has Pig & Anchor! 

p.s.: A southern is also on my list.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> Yay, love the Magic! We got married on her in 2017 so I'm a little partial.   I was looking at a couple sailings on her as well, there are some good prices to be had. But I'd really like to do Southern Caribbean next so decisions will have to be made! You'll have a great time!


I’d do the 8 night Southern on Horizon if I was you, we did that on Vista and it was awesome, especially Curaçao. I’d do that itinerary again in a heartbeat. With so many days on the ship everyone seemed super relaxed, it was by far our best Carnival cruise.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’d do the 8 night Southern on Horizon if I was you, we did that on Vista and it was awesome, especially Curaçao. I’d do that itinerary again in a heartbeat. With so many days on the ship everyone seemed super relaxed, it was by far our best Carnival cruise.



That itinerary is definitely on my radar. It looks perfect. We did an 8 day a few years ago and loved the length. It was so nice to know that you had that one extra day to just relax. It's probably been my favorite sailing.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> That itinerary is definitely on my radar. It looks perfect. We did an 8 day a few years ago and loved the length. It was so nice to know that you had that one extra day to just relax. It's probably been my favorite sailing.


It kind of spoiled me on 7 night cruises now, they don’t seem long enough. We actually did it as a B2B with the 6 night western, it was awesome being on a ship for two straight weeks.


----------



## hdrolfe

Club Disney Chandler said:


> It kind of spoiled me on 7 night cruises now, they don’t seem long enough. We actually did it as a B2B with the 6 night western, it was awesome being on a ship for two straight weeks.



Since I don't think I'll be able to do my cruises this year, I am planning/hoping to do this in late 2021 or early 2022. I am assuming travel will be relatively back to normal by then! Plus then I can do Jamaica (climbing Dunn's is a bucket list thing for me) and maybe a couple of the ABC's. Fingers crossed!


----------



## wombat_5606

Tweets from Carnival tonight


----------



## Stratus22

wombat_5606 said:


> Tweets from Carnival tonight
> 
> View attachment 506924View attachment 506925


Wonder what they know


----------



## hdrolfe

I think they are just shuffling things because Mardi Gras and Radiance won't be ready on time. It looks like they have to have ships in Port Canaveral for some reason? I've been holding off booking the Mardi Gras, because I don't know when it will be safe to travel and because I was concerned it wouldn't be ready on time. I wonder if this will be the last postponement. For Mardi Gras. I am still expecting further cancellations for October.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I think they are just shuffling things because Mardi Gras and Radiance won't be ready on time. It looks like they have to have ships in Port Canaveral for some reason? I've been holding off booking the Mardi Gras, because I don't know when it will be safe to travel and because I was concerned it wouldn't be ready on time. I wonder if this will be the last postponement. For Mardi Gras. I am still expecting further cancellations for October.



I agree. It's obvious that things have been bad (re: COVID) where the ships are currently buying built/refurbished and now they have to reassign some routes. 

I'm also expecting more cancellations this fall.


----------



## mevelandry

I want to say I am deeply sorry for everyone who has to change plans. 

I've just experienced it with NCL and it sucks.


----------



## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> I think they are just shuffling things because Mardi Gras and Radiance won't be ready on time. It looks like they have to have ships in Port Canaveral for some reason? I've been holding off booking the Mardi Gras, because I don't know when it will be safe to travel and because I was concerned it wouldn't be ready on time. I wonder if this will be the last postponement. For Mardi Gras. I am still expecting further cancellations for October.



I saw the news this morning and assumed the same thing. I'm not surprised the European and Transatlantic were cancelled. We can't get into Europe for how knows how long. But I wonder if the ships were moved because those other sailings and/or departure ports were more popular or sold better? I was actually looking at Breeze & Magic sailings for the rest of this year so I'll have to get on and see what they look like now. And yes, I'm also sorry for anyone's itinerary that was affected. I hope you still get to sail and both ships are still great options!


----------



## mevelandry

Wow. If you think Carnival is taking long to refund your cancelled cruise (re: COVID)... My NCL agent just told me it would take up to 3 months (90 days) to get my money back.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Wow. If you think Carnival is taking long to refund your cancelled cruise (re: COVID)... My NCL agent just told me it would take up to 3 months (90 days) to get my money back.


I actually got mine back from Carnival in 4 days, I was super impressed


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I actually got mine back from Carnival in 4 days, I was super impressed



That's amazing!

I was hoping to put the money I receive from NCL on our Carnival cruise right away but apparently I'll have to be patient.


----------



## mevelandry

I'm sad. I just saw the changes to Magic Kindom and I actually like what they have done. I think I would feel safe over there with all the new changes and rules. I feel like we can still feel the magic.

But I might not get to go as planned (pre-cruise stay) so now I am sad.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Hey everybody!  I’m sitting at work right now wishing I was on a ship, bummed that I won’t be able to get away until at least next June. I hope you’re all doing well and was wondering if anyone has done or will be doing any vacations this summer.

We had plan A through about H planned for the summer and haven’t been able to do anything. The only thing I’m looking forward to is this fall. My wife and I are going up to Flagstaff, AZ to visit both of our kids at Northern Arizona University. Our daughter is starting her freshman year up there and our son will be a Junior. DW and I are both Alumni from NAU, so we love spending time up in the beautiful pines of Northern Arizona. I’m adding a picture to show you the side of Arizona most people don’t know exists.
Take care and I look forward to hearing about any recent or upcoming adventures and of course I can hardly wait to hear about all your future cruises.


----------



## mevelandry

Not going on vacation this summer but short half-a-day cruises are now permitted in Montreal and since they have one that offers brunch while sailing on the St. Lawrence river departing from the Old Port... We’ll experience that in two weeks. We’ll have to wear masks and do social distancing but I’m excited about it.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Not going on vacation this summer but short half-a-day cruises are now permitted in Montreal and since they have one that offers brunch while sailing on the St. Lawrence river departing from the Old Port... We’ll experience that in two weeks. We’ll have to wear masks and do social distancing but I’m excited about it.


That sounds fantastic, have fun


----------



## trvlgirlmq

My “vacation” this summer consisted of 3 nights in a cabin in NC. We spent 2 days hiking and seeing a bit of Asheville.

I’m pretty sure my October cruise will be cancelled and I will still take the week off. We might go back for more hiking. Nothing solidly planned yet.

I have been to Flagstaff a couple times and it is very pretty. Kind of reminded me of my hometown at Lake Tahoe.


----------



## lklgoodman

No vacation until cruise that's booked for March 2021.  We did adopt a new kitty today though.  We already have one and I've wanted another for awhile.  Figured now is a good time since we're always home.  She's a sweet 2 yr old tabby.  Haven't decided on a name yet.  I like the names Millie, Molly, Lilly, or Poppy.  My dd keeps calling her Cornelius Dufflepud.  I keep telling her there is no way we are naming a cute GIRL cat that!!  The rescue group we got her from had 34 kittens!!  So if anyone wants a cute kitten, I know where you can get some, lol!!  I feel like we've been living our life just waiting for this stupid virus to go away.  We just had 5,000 new cases pop up in this past week.  I saw on the main board about the survey DCL had.  I think we will most likely cancel our cruise if we have to wear masks all the time or can only get off the ship if booked on a DCL excursion.  I don't mind wearing a mask when I go to the grocery store or dr appointment, but not doing it on vacation.  We still have a long time, so trying to not think about it to much.  Never thought we'd still be dealing with this when it first popped up last March.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> That sounds fantastic, have fun


Thanks!


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> No vacation until cruise that's booked for March 2021.  We did adopt a new kitty today though.  We already have one and I've wanted another for awhile.  Figured now is a good time since we're always home.  She's a sweet 2 yr old tabby.  Haven't decided on a name yet.  I like the names Millie, Molly, Lilly, or Poppy.  My dd keeps calling her Cornelius Dufflepud.  I keep telling her there is no way we are naming a cute GIRL cat that!!  The rescue group we got her from had 34 kittens!!  So if anyone wants a cute kitten, I know where you can get some, lol!!  I feel like we've been living our life just waiting for this stupid virus to go away.  We just had 5,000 new cases pop up in this past week.  I saw on the main board about the survey DCL had.  I think we will most likely cancel our cruise if we have to wear masks all the time or can only get off the ship if booked on a DCL excursion.  I don't mind wearing a mask when I go to the grocery store or dr appointment, but not doing it on vacation.  We still have a long time, so trying to not think about it to much.  Never thought we'd still be dealing with this when it first popped up last March.



Congrats on the new kitty!


----------



## belle032

No new cruises planned right now, except for Alaska next year. WDW trip cancelled as well, although seeing photos of it open again has made me happy. Mixed feelings about it opening again while Florida has such high numbers, but my concern is mainly for the front line cast members.

I've been furloughed until the end of this month and DH has been essential, but he let me know a few weeks ago that he *needs* to get away and "doesn't care where we go as long as it's not here." So after a bunch of planned and cancelled trips (I understand where you're coming from @Club Disney Chandler ) to Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Gettysburg, New Orleans, and even possibly Universal, we're going to the Catskills for a few days. I'm actually REALLY excited to check out this hotel I booked (Check out The Roxbury Motel in NY if you get a second!) and we'll spend a day at some nearby caverns, do some hiking, pool time and hopefully try out a few restaurants.

Hopefully a cruise will be booked soon. I'm just waiting to hear what the guidelines, rules, and restrictions will be. I also saw the thread about the DCL survey, so I'm very interested to see what happens there. I figured most major cruise lines would have similar protocols when they eventually sail again, but anything is possible at this point!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> No new cruises planned right now, except for Alaska next year. WDW trip cancelled as well, although seeing photos of it open again has made me happy. Mixed feelings about it opening again while Florida has such high numbers, but my concern is mainly for the front line cast members.
> 
> I've been furloughed until the end of this month and DH has been essential, but he let me know a few weeks ago that he *needs* to get away and "doesn't care where we go as long as it's not here." So after a bunch of planned and cancelled trips (I understand where you're coming from @Club Disney Chandler ) to Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Gettysburg, New Orleans, and even possibly Universal, we're going to the Catskills for a few days. I'm actually REALLY excited to check out this hotel I booked (Check out The Roxbury Motel in NY if you get a second!) and we'll spend a day at some nearby caverns, do some hiking, pool time and hopefully try out a few restaurants.
> 
> Hopefully a cruise will be booked soon. I'm just waiting to hear what the guidelines, rules, and restrictions will be. I also saw the thread about the DCL survey, so I'm very interested to see what happens there. I figured most major cruise lines would have similar protocols when they eventually sail again, but anything is possible at this point!


OMG!  The Roxbury looks amazing!  What a great getaway for you, that’s really awesome that you found such a unique place to spend some time, my guess is you’re going to have a great mini vacay. Thank you so much for sharing that with us, you made my day.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I read through the whole survey and DCL plan on the disneycruiseline blog. I have to say, there is absolutely no way that I would pay DCL prices for what they are planning on taking away and how things are going to be structured. No deck parties, no fireworks and the only way to get off the ship in ports is to have an excursion through DCL, thanks but no thanks. But they are giving you a stateroom credit of $250 after charging you full price for your “magical“ cruise.


----------



## lklgoodman

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I read through the whole survey and DCL plan on the disneycruiseline blog. I have to say, there is absolutely no way that I would pay DCL prices for what they are planning on taking away and how things are going to be structured. No deck parties, no fireworks and the only way to get off the ship in ports is to have an excursion through DCL, thanks but no thanks. But they are giving you a stateroom credit of $250 after charging you full price for your “magical“ cruise.



I agree.  And sorry, but $250 credit is not enough to make up for all the changes.  I understand the changes will need to be made, but no way would I pay the regular price.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I read through the whole survey and DCL plan on the disneycruiseline blog. I have to say, there is absolutely no way that I would pay DCL prices for what they are planning on taking away and how things are going to be structured. No deck parties, no fireworks and the only way to get off the ship in ports is to have an excursion through DCL, thanks but no thanks. But they are giving you a stateroom credit of $250 after charging you full price for your “magical“ cruise.



Wow, I have a hard time justifying DCL prices normally. And $250? Ummm I'm getting that on our Alaskan cruise just for a normal booking.

I could maybe understand doing a cruise just to Castaway? But we rarely book cruise line excursions, especially through Disney, so no thanks. I think the reasoning could be something along the lines of "thousands of people flooding onto a small island that could be wiped out by Covid," and I understand that. But I wish there was a happy medium where we would support the islands without being forced to go through DCL.

I'm really interested in the mask or no-mask issue. Masks would be a deal-breaker for us while cruising and I'm waiting to see which way the cruise lines go with that one.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> OMG!  The Roxbury looks amazing!  What a great getaway for you, that’s really awesome that you found such a unique place to spend some time, my guess is you’re going to have a great mini vacay. Thank you so much for sharing that with us, you made my day.



I know I can't help but be happy when I look at it! I'll try to take lots of photos to share!


----------



## hdrolfe

We aren't doing anything this summer  I even decided to only take a few long weekends and save my vacation time for winter. I don't need to worry about summer camps since I am working from home. I had planned to get a season pass for the local water park but they aren't open and may not be able to this summer at all. It is all frustrating, though I do love working from home. 

I have two cruises booked for December and doubt I'll be going on either one, I will probably lose the deposits on them but It's not a tonne of money so I guess I'm ok with that. I will probably book for early 2022, and likely do a back to back. I really want to cruise on Horizon so think 2 weeks on there would be ideal. Probably in Family Harbor even though kiddo will be 12 by then. Our MSC cruise this December was changed from Seaside to Marviglia and we were upgraded from an inside to balcony, but I doubt we'll be able to get there for it, and having to spend two weeks after in quarantine, meaning no going to see family for Christmas, would not be ideal. 

We last cruised in 2018, Disney last summer, and now we probably won't go anywhere until 2022. Such a long time! I know, not exactly the most important of "problems" but it does make me sad.


----------



## wombat_5606

hdrolfe said:


> Such a long time! I know, not exactly the most important of "problems" but it does make me sad.



I'm right there with you. My husband and I are retired. We spend probably close to 4-5 months a year traveling. I even go on one or 2 trips by myself. I'm so sad, but then I see the money we are saving and it helps a little. I'm now planning a major renovation to my home instead. But, I'd still rather be traveling.


----------



## mevelandry

Rumor has it that the Carnival Fantasy has been sold and is heading to scrapyards?

And apparently, they will be selling 13 ships? 

SOURCE: Cruise Radio


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Wow, I have a hard time justifying DCL prices normally. And $250? Ummm I'm getting that on our Alaskan cruise just for a normal booking.
> 
> I could maybe understand doing a cruise just to Castaway? But we rarely book cruise line excursions, especially through Disney, so no thanks. I think the reasoning could be something along the lines of "thousands of people flooding onto a small island that could be wiped out by Covid," and I understand that. But I wish there was a happy medium where we would support the islands without being forced to go through DCL.
> 
> I'm really interested in the mask or no-mask issue. Masks would be a deal-breaker for us while cruising and I'm waiting to see which way the cruise lines go with that one.



I don't want to play doom prophet but I expect the masks to be mandatory in certain areas of the ships (if not most) until the end of 2020 at the very least.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> We aren't doing anything this summer  I even decided to only take a few long weekends and save my vacation time for winter. I don't need to worry about summer camps since I am working from home. I had planned to get a season pass for the local water park but they aren't open and may not be able to this summer at all. It is all frustrating, though I do love working from home.
> 
> *I have two cruises booked for December and doubt I'll be going on either one, I will probably lose the deposits on them but It's not a tonne of money so I guess I'm ok with that.* I will probably book for early 2022, and likely do a back to back. I really want to cruise on Horizon so think 2 weeks on there would be ideal. Probably in Family Harbor even though kiddo will be 12 by then. Our MSC cruise this December was changed from Seaside to Marviglia and we were upgraded from an inside to balcony, but I doubt we'll be able to get there for it, and having to spend two weeks after in quarantine, meaning no going to see family for Christmas, would not be ideal.
> 
> We last cruised in 2018, Disney last summer, and now we probably won't go anywhere until 2022. Such a long time! I know, not exactly the most important of "problems" but it does make me sad.



I wonder if other cruise lines have a "lift and switch" option right now? I know RCCL does.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> I wonder if other cruise lines have a "lift and switch" option right now? I know RCCL does.



Neither MSC or Carnival have that type of option, makes me wish I'd booked with RCL, but we really love Carnival and I was looking forward to trying MSC. I will wait and see what happens, hopefully I can at least push the pay in full date on the Carnival and see if the border opens and flights are even possible.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Rumor has it that the Carnival Fantasy has been sold and is heading to scrapyards?
> 
> And apparently, they will be selling 13 ships?
> 
> SOURCE: Cruise Radio



It's 13 across all their brands though, not just our Carnival ships. Heald denied the Fantasy scrapping but he's been wrong before so who knows.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> It's 13 across all their brands though, not just our Carnival ships. Heald denied the Fantasy scrapping but he's been wrong before so who knows.



The last message I saw, was him saying to only trust news when Carnival publishes and that he'd look into that. 

To me, that means "yes".


----------



## trvlgirlmq

In the spirit of optimism (not my natural tendency) I booked a flat for our week in London pre-cruise next June. I literally don't know if I should even try for excitement at this point.


----------



## T & R

The Carnival Fantasy is being scrapped. On July 11th they unloaded their heavy equipment in Curacao and then filed a voyage plan for Izmir, Turkey which is the location of a ship scrapping facility.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> In the spirit of optimism (not my natural tendency) I booked a flat for our week in London pre-cruise next June. I literally don't know if I should even try for excitement at this point.



It's kinda hard, isn't it? Just like everything I get to book something awesome for my december trip. I want to be excited but I just don't fully believe it's gonna happen.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

T & R said:


> The Carnival Fantasy is being scrapped. On July 11th they unloaded their heavy equipment in Curacao and then filed a voyage plan for Izmir, Turkey which is the location of a ship scrapping facility.


Finally!  A couple more Fantasy class can go too! I know they have already sold a couple Costa and P&O ships towards the 13.


----------



## mevelandry

T & R said:


> The Carnival Fantasy is being scrapped. On July 11th they unloaded their heavy equipment in Curacao and then filed a voyage plan for Izmir, Turkey which is the location of a ship scrapping facility.



Agreed. Also, John Heald just posted this message:

_"I know there is interest from some of you about the status of certain ships in our fleet. Our parent company, Carnival Corporation, said in our quarterly earnings call last Friday that the company was going to remove 13 ships across the corporate fleet.
What ships, if any, from the Carnival Cruise Line fleet that may be involved in this capacity reduction, have not been identified. We aren’t in a position to confirm, deny or comment on speculation or rumor.
So please can I kindly ask you not to ask me anything about this subject until and unless the company makes an announcement.
Thank you all for your understanding and loyalty."_

1+1=2 

Bye bye Fantasy!

I'm expecting the Sensation to be among the 13 that they will sell for scraps.


----------



## belle032

T & R said:


> The Carnival Fantasy is being scrapped. On July 11th they unloaded their heavy equipment in Curacao and then filed a voyage plan for Izmir, Turkey which is the location of a ship scrapping facility.



Can't say I'd be upset about that. Or if more than one Fantasy class ships go. They had their run and I had a great time sailing on a few many years ago, but it's time for them to be retired.


----------



## hdrolfe

I don't think they can get rid of all of them unless they plan to limit their departure ports, certain places can only support the smaller ships (thinking Jacksonville, Mobile? maybe others). 

Our first cruise was on Liberty when it was doing 7 nights from Port Canaveral. We spent two nights at Disney precruise and had booked a private shuttle to get us to port, the company decided to book another family with us, at least they were also at Disney so it was convenient, and they were going on the Sensation. My son loved the way the ship looked from ours, he kept saying he wanted to go on the Sensational cruise. It was doing the 3/4 nights cruises and of course had water slides on it. Any way. We had an awesome cruise, got hooked, and I really hope we get to go again sooner than later! But I doubt we'll even go on a Sensational cruise.


----------



## sethschroeder

hdrolfe said:


> It is all frustrating, though I do love working from home.



Thats the hope that out of all the issues, disappointment, and worst of all those impacted directly by the virus we come out of this in a better position with positive change from it.

I have talked with various companies who are looking at making changes permanently to work from home. I think many in the business world realize we can succeed without being in the office possibly in the future going to a 1 or 2 days in the office each week policy.


----------



## hdrolfe

sethschroeder said:


> Thats the hope that out of all the issues, disappointment, and worst of all those impacted directly by the virus we come out of this in a better position with positive change from it.
> 
> I have talked with various companies who are looking at making changes permanently to work from home. I think many in the business world realize we can succeed without being in the office possibly in the future going to a 1 or 2 days in the office each week policy.



That is my hope! I work for the Canadian government and I know for my agency in the past they were looking at ways to "reduce their footprint" ie have less office space. So I hope this works to further that! I love not having to deal with a commute, be able to enjoy a window seat without having to have senority to get one in the office, and we have been given more and more tools that make collaboration easier to do. In the middle of winter, I will truly love not having to scrape snow off the car and go somewhere just to do it all again in 8 hours.   Looking for the bright side as I try to think of when we will be able to safely cruise again, without a tonne of restrictions. Looking at early 2022 and hoping travel will be back to "normal" at that point. But that I'll still be working from home.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Finally!  A couple more Fantasy class can go too! I know they have already sold a couple Costa and P&O ships towards the 13.


They have just announced that they are selling 4 Holland ships.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> They have just announced that they are selling 4 Holland ships.



So we got 1 Costa, 1 CCL and 4 Holland so far? Six down, seven to go


----------



## hdrolfe

Well I talked it over with my kiddo, showed him the Horizon and the MSC Mervaviglia, told him about the different ports we'd get to go to and what kinds of things there are to do. And he chose MSC! So I booked it for early 2022, it will cover my birthday which is fun. Now, fingers crossed life will return to something like normal by then. But it was only $49 deposit  and I have until November 2021 to PIF, lots of time for things to get under control and sorted. I was able to book as a 14 night cruise, so we have the same cabin, and only one deposit to pay. I am excited to look at what we'll be able to do in the ports, all Western ports (Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, plus two stops at their private island). I have some ideas already and need to get in better shape! He wants to zipline, climb Dunn's, do the Maya water park in Costa Maya, and swim with sharks in Belize. I'll need to be able to keep up  He will be 12 as well, so no muster bracelet, and probably a bit more freedom with the kids activities. Three water slides, a ropes course, and I think it's 5 pools. Something to look forward to planning! We will have to get on Horizon someday.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Well I talked it over with my kiddo, showed him the Horizon and the MSC Mervaviglia, told him about the different ports we'd get to go to and what kinds of things there are to do. And he chose MSC! So I booked it for early 2022, it will cover my birthday which is fun. Now, fingers crossed life will return to something like normal by then. But it was only $49 deposit  and I have until November 2021 to PIF, lots of time for things to get under control and sorted. I was able to book as a 14 night cruise, so we have the same cabin, and only one deposit to pay. I am excited to look at what we'll be able to do in the ports, all Western ports (Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, plus two stops at their private island). I have some ideas already and need to get in better shape! He wants to zipline, climb Dunn's, do the Maya water park in Costa Maya, and swim with sharks in Belize. I'll need to be able to keep up  He will be 12 as well, so no muster bracelet, and probably a bit more freedom with the kids activities. Three water slides, a ropes course, and I think it's 5 pools. Something to look forward to planning! We will have to get on Horizon someday.



That sounds absolutely amazing.


----------



## mevelandry

Rumor has it that Carnival Inspiration has been sold.

It would be the second Carnival ship to be sold, with Carnival Fantasy. 

Source: Cruise Radio


----------



## mevelandry

I can't believe they haven't sold the Sensation yet.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Rumor has it that Carnival Inspiration has been sold.
> 
> It would be the second Carnival ship to be sold, with Carnival Fantasy.
> 
> Source: Cruise Radio





mevelandry said:


> I can't believe they haven't sold the Sensation yet.



Interesting. I was thinking it would be the Ecstasy or Sensation. But then again, I kind of forgot about the Inspiration even existing. Is she based on the West Coast? I wonder if home ports have anything to do with it.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> Interesting. I was thinking it would be the Ecstasy or Sensation. But then again, I kind of forgot about the Inspiration even existing. Is she based on the West Coast? I wonder if home ports have anything to do with it.


Yes, Long Beach along with the Imagination.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> Interesting. I was thinking it would be the Ecstasy or Sensation. But then again, I kind of forgot about the Inspiration even existing. Is she based on the West Coast? I wonder if home ports have anything to do with it.


I think it makes sense to sell Inspiration, now that Panorama is on the west coast. Inspiration and Imagination are both doing 3 and 4 Baja Mexico runs with Panorama doing  7 nights down to Puerto Vallarta. I also think Carnival is trying really hard to shed the party boat reputation, the more small ships running booze cruises they can get rid of the better. Panorama is a beautiful family cruise ship.

My thought is they need to dump all the Fantasy Class ships and now is the perfect time. Get a little bit of cash flow in and get rid of some of the ships with the lowest cost cruises forcing people into paying more for longer cruises on better ships.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think it makes sense to sell Inspiration, now that Panorama is on the west coast. Inspiration and Imagination are both doing 3 and 4 Baja Mexico runs with Panorama doing  7 nights down to Puerto Vallarta. I also think Carnival is trying really hard to shed the party boat reputation, the more small ships running booze cruises they can get rid of the better. Panorama is a beautiful family cruise ship.
> 
> My thought is they need to dump all the Fantasy Class ships and now is the perfect time. Get a little bit of cash flow in and get rid of some of the ships with the lowest cost cruises forcing people into paying more for longer cruises on better ships.



This makes a lot of sense. The crew most likely get paid the same for «small party ships » that brings lower revenue than big ships? I could be wrong but I can imagine that they made way less profit on those.

Those ships were in bad shape so they probably cost more in repairs as well.

I think when it all starts again, we will see a little bit less cruises as well. Most likely higher rates unless they can find a healthy balance between the number of guests (which will most likely be reduced) vs crew members.

On top of that, the new regulations for cleaning ships would be an excellent opportunity to officially rebrand Carnival as a « family friendly » cruise line.


----------



## mevelandry

Princess has just cancelled all cruises until December 15. I’m almost certain that all the other cruise lines are going to follow.


----------



## Pens Fan

mevelandry said:


> Princess has just cancelled all cruises until December 15. I’m almost certain that all the other cruise lines are going to follow.



As an avid cruiser it pains me to say this, but I agree with you.  I think the chances of anyone getting on a cruise ship in 2020 are slim to none.  Our next cruise is scheduled for mid April 2021 and I'm feeling less and less hopeful that it will even happen.  It's a short 5 night hop from LA to Vancouver so we don't have a lot of money tied up into it for now, so we are willing to let it ride and hope for the best. But we are fully prepared for it to go away as well.


----------



## mevelandry

Pens Fan said:


> As an avid cruiser it pains me to say this, but I agree with you.  I think the chances of anyone getting on a cruise ship in 2020 are slim to none.  Our next cruise is scheduled for mid April 2021 and I'm feeling less and less hopeful that it will even happen.  It's a short 5 night hop from LA to Vancouver so we don't have a lot of money tied up into it for now, so we are willing to let it ride and hope for the best. But we are fully prepared for it to go away as well.



I don’t know about April. I’m pretty positive we’ll have a vaccine by that time.

But lately every single time a cruise line cancelled more months, the others copy-cat them.

If they do, my December cruise is being cancelled.

(At this point, I’d be relieved. We’re 2 out of 3 who want to postpone our trip.)


----------



## hdrolfe

I believe John Heald will be announcing something again today, probably more cancellations. I am kind of hoping they do cancel December so I can move that deposit to something else and not just lost it (It's only $100 so not a huge deal but since I booked early saved it's non-refundable). I will look at booking Horizon in 2023... man that's so far away!!  Either way, we aren't going in December, I think if travel is even ok there will be a lot of rules in place and probably not as enjoyable an experience. Plus kiddo would have to miss school, and I'm not sure how that is going to be working any way. Normally I don't mind if he misses a week or two of the school year, but since he just missed 4 months, and he didn't do any of the online learning stuff, it feels like a bad idea. Any way! I'm sure more to follow from Carnival.


----------



## hdrolfe

*Bolding is mine.  *Interesting news I guess?


*CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE ANNOUNCES UPDATES TO FLEET PLAN*
July 23, 2020
MIAMI, July 23, 2020 – Carnival Cruise Line today announced new plans for its fleet that will generate tremendous guest excitement once it resumes sailing, with a confirmed date for an additional Excel-class, LNG-powered ship arriving in November 2022, four ships either sold or put on long term lay-up status, and other ships redeployed to new homeports, as it seeks to leverage its strong network of year-round and seasonal homeports in the U.S. with upgraded offerings.  The highlights of the plan include:

As part of Carnival’s 50th birthday in 2022, a *November 2022 delivery date for the unnamed, second Excel-class ship* has been confirmed from the Meyer Turku shipyard. The sister ship to _Mardi Gras_ will showcase many of her features, including BOLT, the first roller coaster at sea, and sail out of PortMiami as previously announced. Carnival said it will open the ship for sale this fall and guests can register to be the “first to know” about the ship’s itineraries and special open for sale promotions at carnival.com/ship2022.
As part of Carnival Corporation’s recent announcement to reduce its overall capacity and focus on ships with upgraded features, *Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration have been sold. Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination will move to a long term lay-up status, with no specific timeline identified for a return to operation.*
Carnival Sensation will move from Miami to Mobile and take up itineraries previously assigned to Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Fascination, with guests on those two ships being re-accommodated on Carnival Sensation.
Carnival Sunrise will move from Port Everglades to PortMiami and assume the itineraries previously operated by Carnival Sensation, providing a larger, upgraded ship for short itineraries with the many new features installed during Carnival Sunrise’s $200 million transformation completed in 2019. Guests booked on the Sunrise 4- and 5-day itineraries from Port Everglades will be automatically moved to sailings from PortMiami.
Carnival Sunrise is part of Carnival’s 50th birthday celebration and there will be no changes to her birthday sailing, which is scheduled for March 5, 2022. These special sailings have been in high demand and will feature special entertainment, at-sea ship rendezvous and onboard activities and offerings.  For more information on this special group of itineraries in March 2022, please visit carnival.com/sailabration.
*Carnival Fascination itineraries from San Juan and Barbados have been cancelled for 2020-2021 as the cruise line focuses its return to operations on mainland drive markets in the U.S.*
Itineraries for Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration from Long Beach have been cancelled through Apr. 19, 2021. Carnival Panorama will continue to operate 7-day cruises from Long Beach while Carnival Miracle will operate shorter itineraries from San Diego to Baja Mexico.
Carnival Radiance will now move directly from Europe after its $200 million transformation and homeport in Long Beach in April of 2021, where it will assume the short Baja Mexico itineraries previously served by Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration. Guests booked on Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration after April 22, 2021 will be re-accommodated on Carnival Radiance, where they will experience the host of upgrades and new features including Shaq’s Big Chicken Restaurant and an expanded waterpark popular with families sailing with children.
Separately, Carnival also notified its Australian guests that it has extended its pause of operations in that country, and has cancelled six cruises scheduled to operate between Sept. 25 and Oct. 29, 2020.
“We have used this pause in operations to think carefully about our fleet and to build a plan that gives our guests new choices and upgrades to current ship offerings,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We have a great variety of ships across the Carnival Cruise Line fleet and we are thrilled to have been able to confirm a delivery date ahead of what we had anticipated for our second Excel ship, which is exciting news for guests interested in sailing from PortMiami on the sister ship to Mardi Gras!  At the same time, we will continue to invest in the four remaining Fantasy class ships that we are keeping in the fleet.  We have many guests who prefer our Fantasy class ships which work so well for shorter itineraries from smaller ports that cannot accommodate our larger ships.  With a fleet that gives guests lots of choices in ships, homeports, destinations and features including a multitude of dining, entertainment and accommodation choices, we are very excited about the future for Carnival Cruise Line.”
Guests and travel agents are being notified directly about impacted sailings, guest re-accommodations and cancellations. Duffy thanked guests and travel agent partners alike for their continued patience, loyalty and support during this unprecedented time for the cruise industry. “With our future fleet plan resolved, we are focused on ensuring we are ready to return to operations once it is determined that the time is right to resume cruising in the U.S.,” she said.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> *Bolding is mine.  *Interesting news I guess?
> 
> 
> *CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE ANNOUNCES UPDATES TO FLEET PLAN*
> July 23, 2020
> MIAMI, July 23, 2020 – Carnival Cruise Line today announced new plans for its fleet that will generate tremendous guest excitement once it resumes sailing, with a confirmed date for an additional Excel-class, LNG-powered ship arriving in November 2022, four ships either sold or put on long term lay-up status, and other ships redeployed to new homeports, as it seeks to leverage its strong network of year-round and seasonal homeports in the U.S. with upgraded offerings.  The highlights of the plan include:
> 
> As part of Carnival’s 50th birthday in 2022, a *November 2022 delivery date for the unnamed, second Excel-class ship* has been confirmed from the Meyer Turku shipyard. The sister ship to _Mardi Gras_ will showcase many of her features, including BOLT, the first roller coaster at sea, and sail out of PortMiami as previously announced. Carnival said it will open the ship for sale this fall and guests can register to be the “first to know” about the ship’s itineraries and special open for sale promotions at carnival.com/ship2022.
> As part of Carnival Corporation’s recent announcement to reduce its overall capacity and focus on ships with upgraded features, *Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration have been sold. Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination will move to a long term lay-up status, with no specific timeline identified for a return to operation.*
> Carnival Sensation will move from Miami to Mobile and take up itineraries previously assigned to Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Fascination, with guests on those two ships being re-accommodated on Carnival Sensation.
> Carnival Sunrise will move from Port Everglades to PortMiami and assume the itineraries previously operated by Carnival Sensation, providing a larger, upgraded ship for short itineraries with the many new features installed during Carnival Sunrise’s $200 million transformation completed in 2019. Guests booked on the Sunrise 4- and 5-day itineraries from Port Everglades will be automatically moved to sailings from PortMiami.
> Carnival Sunrise is part of Carnival’s 50th birthday celebration and there will be no changes to her birthday sailing, which is scheduled for March 5, 2022. These special sailings have been in high demand and will feature special entertainment, at-sea ship rendezvous and onboard activities and offerings.  For more information on this special group of itineraries in March 2022, please visit carnival.com/sailabration.
> *Carnival Fascination itineraries from San Juan and Barbados have been cancelled for 2020-2021 as the cruise line focuses its return to operations on mainland drive markets in the U.S.*
> Itineraries for Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration from Long Beach have been cancelled through Apr. 19, 2021. Carnival Panorama will continue to operate 7-day cruises from Long Beach while Carnival Miracle will operate shorter itineraries from San Diego to Baja Mexico.
> Carnival Radiance will now move directly from Europe after its $200 million transformation and homeport in Long Beach in April of 2021, where it will assume the short Baja Mexico itineraries previously served by Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration. Guests booked on Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration after April 22, 2021 will be re-accommodated on Carnival Radiance, where they will experience the host of upgrades and new features including Shaq’s Big Chicken Restaurant and an expanded waterpark popular with families sailing with children.
> Separately, Carnival also notified its Australian guests that it has extended its pause of operations in that country, and has cancelled six cruises scheduled to operate between Sept. 25 and Oct. 29, 2020.
> “We have used this pause in operations to think carefully about our fleet and to build a plan that gives our guests new choices and upgrades to current ship offerings,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We have a great variety of ships across the Carnival Cruise Line fleet and we are thrilled to have been able to confirm a delivery date ahead of what we had anticipated for our second Excel ship, which is exciting news for guests interested in sailing from PortMiami on the sister ship to Mardi Gras!  At the same time, we will continue to invest in the four remaining Fantasy class ships that we are keeping in the fleet.  We have many guests who prefer our Fantasy class ships which work so well for shorter itineraries from smaller ports that cannot accommodate our larger ships.  With a fleet that gives guests lots of choices in ships, homeports, destinations and features including a multitude of dining, entertainment and accommodation choices, we are very excited about the future for Carnival Cruise Line.”
> Guests and travel agents are being notified directly about impacted sailings, guest re-accommodations and cancellations. Duffy thanked guests and travel agent partners alike for their continued patience, loyalty and support during this unprecedented time for the cruise industry. “With our future fleet plan resolved, we are focused on ensuring we are ready to return to operations once it is determined that the time is right to resume cruising in the U.S.,” she said.


There’s some interesting stuff in there. I’m pretty excited about Radiance being on the west coast doing weekend getaways. Long Beach is only a 6 hour drive from my doorstep and they’ve had some amazing last minute deals on Imagination and Inspiration, I just had zero interest in those ships. We were booked on the TA for Radiance but ended up canceling before all the Covid crap started, looks like she’s going to be a great ship. Will be great to have 2 nice ships on the west coast.


----------



## hdrolfe

There seems to be quite a bit of moving around, and the West Coast will have a few nice ships, Panorama, Radiance and Miracle (From San DIego). I believe that ship gets good reviews. 

I was surprised to see they will have another Mardi Gras ready for Nov 2022 when they haven't even finished the one they are building yet. Exciting though! Sad about no more San Juan cruises, though the flights there are nuts any way for us. They look like such an action packed itinerary, we love port days so I've wanted to do one, but was waiting for kiddo to be better about flying. Maybe they will come back someday.


----------



## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> *Bolding is mine.  *Interesting news I guess?
> 
> 
> *CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE ANNOUNCES UPDATES TO FLEET PLAN*
> July 23, 2020
> MIAMI, July 23, 2020 – Carnival Cruise Line today announced new plans for its fleet that will generate tremendous guest excitement once it resumes sailing, with a confirmed date for an additional Excel-class, LNG-powered ship arriving in November 2022, four ships either sold or put on long term lay-up status, and other ships redeployed to new homeports, as it seeks to leverage its strong network of year-round and seasonal homeports in the U.S. with upgraded offerings.  The highlights of the plan include:
> 
> As part of Carnival’s 50th birthday in 2022, a *November 2022 delivery date for the unnamed, second Excel-class ship* has been confirmed from the Meyer Turku shipyard. The sister ship to _Mardi Gras_ will showcase many of her features, including BOLT, the first roller coaster at sea, and sail out of PortMiami as previously announced. Carnival said it will open the ship for sale this fall and guests can register to be the “first to know” about the ship’s itineraries and special open for sale promotions at carnival.com/ship2022.
> As part of Carnival Corporation’s recent announcement to reduce its overall capacity and focus on ships with upgraded features, *Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration have been sold. Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination will move to a long term lay-up status, with no specific timeline identified for a return to operation.*
> Carnival Sensation will move from Miami to Mobile and take up itineraries previously assigned to Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Fascination, with guests on those two ships being re-accommodated on Carnival Sensation.
> Carnival Sunrise will move from Port Everglades to PortMiami and assume the itineraries previously operated by Carnival Sensation, providing a larger, upgraded ship for short itineraries with the many new features installed during Carnival Sunrise’s $200 million transformation completed in 2019. Guests booked on the Sunrise 4- and 5-day itineraries from Port Everglades will be automatically moved to sailings from PortMiami.
> Carnival Sunrise is part of Carnival’s 50th birthday celebration and there will be no changes to her birthday sailing, which is scheduled for March 5, 2022. These special sailings have been in high demand and will feature special entertainment, at-sea ship rendezvous and onboard activities and offerings.  For more information on this special group of itineraries in March 2022, please visit carnival.com/sailabration.
> *Carnival Fascination itineraries from San Juan and Barbados have been cancelled for 2020-2021 as the cruise line focuses its return to operations on mainland drive markets in the U.S.*
> Itineraries for Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration from Long Beach have been cancelled through Apr. 19, 2021. Carnival Panorama will continue to operate 7-day cruises from Long Beach while Carnival Miracle will operate shorter itineraries from San Diego to Baja Mexico.
> Carnival Radiance will now move directly from Europe after its $200 million transformation and homeport in Long Beach in April of 2021, where it will assume the short Baja Mexico itineraries previously served by Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration. Guests booked on Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration after April 22, 2021 will be re-accommodated on Carnival Radiance, where they will experience the host of upgrades and new features including Shaq’s Big Chicken Restaurant and an expanded waterpark popular with families sailing with children.
> Separately, Carnival also notified its Australian guests that it has extended its pause of operations in that country, and has cancelled six cruises scheduled to operate between Sept. 25 and Oct. 29, 2020.
> “We have used this pause in operations to think carefully about our fleet and to build a plan that gives our guests new choices and upgrades to current ship offerings,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We have a great variety of ships across the Carnival Cruise Line fleet and we are thrilled to have been able to confirm a delivery date ahead of what we had anticipated for our second Excel ship, which is exciting news for guests interested in sailing from PortMiami on the sister ship to Mardi Gras!  At the same time, we will continue to invest in the four remaining Fantasy class ships that we are keeping in the fleet.  We have many guests who prefer our Fantasy class ships which work so well for shorter itineraries from smaller ports that cannot accommodate our larger ships.  With a fleet that gives guests lots of choices in ships, homeports, destinations and features including a multitude of dining, entertainment and accommodation choices, we are very excited about the future for Carnival Cruise Line.”
> Guests and travel agents are being notified directly about impacted sailings, guest re-accommodations and cancellations. Duffy thanked guests and travel agent partners alike for their continued patience, loyalty and support during this unprecedented time for the cruise industry. “With our future fleet plan resolved, we are focused on ensuring we are ready to return to operations once it is determined that the time is right to resume cruising in the U.S.,” she said.



Wow that's a lot of information! And honestly, I think it's all mostly positive! I'm happy to see them moving towards offering upgraded ships. Honestly, it seems like the Conquest class (which we enjoy) is becoming the new "Fantasy" class in terms of size and offerings, so it doesn't surprise me to see the slow fading out of the (now) very small classes of ships. The Conquest and sister ships could easily take over those shorter itineraries.

The Mardi Gras looks just stunning so I think a sister ship will be well received. Those will be must-dos eventually, but I'm still trying to get on the Horizon or Vista!  

I do wonder if Port Everglades will be used at all in the coming year? We actually really like that port. It's so easy to fly into FLL and hop right on the ship. Miami is fine, just a little more inconvenient to get to.

And I agree with you all, I don't see cruising happening in 2020, as much as it pains me to even think about it. But if it starts back up early next year, I will be jumping on a ship ASAP.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> *Bolding is mine.  *Interesting news I guess?
> 
> 
> *CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE ANNOUNCES UPDATES TO FLEET PLAN*
> July 23, 2020
> MIAMI, July 23, 2020 – Carnival Cruise Line today announced new plans for its fleet that will generate tremendous guest excitement once it resumes sailing, with a confirmed date for an additional Excel-class, LNG-powered ship arriving in November 2022, four ships either sold or put on long term lay-up status, and other ships redeployed to new homeports, as it seeks to leverage its strong network of year-round and seasonal homeports in the U.S. with upgraded offerings.  The highlights of the plan include:
> 
> As part of Carnival’s 50th birthday in 2022, a *November 2022 delivery date for the unnamed, second Excel-class ship* has been confirmed from the Meyer Turku shipyard. The sister ship to _Mardi Gras_ will showcase many of her features, including BOLT, the first roller coaster at sea, and sail out of PortMiami as previously announced. Carnival said it will open the ship for sale this fall and guests can register to be the “first to know” about the ship’s itineraries and special open for sale promotions at carnival.com/ship2022.
> As part of Carnival Corporation’s recent announcement to reduce its overall capacity and focus on ships with upgraded features, *Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration have been sold. Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination will move to a long term lay-up status, with no specific timeline identified for a return to operation.*
> Carnival Sensation will move from Miami to Mobile and take up itineraries previously assigned to Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Fascination, with guests on those two ships being re-accommodated on Carnival Sensation.
> Carnival Sunrise will move from Port Everglades to PortMiami and assume the itineraries previously operated by Carnival Sensation, providing a larger, upgraded ship for short itineraries with the many new features installed during Carnival Sunrise’s $200 million transformation completed in 2019. Guests booked on the Sunrise 4- and 5-day itineraries from Port Everglades will be automatically moved to sailings from PortMiami.
> Carnival Sunrise is part of Carnival’s 50th birthday celebration and there will be no changes to her birthday sailing, which is scheduled for March 5, 2022. These special sailings have been in high demand and will feature special entertainment, at-sea ship rendezvous and onboard activities and offerings.  For more information on this special group of itineraries in March 2022, please visit carnival.com/sailabration.
> *Carnival Fascination itineraries from San Juan and Barbados have been cancelled for 2020-2021 as the cruise line focuses its return to operations on mainland drive markets in the U.S.*
> Itineraries for Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration from Long Beach have been cancelled through Apr. 19, 2021. Carnival Panorama will continue to operate 7-day cruises from Long Beach while Carnival Miracle will operate shorter itineraries from San Diego to Baja Mexico.
> Carnival Radiance will now move directly from Europe after its $200 million transformation and homeport in Long Beach in April of 2021, where it will assume the short Baja Mexico itineraries previously served by Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration. Guests booked on Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration after April 22, 2021 will be re-accommodated on Carnival Radiance, where they will experience the host of upgrades and new features including Shaq’s Big Chicken Restaurant and an expanded waterpark popular with families sailing with children.
> Separately, Carnival also notified its Australian guests that it has extended its pause of operations in that country, and has cancelled six cruises scheduled to operate between Sept. 25 and Oct. 29, 2020.
> “We have used this pause in operations to think carefully about our fleet and to build a plan that gives our guests new choices and upgrades to current ship offerings,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We have a great variety of ships across the Carnival Cruise Line fleet and we are thrilled to have been able to confirm a delivery date ahead of what we had anticipated for our second Excel ship, which is exciting news for guests interested in sailing from PortMiami on the sister ship to Mardi Gras!  At the same time, we will continue to invest in the four remaining Fantasy class ships that we are keeping in the fleet.  We have many guests who prefer our Fantasy class ships which work so well for shorter itineraries from smaller ports that cannot accommodate our larger ships.  With a fleet that gives guests lots of choices in ships, homeports, destinations and features including a multitude of dining, entertainment and accommodation choices, we are very excited about the future for Carnival Cruise Line.”
> Guests and travel agents are being notified directly about impacted sailings, guest re-accommodations and cancellations. Duffy thanked guests and travel agent partners alike for their continued patience, loyalty and support during this unprecedented time for the cruise industry. “With our future fleet plan resolved, we are focused on ensuring we are ready to return to operations once it is determined that the time is right to resume cruising in the U.S.,” she said.



Woah ... This is HUGE news...

So, in conclusion:

-Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration sold.
-Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination are in time-out. Cruises cancelled until April 19, 2021. Cruises after April 22, 2021 will be on Carnival Radiance.
-Carnival Sensation moves from Miami to Mobile and will receive guests from Fantasy and Fascination.
-Carnival Sunrise replaces Carnival Sensation in Miami (amazing upgrade!!!)
-People who had booked the Sunrise from FLL will now depart from MIA.
-Carnival Fascination sailings from San Juan and Barbados (2020-2021) are cancelled as cruises departing from mainland will be the focus.
-Carnival Panorama and Carnival Miracle will be assigned to West Coast.
-Carnival pauses all cruises in Australia and cancelled the remaining cruises that were supposed to happen in 2020.



Club Disney Chandler said:


> There’s some interesting stuff in there. I’m pretty excited about Radiance being on the west coast doing weekend getaways. Long Beach is only a 6 hour drive from my doorstep and they’ve had some amazing last minute deals on Imagination and Inspiration, I just had zero interest in those ships. We were booked on the TA for Radiance but ended up canceling before all the Covid crap started, looks like she’s going to be a great ship. Will be great to have 2 nice ships on the west coast.



Carnival Radiance used to be the Victory, which we absolutely LOVED. This is so exciting!


----------



## mevelandry

John Heald just posted that precision:

_"The Fantasy class lives on though with the Carnival Sensation, Carnival Elation and Carnival Paradise and Carnival Ecstasy ready to when we return to cruising to bring joyous Fun to many more thousands of people."_

So... My guess is that the Fascination and Imagination will be sold at some point. 

The Fantasy class is here to stay with the remaining 4. I'm hoping they will put more $ on it in the future so the experience feels more on par with the rest of the fleet.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> John Heald just posted that precision:
> 
> _"The Fantasy class lives on though with the Carnival Sensation, Carnival Elation and Carnival Paradise and Carnival Ecstasy ready to when we return to cruising to bring joyous Fun to many more thousands of people."_
> 
> So... My guess is that the Fascination and Imagination will be sold at some point.
> 
> The Fantasy class is here to stay with the remaining 4. I'm hoping they will put more $ on it in the future so the experience feels more on par with the rest of the fleet.



I think I said it previously but I think they will keep them for those departure ports that need smaller ships, like Mobile and Jacksonville. People will want to sail from there and I think they made a deal with at least Mobile for the future, they will have to keep one or two, or four, to serve those places. The smaller ships are good for the shorter cruises too, but I agree with @belle032 that the Conquest class may fill that role. 

I am looking forward to the Mardi Gras and her sister, and someday getting on Horizon/Vista/Panorama as well. I loved Magic and look forward to the Dream class again as well. I'm not sure we'd go on a smaller one with Carnival and will stick to those, it does give us 6 in service with 2 more following in the next few years. 

So many ships, so many ports, It sucks that I have at least a year break from cruising, and more likely two. I'm more upset about that than not being able to get to Disney to be honest. But we did just do a trip last summer and wouldn't be going back until at least next year so maybe I'll change my tune by summer 2021.


----------



## mevelandry

NCL has finally sent my refund (took them 6 weeks). I put all the funds into my new Carnival Magic booking.  

We deeply miss cruising. Can't wait to go back.


----------



## mevelandry

This is GREAT! I hope Carnival is going to jump on the bandwagon!

https://cruiseradio.net/cruise-line...QP37hp2sl2Pq-P2Rh056EVDAWfB9FrXZ97LEVwSRcCRQQ

TLDR: Royal Caribbean will introduce a new safety drill procedure. You can simply watch the fire drill on your tv or your smartphone... Once you are done, you go meet a crew member posted at your station, you scan your card and ... Voilà!

No more gathering outside. No more traffic jam after the safety drill.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> This is GREAT! I hope Carnival is going to jump on the bandwagon!
> 
> https://cruiseradio.net/cruise-line...QP37hp2sl2Pq-P2Rh056EVDAWfB9FrXZ97LEVwSRcCRQQ
> 
> TLDR: Royal Caribbean will introduce a new safety drill procedure. You can simply watch the fire drill on your tv or your smartphone... Once you are done, you go meet a crew member posted at your station, you scan your card and ... Voilà!
> 
> No more gathering outside. No more traffic jam after the safety drill.



That is awesome! And I can just imagine how much easier it will be for families sailing with kids, people with wheelchairs & scooters, those with special needs, etc.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> That is awesome! And I can just imagine how much easier it will be for families sailing with kids, people with wheelchairs & scooters, those with special needs, etc.



My FIL has had knee problems forever and I have some problems too (I have good days and bad days) due to an accident. This will make him so happy.


----------



## mevelandry

So... Me and my friends decided to postpone our December trip. We are waiting to see if Royal will cancel, otherwise we will use "Lift and Shift".

None of us felt comfortable sailing under those circumstances.

I'm sad but it's for the best.

Fortunately, I have been able to cancel most of my bookings (airplane tickets, hotel) with very little money loss.


----------



## mevelandry

According to Cruise Radio, rumor has it that Carnival will be selling two more ships (expecting Fascination and Imagination to be sold since they put them in time out recently)...

This one is denied by Carnival Corp:  And might even sell two LINES? (Cunard and Seabourne)

Woahhhh


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> According to Cruise Radio, rumor has it that Carnival will be selling two more ships (expecting Fascination and Imagination to be sold since they put them in time out recently)...
> 
> This one is denied by Carnival Corp:  And might even sell two LINES? (Cunard and Seabourne)
> 
> Woahhhh


I had heard about the ships but not about possibly selling those lines. Wonder if it has to do with the age demographic of those lines?


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> According to Cruise Radio, rumor has it that Carnival will be selling two more ships (expecting Fascination and Imagination to be sold since they put them in time out recently)...
> 
> This one is denied by Carnival Corp:  And might even sell two LINES? (Cunard and Seabourne)
> 
> Woahhhh



https://cruiseradio.net/carnival-addresses-rumors-theyre-selling-two-cruise-lines/

I heard about the selling of 2 lines too, but it looks it's been completely denied by Carnival. I'm unfamiliar with both of those lines, but I believe Seabourne is more "upscale?"


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I had heard about the ships but not about possibly selling those lines. Wonder if it has to do with the age demographic of those lines?



Hard to tell. It's been denied by CC but let's say they would sell them, I have a feeling it would have to do with the costs of operation.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> https://cruiseradio.net/carnival-addresses-rumors-theyre-selling-two-cruise-lines/
> 
> I heard about the selling of 2 lines too, but it looks it's been completely denied by Carnival. I'm unfamiliar with both of those lines, but I believe Seabourne is more "upscale?"



It is. They are pretty fancy.


----------



## mevelandry

*CRUISING IN TIMES OF COVID*

Just coming back from a « brunch cruise » in my hometown.

Context: I believe we are at the beginning of the 2nd wave here (At least that’s what a friend working at a local hospital here is saying). Masks are currently mandatory in all public places. However, today, the maximum capacity for a public place is going from 50 people to 250 people in my Province.

We were sailing on a 800 passengers capacity cruise ship.

I believe we were around 200 guests who boarded the small ship this morning (+ crew members, not sure how many but probably no more than 50). They separated us on two decks (they have two dining rooms).

We were asked questions when we boarded (Do I have any symptoms? Have I been in contact with anyone who tested positive for COVID? Have I traveled recently?), we had to disinfect our hands.

Masks were mandatory EVERYWHERE including outside on top decks. We had permission to remove them only we were seated.

All tables in the dining room had at least 6ft distance between them and/or plexiglass in between them.

Our servers were all wearing masks and safety glasses.

6 ft of distance was pretty easy to do in the dining room but not on top decks (outside). It felt much more cramped and crowded.

While I had a lovely time —trust me, we did!— ... And while we were following all the recommendation, it still felt like we were taking (unnecessary) risks.

I had a lovely time but I’m feeling kind of guilty and worried right now.

I don’t think I’ll cruise again unless there’s a vaccine (or an efficient cure).


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> *CRUISING IN TIMES OF COVID*
> 
> Just coming back from a « brunch cruise » in my hometown.
> 
> Context: I believe we are at the beginning of the 2nd wave here (At least that’s what a friend working at a local hospital here is saying). Masks are currently mandatory in all public places. However, today, the maximum capacity for a public place is going from 50 people to 250 people in my Province.
> 
> We were sailing on a 800 passengers capacity cruise ship.
> 
> I believe we were around 200 guests who boarded the small ship this morning (+ crew members, not sure how many but probably no more than 50). They separated us on two decks (they have two dining rooms).
> 
> We were asked questions when we boarded (Do I have any symptoms? Have I been in contact with anyone who tested positive for COVID? Have I traveled recently?), we had to disinfect our hands.
> 
> Masks were mandatory EVERYWHERE including outside on top decks. We had permission to remove them only we were seated.
> 
> All tables in the dining room had at least 6ft distance between them and/or plexiglass in between them.
> 
> Our servers were all wearing masks and safety glasses.
> 
> 6 ft of distance was pretty easy to do in the dining room but not on top decks (outside). It felt much more cramped and crowded.
> 
> While I had a lovely time —trust me, we did!— ... And while we were following all the recommendation, it still felt like we were taking (unnecessary) risks.
> 
> I had a lovely time but I’m feeling kind of guilty and worried right now.
> 
> I don’t think I’ll cruise again unless there’s a vaccine (or an efficient cure).
> 
> 
> View attachment 515217View attachment 515215View attachment 515216


Looks beautiful!  I want to be on a ship as soon as possible but I just don’t know what that’s going to look like. One of my loves of cruising is escaping life, (no cell phones, news, TV, etc).  If I’m on a ship and we have to wear masks, physical distance and all that crap, I don’t think I’ll have the feeling of “escape” that I do as of my last cruise.
One of my coworkers spent the last week at Big Bear, CA, they rented a cabin on the lake that included a pontoon boat. It looked amazing and that may have to be a possibility for me


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Looks beautiful!  I want to be on a ship as soon as possible but I just don’t know what that’s going to look like. One of my loves of cruising is escaping life, (no cell phones, news, TV, etc).  *If I’m on a ship and we have to wear masks, physical distance and all that crap, I don’t think I’ll have the feeling of “escape” that I do as of my last cruise.*
> One of my coworkers spent the last week at Big Bear, CA, they rented a cabin on the lake that included a pontoon boat. It looked amazing and that may have to be a possibility for me



This --while it was the closest thing, we still have all those measures to follow-- and the fact that we are still wondering if the cruise line was careful enough to ensure the safety of all guests. You definitely want that feeling of safety on top of all the perks (pool, great food, relaxation).

Big Bear looks phenomenal.


----------



## belle032

Ughhhhh CCL is down and out through October 31, 2020. Just saw on social media. Can't say I'm surprised at all. I'm more and more realizing that cruising will not be a reality in 2020.

However, it DOES say that if conditions change and "short, modified sailings" are possible, they may consider an earlier restart. That would be interesting. I'm not going to put any bets on it happening, but it could allow them to train crew, see what protocols work and don't work, and basically just put into practice what future (hopefully temporary) cruising might look like.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> Ughhhhh CCL is down and out through October 31, 2020. Just saw on social media. Can't say I'm surprised at all. I'm more and more realizing that cruising will not be a reality in 2020.
> 
> However, it DOES say that if conditions change and "short, modified sailings" are possible, they may consider an earlier restart. That would be interesting. I'm not going to put any bets on it happening, but it could allow them to train crew, see what protocols work and don't work, and basically just put into practice what future (hopefully temporary) cruising might look like.


Yep, got may cancellation email and already put in for my full refund. Don't feel like playing cruise roulette with my money!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> Yep, got may cancellation email and already put in for my full refund. Don't feel like playing cruise roulette with my money!


I got my refund within 5 days when Carnival had to cancel the cruise I’m supposed to be on right now.  I’m supposed to be in Cozumel today


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Also, all the Europe sailings are blocked and you can't pull up to book!  Not sure if they are planning to cancel preemptively since airfare is becoming available. Would save people a lot of money and hassle to do it now. Would make me sad but I am becoming less confident we will be able to leave the US for a few years until a vaccine and the virus create herd immunity.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Apparently I am more optimistic, or just plain crazy, because I booked our airfare to London via Fly2Fun. I booked the flexible fare so we can change or cancel up to 60 days before departure.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Apparently I am more optimistic, or just plain crazy, because I booked our airfare to London via Fly2Fun. I booked the flexible fare so we can change or cancel up to 60 days before departure.



Cruising from London or land trip?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Cruising from London or land trip?


We are booked in Legend from Dover next June. We booked last November before anyone ever heard of Covid!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> We are booked in Legend from Dover next June. We booked last November before anyone ever heard of Covid!



My husband is talking about an April cruise if the COVID situation gets better so you are not the only one being optimistic. June sounds pretty reasonable.


----------



## lklgoodman

I don't know if anyone here has any kind of trips planned for this Fall.  But incase someone does, just wanted to mention that the US airlines will start laying off employees in Oct.  They had to wait until Oct to do layoffs to get stimulus money.  Don't know what airlines or how many will be laid off.  Just thought I'd mention, because it could result in a lot of flights being cancelled.  The PIF for our March 2021 cruise is in Dec.  I'm thinking we won't be going on it unless there's a vaccine by then. I'm hoping if there's no vaccine by our PIF that DCL will cancel so we can get the extra OBC.  Otherwise I guess I'll just cancel it myself.


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> We are booked in Legend from Dover next June. We booked last November before anyone ever heard of Covid!





mevelandry said:


> My husband is talking about an April cruise if the COVID situation gets better so you are not the only one being optimistic. June sounds pretty reasonable.



All I can think is "we better be cruising by June!" I think I'm at the point where as soon as that clock hits 12:01AM on January 1, 2021, I'm hoping the world resets itself and 2020 will just be bad dream. 

In all seriousness, I think you're fine to be optimistic. I'm still very optimistic about our Alaskan cruise next September...as in it hasn't even crossed my mind that it won't happen. But I feel like I wouldn't be surprised by anything anymore.

@trvlgirlmq Is it a British Isles cruise? We sailed out of Dover last year on our DCL BI cruise. Those white cliffs are stunning!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> All I can think is "we better be cruising by June!" I think I'm at the point where as soon as that clock hits 12:01AM on January 1, 2021, I'm hoping the world resets itself and 2020 will just be bad dream.
> 
> In all seriousness, I think you're fine to be optimistic. I'm still very optimistic about our Alaskan cruise next September...as in it hasn't even crossed my mind that it won't happen. But I feel like I wouldn't be surprised by anything anymore.
> 
> @trvlgirlmq Is it a British Isles cruise? We sailed out of Dover last year on our DCL BI cruise. Those white cliffs are stunning!


Yes, British Isles with stops @ Edinburgh, Invergordon, Portree, Belfast, Liverpool & Cobh.  It's to celebrate DS and his GF's high school graduation. After their last year and half of school/no school they will need it as much as I do!


----------



## mevelandry

I don’t know what is wrong with me but I miss cruising so bad today.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> I don’t know what is wrong with me but I miss cruising so bad today.



Me too. We were at a local beach yesterday and it is not the same as the blue caribbean waters.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> I don’t know what is wrong with me but I miss cruising so bad today.


You are not alone. Yesterday my mom and I were talking about how much we miss eating in a restaurant, going to the movies and being able to travel. We are just not comfortable with any of that yet. I don’t know when we will be either.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Me too. We were at a local beach yesterday and it is not the same as the blue caribbean waters.



Agreed. I feel like nothing compares to cruising.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> You are not alone. Yesterday my mom and I were talking about how much we miss eating in a restaurant, going to the movies and being able to travel. We are just not comfortable with any of that yet. I don’t know when we will be either.



Yes. All the little things we used to take for granted.


----------



## hdrolfe

looks like the name of the next Mardi Gras class might be out soon. I hope someday I'll be able to cruise on one of them! The Bolt looks great.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

hdrolfe said:


> looks like the name of the next Mardi Gras class might be out soon. I hope someday I'll be able to cruise on one of them! The Bolt looks great.


I really want to try one!  They look fabulous.


----------



## hdrolfe

trvlgirlmq said:


> I really want to try one!  They look fabulous.



I still want to go on Horizon (Vista class really) as well... the longer we can't cruise, the more ships I'm going to want to try out! Those are just the Carnival ones (plus I'd like to go on Breeze and compare to Magic). RCL I also want to go on Oasis class, the updated Indy and Mariner. So many cruises... so little time!


----------



## Camilo

Here's my (old) and short review after having cruises Carnival (2011) and Disney (2013).

After that review, I did Carnival once more (Vista) 2 years ago.

Disney cruise is amazing but EXTREMELY expensive for our family of 5. So, unless a super deal like we got in 2011 shows up again, I don't think we'll go back.

*******

Hi all,

I am bringing this thread from the bottom almost 15 months after the last update.

I thought it could be useful for people getting to this review from google searches on sailing with small kids or sea-sickness on boats.

My previous threads asked others about what our kids experienced on the Carnival cruise, if that was sea-sickness or possible a bug/stomach flu. You can read it all above, my questions and some feedback I got from other cruise critic members.

We just came back from our second cruise, first one with Disney, Disney Wonder, from February 11th to 16th, western Caribbean.

We went to Cozumel once again (and had another great day at Paradise Beach - I keep recommending this place for people with small kids) and Grand Cayman, for the first time (we went to Royal Palms, which we also recommend, beautiful beach).

Back on topic, this time none of the kids threw up, which makes me believe they DID have a bug while in the Carnival Cruise. On one of the nights, the sea was pretty rough (not as bad as the last day on Carnival Dream) and they asked to go to bed earlier but we never had to give them medicine for sea-sickness.

My wife also tried the patch behind the ear (expensive) and found it very effective. She was ok for the whole cruise, didn't skip any dinner, etc.

Of course, that means we will keep cruising going forward... 

As for comparing both cruises, it may not be fair, Carnival one is 10 years newer and much bigger), but here it goes anyway.

Some things were better at Carnival (pools, hot tubs, waterpark area, arcade for kids), some better at Disney (entertainment, 3D theater at sea, kids club) but I would have no issues sailing with any of them, if the price was right (mind you, I paid less for the 4 of us on this Disney cruise than what I paid on the Carnival one, although the Disney was 5 nights against 7 from Carnival).

I hope that can help others.

Camilo


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I still want to go on Horizon (Vista class really) as well... the longer we can't cruise, the more ships I'm going to want to try out! Those are just the Carnival ones (plus I'd like to go on Breeze and compare to Magic). RCL I also want to go on Oasis class, the updated Indy and Mariner. So many cruises... so little time!



I loved the Mariner!! 

Now, if all plans we have stay the same, I'll try Carnival Magic and Oasis of the Seas in 2021. *fingers crossed*.


----------



## mevelandry

Camilo said:


> Here's my (old) and short review after having cruises Carnival (2011) and Disney (2013).
> 
> After that review, I did Carnival once more (Vista) 2 years ago.
> 
> Disney cruise is amazing but EXTREMELY expensive for our family of 5. So, unless a super deal like we got in 2011 shows up again, I don't think we'll go back.
> 
> *******
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> I am bringing this thread from the bottom almost 15 months after the last update.
> 
> I thought it could be useful for people getting to this review from google searches on sailing with small kids or sea-sickness on boats.
> 
> My previous threads asked others about what our kids experienced on the Carnival cruise, if that was sea-sickness or possible a bug/stomach flu. You can read it all above, my questions and some feedback I got from other cruise critic members.
> 
> We just came back from our second cruise, first one with Disney, Disney Wonder, from February 11th to 16th, western Caribbean.
> 
> We went to Cozumel once again (and had another great day at Paradise Beach - I keep recommending this place for people with small kids) and Grand Cayman, for the first time (we went to Royal Palms, which we also recommend, beautiful beach).
> 
> Back on topic, this time none of the kids threw up, which makes me believe they DID have a bug while in the Carnival Cruise. On one of the nights, the sea was pretty rough (not as bad as the last day on Carnival Dream) and they asked to go to bed earlier but we never had to give them medicine for sea-sickness.
> 
> My wife also tried the patch behind the ear (expensive) and found it very effective. She was ok for the whole cruise, didn't skip any dinner, etc.
> 
> Of course, that means we will keep cruising going forward...
> 
> As for comparing both cruises, it may not be fair, Carnival one is 10 years newer and much bigger), but here it goes anyway.
> 
> Some things were better at Carnival (pools, hot tubs, waterpark area, arcade for kids), some better at Disney (entertainment, 3D theater at sea, kids club) but I would have no issues sailing with any of them, if the price was right (mind you, I paid less for the 4 of us on this Disney cruise than what I paid on the Carnival one, although the Disney was 5 nights against 7 from Carnival).
> 
> I hope that can help others.
> 
> Camilo



Thanks for sharing. I was wondering if you tried the Thrill Theater on the Carnival Vista? There's a small fee for it but it's SO MUCH FUN. 

Also, I agree with you. We went to Royal Palms Grand Cayman twice and we absolutely love it.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> I loved the Mariner!!
> 
> Now, if all plans we have stay the same, I'll try Carnival Magic and Oasis of the Seas in 2021. *fingers crossed*.



It's frustrating isn't it? The uncertainty of booking and hoping for a cruise. Not the most important of things in the grand scheme of things of course, but I'm sure we all look forward to getting back to "normal". Magic was amazing, I look forward to trying Oasis, maybe 2022 or 2023, but MSC Meraviglia is the only one I have booked that is likely to happen (early 2022).


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> It's frustrating isn't it? The uncertainty of booking and hoping for a cruise. Not the most important of things in the grand scheme of things of course, but I'm sure we all look forward to getting back to "normal". Magic was amazing, I look forward to trying Oasis, maybe 2022 or 2023, but MSC Meraviglia is the only one I have booked that is likely to happen (early 2022).



I'm trying to remain optimistic but it's not easy.


----------



## Camilo

mevelandry said:


> Thanks for sharing. I was wondering if you tried the Thrill Theater on the Carnival Vista? There's a small fee for it but it's SO MUCH FUN.
> 
> Also, I agree with you. We went to Royal Palms Grand Cayman twice and we absolutely love it.



Hi, my son did the regular movie theater on the Cista. I left a review on cruise critics. Unsure if it will be blocked here, here's the link: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2502031-carnival-vista-review-my-review-jan-21st-2018-sailing/

Thanks....


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Camilo said:


> Hi, my son did the regular movie theater on the Cista. I left a review on cruise critics. Unsure if it will be blocked here, here's the link: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2502031-carnival-vista-review-my-review-jan-21st-2018-sailing/
> 
> Thanks....


I love IMAX on Vista but am pretty happy they changed it to a trampoline park on panorama, I love trampolines. Thanks for the review, I absolutely love Vista!


----------



## belle032

Carnival's new ship is the Celebration, sailing November 2022 from Miami


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> Carnival's new ship is the Celebration, sailing November 2022 from Miami



I can't wait. I want to see those itineraries. Miami often has the 6/8 day splits with Southerns in there. Man I can't wait to cruise again.


----------



## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> I can't wait. I want to see those itineraries. Miami often has the 6/8 day splits with Southerns in there. Man I can't wait to cruise again.



We love the 8 day itineraries and have been wanting to do Southern. We were trying to get on the Horizon this year for an 8 day Southern itinerary but obviously that got put on hold!


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> We love the 8 day itineraries and have been wanting to do Southern. We were trying to get on the Horizon this year for an 8 day Southern itinerary but obviously that got put on hold!



I'll be looking for early 2023 and hopefully a back to back, fingers crossed they have a good itinerary! And I still have a Dec 6-night booked on Horizon this year but I know we won't be able to go. Even if the border opens by then, we have to get a passport for kiddo and those offices are still closed, and I'm sure there will be a back log. Plus I'm not sure we want to go with all the restrictions.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> We love the 8 day itineraries and have been wanting to do Southern. We were trying to get on the Horizon this year for an 8 day Southern itinerary but obviously that got put on hold!





hdrolfe said:


> I can't wait. I want to see those itineraries. Miami often has the 6/8 day splits with Southerns in there. Man I can't wait to cruise again.


The 8 day southern is such a great itinerary, I’d love to do it again, especially on one of the new ships. It really is amazing how much 1 extra day makes compared to a 7 day. We’ve done 2, 8 day cruises and they were by far our favorites.
And I totally agree, I want (need) to be on a ship again soon. We’re dying not having a cruise or Disneyland this year. We may be able to do a December cruise on Panorama if she is sailing by then, fingers crossed!


----------



## mevelandry

Camilo said:


> Hi, my son did the regular movie theater on the Cista. I left a review on cruise critics. Unsure if it will be blocked here, here's the link: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2502031-carnival-vista-review-my-review-jan-21st-2018-sailing/
> 
> Thanks....



I will read it with great pleasure.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I love IMAX on Vista but am pretty happy they changed it to a trampoline park on panorama, I love trampolines. Thanks for the review, I absolutely love Vista!



I hope adults can go to the trampoline park because my husbands wants to try it. LOL


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I was just on the Carnival Panorama page which shows her in the Pacific Ocean heading to Panama right now. Hopefully she’ll be heading up to Long Beach at some point to go home. It started me thinking, I really want my first cruise after COVID to be on a Carnival ship!  It’s going to be one heck of a good time on board. We always have a great time in DCL because of the great service and refinement of it all, but we have so much FUN on Carnival because it’s just such a fun atmosphere and environment. Come on Carnival, don’t let me down, Daddy needs to cruise in December!!  Have a great weekend everyone and I’ll leave you with a pic of Carnival Vista docked at Grand Turk!


----------



## mevelandry

We’ve experienced ... a little adventure with Carnival last night. 

Context: My husband and I always pay our cruises in full ASAP. My MIL & FIL only pay the deposit and then pay in full a few days before the PIF date. I manage both bookings. That’s how we’ve always done it.

So...

When I looked into my SPAM last night, I noticed a letter saying they were cancelling my FIL&MIL’s cruise because the deposit amount was not sufficient.

*Holy Guacamole!*

Turns out that I originally booked under a 2 for 1 deposit promo (150$) and when I noticed a better price this week, I asked them to apply the price protection guarantee. Not only it did not work for some reason, but the amount of full deposit for the cruise was changed back to 300$, creating the cancellation of their reservation.

Thankfully, the person I talked to on the phone has been a superstar and managed to re-create the exact same booking (same room, same price) and apply their money to that new reservation. The only impact will be a new confirmation number. Phew!

In conclusion, here is a few unsollicited advices:

1) If you booked Early Saver and you are going to ask them to apply the price protection: do it by phone to avoid bad surprises... like an insufficient deposit.

2) Always check your junk box.

3) If you receive something, verify the information right away. I almost disregarded that letter and thought it was fake until I logged into my Carnival account and noticed that the reservation had disappeared.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I was just on the Carnival Panorama page which shows her in the Pacific Ocean heading to Panama right now. Hopefully she’ll be heading up to Long Beach at some point to go home. It started me thinking, I really want my first cruise after COVID to be on a Carnival ship!  It’s going to be one heck of a good time on board. We always have a great time in DCL because of the great service and refinement of it all, but we have so much FUN on Carnival because it’s just such a fun atmosphere and environment. Come on Carnival, don’t let me down, Daddy needs to cruise in December!!  Have a great weekend everyone and I’ll leave you with a pic of Carnival Vista docked at Grand Turk!View attachment 520854


You deserve it!!!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

We broke down and rented a condo for Fall Break in Panama City Beach.  Although we enjoy cruising we don't really like beach vacations.  The one time we did it everyone was thoroughly bored!  We picked PCB because there is a state park and a conservation area with walking/hiking available.  There are also lots of amusements for the teens.  We splurged on a condo with a fabulous balcony (all that money I have saved with cancelled trips!).  I'm totally burned out with work and just need a getaway. We will drive, cook our own meals and distance with all of our outdoor activities.  At least I finally have something tangible to get me through!


----------



## lklgoodman

trvlgirlmq said:


> We broke down and rented a condo for Fall Break in Panama City Beach.  Although we enjoy cruising we don't really like beach vacations.  The one time we did it everyone was thoroughly bored!  We picked PCB because there is a state park and a conservation area with walking/hiking available.  There are also lots of amusements for the teens.  We splurged on a condo with a fabulous balcony (all that money I have saved with cancelled trips!).  I'm totally burned out with work and just need a getaway. We will drive, cook our own meals and distance with all of our outdoor activities.  At least I finally have something tangible to get me through!



Sounds like it will be a lot of fun.  I'm like you.  I enjoy cruising, but not really a beach person.  I don't mind a few hours at the beach, but anymore and I get bored.  My dd likes the beach, so whenever we do a beach excursion it's more for her.  I'd rather go to a museum.  I'm trying to think about somewhere else we could go incase our March 2021 cruise gets canceled.  If it's not canceled we still won't go unless there's a vaccine and without a lot of restrictions on the ship.  Our cruise is on the Magic, suppose to go to Nassau, Key West, and CC.  I've thought we could maybe do a land trip to Key West.  We haven't been there before.  My SIL and her family have a trip to Grand Cayman planned for the same week(Spring Break for all our kids).  We've thought about joining them there for a land trip.  I haven't kept up with the regulations different countries have for tourists.  I'm thinking staying in the US would be easier.  We've never been to any beach areas in the US, so I don't really even know where would be a good place to go.  Dd is doing online only school, starting next week, so we will REALLY need to go somewhere.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

lklgoodman said:


> Sounds like it will be a lot of fun.  I'm like you.  I enjoy cruising, but not really a beach person.  I don't mind a few hours at the beach, but anymore and I get bored.  My dd likes the beach, so whenever we do a beach excursion it's more for her.  I'd rather go to a museum.  I'm trying to think about somewhere else we could go incase our March 2021 cruise gets canceled.  If it's not canceled we still won't go unless there's a vaccine and without a lot of restrictions on the ship.  Our cruise is on the Magic, suppose to go to Nassau, Key West, and CC.  I've thought we could maybe do a land trip to Key West.  We haven't been there before.  My SIL and her family have a trip to Grand Cayman planned for the same week(Spring Break for all our kids).  We've thought about joining them there for a land trip.  I haven't kept up with the regulations different countries have for tourists.  I'm thinking staying in the US would be easier.  We've never been to any beach areas in the US, so I don't really even know where would be a good place to go.  Dd is doing online only school, starting next week, so we will REALLY need to go somewhere.


I will say the 2 beach vacations I loved were to Hawaii (we were supposed to go again for 10 days in June)!  Unfortunately that is a no go. The one we did on the mainland was Tybee Island, GA. My favorite days were when we went in to Savannah and did historical stuff.  I'm like you and 3 hours at the beach is about all I can take. I'm happy to be able to get away for a week at all.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> We broke down and rented a condo for Fall Break in Panama City Beach.  Although we enjoy cruising we don't really like beach vacations.  The one time we did it everyone was thoroughly bored!  We picked PCB because there is a state park and a conservation area with walking/hiking available.  There are also lots of amusements for the teens.  We splurged on a condo with a fabulous balcony (all that money I have saved with cancelled trips!).  I'm totally burned out with work and just need a getaway. We will drive, cook our own meals and distance with all of our outdoor activities.  At least I finally have something tangible to get me through!



I had to google PCB and ... Woahhhh. I definitely need to visit more parts of the USA once we can travel again. It’s absolutely beautiful.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> We broke down and rented a condo for Fall Break in Panama City Beach.  Although we enjoy cruising we don't really like beach vacations.  The one time we did it everyone was thoroughly bored!  We picked PCB because there is a state park and a conservation area with walking/hiking available.  There are also lots of amusements for the teens.  We splurged on a condo with a fabulous balcony (all that money I have saved with cancelled trips!).  I'm totally burned out with work and just need a getaway. We will drive, cook our own meals and distance with all of our outdoor activities.  At least I finally have something tangible to get me through!


Wow!  That looks pretty amazing there, have a great time. Our kids are both in college as of this year so they don’t get a fall break, we’ve rented an airBNB up in the northern Arizona pines and are going to go up there for a week during my wife’s fall break. It will be nice to get out of the heat and I’m really looking forward to some great cycling  while we’re up there. Flagstaff is a great mountain town so we’re definitely looking forward to it.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Wow!  That looks pretty amazing there, have a great time. Our kids are both in college as of this year so they don’t get a fall break, we’ve rented an airBNB up in the northern Arizona pines and are going to go up there for a week during my wife’s fall break. It will be nice to get out of the heat and I’m really looking forward to some great cycling  while we’re up there. Flagstaff is a great mountain town so we’re definitely looking forward to it.


That sounds really nice too.  I like Flagstaff, it kind of reminds me of my hometown, South Lake Tahoe.  I lived in Las Vegas for 8 years so did N. Arizona trips a few times.


----------



## Camilo

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I love IMAX on Vista but am pretty happy they changed it to a trampoline park on panorama, I love trampolines. Thanks for the review, I absolutely love Vista!



I didn't know that, I have to look it up. I'm wondering if it was due to the extra cost for the IMAX. I love how Disney doesn't charge extra for pops or the 3-D movie theater (well, it was free when I went, in 2013, hopefully it hasn't changed).


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I am so sad!!! Matt is leaving Carnival. He is by far the best CD out there.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I am so sad!!! Matt is leaving Carnival. He is by far the best CD out there.



I just heard that. The guy was a superstar. Pretty sure he's going to be on tv or something.


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> I am so sad!!! Matt is leaving Carnival. He is by far the best CD out there.



We never sailed with him, but his name always came up when people talked about CDs. Good luck to him! I honestly always thought it was a little crazy that people planned their cruises around who the CD was, but then when we sailed DCL I realized that having a super fun and involved CD is a big positive and DCL lacks that. Our fave CCL CD was Dr. E on the Magic. He was fantastic! We knew he would be good when he did the Muster Drill in a ton of different accents and voices.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Matt was the CD for our first Carnival cruise and we thought he couldn’t be topped.  Our next cruise, he was pulled at the last minute and we had Chris Williams aka The Flying Scotsman and we loved him!  He quickly became our favorite, he’s actually a performer and has an amazing voice. I think he’s on The Magic right now but will hopefully move to Horizon, now that Mike Pack is going from Horizon to Mardi Gras.


----------



## mevelandry

In other news: Imagination is being sent to scrap, which makes her the 3rd Carnival cruise ship (Fantasy Class) to be removed from the fleet. 

100% expecting Fascination to be scrapped as well.


----------



## hdrolfe

I follow a couple CD's on facebook, one from Carnival and one from RCL. The Carnival one (Cookie) seems to be doing ok and posting fun stuff, I think he is living with some other CD's. The Royal one is not doing as well, he's had to take a job as a Door Dasher and is now also working at a grocery store. I wonder how the different cruise lines are taking care of their employees, if they want them to return to the ships when this is over or have them move on to new careers. I feel bad for all the people who work on the ships, from the cleaning staff to the CD's and such... hopefully the cruise industry will survive. 

Honestly though I rarely really notice the CD, I did the two I follow but that's 2 of my 5 cruises so the other 3 must have been forgettable.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> I follow a couple CD's on facebook, one from Carnival and one from RCL. The Carnival one (Cookie) seems to be doing ok and posting fun stuff, I think he is living with some other CD's. The Royal one is not doing as well, he's had to take a job as a Door Dasher and is now also working at a grocery store. I wonder how the different cruise lines are taking care of their employees, if they want them to return to the ships when this is over or have them move on to new careers. I feel bad for all the people who work on the ships, from the cleaning staff to the CD's and such... hopefully the cruise industry will survive.
> 
> Honestly though I rarely really notice the CD, I did the two I follow but that's 2 of my 5 cruises so the other 3 must have been forgettable.


OMG, I totally forgot about Cookie!  He is a crack up, he and Matt were the CD’s last year when we were on Vista. Matt was going on vacation at the end of our cruise so Cookie shadowed him the whole time, that guy is hilarious. This whole discussion about CD’s really cements my decision about next cruise has to be Carnival.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> OMG, I totally forgot about Cookie!  He is a crack up, he and Matt were the CD’s last year when we were on Vista. Matt was going on vacation at the end of our cruise so Cookie shadowed him the whole time, that guy is hilarious. This whole discussion about CD’s really cements my decision about next cruise has to be Carnival.



Cookie is great!  He was our CD on Liberty. 

I don’t know if any of you ever had Schwartz or Kevin Donohue but they were  also pretty amazing. 

For some reason, whenever I’m on another cruise line, I always forget who the CD is. Their role is so toned down by comparison.


----------



## Camilo

mevelandry said:


> I just heard that. The guy was a superstar. Pretty sure he's going to be on tv or something.


We sailed with him, on the Vista.
I thought he was good, fun, but nothing amazing, I don't see the big deal about him on the forums.

I liked Jaime more, from my CCL Dream, in 2011 and, back then, she wasn't even a CD, she was filling in for someone else for 2 cruises only, so no experience at all. Not sure if she's still around or doing that.
Good luck to Matt....


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Camilo said:


> We sailed with him, on the Vista.
> I thought he was good, fun, but nothing amazing, I don't see the big deal about him on the forums.
> 
> I liked Jaime more, from my CCL Dream, in 2011 and, back then, she wasn't even a CD, she was filling in for someone else for 2 cruises only, so no experience at all. Not sure if she's still around or doing that.
> Good luck to Matt....


Jaime Dee is still a CD for Carnival but I don’t know what ship. It looks like her and several other Carnival CD’s are working at one of the Margaritaville Resorts while not cruising, maybe the one on Grand Turk???


----------



## mevelandry

Just took advantage of the 50$ UDS per person to book promo. Booked an 8 nights to Aruba, Curaçao, Amber Cove and La Romana cruise on Carnival Horizon for Fall 2022. 

Extremely excited!


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Just took advantage of the 50$ UDS per person to book promo. Booked an 8 nights to Aruba, Curaçao, Amber Cove and La Romana cruise on Carnival Horizon for Fall 2020.
> 
> Extremely excited!



Ughh awesome! That's the itinerary we're looking to do next! So it's a sailing for this year? I just can't pull the trigger yet, especially when Florida is on our NY quarantine list.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Just took advantage of the 50$ UDS per person to book promo. Booked an 8 nights to Aruba, Curaçao, Amber Cove and La Romana cruise on Carnival Horizon for Fall 2020.
> 
> Extremely excited!



2020? Like this fall?


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Ughh awesome! That's the itinerary we're looking to do next! So it's a sailing for this year? I just can't pull the trigger yet, especially when Florida is on our NY quarantine list.



Ah. Apologies. I meant to type 2022. I was so excitwd I couldn't type correctly. LOL


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> 2020? Like this fall?



I just corrected it. I meant to type 2022. 

I'm optimistic we'll start sailing soon but not THAT optomistic.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> I just corrected it. I meant to type 2022.
> 
> I'm optimistic we'll start sailing soon but not THAT optomistic.



I will have to look at that... I didn't know we could book into the end of 2022... but will I want to cruise or will Disney be open and back to "normal" by then. Hmm

Found one that goes to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao on Horizon April, 2023... hopefully that is far enough in the future? Put a hold on it while I think about it


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I will have to look at that... I didn't know we could book into the end of 2022... but will I want to cruise or will Disney be open and back to "normal" by then. Hmm
> 
> Found one that goes to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao on Horizon April, 2023... hopefully that is far enough in the future? Put a hold on it while I think about it



I keep hearing that the ABC islands are among the best caribbean islands one can visit.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Just took advantage of the 50$ UDS per person to book promo. Booked an 8 nights to Aruba, Curaçao, Amber Cove and La Romana cruise on Carnival Horizon for Fall 2022.
> 
> Extremely excited!


That’s the itinerary we did on Vista, except we went to Grand Turk instead of Amber Cove, it was AWESOME!  I’m so excited for you. What kind of cabin did you book?


----------



## ronandannette

mevelandry said:


> In other news: Imagination is being sent to scrap, which makes her the 3rd Carnival cruise ship (Fantasy Class) to be removed from the fleet.
> 
> 100% expecting Fascination to be scrapped as well.


Do you have any idea if another ship will take it's place out of LA and if so, which one?  We loved that 4 day Catalina/Ensenada itinerary and took it several times when RCCL used to sail it.  We never did book it on CCL because the ships didn't appeal.


----------



## belle032

ronandannette said:


> Do you have any idea if another ship will take it's place out of LA and if so, which one?  We loved that 4 day Catalina/Ensenada itinerary and took it several times when RCCL used to sail it.  We never did book it on CCL because the ships didn't appeal.



The Panorama sails the longer 7 day itineraries, but it might be the Radiance that takes over for the Imagination. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong!)  Which, if so, would be a very nice upgrade I would think!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> That’s the itinerary we did on Vista, except we went to Grand Turk instead of Amber Cove, it was AWESOME!  I’m so excited for you. What kind of cabin did you book?



I booked a basic inside cabin for now but if money is on our side and I can find a good rate, we will most likely try to upgrade to Cloud 9 Spa or a Balcony (why not both if we can afford it?)

I’m ecstatic about the ship. I loved Vista so much (it is still my favorite ship so far) and Horizon looks just as great or even better. 

We were originally supposed to go to Amber Cove (& Grand Turk) in 2019 but changed the trip after not liking Grand Turk very much during a 2018 cruise... All my research is done about Amber Cove and we are extremely happy we’ll get to go after all. 

I’m just not sure what to do at La Romana. We are not very adventurous and I heard the place isn’t super safe so I will study that port a lot in order to make the best choice of excursion/activity.


----------



## mevelandry

ronandannette said:


> Do you have any idea if another ship will take it's place out of LA and if so, which one?  We loved that 4 day Catalina/Ensenada itinerary and took it several times when RCCL used to sail it.  We never did book it on CCL because the ships didn't appeal.



I’m not sure about short cruises (I think those will leave from San Diego on Carnival Miracle) but a brand new ship Carnival Panorama will do 7 nights departing from Long Beach.


----------



## mevelandry

ronandannette said:


> Do you have any idea if another ship will take it's place out of LA and if so, which one?  We loved that 4 day Catalina/Ensenada itinerary and took it several times when RCCL used to sail it.  We never did book it on CCL because the ships didn't appeal.





belle032 said:


> The Panorama sails the longer 7 day itineraries, but it might be the Radiance that takes over for the Imagination. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong!)  Which, if so, would be a very nice upgrade I would think!



After verification...

@belle032 is correct. Carnival Radiance is supposed to take over for shorter cruises departing from Long Beach.

Carnival Radiance is a re-imagined Carnival Victory (which was already much better than Fantasy Class, IMO). There will be exciting changes on that ship. I would not hesitate to recommend Panorama or Radiance.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> The Panorama sails the longer 7 day itineraries, but it might be the Radiance that takes over for the Imagination. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong!)  Which, if so, would be a very nice upgrade I would think!


You are correct. They pulled Imagination and Inspiration and replaced with only Radiance doing the 3/4 itinerary and Panorama doing the 7 night itinerary.

I’m actually pretty excited about that because there’s been a few times that I wanted to book a 3 or 4 night cruise out of there just to get away for a bit, but couldn’t because I have zero desire to step on a Fantasy Class ship.  With that in mind, at this point, I’d board a Fantasy class ship in a heartbeat right now if I could be on a ship. Funny how things change when circumstances are different than they used to be.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> You are correct. They pulled Imagination and Inspiration and replaced with only Radiance doing the 3/4 itinerary and Panorama doing the 7 night itinerary.
> 
> I’m actually pretty excited about that because there’s been a few times that I wanted to book a 3 or 4 night cruise out of there just to get away for a bit, but couldn’t because I have zero desire to step on a Fantasy Class ship.  With that in mind, at this point, I’d board a Fantasy class ship in a heartbeat right now if I could be on a ship. Funny how things change when circumstances are different than they used to be.



I get it 100%. I‘d be ready to go back to Nassau... on the Carnival Sensation.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I booked a basic inside cabin for now but if money is on our side and I can find a good rate, we will most likely try to upgrade to Cloud 9 Spa or a Balcony (why not both if we can afford it?)
> 
> I’m ecstatic about the ship. I loved Vista so much (it is still my favorite ship so far) and Horizon looks just as great or even better.
> 
> We were originally supposed to go to Amber Cove (& Grand Turk) in 2019 but changed the trip after not liking Grand Turk very much during a 2018 cruise... All my research is done about Amber Cove and we are extremely happy we’ll get to go after all.
> 
> I’m just not sure what to do at La Romana. We are not very adventurous and I heard the place isn’t super safe so I will study that port a lot in order to make the best choice of excursion/activity.


We always book inside cabins and love them. If you can call back and change cabins, I highly recommend trying to get one of the square cabins like in this picture. They are the same price as regular insides but are more spacious. We had them for 3 of our 4 Vista cruises and they are awesome. I know they’re available on decks 7, 8, and 9. We always book deck 8 on Vista class ships so we don’t have to take elevators. The square cabins without the connecting doors generally have a couch in them also, which Carnival insides never have. Carnival will not guarantee that they do have the couch though so you can’t 100% count on it.
We didn’t do anything in La Romana, just got off the ship, did a little souvenir shopping in the secure port area and got back on to enjoy an empty ship. We were able to snag 4 of the awesome chairs on the Panorama (11) deck and spend the afternoon in them. We love them because we get the goings on of Lido but don’t bake in the sun all day.

I’m so happy you booked a cruise and we can talk cruise plans again! This made my morning!


----------



## hdrolfe

@Club Disney Chandler That's the kind of cabin we have on hold (albeit in the Family Harbor area, but still, the square ones). I watched so many youtube video reviews and picture reviews, they do look different from the standard and a nicer layout.


----------



## ronandannette

mevelandry said:


> After verification...
> 
> @belle032 is correct. Carnival Radiance is supposed to take over for shorter cruises departing from Long Beach.
> 
> Carnival Radiance is a re-imagined Carnival Victory (which was already much better than Fantasy Class, IMO). There will be exciting changes on that ship. I would not hesitate to recommend Panorama or Radiance.


We sailed the Victory out of San Juan; it was fine.  It also has exponentially more balcony cabins than the Fantasy-class ships did and it's nice to have one, even on a 4-day. If our borders ever open up and we can get back to California, I'm sure we'll give it a go.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

ronandannette said:


> We sailed the Victory out of San Juan; it was fine.  It also has exponentially more balcony cabins than the Fantasy-class ships did and it's nice to have one, even on a 4-day. If our borders ever open up and we can get back to California, I'm sure we'll give it a go.


I read yesterday that Disneyland will more than likely start slowly opening up in October, I’m pretty excited. This is the first year since 2004 that we haven’t been to a Disney park or on a Disney cruise, I need me some Disney dammit


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> @Club Disney Chandler That's the kind of cabin we have on hold (albeit in the Family Harbor area, but still, the square ones). I watched so many youtube video reviews and picture reviews, they do look different from the standard and a nicer layout.


From what I’ve read they are the same square footage of the regular cabins but they feel so much bigger. It’s amazing how much difference a different shape makes.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I read yesterday that Disneyland will more than likely start slowly opening up in October, I’m pretty excited. This is the first year since 2004 that we haven’t been to a Disney park or on a Disney cruise, I need me some Disney dammit



That's good news! I am SOOOO tempted to say screw it and book a WDW trip in December. The only thing holding me back is the whole having to quarantine when we get home to NY. And my work wouldn't look favorably on a visit to Florida unless it drops off the NY quarantine list.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> That's good news! I am SOOOO tempted to say screw it and book a WDW trip in December. The only thing holding me back is the whole having to quarantine when we get home to NY. And my work wouldn't look favorably on a visit to Florida unless it drops off the NY quarantine list.


It could happen, Arizona was on the list for NY and we just got dropped this week


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> It could happen, Arizona was on the list for NY and we just got dropped this week



Fingers crossed! We were actually hoping to get to Arizona in February to visit friends, so that was some good news.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> Fingers crossed! We were actually hoping to get to Arizona in February to visit friends, so that was some good news.


What part?  I live in Gilbert and my restaurant is in Mesa, both are SE of Phoenix.


----------



## auntlynne

Club Disney Chandler said:


> What part?  I live in Gilbert and my restaurant is in Mesa, both are SE of Phoenix.



I used to live in Gilbert (Higley) on Guadalupe - and worked in Mesa (Banner Desert in Labor & Delivery), back in 2001-03.  Now I’m back home in Alabama.

Small world.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

auntlynne said:


> I used to live in Gilbert (Higley) on Guadalupe - and worked in Mesa (Banner Desert in Labor & Delivery), back in 2001-03.  Now I’m back home in Alabama.
> 
> Small world.


I grew up in the neighborhood behind the McDonalds across Southern from Banner Desert. When we moved to that house in 1973, the 60 freeway didn’t even extend to Dobson road and Dobson south of the hospital was a dirt road. Hard to believe that Mesa is now the 3rd largest city in Arizona.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> What part?  I live in Gilbert and my restaurant is in Mesa, both are SE of Phoenix.



This is horrible, but I don't know for sure! They are both Border Patrol and live on a big ranch, but I believe we'd have to fly into Tucson. We've never been out there, they always come to NY due to having family here. I'm hoping we can get there, your state looks beautiful!


----------



## mevelandry

Question for those who went to La Romana. What have you done in that port? Any recommendations?

I like monkeys, I just don’t want them to climb on me/my head/pee on me so I feel like this is not the excursion for me.

Catalina Island looks nice enough. It’s the one I keep going back to for now.

I hear horror stories about DR being unsafe so I’m hesitant.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> Question for those who went to La Romana. What have you done in that port? Any recommendations?
> 
> I like monkeys, I just don’t want them to climb on me/my head/pee on me so I feel like this is not the excursion for me.
> 
> Catalina Island looks nice enough. It’s the one I keep going back to for now.
> 
> I hear horror stories about DR being unsafe so I’m hesitant.


We did Catalina Island and it is beautiful. It’s been one of our favorite days in the Caribbean.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> This is horrible, but I don't know for sure! They are both Border Patrol and live on a big ranch, but I believe we'd have to fly into Tucson. We've never been out there, they always come to NY due to having family here. I'm hoping we can get there, your state looks beautiful!


Gotcha, you’ll be a couple hours south of me then. I have to caution you about coming in February though. You WILL NOT want to leave . I was talking to my neighbor the other night about this very thing. He and his wife came out here from Michigan over Martin Luther King Jr weekend, on day 3 they signed papers on building a new house here. Went home, sold their house and are now here full time. I hope you’re able to make it out here, it is beautiful!


----------



## mevelandry

My husband and I must have fell on our heads or something... We are currently checking if we could book a short cruise for easter week-end (with « easy cancellation » just in case)... To be continued...


----------



## mevelandry

I thought this was too funny and I had to share...


----------



## mevelandry

Alright. Took a leap of faith... Booked MSC Armonia for a short Easter 2021 cruise with stops to Key West --a whole day! -- and their brand new private island Ocean Cay. The ship looks very nice (the interior reminds me of Disney Cruise Line meets Royal Caribbean, the exterior pool reminds me of Princess... Very good price (478$ CND per person). 

Only one complaint so far... The payment has been processed and shows on my credit card, but the website had a bug right after it said "Congratulations! You are booked". And I haven't received the confirmation nor can I access my booking number yet. 

EDIT: The correction has been made. I got everything I need now. Super efficient customer service and they have a french option! 

But other than that, I'm very excited and I hope for the best.


----------



## belle032

OK I'm going to need alllll these cruise lines to stop sending me enticing emails with awesome deals until I get some kind of confirmation that cruising is returning. You know I'm ready to sail at any time. It's not me, it's you.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> OK I'm going to need alllll these cruise lines to stop sending me enticing emails with awesome deals until I get some kind of confirmation that cruising is returning. You know I'm ready to sail at any time. It's not me, it's you.



At this point, I'm just booking them and whatever will be, will be!


----------



## hdrolfe

I'm with you @mevelandry I'm just booking stuff  I have a two week cruise on MSC Merviglia Jan 2022 and now Carnival Horizon 8 night booked for April 2023. I will possibly put something between them (maybe Disney land trip?) And would still like to book something on RCL as well, we still want to check out the updated Coco Cay. And go back to Labadee someday too.


----------



## mevelandry

I would love to hear your review of Labadee as we will (most likely) go there in!

Also, if anyone has tried MSC, I'm interested to hear about it as well.


----------



## mevelandry

By the way, I want to put the roll call back on the first page at some point...


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> I would love to hear your review of Labadee as we will (most likely) go there in!
> 
> Also, if anyone has tried MSC, I'm interested to hear about it as well.



We are supposed to go on MSC in early 2022 so I think you will beat us  But we have booked and cancelled with them many times, usually cancelling because we decide not to cruise at that time. I believe they changed the rules for Canadians though so cancelling pays a fee. Since I only have to pay $49 to book us both (travel mate is my son who doesn't have to pay a deposit for some reason I chose not to investigate). They are more European and other lines, so there are some differences, including in the clientele on board. You will hear announcements in many languages. They are supposed to have amazing pizza and pasta. 

As for Labadee, we really enjoyed it but I can understand why not everyone would. We did the roller coaster twice then spent an hour at the inflatables in the water, then swam at the regular beach, had bbq lunch and went over to the snorkeling area which was pretty quiet and we were able to see some neat stuff. Kiddo wants to try the zip-lining next time we go, I'd want to do the superman one but he says the other ones looks better so I guess we will see if he is old enough, tall enough and weighs enough to do it! There are many little areas around, and you can avoid the (very pushy) shops in the middle quite easily. I don't think we actually bought anything. We did rent a locker for while we were on the roller coaster and were able to use the pass on the ones by the water park area as well, so one price and you can move your stuff around with you to the different sets of lockers. 

I went about 30 years previously with my parents and there was nothing but beach so it has really been built up a lot. It's nice because you can dock though so you don't have to worry about tenders. There are multiple places to eat around the space as well, no matter where you decide to settle.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> We are supposed to go on MSC in early 2022 so I think you will beat us  But we have booked and cancelled with them many times, usually cancelling because we decide not to cruise at that time. I believe they changed the rules for Canadians though so cancelling pays a fee. Since I only have to pay $49 to book us both (travel mate is my son who doesn't have to pay a deposit for some reason I chose not to investigate). They are more European and other lines, so there are some differences, including in the clientele on board. You will hear announcements in many languages. They are supposed to have amazing pizza and pasta.
> 
> As for Labadee, we really enjoyed it but I can understand why not everyone would. We did the roller coaster twice then spent an hour at the inflatables in the water, then swam at the regular beach, had bbq lunch and went over to the snorkeling area which was pretty quiet and we were able to see some neat stuff. Kiddo wants to try the zip-lining next time we go, I'd want to do the superman one but he says the other ones looks better so I guess we will see if he is old enough, tall enough and weighs enough to do it! There are many little areas around, and you can avoid the (very pushy) shops in the middle quite easily. I don't think we actually bought anything. We did rent a locker for while we were on the roller coaster and were able to use the pass on the ones by the water park area as well, so one price and you can move your stuff around with you to the different sets of lockers.
> 
> I went about 30 years previously with my parents and there was nothing but beach so it has really been built up a lot. It's nice because you can dock though so you don't have to worry about tenders. There are multiple places to eat around the space as well, no matter where you decide to settle.


Thank you!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Hey Carnival cruisers!  Looks like there may be a slight possibility of a Mediterranean season in 2022.  Carnival Pride is on the Gibraltar port schedule.


----------



## mevelandry

From Cruise Radio News:

Carnival Corps will sell 5 more cruise ships... Which means they will get rid of 18 ships instead of 13 ships.

https://cruiseradio.net/carnival-co...2-cGOci5nPDtz1BE_faFSYdJV4OMnSVySj8Y07u5nqVHI


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> From Cruise Radio News:
> 
> Carnival Corps will sell 5 more cruise ships... Which means they will get rid of 18 ships instead of 13 ships.
> 
> https://cruiseradio.net/carnival-co...2-cGOci5nPDtz1BE_faFSYdJV4OMnSVySj8Y07u5nqVHI



I was thinking "there goes the rest of the Fantasy class," but then I see it's across the entire company. So it may or may not be Carnival ships to begin with. Can't say I'm surprised though, I wonder which ones will go. Does anyone think any Princess ships will be scrapped? It seems like that "branch" was hit harder and has more future sailings cancelled than the others. I'm assuming due to the negative press at the start of the pandemic.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I was thinking "there goes the rest of the Fantasy class," but then I see it's across the entire company. So it may or may not be Carnival ships to begin with. Can't say I'm surprised though, I wonder which ones will go. Does anyone think any Princess ships will be scrapped? It seems like that "branch" was hit harder and has more future sailings cancelled than the others. I'm assuming due to the negative press at the start of the pandemic.



I think I saw a new "carnival class" table and the 4 Fantasy ships that were either in time out or sold where not part of it anymore. I haven't noticed another ship disappearing from the list but who knows.


----------



## mevelandry

DCL just Announced that are suspending all sailings until December 6th, 2020... How long until other cruise lines jump the bandwagon?


----------



## hdrolfe

I'm waiting, my PIF date is next week and I plan to call and ask for an extension at least. I have no doubt I'll not be going in December but am hoping for some perk for keeping the booking  Between the border being still closed (possibly until the new year) and cruises still being cancelled I know we won't be going 

I believe that the Fascination, Inspiration, Imagination and Fantasy are the only 4 from Carnival that will be gone. The rest are from their other brands from what I understand, including a few from Princess I believe. HAL as well and Costa I think?


----------



## mevelandry

OOF. More cancellations...

Source: John Heald on Facebook


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> OOF. More cancellations...
> View attachment 526218
> Source: John Heald on Facebook


 
Just saw that announcement. I feel bad for cruisers that are affected, but it kind of makes sense to just keep them out of commission if they were scheduled for a dry dock anyway. The absolute earliest they could sail would be November 1. There isn't much point in getting them all geared up to sail (in whatever capacity that may be), get crew back from all over the world, and sail them for a few weeks before taking them out again.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Just saw that announcement. I feel bad for cruisers that are affected, but it kind of makes sense to just keep them out of commission if they were scheduled for a dry dock anyway. The absolute earliest they could sail would be November 1. There isn't much point in getting them all geared up to sail (in whatever capacity that may be), get crew back from all over the world, and sail them for a few weeks before taking them out again.



Also, from what I understand, those ships are not ready to welcome guests based on the new criterias requested by the CDC so it's better to removed them from circulation until then. I have a feeling that the cruise ships are going to be much safer from now on.


----------



## mevelandry

By the way, we already knew it was coming (!) but the sale of Fascination has also been confirmed today.


----------



## hdrolfe

I wish they'd just cancel my Horizon cruise... I have 6 days to pay for it... just cancel already!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I wish they'd just cancel my Horizon cruise... I have 6 days to pay for it... just cancel already!



If you pay in full and they cancel themselves, you'll probably get something extra (cruise credit and/or OBC).


----------



## mevelandry

So... This is what Matt Mitcham is up to... (!)

https://cruiseradio.net/carnival-cr...1eqzCCxOQXMjhWngG0D-4ptjmJOXBNQOPzR7ZnNJvSS0A


----------



## hdrolfe

As my PIF dates was swiftly approaching, I called Carnival to see what my options were. I could cancel and lost my $100 deposit or move it and not lose anything, or pay any more fees, so I moved the 6-night to be with my 8-night and we'll have a back to back on the Horizon in April 2023... I swear, if things aren't cruising by then I will have bigger issues than my cruise not going. Phew, it's kind of a relief. She was even able to get the same cabin for me so we won't have to switch! Just realizing we'll be in Family Harbour and kiddo will be 13 I think. Oh well, I'm sure it will still be a good choice, the Lounge area with the breakfast and games and stuff should be fun. He'll be a teen. Man... seems like so far away yet I know it's really not.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> As my PIF dates was swiftly approaching, I called Carnival to see what my options were. I could cancel and lost my $100 deposit or move it and not lose anything, or pay any more fees, so I moved the 6-night to be with my 8-night and we'll have a back to back on the Horizon in April 2023... I swear, if things aren't cruising by then I will have bigger issues than my cruise not going. Phew, it's kind of a relief. She was even able to get the same cabin for me so we won't have to switch! Just realizing we'll be in Family Harbour and kiddo will be 13 I think. Oh well, I'm sure it will still be a good choice, the Lounge area with the breakfast and games and stuff should be fun. He'll be a teen. Man... seems like so far away yet I know it's really not.


You are gonna love that B2B itinerary, it’s really amazing. Are you in one of the cove balconies?  I want to try one so bad but family doesn’t want to be that low. I think it would be fantastic to be that close to the water.


----------



## hdrolfe

Club Disney Chandler said:


> You are gonna love that B2B itinerary, it’s really amazing. Are you in one of the cove balconies?  I want to try one so bad but family doesn’t want to be that low. I think it would be fantastic to be that close to the water.



We just have an inside but I will be watching prices and upgrades just in case. It's almost 600 days away so I have some time lol. I am excited though, Western followed by ABC. We'll have 6 sea days so I am really hoping we get to try everything. And have BBQ a few times, and maybe every try the steak house one day... I can't wait for a Guys burger and a Blue Iguana breakfast burrito.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> We just have an inside but I will be watching prices and upgrades just in case. It's almost 600 days away so I have some time lol. I am excited though, Western followed by ABC. We'll have 6 sea days so I am really hoping we get to try everything. And have BBQ a few times, and maybe every try the steak house one day... I can't wait for a Guys burger and a Blue Iguana breakfast burrito.


We always book insides too, on our last 3 Carnival cruises we were offered upgrades for a pretty decent price but only took advantage of it once. Of course that was the cruise we were supposed to go on last month that was cancelled.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We always book insides too, on our last 3 Carnival cruises we were offered upgrades for a pretty decent price but only took advantage of it once. Of course that was the cruise we were supposed to go on last month that was cancelled.


 
We do too if it's a "typical" Caribbean cruise, unless I get a good upgrade offer. We booked an Oceanview for our British Isles (the DCL price difference from oceanview to verandah was ridiculous) and a verandah for Alaska, but we're generally fine with an inside.


----------



## braysmommy

Club Disney Chandler said:


> You are gonna love that B2B itinerary, it’s really amazing. Are you in one of the cove balconies?  I want to try one so bad but family doesn’t want to be that low. I think it would be fantastic to be that close to the water.



We had a cove balcony, family harbor, on the Horizon right across from the lounge and asked to be moved due to constant noise above us. They were able to move us a few cabins down and it was much better!


----------



## hdrolfe

braysmommy said:


> We had a cove balcony, family harbor, on the Horizon right across from the lounge and asked to be moved due to constant noise above us. They were able to move us a few cabins down and it was much better!



I had heard the cove balcony's in family harbor could be noisy which is part of why I chose an inside. I am sad that I wasn't able to get an outside, I had one for this December and I understand they only have a couple so must be hard to come by (for family harbor). I will keep an eye out though, and we'll see if we decide to change from the family harbor later, my kiddo will be 13. I like the idea of being able to grab a snack or breakfast in the lounge. 

I had wanted a cove balcony, they look so interesting down so close to the water, I bet you can really see the flying fish and everything from there.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> I had heard the cove balcony's in family harbor could be noisy which is part of why I chose an inside. I am sad that I wasn't able to get an outside, I had one for this December and I understand they only have a couple so must be hard to come by (for family harbor). I will keep an eye out though, and we'll see if we decide to change from the family harbor later, my kiddo will be 13. I like the idea of being able to grab a snack or breakfast in the lounge.
> 
> I had wanted a cove balcony, they look so interesting down so close to the water, I bet you can really see the flying fish and everything from there.


Just an FYI because it’s really not known, on Vista class ships there is a smaller breakfast buffet served everyday in Ocean Plaza. Me wife and I eat there all the time because there so few people and they have great outdoor seating on the Promenade deck. We always get coffee and a light breakfast before the kids wake up and then we do the full breakfast a little later. They always have eggs, meat, potatoes, fruit, etc.  It’s really a peaceful breakfast compared to up on Lido.


----------



## hdrolfe

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Just an FYI because it’s really not known, on Vista class ships there is a smaller breakfast buffet served everyday in Ocean Plaza. Me wife and I eat there all the time because there so few people and they have great outdoor seating on the Promenade deck. We always get coffee and a light breakfast before the kids wake up and then we do the full breakfast a little later. They always have eggs, meat, potatoes, fruit, etc.  It’s really a peaceful breakfast compared to up on Lido.



Oh interesting... I did not know that! Thank you  I can handle fighting crowds for lunch, but at breakfast... just don't get between me and the bacon


----------



## belle032

I got an email from NCL this morning notifying me of updates to their travel protection program. It explictly states the plan will cover COVID-19 related cases, including medical expenses, trip interruption and additional expenses such as accommodations. I haven't looked into the cost of the program yet, we generally purchase trip insurance through a third party, but I found it interesting that the cruise line is willing to cover pandemic related costs. I keep hearing no insurance is covering any travel related COVID expenses, so this might be something to consider.

Our sailing isn't until September 2021 so I'm guessing this is showing they REALLY want you to sail when they are up and running again.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I got an email from NCL this morning notifying me of updates to their travel protection program. It explictly states the plan will cover COVID-19 related cases, including medical expenses, trip interruption and additional expenses such as accommodations. I haven't looked into the cost of the program yet, we generally purchase trip insurance through a third party, but I found it interesting that the cruise line is willing to cover pandemic related costs. I keep hearing no insurance is covering any travel related COVID expenses, so this might be something to consider.
> 
> Our sailing isn't until September 2021 so I'm guessing this is showing they REALLY want you to sail when they are up and running again.



I haven’t received anything ressembling this from MSC, RCCL or Carnival yet but yeah, I’d probably pay for that.


----------



## John VN

mevelandry said:


> I haven’t received anything ressembling this from MSC, RCCL or Carnival yet but yeah, I’d probably pay for that.



I thought that the MSC Grandiosa cruisers have the COVID 19 coverage NOW.

https://www.msccruises.com/en-gl/Assets/MSC_Cruises_S.A._Covid-19_Product_details_emm.pdf


----------



## mevelandry

John VN said:


> I thought that the MSC Grandiosa cruisers have the COVID 19 coverage NOW.
> 
> https://www.msccruises.com/en-gl/Assets/MSC_Cruises_S.A._Covid-19_Product_details_emm.pdf



Interesting, I’ll keepmy eyes opened.


----------



## mevelandry

Hello my friends! How are you doing? What is happening in your area? Do you think your next cruise will happen? 

Here, we are experiencing the 2nd wave of COVID-19. There is a press conference in 30 minutes and we are expecting our provincial government will announce that we are going straight back to lockdown (at least partially, essential workers only). I'm pretty bummed. I don't even know if our anniversary "staycation" week-end will happen (in 2 weeks from now)... 

Up until a week ago I was pretty confident that my April 2021 cruise would happen. Now, not so much.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

@mevelandry we have been staying pretty steady with about 1000 new cases everyday in Tennessee. Our stupid governor has told mayors to drop the mask mandates and they are doing just that. I fear we will be back to rising cases but no more restrictions.

My company has opened our office at 15% capacity on a voluntary basis. That is only about 30 people that can be there each day. I’m holding until the bitter end. I have no desire to go back.

We are leaving for a week at the beach in Florida on Saturday. That governor has opened everything 100%! Plus a cold front is coming and I am anticipating just spending a week in our condo not doing anything. I am so bummed because I really need some sunshine and relaxation.

After reading about the Royal redeployment in Europe I am less sure we will be cruising next summer.


----------



## John VN

trvlgirlmq said:


> My company has opened our office at 15% capacity on a voluntary basis. That is only about 30 people that can be there each day. I’m holding until the bitter end. I have no desire to go back.
> 
> We are leaving for a week at the beach in Florida on Saturday. That governor has opened everything 100%! *Plus a cold front is coming and I am anticipating just spending a week in our condo not doing anything. I am so bummed because I really need some sunshine and relaxation.*
> 
> After reading about the Royal redeployment in Europe I am less sure we will be cruising next summer.



*r.e. -bold >>> *You do understand that a *Florida COLD FRONT *is when the temperature drastically dips from 90'sF to low70'sF.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> @mevelandry we have been staying pretty steady with about 1000 new cases everyday in Tennessee. Our stupid governor has told mayors to drop the mask mandates and they are doing just that. I fear we will be back to rising cases but no more restrictions.
> 
> My company has opened our office at 15% capacity on a voluntary basis. That is only about 30 people that can be there each day. I’m holding until the bitter end. I have no desire to go back.
> 
> We are leaving for a week at the beach in Florida on Saturday. That governor has opened everything 100%! Plus a cold front is coming and I am anticipating just spending a week in our condo not doing anything. I am so bummed because I really need some sunshine and relaxation.
> 
> After reading about the Royal redeployment in Europe I am less sure we will be cruising next summer.



The number of inhabitants in Quebec is similar to Tennessee. Here, masks are mandatory in all public places except when you are seated 2 meters apart. At about 800 new cases per day, we are going into partial lockdown (bars, restaurants —except delivery and take out—, theaters, movie theaters, concert theaters, libraries, are closing...)starting wednesday at midnight in 3 regions including Montreal.

Glad you can work from home. It’s probably safer there anyway.

I hope we can all cruise next summer and travel without worries.


----------



## mevelandry

John VN said:


> *r.e. -bold >>> *You do understand that a *Florida COLD FRONT *is when the temperature drastically dips from 90'sF to low70'sF.



I remember swimming in a Walt Disney Pool at 56 degrees. But to my defense, I’m a pool maniac. LOL


----------



## trvlgirlmq

John VN said:


> *r.e. -bold >>> *You do understand that a *Florida COLD FRONT *is when the temperature drastically dips from 90'sF to low70'sF.


Well I prefer my beach temperatures to be in the 80’s because I am cold all the time. I can’t swim in really cold water anymore either. It’s just another clusterduck that is this crap year.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Hello my friends! How are you doing? What is happening in your area? Do you think your next cruise will happen?
> 
> Here, we are experiencing the 2nd wave of COVID-19. There is a press conference in 30 minutes and we are expecting our provincial government will announce that we are going straight back to lockdown (at least partially, essential workers only). I'm pretty bummed. I don't even know if our anniversary "staycation" week-end will happen (in 2 weeks from now)...
> 
> Up until a week ago I was pretty confident that my April 2021 cruise would happen. Now, not so much.



Super bummed this week. We were supposed to be in WDW for Halloween. And instead I'm sitting in my office while it pours rain outside. At this point I'm just crossing my fingers that we will be able to sail to Alaska next year. It's in September, so I have high hopes, and I feel like if we aren't sailing by then, we probably have bigger things to worry about. 

DH & I are trying to get to California for Christmas to see my family. We live in NY so we are kind of at the mercy of our state quarantine list, which changes every week. So we could literally get up to the week before we are supposed to fly, California gets put on our quarantine list, and we get screwed. Everything is just so uncertain right now.

But if we do get to Cali AND Disneyland is open, we are absolutely making a trip down. It's a lot of ifs, but I'll be super determined to get there, especially because we've never been. Fingers crossed!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> Super bummed this week. We were supposed to be in WDW for Halloween. And instead I'm sitting in my office while it pours rain outside. At this point I'm just crossing my fingers that we will be able to sail to Alaska next year. It's in September, so I have high hopes, and I feel like if we aren't sailing by then, we probably have bigger things to worry about.
> 
> DH & I are trying to get to California for Christmas to see my family. We live in NY so we are kind of at the mercy of our state quarantine list, which changes every week. So we could literally get up to the week before we are supposed to fly, California gets put on our quarantine list, and we get screwed. Everything is just so uncertain right now.
> 
> But if we do get to Cali AND Disneyland is open, we are absolutely making a trip down. It's a lot of ifs, but I'll be super determined to get there, especially because we've never been. Fingers crossed!


Good luck!  My dad is going to fly here to TN from Las Vegas and we hope the airlines are still keeping the middle seat open but with peak travel not sure.  He lives alone and doesn't go out much so hopefully we are all ok virus-wise.

I hope you make it to DL.  My niece has chosen that as her HS graduation trip!  She said it was her biggest dream to go to Disneyland (weird).  She has actually been but was under 2 so I guess it doesn't count.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Super bummed this week. We were supposed to be in WDW for Halloween. And instead I'm sitting in my office while it pours rain outside. At this point I'm just crossing my fingers that we will be able to sail to Alaska next year. It's in September, so I have high hopes, and I feel like if we aren't sailing by then, we probably have bigger things to worry about.
> 
> DH & I are trying to get to California for Christmas to see my family. We live in NY so we are kind of at the mercy of our state quarantine list, which changes every week. So we could literally get up to the week before we are supposed to fly, California gets put on our quarantine list, and we get screwed. Everything is just so uncertain right now.
> 
> But if we do get to Cali AND Disneyland is open, we are absolutely making a trip down. It's a lot of ifs, but I'll be super determined to get there, especially because we've never been. Fingers crossed!



I hope you will be able to do your Christmas trip.

p.s.: Just heard Disney laid off 28,000 employees. Never thought I’d see that happen.


----------



## tinkerone

Just two hours prior to the expiration of the no-sail order that expired on September 30, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the no-sail order for the U.S. cruise industry has been extended through October 31, 2020. 

https://dclfan.com/latest/cdc-exten...PA8z0AFVTcrf4X08e2V8LVC6HmCYefdM7KPUJIz06DeQk


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Carnival just cancelled everything for November and December except from PC and Miami, those are still on “for now”


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Carnival just cancelled everything for November and December except from PC and Miami, those are still on “for now”
> View attachment 529210



I don't want to be a Debbie Downer but I'm 99.99999% convinced that the PC and Miami cruises will be cancelled as well.


----------



## hdrolfe

And I guess I would have gotten a better "deal" if I had waited to cancel my Horizon Dec cruise... but I'm still ok with it. I didn't want to have to PIF and they didn't seem receptive to moving that date. 

I am hopeful that sailings will resume before the end of the year, if only so we can all see how it goes (I have no intention of going myself, but that's also because Canada still has the 2 week isolation upon return and the border isn't open yet).


----------



## belle032

I'm not surprised, but I am glad to see they are holding out a few sailings just in case. Obviously, ships will eventually sail, and no matter what, those first trips are going to be extremely important tests with the guests essentially being lab rats (do not mean that in a negative way!). Will sailing in December of 2020 really be that different than February or March 2021? We most likely won't have a widespread vaccine or herd immunity by then,  so if given the opportunity, would it be better to start sailing ASAP to try to get any new protocols established?


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I'm not surprised, but I am glad to see they are holding out a few sailings just in case. Obviously, ships will eventually sail, and no matter what, those first trips are going to be extremely important tests with the guests essentially being lab rats (do not mean that in a negative way!). Will sailing in December of 2020 really be that different than February or March 2021? We most likely won't have a widespread vaccine or herd immunity by then,  so if given the opportunity, would it be better to start sailing ASAP to try to get any new protocols established?



Passengers could be part of a study.


----------



## mevelandry

I woke up to "the news" (!) this morning. Expecting this to be a major game changer that could affect pretty much everything one way or another. 

Thinking about all of you, neighbours.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> I woke up to "the news" (!) this morning. Expecting this to be a major game changer that could affect pretty much everything one way or another.
> 
> Thinking about all of you, neighbours.



Not going to get political, but all I can say is "how ironic." Ugh I would get out of here and cruise for the rest of 2020 if I could.


----------



## AquaDame

mevelandry said:


> I woke up to "the news" (!) this morning. Expecting this to be a major game changer that could affect pretty much everything one way or another.
> 
> Thinking about all of you, neighbours.



Either it will mean everything or it will mean absolutely nothing... who can tell anymore? #2020.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Ugh I would get out of here and cruise for the rest of 2020 if I could.



Oh yeah. I love cruise ports but give me sea days for 3 whole months!!!


----------



## tinkerone

mevelandry said:


> Oh yeah. I love cruise ports but give me sea days for 3 whole months!!!


Yes Yes and YES!


----------



## mevelandry

Carnival has announced some of the safety measures that will be implemented when they start sailing again from the US:





Thoughts?


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Carnival has announced some of the safety measures that will be implemented when they start sailing again from the US:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thoughts?



Definitely makes me hopeful but I’d like some more details! Where and when are face masks required, what’s the protocol for testing and temperature checks, what happens if someone were to get sick, etc.

And I see it mentioned cruise line only excursions, which I wondered if they would go that route. I don’t disagree with that, but it might affect what we do at port. I would hope that any excursion financially helps out the island/port in some way though. Although who knows what ports will actually be open in the beginning. I wouldn’t be surprised at a private island only itinerary.

I do appreciate these small updates though. I feel like CCL is the only one really providing them. Haven’t really seen anything from DCL or anyone else.


----------



## disneygeek401

belle032 said:


> Definitely makes me hopeful but I’d like some more details! Where and when are face masks required, what’s the protocol for testing and temperature checks, what happens if someone were to get sick, etc.
> 
> And I see it mentioned cruise line only excursions, which I wondered if they would go that route. I don’t disagree with that, but it might affect what we do at port. I would hope that any excursion financially helps out the island/port in some way though. Although who knows what ports will actually be open in the beginning. I wouldn’t be surprised at a private island only itinerary.
> 
> I do appreciate these small updates though. I feel like CCL is the only one really providing them. Haven’t really seen anything from DCL or anyone else.



Yeah, its definitely nice to see at least a small update from CCL, wish DCL would do more they did not have a "pandemic plan" on the shelf to throw out there in mid march when the world changed, but really wish there was more stuff from DCL during these times.

To me, that whole video just seemed like fluff. It basically said we are looking forward to having you back on board, safety is our priority, and here are protcols you can expect onboard, which is essentially CLIA's protocols put into video form by Carnival. Anyone who follows this industry closely knows what CLIA will do when the ships resume they already publicly made that announcement.

But, as mentioned before, nice to have a little check in type video


----------



## mevelandry

disneygeek401 said:


> Yeah, its definitely nice to see at least a small update from CCL, wish DCL would do more they did not have a "pandemic plan" on the shelf to throw out there in mid march when the world changed, but really wish there was more stuff from DCL during these times.
> 
> *To me, that whole video just seemed like fluff. It basically said we are looking forward to having you back on board, safety is our priority, and here are protcols you can expect onboard, which is essentially CLIA's protocols put into video form by Carnival. Anyone who follows this industry closely knows what CLIA will do when the ships resume they already publicly made that announcement.*
> 
> But, as mentioned before, nice to have a little check in type video



I'm afraid I haven't heard of this. Can you provide any details?


----------



## disneygeek401

mevelandry said:


> I'm afraid I haven't heard of this. Can you provide any details?



A few weeks ago CLIA put this out. 

https://cruising.org/en/news-and-re...e-mandatory-core-elements-of-health-protocols
https://disneycruiselineblog.com/20...h-protocols-on-behalf-of-member-cruise-lines/
The protocols the Carnival vid mentioned are also seem to be in line with the Healthy Sail Panel that was put together, and they would be likely in line with what the CDC guidelines would be.


----------



## belle032

Not completely cruise related, but just got an email from Southwest and they are starting service to Miami on 11/15. Good news for people sailing out of Miami if they fly Southwest. You now have another option besides just FLL and transporting.


----------



## hdrolfe

Carnival Celebration is bookable now, starting Nov 2022 I believe. Looks really nice, as does Mardi Gras. Fingers crossed it will be ready on time. I really want to go on either ship, but will probably wait a bit since I have early 2022 and 2023 already booked. And want to fit Disney/Universal in there somewhere... and not go into debt


----------



## mevelandry

We’ve recently watched a Carnival Magic video (from Cruise Radio). We fell in love. It reminds me of the Vista. I hope our September 2021 will happen. I’d love to experience that ship.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> We’ve recently watched a Carnival Magic video (from Cruise Radio). We fell in love. It reminds me of the Vista. I hope our September 2021 will happen. I’d love to experience that ship.



We really liked the Magic. We have one booked on Horizon for 2023 (well 2 really, back to back). Booked as far out as possible so hopefully things will be ok by then. I am sure Sept 2021 will happen, though who knows what restrictions might be in place then. Hopefully ones that still allow for a fun trip and a vacation.


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## belle032

mevelandry said:


> We’ve recently watched a Carnival Magic video (from Cruise Radio). We fell in love. It reminds me of the Vista. I hope our September 2021 will happen. I’d love to experience that ship.



We got married on the Magic in 2017, so I'm a little partial  But I really do think she's one of the most subdued and prettiest ships in terms of the atrium and public rooms. Hope to sail on her again in the future!


----------



## mevelandry

Bad news: Carnival has just announced that PC And Miami cruises were cancelled until the end of November.


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## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> We really liked the Magic. We have one booked on Horizon for 2023 (well 2 really, back to back). Booked as far out as possible so hopefully things will be ok by then. I am sure Sept 2021 will happen, though who knows what restrictions might be in place then. Hopefully ones that still allow for a fun trip and a vacation.



I can’t wait to experience the Magic. I’m so used to wear masks and respect all the other measures that I don’t mind having to do them (even if we get the vaccine in between). I wouldn’t be surprised to see some long term changes happening in the cruise world, which will make cruising safer than it ever was.

We have also booked the Horizon for 2022. 8 nights which would be our longest cruise ever. I always thought 6 days were the perfect amount but we‘ll see if we get hooked.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> We got married on the Magic in 2017, so I'm a little partial  But I really do think she's one of the most subdued and prettiest ships in terms of the atrium and public rooms. Hope to sail on her again in the future!



It really looks special and has a layout that I loved on Vista (with all the exterior areas on Deck 5)


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## lklgoodman

belle032 said:


> Not completely cruise related, but just got an email from Southwest and they are starting service to Miami on 11/15. Good news for people sailing out of Miami if they fly Southwest. You now have another option besides just FLL and transporting.



Thanks for posting this.  Our next cruise is out of Miami.  We always fly on SW, so if we can go on our cruise flying on SW to Miami will be great.  I get emails from SW, but have been deleting them without looking at them, guess I should start looking at them.


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## mevelandry

Good morning group!

Side note: While I haven't cruised with MSC yet, I have to admit... Their customer service (by phone) is extremely efficient. Probably the best I have received so far.

Their current Happy Thanks Thanksgiving Canada promo lowered the price of our April 2021 cruise big time: 

-484$ for 2 in an inside cabin!

By comparison:

-Carnival is 755$ for 2 in an inside cabin.

-There are no 3 nights departing from Miami for that week-end on DCL so I priced the one departing from PC and DCL is... Wait for it... 2664$!!!  

(As my husband said, we could do 3 to 5 cruises for that amount).


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## Club Disney Chandler

Woo Hoo!  I might try to go early December 
https://www.travelmarketreport.com/...xGt4ZMbt4OsYaKrK7QNzph4#.X5xn0GNZKNq.facebook


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## hdrolfe

Carnival cancelled the few remaining cruises for the year  I believe they are hoping to get their plans in place for January. I think RCL is the same... fingers crossed there will be cruises next year!!


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## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> Carnival cancelled the few remaining cruises for the year  I believe they are hoping to get their plans in place for January. I think RCL is the same... fingers crossed there will be cruises next year!!



I think every major cruise line has done this too. I first saw NCL, then CCL followed. I had my fingers crossed they were going to keep those few December sailings, but nope. I'm hoping the new year will bring some "test" sailings so we can get a better idea of how cruising will look for the near future.


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## trvlgirlmq

Just checking in with my Carnival peeps!  I was playing around on port calendars and found Pride scheduled at a couple more European ports for 2022.  We talked it over with DS and all decided to push his graduation trip back a year to 2022.  None of us is comfortable getting on a plane or ship even next summer (assuming UK/Europe lets us in without quarantine).  I don't know what Carnival will do about the Europe cruises for 2021 but we plan to book for 2022 and if they haven't cancelled prior to the final payment then we'll take the hit with the ES fee and move the funds.


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## mevelandry

Hi guys, also wanted to check how you were doing. I’m also following the elections saga (from Canada) and I’m thinking of you all. I hope you are doing great despite all the stress. 

What a time to be alive!


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## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Just checking in with my Carnival peeps!  I was playing around on port calendars and found Pride scheduled at a couple more European ports for 2022.  We talked it over with DS and all decided to push his graduation trip back a year to 2022.  None of us is comfortable getting on a plane or ship even next summer (assuming UK/Europe lets us in without quarantine).  I don't know what Carnival will do about the Europe cruises for 2021 but we plan to book for 2022 and if they haven't cancelled prior to the final payment then we'll take the hit with the ES fee and move the funds.



We are starting to talk about Europe in 2022 or 2023 (if everything goes well). What is your itinerary?


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## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> We are starting to talk about Europe in 2022 or 2023 (if everything goes well). What is your itinerary?


DS is set on British Isles with time in London. He has even said he doesn’t care what cruise line we go on that the destination is more important! I tried for years to get everyone to try another line but they were all stuck on Carnival. Now it’s meh


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## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> DS is set on British Isles with time in London. He has even said he doesn’t care what cruise line we go on that the destination is more important! I tried for years to get everyone to try another line but they were all stuck on Carnival. Now it’s meh



We loved our British Isles cruise on DCL last year BUT I will say I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed it just as much on another cruise line. So I see where your son is coming from! It's such a jam-packed port-intensive itinerary that the ship seems like more of a mode of transportation. In the Caribbean it seems like a much more important part of the vacation.

However, I will also say we did experience some little bouts of boredom during our sea days on DCL. It's too cold to sit by the pool and the small hot tubs were always packed to capacity, there's no casino (which I don't care about, but DH missed), no beverage package so sitting in a lounge with a coffee or drink seemed a little harder on the wallet (again, I know not for everyone), and it seemed like the daily activities were overwhelmingly trivia and bingo. And bingo is expensive! The ship seemed to be geared towards an older crowd as well, but that's to be expected a bit I think.

Once we build up our vacation time a bit, we are defintely looking at one of those longer CCL Journey sailings to Iceland and other parts of the British Isles/Northern Europe. NCL also has some intriguing European/Med itineraries, but I haven't really looked into RCL. Might be worth checking all options for this sailing! You'll have a wonderful time regardless!


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## mevelandry

Good morning guys!

I don't know about you but all these news about vaccines make me fairly confident that our short Easter week-end cruise is going to happen. 

To celebrate, we have decided to take advantage of the low price offered by MSC to upgrade to a balcony cabin (with conversion, a total of 670$ USD for 2 adults) which I believe is --by far-- the lowest price we've ever had for a balcony cabin.

Now... *Fingers crossed*


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## bcwife76

mevelandry said:


> Good morning guys!
> 
> I don't know about you but all these news about vaccines make me fairly confident that our short Easter week-end cruise is going to happen.
> 
> To celebrate, we have decided to take advantage of the low price offered by MSC to upgrade to a balcony cabin (with conversion, a total of 670$ USD for 2 adults) which I believe is --by far-- the lowest price we've ever had for a balcony cabin.
> 
> Now... *Fingers crossed*


I'd really like to rebook the Mardi Gras for April but I doubt the CDN govt is removing the quarantine act until much further into 2021 and alas, we cannot do the quarantine (I can, my husband can't)....


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## mevelandry

bcwife76 said:


> I'd really like to rebook the Mardi Gras for April but I doubt the CDN govt is removing the quarantine act until much further into 2021 and alas, we cannot do the quarantine (I can, my husband can't)....



The Alberta Program that they are currently trying makes me hopeful that the quarantine time will be much shorter soon. Especially with all the rapid tests that they have ordered and that we will receive in the next few weeks.


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## bcwife76

mevelandry said:


> The Alberta Program that they are currently trying makes me hopeful that the quarantine time will be much shorter soon. Especially with all the rapid tests that they have ordered and that we will receive in the next few weeks.


Yes it's good news for Alberta and I see Rob Ford is pushing for it for Ontario as well. However, I'm in BC and they are very against international travel starting up anytime soon so I don't see our premier pushing for this at all  I think we are going to be stuck in BC for spring break and easter break and unless you ski (we don't) we don't have many options for travel in BC or Canada during winter.


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## mevelandry

Good morning, 

Anyone affected by the new cancellations? (January to March for certain sailings).

I haven’t heard from MSC yet but this is getting dangerously close to my April sailing.

How is everyone holding up so far?


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## hdrolfe

I am glad I don't have anything booked for next year (yet). My next is MSC in late Jan 2022. Hopefully by then these miracle vaccines will be in distribution and we'll be able to get them. Now if I can still work from home after that I will be very happy  I am really liking not having a commute, especially with winter on it's way! Plus it's letting kiddo be home schooled, which he is thriving with, and that allows vacation whenever we want instead of on the school board's schedule. 

I dream of cruising though. Can't wait to not have to cook and clean, and feel the warm breezes... pools and beaches, deck parties, fun excursions. I am glad we have photos of previous trips to look at and remember the fun times. Kiddo will be 12 on the next cruise, I think he will finally not have to wear a bracelet with his muster station on it, and be up a level in kids clubs.


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## Club Disney Chandler

Ours are booked for June 2021, I’m going to be so mad if they get canceled. This is the first year since 2004 that we can’t go to Disneyland, World or a Disney Cruise. We’ve decided to drive to Disneyland the weekend before Christmas to shop at Downtown Disney and California Adventure. They just opened up DCA for shopping and a few restaurants, gotta get our Disney fix somehow. Hopefully we can get our cruise fix on in June, still haven’t decided if it will be on Carnival Mardi Gras in the Caribbean or Disney Magic in the Mediterranean, can’t lose either way.


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## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Ours are booked for June 2021, I’m going to be so mad if they get canceled. This is the first year since 2004 that we can’t go to Disneyland, World or a Disney Cruise. We’ve decided to drive to Disneyland the weekend before Christmas to shop at Downtown Disney and California Adventure. They just opened up DCA for shopping and a few restaurants, gotta get our Disney fix somehow. Hopefully we can get our cruise fix on in June, still haven’t decided if it will be on Carnival Mardi Gras in the Caribbean or Disney Magic in the Mediterranean, can’t lose either way.



Let’s just say that now that some cruise lines cancelled sailings up until March 31, 2020, I’m more confident in your June sailing than my own April 2 sailing.

Wow, I’d hate to have to pick between Mardi Gras in the Caribbean and Magic in Mediterranean... What are the ports on both?


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## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Let’s just say that now that some cruise lines cancelled sailings up until March 31, 2020, I’m more confident in your June sailing than my own April 2 sailing.
> 
> Wow, I’d hate to have to pick between Mardi Gras in the Caribbean and Magic in Mediterranean... What are the ports on both?


Magic is out of Rome, with a couple ports in Italy and 3 Greek Isles stops, 8 day cruise. Mardi Gras is a B2B with stops in Cozumel, Costa Maya, Roatan, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and maybe Grand Cayman????
We’ve been to the Italy ports before but not Greece and have been to all Caribbean islands except Puerto Rico and Costa Maya. The B2B is cheaper in 2 extended length balcony cabins than the Magic in 2 interior cabins and since Mardi Gras is brand new we’re super excited to try her.
 I’m definitely leaning towards Mardi Gras. We have air credits to Orlando from our Disney Fantasy cruise that was cancelled this year so that’s a wash too. We can use the credits toward a flight to Rome but will still have to pay about $600/person more, (me, wife and 2 college age kids).
Based on what I’ve recently read on another thread I’m starting to wonder if the Magic will even cruise Europe next summer so I may not even have to make the decision


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## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Ours are booked for June 2021, I’m going to be so mad if they get canceled. This is the first year since 2004 that we can’t go to Disneyland, World or a Disney Cruise. We’ve decided to drive to Disneyland the weekend before Christmas to shop at Downtown Disney and California Adventure. They just opened up DCA for shopping and a few restaurants, gotta get our Disney fix somehow. Hopefully we can get our cruise fix on in June, still haven’t decided if it will be on Carnival Mardi Gras in the Caribbean or Disney Magic in the Mediterranean, can’t lose either way.



We are *supposed* to be traveling to San Diego for Christmas and of course, Disneyland isn't open. I was so hopeful after WDW started opening that DL would follow, but doesn't look like it. Would have been our first time! DH & I will drive down to see Downtown Disney & whatever parts of DCA we can, but it'll be so frustrating to be standing outside the gates of Disneyland and unable to get in!

All the vaccine news keeps me hopeful that our our Alaska cruise will sail next September, but honestly who knows at this point. I'm truly hoping CCL (and other lines) will tentatively start back up in February, even if it's just for test runs. I do think they need the chance to figure out what their next steps can realistically be.


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## trvlgirlmq

I don't think the EU/UK will want Americans until enough people have been vaccinated.  I don't think that will happen by June/July.  Maybe Fall at the earliest.  I'm  waiting for all the Europe 2022 releases to decide what to do for DS's belated grad trip.


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## mevelandry

So, we had this cruise planned for Easter week-end and suddenly our transporter moved our reservation to another day which put our cruise project in jeopardy. They offered to cancel our reservation and give us a credit so we did that. But now if we choose to go, we have to go with another airline. 

However, this week in the news, they started saying that the vaccines might not be distributed until later in the year in Canada... Which means the mandatory quarantine might still be a thing and at that time of the year, we won't have much vacation days left. 

So I might have to push that one back as well


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## trvlgirlmq

Yeah, we are basically chalking 2020/21 as the no vacation years.  Reminds me of when I was too poor to actually take a vacation.  Of course now I know what I am missing.


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## mevelandry

1) We have learned more encouraging news yesterday (about vaccine distribution) so we decided to take a chance and rebooked a new flight. Yep, still living in the denial den. *fingers crossed*

2) Happy (belated) thanksgiving to all my neighbours from the south. I hope you and your families are safe and healthy.  

3) Does anyone know if Carnival is doing a black friday deal today? I think in the past years they used to give 10% off excursions or something?


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## hdrolfe

My cruises are so far out they don't even list excursions yet! Though maybe by next year there will be a discount again.

And yes, there was last year.


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## hdrolfe

I logged in to check my MSC cruise for 2022, wondered if there would be excursions showing yet or any discounts. Got very confused, the ports have changed, dates are off by one and my cabin is now guaranteed. Then noticed they changed ships! I didn't even get an email from them. When they did this for my Dec 2020 cruise they at least sent me an email and upgraded my cabin. This time, nothing, not even the ability to choose my cabin. I'd better get something from them. It's gone from 14 nights all western ports to 14 nights West/East combo. More sea days, and we're losing Costa Maya which kiddo was super excited for. This all assuming by 2022 things will be going normally of course. Not even sure what to do now. I guess I'll see what they have to say.


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## trvlgirlmq

Well, I have started the process to cancel our 2021 BI cruise. I cancelled the flat in London and hotel in Dover. I am going to hold off on the excursions until I see what our replacement cruise will be. Hoping if we are at some of the same ports the tour companies will just move our reservation instead of having to refund us.

We gave the graduates 3 options as a replacement trip for next summer and they chose WDW! I am shocked. I thought they wanted the beach. We have to stay offsite in order to afford something with a kitchen and laundry so that will be so different along with all the park changes. Guess I better get cracking on learning all the stuff.


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## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Well, I have started the process to cancel our 2021 BI cruise. I cancelled the flat in London and hotel in Dover. I am going to hold off on the excursions until I see what our replacement cruise will be. Hoping if we are at some of the same ports the tour companies will just move our reservation instead of having to refund us.
> 
> We gave the graduates 3 options as a replacement trip for next summer and they chose WDW! I am shocked. I thought they wanted the beach. We have to stay offsite in order to afford something with a kitchen and laundry so that will be so different along with all the park changes. Guess I better get cracking on learning all the stuff.



I don’t know if it’s true but I heard the Disney Hotels rates are the lower they have ever been? (Haven’t checked) The villas have kitchenettes (not sure about laundry).

A friend of mine has stayed at the Westgate Lakes and Spa Resort and had a great experience and the prices were just ridiculusly low compared to Disney.


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## trvlgirlmq

Well we love staying onsite but we offered to pay for the accommodation for all 7 of us. We invited my son’s GF mother and brother (none have ever been to Disney). She is a single mom who works 2 jobs and her ex is always behind on child support. Also offered to pay for all groceries for meals when not in the parks. We will all be together and we get to show them our Disney love (at least they won’t know the difference with all the changes)! At this point I am not even looking for the perfect trip just the thought of getting away is enough.


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## belle032

Just got an CCL email for a "free" beverage package on cruises between April-December 2021. I was super excited, but I briefly compared a sailing in the Cyber Sale promo vs. the Beverage package promo and I'm not sure if there's even a difference at all:

Beverage Package Promo: 6 Night Eastern Caribbean on the Freedom, 10/31/21, Oceanview: $729 pp
Current Cyber Sale Promo: Exact same sailing: $429 pp

Beverage package for 2 on a 6 night sailing: about $750 with gratuities

I'm going to assume the BP promo doesn't include the gratuities you pay along with it (could be wrong), but looks like I'd be paying about the same cost no matter the promo.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Another round of cancellations posted.  All the cruises they still had through end of February and Mardi Gras inaugural pushed back again.

I really think that passenger cruising won't be back until the vaccine is largely available to the public.  I think the CDC is saying by May or June the general population will have access.


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## hdrolfe

I am considering something for next year Oct/Nov/Dec. According to the Prime Minister here people should be vaccinated by September - whether that is everyone who wants it or not I don't know, but we have a much smaller population than the US. I'm hoping that would mean we can travel then. Because oh I want a trip.... But whether it's a cruise or a Disney trip, that remains to be seen at this point! I wonder because I have the MSC for end of Jan 2022, so I could wait. Just not sure I want to wait


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## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I am considering something for next year Oct/Nov/Dec. According to the Prime Minister here people should be vaccinated by September - whether that is everyone who wants it or not I don't know, but we have a much smaller population than the US. I'm hoping that would mean we can travel then. Because oh I want a trip.... But whether it's a cruise or a Disney trip, that remains to be seen at this point! I wonder because I have the MSC for end of Jan 2022, so I could wait. Just not sure I want to wait



Can you see your family for Christmas? Because in Quebec, PM Legault just slapped us with a "no visitors for Christmas" rule, less than two weeks after saying we would be allowed to be 10 people or less for 1 to 2 parties between December 24th and 27th. All of us are going nuts with this lockdown... 

If you see someone bawling (of joy) on a cruiseship in 2021, it will probably be me. 

I'm 100% certain our April cruise will be cancelled now.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Can you see your family for Christmas? Because in Quebec, PM Legault just slapped us with a "no visitors for Christmas" rule, less than two weeks after saying we would be allowed to be 10 people or less for 1 to 2 parties between December 24th and 27th. All of us are going nuts with this lockdown...
> 
> If you see someone bawling (of joy) on a cruiseship in 2021, it will probably be me.
> 
> I'm 100% certain our April cruise will be cancelled now.



Ontario said no to Christmas get togethers a few weeks ago. I expected that and have been prepping my son for it. My parents dropped off all our gifts today, my sister lives closer and we'll exchange gifts on one door step or another closer to the day. My son's birthday is next week as well, and no party this year. I will try and make it special any way.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Ontario said no to Christmas get togethers a few weeks ago. I expected that and have been prepping my son for it. My parents dropped off all our gifts today, my sister lives closer and we'll exchange gifts on one door step or another closer to the day. My son's birthday is next week as well, and no party this year. I will try and make it special any way.



Well, at least your PM didn’t give you false hope like ours.


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## mevelandry

Well, they just announced that Canada will authorize the vaccine this week and start to vaccinate people (slowly) next week... 

This makes me a tiny little bit more confident that my April cruise could, maybe (we‘ll see) happen. 

This also means that cruises will most likely be reauthorized in Canada next summer.

This is all very encouraging.


----------



## bcwife76

mevelandry said:


> Well, they just announced that Canada will authorize the vaccine this week and start to vaccinate people (slowly) next week...
> 
> This makes me a tiny little bit more confident that my April cruise could, maybe (we‘ll see) happen.
> 
> This also means that cruises will most likely be reauthorized in Canada next summer.
> 
> This is all very encouraging.


I'm really not trying to be a downer but let's not jump the gun so fast. Health Canada *should* approve it this week, and we are expecting that if that happens, the first doses will arrive next week. But only 250,000 which is only enough for 125,000 people. Then "up to" another 4 million (again, enough for 2 million) in the first 3 or 4 months of 2021. I don't know what other provinces are saying, but here in BC we are being told that *most* people should be vaccinated (if they want to be) by September. And BC is VERY against international travel right now. Yes I know the border is federal but Trudeau has also said he doesn't see our border opening to anyone for several more months. Right now I'd say we have less than a 50/50 chance of Transport Canada approving cruises for 2021. We've already cancelled our March 2021 cruise and plan to move our August 2021 Europe cruise to 2022. At this point we'll be happy if we can just travel outside of BC somewhere within Canada by August.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Well, they just announced that Canada will authorize the vaccine this week and start to vaccinate people (slowly) next week...
> 
> This makes me a tiny little bit more confident that my April cruise could, maybe (we‘ll see) happen.
> 
> This also means that cruises will most likely be reauthorized in Canada next summer.
> 
> This is all very encouraging.



My understanding is that the vaccinations will be quite limited until at least April, with elderly and people working with them first. Then moving down in age. While they (federal and most provinces are in agreement) are saying by September everyone who wants to be, should be able to get vaccinated, I don't think that will be any earlier. As for cruising, if it's in the US, we'll see what happens there over the next few months. I am not sure about the Canadian cruise season, I am doubtful. 

I am hoping for Oct/Nov travel, fingers crossed.


----------



## mevelandry

And... My bermuda cruise on Carnival Magic in September 2021 just got cancelled because of shipyard delay.

**Check your emails if you had plans in 2021 as it's not the only one cancelled**

Thank you very much, COVID-19.

All our plans were made. Hotel and plane tickets booked, etc.

This sucks so bad. My MIL and FIL are going to be devastated.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> And... My bermuda cruise on Canrival Magic in September 2021 just got cancelled because of shipyard delay.
> 
> **Check your emails if you had plans in 2021 as it's not the only one cancelled**
> 
> Thank you very much, COVID-19.
> 
> All our plans were made. Hotel and plane tickets booked, etc.
> 
> This sucks so bad. My MIL and FIL are going to be devastated.



Just saw the news. So sorry, what a let down! And so much wasted time and effort into booking in the first place. Anyway you can rebook for another sailing during the same time? I know Bermuda might be a little trickier. Hope you can work something out!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Just saw the news. So sorry, what a let down! And so much wasted time and effort into booking in the first place. Anyway you can rebook for another sailing during the same time? I know Bermuda might be a little trickier. Hope you can work something out!



I will look into it but it's the second time our Bermuda cruise is cancelled. NCL did cancel first, and now Carnival. 

Since I had already prepaid my cruise and the OBC offered with the credit is interesting, I am not sure what I'll do. 

Maybe Royal. We'll see. Could turn into a NYC trip only.


----------



## mevelandry

bcwife76 said:


> I'm really not trying to be a downer but let's not jump the gun so fast. Health Canada *should* approve it this week, and we are expecting that if that happens, the first doses will arrive next week. But only 250,000 which is only enough for 125,000 people. Then "up to" another 4 million (again, enough for 2 million) in the first 3 or 4 months of 2021. I don't know what other provinces are saying, but here in BC we are being told that *most* people should be vaccinated (if they want to be) by September. And BC is VERY against international travel right now. Yes I know the border is federal but Trudeau has also said he doesn't see our border opening to anyone for several more months. Right now I'd say we have less than a 50/50 chance of Transport Canada approving cruises for 2021. We've already cancelled our March 2021 cruise and plan to move our August 2021 Europe cruise to 2022. At this point we'll be happy if we can just travel outside of BC somewhere within Canada by August.



Canada approved it this morning. *fingers crossed*


----------



## bcwife76

mevelandry said:


> Canada approved it this morning. *fingers crossed*


First doses should arrive here next week. BC is releasing it's vaccine plans/roll out schedule  this afternoon. Apparently 4000 people are getting them next week, though I have no idea who these 4000 people are   Hopefully we will find out everything we need to know in about an hour at the news conference.


----------



## mevelandry

bcwife76 said:


> First doses should arrive here next week. BC is releasing it's vaccine plans/roll out schedule  this afternoon. Apparently 4000 people are getting them next week, though I have no idea who these 4000 people are   Hopefully we will find out everything we need to know in about an hour at the news conference.



If it‘s like us in Quebec, it’s people in hospitals and nursing homes for the elderly.


----------



## bcwife76

mevelandry said:


> If it‘s like us in Quebec, it’s people in hospitals and nursing homes for the elderly.


So next week it's 4000 doses for front line healthcare workers in Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health regions. ER staff, Covid ward staff, staff from LTC homes. By early January that will be expanded to 9 areas around the province for more front line staff, those who live in LTC homes, those over the age of 80. By the end of March they think almost 400,000 BC residents will be vaccinated. That is 8% of the population.  They say by the end of August/early September anyone who wants one should have already had access as we get more vaccines, more injection sites, more people eligible. Our PHO says our 'summer should be a fairly normal one.' Guess we will wait and see. I still think the Alaska cruising season is toast and I'm 95% sure we will be pushing our Europe cruise (again) to 2022.


----------



## mevelandry

Update: Since the Magic sailing was cancelled and no way to replace our Bermuda cruise without spending billions on another cruise line (LOL), we decided to change itineraries instead. We’ll do a separate trip to NYC. We’ve replaced the cruise with a Carnival Sunrise cruise departing from Miami, with stops to Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk. My husband and I have done that itinerary before but at this point, I don’t care... I just want to be on a cruise.

For 100$ less pp than the Bermuda cruise, we got from inside cabin to verandahs.


----------



## John VN

mevelandry said:


> Update: Since the Magic sailing was cancelled and no way to replace our Bermuda cruise without spending billions on another cruise line (LOL), we decided to change itineraries instead. We’ll do a separate trip to NYC. We’ve replaced the cruise with a Carnival Sunrise cruise departing from Miami, with stops to Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk. My husband and I have done that itinerary before but at this point, I don’t care... I just want to be on a cruise.
> 
> For 100$ less pp than the Bermuda cruise, we got from inside cabin to verandahs.



Just a FYI, I just booked a 4 Day on MSC Davina (Oct. 2021 out of PC) instead of RCL Mariner (forfeiting a $200.00 Credit on RCL from a canceled Mariner) because MSC was less $$$$.


----------



## mevelandry

John VN said:


> Just a FYI, I just booked a 4 Day on MSC Davina (Oct. 2021 out of PC) instead of RCL Mariner (forfeiting a $200.00 Credit on RCL from a canceled Mariner) because MSC was less $$$$.



I know!!!  MSC have great prices right now! 

I have one booked for April (God knows if it will happen) and the prices were so low!!! Will not hesitate to book again if it gets cancelled.


----------



## jane01jp

I've cruised DCL 21 times and Carnival twice. On the second Carnival cruise, we witnessed an obscenely drunk woman haranguing another passenger over a deck chair, cursing loudly in the process. The drunk woman's husband gave her an approving "whoooo" and ordered her another drink, as her children looked on.

I haven't seen anything quite like that on Disney.


----------



## AquaDame

jane01jp said:


> I've cruised DCL 21 times and Carnival twice. On the second Carnival cruise, we witnessed an obscenely drunk woman haranguing another passenger over a deck chair, cursing loudly in the process. The drunk woman's husband gave her an approving "whoooo" and ordered her another drink, as her children looked on.
> 
> I haven't seen anything quite like that on Disney.



Thankfully we haven't either, but there have been stories from others that they have seen it. I will say Disney is tempting fate with how much they give you to drink in mixology... the first time we attended I drank what I was given and had to take a long nap afterwards.


----------



## mevelandry

jane01jp said:


> I've cruised DCL 21 times and Carnival twice. On the second Carnival cruise, we witnessed an obscenely drunk woman haranguing another passenger over a deck chair, cursing loudly in the process. The drunk woman's husband gave her an approving "whoooo" and ordered her another drink, as her children looked on.
> 
> I haven't seen anything quite like that on Disney.



I did. During the first hour of being on my first Disney cruise.

I also saw a guy being violent towards his wife (throwing a suitcase at her) at a Disney World Resort and a child punching her grandma in the stomach at another Disney World Resort.

This can happen anywhere.


----------



## mevelandry

AquaDame said:


> Thankfully we haven't either, but there have been stories from others that they have seen it. I will say Disney is tempting fate with how much they give you to drink in mixology... the first time we attended I drank what I was given and had to take a long nap afterwards.



OMG, so true. 5 or 6 drinks during mixology and I think 6 or 7 glasses of wine during wine class. Phew.


----------



## jane01jp

mevelandry said:


> I did. During the first hour of being on my first Disney cruise.
> 
> I also saw a guy being violent towards his wife (throwing a suitcase at her) at a Disney World Resort and a child punching her grandma in the stomach at another Disney World Resort.
> 
> This can happen anywhere.


Yikes!


----------



## mevelandry

jane01jp said:


> Yikes!



Let’s just say I still have a knot in my stomach when I think about it.


----------



## John VN

mevelandry said:


> I know!!!  MSC have great prices right now!
> 
> I have one booked for April (God knows if it will happen) and the prices were so low!!! Will not hesitate to book again if it gets cancelled.



In addition to the reasonable pricing will be the BONUS of the *apparent overnighter stay at Ocean Cay.*  Our Seaside cruise last year had our Ocean Cay visit cancelled because 1 more week was needed to complete it for opening so MSC provided a Future Credit that we will use.  The credit will bring the pricing down to $1,600.00 for our YC Level cruise but even without the credit we feel it is affordable.


----------



## mevelandry

John VN said:


> In addition to the reasonable pricing will be the BONUS of the *apparent overnighter stay at Ocean Cay.*  Our Seaside cruise last year had our Ocean Cay visit cancelled because 1 more week was needed to complete it for opening so MSC provided a Future Credit that we will use.  The credit will bring the pricing down to $1,600.00 for our YC Level cruise but even without the credit we feel it is affordable.


Excellent deal!  

Currently, our itinerary is Key West and Ocean Cay but with Key West wanting to block cruise ships from docking there, I am hoping that, if the itinerary changes, we’re going to end up with an overnight stay at Ocean Cay.


----------



## hdrolfe

Mardi Gras is delivered! Heald is posting some pics on facebook and it looks so pretty. I need to figure out when I can book a cruise on her  I have a B2B on Horizon in 2023 and 2 weeks on MSC Seashore in early 2022. Maybe later 2022? That coaster at sea looks like fun!


----------



## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> Mardi Gras is delivered! Heald is posting some pics on facebook and it looks so pretty. I need to figure out when I can book a cruise on her  I have a B2B on Horizon in 2023 and 2 weeks on MSC Seashore in early 2022. Maybe later 2022? That coaster at sea looks like fun!



It looks beautiful! I'm really excited about the direction these new ships seem to be taking. Still fun, upbeat & casual, but not as "Las Vegas!"


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> It looks beautiful! I'm really excited about the direction these new ships seem to be taking. Still fun, upbeat & casual, but not as "Las Vegas!"



I have a friend who cruises (usually Royal or Celebrity) and she commented that Mardi Gras looks like the first Carnival ship she'd consider going on lol... the rest have been too over the top in décor I guess.


----------



## sullivan.kscott

belle032 said:


> It looks beautiful! I'm really excited about the direction these new ships seem to be taking. Still fun, upbeat & casual, but not as "Las Vegas!"


Can't wait to see some YouTube videos of her!  Our first cruise, in 2006, was on Carnival Fantasy and she was gaudy to say the least.  We've also sailed on Carnival Legend, Magic, and Liberty, and found them to be fun without as overbearing.  DW and I have an almost unhealthy love for Alchemy, Red Frog, and the Lido grill areas on those 3.  Mardi Gras looks like Carnival is keeping the fun but wants to "mature" a little, and she appears to have a lot to offer our DS x2 if we can peel them away from Vibe anytime soon.  All this to say, I'm really excited to return to Carnival someday!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

sullivan.kscott said:


> Can't wait to see some YouTube videos of her!  Our first cruise, in 2006, was on Carnival Fantasy and she was gaudy to say the least.  We've also sailed on Carnival Legend, Magic, and Liberty, and found them to be fun without as overbearing.  DW and I have an almost unhealthy love for Alchemy, Red Frog, and the Lido grill areas on those 3.  Mardi Gras looks like Carnival is keeping the fun but wants to "mature" a little, and she appears to have a lot to offer our DS x2 if we can peel them away from Vibe anytime soon.  All this to say, I'm really excited to return to Carnival someday!


Our DD loved Club 02 on Carnival Vista, she went to the clubs on the Disney ships a few times but never really got into them, but on our B2B on Vista in 2017, she was in C02 for 2 straight weeks. We’re booked for a B2B on Mardi Gras in June so if she sails, I’ll be sure to give a full report, daughter will be 20 at that time so no clubs but will report on the rest of the ship.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Mardi Gras is delivered! Heald is posting some pics on facebook and it looks so pretty. I need to figure out when I can book a cruise on her  I have a B2B on Horizon in 2023 and 2 weeks on MSC Seashore in early 2022. Maybe later 2022? That coaster at sea looks like fun!


I agree! It looks absolutely spectacular and I’m gonna try real hard to book a cruise on her in 2022!

Fall 2022 is already taken with Carnival Horizon (Aruba, Curaçao, La Romana and Amber Cove) but Winter to Summer 2022 is still free. We’ll see!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> It looks beautiful! I'm really excited about the direction these new ships seem to be taking. Still fun, upbeat & casual, but not as "Las Vegas!"



100%! I’m glad Carnival started distancing themselves from the Vegas look starting with the Vista Class...


----------



## hdrolfe

The bonus of Mardi Gras is it is sailing from Port Canaveral, so adding on even a few days at Disney is easy (expensive, but easy). I'm wondering if we might switch our MSC to Mardi Gras and Disney combo instead. As much as we want to try MSC they just keep changing things and are not very good at letting us know. And we know we love Carnival... so much fun on the fun ships


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Take 2! Just booked 2022 British Isles on Pride. Slightly different itinerary but same number of days and ports. Also decided to treat us to 2 aft balconies!!! We have never had this type of room and it’s a huge upgrade for DS and GF from an inside.
Here’s hoping we are all vaccinated and travel is more normal.


----------



## mevelandry

That's it. We pulled the trigger. We booked Mardi Gras for January 2022.


----------



## mevelandry

Question: our next family cruise has a stop in Nassau... Anyone noticed that Atlantis is not available in excursions anymore?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I showed DS a video of the aft cabin and balcony. He was super excited and couldn't wait to show his GF. They have lost their entire Senior year so hopefully this gives them something to be excited about for the future.


----------



## hdrolfe

I was talking to kiddo and showed him some pictures/videos of the Mardi Gras and he wants to do that instead of MSC. He said "I know I like Carnival so why aren't we just doing that?" I gave him the option to do 3 or 4 days at Disney followed by Mardi Gras or B2B on Mardi Gras, and he wants to do the B2B! Skipping Disney... it's craziness! But I have a hold on the week of his birthday next December (pay day is tomorrow so I'll probably be booking it then). I'll hold off on the second week for now, once I pay off some Christmas bills I will probably book that too.


----------



## mevelandry

They are not kids but my MIL & FIL were actually trying to convince us to go back to Disney ... UntiI I talked about Mardi Gras. Then it was game over for Disney. LOL


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I was talking to kiddo and showed him some pictures/videos of the Mardi Gras and he wants to do that instead of MSC. He said "I know I like Carnival so why aren't we just doing that?" I gave him the option to do 3 or 4 days at Disney followed by Mardi Gras or B2B on Mardi Gras, and he wants to do the B2B! Skipping Disney... it's craziness! But I have a hold on the week of his birthday next December (pay day is tomorrow so I'll probably be booking it then). I'll hold off on the second week for now, once I pay off some Christmas bills I will probably book that too.



Which itinerary?


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Which itinerary?



We are booking the San Juan, Amber Cove and Grand Turk for sure, and maybe the western one as well (Cozumel, Costa Maya and Mahogany Bay)


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> We are booking the San Juan, Amber Cove and Grand Turk for sure, and maybe the western one as well (Cozumel, Costa Maya and Mahogany Bay)



We have San Juan, Amber Cove ans Grand Turk as well.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> We have San Juan, Amber Cove ans Grand Turk as well.


So do we!!  I want to go to San Juan so bad and am a huge fan of Grand Turk.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> So do we!!  I want to go to San Juan so bad and am a huge fan of Grand Turk.


What do you do in Grand Turk? (Wasn’t a big fan but at this point, I think I would enjoy an overnight to Freeport. LOL)

San Juan is the reason we booked. I always wanted to visit Old San Juan!

I find Amber Cove intriguing. Not expecting much of it but the area looks breathtaking.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> What do you do in Grand Turk? (Wasn’t a big fan but at this point, I think I would enjoy an overnight to Freeport. LOL)
> 
> San Juan is the reason we booked. I always wanted to visit Old San Juan!
> 
> I find Amber Cove intriguing. Not expecting much of it but the area looks breathtaking.



We loved our stop in San Juan and wouldn't hesitate to go back. The historic part of the city is beautiful, brightly colored, and just charming. People were so friendly! It was HOT, but actually really nice to explore something outside your typical beach day.


----------



## hdrolfe

We will be booking a beach day in San Juan, it's our 3rd time there and it isn't as exciting as some other ports (for kiddo, I'd be happy to wander but he likes to DO stuff). Amber Cove looks lovely and I plan to try ziplining there... though I'm also terrified at the thought  Grand Turk will be kiddo's 12th birthday and we'll stay on the beach I think. I may book an excursion to see something of the island and a different beach, but we'll see how much money I want to spend  

Just put the down payment on that and have to decide on the week before, do we B2B or do we Disney. I'm leaning towards the B2B but will see sometime mid-January when I've paid off Christmas. Since Ontario is entering lockdown for a month I won't have much to do, or spend money on. Oh I can't wait for this to be over and get back to cruising!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> What do you do in Grand Turk? (Wasn’t a big fan but at this point, I think I would enjoy an overnight to Freeport. LOL)
> 
> San Juan is the reason we booked. I always wanted to visit Old San Juan!
> 
> I find Amber Cove intriguing. Not expecting much of it but the area looks breathtaking.


We just hang out on the beach there, but think Margaritaville looks awesome. I love this view!


----------



## hdrolfe

That's kind of our plan, but since it will be kiddo's birthday I am giving him the option of an excursion if he wants.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We just hang out on the beach there, but think Margaritaville looks awesome. I love this view!View attachment 545801


It looked so different than when we went in 2018. They put like 4-5 rows of lounger chairs (super cramped) and locals were trying to rent the front row.

The sand was full of cigarettes and pieces of glass.

(We ended up going to Jack's Shack.)

Margaritaville was pretty cool even though I'm not into sexy dances contests. LOL The pool was nice and so were the gigantic plates of nachos.


----------



## mevelandry

**sorry doubles**


----------



## mevelandry

Has anyone stayed at Marriott Biscayne Bay when departing from Miami? Would love to know what you thought of it. I just booked a pre-cruise package and it looks like a very nice option.


----------



## mevelandry

I'm sad. We are cancelling our April 2021 cruise with MSC. I don't think we will be vaccinated by then. 

If we are, we'll rebook something in crash course. 

I've never had so many points and airlines credits in my whole life.


----------



## bcwife76

I wonder if I could get any feedback on the Carnival Pride? We have only sailed with DCL, we had the Mardi Gras booked for March 2021, but obviously that has been cancelled. We currently have the Magic booked for 10 nights to Northern Europe in August 2021 but I doubt very much it will sail (or that we will be on it) so looking to move our booking to 2022. Obvs can't compare DCL and Carnival prices for 2022 as DCL has not released yet but comparing the 12 night roundtrip from Dover in August 2022 in an Ocean SUITE vs our 10 night in a deluxe OV inside (obstructed room), the Carnival cruise is $1100US cheaper! Which I'm sure will surprise no one. And my price on DCL includes the 10% OBB.
So, what's a Disney cruiser to do? For a port intensive cruise I'm willing to forgo the 'disney difference' but what is the Carnival Pride as a ship like itself? I've gone over the activities, restaurants, etc. so I'm looking for first hand accounts please


----------



## mevelandry

I haven’t sailed on Pride but when you sail on old Carnival ships, you definitely have to expect the looks of the ship being very different than DCL (DCL going for a classic look while older Carnival ships being more « Vegas ») ... For some reason, the previous designer seemed to LOVE the colors orange and brown and it’s everywhere including in the cabins.

 People can smoke in the casino. All ships are not equal with ventilation so on some ships you will smell it more than others. 

I like the fact that the gifts are so much more affordable on Carnival so you can surprise your family with plenty of surprises without breaking the bank. 

I find activities and restaurants to be very much alike on each Carnival ships which makes me recommend: 

The Steakhouse if you want to treat yourself a little bit... There is a free bottle of wine if you book for the first night (or 50% off a better choice of wine). It reminds me of Palo but a little bit more relaxed.

Bonsai Sushi is « à la carte » yet very affordable ... and great!

I love having « Port Days Breakfast » in the dining room but I love the « Sea Day Brunch » even more. It’s included.

Sometimes during Sea Days at 3 PM there is Afternoon Tea (they offer tea, sandwiches and desserts). You can upgrade your tea for a very small price if you are picky like me.  

The food in the dining room is usually good but I love to treat myself with the Steakhouse Selections once in a while (20$ USD will get you a Filet Mignon, lobster or a Surf and Turf that are to die for.) 

Guy’s Burger and Blue Iguana are good. I like them.

Green Eggs and Ham is a great characters breakfast if you are into Dr. Seuss. I did it without being a fan just because it was themed and unexpensive. Even the food is themed and there is a lot of characters. I would recommend for families. 

I’ve never had a bad service team on Carnival. I know people are raving about DCL being the best but I honestly never noticed a difference.

The aft pool is usually where we like to hang out. So much more quiet than the main pool.  

I like the shows, they usually have at least one excellent musical revue and we are fans of the comedy shows. Everything is much more adult themed.


----------



## hdrolfe

I haven't sailed on Pride or that class but I believe it is quite popular. I can't compare to a DCL ship, but it is a nice looking ship. They have a serenity pool at the back of the ship, they do have a steakhouse and of course Guy's and Blue Iguana.


----------



## bcwife76

_Thank you so much for the input _


----------



## belle032

bcwife76 said:


> I wonder if I could get any feedback on the Carnival Pride? We have only sailed with DCL, we had the Mardi Gras booked for March 2021, but obviously that has been cancelled. We currently have the Magic booked for 10 nights to Northern Europe in August 2021 but I doubt very much it will sail (or that we will be on it) so looking to move our booking to 2022. Obvs can't compare DCL and Carnival prices for 2022 as DCL has not released yet but comparing the 12 night roundtrip from Dover in August 2022 in an Ocean SUITE vs our 10 night in a deluxe OV inside (obstructed room), the Carnival cruise is $1100US cheaper! Which I'm sure will surprise no one. And my price on DCL includes the 10% OBB.
> So, what's a Disney cruiser to do? For a port intensive cruise I'm willing to forgo the 'disney difference' but what is the Carnival Pride as a ship like itself? I've gone over the activities, restaurants, etc. so I'm looking for first hand accounts please



I have not sailed on the Pride specifically, but I recommend not going in and not immediately comparing everything to DCL! It's an older Carnival ship, so I definitely agree with @mevelandry in that the decor will not be Disney-level classic. I am SO happy that the newer ships are shedding that "Las Vegas" style!

But I sailed a very port intensive British Isles itinerary on the Disney Magic last year, and I agree with your assessment that you might not miss the "Disney difference" on this type of itinerary as much. It's such a go-go-go sailing, that we honestly could have sailed almost any cruise line and saved ourselves a ton of money and had a very similar experience. I've always had outstanding guest service on Carnival, we've had amazing dining teams, great food, and plenty of activities to enjoy. We learned that the ship was almost more of a mode of transportation rather than a huge part of the vacation experience, which is the opposite of the Bahamas/Caribbean IMHO.

If there are any reviews on the first page of this thread on the Pride, I would check those out. Or any reviews on the Spirit/Miracle/Legend might be helpful as well, because I think they are sister ships. Cruise Critic might be another good source for first hand reviews, but like anything else, I take those with a grain of salt. 

I totally understand that trying a new cruise line can be daunting because you're spending money on something you aren't even sure you'll enjoy! We're giving NCL for the first time for our Alaska sailing (fingers crossed) and I already feel a little stressed because I'm not sure what to expect. But whatever you choose, I think you'll have a wonderful time!


----------



## bcwife76

@belle032 Thank you! Yes I took a look at the first page of this thread before posting, but didn't see any reviews of the Pride. But now that you've mentioned the sister ships, I'll go back to see if there are any reviews on those ones.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

bcwife76 said:


> @belle032 Thank you! Yes I took a look at the first page of this thread before posting, but didn't see any reviews of the Pride. But now that you've mentioned the sister ships, I'll go back to see if there are any reviews on those ones.


I haven't been on Pride but we are booked for July 2022!  Moved our 2021 Europe cruise. We only notice the decor the first couple of days.  After that it's just the ship.


----------



## mevelandry

Guys... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 

Let's say things get better and we finally get back on cruise ships in 2021... What are your plans so far? 

I have... 

-Carnival Sunrise to Nassau/Half Moon Cay/Grand Turk in August 2021

-Oasis of the Seas to Labadee in November 2021

-Carnival Mardi Gras to San Juan/Amber Cove/Grand Turk in January 2022

(Yes, 3 cruises in 5 months... LOL)

-Carnival Horizon to Aruba/Curaçao/La Romana/Amber Cove in October 2022.


----------



## braysmommy

mevelandry said:


> Has anyone stayed at Marriott Biscayne Bay when departing from Miami? Would love to know what you thought of it. I just booked a pre-cruise package and it looks like a very nice option.



We have stayed here prior to our DCL cruise and really liked it. I booked it on our own and not a cruise package and would stay again.


----------



## mevelandry

braysmommy said:


> We have stayed here prior to our DCL cruise and really liked it. I booked it on our own and not a cruise package and would stay again.



Our pre-cruise package is: the room, 2 drinks, breakfast for two and shuttle to the port.

Did you try a restaurant at the hotel? If you did, how was it?


----------



## hdrolfe

I have 
Mardi Gras - December 2021 probably adding another week to this one - in Family Harbour and looking forward to the extra spot to get ice cream, breakfast and snacks

MSC Seashore Jan/Feb 2022 but am probably cancelling it, in favour of a probable Disney/Universal/RCL in April 2022. We miss Disney but I'm not sure we want to go in late 2021 as it will probably be busy with 50th and people who haven't been in ages. 

Horizon B2B Western/Southern April 2023.

I can't wait for all of it... and am watching carefully as vaccinations are rolled out and will be paying attention when cruises finally start up again to see how it goes. My son is also excited, he'll be turning 12 on the Mardi Gras and is excited about the water slides and zipline/ropes course on the ship. He said he doesn't want to try the roller coaster because he'll have to go with me and I "drive too slow" on those kinds of rides...


----------



## belle032

Happy New Year everyone! PLEASE cross all your fingers & toes we can get cruising again in the near future!!

We just have Alaska booked in Sept 2021 on the Norwegian Encore as of right now. I think Canada may play a large part as to whether or not we sail, which I understand. If it doesn't happen, hopefully we can push it back a year and get something else scheduled.

I want to book a Southern Caribbean sailing (or any Caribbean sailing really) sooooo badly, but I'm just hesitant until I know what the cruising experience will be like. We may try to sneak a WDW trip in this year, but it's really difficult for us New Yorkers to travel out of state at the moment with the testing/quarantine requirements. I hope as more people get vaccinated that it will change, but for right now, it's tough.


----------



## braysmommy

mevelandry said:


> Our pre-cruise package is: the room, 2 drinks, breakfast for two and shuttle to the port.
> 
> Did you try a restaurant at the hotel? If you did, how was it?



We didn't try restaurant in the hotel since DS woke up early so we went out for a walk and grabbed something while we were out.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

We’re booked for 2 weeks on Mardi Gras the beginning of June, I’m also going to book 2 weeks the beginning of July as a safety net, in case June cruises don’t happen . 

We’re also booking 10 days at WDW for the first of June, so we’ll have something if cruising doesn’t happen. I am going to get a vacation in 2021!!!!


----------



## jane01jp

If anyone ever decides to try a Carnival cruise, I would recommend avoiding any that originate out of Charleston, SC. We have done that, and the terminal is used so infrequently that operations at the terminal are pretty spotty.


----------



## belle032

Ugh CCL cruises cancelled through March. I really can't believe it's been an entire year since ships have sailed. And we though this thing would only last a few weeks. I really thought they would try to get up and running in some capacity for the typical Spring Break vacationers, but now maybe summer?


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> Ugh CCL cruises cancelled through March. I really can't believe it's been an entire year since ships have sailed. And we though this thing would only last a few weeks. I really thought they would try to get up and running in some capacity for the typical Spring Break vacationers, but now maybe summer?



Some of their ships are cancelled well into later 2021 as well. Fascination is until 2022!


*Carnival Freedom* sailings through and including April 10, 2021
*Carnival Splendor* sailings through and including April 19, 2021
*Carnival Breeze* from Ft. Lauderdale sailings November 7, 2020 through and including March 7, 2021
*Carnival Sunrise*

Ft. Lauderdale, New York and Norfolk sailings through and including October 19, 2020
Miami 7 and 8 day sailings from October 9, 2021 through and including April 30, 2022, excluding the March 5, 2022 sailing
Miami 5 day sailing January 3, 2022

*Carnival Radiance*

Sailings through and including November 1, 2020
9, 12, and 14 day sailings from May 2, 2021 through and including April 29, 2022
5 day sailings December 23, 2021 and December 28, 2021

*Carnival Legend* sailings through and including March 26, 2021
*Carnival Paradise* sailings through and including May 31, 2021
*Carnival Magic* sailings through and including September 24, 2021
*Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration* sailings through and including April 19, 2021
*Carnival Valor* sailings through and including September 11, 2021
*Carnival Miracle* sailings through and including September 16, 2021
*Carnival Liberty* sailings from September 17, 2021 through and including October 18, 2021
*Carnival Spirit* sailings through and including June 12, 2021
*Carnival Fascination* sailings through and including January 9, 2022
*Carnival Sensation* sailings through and including March 31, 2021, and March 3, 2022 and March 7, 2022
*Mardi Gras* sailings through and including April 17, 2021
*Carnival Sunshine * sailings from October 11, 2021 through and including November 13, 2021
*All Other Ships* sailings through and including March 31, 2021
​


----------



## belle032

@hdrolfe Thanks for clarifying, I just saw the announcement on FB and didn't read through all the specifics!

Wow that is a lot. Looks like Breeze, Sunrise, Radiance, Legend, Liberty, Sensation (just retire this one already!), Sunshine, Horizon, & Vista have the first shot? I imagine this throws a wrench into previously planned drydocks as well.

And I wonder if the Fascination will just never return.


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> @hdrolfe Thanks for clarifying, I just saw the announcement on FB and didn't read through all the specifics!
> 
> Wow that is a lot. Looks like Breeze, Sunrise, Radiance, Legend, Liberty, Sensation (just retire this one already!), Sunshine, Horizon, & Vista have the first shot? I imagine this throws a wrench into previously planned drydocks as well.
> 
> And I wonder if the Fascination will just never return.



I wonder about that as well. Fascination is a smaller ship and perhaps they will sell it?

I am not sure if the list I posted is up to date as of today, it's from Carnival's website but I feel like it may be misleading in a few cases, like Breeze, which is not sailing until April at least but from the list looks like mid-March? Perhaps more to come... I'm sure other cruise lines will follow if they haven't already... I just want to be able to cruise again!!  Hopefully by December... Hopefully the cruise lines can recover from this. I acknowledge a lot of industries will need time to recover as well but this is a discussion about Carnival so mentioning cruising in specific.


----------



## mevelandry

Apparently a bunch of cruises were cancelled today (March and some specific cruises even going up to November). 

Check your emails and your junk (because cancellations seems to go directly to junk mail most of the time).


----------



## belle032

Ughhh we are strongly leaning towards rescheduling our Alaskan cruise we have booked for September. It seems so far away now, but I truly feel it's not going to happen anyway. The season is so short to begin with so if they don't get off the ground in May/June, I think the entire thing will be a wash.

However, we would wait until any kind of cancellation/rescheduling info comes directly from NCL before doing anything on our own. If it does sail with a ton of stipulations, I hope cruise lines will let us decide if we want to go or not. 

I think we will get a WDW trip in this year at some point (tentatively scheduled to go to a family wedding in March in Atlanta, so ideally would tie it on to that trip) and if we postpone Alaska, but can get on some kind of Caribbean sailing this fall/winter, we'll definitely consider that opportunity.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Ughhh we are strongly leaning towards rescheduling our Alaskan cruise we have booked for September. It seems so far away now, but I truly feel it's not going to happen anyway. The season is so short to begin with so if they don't get off the ground in May/June, I think the entire thing will be a wash.
> 
> However, we would wait until any kind of cancellation/rescheduling info comes directly from NCL before doing anything on our own. If it does sail with a ton of stipulations, I hope cruise lines will let us decide if we want to go or not.
> 
> I think we will get a WDW trip in this year at some point (tentatively scheduled to go to a family wedding in March in Atlanta, so ideally would tie it on to that trip) and if we postpone Alaska, but can get on some kind of Caribbean sailing this fall/winter, we'll definitely consider that opportunity.



I would suggest you wait a few more weeks/months before you cancel. 

I don't know if it's the same for you but here in Canada, there will be a "boom" in vaccines availability on March 15, 2021 that could change everything and they recently announced that everyone living in long term care facilities will be vaccinated within the next two weeks... Which makes me very hopeful that before the end of the summer, we will be vaccinated and back to a somewhat normal life.  

Our experience is that NCL was not great with cancellation. They offered us a refund (which took two months)... They offered a 10% off but our PVP's never replied to our requests for a rebooking.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> I would suggest you wait a few more weeks/months before you cancel.
> 
> I don't know if it's the same for you but here in Canada, there will be a "boom" in vaccines availability on March 15, 2021 that could change everything and they recently announced that everyone living in long term care facilities will be vaccinated within the next two weeks... Which makes me very hopeful that before the end of the summer, we will be vaccinated and back to a somewhat normal life.
> 
> Our experience is that NCL was not great with cancellation. They offered us a refund (which took two months)... They offered a 10% off but our PVP's never replied to our requests for a rebooking.



Thank you for the info! We're in Upstate NY relatively close to the border!) and our vaccination distribution has gotten off to shaky start, to say the least. I'm still hopeful for the future though.

Don't worry, I don't plan on making any changes to our reservation until NCL either confirms that they are cancelled or there is some announcement that gives us the opportunity to postpone/cancel ourselves. Our PIF is the middle of May, so plenty of time.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Thank you for the info! We're in Upstate NY relatively close to the border!) and our vaccination distribution has gotten off to shaky start, to say the least. I'm still hopeful for the future though.
> 
> Don't worry, I don't plan on making any changes to our reservation until NCL either confirms that they are cancelled or there is some announcement that gives us the opportunity to postpone/cancel ourselves. Our PIF is the middle of May, so plenty of time.



*Fingers crossed*


----------



## mevelandry

My husband and I were supposed to visit Aruba-Curaçao, etc on Carnival Horizon in October 2022... The cost was actually much higher than our Carnival Mardi Gras cruise we have panned at the beginning of 2022, on top of having to fly to Miami which always involves much higher costs.

Since we are now planning a Disney Wish family cruise early 2023 ($$$), it‘s a bit too much on our plate so we decided to cancel the Horizon cruise.

I have my eye on a shorter Royal Caribbean Labadee-CocoCay cruise instead which would cost us half the price (in part due to the fact that we would fly to Orlando instead of Miami) of the Horizon.

We won’t book right now because we want to explore our options.

I checked Carnival cruises for the same period of time but I haven’t seen any itinerary that looks exciting and doesn’t involve Nassau or Cozumel.

To be continued...


----------



## hdrolfe

I just want to get on a cruise ship sooner than later.  I have also been looking at an RCL with Labadee and Coco Cay (mostly because my son would love both ports, we've been to both but Coco was pre-updates and Labadee he was too young to zipline). We have yet to get on a Disney cruise! Maybe someday... 

We have the Mardi Gras booked in December but I am not sure if B2B will be allowed by then (fingers crossed) so haven't booked the second cruise, and also considering either RCL Harmony or a week at Disney or a week at Universal instead... So long with no trips has left me wanting to do EVERYTHING.  Not sure December will be happening though. 

As for Miami being more costly to fly to, you can fly to FLL instead and from Montreal there seem to be a few options for that. I often check prices from Montreal and Ottawa since we like direct flights and there are more from Montreal.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I just want to get on a cruise ship sooner than later.  I have also been looking at an RCL with Labadee and Coco Cay (mostly because my son would love both ports, we've been to both but Coco was pre-updates and Labadee he was too young to zipline). We have yet to get on a Disney cruise! Maybe someday...
> 
> We have the Mardi Gras booked in December but I am not sure if B2B will be allowed by then (fingers crossed) so haven't booked the second cruise, and also considering either RCL Harmony or a week at Disney or a week at Universal instead... So long with no trips has left me wanting to do EVERYTHING.  Not sure December will be happening though.
> 
> As for Miami being more costly to fly to, you can fly to FLL instead and from Montreal there seem to be a few options for that. I often check prices from Montreal and Ottawa since we like direct flights and there are more from Montreal.



Yes, usually FLL is usually a bit cheaper than Miami... We had a good experience doing that but we find it a bit more stressful to travel from FLL to Miami. In comparison, Orlando airport feels like home.

I hear you for wanting to do everything. I now have 5 to 6 trips planned for 2021-2022. Lol

I hope you can do your back to back.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Yes, usually FLL is usually a bit cheaper than Miami... We had a good experience doing that but we find it a bit more stressful to travel from FLL to Miami. In comparison, Orlando airport feels like home.
> 
> I hear you for wanting to do everything. I now have 5 to 6 trips planned for 2021-2022. Lol
> 
> I hope you can do your back to back.



We haven't sailed from Miami yet, have a B2B booked on Horizon in April 2023 (The latest booking available at the time). My plan is to use a shuttle service that picks up at FLL airport hotels, it's about an hour from what I understand, which is the same distance (time wise any way) from Orlando to Port Canaveral. We love cruising from PC just because it's easy to add on a few Disney days. And FLL, we have cruised from there twice and it was so easy, you can almost see the port from the airport, very close and easy. Carnival doesn't seem to cruise from there but I think either Oasis or Symphony will be? That would be a good choice too. 

I have the December cruise and still the MSC 14 night in Jan/Feb 2022. Depending what happens, I will book something else in 2022 when things improve. I hope. I'm just waiting... and waiting... for things to improve or show signs that travel will be ok. While this winter has so far been much milder than last year, and I am working from home so not having to drive in snowstorms and such, oh I long for some heat and beaches. And fancy fruity drinks while I watch the ocean and flying fish go by. And maybe some food I don't have to cook? Or clean up after.


----------



## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> We haven't sailed from Miami yet, have a B2B booked on Horizon in April 2023 (The latest booking available at the time). My plan is to use a shuttle service that picks up at FLL airport hotels, it's about an hour from what I understand, which is the same distance (time wise any way) from Orlando to Port Canaveral. We love cruising from PC just because it's easy to add on a few Disney days. And FLL, we have cruised from there twice and it was so easy, you can almost see the port from the airport, very close and easy. Carnival doesn't seem to cruise from there but I think either Oasis or Symphony will be? That would be a good choice too.
> 
> I have the December cruise and still the MSC 14 night in Jan/Feb 2022. Depending what happens, I will book something else in 2022 when things improve. I hope. I'm just waiting... and waiting... for things to improve or show signs that travel will be ok. While this winter has so far been much milder than last year, and I am working from home so not having to drive in snowstorms and such, oh I long for some heat and beaches. And fancy fruity drinks while I watch the ocean and flying fish go by. And maybe some food I don't have to cook? Or clean up after.



FLL to the Miami port really isn't bad, so I wouldn't worry about it! We usually fly into FLL because Southwest didn't fly into Miami (until now!), stay at a hotel in FLL and Uber to the port on embarkation day. It honestly seemed like less of a drive than Orlando-Port Canaveral. I think it's less than an hour for sure. Not bad at all.

Although I do agree about flying & sailing out of FLL. It was SO easy! The quickest embarkation I've ever experienced. Carnival did have at least a ship or 2 there in the past few years because that's who we sailed with, but I think this year everything is focused on Miami.

So many sailings I want to book, but we just can't plan that far out. I think I'm going to focus on a potential WDW trip for this year and wait to see how cruising pans out before diving into that.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> I just want to get on a cruise ship sooner than later.  I have also been looking at an RCL with Labadee and Coco Cay (mostly because my son would love both ports, we've been to both but Coco was pre-updates and Labadee he was too young to zipline). We have yet to get on a Disney cruise! Maybe someday...
> 
> We have the Mardi Gras booked in December but I am not sure if B2B will be allowed by then (fingers crossed) so haven't booked the second cruise, and also considering either RCL Harmony or a week at Disney or a week at Universal instead... So long with no trips has left me wanting to do EVERYTHING.  Not sure December will be happening though.
> 
> As for Miami being more costly to fly to, you can fly to FLL instead and from Montreal there seem to be a few options for that. I often check prices from Montreal and Ottawa since we like direct flights and there are more from Montreal.


Are they not allowing B2B cruises when they start sailing again?  I know they can’t do more than a 7 day itinerary but hadn’t heard if B2B is a no go yet. We’ve got a B2B in June booked. I’m not even positive we’ll be able to one leg at this point, so we have a 2 week WDW/Universal trip as a plan B


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> FLL to the Miami port really isn't bad, so I wouldn't worry about it! We usually fly into FLL because Southwest didn't fly into Miami (until now!), stay at a hotel in FLL and Uber to the port on embarkation day. It honestly seemed like less of a drive than Orlando-Port Canaveral. I think it's less than an hour for sure. Not bad at all.
> 
> Although I do agree about flying & sailing out of FLL. It was SO easy! The quickest embarkation I've ever experienced. Carnival did have at least a ship or 2 there in the past few years because that's who we sailed with, but I think this year everything is focused on Miami.
> 
> So many sailings I want to book, but we just can't plan that far out. I think I'm going to focus on a potential WDW trip for this year and wait to see how cruising pans out before diving into that.



Depending on traffic, it’s 45-60 minutes. We have done it with a shuttle, we have done it with a cab as well (thought the cab driver would kill us as he was a terrible driver) ... We just prefer having the shorter drive possible between our hotel and the port when in FLL/Miami. Somehow I like the road between Orlando Airport and PC, I find it to be a little bit more scenic. 

Sailing from FLL is truely the best. Such a short ride between the airport/the port/the beach.


----------



## hdrolfe

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Are they not allowing B2B cruises when they start sailing again?  I know they can’t do more than a 7 day itinerary but hadn’t heard if B2B is a no go yet. We’ve got a B2B in June booked. I’m not even positive we’ll be able to one leg at this point, so we have a 2 week WDW/Universal trip as a plan B



Everything I have read says no B2B until November 1st at least. Most companies won't let you book them, they will cancel one leg. Well, at least I've heard this about RCL, Celebrity, Princess, I haven't really looked at the other lines. I believe one of the requirements CDC put in place is a negative test 3 days before you board, so on a B2B you can't do that. Something like that. Just made me nervous for booking a second leg after the first one. I am hoping the vaccine rollout will help remove that.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> Everything I have read says no B2B until November 1st at least. Most companies won't let you book them, they will cancel one leg. Well, at least I've heard this about RCL, Celebrity, Princess, I haven't really looked at the other lines. I believe one of the requirements CDC put in place is a negative test 3 days before you board, so on a B2B you can't do that. Something like that. Just made me nervous for booking a second leg after the first one. I am hoping the vaccine rollout will help remove that.


Well that just sucks!  Thanks for the info though.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Everything I have read says no B2B until November 1st at least. Most companies won't let you book them, they will cancel one leg. Well, at least I've heard this about RCL, Celebrity, Princess, I haven't really looked at the other lines. I believe one of the requirements CDC put in place is a negative test 3 days before you board, so on a B2B you can't do that. Something like that. Just made me nervous for booking a second leg after the first one. I am hoping the vaccine rollout will help remove that.



On top of that, they cancelled all cruises longer than 7 days... 2021 is going to be a year for Land & Sea.


----------



## mevelandry

Quick update: it is now impossible to book an April cruise. Expecting them to announce cancellations tonight or tomorrow.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Quick update: it is now impossible to book an April cruise. Expecting them to announce cancellations tonight or tomorrow.



Kept seeing that on FB. I figured it was only a matter of time!


----------



## mevelandry

Carnival cruises cancelled in April.

Carnival Mardi Gras inaugural voyage pushed back to end of May.

UPDATE: European cruises also cancelled until the end of October.


----------



## DCLMP

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’re booked for 2 weeks on Mardi Gras the beginning of June, I’m also going to book 2 weeks the beginning of July as a safety net, in case June cruises don’t happen .
> 
> We’re also booking 10 days at WDW for the first of June, so we’ll have something if cruising doesn’t happen. I am going to get a vacation in 2021!!!!


Wdw isn't a bad alternative. I've substituted two cruises with wdw trips. I've enjoyed WDW more during Covid than I did before Covid. If there is one good thing to come out of this pandemic it's the demise of fast pass plus. Hopefully, it never returns.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Europe 2021 cancelled. That's a weight off.  Now I can move the funds to 2022 and have a nice bit of OBC to boot.


----------



## brentm77

DCLMP said:


> Wdw isn't a bad alternative. I've substituted two cruises with wdw trips. I've enjoyed WDW more during Covid than I did before Covid. If there is one good thing to come out of this pandemic it's the demise of fast pass plus. Hopefully, it never returns.



We had the exact same experience.  It was vastly improved without fastpass.  No trying to plan your day ahead of time.  No zig-zagging across the parks because you could only get fastpasses to the big rides at less than ideal times.  Lines moving so fast that you felt like you were actually moving the entire wait.  Time to slow down and talk to family while you wait.  We all remarked that it was one of our favorite trips to Disney parks, which nobody expected with the masks and such.


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> Europe 2021 cancelled. That's a weight off.  Now I can move the funds to 2022 and have a nice bit of OBC to boot.



It's sad that it's not happening, but I think at this point it's better just to get confirmation, instead of being in limbo. Back to planning WDW for me while I wait for Alaska news!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Europe 2021 cancelled. That's a weight off.  Now I can move the funds to 2022 and have a nice bit of OBC to boot.



Their OBC offers are pretty generous!


----------



## mevelandry

Shoot, our August cruise has disappeared from our account. This is usually a bad sign.

EDIT: It just reappeared. Weird. Maybe it was just a glitch?


----------



## mevelandry

New cancellations: 

-Carnival Magic cancelling through October 30, 2121
-Carnival Paradise cancelling through October 28, 2021
-Carnival Valor cancelling through October 28, 2021

All due to delay in dry dock (and necessary modifications)

If anyone can complete the info regarding the Radiance... ? 

Also, all sailings of Carnival Miracle from San Diego (through April 2023) with the exception of Carnival Journeys to Hawaii that will depart from Long Beach and dates may have changed.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> New cancellations:
> 
> -Carnival Magic cancelling through October 30, 2121
> -Carnival Paradise cancelling through October 28, 2021
> -Carnival Valor cancelling through October 28, 2021
> 
> All due to delay in dry dock (and necessary modifications)
> 
> If anyone can complete the info regarding the Radiance... ?
> 
> Also, all sailings of Carnival Miracle from San Diego (through April 2023) with the exception of Carnival Journeys to Hawaii that will depart from Long Beach and dates may have changed.



I thought those ships were all due for drydock, so I'm glad that's mostly what the cancellations are about. I expect to see more shifts like this in the future. Sounds like when they do eventually start running again, they'll focus on Miami and Long Beach. One port on each coast. Maybe Galveston as well? Just not as familiar with that port!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I thought those ships were all due for drydock, so I'm glad that's mostly what the cancellations are about. I expect to see more shifts like this in the future. Sounds like when they do eventually start running again, they'll focus on Miami and Long Beach. One port on each coast. Maybe Galveston as well? Just not as familiar with that port!



I’d say, Miami, Long Beach and PC.


----------



## mevelandry

After discussions with my family, we have decided to book the new Teppanyaki on Carnival Mardi Gras. I’ve always wanted to try a « teppanyaki«  and this sounds like the perfect occasion.

Apparently there are only 16 seats in the restaurant and only four seatings available.

We booked for the first night... Just in case there would be a bottle of wine included


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> After discussions with my family, we have decided to book the new Teppanyaki on Carnival Mardi Gras. I’ve always wanted to try a « teppanyaki«  and this sounds like the perfect occasion.
> 
> Apparently there are only 16 seats in the restaurant and only four seatings available.
> 
> We booked for the first night... Just in case there would be a bottle of wine included



DH & I love teppanyaki/hibachi! Didn't even realize this was going to be an option on the Mardi Gras. With only 16 seats, there must only be 1 or 2 tables then. You'll have a great time I'm sure!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> DH & I love teppanyaki/hibachi! Didn't even realize this was going to be an option on the Mardi Gras. With only 16 seats, there must only be 1 or 2 tables then. You'll have a great time I'm sure!



I’m not sure if it’s 4 tables of 4 or 2 tables of 8 but I hear it’s a bit on the small side.

I can’t wait.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

It took a few days but our FCC transferred over to the new cruise and we don't owe FP until March 2022!  I won't put any more money towards the cruise until then as a just in case!  We also got our $700 per cabin OBC.  DS is excited because we will try the steakhouse for the first time.


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> It took a few days but our FCC transferred over to the new cruise and we don't owe FP until March 2022!  I won't put any more money towards the cruise until then as a just in case!  We also got our $700 per cabin OBC.  DS is excited because we will try the steakhouse for the first time.



Omg that's some OBC! You could steakhouse more than once! Happy to hear it was pretty painless!


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> It took a few days but our FCC transferred over to the new cruise and we don't owe FP until March 2022!  I won't put any more money towards the cruise until then as a just in case!  We also got our $700 per cabin OBC.  DS is excited because we will try the steakhouse for the first time.



We love the steakhouse.

By the way, I’m sure you already knew but if you book the steakhouse on the first night of the sailing, you get a free bottle of wine (or 50% a more expensive bottle).


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> Omg that's some OBC! You could steakhouse more than once! Happy to hear it was pretty painless!


We are using a bunch towards gratuities! Since this is our big Europe trip any cash savings is good. We have 3 teens going so they are also excited about the coffee bar!


----------



## mevelandry

Carnival just made public the new "rules" regarding sailings. Correct me if I get this wrong:

-Mandatory covid tests (5 to 1 day prior to the cruise) and at the terminal. 

-You have to subject yourself to health screenings whenever they ask. 

-Excursions only (booked through Carnival)

-Masks everywhere indoor except the dining table and inside cabins. 

-Masks everywhere outdoors where you can't keep six feets apart (I'm guessing verandahs are fine). 

-Masks for everyone over 2 year old. 

Did I forget something? 

https://www.carnival.com/Legal/covid-19-legal-notices/policies-and-procedures


----------



## trvlgirlmq

@mevelandry I think (hope) this is only until the end of October when the CDC requirements expire. I will not sail if these are the conditions. I’ll be especially upset if I moved all of our money to a new cruise and then we can’t sail.


----------



## bcwife76

mevelandry said:


> Carnival just made public the new "rules" regarding sailings. Correct me if I get this wrong:
> 
> -Mandatory covid tests (5 to 1 day prior to the cruise) and at the terminal.
> 
> -You have to subject yourself to health screenings whenever they ask.
> 
> -Excursions only (booked through Carnival)
> 
> -Masks everywhere indoor except the dining table and inside cabins.
> 
> -Masks everywhere outdoors where you can't keep six feets apart (I'm guessing verandahs are fine).
> 
> -Masks for everyone over 2 year old.
> 
> Did I forget something?
> 
> https://www.carnival.com/Legal/covid-19-legal-notices/policies-and-procedures


Tests without symptoms (so tests for travel) are not free in Canada, correct? So right there that is a big NOPE from me. I'm not adding $1200 for Covid tests before we even leave Canada


----------



## AquaDame

bcwife76 said:


> Tests without symptoms (so tests for travel) are not free in Canada, correct? So right there that is a big NOPE from me. I'm not adding $1200 for Covid tests before we even leave Canada



Good heavens is that what it costs? I was exposed a few months ago and was able log in and sign up the same day to get tested for free through my insurance.


----------



## bcwife76

AquaDame said:


> Good heavens is that what it costs? I was exposed a few months ago and was able log in and sign up the same day to get tested for free through my insurance.


If you have symptoms then the test is free (covered by provincial health plan). But if you need one just for the heck of it (travel) I have heard here in BC they can cost anywhere from $150-$300 a person. For a family of four that is not a cost I would like to add to my trip.


----------



## mevelandry

bcwife76 said:


> Tests without symptoms (so tests for travel) are not free in Canada, correct? So right there that is a big NOPE from me. I'm not adding $1200 for Covid tests before we even leave Canada



In my area, you can go test even if you don’t have symptoms. The problem is that a negative test can take up to 7 days for the result (I think they reduced that time a little bit at 3 days or so...) but that part is a bit of an inconvenient for us. Not sure how much it cost if we go for a private test.

And we haven’t talked about the mandatory quarantine yet.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> @mevelandry I think (hope) this is only until the end of October when the CDC requirements expire. I will not sail if these are the conditions. I’ll be especially upset if I moved all of our money to a new cruise and then we can’t sail.



I’m fine with all the requirements but I worry about the covid test part. I’m not sure I can get results on time for the cruise.


----------



## hdrolfe

The covid test is the difficult part for us (assuming Canada removes it's travel restrictions). It also makes it impossible to B2B since you'd need a negative test done at some point mid way through your first cruise. I hope that by November things are looking better. But I have to PIF by September so don't really have that long to wait before I have to make a decision.


----------



## belle032

I think I'd be fine with everything except for "masks outside where you can't be 6 feet apart." I don't want to wear a mask outside on a lounger or sitting by the pool. It's where we spend most of our time. I'd be fine putting one one to get up to use the restroom, grab a drink at the bar, run to get food, etc., but other than that I don't think they are completely necessary. It's wide open space and there is always a breeze (or crazy wind!) Will the chairs just be spaced 6 feet apart in general? I'd need more clarification on this!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I think I'd be fine with everything except for "masks outside where you can't be 6 feet apart." I don't want to wear a mask outside on a lounger or sitting by the pool. It's where we spend most of our time. I'd be fine putting one one to get up to use the restroom, grab a drink at the bar, run to get food, etc., but other than that I don't think they are completely necessary. It's wide open space and there is always a breeze (or crazy wind!) Will the chairs just be spaced 6 feet apart in general? I'd need more clarification on this!



My experience of cruising is that I don’t remember being able to be 6ft away from other at the pool... Except once in a while at the aft pool. 

That being said, at lower guests capacity and with reservations, I think they might be able to ensure that chairs are distanced enough for guests to be able to remove their masks outside.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

bcwife76 said:


> Tests without symptoms (so tests for travel) are not free in Canada, correct? So right there that is a big NOPE from me. I'm not adding $1200 for Covid tests before we even leave Canada


I get tested every week in Arizona and pay absolutely nothing, don’t even have to run it through insurance. I own a restaurant so I just want to make sure I’m not bringing it into the building. I get tested every Thursday afternoon and have my results Friday evening. Just got my most recent negative test results about an hour ago.
We are losing hope that our June cruise will happen . Will still probably go to Orlando and hit WDW for a week or so.


----------



## AquaDame

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I get tested every week in Arizona and pay absolutely nothing, don’t even have to run it through insurance. I own a restaurant so I just want to make sure I’m not bringing it into the building. I get tested every Thursday afternoon and have my results Friday evening. Just got my most recent negative test results about an hour ago.
> We are losing hope that our June cruise will happen . Will still probably go to Orlando and hit WDW for a week or so.



Looks like the Families First Coronavirus Response Act is what makes this free and easily accessible in the US, if anyone is wondering like I was. Maybe cruise lines will have a nominal charge for a rapid test for those who can't bring results with them..?


----------



## mevelandry

AquaDame said:


> Looks like the Families First Coronavirus Response Act is what makes this free and easily accessible in the US, if anyone is wondering like I was. Maybe cruise lines will have a nominal charge for a rapid test for those who can't bring results with them..?



I wish they did but the website said that you could be sent away if you got to the terminal without one. Hopefully, they will change their mind, or offer one at the cruise terminal...

**********

As of now, my husband and in-laws said that they are not sure they wanna cruise under these conditions and decided to suspend all payments until we approach PIF day, see what both countries (Canada and USA) look like and the conditions to travel (none of us want to take two extra weeks of vacation to quarantine) and make a decision. There is a strong possibility that this trip might turn into a land trip, or be cancelled and replaced with a Canadian land trip.


----------



## mevelandry

A girl has to entertain herself...


----------



## alieila

mevelandry said:


> We love the steakhouse.
> 
> By the way, I’m sure you already knew but if you book the steakhouse on the first night of the sailing, you get a free bottle of wine (or 50% a more expensive bottle).



I've learned that hint! Will be doing that on our first cruise with Carnival, if it ever happens!


----------



## DCLMP

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I get tested every week in Arizona and pay absolutely nothing, don’t even have to run it through insurance. I own a restaurant so I just want to make sure I’m not bringing it into the building. I get tested every Thursday afternoon and have my results Friday evening. Just got my most recent negative test results about an hour ago.
> We are losing hope that our June cruise will happen . Will still probably go to Orlando and hit WDW for a week or so.


When I cancelled our European cruise last Summer I splurged on a one bedroom Villa at Riviera. I don't know how you do normally do WDW, but there are ways to make it as relaxing a cruise vacation


----------



## belle032

Waiting on some sort of cancellation/announcement for our Alaskan sailing, but in other news, we'll officially be at WDW from 3/28-4/3! Yay something to look forward to! 

I can only hope the most stressful thing about the whole trip will be trying to get a boarding group for Rise of the Resistance.


----------



## DCLMP

belle032 said:


> Waiting on some sort of cancellation/announcement for our Alaskan sailing, but in other news, we'll officially be at WDW from 3/28-4/3! Yay something to look forward to!
> 
> I can only hope the most stressful thing about the whole trip will be trying to get a boarding group for Rise of the Resistance.


Make sure your phone has the correct time down to the millisecond. I set the timer on my iPad so I would know when to hit the join button on my phone. I was afraid I’d start day dreaming or get distracted.  It was probably the most stressful thing about our last trip.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Waiting on some sort of cancellation/announcement for our Alaskan sailing, but in other news, we'll officially be at WDW from 3/28-4/3! Yay something to look forward to!



So Lucky!

We’ve been on lockdown (for the 2nd time) since December 16 and can’t really travel out of the country. But we need a getaway. So we’re going to go lockdown in a deluxe suite, drinking champagne in a jacuzzi for 2 days.


----------



## belle032

DCLMP said:


> Make sure your phone has the correct time down to the millisecond. I set the timer on my iPad so I would know when to hit the join button on my phone. I was afraid I’d start day dreaming or get distracted.  It was probably the most stressful thing about our last trip.



It's crazy how stressful this one single this is...and I'm not even a huge Star Wars fan! I think I'd just be super bummed if we didn't get to experience it. 

Do you recommend both my husband and I trying at the same time or will that mess it up?


----------



## DCLMP

belle032 said:


> It's crazy how stressful this one single this is...and I'm not even a huge Star Wars fan! I think I'd just be super bummed if we didn't get to experience it.
> 
> Do you recommend both my husband and I trying at the same time or will that mess it up?


I don’t know if it will mess it up or not. I was the only one that tried. It’s an amazing ride we’ll worth the stress.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

DCLMP said:


> When I cancelled our European cruise last Summer I splurged on a one bedroom Villa at Riviera. I don't know how you do normally do WDW, but there are ways to make it as relaxing a cruise vacation


We love the family suites at Art of Animation and booked that for this trip. I have to say, I’m super excited about going on the Skyliner to Epcot and HS!!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

DCLMP said:


> I don’t know if it will mess it up or not. I was the only one that tried. It’s an amazing ride we’ll worth the stress.


I think I need to do some homework and figure out what y’all are talking about. I know of the attraction but apparently I don’t know how or when to book it. Luckily, I have a little bit of time to get it figured out.


----------



## DCLMP

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think I need to do some homework and figure out what y’all are talking about. I know of the attraction but apparently I don’t know how or when to book it. Luckily, I have a little bit of time to get it figured out.


7am on the app. Don't worry you have 10 seconds to succeed or fail.


----------



## mevelandry

Hey, guys... My husband and I were looking to find a getaway for Easter week-end 2022 and couldn’t find any short cruise we didn’t already do... But you have inspired us!

We are going to book a Disney Springs getaway! Probably going to book a Disney Springs Hotel (cute and usually less expensive than Disney‘s resorts, this way we can put more money on good restaurants and entertainment)... This should be fun!


----------



## hdrolfe

I'm looking at booking the Pride out of Rome (or whatever the port there is called) to the Greek Isles for October 2022. Assuming by then things will be more normal. Has anyone cruised on a Spirit Class? I'd likely just get an inside cabin since it's so port intensive. I'm also looking at NCL Escape which is in August and has slightly different ports. It also costs more, and I'd be booking a guarantee cabin so none of the bonuses they are currently offering. 

I've been reading cruise reviews and saw a few on Mediterranean cruises that sparked my interest. Talked to my son and he was ok with the idea of more tours, less beaches.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

hdrolfe said:


> I'm looking at booking the Pride out of Rome (or whatever the port there is called) to the Greek Isles for October 2022. Assuming by then things will be more normal. Has anyone cruised on a Spirit Class? I'd likely just get an inside cabin since it's so port intensive. I'm also looking at NCL Escape which is in August and has slightly different ports. It also costs more, and I'd be booking a guarantee cabin so none of the bonuses they are currently offering.
> 
> I've been reading cruise reviews and saw a few on Mediterranean cruises that sparked my interest. Talked to my son and he was ok with the idea of more tours, less beaches.


I have not been on a Spirit Class ship, but from what I’ve read they are super popular and people tend to love them. If you want to do an inside cabin, I would recommend an obstructed view inside. They are considered inside cabins but have French doors that open to nowhere and your view is of the bottom of the lifeboats. From what I’ve read they are great cabins, if I ever go on a Spirit Class, (which I really hope I do), that is what I’ll be booking.


----------



## Hegemon

belle032 said:


> It's crazy how stressful this one single this is...and I'm not even a huge Star Wars fan! I think I'd just be super bummed if we didn't get to experience it.
> 
> Do you recommend both my husband and I trying at the same time or will that mess it up?


We did it in December and got boarding group 40. I had the Disney app open in one hand and time.gov open in the other (on my wife's phone). I hit the button at the very moment that 0700 hit. Keep wifi and location services off (they can impede data transfer).  

Also, give it a couple dry runs in the days prior to get in the rhythm...they'll let you see if you get a boarding group but won't let you actually reserve it until it's your day in the park. Good luck!


----------



## hdrolfe

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I have not been on a Spirit Class ship, but from what I’ve read they are super popular and people tend to love them. If you want to do an inside cabin, I would recommend an obstructed view inside. They are considered inside cabins but have French doors that open to nowhere and your view is of the bottom of the lifeboats. From what I’ve read they are great cabins, if I ever go on a Spirit Class, (which I really hope I do), that is what I’ll be booking.



I found those when I was looking! I wasn't sure if they are good or not, I mean they mostly seem to see the lifeboats. And I believe they were changed to windows instead of french doors on the Pride during it's last update. But, it might still be nice to have the sunshine. I'm so tempted to book it. Even if kiddo would have to miss two weeks of school... that's if we don't end up homeschooling again any way. I do think it would be amazingly educational to be in those places, Rome! The ports are really nice. If we look to the summer months we would go on NCL, or we'd do British Isles I guess, which does look nice but not as fascinating to me. I was obsessed with ancient Greece and Rome when I was (much) younger.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

hdrolfe said:


> I found those when I was looking! I wasn't sure if they are good or not, I mean they mostly seem to see the lifeboats. And I believe they were changed to windows instead of french doors on the Pride during it's last update. But, it might still be nice to have the sunshine. I'm so tempted to book it. Even if kiddo would have to miss two weeks of school... that's if we don't end up homeschooling again any way. I do think it would be amazingly educational to be in those places, Rome! The ports are really nice. If we look to the summer months we would go on NCL, or we'd do British Isles I guess, which does look nice but not as fascinating to me. I was obsessed with ancient Greece and Rome when I was (much) younger.


Yes, the doors are now windows so they don't open but do let in light. We are booked on the July 2022 British Isles to replace our cancelled 2021 cruise.  We do prefer the Med as the weather is much better but this is DS's graduation trip and he really wanted to go to London and Scotland and Ireland.  

We did the Med in 2016 and it is our favorite trip to date.  The ports and sites are fabulous.  If you do this and can hit a beach those are wonderful too.   So different from N. America or Caribbean.


----------



## hdrolfe

trvlgirlmq said:


> Yes, the doors are now windows so they don't open but do let in light. We are booked on the July 2022 British Isles to replace our cancelled 2021 cruise.  We do prefer the Med as the weather is much better but this is DS's graduation trip and he really wanted to go to London and Scotland and Ireland.
> 
> We did the Med in 2016 and it is our favorite trip to date.  The ports and sites are fabulous.  If you do this and can hit a beach those are wonderful too.   So different from N. America or Caribbean.



I think my son would actually like one that goes to Paris/Le Havre as he is fascinated by WW2 and the beaches, even though they go to the US landing beaches and not the Canada one. But I would probably prefer Med. When I start looking outside of the Caribbean it opens so many things. And the ship seems to matter a little less since they are so port intensive. I believe Gibraltor has a WW2 excursion as well. Not sure if there is a cruise that would do both of those ports... so many options and so little time  and two years of not being able to travel at all. At least I'm able to save money I guess so when I can travel, it'll be quite the trip.


----------



## belle032

Hegemon said:


> We did it in December and got boarding group 40. I had the Disney app open in one hand and time.gov open in the other (on my wife's phone). I hit the button at the very moment that 0700 hit. Keep wifi and location services off (they can impede data transfer).
> 
> Also, give it a couple dry runs in the days prior to get in the rhythm...they'll let you see if you get a boarding group but won't let you actually reserve it until it's your day in the park. Good luck!



OMG I tried this morning and failed! Good lord it's stressful! But I'm glad I have time to run through it a few times and see what works best. I'm visual so I needed to actually see the screens. I think I wasted too much time on the "choose your party" page instead of just clicking through like a crazy person. And yes, boarding groups were full in approximately 8-9 seconds. Insane.


----------



## brentm77

belle032 said:


> OMG I tried this morning and failed! Good lord it's stressful! But I'm glad I have time to run through it a few times and see what works best. I'm visual so I needed to actually see the screens. I think I wasted too much time on the "choose your party" page instead of just clicking through like a crazy person. And yes, boarding groups were full in approximately 8-9 seconds. Insane.



I sure wish Disney would change this process.  I would rather they let you enter a lottery spot the night before if you have a reservation for the next day and want to ride.  They draw a lottery in the morning for a big group, then other lotteries as availability become apparent as the day progresses.  Each lottery would be a couple of hours before expected ride time, to give you plenty of notice.  

It's not fun to start your day at a Disney park with such a stressful experience.  I did it twice in Disneyland and it really left a bad taste in my mouth, even though I was able to ride both days.


----------



## belle032

brentm77 said:


> I sure wish Disney would change this process.  I would rather they let you enter a lottery spot the night before if you have a reservation for the next day and want to ride.  They draw a lottery in the morning for a big group, then other lotteries as availability become apparent as the day progresses.  Each lottery would be a couple of hours before expected ride time, to give you plenty of notice.
> 
> It's not fun to start your day at a Disney park with such a stressful experience.  I did it twice in Disneyland and it really left a bad taste in my mouth, even though I was able to ride both days.



(Sorry I'm derailing the cruise thread here!) I like your idea, it makes sense. At least in a lottery you wouldn't be at the mercy of technical issues, like if your Wifi signal is strong enough or what type of operating system your iPhone is running. (And yes, I plan on trying DH's iPhone 12 vs. my 8 because I've heard it makes a difference. Again. Insane). 

I was trying to explain the virtual queue thing to DH this morning and why I was stressed out about it. I think the idea works "in theory." When you think about it, it's really nice not to have to waste time waiting in an actual line for hours. However, with the popularity of the ride, I don't think it's the best way to go right now. In a few years when the hype dies down a bit, I can see it being implemented with success.


----------



## brentm77

belle032 said:


> (Sorry I'm derailing the cruise thread here!) I like your idea, it makes sense. At least in a lottery you wouldn't be at the mercy of technical issues, like if your Wifi signal is strong enough or what type of operating system your iPhone is running. (And yes, I plan on trying DH's iPhone 12 vs. my 8 because I've heard it makes a difference. Again. Insane).
> 
> I was trying to explain the virtual queue thing to DH this morning and why I was stressed out about it. I think the idea works "in theory." When you think about it, it's really nice not to have to waste time waiting in an actual line for hours. However, with the popularity of the ride, I don't think it's the best way to go right now. In a few years when the hype dies down a bit, I can see it being implemented with success.



Exactly.  It's the fact that there is an 8-second window to be successful, and your success varies based on technological factors, that adds so much stress.  The stress would be very much reduced if you had hours to enter the lottery and then just received a notification on your phone when the lottery happens.  You may still be disappointed if you don't get a spot, but it would be much more mild compared to the stress of the hour leading up to that 8-second window and that 8 seconds.

We had one of our best park trips to WDW this past Christmas.  The lack of fast passes greatly improved our experience.  Lines can be physically long, but they move very fast.  You feel like you are on a pleasant walk most of the time.  And I forgot how nice parks were without certain times you had to be in this land or that land, or having to cross the park to ride that one ride you have a fastpass for. It was a game changer for us.  Have a blast!

Sorry to derail too.  I will see myself out now.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> Yes, the doors are now windows so they don't open but do let in light. We are booked on the July 2022 British Isles to replace our cancelled 2021 cruise.  We do prefer the Med as the weather is much better but this is DS's graduation trip and he really wanted to go to London and Scotland and Ireland.
> 
> We did the Med in 2016 and it is our favorite trip to date.  The ports and sites are fabulous.  If you do this and can hit a beach those are wonderful too.   So different from N. America or Caribbean.


What ship were you on in 2016?  We did a Vista Mediterranean that year, wow it was a great trip, amazing ports.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Club Disney Chandler said:


> What ship were you on in 2016?  We did a Vista Mediterranean that year, wow it was a great trip, amazing ports.


Yep it was Vista! We did a 10 day Barcelona to Athens. We had 6 nights pre-cruise in Barcelona. I actually don’t remember much of those 6 days because I picked up a nasty cold/cough and was hopped up on meds the whole time. We also hit a heatwave that had temps over 100F while we were in Greece and Turkey. After the cruise we flew back to Rome for 4 nights. The whole experience was amazing.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

trvlgirlmq said:


> Yep it was Vista! We did a 10 day Barcelona to Athens. We had 6 nights pre-cruise in Barcelona. I actually don’t remember much of those 6 days because I picked up a nasty cold/cough and was hopped up on meds the whole time. We also hit a heatwave that had temps over 100F while we were in Greece and Turkey. After the cruise we flew back to Rome for 4 nights. The whole experience was amazing.


That was the one we considered but went with the 8 day without Greece instead  I really wish we would have included Greece now. I loved Barcelona, we only had a couple days there before the cruise but it’s an amazing city!


----------



## hdrolfe

Carnival officially cancelled to end of May 31, 2021.  Knew it was coming. I have nothing booked until December but am anxious for them to start before I have to PIF to help my decision. Feels like we'll never cruise again.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Carnival officially cancelled to end of May 31, 2021.  Knew it was coming. I have nothing booked until December but am anxious for them to start before I have to PIF to help my decision. Feels like we'll never cruise again.



Yeah. Definitely saw that one coming. 

We have booked at the end of August. Still don’t know if it’s going to happen but the roll out of the vaccines in the USA makes me optimistic. I’m just not sure if DH and I will be vaccinated by that time or what the conditions for travelling will be since Canada has way less vaccines available. That being said, it looks like we might get lucky in June or July.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Yeah. Definitely saw that one coming.
> 
> We have booked at the end of August. Still don’t know if it’s going to happen but the roll out of the vaccines in the USA makes me optimistic. I’m just not sure if DH and I will be vaccinated by that time or what the conditions for travelling will be since Canada has way less vaccines available. That being said, it looks like we might get lucky in June or July.



Ontario isn't planning my age group until after July! I'm just so disappointed in the vaccine rollout here. Never mind my son is only 11 so won't be able to get anything until they start testing it on younger groups. The whole things makes me sad. I want to hear the steel drum music and feel the warm breeze with a fruity drink in hand while my kiddo goes on the water slides and does the ropes course.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Ontario isn't planning my age group until after July! I'm just so disappointed in the vaccine rollout here. Never mind my son is only 11 so won't be able to get anything until they start testing it on younger groups. The whole things makes me sad. I want to hear the steel drum music and feel the warm breeze with a fruity drink in hand while my kiddo goes on the water slides and does the ropes course.



I wanna hear steel drum so bad that I’m thinking of buying my own. LOL

I swear I’ll cry tears of joy the day I set foot on a ship.


----------



## belle032

Sounds like RCL is getting back in business!

I'm 100% fine with a vaccine requirement (don't mean to turn this into a debate!), but really interested to see the mask guidelines. And how daily activities and dining will be handled.

Hopefully this is the light at the end of the tunnel!


----------



## brentm77

mevelandry said:


> I wanna hear steel drum so bad that I’m thinking of buying my own. LOL
> 
> I swear I’ll cry tears of joy the day I set foot on a ship.


----------



## mevelandry

In your opinion, will Carnival have their guests be fully vaccined when they restart sailing? 

By the look of it (RCCL and NCL now saying they will) while they won't say it, it sure looks like they will. 

While it's good news for the company and for the well being of others, if that's the case, it will be the end of our family cruise project for this summer.

My husband and I (unless we get the J&J vaccine before mid-june which would be some kind of miracle) won't be able to get vaccinated on time due to the spacing between the two shots here in Quebec (2-3 months) and we don't expect to be fully vaccinated before the end of September. 

At this point, we are hoping to see Carnival announce it sooner than later (and hopefully announcing that they are lifting fees to cancel/postpone? That's what I am hoping for) so we can change plans.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Sounds like RCL is getting back in business!
> 
> I'm 100% fine with a vaccine requirement (don't mean to turn this into a debate!), but really interested to see the mask guidelines. And how daily activities and dining will be handled.
> 
> Hopefully this is the light at the end of the tunnel!



Based on what I have seen on other cruise lines who have announced fully vaccinated cruises. I believe masks will still be required in many areas... At least in the first months.


----------



## belle032

Our Alaskan cruise for this September on NCL was officially cancelled today. Got the email this morning. No surprises there. Actually glad to have it official.

We had only put a deposit down so not a ton of money tied up. The letter states a full refund will be processed within 30 days automatically. Also a 10% discount in the form of a Future Cruise Credit. 

Maybe we'll get to experience NCL someday!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> Our Alaskan cruise for this September on NCL was officially cancelled today. Got the email this morning. No surprises there. Actually glad to have it official.
> 
> We had only put a deposit down so not a ton of money tied up. The letter states a full refund will be processed within 30 days automatically. Also a 10% discount in the form of a Future Cruise Credit.
> 
> Maybe we'll get to experience NCL someday!


It's a bummer.  I have just decided to not even try for a cruise until our planned trip next summer.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Our Alaskan cruise for this September on NCL was officially cancelled today. Got the email this morning. No surprises there. Actually glad to have it official.
> 
> We had only put a deposit down so not a ton of money tied up. The letter states a full refund will be processed within 30 days automatically. Also a 10% discount in the form of a Future Cruise Credit.
> 
> Maybe we'll get to experience NCL someday!



It took them exactly one month to refund us... 

I'd say they were more efficient than MSC when it comes to refunds. MSC staff on the phone was really nice... but it took them almost three months to refund us... 

I would have loved to try one of their ship (NCL and MSC).


----------



## mevelandry

Considering the very slow roll out of the vaccines in area, the complicated circumstances regarding testing prior to travelling... and the fact that we expect the mandatory two weeks quarantine to stay well into the summer... We have made the decision to cancel our August cruise on Sunrise.

To replace our cruise we are hoping to be able to have a very nice getaway in Niagara Falls (which we absolutely loved when we visited in 2017) and want to show NF to my in-laws.

We are sad to miss this cruise but the next weeks/months will be way less stressful this way.

To compensate for our loss, we have decided to upgrade our Mardi Gras inside cabins to Inside Cloud 9 Spa cabins! (Thought of doing balconies but oof, balconies on a new ships are expensive, y'all!)

Not gonna lie, I'm even more excited to try Mardi Gras now. Hopefully things will have calmed down by then.


----------



## belle032

Looks like Norwegian is trying to get back on the seas by July 4. Vaccines required until at least October 31 and I believe I saw 60% capacity initially. It also says during the first full month of operations, NCL shore excursions are required (I assume just if you want to leave the ship?). What does everyone think?

https://www.ncl.com/sail-safe?fbclid=IwAR11qHueNGhzc66V_lILx1EQ_jtt263DQ6Td70TeL6CEKbuxPtQMEHFa1cc


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I’m on board with vaccines being required. Until herd  immunity can be reached or the virus starts to peter out this is the safest for crew, passengers and the locals in ports.

My mom and I are actually quite disappointed in Carnival’s silence on vaccines. We have decided that our cruise next summer will be the last and we plan to try Royal going forward.


----------



## DCLMP

belle032 said:


> Looks like Norwegian is trying to get back on the seas by July 4. Vaccines required until at least October 31 and I believe I saw 60% capacity initially. It also says during the first full month of operations, NCL shore excursions are required (I assume just if you want to leave the ship?). What does everyone think?
> 
> https://www.ncl.com/sail-safe?fbclid=IwAR11qHueNGhzc66V_lILx1EQ_jtt263DQ6Td70TeL6CEKbuxPtQMEHFa1cc


I think none of this is going to work. There's a percentage of people that will get the vaccine, wear masks and be happy about it.  There's also a percentage of people that believe in medical confidentiality and freedom to choose. I think most people believe in the latter when it fits their values or narrative, but that concept seems to get lost in all of this. 

 I don't see how cruise lines can reconcile all this and be successful in the long term. There is so much divisiveness, I think we're in for some turbulent times and cruising may become an afterthought.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Looks like Norwegian is trying to get back on the seas by July 4. Vaccines required until at least October 31 and I believe I saw 60% capacity initially. It also says during the first full month of operations, NCL shore excursions are required (I assume just if you want to leave the ship?). What does everyone think?
> 
> https://www.ncl.com/sail-safe?fbclid=IwAR11qHueNGhzc66V_lILx1EQ_jtt263DQ6Td70TeL6CEKbuxPtQMEHFa1cc



I don’t know if they’ll get the okay.... But I’d do it in a heartbeat!

I honestly can‘t see cruising happening without mandatory vaccination. It makes everything simpler for the cruise lines. 

EDITED: As soon as the whole family is vaccinated and mandatory quarantine removed we want to try to book a last minute cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I’m on board with vaccines being required. Until herd  immunity can be reached or the virus starts to peter out this is the safest for crew, passengers and the locals in ports.
> 
> My mom and I are actually quite disappointed in Carnival’s silence on vaccines. We have decided that our cruise next summer will be the last and we plan to try Royal going forward.



I have always felt like Carnival position is always « We don‘t know yet » ... Until they officially announce it. No matter what the subject is. While they are not saying it explicitely, to me, the whole Christine Duffy video and John Heald being so vocal about vaccines makes it obvious that they will make them mandatory.

That being said, I think you might enjoy Royal.


----------



## mevelandry

*Removing this comment to remain on topic*


----------



## John VN

mevelandry said:


> .....................................This divisiveness (which IMO has certain roots in the political context) should not have any impact on this pandemic, but unfortunately, it does and that’s a shame.
> 
> Things do not have to be turbulent.
> 
> Let’s all remember that this is just a moment in time. *Chances are that in a year from now, all of this will be behind us.* We’ll be back to « normal » (or a new normal). If there is one moment where we should all focus on the love of cruising —which may be the only thing some people have in common—, it’s now. I believe we have to make it work.



NOT SURE if "divisiveness" can ever be overcome.  Was it not 1 Year Ago *this* was going to "be gone" ???


----------



## mevelandry

*Removing this comment to stay on topic*


----------



## belle032

I'm fine with cruises initially requiring vaccines. TBH I don't see how they could get started without requiring it in the beginning. There will be a giant spotlight on these companies and you know they'll be shut down again at the first sign of any issue. Why wouldn't they have this safeguard in place? I see it as just a business decision more than an ethical what's right/wrong decision. (Not trying to start a debate, just expressing an opinion.) 

I was more interested to see what the mask policy would be and it looks like something I could live with. There weren't really any surprises, masking indoors except when eating or drinking is pretty much the standard now. 

I do think we'll look more closely at a cruise this fall or winter. Light at the end of the tunnel maybe?


----------



## hdrolfe

I plan to get vaccinated but I travel with my son and they aren't approved for his age yet. So if they don't do as RCL has in their summer starting cruises, we won't be able to cruise. I am sure many adults will be happy to cruise with no kids on board, but there will be a lot of families disappointed


----------



## belle032

Adding: looks like the NCL Joy will sail 7 day itineraries starting August 7 from Montego Bay and NCL Gem sailing 7 day itineraries starting August 15 from Punta Cana. Got an email -  itineraries are live on the website....and they actually look pretty intriguing!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I plan to get vaccinated but I travel with my son and they aren't approved for his age yet. So if they don't do as RCL has in their summer starting cruises, we won't be able to cruise. I am sure many adults will be happy to cruise with no kids on board, but there will be a lot of families disappointed



I have a feeling DCL will have tough decisions to make.


----------



## DCLMP

mevelandry said:


> I don‘t know how it works in the USA but here I believe the vaccination records aren’t placed under the same laws and public health gets priority over confidentiality (at least when it comes to vaccines).
> 
> I guess none of the people against this have health insurance, life insurance, went to a school who requested it, took travel insurance?
> 
> Just like them, the cruise lines request it but you’re the one granting (or not) access to the info. Then, the cruise lines are allowed to let you board... or not.
> 
> It all make complete sense when you look at the situation from their angle. In this context, it’s the easiest way to return to sailing ASAP and they need to sail to « survive »...
> 
> Now...
> 
> This divisiveness (which IMO has certain roots in the political context) should not have any impact on this pandemic, but unfortunately, it does and that’s a shame.
> 
> Things do not have to be turbulent.
> 
> Let’s all remember that this is just a moment in time. Chances are that in a year from now, all of this will be behind us. We’ll be back to « normal » (or a new normal). If there is one moment where we should all focus on the love of cruising —which may be the only thing some people have in common—, it’s now. I believe we have to make it work.


I’m confused by your second paragraph. There’s no vaccine requirement to get health and life insurance..
Yes it’s a momement a time, but big  moments in time change the future. I don’t think cruising or anything else will return to how it was in the past.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> I have a feeling DCL will have tough decisions to make.



Agreed. I could see them sitting out 2021.


----------



## hdrolfe

And Carnival has officially cancelled to end of June (don't think anyone is surprised) as well as extending the PIF for July to end of May (and ability to cancel without penalties). I'm booked for December (Carnival and RCL) and have no idea if we are going to be able to go... I at least hope we'll be able to move without penalty if things aren't possible. No flights booked yet because I'm too worried and don't want to lose or tie up that money.


----------



## AquaDame

Reminder to please not turn this thread into a political argument about the handling or requirement of records - political topics are not allowed. Thank you!


----------



## mevelandry

EDITED: *** Trying to go back to the main subject***

Honestly, cruising wasn't super safe before the pandemic so IMO it can only get better/safer in the future.

My "moment in time" quote refered to the divisiveness being (hopefully) temporary... Which is why we should all focus on what unites us: our love of cruises!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> And Carnival has officially cancelled to end of June (don't think anyone is surprised) as well as extending the PIF for July to end of May (and ability to cancel without penalties). I'm booked for December (Carnival and RCL) and have no idea if we are going to be able to go... I at least hope we'll be able to move without penalty if things aren't possible. No flights booked yet because I'm too worried and don't want to lose or tie up that money.



I'm fairly confident that cruising will resume by fall (if not earlier). 

That being said, I think everyone kinda knew that June was not going to happen.


----------



## DCLMP

mevelandry said:


> Health and life insurance tend to require access to our medical records... Just saying that people who do not agree with sharing vaccination records probably don't have insurance either because those requireto share private information as well.
> 
> Honestly, cruising wasn't super safe before the pandemic so IMO it can only get better/safer in the future.
> 
> My "moment in time" quote refered to the divisiveness being (hopefully) temporary... Which is why we should all focus on what unites us: our love of cruises!


You have a completely different system. That being said sharing  records with you health provider or insurance company is different than sharing health records wiith a private business.


----------



## mevelandry

***EDITED***Trying to get back to the main subject***


----------



## DCLMP

AquaDame said:


> Reminder to please not turn this thread into a political argument about the handling or requirement of records - political topics are not allowed. Thank you!


NCl has already stated they are going to require vaccines. I’m not sure how the topic can be avoided on a cruise forum. ...but Ok.


----------



## AquaDame

DCLMP said:


> NCl has already stated they are going to require vaccines. I’m not sure how the topic can be avoided on a cruise forum. ...but Ok.



Sure, but saying "hey NCL is going to require vaccines starting this summer" is one thing and "I don‘t know how it works in the USA but here I believe the vaccination records aren’t placed under the same laws and public health gets priority over confidentiality (at least when it comes to vaccines)" is another. If you really want to get into the nitty gritty we have a vaccination specific thread, and/or the community forum. This thread is for Carnival vs. DCL (though its often strayed to other lines too).


----------



## mevelandry

AquaDame said:


> Sure, but saying "hey NCL is going to require vaccines starting this summer" is one thing and "I don‘t know how it works in the USA but here I believe the vaccination records aren’t placed under the same laws and public health gets priority over confidentiality (at least when it comes to vaccines)" is another. If you really want to get into the nitty gritty we have a vaccination specific thread, and/or the community forum. This thread is for Carnival vs. DCL (though its often strayed to other lines too).



I'll remove all my comments on the subject to make sure no one replies to them.

I didn't mean to be political (at all) but more about public health (as I don't really see politics and public health as "going together").


----------



## brewcrew

We have been on 8 Disney cruises and 2 RC.  We will be trying out Carnival in the spring of 2023.  Looking forward to it!,,


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> We have been on 8 Disney cruises and 2 RC.  We will be trying out Carnival in the spring of 2023.  Looking forward to it!,,



Which ship?


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> Which ship?


The Panorama!!!  Going to the Mexican Riviera.


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> The Panorama!!!  Going to the Mexican Riviera.



Good choice.


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> Good choice.


Since it is our first time on Carnival, I wanted a newer ship.  We also booked a Havana aft balcony...because of the past year.


----------



## DCLMP

Well I’m going on a “cruise”Saturday. An airboat 3 hour adventure through the swamps of Orlando. I”m looking forward to this more then the parks.


----------



## belle032

brewcrew said:


> We have been on 8 Disney cruises and 2 RC.  We will be trying out Carnival in the spring of 2023.  Looking forward to it!,,



So exciting! The Panorama looks beautiful!


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> Since it is our first time on Carnival, I wanted a newer ship.  We also booked a Havana aft balcony...because of the past year.



It’s what I usually recommend to people who have sailed mostly on DCL. The new ships have more to offer and they are (obviously) in a much better shape than the rest of the fleet. I haven’t try a havana cabin yet but I know they are coming with nice perks (ex: the Havana pool being very rarely crowded).


----------



## brent02139

Sorry, wrong thread but, is there a RCCL/Royal Caribbean thread? I can't find one and didn't want to start a new one just for my conundrum. Also I've checked RCCL forum but they don't have a large RCCL vs DCL thread either.  Thanks in advance.


----------



## belle032

brent02139 said:


> Sorry, wrong thread but, is there a RCCL/Royal Caribbean thread? I can't find one and didn't want to start a new one just for my conundrum. Also I've checked RCCL forum but they don't have a large RCCL vs DCL thread either.  Thanks in advance.



I don't think there is one specifically in this forum as RCCL has it's own section. But this thread has often veered into DCL vs. all other cruise lines, so if we can be of any help, I'd say feel free to post!


----------



## mevelandry

brent02139 said:


> Sorry, wrong thread but, is there a RCCL/Royal Caribbean thread? I can't find one and didn't want to start a new one just for my conundrum. Also I've checked RCCL forum but they don't have a large RCCL vs DCL thread either.  Thanks in advance.



There are a few reviews that compared DCL and RCCL but nothing like this thread. 

That being said, I will say like @belle032. You can always ask here because many of have also experienced RCCL (on top of DCL and Carnival) and may be able to answer most of your questions.


----------



## brent02139

Thank you! I've booked a DCL balcony for Alaska for summer 2022 for $12k.... But RCCL Quantum is $5k for something comparable. I did some basic research so I know what each cruise line brings to the experience. If money were no object, I would just stick with DCL, but $7k difference is quite a lot and hard to ignore. We could book the excursions that we want and still have enough left over for another RCCL cruise. So for the people who went and experienced both cruises, did the cruise line you choose matter all that much? Another possibility is to downgrade to DCL porthole room for $8k, that’s priced between what we have and RCCL. For background, we're a young family with 2 toddlers, cruising for the first time, living here in the US.

edit: RCCL is with Quantum of the Sea


----------



## AquaDame

brent02139 said:


> Thank you! I've booked a DCL balcony for Alaska for summer 2022 for $12k.... But RCCL is $5k for something comparable. I did some basic research so I know what each cruise line brings to the experience. If money were no object, I would just stick with DCL, but $7k difference is quite a lot and hard to ignore. We could book the excursions that we want and still have enough left over for another RCCL cruise. So for the people who went and experienced both cruises, did the cruise line you choose matter all that much? Another possibility is to downgrade to DCL porthole room for $8k, that’s priced between what we have and RCCL. For background, we're a young family with 2 toddlers, cruising for the first time, living here in the US.



We do not have children, so I can't comment on that, but we did sail both RCCL and DCL to Alaska. To be honest we enjoy the onboard experience on DCL more than we have on the older RCCL ships (I'm not sure which one you are looking at, but we were on Jewel of the Seas). Certainly NOT 7K more though - on shore it doesn't matter which ship you're on and an Alaskan cruise is very much about Alaska. The overall experience and our glacier day was much better on RCCL - Hubbard was much more active and impressive than Endicott was (we did not make it into Tracy Arm on our DCL cruise). We also loved debarking in Anchorage and heading on to Denali - I wish DCL would offer one ways! I still want to do a third Alaska cruise to visit Glacier Bay and that will also have to be on a line other than DCL as they don't go there. I think I would try Princess next rather than sail with RCCL again unless it were a newer larger ship. We simply were bored in the evenings...the shows were OK but the later evening adult ones were a bit crass and disappointing, and I'm not a big drinker. Neither of us gamble... and I don't know much about 70s or 80s trivia... having "Disney" as the theme is a plus in my book as I like it. We spent a lot of time on the pool deck playing cribbage or reading in our room as there just wasnt a lot to do on the schedule for us on RCCL.


----------



## mevelandry

I haven't done Alaska nor do I have kids... but I've done DCL ships, Wonder and Dream ... (and RCCL ships --Mariner and Adventure-- that had less options than the Quantum) and ... Honestly, IMO DCL is not worth a 1000$ premium --especially the Wonder-- and absolutely not worth a 7000$ premium.

I could pay off 1 more RCCL cruises (with all the plane tickets, extras and excursions) with that price difference.

Nothing against DCL (even planning to try one of their new ships someday) but we really enjoy what other cruise lines have to offer for a much better price.


----------



## belle032

brent02139 said:


> Thank you! I've booked a DCL balcony for Alaska for summer 2022 for $12k.... But RCCL Quantum is $5k for something comparable. I did some basic research so I know what each cruise line brings to the experience. If money were no object, I would just stick with DCL, but $7k difference is quite a lot and hard to ignore. We could book the excursions that we want and still have enough left over for another RCCL cruise. So for the people who went and experienced both cruises, did the cruise line you choose matter all that much? Another possibility is to downgrade to DCL porthole room for $8k, that’s priced between what we have and RCCL. For background, we're a young family with 2 toddlers, cruising for the first time, living here in the US.
> 
> edit: RCCL is with Quantum of the Sea



I can't compare Alaska unfortunately (our September sailing on the NCL Encore was cancelled ), but I can compare a similar type sailing - the British Isles on the DCL Magic in 2019. $12K for Alaska is insane to me. We had a lovely oceanview room for the BI and it was maybe $6K? I'd have to look it up, but I know for a FACT it was less than $8K. I know it was just for 2 adults and costs rise every year, but that just seems like so much money.

The BI, similar to what I've always heard about Alaska, is that it's so much more about the actual ports and scenery and what's going on outside of the ship. The ship itself is more of a mode of transportation, unlike the Caribbean where it plays a huge part into what sailing we choose (at least for us!). 

Carnival is generally our go-to for the Caribbean, but we chose Norwegian for Alaska mainly because of the itinerary. DCL doesn't visit Glacier Bay, which was pretty much a deal breaker right there. It also doesn't offer anything "new & different" in terms of port stops. And I've always been told that you're going to splurge on a balcony, it should be for Alaska. So there's no way I would downgrade unless the cost savings were massive. 

I can also say that on our sea days on the Magic, it was the first time DH & I honestly got bored on a cruise ship. I assume you'd be on the Wonder, so it's an older and smaller ship as well. Because of the colder climate, activities were indoors (understandably) and seemed very limited to trivia and bingo. I think a newer & bigger ship would have offered more activities and alleviated some of that for sure. We don't have kids, so I can't speak to that, however, I hope someone else can!

For that cost difference, I would book RCCL in a second. For all the reasons you stated. If you still want to try DCL, I'd book a Bahamas/Caribbean sailing with the money you're saving from sailing RCCL to Alaska! 

Don't get me wrong, we LOVE DISNEY. However, the cost vs. the value we get from DCL is not there for us. I know others will absolutely fight me on that, but in terms of itineraries, ships, activities, service, dining, and everything else, DCL just doesn't justify those kinds of price differences.

I've always said you need to determine what vacations and cruise lines are best for your family, but we have learned to get our Disney fix at WDW.


----------



## serene56

mevelandry said:


> It’s what I usually recommend to people who have sailed mostly on DCL. The new ships have more to offer and they are (obviously) in a much better shape than the rest of the fleet. I haven’t try a havana cabin yet but I know they are coming with nice perks (ex: the Havana pool being very rarely crowded).


I tried those "newer"  "bigger"   ships.    so not for us.  taking away free spaces to make way for paid stuff.    Spa was incredible looking.  but on other cruises I felt we were all treated the same   no matter where your cabin was.  or what category.     Now I worry because I have not sailed on DCL and if its comparrison to the newer ships on carnival I will be greatly disappointed


----------



## brewcrew

We went on the Disney Wonder to Alaska in 2015 and LOVED every moment of it.  We had two cabins for our family of 6 and it was pricey!!!  We loved Alaska so much that we are going back in June 2022 (fingers crossed) but we are going on Princess (and just myself and my husband this time).  I have heard that Princess and Holland America just do Alaska the best.  With young children, I would definitly lean towards Disney or Royal..maybe even Princess (I’ve heard they have good children’s clubs).  If you’re children are under the childcare centers ages, Disney would win hands down for me.  They know how to entertain families!


----------



## mevelandry

serene56 said:


> I tried those "newer"  "bigger"   ships.    so not for us. * taking away free spaces to make way for paid stuff.   * Spa was incredible looking.  but on other cruises I felt we were all treated the same   no matter where your cabin was.  or what category.     Now I worry because I have not sailed on DCL and if its comparrison to the newer ships on carnival *I will be greatly disappointed*



Paid stuff: Do you have any examples?

Disappointment: What are you looking for?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

brewcrew said:


> Since it is our first time on Carnival, I wanted a newer ship.  We also booked a Havana aft balcony...because of the past year.


We strayed from DCL when Carnival Vista (Panorama’s slightly older sister), was brand new, we were on her 3rd sailing. We really fell in love with Carnival and the Vista class ships. As long as you go into your cruise knowing it won’t be the same level of service as DCL, you’ll be fine. They really are different experiences, SCL is definitely a pampered more luxury experience, and Carnival is a ton of fun!  We love both lines but for different reasons!  We’ve been on Vista 4 times and know her pretty well, feel free to reach out if you have any questions.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

We are one of the people who just had our Carnival Mardi Gras June cruise canceled. I’m definitely bummed but figured it would happen so booked a B2B on her for June 2022.  We also had a WDW vacation booked for the same week as Mardi Gras for this year as a back up. We are now canceling it because I just booked Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas for June 26, 2021. They are sailing out of Nassau, so we are spending a day at Atlantis before the cruise. We will have 2 days at Perfect Day at CoCoCay, 2 sea days and a stop in Cozumel and Grand Bahama Island. We are required to be vaccinated and still don’t know what the mask policy will be.

We are beyond excited to be on a ship this year.  They are sailing out of Nassau so they don’t have to follow the CDC rules and no sail order. This will be our first time on Royal and are very excited. It’s a really good rate too, $4800 for 4 people in 2 connecting balcony cabins.  Mevelandry, what did you think of Adventure of the Seas?


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We are one of the people who just had our Carnival Mardi Gras June cruise canceled. I’m definitely bummed but figured it would happen so booked a B2B on her for June 2022.  We also had a WDW vacation booked for the same week as Mardi Gras for this year as a back up. We are now canceling it because I just booked Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas for June 26, 2021. They are sailing out of Nassau, so we are spending a day at Atlantis before the cruise. We will have 2 days at Perfect Day at CoCoCay, 2 sea days and a stop in Cozumel and Grand Bahama Island. We are required to be vaccinated and still don’t know what the mask policy will be.
> 
> We are beyond excited to be on a ship this year.  They are sailing out of Nassau so they don’t have to follow the CDC rules and no sail order. This will be our first time on Royal and are very excited. It’s a really good rate too, $4800 for 4 people in 2 connecting balcony cabins.  Mevelandry, what did you think of Adventure of the Seas?



That is so exciting! I can’t wait to hear your review about the “new” way of cruising. 

I’m looking more and more into the possibility of cruising this fall/winter. We have a credit now with NCL so the idea of being able to cruise this year is pretty appealing!


----------



## brent02139

Hi, so we stayed with Disney, but downgrading it to a porthole cabin. So it's halfway between a RCCL balcony and Disney balcony. Plus my wife was starting to get anxious about kids climbing and falling off of the balcony (more about the stress-free experience vs worrying about actually falling out of balcony)

Still, quite a price difference, but we wanted to come away with a great family experience, and I think that Disney would be the best opportunity for that. Other than the morning excursions which we will no doubt be psyched about, but also want to be mindful of not doing too much, and be back on board the ship before the kids have a meltdown. We will take advantage of all the Disney activities it has to offer while it seems like RCCL is geared towards older kids. 

Thank you all for your help!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We are one of the people who just had our Carnival Mardi Gras June cruise canceled. I’m definitely bummed but figured it would happen so booked a B2B on her for June 2022.  We also had a WDW vacation booked for the same week as Mardi Gras for this year as a back up. We are now canceling it because I just booked Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas for June 26, 2021. They are sailing out of Nassau, so we are spending a day at Atlantis before the cruise. We will have 2 days at Perfect Day at CoCoCay, 2 sea days and a stop in Cozumel and Grand Bahama Island. We are required to be vaccinated and still don’t know what the mask policy will be.
> 
> We are beyond excited to be on a ship this year.  They are sailing out of Nassau so they don’t have to follow the CDC rules and no sail order. This will be our first time on Royal and are very excited. It’s a really good rate too, $4800 for 4 people in 2 connecting balcony cabins.  Mevelandry, what did you think of Adventure of the Seas?



Loved it! I love the look of the ship overall. I am not that much into casinos, but the Adventure‘s casino decor is my favorite to this day (the dancers statue and the decor at the entrance did it for me)...

There was so much to do! My family and I love going to Schooner’s (a nice bar with a classic look) to play Trivia. I loved the variety of the shows and IMO the skating show is not to be missed —we encounter rough seas that night, which made it even more impressive— but honestly, there wasn’t any bad shows ( quite the contrary) and all the singers were great. The comedy shows tend to be a little more family friendly than Carnival.

In order to avoid crowds on the first day, we treated ourselves to a lunch at the Steakhouse and it was fantastic. I haven’t tried the italian this time but I heard it was great as well.

Windjammer (buffet) is great and there is always a 2$ special on Mimosas in the morning... At night you can buy an affordable glass of wine sit near the aft view window, the lights are tamed and it almost feels like you’re eating at a nice restaurants. But most of the time, we ate in the dining room —main dining— which is absolutely spectacular and our food was always good.

We tend to stick to the adult pool because we love it over there but the main pools on the ship are nice and the hot tubs are the biggest I’ve ever seen on cruise ships.

The only thing I liked a little bit less was that we were put in a deck 2 cabin... We had a few storms during the night and the waves were crashing on the hull (making a lot of noise) but the view was amazing. The soundproofing wasn’t great between us and the other connecting cabin and we had an unpleasant loud neighbour... but since you are family, I’m sure you won’t have any problems.

To me, RCCL is the perfect mix between DCL and Carnival (Best of both worlds) and absolutely love the cruise line.

And don’t even get me started on CocoCay, best private island ever (Yes, better than Castaway Cay) I am absolutely jealous of your two stops.

Is your Grand Bahama stop at the new RCCL place they were planning to build? I can’t wait to see what they will do with that stop.


----------



## hdrolfe

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We are one of the people who just had our Carnival Mardi Gras June cruise canceled. I’m definitely bummed but figured it would happen so booked a B2B on her for June 2022.  We also had a WDW vacation booked for the same week as Mardi Gras for this year as a back up. We are now canceling it because I just booked Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas for June 26, 2021. They are sailing out of Nassau, so we are spending a day at Atlantis before the cruise. We will have 2 days at Perfect Day at CoCoCay, 2 sea days and a stop in Cozumel and Grand Bahama Island. We are required to be vaccinated and still don’t know what the mask policy will be.
> 
> We are beyond excited to be on a ship this year.  They are sailing out of Nassau so they don’t have to follow the CDC rules and no sail order. This will be our first time on Royal and are very excited. It’s a really good rate too, $4800 for 4 people in 2 connecting balcony cabins.  Mevelandry, what did you think of Adventure of the Seas?



Well I'm jealous! That trip out of Nassau looks amazing. Or maybe I'm just really wanting to cruise? Naw, 2 days at Coco Cay, plus some other stops? If I could get out of Canada (without a 2 week quarantine when I get back) I'd be on it! I am sure you will have an amazing time. All adults? Adventure does look like it has quite a bit for adults and kids to do. Full report when you get back please  

I'm sad you had Mardi Gras cancelled on you, I'm on it in December and it keeps changing and looking like we may be the first cruise on it lol... if we can even go


----------



## belle032

brent02139 said:


> Hi, so we stayed with Disney, but downgrading it to a porthole cabin. So it's halfway between a RCCL balcony and Disney balcony. Plus my wife was starting to get anxious about kids climbing and falling off of the balcony (more about the stress-free experience vs worrying about actually falling out of balcony)
> 
> Still, quite a price difference, but we wanted to come away with a great family experience, and I think that Disney would be the best opportunity for that. Other than the morning excursions which we will no doubt be psyched about, but also want to be mindful of not doing too much, and be back on board the ship before the kids have a meltdown. We will take advantage of all the Disney activities it has to offer while it seems like RCCL is geared towards older kids.
> 
> Thank you all for your help!



I think that's great reasoning that works perfect for your family. Your littles are the perfect age for Disney! I know you'll have a wonderful time!


----------



## brent02139

belle032 said:


> I think that's great reasoning that works perfect for your family. Your littles are the perfect age for Disney! I know you'll have a wonderful time!


And if this cruise works out great, maybe I can sell the idea of one more cruise to my wife. Otherwise it's one and done for us, haha.


----------



## mevelandry

brent02139 said:


> And if this cruise works out great, maybe I can sell the idea of one more cruise to my wife. Otherwise it's one and done for us, haha.



Start saving money for the next one now.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Loved it! I love the look of the ship overall. I am not that much into casinos, but the Adventure‘s casino decor is my favorite to this day (the dancers statue and the decor at the entrance did it for me)...
> 
> There was so much to do! My family and I love going to Schooner’s (a nice bar with a classic look) to play Trivia. I loved the variety of the shows and IMO the skating show is not to be missed —we encounter rough seas that night, which made it even more impressive— but honestly, there wasn’t any bad shows ( quite the contrary) and all the singers were great. The comedy shows tend to be a little more family friendly than Carnival.
> 
> In order to avoid crowds on the first day, we treated ourselves to a lunch at the Steakhouse and it was fantastic. I haven’t tried the italian this time but I heard it was great as well.
> 
> Windjammer (buffet) is great and there is always a 2$ special on Mimosas in the morning... At night you can buy an affordable glass of wine sit near the aft view window, the lights are tamed and it almost feels like you’re eating at a nice restaurants. But most of the time, we ate in the dining room —main dining— which is absolutely spectacular and our food was always good.
> 
> We tend to stick to the adult pool because we love it over there but the main pools on the ship are nice and the hot tubs are the biggest I’ve ever seen on cruise ships.
> 
> The only thing I liked a little bit less was that we were put in a deck 2 cabin... We had a few storms during the night and the waves were crashing on the hull (making a lot of noise) but the view was amazing. The soundproofing wasn’t great between us and the other connecting cabin and we had an unpleasant loud neighbour... but since you are family, I’m sure you won’t have any problems.
> 
> To me, RCCL is the perfect mix between DCL and Carnival (Best of both worlds) and absolutely love the cruise line.
> 
> And don’t even get me started on CocoCay, best private island ever (Yes, better than Castaway Cay) I am absolutely jealous of your two stops.
> 
> Is your Grand Bahama stop at the new RCCL place they were planning to build? I can’t wait to see what they will do with that stop.


Thanks for all the info!  Our kids are 20 and 21 so we’ll be doing a lot of the adult stuff, it looks like a really nice ship. They are doing set dining because of covid, I like your time better but totally understand so I’m ok with it.
We made reservations for the steak house and got one of the cabanas at CoCoCay for one of the days we’re there.

I can’t express how excited we are to be on a ship again in 76 days!  Last year did us in mentally, as it did many people, but things are really starting to look up!

I’ll definitely do a trip report when we get back with pictures.There’s the excuse I needed for getting a new iPhone, mine is ancient and I’m too cheap to buy another, but for this I think it’s worth it.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

brent02139 said:


> And if this cruise works out great, maybe I can sell the idea of one more cruise to my wife. Otherwise it's one and done for us, haha.


Make sure you book a placeholder for a future cruise while on board. It’s only a $100 deposit to do it and it’s good for 2 years. By doing this you’ll receive a 10% discount on the next cruise. We didn’t do it on our first one and kicked ourselves in the butt after we got home.
We thought we wouldn’t do another cruise after our first time, about a month after it ended we started talking about how great it was and ended up booking another. That was 2011, 10 years later we’ve done 12 cruises and have 3 booked, 1 this year and 2 next year. Cruises are the best!

We did Disney to Alaska in 2018 and it was fantastic


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Thanks for all the info!  Our kids are 20 and 21 so we’ll be doing a lot of the adult stuff, it looks like a really nice ship. They are doing set dining because of covid, I like your time better but totally understand so I’m ok with it.
> We made reservations for the steak house and got one of the cabanas at CoCoCay for one of the days we’re there.
> 
> I can’t express how excited we are to be on a ship again in 76 days!  Last year did us in mentally, as it did many people, but things are really starting to look up!
> 
> I’ll definitely do a trip report when we get back with pictures.There’s the excuse I needed for getting a new iPhone, mine is ancient and I’m too cheap to buy another, but for this I think it’s worth it.



I’m sure you’ll love it.

Talking about set dining: the team we had on the Adventure was absolutely wonderful (Savritri and Mei). They made us want to go eat in the dining room more often.

Oh, just FYI, they offer a very nice and not crowded breakfast in the dining room which is a really nice experience as well if you are into that!

Can’t wait to see your trip report!


----------



## mevelandry

We wanted to book a short cruise for a romantic getaway during Fall 2022. We chose RCCL Independence of the Seas. A port intensive cruise (Nassau, CocoCay and upcoming Grand Bahama Island)...

Don’t get me wrong: I love Carnival but we looked it up and they really need to do something about their short cruises! Elation and Liberty (much older, just ok ships, IMO)... and overnights in Nassau? Meh.  

Princess Cays is very nice but the idea of a sailing on Liberty (which was okay but not the best) and having a sea day on it was not appealing.


----------



## brewcrew

It’s nice to see everybody getting a little more excited about cruising again.  Hope everyone has safe and fun travels!!!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> We wanted to book a short cruise for a romantic getaway during Fall 2022. We chose RCCL Independence of the Seas. A port intensive cruise (Nassau, CocoCay and upcoming Grand Bahama Island)...
> 
> Don’t get me wrong: I love Carnival but we looked it up and they really need to do something about their short cruises! Elation and Liberty (much older, just ok ships, IMO)... and overnights in Nassau? Meh.
> 
> Princess Cays is very nice but the idea of a sailing on Liberty (which was okay but not the best) and having a sea day on it was not appealing.



Liberty was my first cruise. We got hooked. But it didn't have as many bells and whistles as the newer ships for sure. And it doesn't do the 7 night itineraries any more.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Liberty was my first cruise. We got hooked. But it didn't have as many bells and whistles as the newer ships for sure. And it doesn't do the 7 night itineraries any more.



I’ve done Liberty after trying the Vista... Liberty is not a bad ship but it has unexploited potential. I could see it receiving the Victory treatment (refurbishment the Victory received becore it became the Radiance). Victory was very nice.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I’m sure you’ll love it.
> 
> Talking about set dining: the team we had on the Adventure was absolutely wonderful (Savritri and Mei). They made us want to go eat in the dining room more often.
> 
> Oh, just FYI, they offer a very nice and not crowded breakfast in the dining room which is a really nice experience as well if you are into that!
> 
> Can’t wait to see your trip report!


We actually prefer the MDR for breakfast, I’m not a huge buffet guy, would rather have a nice quiet breakfast and talk about what the day ahead holds. Although, I absolutely loved the Taste Bar for breakfast on Vista, was so. I’ve to go outside and have the deck practically to ourselves


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We actually prefer the MDR for breakfast, I’m not a huge buffet guy, would rather have a nice quiet breakfast and talk about what the day ahead holds. Although, I absolutely loved the Taste Bar for breakfast on Vista, was so. I’ve to go outside and have the deck practically to ourselves



Oh good! The MDR for breakfast was a hybrid between a buffet and a menu. There was a few items at the buffet (think eggs, bacon, sausages, charcuteries, cheese, viennoiseries and fruits) and a menu you could could order from. Great experience.


----------



## belle032

Sorry this may be better suited to the Community Board, so please feel free to delete/move if not allowed! I just appreciate everyone's opinions in this thread!  

Does anyone have any recommendations on all-inclusive resorts? DH & I are dying to cruise this year, but realize it might just not work out. So I'm very tentatively checking into other options. We also have at least one other couple who'd be interested as well. We'd prefer a more adult oriented resort, but happy to hear about any recommendations and experiences!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Sorry this may be better suited to the Community Board, so please feel free to delete/move if not allowed! I just appreciate everyone's opinions in this thread!
> 
> Does anyone have any recommendations on all-inclusive resorts? DH & I are dying to cruise this year, but realize it might just not work out. So I'm very tentatively checking into other options. We also have at least one other couple who'd be interested as well. We'd prefer a more adult oriented resort, but happy to hear about any recommendations and experiences!



Any destinations you'd like? I got a lot of friends crazy about all-inclusives so I could check out the ones they have tried.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Any destinations you'd like? I got a lot of friends crazy about all-inclusives so I could check out the ones they have tried.



Not really picky about location, I'd be open to all. But I would definitely say a little bit larger resort with activities available. DH isn't one to sit on the beach for days on end (it's why we love cruising so much!), so a beautiful beach + other options is ideal!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Not really picky about location, I'd be open to all. But I would definitely say a little bit larger resort with activities available. DH isn't one to sit on the beach for days on end (it's why we love cruising so much!), so a beautiful beach + other options is ideal!



Recommendations from friends:

-Sandos Playacar - Playa Del Carmen (Mexico)
-Iberostar Quetzal - Playa Del Carmen (Mexico)
-Bahia Principe Luxury Cayo Levandato - Dominican Republic


----------



## chamberlain

I have only been on DCL cruises and now am going to try RCL.  I am not a fan of the free coffee on DCL ships and am curious how the free coffee is on Royal.  It looks like Royal has a coffee card and various beverage packages but want to know what people think of the free stuff.  And I know it is subjective.  Thanks!


----------



## mevelandry

chamberlain said:


> I have only been on DCL cruises and now am going to try RCL.  I am not a fan of the free coffee on DCL ships and am curious how the free coffee is on Royal.  It looks like Royal has a coffee card and various beverage packages but want to know what people think of the free stuff.  And I know it is subjective.  Thanks!



My husband is very much a fan of the free coffee on Royal.


----------



## chamberlain

That's good to hear!  Thanks!


----------



## DCLMP

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Thanks for all the info!  Our kids are 20 and 21 so we’ll be doing a lot of the adult stuff, it looks like a really nice ship. They are doing set dining because of covid, I like your time better but totally understand so I’m ok with it.
> We made reservations for the steak house and got one of the cabanas at CoCoCay for one of the days we’re there.
> 
> I can’t express how excited we are to be on a ship again in 76 days!  Last year did us in mentally, as it did many people, but things are really starting to look up!
> 
> I’ll definitely do a trip report when we get back with pictures.There’s the excuse I needed for getting a new iPhone, mine is ancient and I’m too cheap to buy another, but for this I think it’s worth it.


What is the process to get back in the USA?  Do you need a PCR test before you get on your flight? I think you need it to enter the Bahamas. I’ve tried reading up on all the rules for international travel to different countries, but I find it confusing and depressing.
I thought about doing a Greek isles cruise in November since Greece is opening to Americans, but all the hoops you have to jump through are giving me some heartburn. Of course that could all change in 7 months.  It could be better or maybe worse.
The scariest thing is getting a false positive.


----------



## mevelandry

DCLMP said:


> What is the process to get back in the USA?  Do you need a PCR test before you get on your flight? I think you need it to enter the Bahamas. I’ve tried reading up on all the rules for international travel to different countries, but I find it confusing and depressing.
> I thought about doing a Greek isles cruise in November since Greece is opening to Americans, but all the hoops you have to jump through are giving me some heartburn. Of course that could all change in 7 months.  It could be better or maybe worse.
> The scariest thing is getting a false positive.



I’m interested in that question as well.

If I remember correctly, in the USA, they announced recently that people who are fully vaccinated don’t/won’t need a PCR test to board the airplane anymore?

For us (in Canada) right now, the biggest problem is that we may not be able to receive tests results on time to board an airplane, they are extremely expensive (last time I checked they were around 150$-250$/pp and mandatory)... and then, unless we fly in the same day, they are not valid anymore (past the 72 hours window) to board the cruiseship. And I am not even talking about the mandatory quarantine in hotels in Canada. They are making it extremely complicated and $$$$$$ to travel. If that’s if you test negative. If you test positive all hell break loose.


----------



## DCLMP

mevelandry said:


> I’m interested in that question as well.
> 
> If I remember correctly, in the USA, they announced recently that people who are fully vaccinated don’t/won’t need a PCR test to board the airplane anymore?
> 
> For us (in Canada) right now, the biggest problem is that we may not be able to receive tests results on time to board an airplane, they are extremely expensive (last time I checked they were around 150$-250$/pp and mandatory)... and then, unless we fly in the same day, they are not valid anymore (past the 72 hours window) to board the cruiseship. And I am not even talking about the mandatory quarantine in hotels in Canada. They are making it extremely complicated and $$$$$$ to travel. If that’s if you test negative. If you test positive all hell break loose.


I looked at the state department website and it says you do need a negative PCR test to return to the US. I don't if it's been updated. If these vaccines work like they claim they do they really need to stop all this nonsense. Life needs to get back to normal. I won't leave the country if there's any chance I'm going to be quarantined on foreign soil for two weeks.

Just to add I checked the state department again it was updated on April 2 and you do need a negative PCR test. This includes the fully vaccinated.


----------



## mevelandry

DCLMP said:


> I looked at the state department website and it says you do need a negative PCR test to return to the US. I don't if it's been updated. If these vaccines work like they claim they do they really need to stop all this nonsense. Life needs to get back to normal. I won't leave the country if there's any chance I'm going to be quarantined on foreign soil for two weeks.
> 
> Just to add I checked the state department again it was updated on April 2 and you do need a negative PCR test. This includes the fully vaccinated.



Ok. This is what we heard on our side, didn’t know you needed a negative test to return.( I’m thinking cruise lines could be able to provide testing?) :

https://globalnews.ca/news/7735834/u-s-covid-19-vaccinated-people-travel/


----------



## DCLMP

mevelandry said:


> Ok. This is what we heard on our side, didn’t know you needed a negative test to return.( I’m thinking cruise lines could be able to provide testing?) :
> 
> https://globalnews.ca/news/7735834/u-s-covid-19-vaccinated-people-travel/


They provide it to get on the ship, but not to enter or leave the country according to NCL‘s website. If you test positive before boarding the will refund your money and cover travel expenses. All other government testing requirements are on you.

If international travel is going to resume none of this is feasible. How are a millions of people flying on thousands of aircraft going to be tested daily? I’m going to assume this is just temporary since very few people are traveling international.

Not the case for domestic travel in the US. Airports are packed and flights are full. MCO was the usual hot mess on Saturday. I was so happy I have TSA precheck. The regular line was 60 minutes.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I’m interested in that question as well.
> 
> If I remember correctly, in the USA, they announced recently that people who are fully vaccinated don’t/won’t need a PCR test to board the airplane anymore?
> 
> For us (in Canada) right now, the biggest problem is that we may not be able to receive tests results on time to board an airplane, they are extremely expensive (last time I checked they were around 150$-250$/pp and mandatory)... and then, unless we fly in the same day, they are not valid anymore (past the 72 hours window) to board the cruiseship. And I am not even talking about the mandatory quarantine in hotels in Canada. They are making it extremely complicated and $$$$$$ to travel. If that’s if you test negative. If you test positive all hell break loose.


The Bahamian government is requiring us to be tested 2 days before we return, so they will be testing us on the ship.
We also recently found out the process for getting a tourist visa. Even though we’ve been fully vaccinated we have to get tested no longer than 5 days before we land in Nassau, once we get our results back, then and only then, can we apply for the tourist visa, which can take up to 48 hours to be processed. So we could literally be on the plane flying the day before we’re supposed to get on the ship and still not know if our visa has been approved.
We decided that is too much stress for a vacation and have canceled it.  Luckily I never changed our airline tickets so we can still go to WDW


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> The Bahamian government is requiring us to be tested 2 days before we return, so they will be testing us on the ship.
> We also recently found out the process for getting a tourist visa. Even though we’ve been fully vaccinated we have to get tested no longer than 5 days before we land in Nassau, once we get our results back, then and only then, can we apply for the tourist visa, which can take up to 48 hours to be processed. So we could literally be on the plane flying the day before we’re supposed to get on the ship and still not know if our visa has been approved.
> We decided that is too much stress for a vacation and have canceled it.  Luckily I never changed our airline tickets so we can still go to WDW



Oof. Can’t blame you.

I don’t know that I could deal with that stress either.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> The Bahamian government is requiring us to be tested 2 days before we return, so they will be testing us on the ship.
> We also recently found out the process for getting a tourist visa. Even though we’ve been fully vaccinated we have to get tested no longer than 5 days before we land in Nassau, once we get our results back, then and only then, can we apply for the tourist visa, which can take up to 48 hours to be processed. So we could literally be on the plane flying the day before we’re supposed to get on the ship and still not know if our visa has been approved.
> We decided that is too much stress for a vacation and have canceled it.  Luckily I never changed our airline tickets so we can still go to WDW



I can't blame you, that is stressful! But I have to say I was SO looking forward to hearing your review of the entire trip!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I can't blame you, that is stressful! But I have to say I was SO looking forward to hearing your review of the entire trip!



Same!


----------



## DCLMP

Club Disney Chandler said:


> The Bahamian government is requiring us to be tested 2 days before we return, so they will be testing us on the ship.
> We also recently found out the process for getting a tourist visa. Even though we’ve been fully vaccinated we have to get tested no longer than 5 days before we land in Nassau, once we get our results back, then and only then, can we apply for the tourist visa, which can take up to 48 hours to be processed. So we could literally be on the plane flying the day before we’re supposed to get on the ship and still not know if our visa has been approved.
> We decided that is too much stress for a vacation and have canceled it.  Luckily I never changed our airline tickets so we can still go to WDW


I
On a positive note I think your going to love the no fast pass Covid WDW. I just returned from our third trip. The longest we ever waited was 45 minutes for FOP. Its intimidating when you see the lines snake around for a mile outside, but they move fast. I think June is the wettest month which can work in your favor if your prepared for it.


----------



## hdrolfe

Looks like Bahamas is allowing fully vaccinated travellers to forgo the testing. https://ewnews.com/pm-bahamas-to-allow-fully-vaccinated-travelers-to-bypass-pcr-testing-requirement  Not that I'll be going but maybe someone will be able to now?


----------



## DCLMP

hdrolfe said:


> Looks like Bahamas is allowing fully vaccinated travellers to forgo the testing. https://ewnews.com/pm-bahamas-to-allow-fully-vaccinated-travelers-to-bypass-pcr-testing-requirement  Not that I'll be going but maybe someone will be able to now?


It's coming back into  the US that is the problem.


----------



## belle032

DCLMP said:


> It's coming back into  the US that is the problem.



I actually think it's the opposite. I was researching cruises on both RCCL & NCL and it looks like you'll be tested on the ship prior to returning to the US, so that would be taken care of and paid for by the cruise line. I would think that was the easier part. If you wanted to stay in whatever port you returned to for a few days, like I know some people do, then obviously you're on your own.


----------



## hdrolfe

DCLMP said:


> It's coming back into  the US that is the problem.



I think it was really the tourist visa that was referred to above that would be the issue, if you don't know until you are enroute whether you can get that to enter the country. The change would mean you don't need to worry on that part. Yes you still have to get the test done for the return to the US but as @belle032 says it looks like that will be done on the ship and taken care of by the cruise line.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Looks like Bahamas is allowing fully vaccinated travellers to forgo the testing. https://ewnews.com/pm-bahamas-to-allow-fully-vaccinated-travelers-to-bypass-pcr-testing-requirement  Not that I'll be going but maybe someone will be able to now?



Oh! @Club Disney Chandler ... Is it going to change your plans?


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I actually think it's the opposite. I was researching cruises on both RCCL & NCL and it looks like you'll be tested on the ship prior to returning to the US, so that would be taken care of and paid for by the cruise line. I would think that was the easier part. If you wanted to stay in whatever port you returned to for a few days, like I know some people do, then obviously you're on your own.



I could be wrong but I believe some resorts like Atlantis are offering some kind of testing?


----------



## DCLMP

belle032 said:


> I actually think it's the opposite. I was researching cruises on both RCCL & NCL and it looks like you'll be tested on the ship prior to returning to the US, so that would be taken care of and paid for by the cruise line. I would think that was the easier part. If you wanted to stay in whatever port you returned to for a few days, like I know some people do, then obviously you're on your own.


I think it's the fear of someone in your party testing positive and getting stuck there.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Oh! @Club Disney Chandler ... Is it going to change your plans?


Nope, sticking with WDW.


----------



## DCLMP

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Nope, sticking with WDW.


I think you made the right choice. Cruising sounds really stressful right now. Other than the mask and an occasional temp check WDW is business as usual. You will feel like you are on a vacation. I was debating about booking the Fantasy or Mardi gras for fall break, but after reading through all the guidelines I don't know.


----------



## mevelandry

Good morning,

I was wondering if any of you had tried Princess? Which ships?

I’ve been paying attention to their ships a little bit more after seeing « Sanctuary » decks... Wow, that is my type of ship right there!

Now, my husband wants to know if they have comedy shows.

I’m curious about the food too.

From what I understand, they offer an all-inclusive experience with drinks, wifi and pre-paid gratuities.

The prices are surprisingly affordable.


----------



## serene56

mevelandry said:


> Paid stuff: Do you have any examples?
> 
> Disappointment: What are you looking for?


I don’t want to be treated differently because I didn’t buy a top of the line cabin.
Paid stuff -  I can’t use a certain pool because I didn’t pay to use it.   Can’t use a certain bar because I didn’t pay to use it


----------



## mevelandry

serene56 said:


> I don’t want to be treated differently because I didn’t buy a top of the line cabin.
> Paid stuff -  I can’t use a certain pool because I didn’t pay to use it.   Can’t use a certain bar because I didn’t pay to use it



Unfortunately, lounges and pools ($) and specialty restaurants ($) exist on every cruise line... I actually can’t think of a single cruise line who doesn’t have that. 

You have been treated differently because you did not have a top of the line cabin? On Carnival?

I can only speak from my own experience but If there is cruise line where I’ve received excellent service, no matter what cabin I had, it’s on Carnival.


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> Good morning,
> 
> I was wondering if any of you had tried Princess? Which ships?
> 
> I’ve been paying attention to their ships a little bit more after seeing « Sanctuary » decks... Wow, that is my type of ship right there!
> 
> Now, my husband wants to know if they have comedy shows.
> 
> I’m curious about the food too.
> 
> From what I understand, they offer an all-inclusive experience with drinks, wifi and pre-paid gratuities.
> 
> The prices are surprisingly affordable.


We have never been on Princess but are scheduled to take our first Princess Cruise  in June 2022.  This will be our 3rd attempt to get on a Princess ship (thanks to the pandemic).  I’m really looking forward to the classic style of cruising.  I’m not sure if they have comedy shows but maybe in the main theatre once a week they would have a comedian???  I’m looking forward to their tea time and the Sanctuary does look nice!!!


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> We have never been on Princess but are scheduled to take our first Princess Cruise  in June 2022.  This will be our 3rd attempt to get on a Princess ship (thanks to the pandemic).  I’m really looking forward to the classic style of cruising.  I’m not sure if they have comedy shows but maybe in the main theatre once a week they would have a comedian???  I’m looking forward to their tea time and the Sanctuary does look nice!!!



They have tea time? I want to book right now!


----------



## mevelandry

My husband and I decided to take a chance and book a short cruise for this fall. We decided to re-book a short 3 nights MSC cruise to Ocean Cay that we had to cancel (we were supposed to spend most of Easter week-end on a ship).

The price was insanely low... 313$ CAD per person. (I think the lowest price I’ve ever paid for a cruise was 350$ USD.) Inside cabin... for now.

Instead of Armonia, we’d be sailing on MSC Divina. The ship looks amazing. Hopefully this cruise will happen.


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> They have tea time? I want to book right now!


Apparently so...I’ve watched enough YouTube videos about it lol! It might only be on sea days though.


----------



## brewcrew

[QUOTE="mevel
My husband and I decided to take a chance and book a short cruise for this fall. We decided to re-book a short 3 nights MSC cruise to Ocean Cay that we had to cancel (we were supposed to spend most of Easter week-end on a ship).

The price was insanely low... 313$ CAD per person. (I think the lowest price I’ve ever paid for a cruise was 350$ USD.) Inside cabin... for now.

Instead of Armonia, we’d be sailing on MSC Divina. The ship looks amazing. Hopefully this cruise will happen.
[/QUOTE]
I’ve been watching MSC Seaside vlogs this past week.  I’m sure you will have a wonderful time!
watched enough YouTube videos about it lol! It might only be on sea days though.


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> [QUOTE="mevel
> My husband and I decided to take a chance and book a short cruise for this fall. We decided to re-book a short 3 nights MSC cruise to Ocean Cay that we had to cancel (we were supposed to spend most of Easter week-end on a ship).
> 
> The price was insanely low... 313$ CAD per person. (I think the lowest price I’ve ever paid for a cruise was 350$ USD.) Inside cabin... for now.
> 
> Instead of Armonia, we’d be sailing on MSC Divina. The ship looks amazing. Hopefully this cruise will happen.


I’ve been watching MSC Seaside vlogs this past week.  I’m sure you will have a wonderful time!
watched enough YouTube videos about it lol! It might only be on sea days though.
[/QUOTE]

MSC looks very different but fun. Hope we get the chance to experience it.


----------



## mevelandry

mevelandry said:


> My husband and I decided to take a chance and book a short cruise for this fall. We decided to re-book a short 3 nights MSC cruise to Ocean Cay that we had to cancel (we were supposed to spend most of Easter week-end on a ship).
> 
> The price was insanely low... 313$ CAD per person. (I think the lowest price I’ve ever paid for a cruise was 350$ USD.) Inside cabin... for now.
> 
> Instead of Armonia, we’d be sailing on MSC Divina. The ship looks amazing. Hopefully this cruise will happen.



I was curious of the price of my cruise in USD.

Just wanted to let you know that I went to see on the USA website and the MSC Divina 3 nights cruise we have booked is currently listed as starting at 119$/pp.

There are different level of experiences ... my husband and I never ever order in-room dining so we were ok with « Bella » (the most basic plan that doesn’t include it).


----------



## DisneyParkLover

brent02139 said:


> Thank you! I've booked a DCL balcony for Alaska for summer 2022 for $12k.... But RCCL Quantum is $5k for something comparable. I did some basic research so I know what each cruise line brings to the experience. If money were no object, I would just stick with DCL, but $7k difference is quite a lot and hard to ignore. We could book the excursions that we want and still have enough left over for another RCCL cruise. So for the people who went and experienced both cruises, did the cruise line you choose matter all that much? Another possibility is to downgrade to DCL porthole room for $8k, that’s priced between what we have and RCCL. For background, we're a young family with 2 toddlers, cruising for the first time, living here in the US.
> 
> edit: RCCL is with Quantum of the Sea



We did a Carnival Cruise to Alaska and it was $1400 for 2 people in a balcony stateroom.  DCL was more than 4 times that.  I love DCL, but with Alaska being such a port intensive itinerary, we didn’t have much time for the ship offerings anyway.  Carnival was great and it was an amazing cruise.  I honestly think the line you choose is less important with a port intensive itinerary, so I’d probably go with RCCL in your case.  I wouldn’t recommend downgrading from a balcony as a balcony is so amazing to have in Alaska.


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> I was curious of the price of my cruise in USD.
> 
> Just wanted to let you know that I went to see on the USA website and the MSC Divina 3 nights cruise we have booked is currently listed as starting at 119$/pp.
> 
> There are different level of experiences ... my husband and I never ever order in-room dining so we were ok with « Bella » (the most basic plan that doesn’t include it).


That is crazy good!!!


----------



## brent02139

DisneyParkLover said:


> We did a Carnival Cruise to Alaska and it was $1400 for 2 people in a balcony stateroom.  DCL was more than 4 times that.  I love DCL, but with Alaska being such a port intensive itinerary, we didn’t have much time for the ship offerings anyway.  Carnival was great and it was an amazing cruise.  I honestly think the line you choose is less important with a port intensive itinerary, so I’d probably go with RCCL in your case.  I wouldn’t recommend downgrading from a balcony as a balcony is so amazing to have in Alaska.


Thanks for taking the time to respond. In the end we compromised. My wife was nervous about the balcony (kids are climbers and smart enough to stack furniture), DCL porthole price was within 20% of RCCL prices, and the activities for kids seem higher quality. Funny enough now the biggest factor seems less about DCL vs RCCL, but the location of ports. It would be easier for us to fly in and out of SeaTac than Vancouver, oh well, will just have to plan around it.


----------



## jtntx34

brewcrew said:


> We have never been on Princess but are scheduled to take our first Princess Cruise  in June 2022.  This will be our 3rd attempt to get on a Princess ship (thanks to the pandemic).  I’m really looking forward to the classic style of cruising.  I’m not sure if they have comedy shows but maybe in the main theatre once a week they would have a comedian???  I’m looking forward to their tea time and the Sanctuary does look nice!!!



Princess is a great cruise line IMO.  They balance the classic cruise experience without being too stuffy or formal.  I enjoyed the food onboard as much or more than Disney. (The bread, pastries, and deserts were miles better than what I had in Disney; I believe they are all made fresh onboard.)  I also liked that the hours are much more flexible for food than on Disney.

Another thing I really liked on Princess ship vs Disney was the piazza area.  There are plenty of seats in the lobby area where they do musical performances, games, etc. throughout the day.  It’s a great place to have a drink/coffee and sit and enjoy the entertainment or just people watch.  I cannot speak to the entertainment/shows in the theaters, because we were in Alaska, and I honestly was tired from the day and didn’t see any.

If you want details on types of shows/activities onboard, you can Google the Princess Patters for your route or ask on cruise critic board.  Princess board there is active and usually very helpful.  

I am trying to decide when I can go back to Princess.  Your post makes me want to book now.


----------



## mevelandry

jtntx34 said:


> Princess is a great cruise line IMO.  They balance the classic cruise experience without being too stuffy or formal.  I enjoyed the food onboard as much or more than Disney. (The bread, pastries, and deserts were miles better than what I had in Disney; I believe they are all made fresh onboard.)  I also liked that the hours are much more flexible for food than on Disney.
> 
> Another thing I really liked on Princess ship vs Disney was the piazza area.  There are plenty of seats in the lobby area where they do musical performances, games, etc. throughout the day.  It’s a great place to have a drink/coffee and sit and enjoy the entertainment or just people watch.  I cannot speak to the entertainment/shows in the theaters, because we were in Alaska, and I honestly was tired from the day and didn’t see any.
> 
> If you want details on types of shows/activities onboard, you can Google the Princess Patters for your route or ask on cruise critic board.  Princess board there is active and usually very helpful.
> 
> I am trying to decide when I can go back to Princess.  Your post makes me want to book now.



Thank you for this. My interest in Princess is growing day after day... I find their prices to be reasonable as well when it comes to caribbean itineraries and there are strong chances I might end up booking with them for our January 2023 cruise.


----------



## DisneyParkLover

brent02139 said:


> Thanks for taking the time to respond. In the end we compromised. My wife was nervous about the balcony (kids are climbers and smart enough to stack furniture), DCL porthole price was within 20% of RCCL prices, and the activities for kids seem higher quality. Funny enough now the biggest factor seems less about DCL vs RCCL, but the location of ports. It would be easier for us to fly in and out of SeaTac than Vancouver, oh well, will just have to plan around it.



Glad you figured out a compromise that worked for you.  I completely understand about the worry, I worry about the same thing with my kids.


----------



## mevelandry

One thing that MSC has and I wish Carnival had. An « Easy Drink Package ». Around 35$/pp per day (Carnival is at 55$, I think?). You can pick between 2-3 brands of beer, a selection of wine by the glass, a selection of a dozen drinks (like LIIT, Rum & Coke, Cape Cod, Screw Driver, etc.), soft drink, water bottles, coffee and tea. 

I think we’ll pull the trigger on that one.


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> One thing that MSC has and I wish Carnival had. An « Easy Drink Package ». Around 35$/pp per day (Carnival is at 55$, I think?). You can pick between 2-3 brands of beer, a selection of wine by the glass, a selection of a dozen drinks (like LIIT, Rum & Coke, Cape Cod, Screw Driver, etc.), soft drink, water bottles, coffee and tea.
> 
> I think we’ll pull the trigger on that one.


I’ve been looking at Carnival’s drink package and I honestly don’t think that I can drink that much!  We always got just the wine package on Disney and with our upcoming Princess Cruise we paid the fare where drinks are included.  I’ve read that Carnival sometimes emails you discounts on the drink package, so I will keep my eye out for that.  $35 per day is very doable.


----------



## hdrolfe

I like the variety of drink packages available on MSC and RCL to be honest. Carnival only has just pop or the full package. Kiddo doesn't like pop (soda?) so I never bother but if we could get the fruity virgin drinks in a package, that would be nice.


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> I’ve been looking at Carnival’s drink package and I honestly don’t think that I can drink that much!  We always got just the wine package on Disney and with our upcoming Princess Cruise we paid the fare where drinks are included.  I’ve read that Carnival sometimes emails you discounts on the drink package, so I will keep my eye out for that.  $35 per day is very doable.



With Carnival, you need to drink at least 6 drinks per day to break even.


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> With Carnival, you need to drink at least 6 drinks per day to break even.


Well that’s not me then, lol!


----------



## OKgirl

On Carnival, specialty coffees are included with their drink package so this was usually our morning drink.  We could easily drink 2 drinks by the pool, one before dinner, wine with dinner and a cocktail at the comedy shows late at night.  We easily broke even without ever getting a buzz.


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> Well that’s not me then, lol!



Me neither... But if I order enough bottle of water, Perrier, tea, specialy coffees and juices... I can make it work. LOL


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> One thing that MSC has and I wish Carnival had. An « Easy Drink Package ». Around 35$/pp per day (Carnival is at 55$, I think?). You can pick between 2-3 brands of beer, a selection of wine by the glass, a selection of a dozen drinks (like LIIT, Rum & Coke, Cape Cod, Screw Driver, etc.), soft drink, water bottles, coffee and tea.
> 
> I think we’ll pull the trigger on that one.



Ok why couldn't DCL offer something like this?! Looks like a perfect balance between adult offering, while remaining "family friendly."




OKgirl said:


> On Carnival, specialty coffees are included with their drink package so this was usually our morning drink.  We could easily drink 2 drinks by the pool, one before dinner, wine with dinner and a cocktail at the comedy shows late at night.  We easily broke even without ever getting a buzz.



Same. Those coffees are yummy! I usually had one late afternoon while taking a break with a book. I never hit the 15 drink limit, DH might have once or twice, but we definitely got our money's worth without ever getting drunk. It's completely doable to be a normal person enjoying some drinks on the package and still make it worth the cost.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Ok why couldn't DCL offer something like this?! Looks like a perfect balance between adult offering, while remaining "family friendly."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Same. Those coffees are yummy! I usually had one late afternoon while taking a break with a book. I never hit the 15 drink limit, DH might have once or twice, but we definitely got our money's worth without ever getting drunk. It's completely doable to be a normal person enjoying some drinks on the package and still make it worth the cost.




MSC has so many fun drink packages. I wish all cruise lines offered something like this.


----------



## mevelandry

If I understand the news correctly, Carnival ships who will go into dry dock will now wear the new colors of Carnival (same hull design as Mardi Gras), starting with Carnival Magic?

I like it!


----------



## AquaDame

RCCL had a drink package for JUST nonalcoholic beverages, which was TBH more up my alley... does Carnival/other cruise lines not do the same? I'm generally a one or none a day drinker... though it does trend more to a beer a day when I am on a ship. ^^;


----------



## hdrolfe

AquaDame said:


> RCCL had a drink package for JUST nonalcoholic beverages, which was TBH more up my alley... does Carnival/other cruise lines not do the same? I'm generally a one or none a day drinker... though it does trend more to a beer a day when I am on a ship. ^^;



Carnival does not. MSC does though.


----------



## mevelandry

AquaDame said:


> RCCL had a drink package for JUST nonalcoholic beverages, which was TBH more up my alley... does Carnival/other cruise lines not do the same? I'm generally a one or none a day drinker... though it does trend more to a beer a day when I am on a ship. ^^;



There’s the Bottomless bubbles package but I don’t think it covers coffee?


----------



## AquaDame

mevelandry said:


> There’s the Bottomless bubbles package but I don’t think it covers coffee?



Thats a shame... I drink even less soda than I do alcohol (zero... I'm an oddball that dislikes soda). I drank my weight in bottled water, fresh juice and decaf specialty coffee that cruise.


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> If I understand the news correctly, Carnival ships who will go into dry dock will now wear the new colors of Carnival (same hull design as Mardi Gras), starting with Carnival Magic?
> 
> I like it!


I heard that too!


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> If I understand the news correctly, Carnival ships who will go into dry dock will now wear the new colors of Carnival (same hull design as Mardi Gras), starting with Carnival Magic?
> 
> 
> I like it!



I love it! Subtle change, but it elevates the look of the ships for sure. Would definitely be interested in giving the Magic another try after she comes out of drydock.



AquaDame said:


> Thats a shame... I drink even less soda than I do alcohol (zero... I'm an oddball that dislikes soda). I drank my weight in bottled water, fresh juice and decaf specialty coffee that cruise.



Checked the Carnival website, and yup, it's just soda & juice. I agree that including coffee & bottled water would be nice! They could sell the heck out of that package.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I love it! Subtle change, but it elevates the look of the ships for sure. Would definitely be interested in giving the Magic another try after she comes out of drydock.
> (...)



I agree. I can't wait to see the new look "in person". I already think it looks even better on videos than on pictures. 

I just love it when ships have either dark or very colorful hulls. I'm also a big fan of the NCL designs.


----------



## mevelandry

Update on the easy drink package on MSC: apparently they are not available on 3 nights cruises. I'm a bit disappointed as I know on other cruises I've had drink packages


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Update on the easy drink package on MSC: apparently they are not available on 3 nights cruises. I'm a bit disappointed as I know on other cruises I've had drink packages



Is it just that drink package that's not available? Or are no packages available at all? Either way, that seems strange. Wonder what the reasoning is.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Is it just that drink package that's not available? Or are no packages available at all? Either way, that seems strange. Wonder what the reasoning is.



I don't know. I haven't pushed further.


----------



## hdrolfe

Looking at Carnival Magic to Bermuda in August 2022. It leaves from New York, we've never been there so I'd do a few days in the city before/after as well. Hoping by then things will be back to "normal"!


----------



## DCLDVC1

brewcrew said:


> I’ve been watching MSC Seaside vlogs this past week.  I’m sure you will have a wonderful time!



We were booked in the Yacht Club on the Seaside in March and were very disappointed when it canceled. That ship looks amazing.


----------



## mevelandry

I have just heard that Carnival is cancelling all sailings until August 1 except for Vista, Breeze and Horizon.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> I have just heard that Carnival is cancelling all sailings until August 1 except for Vista, Breeze and Horizon.



I saw that as well, but I am hopeful that means they are ready to start some trial cruising


----------



## auntlynne

brewcrew said:


> Apparently so...I’ve watched enough YouTube videos about it lol! It might only be on sea days though.



I think I remember having tea on a port day in Alaska (Princess, 3 different cruises/ itineraries). It was afternoon tea, so it didn’t conflict with doing excursions. (In addition to Sea Days).

Carnival had tea on the two sea days on a 4-night cruise to Cozumel.  Actually a better selection of sandwiches,  cakes, and pastries.  Please tea from a selection.  Good options are chosen from a cart.  On my cruise, this was poorly attended, as was a Dr Seuss brunch, which was surprisingly good.

Tea on Princess is a plus for me.  Scones with clotted cream, sandwiches, and assorted cookies.  The tea is made in large batches, but is fine enough.  Gloved waiters come around with platters of goodies. This is not greatly attended either. The Pub lunch gets a better turnout on Princess.


----------



## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> I saw that as well, but I am hopeful that means they are ready to start some trial cruising



Agreed. I'm taking it as a positive announcement! Hopefully this is foreshadowing some good news for later this year.


----------



## DCLDVC1

Thoughts on the NCL Prima?

https://www.ncl.com/cruise/prima


----------



## mevelandry

DCLDVC1 said:


> Thoughts on the NCL Prima?
> 
> https://www.ncl.com/cruise/prima



It looks very special and I like it. 

Expecting rates to be more expensive...


----------



## DCLDVC1

mevelandry said:


> It looks very special and I like it.
> 
> Expecting rates to be more expensive...



It's a beautiful ship. The Infinity Beach area looks very relaxing.


----------



## belle032

DCLDVC1 said:


> Thoughts on the NCL Prima?
> 
> https://www.ncl.com/cruise/prima



Looks gorgeous. Love the clean, open look and the ocean colors. I also really enjoy that new ships are doing indoor/outdoor seated dining. There's no reason DCL couldn't do this in 1 of their dining rooms at least. The Infinity Beach concept looks amazing and that glass walkway is a very cool addition. Just a small thing, but innovative! 

Makes me more eager to give NCL a try!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

auntlynne said:


> I think I remember having tea on a port day in Alaska (Princess, 3 different cruises/ itineraries). It was afternoon tea, so it didn’t conflict with doing excursions. (In addition to Sea Days).
> 
> Carnival had tea on the two sea days on a 4-night cruise to Cozumel.  Actually a better selection of sandwiches,  cakes, and pastries.  Please tea from a selection.  Good options are chosen from a cart.  On my cruise, this was poorly attended, as was a Dr Seuss brunch, which was surprisingly good.
> 
> Tea on Princess is a plus for me.  Scones with clotted cream, sandwiches, and assorted cookies.  The tea is made in large batches, but is fine enough.  Gloved waiters come around with platters of goodies. This is not greatly attended either. The Pub lunch gets a better turnout on Princess.


I love afternoon tea on Carnival, it’s really a great experience!  And the Dr Seuss brunch is fantastic!  It’s a fun experience and I had the best steak and eggs ever at brunch, it was a wonderful 6 oz petite filet that was cooked perfectly and had a sensational flavor. I highly recommend doing both.


----------



## kaseyC

DCLDVC1 said:


> Thoughts on the NCL Prima?
> 
> https://www.ncl.com/cruise/prima



The ship looks really cool.  All of the public areas look fantastic.  Absolutely love the look and new location of the Haven.   We booked a Haven suite for the Sept. 2022 - 12 night WBTA from Southampton to NYC.  For 2 of us it was not much more than a verandah is going for on the Disney Magic's 2022 EBTA.


----------



## brewcrew

DCLDVC1 said:


> Thoughts on the NCL Prima?
> 
> https://www.ncl.com/cruise/prima


It looks gorgeous!!!!


----------



## auntlynne

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I love afternoon tea on Carnival, it’s really a great experience!  And the Dr Seuss brunch is fantastic!  It’s a fun experience and I had the best steak and eggs ever at brunch, it was a wonderful 6 oz petite filet that was cooked perfectly and had a sensational flavor. I highly recommend doing both.



I had the filet, too.  It was the best meat I had on the cruise.  The man next to me ordered pancakes.  When the food arrived, he was not happy with his choice.  Our entire row of diners egged him on to order the filet.  Definitely a cruise newbie, unaware that he could get additional food.  Very happy to see him enjoy his steak replacement.  I think that $5 brunch was as good, food-wise, as $40 dinner at Palo (who’s kidding, it costs the price of a tip at this point in my cruising life).  I’m curious to see how the new prix fixe or a la carte choice works in Palo.


----------



## mevelandry

Our airline messed up our reservations so we had to change our cruise plans. We had to make the heartbreaking choice to move the date ahead and to go from 3 nights to 4 nights with an upgraded balcony view on MSC Divina. On top of that, we have to suffer an overnight on their brand new Ocean Cay Marine Reserve.

Please send us thoughts and prayers.


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> Our airline messed up our reservations so we had to change our cruise plans. We had to make the heartbreaking choice to move the date ahead and to go from 3 nights to 4 nights with an upgraded balcony view on MSC Divina. On top of that, we have to suffer an overnight on their brand new Ocean Cay Marine Reserve.
> 
> Please send us thoughts and prayers.


That sounds rough.  I’m sure you will find the strength to endure it!!!


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> That sounds rough.  I’m sure you will find the strength to endure it!!!



Thank you. We'll try to stay strong.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Carnival is still planning on sailing Breeze, Vista, and Horizon in July so we really had only 1 choice, we’re booked on the 7/3 Vista cruise out of Galveston. If it sailed will be our 5th cruise on Vista, we did the same cruise in 2019, stops in Honduras, Belize and Cozumel, we might not even get off the ship. We’re so hoping she’s able to sail


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Our airline messed up our reservations so we had to change our cruise plans. We had to make the heartbreaking choice to move the date ahead and to go from 3 nights to 4 nights with an upgraded balcony view on MSC Divina. On top of that, we have to suffer an overnight on their brand new Ocean Cay Marine Reserve.
> 
> Please send us thoughts and prayers.


I hope you’re doing ok with such horrible luck, I’m here to listen if you need to get the disappointment off your chest


----------



## auntlynne

Maybe you need a support cruiser to travel with you to make sure you are okay with the changes.


----------



## mevelandry

auntlynne said:


> Maybe you need a support cruiser to travel with you to make sure you are okay with the changes.



I’m definitely in need of a support group.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Carnival is still planning on sailing Breeze, Vista, and Horizon in July so we really had only 1 choice, we’re booked on the 7/3 Vista cruise out of Galveston. If it sailed will be our 5th cruise on Vista, we did the same cruise in 2019, stops in Honduras, Belize and Cozumel, we might not even get off the ship. We’re so hoping she’s able to sail



Sounds amazing. I hope you can sail!


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Carnival is still planning on sailing Breeze, Vista, and Horizon in July so we really had only 1 choice, we’re booked on the 7/3 Vista cruise out of Galveston. If it sailed will be our 5th cruise on Vista, we did the same cruise in 2019, stops in Honduras, Belize and Cozumel, we might not even get off the ship. We’re so hoping she’s able to sail


 
I'm with you - I'd sail just about any ship /itinerary right now if it just meant we could cruise! If ships start sailing, I'm alllll over booking something for later this year.


----------



## mevelandry

Carnival Corp has just announced Alaska cruises. Vaccines are mandatory for all guests.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Carnival Corp has just announced Alaska cruises. Vaccines are mandatory for all guests.



Looks like NCL & RCCL are too! I've spent the morning comparing prices & itineraries and all are pretty similar. Carnival & NCL are still listing Victoria as a port on their itineraries, so I'm waiting to see if that is updated. Ideally, I'd book NCL again now that we have a 10% discount after our original sailing was cancelled.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Looks like NCL & RCCL are too! I've spent the morning comparing prices & itineraries and all are pretty similar. Carnival & NCL are still listing Victoria as a port on their itineraries, so I'm waiting to see if that is updated. Ideally, I'd book NCL again now that we have a 10% discount after our original sailing was cancelled.



I'm still hopeful that Canada will authorize stops before the end of cruise season.


----------



## bcwife76

mevelandry said:


> I'm still hopeful that Canada will authorize stops before the end of cruise season.


I read that Horgan (premier here in BC) has some meetings scheduled with the Alaska delegates so I'm assuming technical stops are on the agenda. Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen. The port of Victoria is freaking OUT about this bill.


----------



## mevelandry

bcwife76 said:


> I read that Horgan (premier here in BC) has some meetings scheduled with the Alaska delegates so I'm assuming technical stops are on the agenda. Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen. The port of Victoria is freaking OUT about this bill.



Freaking out in a good way or a bad way?


----------



## bcwife76

mevelandry said:


> Freaking out in a good way or a bad way?


A bad way. They think this sets a dangerous prescedence (sp?) going forward and opens the door to bypassing Victoria permanently in future years. Since this has an expiry date I think the are freaking out unnecessarily. Port of Vancouver is like "sigh, ok whatever, see ya in 2022."


----------



## mevelandry

bcwife76 said:


> A bad way. They think this sets a dangerous prescedence (sp?) going forward and opens the door to bypassing Victoria permanently in future years. Since this has an expiry date I think the are freaking out unnecessarily. Port of Vancouver is like "sigh, ok whatever, see ya in 2022."



Yeah, I hope it's exceptional and temporary as well.


----------



## Dug720

bcwife76 said:


> A bad way. They think this sets a dangerous prescedence (sp?) going forward and opens the door to bypassing Victoria permanently in future years. Since this has an expiry date I think the are freaking out unnecessarily. Port of Vancouver is like "sigh, ok whatever, see ya in 2022."



I could see that. Vancouver is an embarkation/debarkation port. Victoria is a "stop for a few hours to meet the requirement" stop - and honestly the one cruise I was on that went there I got off for like 30 minutes and got back on. Not my jam and no desire to go back to Victoria.


----------



## belle032

bcwife76 said:


> A bad way. They think this sets a dangerous prescedence (sp?) going forward and opens the door to bypassing Victoria permanently in future years. Since this has an expiry date I think the are freaking out unnecessarily. Port of Vancouver is like "sigh, ok whatever, see ya in 2022."



I could understand the frustration that this has the potential to set a precedent for cruise ships skipping all kinds of stop in the future if they chose to. I hope that being an emergency, temporary order will ease that fear and it won't be the new normal. I would have been happy to stop in Victoria or wherever else - I'm always up for visiting a port I've never been to before. That way we know for future cruises where we'd like to revisit!


----------



## bcwife76

Dug720 said:


> I could see that. Vancouver is an embarkation/debarkation port. Victoria is a "stop for a few hours to meet the requirement" stop - and honestly the one cruise I was on that went there I got off for like 30 minutes and got back on. Not my jam and no desire to go back to Victoria.


That's a other problem with the Seattle vs Vancouver cruises. Cruises from Seattle usually just have a few hours (and mainly at night) to stop in Victoria where cruises to and from Vancy might use Victoria still as an actual port (like DCL does). If you get a decent amount of time in port then you can actually explore the area. If it's just a few hours, why bother getting off.


----------



## Dug720

bcwife76 said:


> That's a other problem with the Seattle vs Vancouver cruises. Cruises from Seattle usually just have a few hours (and mainly at night) to stop in Victoria where cruises to and from Vancy might use Victoria still as an actual port (like DCL does). If you get a decent amount of time in port then you can actually explore the area. If it's just a few hours, why bother getting off.



Honestly even with a whole day there? I'm staying on board. Gardens bore me to death and that's about the only thing to do there - at least from offered port adventures I saw.


----------



## bcwife76

Dug720 said:


> Honestly even with a whole day there? I'm staying on board. Gardens bore me to death and that's about the only thing to do there - at least from offered port adventures I saw.


I can't argue with that  I was dragged around Butchart when I was around 11?? Oh my goodness, soooo bored. Whenever we are on the island (which is very rare) we usually just putter around downtown for a walk and explore all the little shops. The inner harbour area is lovely (on a sunny day). I'd actually like to do Butchart again as my husband hasn't been but I'm pretty sure our kids would kill us


----------



## mevelandry

Dug720 said:


> I could see that. Vancouver is an embarkation/debarkation port. Victoria is a "stop for a few hours to meet the requirement" stop - and honestly the one cruise I was on that went there I got off for like 30 minutes and got back on. Not my jam and no desire to go back to Victoria.



Maybe I’m partial because I am Canadian but Victoria is considered a gem ...

They have nice excursions (gardens —granted, gardens aren’t for everyone—, whale watch, etc.) ... I hear they have nice tea rooms as well.

Most people I know loved it. I definitely hope cruise lines will keep that stop in the future.

If I had to go there, I’d definitely go for a whale watch excursion.


----------



## AquaDame

I'm partial to it as well. My parents honeymooned there and we went up for the weekend a bunch when I was a kid. They at least used to have a Madame Tussaud's and a little aquarium as well but I admit we haven't been in awhile. Then there was the bug museum, the miniature museum, loads of pubs, carriage rides and as you said high tea and whale watching or riding the little harbor taxi boats, and I think float planes? It's a pretty chill stop though to be sure.


----------



## brewcrew

I want to go to Victoria once.  I am a garden person and would love to see Butchart Gardens someday.  I’m excited that it’s looking good for Alaska sailings and I do hope that everyone who goes this year has a wonderful time!!!


----------



## StarSeven7

My husband and I spent a long weekend in Victoria maybe 12-13 years ago and we loved it, and we were a young couple in our mid-20s at the time!  There's a lot to do there besides Butchart Gardens, although we did do that and it was spectacular!  We were lucky enough to stay at the Fairmont Empress (I was a travel agent at the time so I got deeply discounted rates at Fairmonts) which is a beautiful hotel right on the inner harbor.  We went to a little fishing village with cute shops and restaurants and seals come right up to the docks so we had a lot of fun watching them.  We did a cruise around the inner harbor, we walked through Chinatown, we toured a historical mansion, we went zip-lining outside of the city, we explored local parks.  We didn't do whale-watching from Victoria as we had done that from Vancouver the year before but it would be a great location for it.  I would love to go back there someday!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Maybe I’m partial because I am Canadian but Victoria is considered a gem ...
> 
> They have nice excursions (gardens —granted, gardens aren’t for everyone—, whale watch, etc.) ... I hear they have nice tea rooms as well.
> 
> Most people I know loved it. I definitely hope cruise lines will keep that stop in the future.
> 
> If I had to go there, I’d definitely go for a whale watch excursion.


Victoria is amazing!  We’ve stopped there twice and I absolutely fell in love. I love Vancouver too though, 2 of the prettiest cities I’ve been in and amazing people, so nice!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Well........I did it!  We’re canceling our second week on Mardi Gras for 2022 and doing Disney Wish instead. We’ll be on Mardi Gras from Saturday-Saturday, then spend 2 nights in PC and do a four night Wish cruise from Monday-Friday. We’re pretty excited!

As of today, we have 39 days until we’re supposed to be boarding Carnival Vista, please continue to cross fingers, pray, send good vibes, etc that we get to sail.  The cruise group I’m part of over on that other social media site is going crazy with excitement, it’s so much fun!  Cruising with a bunch of Texans is gonna be awesome!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Well........I did it!  We’re canceling our second week on Mardi Gras for 2022 and doing Disney Wish instead. We’ll be on Mardi Gras from Saturday-Saturday, then spend 2 nights in PC and do a four night Wish cruise from Monday-Friday. We’re pretty excited!
> 
> As of today, we have 39 days until we’re supposed to be boarding Carnival Vista, please continue to cross fingers, pray, send good vibes, etc that we get to sail.  The cruise group I’m part of over on that other social media site is going crazy with excitement, it’s so much fun!  Cruising with a bunch of Texans is gonna be awesome!



Two new ships back to back. It doesn't get any better than that.


----------



## mevelandry

CARNIVAL COVID-19 GUEST PROTOCOLS
https://www.carnival.com/legal/covi...abAfjmloQhARBNEqj1INClc9aXUKJ4AnBADvfA20MEZsI


----------



## hdrolfe

Interesting and quite different from RCL's plans. Looks like masks required, but vaccines aren't? And of course the "cruise line only" excursions, no booking on your own. 

I'm starting to get worried about my December cruises, I'm not keen on the Carnival restrictions and then RCL requires my son to be vaccinated because he'll be 12, but only turns 12 four days before the RCL cruise starts. I hope it will all work out. I am anxious to see test cruises get started on RCL, and hopefully Carnival as well.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Interesting and quite different from RCL's plans. Looks like masks required, but vaccines aren't? And of course the "cruise line only" excursions, no booking on your own.
> 
> I'm starting to get worried about my December cruises, I'm not keen on the Carnival restrictions and then RCL requires my son to be vaccinated because he'll be 12, but only turns 12 four days before the RCL cruise starts. I hope it will all work out. I am anxious to see test cruises get started on RCL, and hopefully Carnival as well.



Vaccines are required at least for Alaska this summer.

p.s. That cat on your profile picture is so cute!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Vaccines are required at least for Alaska this summer.
> 
> p.s. That cat on your profile picture is so cute!



Thank you (my new kitten, Olaf!)

I did read that about Alaska, but the rest are different, I wonder how it will all play out between all the cruiselines. I know Carnival has more families so understand that, but thought they would require them for adults at least.


----------



## mevelandry

Mardi Gras is set to arrive in Port Canaveral on June 4. I can't wait for cruises to restart and see the first vlogs... 

I noticed that all restaurants are not available for booking yet. So far, I booked the Teppanyaki and I am waiting for Jiji Asian Kitchen and possibly Cucina Del Capitano to be available as well. 

For those who haven't tried dinner at Jiji... I highly recommend (if you enjoy asian food).


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Thank you (my new kitten, Olaf!)
> 
> I did read that about Alaska, but the rest are different, I wonder how it will all play out between all the cruiselines. I know Carnival has more families so understand that, but thought they would require them for adults at least.



Best name ever. 

I just think Carnival prefers to let news out only when they are forced to do so. 

I'm expecting vaccines to be mandatory for adults and/or all that can be vaccinated.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> CARNIVAL COVID-19 GUEST PROTOCOLS
> https://www.carnival.com/legal/covi...abAfjmloQhARBNEqj1INClc9aXUKJ4AnBADvfA20MEZsI



The mask & physical distancing protocols are so vague to me. So masks are necessary when physical distancing can't be maintained-does that mean everywhere inside the ship? What if the loungers on deck are 6 ft. apart? Or seats in the theater are blocked to allow space between groups? Or certain machines in the casino are closed? I understand the necessity of them IF they aren't sailing a fully vaccinated ship, but it's a big difference to only needing masks in the terminal and maybe getting up to go to the bar or to your dining table vs. needing to wear them at all times. 

Call me crazy, but what if cruise lines could sail both fully vaccinated cruises and "masked up" & physically distant cruises? You're fully vaccinated? Great, these are the itineraries for you. You don't want to vaccinate? Great, bring your masks, be ready to distance, and book this itinerary. I know the logistics would probably be impossible, but then people wouldn't really be able to use the "freedom" argument.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> The mask & physical distancing protocols are so vague to me. So masks are necessary when physical distancing can't be maintained-does that mean everywhere inside the ship? What if the loungers on deck are 6 ft. apart? Or seats in the theater are blocked to allow space between groups? Or certain machines in the casino are closed? I understand the necessity of them IF they aren't sailing a fully vaccinated ship, but it's a big difference to only needing masks in the terminal and maybe getting up to go to the bar or to your dining table vs. needing to wear them at all times.
> 
> Call me crazy, but what if cruise lines could sail both fully vaccinated cruises and "masked up" & physically distant cruises? You're fully vaccinated? Great, these are the itineraries for you. You don't want to vaccinate? Great, bring your masks, be ready to distance, and book this itinerary. I know the logistics would probably be impossible, but then people wouldn't really be able to use the "freedom" argument.



This is one thing I dislike. Carnival are good communicators but for the last months, when it comes to health measures, they have been as vague as possible...


----------



## mevelandry

mevelandry said:


> CARNIVAL COVID-19 GUEST PROTOCOLS
> https://www.carnival.com/legal/covi...abAfjmloQhARBNEqj1INClc9aXUKJ4AnBADvfA20MEZsI



Apparently, Carnival confirmed that people sailing to Alaska will have to present proof of vaccination otherwise they won't be able to get on board (with no refund) and unfortunately, kids --or adults-- who are not eligible for vaccination cannot sail. 

As for the rest of the cruises, as usual, they are being as vague as possible and plan to do test cruises.


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> This is one thing I dislike. Carnival are good communicators but for the last months, when it comes to health measures, they have been as vague as possible...


I just think they have to be careful with what they say.  Protocols change day to day it seems so they probably don’t want to say something and then take it back.  I can‘t even imagine.


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> I just think they have to be careful with what they say.  Protocols change day to day it seems so they probably don’t want to say something and then take it back.  I can‘t even imagine.



Wouldn't it be best to be more severe and then relax measures as "good news" come out?


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> Wouldn't it be best to be more severe and then relax measures as "good news" come out?


Absolutely!  I agree with you on that.


----------



## belle032

Anyone familiar with Alaska?! So we are seriously considering Alaska again this Fall. NCL has 2 itineraries out which are slightly different. One includes Skagway and Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier and the other doesn't include either of those, but it cruises Glacier Bay. 

The 2nd one works a touch better for our dates, but is Skagway a must stop? They're running about the same price. And actually, the entire sailing is costing almost $2K LESS than our original booking for the same cabin type and same perks (beverage package, specialty dining, Wifi, etc). Really the only major difference is it's on the Bliss rather than the Encore. I'm having a hard time not justifying rebooking!


----------



## brewcrew

belle032 said:


> Anyone familiar with Alaska?! So we are seriously considering Alaska again this Fall. NCL has 2 itineraries out which are slightly different. One includes Skagway and Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier and the other doesn't include either of those, but it cruises Glacier Bay.
> 
> The 2nd one works a touch better for our dates, but is Skagway a must stop? They're running about the same price. And actually, the entire sailing is costing almost $2K LESS than our original booking for the same cabin type and same perks (beverage package, specialty dining, Wifi, etc). Really the only major difference is it's on the Bliss rather than the Encore. I'm having a hard time not justifying rebooking!


Skagway is where you get to ride the White Pass Railway.  If you are interested in that then yes, Skagway is a must.  We have done Disney to Alaska roundtrip from Vancouver with stops in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway with  our glacier day being Tracy Arm.  Our excursion in Skagway was fabulous. 

We are booked for Alaska northbound voyage next summer and they have the same three stops plus Glacier Bay.  I have heard that Glacier Bay is a must while in Alaska.

You will enjoy any Alaskan cruise.  It is just beautiful!


----------



## mevelandry

Interesting news: 

https://carnival-news.com/2021/05/2...gain-cdc-approval-as-restarts-plans-progress/


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Interesting news:
> 
> https://carnival-news.com/2021/05/2...gain-cdc-approval-as-restarts-plans-progress/



A good step forward. Gives me hope


----------



## belle032

Edit: According to an NCL FB group, they are switching ships for Alaska. (Back to the Encore, which we were originally booked on!) So they are working on getting everyone already booked switched over, then will reopen. Hopefully crisis averted!

Ughhhhh may have missed our Alaska window! I was just on the NCL website to put a deposit down and NOTHING is showing for 2021 Alaskan sailings. I'm hoping it's a glitch, but then again people want to cruise and everything might just be sold out!

Guess it's time to check Carnival & RCCL sailings. Not necessarily a bad thing, but was looking forward to trying NCL!


----------



## tidefan

belle032 said:


> Edit: According to an NCL FB group, they are switching ships for Alaska. (Back to the Encore, which we were originally booked on!) So they are working on getting everyone already booked switched over, then will reopen. Hopefully crisis averted!
> 
> Ughhhhh may have missed our Alaska window! I was just on the NCL website to put a deposit down and NOTHING is showing for 2021 Alaskan sailings. I'm hoping it's a glitch, but then again people want to cruise and everything might just be sold out!
> 
> Guess it's time to check Carnival & RCCL sailings. Not necessarily a bad thing, but was looking forward to trying NCL!


Why not go Princess?  They usually have the best itineraries up there.


----------



## belle032

tidefan said:


> Why not go Princess?  They usually have the best itineraries up there.



You're right-can't believe I didn't think of Princess.  Always heard they were great for Alaska. I wanted to rebook on NCL because we had a credit from our original sailing being cancelled, but if for whatever reason that falls through I will be checking them out.


----------



## hdrolfe

With Carnival now saying "vaccinated" for cruising, which I am for in a general sense, I may have to cancel everything for December. Kiddo won't be 12 until mid cruise and while I hope to get him vaccinated before then, I'm not sure if it will happen. So, I'll be waiting to see and hopefully know by September what's going on. Before I have to PIF. 

Since I just booked a Disney trip for April/May, not sure we'd do one in December as well. My flights to Orlando are already booked but I can change them. Also have to cancel my hotel bookings... and just generally replan everything. Disney isn't even really an option since they seem to be really busy in December (go figure lol). Sigh. I just want to cruise!! Was very excited to be going on Mardi Gras. At least our August 2022 Bermuda on Magic will happen.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> With Carnival now saying "vaccinated" for cruising, which I am for in a general sense, I may have to cancel everything for December. Kiddo won't be 12 until mid cruise and while I hope to get him vaccinated before then, I'm not sure if it will happen. So, I'll be waiting to see and hopefully know by September what's going on. Before I have to PIF.
> 
> Since I just booked a Disney trip for April/May, not sure we'd do one in December as well. My flights to Orlando are already booked but I can change them. Also have to cancel my hotel bookings... and just generally replan everything. Disney isn't even really an option since they seem to be really busy in December (go figure lol). Sigh. I just want to cruise!! Was very excited to be going on Mardi Gras. At least our August 2022 Bermuda on Magic will happen.



I thought the "vaccinated" cruise were just Alaska?


----------



## bcwife76

mevelandry said:


> I thought the "vaccinated" cruise were just Alaska?


From the interview Duffy gave this morning, it sounds like it's all Carnival cruises going forward (for now). I found her answers a bit wishy washy but I was also staring at the beautiful ship behind her at the time (we were supposed to be on the Mardi Gras this past March):

https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/...ent-talks-restarting-cruise-industry-78081592


----------



## mevelandry

bcwife76 said:


> From the interview Duffy gave this morning, it sounds like it's all Carnival cruises going forward (for now). I found her answers a bit wishy washy but I was also staring at the beautiful ship behind her at the time (we were supposed to be on the Mardi Gras this past March):
> 
> https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/...ent-talks-restarting-cruise-industry-78081592



You are right, I happened to watch it earlier tonight. It sure sounds like it's going to be mandatory.


----------



## mevelandry

Not gonna lie, I teared up yesterday morning as I watch Carnival Mardi Gras‘s arrival at Port Canaveral. (I can’t wait to be back on a ship!) 

For those who do not wanna watch the whole video, start at 48 minutes:


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Carnival still hasn’t made a firm commitment on what we’re going to need for our July cruise, expecting something Monday or Tuesday. My wife and kids got their first dose a couple weeks ago only so they could go on a cruise, so we’ll be ready to go if they do require it. I don’t care what they decide, just get me on a ship!

We’re at WDW right now and are having a good time but realized we really do much better on cruise vacations.

I’ll let you know as soon as I hear something either way!


----------



## belle032

Per John Heald, Carnival cruises sailing in July will be vaxxed only! Nothing decided for after July. Not getting political, but I think it's a good decision.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

WE ARE CRUISING IN JULY!!!!!!!!! I’m beyond excited.


----------



## brewcrew

Club Disney Chandler said:


> WE ARE CRUISING IN JULY!!!!!!!!! I’m beyond excited.


Yahoo!!!!  Can’t wait to hear about it!


----------



## mevelandry

Carnival announces return for vaccinated guests:

https://cruiseradio.net/carnival-sets-return-dates-caribbean-cruises-from-u-s/


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

brewcrew said:


> Yahoo!!!!  Can’t wait to hear about it!


Will be our 5th cruise on Vista, we love her!  Did the exact same itinerary, Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize, I’m 2017, had a fantastic time!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Will be our 5th cruise on Vista, we love her!  Did the exact same itinerary, Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize, I’m 2017, had a fantastic time!



Amazing! 

Just out of curiosity, what are your plans for those ports?


----------



## brewcrew

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Will be our 5th cruise on Vista, we love her!  Did the exact same itinerary, Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize, I’m 2017, had a fantastic time!


Do tell what you do in Belize?!?!?!


----------



## belle032

brewcrew said:


> Do tell what you do in Belize?!?!?!



Don’t want to hijack, but we went to Belize on our sailing last year and did a tour of Mayan ruins. All day tour. Tiring but SO cool! 

I think cave tubing is also a big draw there too?


----------



## hdrolfe

We have done cave tubing in Belize, it was ok? I mean we did it but I won't do it again. There is some amazing scuba/snorkeling there though, it's the second biggest barrier reef, some of the best in the world. Next time we will go to one of the little islands to snorkel.


----------



## mevelandry

I keep hearing the worst reviews about Belize... Once on a Q&A, a CD named is top 3 worst ports and if I remember correctly, it went this way:

1) Freeport (I have a feeling RCCL's Grand Bahama project is about to change the game for Freeport).

2) Belize

3) Nassau


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> I keep hearing the worst reviews about Belize... Once on a Q&A, a CD named is top 3 worst ports and if I remember correctly, it went this way:
> 
> 1) Freeport (I have a feeling RCCL's Grand Bahama project is about to change the game for Freeport).
> 
> 2) Belize
> 
> 3) Nassau



If you have Belize as a stop, just be ready to book an excursion or stay on the ship. Carnival offered a lot of shore excursion options, so pick one that looks appealing. It's really a beautiful island once you get out of the city a bit. And like @hdrolfe said, the snorkeling/diving is supposed to be absolutely amazing. But there is little to nothing at the port and it's definitely not a place I'd recommend exploring on your own.


----------



## bex7583

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Will be our 5th cruise on Vista, we love her!  Did the exact same itinerary, Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize, I’m 2017, had a fantastic time!



Ah I would love to do this itinerary , can never get it to work with our dates. Have a great trip


----------



## hdrolfe

Belize was nice, it was interesting to hear the tour as we went through town to the cave tubing place. The thing I didn't like about the excursion is we went with some who were also doing other things, and they added ziplinining in the same amount of time we just did the cave tubing. So it was ssslllloooowww and my kiddo got bored floating in the tubes. If it was just me I might have enjoyed it more. If you aren't go go go then you may enjoy it as well. The food was good at the lunch stop, and the pop was in those glass bottles that are so cute. The port area wasn't anything special, and it's a long tender ride. So if you don't have a ship sponsored excursion it can be hard to get off the ship in a timely manner. This isn't GC with a short ride, this was a good long ride.

The Carnival excursions that I've heard are good are:
Sharks, Rays, Barrier Reef Snorkel and Island Escape
The Ruins (if you like that kind of thing)
Goff's Caye
Rendezvous Caye


----------



## belle032

Omg you guys. I'm second guessing everything. I feel like I have to come to y'all because DH is one to just show up and board the ship I tell him we're going on...AKA not much help! 

So I was ready to rebook our NCL sailing, but made the mistake of jumping on the Carnival website just to see what they have available for Alaska this year. And they have a pretty cool 8 day itinerary!

Norwegian: 7 Days on the Encore - Ports are Juneau, Glacier Bay (cruising), Icy Strait Point & Ketchikan, 2 Days at Sea
-Pros: Newer & larger ship, trying a new cruise line, Free at Sea perks (drink package, dining, shore excursions, wifi), sailing Glacier Bay
-Cons: Not as many port stops

Carnival: 8 days on the Miracle - Ports are Tracy Arm Fjord (cruising), Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan, 2 Days at Sea
-Pros: Familiar with Carnival & love it (this will also put me at Platinum status! LOL) $100 OBC, longer cruise with more ports, having Skagway as a stop
-Cons: Smaller & older ship

Dates are pretty much the same. NCL is a Sat-Sat. CCL is a Tues-Wed. Price difference isn't crazy. NCL is actually a touch cheaper with the included Free at Sea perks and a small 10% discount from our cancelled sailing. We would add on the beverage package for CCL, which adds quite a bit to the overall cost.

Ughhh what to do!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

brewcrew said:


> Do tell what you do in Belize?!?!?!





mevelandry said:


> Amazing!
> 
> Just out of curiosity, what are your plans for those ports?


Belize is a very long tender ride to the port. In 2017 we just walked around the port and did some shopping. We are planning on staying on the ship this time.

Cozumel we are swimming with the dolphins. 

Last time we were in Roatan we went to the Daniel’s Sloth and Monkey Sanctuary. It was awesome, I fell in love with sloths, they’re so cute and gentle. This time we are taking the chair lifts at the port to the beach. It’s a 5-10 minute ride in the air to get to a pristine beach set up for Carnival guests.


----------



## hdrolfe

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Belize is a very long tender ride to the port. In 2017 we just walked around the port and did some shopping. We are planning on staying on the ship this time.
> 
> Cozumel we are swimming with the dolphins.
> 
> Last time we were in Roatan we went to the Daniel’s Sloth and Monkey Sanctuary. It was awesome, I fell in love with sloths, they’re so cute and gentle. This time we are taking the chair lifts at the port to the beach. It’s a 5-10 minute ride in the air to get to a pristine beach set up for Carnival guests.
> View attachment 580678



Which dolphin swim are you doing? We did the one at Chankanaab (sp?) and it was amazing. I would love to do it again. My son was small enough that when they did the push thing he went FLYING! it was very cool.

And we rode the chairlift at Mahogany Bay, you can walk but the ride is fun. Except I am scared of heights so that wasn't as fun for me. But it was nice to see everything from up there. The water was nice and it was lovely. 

So jealous  and happy for you! Let us know how it was when you are back, interested to hear Covid differences.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Belize was nice, it was interesting to hear the tour as we went through town to the cave tubing place. The thing I didn't like about the excursion is we went with some who were also doing other things, and they added ziplinining in the same amount of time we just did the cave tubing. So it was ssslllloooowww and my kiddo got bored floating in the tubes. If it was just me I might have enjoyed it more. If you aren't go go go then you may enjoy it as well. The food was good at the lunch stop, and the pop was in those glass bottles that are so cute. The port area wasn't anything special, and it's a long tender ride. So if you don't have a ship sponsored excursion it can be hard to get off the ship in a timely manner. This isn't GC with a short ride, this was a good long ride.
> 
> The Carnival excursions that I've heard are good are:
> Sharks, Rays, Barrier Reef Snorkel and Island Escape
> The Ruins (if you like that kind of thing)
> Goff's Caye
> Rendezvous Caye



If I had to go there my pick would probably be Geoff's Caye. It looks really special.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Belize is a very long tender ride to the port. In 2017 we just walked around the port and did some shopping. We are planning on staying on the ship this time.
> 
> Cozumel we are swimming with the dolphins.
> 
> Last time we were in Roatan we went to the Daniel’s Sloth and Monkey Sanctuary. It was awesome, I fell in love with sloths, they’re so cute and gentle. This time we are taking the chair lifts at the port to the beach. It’s a 5-10 minute ride in the air to get to a pristine beach set up for Carnival guests.
> View attachment 580678



The beach in Roatan looks awesome.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> If I had to go there my pick would probably be Geoff's Caye. It looks really special.



My son wants to do the swim with the sharks even though he is scared of them. I mean when we swim in the rivers and lakes here he gets scared there may be one... there are none, it's fresh water lol. I think he just wants to see me freak out


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Which dolphin swim are you doing? We did the one at Chankanaab (sp?) and it was amazing. I would love to do it again. My son was small enough that when they did the push thing he went FLYING! it was very cool.
> 
> And we rode the chairlift at Mahogany Bay, you can walk but the ride is fun. Except I am scared of heights so that wasn't as fun for me. But it was nice to see everything from up there. The water was nice and it was lovely.
> 
> So jealous  and happy for you! Let us know how it was when you are back, interested to hear Covid differences.



While I haven't done the dolphin swim in Chankanaab, I think Chankanaab is fun. The "beach" is fun if you like snorkeling but can't swim very far. There are stairs leading you into the water. The bottom and the surrounding are rocky and you get tons of fish and other creatures without having to go further than 12 feet. There is a nice garden too. We had a lovely day.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Belize is a very long tender ride to the port. In 2017 we just walked around the port and did some shopping. We are planning on staying on the ship this time.
> 
> Cozumel we are swimming with the dolphins.
> 
> Last time we were in Roatan we went to the Daniel’s Sloth and Monkey Sanctuary. It was awesome, I fell in love with sloths, they’re so cute and gentle. This time we are taking the chair lifts at the port to the beach. It’s a 5-10 minute ride in the air to get to a pristine beach set up for Carnival guests.
> View attachment 580678



OMG we LOVED the monkey & sloth sanctuary in Roatan! I would recommend it to absolutely anyone with that port stop. Gorgeous photo!


----------



## brewcrew

belle032 said:


> Omg you guys. I'm second guessing everything. I feel like I have to come to y'all because DH is one to just show up and board the ship I tell him we're going on...AKA not much help!
> 
> So I was ready to rebook our NCL sailing, but made the mistake of jumping on the Carnival website just to see what they have available for Alaska this year. And they have a pretty cool 8 day itinerary!
> 
> Norwegian: 7 Days on the Encore - Ports are Juneau, Glacier Bay (cruising), Icy Strait Point & Ketchikan, 2 Days at Sea
> -Pros: Newer & larger ship, trying a new cruise line, Free at Sea perks (drink package, dining, shore excursions, wifi), sailing Glacier Bay
> -Cons: Not as many port stops
> 
> Carnival: 8 days on the Miracle - Ports are Tracy Arm Fjord (cruising), Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan, 2 Days at Sea
> -Pros: Familiar with Carnival & love it (this will also put me at Platinum status! LOL) $100 OBC, longer cruise with more ports, having Skagway as a stop
> -Cons: Smaller & older ship
> 
> Dates are pretty much the same. NCL is a Sat-Sat. CCL is a Tues-Wed. Price difference isn't crazy. NCL is actually a touch cheaper with the included Free at Sea perks and a small 10% discount from our cancelled sailing. We would add on the beverage package for CCL, which adds quite a bit to the overall cost.
> 
> Ughhh what to do!


That’s a tough one.  Do you go to Alaska for the scenery and the ports or do you go for the ship?  I’ve never been on Carnival (soon though) or NCL so I can’t speak to that.  I like the sound of the Carnival itinerary better but the pull of a new ship is tempting.  No matter what, you will be in Alaska!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Got an email from Carnival today with protocols for the July Vista cruises. Since 95% of those on board will be vaccinated, we do not have to wear masks or social distance on the ship. We will have to abide by all rules and regulations in port though. I’m so dang excited for this cruise now!

As a side note, we’re at WDW right now and the service is horrible, most CM’s seem miserable and completely uninterested. The floor in the hallway hasn’t been vacuumed the 4 days we’ve been here and the every other day room “cleaning” is a joke. It is resulting in garbage in the hallways and the smell of dirty diapers as you walk down the hall. It’s disgusting and very disappointing. We didn’t even have to pay for our park tickets and this trip is going to still cost about $1000 more than 2 cabins for our Vista cruise. I think we’re officially done with land vacations. I’m so disappointed in this. But hey, I’m gonna be on a ship in 3 weeks and won’t care about this at that point!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Got an email from Carnival today with protocols for the July Vista cruises. Since 95% of those on board will be vaccinated, we do not have to wear masks or social distance on the ship. We will have to abide by all rules and regulations in port though. I’m so dang excited for this cruise now!
> 
> As a side note, we’re at WDW right now and the service is horrible, most CM’s seem miserable and completely uninterested. The floor in the hallway hasn’t been vacuumed the 4 days we’ve been here and the every other day room “cleaning” is a joke. It is resulting in garbage in the hallways and the smell of dirty diapers as you walk down the hall. It’s disgusting and very disappointing. We didn’t even have to pay for our park tickets and this trip is going to still cost about $1000 more than 2 cabins for our Vista cruise. I think we’re officially done with land vacations. I’m so disappointed in this. But hey, I’m gonna be on a ship in 3 weeks and won’t care about this at that point!



I am shocked. Where are you staying?

Do vaccinated people have to be tested before boarding?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I am shocked. Where are you staying?
> 
> Do vaccinated people have to be tested before boarding?


We’re at Art of Animation, third time staying here and it’s always been great. We had lunch at Riviera Resort yesterday and they were better there.

It doesn’t look like we’re going to need to be tested before getting on board.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’re at Art of Animation, third time staying here and it’s always been great. We had lunch at Riviera Resort yesterday and they were better there.
> 
> It doesn’t look like we’re going to need to be tested before getting on board.



I've stayed at AOA before and indeed, it was nothing like you described. WDW laid off a lot of the staff recently... 

Please let us know how it is on the ship. Do you know if Vista is sailing at lower capacity? You may feel like you have the whole ship to yourself!


----------



## wideeyedwonder

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’re at Art of Animation, third time staying here and it’s always been great. We had lunch at Riviera Resort yesterday and they were better there.



off topic, but we are on our last day at WDW, and both the Wilderness Lodge and the Beach Club resorts have been nice and clean, and a wonderful experience.  Sorry you had a negative experience at AoA, but it sounds like you will get back to cruising again very soon, so that is wonderful!


----------



## mevelandry

wideeyedwonder said:


> off topic, but we are on our last day at WDW, and both the Wilderness Lodge and the Beach Club resorts have been nice and clean, and a wonderful experience.  Sorry you had a negative experience at AoA, but it sounds like you will get back to cruising again very soon, so that is wonderful!



Beach Club is one of my favorite WDW hotels. I  very envious right now.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

We are at WDW now too! Offsite in a house though. It’s not lived up to the photos and we have had to call the management company a few times and the only thing that has been fixed is the tv that didn’t work for the first 10 days of our stay. No mention of any compensation for all the issues.
I am also disappointed at the lack of restaurant and snack choices. And the prices have gone through the roof and it’s really becoming a wealthy person destination only. We won’t be back for a long time if ever. Can go to Europe for the same price or less.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> We are at WDW now too! Offsite in a house though. It’s not lived up to the photos and we have had to call the management company a few times and the only thing that has been fixed is the tv that didn’t work for the first 10 days of our stay. No mention of any compensation for all the issues.
> I am also disappointed at the lack of restaurant and snack choices. And the prices have gone through the roof and it’s really becoming a wealthy person destination only. We won’t be back for a long time if ever. Can go to Europe for the same price or less.


I think it's what surprises me the most. Most reviews I read these days is that they charge the big price for a reduced experience. That really sucks.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’re at Art of Animation, third time staying here and it’s always been great. We had lunch at Riviera Resort yesterday and they were better there.
> 
> It doesn’t look like we’re going to need to be tested before getting on board.



So sorry for the bad experience! We stayed at Coronado Springs in April and honestly had a wonderful time. I may have skipped housekeeping, but I think with COVID protocols, there really isn't any normal room cleaning happening anyway except taking out trash and replenishing towels. 

 I do agree the lack of dining overall was a bummer, especially at the resort. And it was tough if you were looking for food after "normal" dinner hours because so many places closed early! As people who always do the dining plan, we definitely felt a lack of choices and higher food/drink prices. I remember DH paying $4.75 for a Sprite at DHS and I was shocked. We were almost better off paying for a sit-down meal every time we wanted to eat. Not good.

As a former CM, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt for the most part. It's a tough time, no doubt about it. From what I could sense, they just don't feel appreciated or valued in any way. Their benefits have been scaled back-a friend of ours said they couldn't even get into DHS until the end of the year because of the blackout dates. I remember talking to many of them when we visited and so many CMs are not working their normal roles or in their normal areas. For example, a lot of the entertainment CMs might be working merchandise. Restaurant servers might be working quick service or in another restaurant altogether. Attractions cast are all shuffled around. So many are probably out of their comfort zone or not as invested in the role they are currently performing. So I'm sure all of that is showing "on stage" even though it shouldn't be. And to put it nicely-many guests are not the most magical to deal with.  Sorry I don't mean to preach, and I am in no way invalidating your experience! I'm also not excusing any outright rude behavior, but just providing another perspective.

Back on topic: That is so exciting about your cruise! I was wondering how Carnival would treat the mask issue and that's awesome you won't have to wear them onboard! I'd be way more excited now too!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> So sorry for the bad experience! We stayed at Coronado Springs in April and honestly had a wonderful time. I may have skipped housekeeping, but I think with COVID protocols, there really isn't any normal room cleaning happening anyway except taking out trash and replenishing towels.
> 
> I do agree the lack of dining overall was a bummer, especially at the resort. And it was tough if you were looking for food after "normal" dinner hours because so many places closed early! As people who always do the dining plan, we definitely felt a lack of choices and higher food/drink prices. I remember DH paying $4.75 for a Sprite at DHS and I was shocked. We were almost better off paying for a sit-down meal every time we wanted to eat. Not good.
> 
> As a former CM, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt for the most part. It's a tough time, no doubt about it. From what I could sense, they just don't feel appreciated or valued in any way. Their benefits have been scaled back-a friend of ours said they couldn't even get into DHS until the end of the year because of the blackout dates. I remember talking to many of them when we visited and so many CMs are not working their normal roles or in their normal areas. For example, a lot of the entertainment CMs might be working merchandise. Restaurant servers might be working quick service or in another restaurant altogether. Attractions cast are all shuffled around. So many are probably out of their comfort zone or not as invested in the role they are currently performing. So I'm sure all of that is showing "on stage" even though it shouldn't be. And to put it nicely-many guests are not the most magical to deal with.  Sorry I don't mean to preach, and I am in no way invalidating your experience! I'm also not excusing any outright rude behavior, but just providing another perspective.
> 
> Back on topic: That is so exciting about your cruise! I was wondering how Carnival would treat the mask issue and that's awesome you won't have to wear them onboard! I'd be way more excited now too!


I’m a former CM too so always give the benefit of the doubt as well. What’s most frustrating is the housekeeping issue. I don’t mind making me bed every morning and we actually do that daily anyway on vacation. They just can’t seem to get their act together, it’s supposed to be every other day. We finally got our room cleaned on Monday after checking in on Friday. Tuesday, while my wife was napping, they stopped by to clean again, she said no thanks, come back Wednesday. We were at Hollywood Studios all day yesterday and came back to a non-cleaned room. It’s not like we’re messy people or anything, but it’s just frustrating. The same garbage that has been on the hallway floor is still there since Friday when we checked in.

As a small business owner it’s frustrating that they’re using COVID as an excuse to scale back on service while still charging almost $500/night for the”privilege” of staying at a”value” resort. My expenses are higher than ever at my restaurant because of the extra positions I’ve had to create to follow covid protocols and give my guests an amazing experience.

Sorry, rant over. I’m gonna be on a cruise in 3+ weeks and not give a crap about this at that point .  The cruise group I’m part of on the social media site we can’t mention here is super fun and friendly, so I’m pretty excited. I forgot how much I love sailing out of Galveston, Texans are awesome people and so friendly!!


----------



## brewcrew

Club Disney Chandler said:


> We’re at Art of Animation, third time staying here and it’s always been great. We had lunch at Riviera Resort yesterday and they were better there.
> 
> It doesn’t look like we’re going to need to be tested before getting on board.


My daughter and I spent last night at Old Key West Resort before our day at Animal Kingdom today.  It was super clean and the staff was amazing.  Of course that was one night but we actually talked about how wonderful our experience was at OKW.  Have fun in the cruise!  Can’t wait to hear about it.


----------



## mevelandry

Lots of great Carnival news yesterday! 

Current mood:


----------



## belle032

I can officially stop talking about it, we put a deposit down on an Alaskan sailing on the Carnival Miracle for this September!

I was seriously ready to rebook our NCL sailing, but then I got some kind of amazing offer from Carnival. I think it was a last minute casino-type rate (which is strange because I rarely play in the casino-DH does, so maybe that was it?). Anyway, we booked the 8 day itinerary in an extended verandah cabin with a $100OBC and gratuities included for LESS THAN $2K!    Yes, it's an smaller ship (refurbed in 2020 I found out), but since Alaska is more about the ports and at that price, we figured we couldn't pass up the opportunity. We can budget more for excursions and extras that maybe we wouldn't normally have done.

Fingers crossed this actually happens! DH is officially vaxxed as of yesterday and we are ready to sail!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> I can officially stop talking about it, we put a deposit down on an Alaskan sailing on the Carnival Miracle for this September!
> 
> I was seriously ready to rebook our NCL sailing, but then I got some kind of amazing offer from Carnival. I think it was a last minute casino-type rate (which is strange because I rarely play in the casino-DH does, so maybe that was it?). Anyway, we booked the 8 day itinerary in an extended verandah cabin with a $100OBC and gratuities included for LESS THAN $2K!    Yes, it's an smaller ship (refurbed in 2020 I found out), but since Alaska is more about the ports and at that price, we figured we couldn't pass up the opportunity. We can budget more for excursions and extras that maybe we wouldn't normally have done.
> 
> Fingers crossed this actually happens! DH is officially vaxxed as of yesterday and we are ready to sail!


YAY!  So happy for you, I think it will happen for you. Some of the casino rates are crazy right now. There are people booking on our cruise for $100/person on the casino rate, It’s crazy!  There were also offering solo rates for people, so we have quite a few solos cruising now. They only have to pay the $959 rate for their own inside cabin on deck 2.


----------



## brewcrew

belle032 said:


> I can officially stop talking about it, we put a deposit down on an Alaskan sailing on the Carnival Miracle for this September!
> 
> I was seriously ready to rebook our NCL sailing, but then I got some kind of amazing offer from Carnival. I think it was a last minute casino-type rate (which is strange because I rarely play in the casino-DH does, so maybe that was it?). Anyway, we booked the 8 day itinerary in an extended verandah cabin with a $100OBC and gratuities included for LESS THAN $2K!    Yes, it's an smaller ship (refurbed in 2020 I found out), but since Alaska is more about the ports and at that price, we figured we couldn't pass up the opportunity. We can budget more for excursions and extras that maybe we wouldn't normally have done.
> 
> Fingers crossed this actually happens! DH is officially vaxxed as of yesterday and we are ready to sail!


That is so exciting!!!  I’m new to Carnival (as in my first cruise with them is in Spring  2023).  What is the deal with casino rates?


----------



## belle032

brewcrew said:


> That is so exciting!!!  I’m new to Carnival (as in my first cruise with them is in Spring  2023).  What is the deal with casino rates?



I honestly have no idea if there is any rhyme or reason to them at all.  We aren't high rollers by any stretch of the imagination! We've seen guests who are obviously spending money in the casino, as they generally have magnets on their cabin doors showing as such.

We're both part of Carnival's loyalty club (tiers based on points you earn for how many days you've sailed....same as every other cruise line loyalty program) so we get emailed offers and see different offers in our accounts all the time. If we lived near a cruise port, we'd take advantage of them much more often! So I don't know if we just got lucky with an offer and/or they're throwing everything out there trying to entice people to sail again.

Looking at the website now, the price for our sailing is definitely back up to "normal," so maybe the offer ended or they hit the capacity of how many they were allowing to book the offer in the first place.

Either way, always check your account to see what could be in there!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> YAY!  So happy for you, I think it will happen for you. Some of the casino rates are crazy right now. There are people booking on our cruise for $100/person on the casino rate, It’s crazy!  There were also offering solo rates for people, so we have quite a few solos cruising now. They only have to pay the $959 rate for their own inside cabin on deck 2.



An acquaintance have been able to book a Panama Canal cruise for a very low price due to Casino rates.


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> That is so exciting!!!  I’m new to Carnival (as in my first cruise with them is in Spring  2023).  What is the deal with casino rates?



Whenever you play at the casino, you « win » points. After certain amounts played, you start getting free drink… It starts from there and then you can eventually end up receiving special offers, free drink packages, etc.

DH and I have never played enough money to get there but I know people who did. Apparently, once you get there, even if you don’t play huge amounts, you’ll receive offers for a while.


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> I can officially stop talking about it, we put a deposit down on an Alaskan sailing on the Carnival Miracle for this September!
> 
> I was seriously ready to rebook our NCL sailing, but then I got some kind of amazing offer from Carnival. I think it was a last minute casino-type rate (which is strange because I rarely play in the casino-DH does, so maybe that was it?). Anyway, we booked the 8 day itinerary in an extended verandah cabin with a $100OBC and gratuities included for LESS THAN $2K!    Yes, it's an smaller ship (refurbed in 2020 I found out), but since Alaska is more about the ports and at that price, we figured we couldn't pass up the opportunity. We can budget more for excursions and extras that maybe we wouldn't normally have done.
> 
> Fingers crossed this actually happens! DH is officially vaxxed as of yesterday and we are ready to sail!



Exciting! I've heard good things about Miracle, that class of ships. So hopefully you will enjoy it! I mean Alaska is more for the sights than the ship I think so as long as you got good ports and price... celebrate! And review when you get back so we can enjoy vicariously through you


----------



## mevelandry

Found a pic of the Magic with the new hull design! Absolutely gorgeous. Love it.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Found a pic of the Magic with the new hull design! Absolutely gorgeous. Love it. View attachment 581436



I'm loving the blue. Very classy!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I'm loving the blue. Very classy!



Agreed!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> I'm loving the blue. Very classy!


I love it too, will be cool to eventually see all the Carnival ships that way!


----------



## auntlynne

Every time I read this thread, it’s like I’m in a personal conversation - of cruise lovers.  I’m not too shy to wiggle in to a conversation, though, and might pick up some useful info if I throw out my news.  

I was following along on @belle032 ‘s quandary on Carnival v NCL in AK to see the outcome.



belle032 said:


> I can officially stop talking about it, we put a deposit down on an Alaskan sailing on the Carnival Miracle for this September!
> 
> I was seriously ready to rebook our NCL sailing, but then I got some kind of amazing offer from Carnival. I think it was a last minute casino-type rate (which is strange because I rarely play in the casino-DH does, so maybe that was it?). Anyway, we booked the 8 day itinerary in an extended verandah cabin with a $100OBC and gratuities included for LESS THAN $2K!    Yes, it's an smaller ship (refurbed in 2020 I found out), but since Alaska is more about the ports and at that price, we figured we couldn't pass up the opportunity. We can budget more for excursions and extras that maybe we wouldn't normally have done.
> 
> Fingers crossed this actually happens! DH is officially vaxxed as of yesterday and we are ready to sail!



I just booked NCL Encore for August 21 (the itinerary that goes to Skagway, but not Glacier Bay).  

It‘s my first NCL cruise.  Less than half of DCL price (y‘all would have known that already) and I get to try their studio cabin, designed for solo cruisers.

I’ll also get a new port - Icy Strait Point, which only leaves Sitka on my unvisited AK stops.  An excuse for a future cruise, as if an excuse is needed to return to AK?!

I had no doubts that this would sail and am now wondering.  I booked cruise, air, hotel all in one swoop.  Excursions and dining the next day.  I think they are all refundable / cancel without penalty.  And bought insurance that even covers COVID-caused issues.

This is a vaccinated cruise.  But not splashed across every agreement as I would expect.  We will have to submit documentation and be tested (NCL paid) at the pier.  More details are to come (which I take to mean they are working on their plans).


----------



## mevelandry

Guys, I’m so envious of all of you cruising to Alaska. I have been trying to convince my husband for years… He doesn’t like the cold much so he’s very hesitant.


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> Guys, I’m so envious of all of you cruising to Alaska. I have been trying to convince my husband for years… He doesn’t like the cold much so he’s very hesitant.


Maybe he would like it in August...better chance of warmer weather???  He could go with you and stay on the ship while you go exploring???  Just trying to help get you there.


----------



## belle032

auntlynne said:


> Every time I read this thread, it’s like I’m in a personal conversation - of cruise lovers.  I’m not too shy to wiggle in to a conversation, though, and might pick up some useful info if I throw out my news.
> 
> I was following along on @belle032 ‘s quandary on Carnival v NCL in AK to see the outcome.
> 
> 
> 
> I just booked NCL Encore for August 21 (the itinerary that goes to Skagway, but not Glacier Bay).
> 
> It‘s my first NCL cruise.  Less than half of DCL price (y‘all would have known that already) and I get to try their studio cabin, designed for solo cruisers.
> 
> I’ll also get a new port - Icy Strait Point, which only leaves Sitka on my unvisited AK stops.  An excuse for a future cruise, as if an excuse is needed to return to AK?!
> 
> I had no doubts that this would sail and am now wondering.  I booked cruise, air, hotel all in one swoop.  Excursions and dining the next day.  I think they are all refundable / cancel without penalty.  And bought insurance that even covers COVID-caused issues.
> 
> This is a vaccinated cruise.  But not splashed across every agreement as I would expect.  We will have to submit documentation and be tested (NCL paid) at the pier.  More details are to come (which I take to mean they are working on their plans).



I truly looked at this itinerary as well, but we couldn't go in August. It had to be September, which automatically eliminating stopping in Skagway. I really do want to try NCL in the future so I know we'll get there eventually! We just couldn't pass the CCL deal up. And I really appreciate that NCL offers solo cabins! I'm hoping we both get to sail and I would love to hear a review of your trip!



mevelandry said:


> Guys, I’m so envious of all of you cruising to Alaska. I have been trying to convince my husband for years… He doesn’t like the cold much so he’s very hesitant.



Let me just say my Mom sailed to Alaska in 2019 (in September on 1 of the last itineraries of the season) and she is NOT a cold weather person. Hates it. Would prefer never to see a snowflake in her life again. The whole nine yards. TBH I think she has a touch of seasonal affective disorder, which she passed on to me. (Thanks mom!) We don't do well in winter!

So I was VERY surprised she decided to go! But when I talked to her about it afterward, she raved about what a wonderful time she had. I don't think she felt the need to go again, but she was so glad she took the chance and went. She said the scenery was out of this world beautiful and that it's just a entirely different cruising experience.

Hopefully you can convince your DH to take the leap!


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> Maybe he would like it in August...better chance of warmer weather???  He could go with you and stay on the ship while you go exploring???  Just trying to help get you there.



Nah, if I’m getting off the ship, he’s getting off the ship.

I wonder how warm it gets over there in August... Enough to swim in a heated pool? I wonder what Alaska looks like during summer. I’ll have to google that.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Guys, I’m so envious of all of you cruising to Alaska. I have been trying to convince my husband for years… He doesn’t like the cold much so he’s very hesitant.


I’ve lived in the Arizona desert for 48 of the 52 years I’ve been on this planet and absolutely despise cold weather, literally makes me miserable. We did Alaska the first week of June in 2017 and I was surprised how mild it was. It was definitely cool but not nearly as cold as I expected. Granted, I didn’t spend any time on deck at night and only was able to lay out one afternoon, but on excursions we were fine. Just wore pants and long sleeve shirts and were good to go. I still prefer Caribbean cruises but am so happy we did Alaska once, was a great cruise and I would do it again in the future.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

auntlynne said:


> Every time I read this thread, it’s like I’m in a personal conversation - of cruise lovers.  I’m not too shy to wiggle in to a conversation, though, and might pick up some useful info if I throw out my news.
> 
> I was following along on @belle032 ‘s quandary on Carnival v NCL in AK to see the outcome.
> 
> 
> 
> I just booked NCL Encore for August 21 (the itinerary that goes to Skagway, but not Glacier Bay).
> 
> It‘s my first NCL cruise.  Less than half of DCL price (y‘all would have known that already) and I get to try their studio cabin, designed for solo cruisers.
> 
> I’ll also get a new port - Icy Strait Point, which only leaves Sitka on my unvisited AK stops.  An excuse for a future cruise, as if an excuse is needed to return to AK?!
> 
> I had no doubts that this would sail and am now wondering.  I booked cruise, air, hotel all in one swoop.  Excursions and dining the next day.  I think they are all refundable / cancel without penalty.  And bought insurance that even covers COVID-caused issues.
> 
> This is a vaccinated cruise.  But not splashed across every agreement as I would expect.  We will have to submit documentation and be tested (NCL paid) at the pier.  More details are to come (which I take to mean they are working on their plans).


Glad you joined in!  I think NCL has some of the prettiest cabins in the industry and am anxious to hear all about your cruise when you return. Keep us informed of your plans as you make them, we all love to live others cruises through them!


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> Nah, if I’m getting off the ship, he’s getting off the ship.
> 
> I wonder how warm it gets over there in August... Enough to swim in a heated pool? I wonder what Alaska looks like during summer. I’ll have to google that.


Lol!  That’s the thing with Alaska...it could be warm and sunny or cold and rainy. In the same week.  I know some cruise lines have covered pools so maybe that will help sway him.  He would enjoy the scenery though!


----------



## Lilsia

mevelandry said:


> Guys, I’m so envious of all of you cruising to Alaska. I have been trying to convince my husband for years… He doesn’t like the cold much so he’s very hesitant.



Go without him. My husband absolutely refuses to go on a cruise so it's either my girls and me, or I go by myself. Life is too short to not do what you want to do. Maybe I feel this way because my whole life, my Mom would say how the one thing that she wanted to do was go on an Alaskan cruise. My dad, being the jerk that he was, thought vacations were a "waste of money". She died at 62 never having gone on her cruise, or any real vacation. She did not even get to retire from work. So I do as much as I can, while I can. You can't take the money with you.


----------



## hdrolfe

No desire to go to Alaska here! Maybe someday. I do not like the cold, and yes I live in Canada. I travel with my son and when he is older I will travel alone. Though he doesn't think that will ever happen. My parents don't like trips but they took me on a cruise when I was 16 and I was 40 when I got to go again. My mom sometimes makes comments about how often I travel but I know I want to do it while I am able to. This is how I spend my money. 

Glad to see some cruises will be starting up, I am anxious to see how they go and what has changed. I really hope kiddo and I can go in December, I have to get him vaccinated somehow so there are no problems traveling.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’ve lived in the Arizona desert for 48 of the 52 years I’ve been on this planet and absolutely despise cold weather, literally makes me miserable. We did Alaska the first week of June in 2017 and I was surprised how mild it was. It was definitely cool but not nearly as cold as I expected. Granted, I didn’t spend any time on deck at night and only was able to lay out one afternoon, but on excursions we were fine. Just wore pants and long sleeve shirts and were good to go. I still prefer Caribbean cruises but am so happy we did Alaska once, was a great cruise and I would do it again in the future.



Oh good to know! Thank you.


----------



## mevelandry

auntlynne said:


> Every time I read this thread, it’s like I’m in a personal conversation - of cruise lovers.  I’m not too shy to wiggle in to a conversation, though, and might pick up some useful info if I throw out my news.
> 
> I was following along on @belle032 ‘s quandary on Carnival v NCL in AK to see the outcome.



You are welcome here and welcome to ask about any cruise lines as well as we received permission from the mods.


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> Lol!  That’s the thing with Alaska...it could be warm and sunny or cold and rainy. In the same week.  I know some cruise lines have covered pools so maybe that will help sway him.  He would enjoy the scenery though!



Sounds like Canada. LOL

Do you know if certains months tend to be less rainy?


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> No desire to go to Alaska here! Maybe someday. I do not like the cold, and yes I live in Canada. I travel with my son and when he is older I will travel alone. Though he doesn't think that will ever happen. My parents don't like trips but they took me on a cruise when I was 16 and I was 40 when I got to go again. My mom sometimes makes comments about how often I travel but I know I want to do it while I am able to. This is how I spend my money.
> 
> Glad to see some cruises will be starting up, I am anxious to see how they go and what has changed. I really hope kiddo and I can go in December, I have to get him vaccinated somehow so there are no problems traveling.



They’ll be reducing quarantine: in July, we’re going from « 14 days mandatory quarantine » to « quarantine until we receive a negative result«  when fully vaccinated... Which I hope will be waived by the end of the summer. We have a trip to New York planned in September and a cruise in October.


----------



## mevelandry

I’m a bit worried. From what I understand, for the first months of sailing, every stop in Grand Turk is currently replaced with Nassau. It hasn’t affected our January itinerary yet and I hope it doesn’t.

Nassau excursions have really gone up (some over 50$ more than they used to be) and Atlantis is still not back on the list of excursions available.


----------



## John VN

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’ve lived in the Arizona desert for 48 of the 52 years I’ve been on this planet and absolutely despise cold weather, literally makes me miserable. We did Alaska the first week of June in 2017 and I was surprised how mild it was. It was definitely cool but not nearly as cold as I expected. Granted, I didn’t spend any time on deck at night and only was able to lay out one afternoon, but on excursions we were fine. Just wore pants and long sleeve shirts and were good to go. I still prefer Caribbean cruises but am so happy we did Alaska once, was a great cruise and I would do it again in the future.



We moved to FL in 7/26/86 from NJ.  I HATED warm weather and 90F+ greeted us.   House thermostat is set for 84F daytime with outside going into 90's and high humidity today, * none of that DRY HEAT here.*  Our Alaska cruise was end of May/2019 and the *weather was VERY NICE.* *ONE & DONE so not again.*


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> I’m a bit worried. From what I understand, for the first months of sailing, every stop in Grand Turk is currently replaced with Nassau. It hasn’t affected our January itinerary yet and I hope it doesn’t.
> 
> Nassau excursions have really gone up (some over 50$ more than they used to be) and Atlantis is still not back on the list of excursions available.



Interesting. We have GT on our December Mardi Gras cruise. I think I would just stay on the ship to be honest. But we are on Harmony right after Mardi Gras and it already stops in Nassua, twice in a row I wouldn't want to do much there. I could see enjoying the ship though. I guess we'll see.


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> Sounds like Canada. LOL
> 
> Do you know if certains months tend to be less rainy?


I have read May is the driest.  That being said our trip to Alaska was wet but we carried on just fine.  We chose to cruise the last week of May/first week of June as soon as our children were on summer break here in Florida.  We found The fare to be less expensive and many other families are still in school (so less busy).

Don't know where in Canada you are but our family absolutely LOVED Vancouver.  It is just a beautiful city!  Would love to visit Montreal and Quebec one day!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Interesting. We have GT on our December Mardi Gras cruise. I think I would just stay on the ship to be honest. But we are on Harmony right after Mardi Gras and it already stops in Nassua, twice in a row I wouldn't want to do much there. I could see enjoying the ship though. I guess we'll see.



The thing is with our itinerary, we already have 3 sea days (the first two on our way to our first stop)... That’s a lot of time to explore the ship. Port days are my favorite. 

That being said, I see that some cruise (Horizon) have Bimini (I was surprised) as a port of call. This is one port I’d like to try.


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> I have read May is the driest.  That being said our trip to Alaska was wet but we carried on just fine.  We chose to cruise the last week of May/first week of June as soon as our children were on summer break here in Florida.  We found The fare to be less expensive and many other families are still in school (so less busy).
> 
> Don't know where in Canada you are but our family absolutely LOVED Vancouver.  It is just a beautiful city!  Would love to visit Montreal and Quebec one day!



I’m in Montreal.  Montreal is nice and we have fun things to do but Quebec City is just breathtaking, IMO.

If any of you ever go to Quebec or Montreal, let me know. I can offer some advices on excursions/attractions.


----------



## Lilsia

mevelandry said:


> The thing is with our itinerary, we already have 3 sea days (the first two on our way to our first stop)... That’s a lot of time to explore the ship. Port days are my favorite.
> 
> That being said, I see that some cruise (Horizon) have Bimini (I was surprised) as a port of call. This is one port I’d like to try.



I like port days because so many get off of the ship and I have no issues getting chairs in the adult area. Plus the spa services are cheaper on port days.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> The thing is with our itinerary, we already have 3 sea days (the first two on our way to our first stop)... That’s a lot of time to explore the ship. Port days are my favorite.
> 
> That being said, I see that some cruise (Horizon) have Bimini (I was surprised) as a port of call. This is one port I’d like to try.



I think it's the same itinerary we have, San Juan, GT & Amber Cove. I have never heard of Bimini so that sounds interesting. I normally prefer port days by far, but I'll just be happy to be on a ship and have someone else cook for me! I also think Mardi Gras will have a lot of fun things to do, with the roller coaster, water slides, ropes course. Those things might be less popular on a port day.


----------



## auntlynne

As a DCL cruiser, the possibility of somewhere other than Nassau as a Bahamas stop sounds intriguing.  I love the water in the Bahamas - so much of it’s being shallow keeping it warm and making it blue.  I just don’t hear the names Bimini, Freeport, or Grand Turk discussed.  Is Grand Turk in Turks & Caicos?  There’s a whole world of places I’m missing by sticking with DCL.


----------



## auntlynne

Four cruises to AK - four different weather experiences.  Memorial Day week - definitely needed coats and lots of warm clothes.

We sailed through Tracy Arm and needed covers while lounging on Deck 4 of the Wonder.  The day before, I was in the heated pool as we sailed the Inner Passage.


Later that day, exiting Tracy Arm, it must have warmed up:


And on a float plane trip out of Ketchikan, flying inland over the Tongass Forest, pretty decent temps.


----------



## auntlynne

The following year, 2012  - the week ending on July 4th: 

Boarding Island Princess in Whittier - closest port to Anchorage.  This sets the tone for the weather.  We had a sunset the last night of the cruise.



viewing Hubbard Glacier.  


Our friends were bundled:


Excursion to Haines, up the Lynn Canal from Skagway.


----------



## auntlynne

2013, Northbound from Vancouver:

In Glacier Bay, the crowd in light jackets:



Arriving Juneau



at Mendenhall Glacier that same day, a few miles inland:


----------



## auntlynne

2015, mid-May.  

Glacier Bay, on our covered balcony


She’s warm natured.  Later that day, I found her in a crow’s nest, knitting, no coat needed.


----------



## auntlynne

These photos are not my “sell Alaska cruising“ photos, I notice.  Not a lot of pretty scenery. I was trying to see what weather I captured over the years.  

Lots of overcast, drizzly days.  In the coastal cities.  As I think of Vancouver and Seattle.  

Raincoats are a must for AK cruising.  On our first cruise, I had us take two boarding photos (just based on the days before in Vancouver); didn’t realize it was predictive.




Definitely cooler weather than the 90 degrees we’ve got down here this mid June day in North Alabama.  I’m thinking that August in AK will be a nice relief after 3 months of progressively hotter summer (it won’t end until October).


----------



## auntlynne

On many lists, Ketchikan is listed as the rainiest / wettest city in the US.


----------



## auntlynne

mevelandry said:


> Guys, I’m so envious of all of you cruising to Alaska. I have been trying to convince my husband for years… He doesn’t like the cold much so he’s very hesitant.



I am not a fan of the cold, either.  I have to bundle up in the house when the air conditioner is running.

But I don’t like hot, either.

My sister says I have a 3-5 degree C temperature range in which I am comfortable!  Two years living in Phoenix didn’t help - I was more tolerant before that.  

Love Hawaii temps - and December in USVI.


----------



## brewcrew

auntlynne said:


> I am not a fan of the cold, either.  I have to bundle up in the house when the air conditioner is running.
> 
> But I don’t like hot, either.
> 
> My sister says I have a 3-5 degree C temperature range in which I am comfortable!  Two years living in Phoenix didn’t help - I was more tolerant before that.
> 
> Love Hawaii temps - and December in USVI.


Looks like you had a great time no matter the weather!


----------



## mevelandry

auntlynne said:


> As a DCL cruiser, the possibility of somewhere other than Nassau as a Bahamas stop sounds intriguing.  I love the water in the Bahamas - so much of it’s being shallow keeping it warm and making it blue.  I just don’t hear the names Bimini, Freeport, or Grand Turk discussed.  Is Grand Turk in Turks & Caicos?  There’s a whole world of places I’m missing by sticking with DCL.



Yes, Grand Turk is in Turks and Caicos. 

Bimini is an island in the Bahamas. I believe Virgin Cruises has created a nice new beach club over there.

Freeport is on Grand Bahama. It is know to be a very bad port with nothing to do other than getting drunk at Senor Frogs (most Carnival cruise directors and staff members joke about it). You have to have an excursion there. However, Royal Caribbean has bought the Grand Lucayan Resort which is only steps away from the terminal is currently building a harbour and a great cruise terminal which, in my opinion, is going to be a game changer for Freeport. Being a huge fan of CocoCay, I can’t wait to see what they’ll do with it.

Other than that, two absolutely nice private island you probably don’t hear much about are Half Moon Cay and Princess Cays. They are both absolutely lovely.


----------



## mevelandry

auntlynne said:


> I am not a fan of the cold, either.  I have to bundle up in the house when the air conditioner is running.
> 
> But I don’t like hot, either.
> 
> My sister says I have a 3-5 degree C temperature range in which I am comfortable!  Two years living in Phoenix didn’t help - I was more tolerant before that.
> 
> Love Hawaii temps - and December in USVI.



3-5 degrees range. Sounds like me.


----------



## belle032

I don't know if anyone needs to hear this, but Southwest is having a 50% off sale! Book 6/15-6/17 for flights 9/15-11/3. Use promo code SAVE50 if you want to book with points. Our departure date is 2 days too early for the sale, but I just booked our return flight from Seattle for this cruise and saved a bunch of points! 

Worth checking out if you have any flights planned


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> I don't know if anyone needs to hear this, but Southwest is having a 50% off sale! Book 6/15-6/17 for flights 9/15-11/3. Use promo code SAVE50 if you want to book with points. Our departure date is 2 days too early for the sale, but I just booked our return flight from Seattle for this cruise and saved a bunch of points!
> 
> Worth checking out if you have any flights planned


Thank you so much for posting this, I and several other friends and family members now have flights to Michigan booked in September, $300 round trip from Phoenix to Grand Rapids is dirt cheap!  Thanks again


----------



## mevelandry

Question for those who have booked Mardi Gras: do you see all choices of restaurants in the planner?

So far, I don’t have access to reservations for Cucina del Capitano or Jiji... (Is there other specialty dining restaurants) Just the new teppanyaki, Rudi’s and the Steakhouse.

Sometimes Chef’s table appear, then it disappears…

EDIT: This morning, the teppanyaki isn’t showing. 

It’s weird. Is that the new way to show it is sold out?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Question for those who have booked Mardi Gras: do you see all choices of restaurants in the planner?
> 
> So far, I don’t have access to reservations for Cucina del Capitano or Jiji... (Is there other specialty dining restaurants) Just the new teppanyaki, Rudi’s and the Steakhouse.
> 
> Sometimes Chef’s table appear, then it disappears…
> 
> EDIT: This morning, the teppanyaki isn’t showing.
> 
> It’s weird. Is that the new way to show it is sold out?


The only thing showing up for either of my cruises, which are both over a year out, are Rudy’s Seagrill and the steak house. I have to admit, I’m kind of intrigued by Rudi’s, may have to book that.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> The only thing showing up for either of my cruises, which are both over a year out, are Rudy’s Seagrill and the steak house. I have to admit, I’m kind of intrigued by Rudi’s, may have to book that.



We do not eat sea food so I’m a bit scared of the smell inside the restaurant LOL … but I have booked the Teppanyaki while it was showing up. Now, I am waiting to see if Jiji Asian Kitchen will show up as we absolutely LOVED it on the Vista.

I always love the Steakhouse but on our last three cruises so we wanna try something different.

Let us now how Rudi’s is.


----------



## belle032

Noticed a lot of shore excursions are sold out for our Alaska trip. Going to start researching independent options. Makes me wonder if people were thinking we could only book Carnival excursions. And what exactly the capacity is going to be onboard!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Noticed a lot of shore excursions are sold out for our Alaska trip. Going to start researching independent options. Makes me wonder if people were thinking we could only book Carnival excursions. And what exactly the capacity is going to be onboard!



I know I booked everything right away with each cruise lines just in case.


----------



## mevelandry

Guys, just received my 2nd shot. Now fully vaccinated and ready to cruise!


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> Guys, just received my 2nd shot. Now fully vaccinated and ready to cruise!


Go and have some fun!!!


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> Go and have some fun!!!



Thank you! Kinda regret cancelling out August cruise now but hopefully our October cruise will happen.


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> Thank you! Kinda regret cancelling out August cruise now but hopefully our October cruise will happen.


I‘m pretty sure they will be sailing by October.  I think we are all anxiously waiting to see if they will be sailing in August.


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> I‘m pretty sure they will be sailing by October.  I think we are all anxiously waiting to see if they will be sailing in August.



I’m dying to watch recent vlogs! Can’t wait to hear all about people on this thread’s experience.


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> I’m dying to watch recent vlogs! Can’t wait to hear all about people on this thread’s experience.


I’ve been watching a few from England on the Viking  Venus and am anticipating some from the Adventure of the Seas from Nassau.  Those Viking Ocean ships are just dreamy!!!


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> I’m dying to watch recent vlogs! Can’t wait to hear all about people on this thread’s experience.



Same! I can't wait to hear about the July cruises that sail!


----------



## hdrolfe

Exciting news: (from facebook)

    BIG NEWS - MAGICA NEWS


    CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE TO GROW FLEET BY TWO ADDITIONAL SHIPS BY 2023

MIAMI, June 23, 2021 – Carnival Cruise Line announced plans today to grow its fleet by *two additional ships by 2023*, taking the delivery position of an Excel-class ship that had previously been assigned to sister line AIDA Cruises that will arrive in late 2023, as well as taking ownership of Costa Magica from another of its European sister lines, with that ship going through a dry dock, renaming and Carnival-branded conversion and joining the fleet by mid-2022.
These two ships are in addition to the new capacity growth represented by Mardi Gras, Carnival’s first Excel-class, liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered ship which starts sailing from Port Canaveral on July 31 and her sister ship, Carnival Celebration, which will be delivered and sail from Miami starting in late 2022, as part of Carnival’s 50th birthday festivities.
The addition of these four ships will bring the Carnival fleet to 27 by year-end 2023, and these ships bring many new amenities and features for guests, as well as environmental benefits and enhancements as Carnival continues to exceed and expand targets for emissions efficiencies.
   “We are excited about these additions to our fleet which reflect the strong position that Carnival has established in the U.S., the pent-up demand we continue to see for cruise vacations, and the overall plans by Carnival Corporation to optimize capacity and growth in key markets,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.  “While our immediate focus is on our restart of guest operations this summer, this is another cause for excitement at Carnival, and we will be announcing more detailed plans about homeports, itineraries and ship names very soon.”


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Exciting news: (from facebook)
> 
> BIG NEWS - MAGICA NEWS
> 
> 
> CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE TO GROW FLEET BY TWO ADDITIONAL SHIPS BY 2023
> 
> MIAMI, June 23, 2021 – Carnival Cruise Line announced plans today to grow its fleet by *two additional ships by 2023*, taking the delivery position of an Excel-class ship that had previously been assigned to sister line AIDA Cruises that will arrive in late 2023, as well as taking ownership of Costa Magica from another of its European sister lines, with that ship going through a dry dock, renaming and Carnival-branded conversion and joining the fleet by mid-2022.
> These two ships are in addition to the new capacity growth represented by Mardi Gras, Carnival’s first Excel-class, liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered ship which starts sailing from Port Canaveral on July 31 and her sister ship, Carnival Celebration, which will be delivered and sail from Miami starting in late 2022, as part of Carnival’s 50th birthday festivities.
> The addition of these four ships will bring the Carnival fleet to 27 by year-end 2023, and these ships bring many new amenities and features for guests, as well as environmental benefits and enhancements as Carnival continues to exceed and expand targets for emissions efficiencies.
> “We are excited about these additions to our fleet which reflect the strong position that Carnival has established in the U.S., the pent-up demand we continue to see for cruise vacations, and the overall plans by Carnival Corporation to optimize capacity and growth in key markets,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.  “While our immediate focus is on our restart of guest operations this summer, this is another cause for excitement at Carnival, and we will be announcing more detailed plans about homeports, itineraries and ship names very soon.”


So correct me if I am wrong, they are reassigning two Costa ship as Carnival Ships?


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> So correct me if I am wrong, they are reassigning two Costa ship as Carnival Ships?



one is Costa and one is AIDA. The Costa is apparently a sister ship to the ones Carnival has been been updating, so I'd expect a new Radiance style there. And the AIDA is a sister ship to Mardi Gras that was built for AIDA, not sure on name there or if it will have the same layout as Mardi Gras since it was being built for a different line. Interesting to see them pick up new ships, they must be banking on more business.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> one is Costa and one is AIDA. The Costa is apparently a sister ship to the ones Carnival has been been updating, so I'd expect a new Radiance style there. And the AIDA is a sister ship to Mardi Gras that was built for AIDA, not sure on name there or if it will have the same layout as Mardi Gras since it was being built for a different line. Interesting to see them pick up new ships, they must be banking on more business.



Or retiring more old Carnival ships?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I really love the new paint scheme Carnival is going with, it adds so much style to a relatively boring look now, really looking forward to experiencing Mardi Gras next year! But even more excited to be on Vista in 9 days!  Although, John Heald said there will not be a white night party or 80’s night party like normal . I also have a feeling they won’t be doing the normal 4 Playlist Production shows, the performers have only been on board a short time so I’m thinking there will be only a couple shows. Honestly, at this point I don’t care what they do for entertainment, as long as I’m on a ship and have access to food, I’m happy as a clam.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I really love the new paint scheme Carnival is going with, it adds so much style to a relatively boring look now, really looking forward to experiencing Mardi Gras next year! But even more excited to be on Vista in 9 days!  Although, John Heald said there will not be a white night party or 80’s night party like normal . I also have a feeling they won’t be doing the normal 4 Playlist Production shows, the performers have only been on board a short time so I’m thinking there will be only a couple shows. Honestly, at this point I don’t care what they do for entertainment, as long as I’m on a ship and have access to food, I’m happy as a clam.



I’m sure it will be lovely regardless.

You may (or may not) agree with me but I feel like most people who will be cruising soon are a little bit more open to different experiences than they used to be?

At this point, I’d go for an overnight in Nassau. LOL


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I really love the new paint scheme Carnival is going with, it adds so much style to a relatively boring look now, really looking forward to experiencing Mardi Gras next year! But even more excited to be on Vista in 9 days!  Although, John Heald said there will not be a white night party or 80’s night party like normal . I also have a feeling they won’t be doing the normal 4 Playlist Production shows, the performers have only been on board a short time so I’m thinking there will be only a couple shows. Honestly, at this point I don’t care what they do for entertainment, as long as I’m on a ship and have access to food, I’m happy as a clam.



I love the new paint scheme as well, I hope they eventually add it too the entire fleet (if they aren't already!) And I cannot wait to hear your review of your trip! Very interested to see how things start and progress from summer sailings to fall sailings-will protocols change? capacity increase? activities get added? 

I forget, is your cruise vaxxed only? I'll be extremely interested to see comparisons of vaxxed vs. non-vaxxed sailings.


----------



## hdrolfe

I am very anxious to see how things go when Carnival starts cruising. My son's 12th birthday is supposed to be on the cruise we have in December... given he can't get vaxxed until then I am thinking I'll want to try and move those. Even to mid-January since he should have both doses plus 2 weeks by then. I may just change it to save worrying over the whole thing. I have a Carnival and an RCL, both have different issues at that point, couldn't be his 11th birthday or something... any way!  I look forward to reading about the cruises that start going.

I did read a live report of the first Adventure cruise from Bahamas and it sounds rather nice. Just to be on a ship... ahhh....


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> I love the new paint scheme as well, I hope they eventually add it too the entire fleet (if they aren't already!) And I cannot wait to hear your review of your trip! Very interested to see how things start and progress from summer sailings to fall sailings-will protocols change? capacity increase? activities get added?
> 
> I forget, is your cruise vaxxed only? I'll be extremely interested to see comparisons of vaxxed vs. non-vaxxed sailings.


It is a vaxed only cruise for the month of July. Will be interesting to see what happens on board, looks like most activities are going to happen, I’m so happy right now. The excitement in our cruise group on that one social media site is off the charts!  Everyone is just dying to be on a ship


----------



## mevelandry

Important Message For Anyone Sailing On Vista and Horizon in the next days:


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Important Message For Anyone Sailing On Vista and Horizon in the next days:
> 
> View attachment 584800


I logged in to do that yesterday expecting something major to fill out, it was one question asking if we had our final dose of the vaccine at least 14 days prior to our sailing date. Had to answer yes for each of us and it was done. It sure sounded like it was going to be a major ordeal.

On a very bright note, the Muster drill will be virtual and will need to be done utilizing the HUB app and cabin TV. We each have to go to our muster station and check-in via the app, then go back to our cabin to watch the video on the TV, then acknowledge we watched it using the app once again. Super easy and it sounds like this will be the way forward from now on, not just during covid.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I logged in to do that yesterday expecting something major to fill out, it was one question asking if we had our final dose of the vaccine at least 14 days prior to our sailing date. Had to answer yes for each of us and it was done. It sure sounded like it was going to be a major ordeal.
> 
> On a very bright note, the Muster drill will be virtual and will need to be done utilizing the HUB app and cabin TV. We each have to go to our muster station and check-in via the app, then go back to our cabin to watch the video on the TV, then acknowledge we watched it using the app once again. Super easy and it sounds like this will be the way forward from now on, not just during covid.



I know they were working on an E-Muster before the pandemic hit.

IMO, it’s here to stay and I welcome the change.


----------



## brewcrew

Anybody watch the Celebrity Edge leave from Florida today?  So exciting!!!  Hoping all goes well!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

brewcrew said:


> Anybody watch the Celebrity Edge leave from Florida today?  So exciting!!!  Hoping all goes well!


I didn’t see it but that is a ship I’d definitely like to try some day, she’s gorgeous.


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> Anybody watch the Celebrity Edge leave from Florida today?  So exciting!!!  Hoping all goes well!



I didn’t but my husband was watching a segment on CNBC showing an interview of the CEO on the ship. Celebrity and Princess are definitely on the list of ships I wanna try in 2023.


----------



## belle032

Speaking of Celebrity, has anyone seen the video for the upcoming Celebrity Beyond ship? My mom showed it to me and it looks stunning. Definitely more along the lines of a luxury/premium cruise ship. I think she sails in 2022.


----------



## hdrolfe

I have Princess and Celebrity on my cruise list for when I am able to travel without my son, he won't go unless there are waterslides


----------



## brewcrew

hdrolfe said:


> I have Princess and Celebrity on my cruise list for when I am able to travel without my son, he won't go unless there are waterslides


I totally understand.  Our youngest is in her senior year in college so we are past that stage now.  Lol.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Speaking of Celebrity, has anyone seen the video for the upcoming Celebrity Beyond ship? My mom showed it to me and it looks stunning. Definitely more along the lines of a luxury/premium cruise ship. I think she sails in 2022.



It is spectacular. I wonder how much it costs but I’m pretty sure it’s going to cost the same as (or less than) DCL. LOL


----------



## belle032

Not that this affects us in any way, I just stumbled on it and wondered if I got it right - John Heald announced there are no kids clubs during the July & August sailings? Or just July? Which I guess makes sense if they are fully vaccinated sailings. 

Even on ships that sail with that 5% un-vaxxed allowance, it makes me wonder just how many kids would actually be onboard anyway. Would they even bother with kids clubs then? Is it worth it?


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> Not that this affects us in any way, I just stumbled on it and wondered if I got it right - John Heald announced there are no kids clubs during the July & August sailings? Or just July? Which I guess makes sense if they are fully vaccinated sailings.
> 
> Even on ships that sail with that 5% un-vaxxed allowance, it makes me wonder just how many kids would actually be onboard anyway. Would they even bother with kids clubs then? Is it worth it?



No kids clubs, but the teen ones will be running. Apparently a number of parents are really upset about this, they got their kid "approved" as part of the 5% but no club for them which they didn't find out until after they got approved. 

I am anxiously waiting to see what happens. I still have a Dec cruise on Mardi Gras booked, my son will turn 12 on board so he won't be vaxxed unless they lower the age by October-ish (so he has time to get his two shots, which is taking longer in Canada though speeding up). I would move it, I moved my RCL, but the week I'm looking at is twice as expensive so not sure it is worth it.


----------



## bcwife76

hdrolfe said:


> No kids clubs, but the teen ones will be running. Apparently a number of parents are really upset about this, they got their kid "approved" as part of the 5% but no club for them which they didn't find out until after they got approved.
> 
> I am anxiously waiting to see what happens. I still have a Dec cruise on Mardi Gras booked, my son will turn 12 on board so he won't be vaxxed unless they lower the age by October-ish (so he has time to get his two shots, which is taking longer in Canada though speeding up). I would move it, I moved my RCL, but the week I'm looking at is twice as expensive so not sure it is worth it.


Ugh, I think it really stinks that your son can't get his vax yet. My daughter (12, turns 13 in August) will be fully vaxxed by the end of July but I know several kids here in BC who are 11, won't be 12 for a few more months, and they will be fully vaxxed before the end of summer. Oh Ontario! Silly rules.


----------



## hdrolfe

bcwife76 said:


> Ugh, I think it really stinks that your son can't get his vax yet. My daughter (12, turns 13 in August) will be fully vaxxed by the end of July but I know several kids here in BC who are 11, won't be 12 for a few more months, and they will be fully vaxxed before the end of summer. Oh Ontario! Silly rules.



I know, right!? I wish we lived in Alberta or BC, or could figure out a way to travel there just to get his shots. I hope they let him get it before we go. He is sure it will happen, I really hope it does because as we wait longer the prices all go up. Even trying to put Disney in place of the cruise, there are not even any mods available that week in December. I have no idea why.


----------



## bcwife76

hdrolfe said:


> I know, right!? I wish we lived in Alberta or BC, or could figure out a way to travel there just to get his shots. I hope they let him get it before we go. He is sure it will happen, I really hope it does because as we wait longer the prices all go up. Even trying to put Disney in place of the cruise, there are not even any mods available that week in December. I have no idea why.


There are still some resorts that have not announced reopening dates though, right? So that would probably be why. Hopefully inventory will open up for December once they announce more resorts opening.


----------



## hdrolfe

bcwife76 said:


> There are still some resorts that have not announced reopening dates though, right? So that would probably be why. Hopefully inventory will open up for December once they announce more resorts opening.



That is one thing I am hoping for! I can change my flights for December, thank goodness they came with free changes, but I am hoping I don't have to. I just want a vacation!  I know other can relate to that.


----------



## mevelandry

There is a huge sale for Carnival cruises happening in 2021… I don’t remember ever seeing such low prices on Carnival. If I didn’t already have 2 cruises and 1 land trip planned for this fall, I would absolutely go for it.


----------



## bcwife76

mevelandry said:


> There is a huge sale for Carnival cruises happening in 2021… I don’t remember ever seeing such low prices on Carnival. If I didn’t already have 2 cruises and 1 land trip planned for this fall, I would absolutely go for it.


Aww man. We have no cruises booked til August 2022 (other trips, yes, but no cruises). If my 10yr could get the vax then we would all be good to go!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> There is a huge sale for Carnival cruises happening in 2021… I don’t remember ever seeing such low prices on Carnival. If I didn’t already have 2 cruises and 1 land trip planned for this fall, I would absolutely go for it.



I have too many cruises booked lol, and not even sure if I will have to move the first one so waiting to see what happens before I book more. Thought the B2B I have for April 2023 was the furthest out I could book, and now they go to 2024... But no more this year.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> There is a huge sale for Carnival cruises happening in 2021… I don’t remember ever seeing such low prices on Carnival. If I didn’t already have 2 cruises and 1 land trip planned for this fall, I would absolutely go for it.



Ughhh now I just to have to check, right?!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Ughhh now I just to have to check, right?!



I think you do.


----------



## mevelandry

OMG. Have you heard about the new ChiBang! Restaurant on Mardi Gras?

Now I am desperate to book it but of course it is not available on the website yet.


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> OMG. Have you heard about the new ChiBang! Restaurant on Mardi Gras?
> 
> Now I am desperate to book it but of course it is not available on the website yet.View attachment 585525


That sounds amazing!!!!!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> OMG. Have you heard about the new ChiBang! Restaurant on Mardi Gras?
> 
> Now I am desperate to book it but of course it is not available on the website yet.View attachment 585525


Heck yeah!  Sign me up. Would it be inappropriate to order from both the Mexican and Chinese side? Asking for a friend


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Heck yeah!  Sign me up. Would it be inappropriate to order from both the Mexican and Chinese side? Asking for a friend



Whatever happens on Carnival stays on Carnival.


----------



## mevelandry

Oh well... The prices were too good and we pulled the trigger. January 2023, Western Caribbean on Horizon for 397$/pp.

We have booked an interior cabin, mostly because Horizon has plenty of outdoor spaces and we will do excursions at all of the ports... And most likely lots of specialty dining so we'll invest a lot in entertainment.

EDIT: I should have mentioned that it is a 6 nights cruise.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Oh well... The prices were too good and we pulled the trigger. January 2023, Western Caribbean on Horizon for 397$/pp.
> 
> We have booked an interior cabin, mostly because Horizon has plenty of outdoor spaces and we will do excursions on all of them... And most likely lots of specialty dining so we'll invest a lot in entertainment.


Wow! You cannot beat that price, holy cow, that’s amazing! I heard on the news the other day cruises are booking like crazy right now, people just want to vacation again.  I’m really angry at myself for not buying Carnival stock when it was way down last year


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Oh well... The prices were too good and we pulled the trigger. January 2023, Western Caribbean on Horizon for 397$/pp.
> 
> We have booked an interior cabin, mostly because Horizon has plenty of outdoor spaces and we will do excursions on all of them... And most likely lots of specialty dining so we'll invest a lot in entertainment.



I wish we could book that far ahead! Good news is that we may be trying to plan a "part of our big family" reunion type cruise early next summer and I definitely volunteered to research options!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Wow! You cannot beat that price, holy cow, that’s amazing! I heard on the news the other day cruises are booking like crazy right now, people just want to vacation again.  I’m really angry at myself for not buying Carnival stock when it was way down last year



Agreed. We did that same itinerary on the Vista for almost twice that price. 

My husband also regrets not buying Carnival stocks.


----------



## jujubiee4

mevelandry said:


> Agreed. We did that same itinerary on the Vista for almost twice that price.
> 
> My husband also regrets not buying Carnival stocks.


Have you been on the Verizon before?  Looking at those prices we would save a whoooole lot of money
not going on DCL. All i ever hear about Carnival is party ships. Is there any ship more family oriented. Or is there a ship with a separate area like NCL haven?  Sorry for the questions but I'm looking for plan B...im
looking at  Royal Celebrity Ncl and i guess Carnival. Thanks!


----------



## mevelandry

jujubiee4 said:


> Have you been on the Verizon before?  Looking at those prices we would save a whoooole lot of money
> not going on DCL. All i ever hear about Carnival is party ships. Is there any ship more family oriented. Or is there a ship with a separate area like NCL haven?  Sorry for the questions but I'm looking for plan B...im
> looking at  Royal Celebrity Ncl and i guess Carnival. Thanks!



I haven't been on Horizon yet but I have been on Vista (and other Carnival ships) and to this day, it's been one of my favorite cruise ships. Horizon is very similar so I trust that we'll have a great experience. 

Carnival has been slowly moving towards being more family friendly.

For someone who has sailed exclusively on DCL I would probably recommend the Vista Class.

Or... RCCL which, IMO, is a little bit between DCL and Carnival. Just a little bit less geared toward young kids, but lots of fun and much much cheaper than DCL!


----------



## brewcrew

jujubiee4 said:


> Have you been on the Verizon before?  Looking at those prices we would save a whoooole lot of money
> not going on DCL. All i ever hear about Carnival is party ships. Is there any ship more family oriented. Or is there a ship with a separate area like NCL haven?  Sorry for the questions but I'm looking for plan B...im
> looking at  Royal Celebrity Ncl and i guess Carnival. Thanks!


We have sailed mainly with Disney but also a couple of Royal Caribbean cruises.  We are venturing out next summer on Princess to Alaska and spring 2023 on Carnival Panorama (Which is the newer Vista style of ship). We did book the Havana on Carnival which is a private area of staterooms with their own pool.  That way we can stay away from the “party” cruisers if they are there, lol.


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> We have sailed mainly with Disney but also a couple of Royal Caribbean cruises.  We are venturing out next summer on Princess to Alaska and spring 2023 on Carnival Panorama (Which is the newer Vista style of ship). We did book the Havana on Carnival which is a private area of staterooms with their own pool.  That way we can stay away from the “party” cruisers if they are there, lol.



Unless it has changed, everyone (including non-Havana guests) can use the Havana Pool past 7:00 PM?

Update: It has been changed in November 2019. Havana guests now have exclusive access tothe Havana Pool Area.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

jujubiee4 said:


> Have you been on the Verizon before?  Looking at those prices we would save a whoooole lot of money
> not going on DCL. All i ever hear about Carnival is party ships. Is there any ship more family oriented. Or is there a ship with a separate area like NCL haven?  Sorry for the questions but I'm looking for plan B...im
> looking at  Royal Celebrity Ncl and i guess Carnival. Thanks!


We’re boarding the Carnival Vista for the 5th time Saturday and have never felt there was a party atmosphere. But we’ve only done 7 or 8 night cruises. I agree with @mevelandry, and would do a Vista class or the new Mardi Gras. They are charging the most for those class ships and they are generally 6-8 night sailings. The party ships are the smaller older ships doing the 3-4 night Bahamian cruises. Carnival cruisers definitely have fun but I don’t think it’s like a college fraternity party by any means.


----------



## mevelandry

Update regarding the new Asian/Mex restaurant. They added it to the list of restaurants available for no charge, however, when you try to process the reservation, it doesn’t work out.  

And in other news: John Heald’s video he posted earlier today is simply heartbreaking. For those who missed it, they are blocking everyone from the UK from flying into the USA because of the Delta variant so he will not be able to make it to the cruise on Horizon this week-end. 

While we are from Canada, I don’t know if we should still hope to return on a cruise ship later this year...


----------



## belle032

jujubiee4 said:


> Have you been on the Verizon before?  Looking at those prices we would save a whoooole lot of money
> not going on DCL. All i ever hear about Carnival is party ships. Is there any ship more family oriented. Or is there a ship with a separate area like NCL haven?  Sorry for the questions but I'm looking for plan B...im
> looking at  Royal Celebrity Ncl and i guess Carnival. Thanks!



I think it's great you're exploring your options and I agree with @mevelandry and @Club Disney Chandler in that if you're coming from DCL, I'd stick with Vista class ships or the new Mardi Gras/Celebration ships. I think those classes of ship have a private Havana type area! Carnival is really trying to steer away from the "college frat party" label and lean towards adults/couples and families, which I believe they're being successful with. The older and smaller ships sailing 3 & 4 night Bahamas itineraries will still have that vibe (and it seems like they're beginning to retire those ships), but longer sailings and newer ships really don't seem to. DH & I also don't sail anything less than 7 nights as it's not worth the travel for us, but I've never come across any awful or drunken behavior that would put us off the cruise line entirely. 

Some differences you will probably notice coming from DCL to CCL/NCL/RCCL/etc is a casino onboard, maybe more adult entertainment options, and various beverage packages being offered. Not negative things, but differences. I do think a huge part of trying a new cruise line or ship is not to constantly compare it with what you're used to (which we're all guilty of!). Just consider it a new adventure and enjoy being back on a ship!


----------



## mevelandry

I just want to say that I have been on a few 4 nights on Carnival and did not feel the « party vibe » at all. Maybe I got lucky…


----------



## mevelandry

Oh, interesting news: I hear that on Vista and Horizon (and eventually Mardi Gras and Celebration?) they have removed the bar from the casino, and there is now a smoking and a non-smoking area at the casino. Smokers will not be allowed in the smoking section of the casino if they don’t play.

It’s a huge win for non-smokers.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Update regarding the new Asian/Mex restaurant. They added it to the list of restaurants available for no charge, however, when you try to process the reservation, it doesn’t work out.
> 
> And in other news: John Heald’s video he posted earlier today is simply heartbreaking. For those who missed it, they are blocking everyone from the UK from flying into the USA because of the Delta variant so he will not be able to make it to the cruise on Horizon this week-end.
> 
> While we are from Canada, I don’t know if we should still hope to return on a cruise ship later this year...



Wow, that's so sad! Was he supposed to travel over today? I can't believe they had no idea he wouldn't be able to enter the US, but I admit I haven't been keeping much on international traveling news.


----------



## hdrolfe

Now it looks like I won't be considered fully vaccinated because I mixed vaccines, at the recommendation of my government. So I guess I will be looking to change my December cruise. Very frustrating. Things can change by then, but Royal has said it's ok, just Carnival with the rule you can mix Pfizer and Moderna but not two types, I have Astra Zeneca as first and Pfizer as second. I don't want to wait to the last minute and run into problems. Add in my son not being vaccinated because he turns 12 in December. We may have to figure something else out. ☹


----------



## tinkerone

hdrolfe said:


> Now it looks like I won't be considered fully vaccinated because I mixed vaccines, at the recommendation of my government. So I guess I will be looking to change my December cruise. Very frustrating. Things can change by then, but Royal has said it's ok, just Carnival with the rule you can mix Pfizer and Moderna but not two types, I have Astra Zeneca as first and Pfizer as second. I don't want to wait to the last minute and run into problems. Add in my son not being vaccinated because he turns 12 in December. We may have to figure something else out. ☹


Both of our shots are Astra Zeneca and I'm not sure if that is considered vaccinated in the US.  I know it's not if we want to see a show on Broadway.  Apparently the CDC hasn't approved AZ.  We have a B2B on Royal in Oct/Nov, not sure what we will do about it yet.  
So many 'if ands and buts' about the whole issue.


----------



## hdrolfe

tinkerone said:


> Both of our shots are Astra Zeneca and I'm not sure if that is considered vaccinated in the US.  I know it's not if we want to see a show on Broadway.  Apparently the CDC hasn't approved AZ.  We have a B2B on Royal in Oct/Nov, not sure what we will do about it yet.
> So many 'if ands and buts' about the whole issue.



Totally. I believe RCL will consider you vaccinated though, they are accepting those approved by FDA or WHO I believe? It's just the mixing Carnival doesn't like, which RCL has also said is ok because they know countries are doing that. I'm trying to see if I can move mine to Dec 2023. Just not sure then if I want to be on Mardi Gras or Celebration by that point. I already have an RCL in March 22, Carnival in August 22 and then Carnival in April 2023. Probably too many vacations, but a lot to make up for.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Wow, that's so sad! Was he supposed to travel over today? I can't believe they had no idea he wouldn't be able to enter the US, but I admit I haven't been keeping much on international traveling news.



Yes, he was supposed to be flying to Miami and going to be sailing on Carnival Horizon this week-end.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Totally. I believe RCL will consider you vaccinated though, they are accepting those approved by FDA or WHO I believe? It's just the mixing Carnival doesn't like, which RCL has also said is ok because they know countries are doing that. I'm trying to see if I can move mine to Dec 2023. Just not sure then if I want to be on Mardi Gras or Celebration by that point. *I already have an RCL in March 22, Carnival in August 22 and then Carnival in April 2023. Probably too many vacations, but a lot to make up for.*



There is no such thing as « too many vacations ».


----------



## bcwife76

tinkerone said:


> Both of our shots are Astra Zeneca and I'm not sure if that is considered vaccinated in the US.  I know it's not if we want to see a show on Broadway.  Apparently the CDC hasn't approved AZ.  We have a B2B on Royal in Oct/Nov, not sure what we will do about it yet.
> So many 'if ands and buts' about the whole issue.


Two shots of AZ is fine, the CDC recognizes it as a valid vaccine. Broadway has since backed down and will allow patrons who have gotten AZ. Dh and I are about to get our second shot today, first was AZ but today we are getting an mRNA. Hopefully these companies get things sorted out because Canada is NOT the only country to mix and match


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> Unless it has changed, everyone (including non-Havana guests) can use the Havana Pool past 7:00 PM?


I read that has changed and nobody except Havana guests can use the pool.  I believe the bar is open until 7 for everybody.  Let me go recheck that.  I am excited to try Carnival nonetheless.  I did want a newer ship and I just hear people rave about the food and the adult entertainment.  They say there is always something to do.


----------



## brewcrew

That is so sad about John Heald.


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> I read that has changed and nobody except Havana guests can use the pool.  I believe the bar is open until 7 for everybody.  Let me go recheck that.  I am excited to try Carnival nonetheless.  I did want a newer ship and I just hear people rave about the food and the adult entertainment.  They say there is always something to do.



You make me want to upgrade!

EDIT: Annnnnnd, it’s done. Havana inside cabins for us. LOL


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> You make me want to upgrade!
> 
> EDIT: Annnnnnd, it’s done. Havana inside cabins for us. LOL


Oh fun!  I did research  and yes, that pool area is all for Havana staterooms now.  I’ve has also read that it is usually empty though.


----------



## belle032

Just saw in a Cruise Critic article that Carnival was allowing self-service buffets when they start back up. Drink machines and ice cream machines will be the same as well. 

I don’t know if it’s a particularly smart choice? But I know we found out months ago that the virus didn’t really spread on surfaces, so maybe it’s not as big of a deal as I thought.


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> Oh fun!  I did research  and yes, that pool area is all for Havana staterooms now.  I’ve has also read that it is usually empty though.



As soon as I read your comment and found info that confirmed that it was true, I checked if they still had Inside Cabins available for a reasonable price (they did!) and I upgraded right away… So, thank you!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Just saw in a Cruise Critic article that Carnival was allowing self-service buffets when they start back up. Drink machines and ice cream machines will be the same as well.
> 
> I don’t know if it’s a particularly smart choice? But I know we found out months ago that the virus didn’t really spread on surfaces, so maybe it’s not as big of a deal as I thought.



I liked the idea of having staff serving guests, reducing the risks of norovirus and influenza (during influenza season)… I guess I’ll bring Purell to the buffet. Lol


----------



## mevelandry

Good news!!! I have finally been able to book Chibang! (February 2022, it appears to be free of charge still).


----------



## mevelandry

Should I restart the roll call?


----------



## hdrolfe

Looks like John Heald is able to get to Miami now, and will be on the first Horizon sailing. 

Roll call might be nice. I have so many cruises planned I can't keep track lol.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Looks like John Heald is able to get to Miami now, and will be on the first Horizon sailing.
> 
> Roll call might be nice. I have so many cruises planned I can't keep track lol.



I'll try to work on it this week-end if people want to share their sailing dates.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> I'll try to work on it this week-end if people want to share their sailing dates.



Carnival Magic Aug 15 2022 Bermuda
Carnival Horizon B2B April 23 2023 Western and Southern
Mardi Gras December 9, 2023 Western


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> I'll try to work on it this week-end if people want to share their sailing dates.




Carnival Miracle - Sept. 14, 2021 - Alaska!

Hopefully more to come


----------



## auntlynne

mevelandry said:


> Oh well... The prices were too good and we pulled the trigger. January 2023, Western Caribbean on Horizon for 397$/pp.
> 
> We have booked an interior cabin, mostly because Horizon has plenty of outdoor spaces and we will do excursions at all of the ports... And most likely lots of specialty dining so we'll invest a lot in entertainment.
> 
> EDIT: I should have mentioned that it is a 6 nights cruise.



Six nights, five nights... you can’t get a $397 rate for ONE night of a Disney cruise.

Sounds great.


----------



## auntlynne

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Heck yeah!  Sign me up. Would it be inappropriate to order from both the Mexican and Chinese side? Asking for a friend



Inappropriate?  No; they’ve set you up to do just that. . And order from a regular menu, too, if you read the bottom of the page.  Chinese + Mexican = America’s two favorite restaurants, all in one place.



hdrolfe said:


> Now it looks like I won't be considered fully vaccinated because I mixed vaccines, at the recommendation of my government. So I guess I will be looking to change my December cruise. Very frustrating. Things can change by then, but Royal has said it's ok, just Carnival with the rule you can mix Pfizer and Moderna but not two types, I have Astra Zeneca as first and Pfizer as second. I don't want to wait to the last minute and run into problems. Add in my son not being vaccinated because he turns 12 in December. We may have to figure something else out. ☹



Can you get a second shot of one of the two different vaccines?



tinkerone said:


> Both of our shots are Astra Zeneca and I'm not sure if that is considered vaccinated in the US.  I know it's not if we want to see a show on Broadway.  Apparently the CDC hasn't approved AZ.  We have a B2B on Royal in Oct/Nov, not sure what we will do about it yet.
> So many 'if ands and buts' about the whole issue.



We can’t give away our vaccines or appointment times, yet half our adults are not fully vaccinated.  Pretty much every store with a pharmacy is offering walk-in availability (I’m in Alabama.  In March, the waiting list at our hospital’s site was over 55,000.  Things certainly have changed).

Are you still having to wait for an appointment where you live in Canada?

I think I’ve been reading several cruise lines’ wording that WHO-approved vaccines were acceptable.  And documentation was whatever form the cruiser’s country was issuing.  Somebody actually thought beyond just what the US was doing, yeah!


----------



## auntlynne

Dropping in tonight because y’all are such cruise fans.  And I was so excited to have an upcoming cruise scheduled.

I was about to book on Celebrity Edge, but gave one more look at NCL to Alaska (I had booked it for August, moved it to September, cancelled it altogether and replaced the week with a trip to WDW).  Then I kept watching cruise videos.

It was videos about the Edge that swayed me last night.  I had a page with dates, prices, and airline airline miles.  I even thought I’d bite the bullet and do an Infinite Balcony.  I wasn’t so excited about the Western Caribbean, though.  

One more look over at NCL.  Labor Day weekend was still available.  Delta Skymiles from Orlando to Seattle were much fewer than my hometown, and flying back to Orlando put me in Orlando a day before I was scheduled to be there.  And I was driving to Orlando for WDW, anyway.

So, NCL Encore, here I come (fingers crossed).  It’s a fully vaccinated cruise; no exceptions for children - they just can’t sail until after Oct 31.

I‘m trying a new (for me) cruise line, cabin type (studio designed for solo travelers), and a new port (Icy Strait Point).

I‘m also excited that a ship with a casino actually does not have smoking in the open casino area (there’s an enclosed smoking room in the casino).

I love hearing about all of your cruise plans; there‘s such a bigger world of cruising out there to discover than just DCL.  (And I can’t find a good forum for NCL - Cruise Critic doesn’t have the same level of excitement as DIS).

Happy (belated) Canada Day and Fourth of July, everyone!


----------



## ludari

auntlynne said:


> Dropping in tonight because y’all are such cruise fans.  And I was so excited to have an upcoming cruise scheduled.
> 
> I was about to book on Celebrity Edge, but gave one more look at NCL to Alaska (I had booked it for August, moved it to September, cancelled it altogether and replaced the week with a trip to WDW).  Then I kept watching cruise videos.
> 
> It was videos about the Edge that swayed me last night.  I had a page with dates, prices, and airline airline miles.  I even thought I’d bite the bullet and do an Infinite Balcony.  I wasn’t so excited about the Western Caribbean, though.
> 
> One more look over at NCL.  Labor Day weekend was still available.  Delta Skymiles from Orlando to Seattle were much fewer than my hometown, and flying back to Orlando put me in Orlando a day before I was scheduled to be there.  And I was driving to Orlando for WDW, anyway.
> 
> So, NCL Encore, here I come (fingers crossed).  It’s a fully vaccinated cruise; no exceptions for children - they just can’t sail until after Oct 31.
> 
> I‘m trying a new (for me) cruise line, cabin type (studio designed for solo travelers), and a new port (Icy Strait Point).
> 
> I‘m also excited that a ship with a casino actually does not have smoking in the open casino area (there’s an enclosed smoking room in the casino).
> 
> I love hearing about all of your cruise plans; there‘s such a bigger world of cruising out there to discover than just DCL.  (And I can’t find a good forum for NCL - Cruise Critic doesn’t have the same level of excitement as DIS).
> 
> Happy (belated) Canada Day and Fourth of July, everyone!



Hi Aunt Lynne, I have several future cruises booked and two are with cruise lines I’ve never sailed with before. One of my future cruises is on the Celebrity Apex (with an Infinite balcony stateroom) which is the sister ship to the Edge and I’m excited about testing the waters with a new cruise line.  

I’ve also cruised previously on the NCL Breakaway on a 12 day cruise out of New Orleans.  The Breakaway is a nice ship and full of wonderful amenities but I less impressed with NCL and the solo stateroom.  On the Breakaway I did enjoy the private access to the solo area and the dedicated lounge area for solo travelers but the solo staterooms especially the shower is extremely small.  I don’t think I would sail again on NCL but if I did I would not book a solo stateroom.  I think it’s great to try out other cruise lines and if I can answer any questions for you regarding NCL please asks.


----------



## tinkerone

auntlynne said:


> Are you still having to wait for an appointment where you live in Canada?


Where I live there is no wait and we are now being given options on which vaccine we would like.  Your second appointment is booked when you receive your first shot but that is often changed before the date to fast track your second shot.  Several walk-in spots each week if you can't/don't want to make an appointment.  
We are doing well.


----------



## belle032

What do y'all think about purchasing travel insurance for an Alaskan cruise? I normally do purchase some when we cruise out of the country, but was thinking our normal insurance would cover any medical related issue because we aren't leaving the US.


----------



## auntlynne

belle032 said:


> What do y'all think about purchasing travel insurance for an Alaskan cruise? I normally do purchase some when we cruise out of the country, but was thinking our normal insurance would cover any medical related issue because we aren't leaving the US.



I bought it for my September AK cruise.  I usually didn’t in the past, but I did due to uncertain times.  I have even started buying airline insurance.


----------



## auntlynne

tinkerone said:


> Where I live there is no wait and we are now being given options on which vaccine we would like.  Your second appointment is booked when you receive your first shot but that is often changed before the date to fast track your second shot.  Several walk-in spots each week if you can't/don't want to make an appointment.
> We are doing well.



Our second dose appointments were actually made the same time as the first. And then we switched to a closer location.

Glad to hear it’s going well in your part of the world.  I live among the crazies who won’t get vaccinated. We are the in the bottom 3 states for immunization.  My town (full of engineers and scientists) has been better than the rest of the state, fortunately.


----------



## auntlynne

ludari said:


> Hi Aunt Lynne, I have several future cruises booked and two are with cruise lines I’ve never sailed with before. One of my future cruises is on the Celebrity Apex (with an Infinite balcony stateroom) which is the sister ship to the Edge and I’m excited about testing the waters with a new cruise line.
> 
> I’ve also cruised previously on the NCL Breakaway on a 12 day cruise out of New Orleans.  The Breakaway is a nice ship and full of wonderful amenities but I less impressed with NCL and the solo stateroom.  On the Breakaway I did enjoy the private access to the solo area and the dedicated lounge area for solo travelers but the solo staterooms especially the shower is extremely small.  I don’t think I would sail again on NCL but if I did I would not book a solo stateroom.  I think it’s great to try out other cruise lines and if I can answer any questions for you regarding NCL please asks.



The solo studio is definitely going to be tight. At last the small shower has a door instead of the cold wet shower curtain on Princess. And the enclosed WC shows as having a grab bar on the wall - low toilets pose a challenge for me.

The studio lounge is not a drawing card; I am looking forward to using the Observation area as my hanging out space.  When at home, I use my 9x11 bedroom for sleeping and dressing.  A 100’ cabin with a smaller bed shouldn’t be so different.

I was torn between the Edge and the Encore.  I think it was Alaska that really was the deciding factor.  And an opportunity to visit Icy Strait Point.  I am scheduled to do the ZipRider there; I hope it doesn’t get cancelled and leave me regretting my choice.  But I was really wondering what I would do on a Western Caribbean cruise, especially so soon.  I was a little weary of getting off the boat in Mexico and Roatan.   But I really was interested in the Infinite Balcony.  I think I might have gone that way if there had been a Solo Infinite Balcony available.  ...  Maybe in the future.

(I‘ve cruised Alaska 4 times already, so it’s like returning to a summer camp with great memories.)

If I have Questions about NCL, I will reach out to you.

Will love to hear what you think about Apex.


----------



## mevelandry

tinkerone said:


> Where I live there is no wait and we are now being given options on which vaccine we would like.  Your second appointment is booked when you receive your first shot but that is often changed before the date to fast track your second shot.  Several walk-in spots each week if you can't/don't want to make an appointment.
> We are doing well.



Yep. Same here in Quebec. Everyone can get their 2nd shot "early" now. According to Public Health our data indicates that 8 weeks between the two shots is the best course so anyone who has their 1st dose 8 weeks ago is eligible to get it now at walk-in clinics or get an appointment.

UPDATE: They have just announced that they are authorizing people to get their 2nd dose after 4 weeks if they wish to do so, starting tomorrow.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> What do y'all think about purchasing travel insurance for an Alaskan cruise? I normally do purchase some when we cruise out of the country, but was thinking our normal insurance would cover any medical related issue because we aren't leaving the US.



I guess it doesn't hurt to have a travail insurance just in case. Travel insurance usually covers cancellations and loss of luggage, etc. It can be very useful.


----------



## bcwife76

mevelandry said:


> Yep. Same here in Quebec. Everyone can get their 2nd shot "early" now. According to Public Health our data indicates that 8 weeks between the two shots is the best course so anyone who has their 1st dose 8 weeks ago is eligible to get it now at walk-in clinics or get an appointment.
> 
> UPDATE: They have just announced that they are authorizing people to get their 2nd dose after 4 weeks if they wish to do so, starting tomorrow.


I'm assuming that's just Quebec? BC has not moved up from 8 weeks (yet anyway). Dh and I are both double dosed now, DD12 is due for her second anytime after July 24 if they stick with 8 weeks.


----------



## mevelandry

The roll call is back on the first post!!! Feel free to share your cruise plans if you want me to add it.



Talking about the first post, I will try to take some time to update it as things have changed/will change and some details are clearly out of date.  EDIT: Updated!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Hopefully our rebooked cruise is a go!

July 22 2022 Carnival Pride British Isles


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Greetings from deck 11 of the Carnival Vista in Cozumel with Adventure of the Seas!  So far the cruise has been fantastic!!!!!  A couple hiccups with dinner service not being up to par but we have Your Time dining so on the 4th night found a fantastic serving team so requested them again last night and will continue to do so.
Check-in was great in Galveston, just like normal but had to show vaccine card with passport and boarding pass. Christine Duffy, (Carnival President), was there to welcome and thank us for staying loyal.
We’re at 74% capacity and everyone seems super happy. Carnival decided to let the outdoor crew be mask less, not trying to make this a debating point just giving info, they seem so happy!
This cruise really feels very much like every other Vista cruise we’ve been on, absolutely amazing to be back on a ship. I really wish there was more I could say about changes but there really are none. Buffet is self serve, guests are happy, staff is happy, people in port are happy, it feels like before COVID, my heart really needed this!  I can hardly wait for you all to be back on a ship too!


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Greetings from deck 11 of the Carnival Vista in Cozumel with Adventure of the Seas!  So far the cruise has been fantastic!!!!!  A couple hiccups with dinner service not being up to par but we have Your Time dining so on the 4th night found a fantastic serving team so requested them again last night and will continue to do so.
> Check-in was great in Galveston, just like normal but had to show vaccine card with passport and boarding pass. Christine Duffy, (Carnival President), was there to welcome and thank us for staying loyal.
> We’re at 74% capacity and everyone seems super happy. Carnival decided to let the outdoor crew be mask less, not trying to make this a debating point just giving info, they seem so happy!
> This cruise really feels very much like every other Vista cruise we’ve been on, absolutely amazing to be back on a ship. I really wish there was more I could say about changes but there really are none. Buffet is self serve, guests are happy, staff is happy, people in port are happy, it feels like before COVID, my heart really needed this!  I can hardly wait for you all to be back on a ship too!
> View attachment 587814View attachment 587815



UGH this is sooooo nice to hear!! My cruising excitement level just skyrocketed  Thank you for taking the time to update!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

she had a nice new coat of paint and inside looks as good as she did when we were on her 3rd sailing back in 2016.


----------



## brewcrew

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Greetings from deck 11 of the Carnival Vista in Cozumel with Adventure of the Seas!  So far the cruise has been fantastic!!!!!  A couple hiccups with dinner service not being up to par but we have Your Time dining so on the 4th night found a fantastic serving team so requested them again last night and will continue to do so.
> Check-in was great in Galveston, just like normal but had to show vaccine card with passport and boarding pass. Christine Duffy, (Carnival President), was there to welcome and thank us for staying loyal.
> We’re at 74% capacity and everyone seems super happy. Carnival decided to let the outdoor crew be mask less, not trying to make this a debating point just giving info, they seem so happy!
> This cruise really feels very much like every other Vista cruise we’ve been on, absolutely amazing to be back on a ship. I really wish there was more I could say about changes but there really are none. Buffet is self serve, guests are happy, staff is happy, people in port are happy, it feels like before COVID, my heart really needed this!  I can hardly wait for you all to be back on a ship too!
> View attachment 587814View attachment 587815


Thanks for checking in!  So glad you are enjoying your cruise!


----------



## mevelandry

Looking to find some kind of excursion to replace our beloved Royal Palms in Cayman (RIP), one of the excursion that we would like to do brings you to a sandbar. Ok so… I like watching stingrays from far away. I don’t want them to touch me. When you do that kind of excursion, is it possible to stay on the ship or go in the water while staying away from the stingray?


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Looking to find some kind of excursion to replace our beloved Royal Palms in Cayman (RIP), one of the excursion that we would like to do brings you to a sandbar. Ok so… I like watching stingrays from far away. I don’t want them to touch me. When you do that kind of excursion, is it possible to stay on the ship or go in the water while staying away from the stingray?



I'm sure you could if you wanted to, they aren't going to push you off the boat  But we have done it, and it was pretty neat. We went with a private tour so there were just 4 people, myself, my son and another couple who had booked the same thing. We did that, plus snorkelling and then a stop at a beach with lunch. It was a great day, one my son's favourite excursions.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Looking to find some kind of excursion to replace our beloved Royal Palms in Cayman (RIP), one of the excursion that we would like to do brings you to a sandbar. Ok so… I like watching stingrays from far away. I don’t want them to touch me. When you do that kind of excursion, is it possible to stay on the ship or go in the water while staying away from the stingray?



We've only done stingray excursions in Cayman! And honestly, it wasn't like being swarmed with hundreds of stingrays, it was maybe dozen or less around the entire sandbar with quite a few boats in the area. But yes, you can stay in the boat and watch from afar if you want - no one will force you in the water!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> I'm sure you could if you wanted to, they aren't going to push you off the boat  But we have done it, and it was pretty neat. We went with a private tour so there were just 4 people, myself, my son and another couple who had booked the same thing. We did that, plus snorkelling and then a stop at a beach with lunch. It was a great day, one my son's favourite excursions.



We are all fascinated … but scared of stingrays. I know people can get stung even during those excursions. Better be safe than sorry. LOL


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## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> View attachment 587844
> she had a nice new coat of paint and inside looks as good as she did when we were on her 3rd sailing back in 2016.



I can’t wait to see her with the new design. She’s already a beauty to begin with.


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## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> We've only done stingray excursions in Cayman! And honestly, it wasn't like being swarmed with hundreds of stingrays, it was maybe dozen or less around the entire sandbar with quite a few boats in the area. But yes, you can stay in the boat and watch from afar if you want - no one will force you in the water!
> View attachment 587999



That’s what it looks like???? That’s Stingray City??? It’s beautiful!!


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## mevelandry

Special request: After spending some time revamping the first post, I decided to highlight Carnival private islands and areas that they visit. I have visited Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk and Princess Cays so I added some pictures.

However, I haven‘t visited Amber Cove yet (soon soon!) nor Mahogany Bay (someday!) …

If you have some good pictures from Amber Cove and/or Mahogany Bay to share, please share them. I’m very limited in the number of pictures I can put on the first post so I will only pick one or two… but I think they would be a great addition to the first post!  

I’m debating whether or not I should keep the links to reviews of the old ships that were recently scrapped or simply remove them from the first post since those ships are gone… What do you think?


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## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I can’t wait to see her with the new design. She’s already a beauty to begin with.


Have you seen pics of Carnival Magic with the new paint job?  She looks awesome!  I saw yesterday that Carnival Pride, (I think) is headed to Europe for her new paint job.


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## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Have you seen pics of Carnival Magic with the new paint job?  She looks awesome!  I saw yesterday that Carnival Pride, (I think) is headed to Europe for her new paint job.



I did! I love it. 

However, I wish they would have added the same font as Mardi Gras or... Another fun font.


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## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Special request: After spending some time revamping the first post, I decided to highlight Carnival private islands and areas that they visit. I have visited Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk and Princess Cays so I added some pictures.
> 
> However, I haven‘t visited Amber Cove yet (soon soon!) nor Mahogany Bay (someday!) …
> 
> If you have some good pictures from Amber Cove and/or Mahogany Bay to share, please share them. I’m very limited in the number of pictures I can put on the first post so I will only pick one or two… but I think they would be a great addition to the first post!
> 
> I’m debating whether or not I should keep the links to reviews of the old ships that were recently scrapped or simply remove them from the first post since those ships are gone… What do you think?



I know we've been to both, I'll try to see if I have any pictures. I think most of our photos in Mahogany Bay were of us holding sloths though! 

I think you should be fine to delete those links. The ships aren't available to sail any longer so I don't see why anyone would need an immediate review of one!


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## mevelandry

Found this on Facebook. From "AdamsAway".

Carnival Mardi Gras, next to Disney Fantasy. Didn't realize Mardi Gras was THAT big until I saw that picture.


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## hdrolfe

Some pictures from Mahogany Bay, two ships in port taken from the beach, the chairlift, view from the chair lift. If they all work


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## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> Some pictures from Mahogany Bay, two ships in port taken from the beach, the chairlift, view from the chair lift. If they all work
> 
> View attachment 588307View attachment 588308View attachment 588309View attachment 588306



Thank you. I especially like the 3rd one!


----------



## Jennyonecoin

Hi all. Dcl convert here as well. Have cruised RC (once in 1996), DCl (2013 and 2014) on the Dream and Fantasy and then switched over to Carnival and never looked back. Disney got us to try cruising as a family. My husband was super hesitant to cruise but by the second day on the Dream he said he would not do a cruise that short again (lol…didn’t want to say l told you so, but l did!) 

After our second cruise on the Fantasy in 2014 we decided to just look at other cruise lines. Our boys loved cruising but the prices on Disney were so high and l figured, after a few years, the characters wouldn’t be as important.

we booked a last minute 8 night on the carnival sunshine in 2016. Though we had a not so great room location beneath a loud club, we absolutely loved the ship and my boys enjoyed the activities and amenities on board even more than Disney cruises! My husband enjoyed the casino and l enjoyed the more adult entertainment as well while the boys enjoyed the kids clubs. My middle ds, who is not super social and didn’t really enjoy the Disney clubs had to be pried out of the carnival activities to do things as a family. We were sold! Our service was just as good or better than on the Disney ships as well.

since our first cruise we’ve done a 6 day on the magic in2017, a 7 day on the magic in 2018, a couples only 3 day on the liberty in 2019. We also had a cancelled cruise in 2020. We cancelled the 2020 cruise (were supposed to sail in February and we cancelled due to my sons wrestling schedule, not Covid) and I’ve been itching to cruise ever since!

we currently have an October 2021( couples only) cruise on the elation as well as a family spring break cruise on the Mardi Gras.

im so happy that dcl got us into cruising (especially my dh) but we will never go back to Disney. The price tag (though we can afford it) is just no longer palatable. Given the fact that my kids love carnival, even if it was pricier, we’d likely stick with them. They are so excited to try the roller coaster they can hardly stand it!

happy cruising to all!!!


----------



## Jennyonecoin

I also have pictures from mahogany bay as well as amber cove. Let me take a look for them.


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## mevelandry

Jennyonecoin said:


> I also have pictures from mahogany bay as well as amber cove. Let me take a look for them.



Thank you!


----------



## mevelandry

Jennyonecoin said:


> Hi all. Dcl convert here as well. Have cruised RC (once in 1996), DCl (2013 and 2014) on the Dream and Fantasy and then switched over to Carnival and never looked back. Disney got us to try cruising as a family. My husband was super hesitant to cruise but by the second day on the Dream he said he would not do a cruise that short again (lol…didn’t want to say l told you so, but l did!)
> 
> After our second cruise on the Fantasy in 2014 we decided to just look at other cruise lines. Our boys loved cruising but the prices on Disney were so high and l figured, after a few years, the characters wouldn’t be as important.
> 
> we booked a last minute 8 night on the carnival sunshine in 2016. Though we had a not so great room location beneath a loud club, we absolutely loved the ship and my boys enjoyed the activities and amenities on board even more than Disney cruises! My husband enjoyed the casino and l enjoyed the more adult entertainment as well while the boys enjoyed the kids clubs. My middle ds, who is not super social and didn’t really enjoy the Disney clubs had to be pried out of the carnival activities to do things as a family. We were sold! Our service was just as good or better than on the Disney ships as well.
> 
> since our first cruise we’ve done a 6 day on the magic in2017, a 7 day on the magic in 2018, a couples only 3 day on the liberty in 2019. We also had a cancelled cruise in 2020. We cancelled the 2020 cruise (were supposed to sail in February and we cancelled due to my sons wrestling schedule, not Covid) and I’ve been itching to cruise ever since!
> 
> we currently have an October 2021( couples only) cruise on the elation as well as a family spring break cruise on the Mardi Gras.
> 
> im so happy that dcl got us into cruising (especially my dh) but we will never go back to Disney. The price tag (though we can afford it) is just no longer palatable. Given the fact that my kids love carnival, even if it was pricier, we’d likely stick with them. They are so excited to try the roller coaster they can hardly stand it!
> 
> happy cruising to all!!!



Welcome!


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## Jennyonecoin




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## Jennyonecoin




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## Jennyonecoin




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## Jennyonecoin




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## Jennyonecoin




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## Jennyonecoin

Those pictures are all in/around Mahogany Bay, Honduras.


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## mevelandry

Jennyonecoin said:


> Those pictures are all in/around Mahogany Bay, Honduras.



Thank you.


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## belle032

I have to say that seeing all these threads pop up about the complete lack of communication from DCL has made me appreciate sailing CCL next. I appreciate all communication, even knowing it could change. I can't imagine being weeks out from a cruise not even knowing if you need a vaccine or a mask. I hope everyone sailing gets answers soon!


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## belle032

If you follow John Heald on FB, he just posted a video showing the very first guests walking into the atrium on the Carnival Breeze! It made me so happy to watch!


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## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> If you follow John Heald on FB, he just posted a video showing the very first guests walking into the atrium on the Carnival Breeze! It made me so happy to watch!



These videos make me tear up. I’m dying to be back on a ship.


----------



## mevelandry

Interesting info regarding some Carnival Ships (from John Heald's Facebook Page)

Hello everyone, Jacinta here. 

John asked me to post a recap of the casino information he was talking about in the video today.

The conference rooms on deck 4 of the Carnival Dream, Carnival Magic and Carnival Breeze have been converted into totally NON SMOKING Casinos. 

Here a few points for you:
The second casino is called the Double Down casino
It has both slots and tables, all your favorite slot and table games
It is non-smoking only

The main casino has both smoking and non-smoking sections

John will be telling you more about Mardi Gras and her casino when he is on board.


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## Lilsia

mevelandry said:


> The main casino has both smoking and non-smoking sections



This is the reason why I can't go on many ships. Indoor smoking areas. We all know that the smoke does not stay in it's section and you can usually smell it in a very large area indoors. I am allergic to it so it is impossible for me to go on so many ships. Disney does a great job of having the smoking section, up and away from things that it is easily avoidable.


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## mevelandry

Lilsia said:


> This is the reason why I can't go on many ships. Indoor smoking areas. We all know that the smoke does not stay in it's section and you can usually smell it in a very large area indoors. I am allergic to it so it is impossible for me to go on so many ships. Disney does a great job of having the smoking section, up and away from things that it is easily avoidable.



I don't know how they plan to do it. I know they "upgraded" ventilation (new standards because of COVID)... I wonder if they will physically separate the two sections --hoping they would-- but the fact that they created a second casino (100% non smoking) on another deck makes me think that they did not.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I don't know how they plan to do it. I know they "upgraded" ventilation (new standards because of COVID)... I wonder if they will physically separate the two sections --hoping they would-- but the fact that they created a second casino (100% non smoking) on another deck makes me think that they did not.


They upgraded the ventilation system on Vista and the casino wasn’t nearly as bad as it used to be, I was surprised. As a former smoker, I now can’t stand the smell of it and I really had to get pretty close to the casino to smell. Also, they removed the bar in the center of the casino so there were no people going in there just so they could smoke inside, I think that helped a lot. They were enforcing playing the machines if you were sitting in front of one, they did not allow people to just sit down and have a smoke!


----------



## mevelandry

Fun change for people having Bottomless bubbles (soda package)… Mardi Gras has self-serve machines!

Update: it looks like they are also like PYOB booth. You fill up your glass and you are charged according to the quantity you poured. I love that concept.


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## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Fun change for people having Bottomless bubbles (soda package)… Mardi Gras has self-serve machines!


Interesting, that could be a game changer for me.


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## Club Disney Chandler

I should not be allowed on a computer after returning from a cruise. Just booked Carnival Celebration for June 2023, 8 night Southern Caribbean from Miami. It’s an ABC cruise, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, doesn’t leave Aruba and Bonaire until 10:00 PM so will be able to see the ports at night. I discovered that ship has Ocean Suites that connect with regular balcony cabins so we did that, wife and I in suite, kids in balcony. It’s about half the price of the two inside cabins we had booked for the 9 night southern Caribbean on Disney Fantasy last year.

And on a further development, we decided to cancel our Disney Wish cruise for next summer. We were going to do a week on Mardi Gras, then spend a couple nights in Port Canaveral, then get on Wish for 4 nights. After you thinking about it more, we decided the really only difference on Wish is new restaurants, so we’re doing a B2B on Mardi Gras instead.


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## belle032

Just got a "sailing protocols" email for our September cruise. Looks like Carnival is officially sailing under the 95% vaccination rate for all cruises until at least October, including Alaska. New (to me) protocols include required proof of travel insurance for Florida/Texas sailings, unvaccinated guests responsible for required COVID test expenses, no independent tours or sightseeing (must stay onboard unless on a bubble tour), if you test positive before embarkation-all quarantine and medical expenses are on you, no unvaccinated youth/teens in kids clubs, etc. 

Looks like they're leaning a bit towards RCCL protocols, but no mention of wristbands or anything that states you are obviously unvaccinated.


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## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I should not be allowed on a computer after returning from a cruise. Just booked Carnival Celebration for June 2023, 8 night Southern Caribbean from Miami. It’s an ABC cruise, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, doesn’t leave Aruba and Bonaire until 10:00 PM so will be able to see the ports at night. I discovered that ship has Ocean Suites that connect with regular balcony cabins so we did that, wife and I in suite, kids in balcony. It’s about half the price of the two inside cabins we had booked for the 9 night southern Caribbean on Disney Fantasy last year.
> 
> And on a further development, we decided to cancel our Disney Wish cruise for next summer. We were going to do a week on Mardi Gras, then spend a couple nights in Port Canaveral, then get on Wish for 4 nights. After you thinking about it more, we decided the really only difference on Wish is new restaurants, so we’re doing a B2B on Mardi Gras instead.



That sounds amazing! We still haven't done the ABC's and are dying to. What a cool thing about the suites and balcony combo! Is the Mardi Gras the first to do that? 

I was browsing a bit to see if any Carnival Journey cruises were popping up. Last year we had our eye on an Iceland/Northern Europe sailing that looked awesome. But then again, we're definitely going to need some Caribbean time, so I'm not sure which way we'll end up going!


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## mevelandry

Update: it looks like self-serve soda machines are like PYPB machines. You scan your card and you pay by the oz.


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## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> That sounds amazing! We still haven't done the ABC's and are dying to. What a cool thing about the suites and balcony combo! Is the Mardi Gras the first to do that?
> 
> I was browsing a bit to see if any Carnival Journey cruises were popping up. Last year we had our eye on an Iceland/Northern Europe sailing that looked awesome. But then again, we're definitely going to need some Caribbean time, so I'm not sure which way we'll end up going!


I believe so, although I think the Spirit Class ships have a few balconies that connect to window and maybe even inside cabins.


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## belle032

@Club Disney Chandler Can I ask what your embarkation process was like? I assume you had to wear masks and show proof of vax, but was anything else notable or different?


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## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> @Club Disney Chandler Can I ask what your embarkation process was like? I assume you had to wear masks and show proof of vax, but was anything else notable or different?


Other than wearing a mask in port and showing back card, there really was nothing different. The cruise kind of felt like covid never existed, just a bunch of people laughing and having fun again. They had a ton of hand sanitizer stands all over the ship, and everything was still self serve. If you wanted a paper fun times, you had to get it at guest services, but everything was available on the app, which worked really well. Cozumel enforced masks hard, Roatan didn’t care at all about them and I didn’t debark in Belize to know about it there. However, masks were required on the tender in Belize. Outdoor Carnival crew members were allowed to go mask less if they wanted to, some did and others didn’t. Overall, the crew was fantastic, the majority got back in the ship because it was they only chance for them to get a vaccine and many’s families were not working at all because of lockdown, so this was the only way to make money. We really tipped generously for our dining room team and room steward. Room steward, Gunter, cried when I gave him the money. I wanted to hug the guy but they weren’t allowed to do any hugging. Overall, it was a fantastic experience.

I know I didn’t do a real review of the cruise because it honestly just felt like any other cruise, so if anyone has a question let me know, I’d be more than happy to answer anything.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Other than wearing a mask in port and showing back card, there really was nothing different. The cruise kind of felt like covid never existed, just a bunch of people laughing and having fun again. They had a ton of hand sanitizer stands all over the ship, and everything was still self serve. If you wanted a paper fun times, you had to get it at guest services, but everything was available on the app, which worked really well. Cozumel enforced masks hard, Roatan didn’t care at all about them and I didn’t debark in Belize to know about it there. However, masks were required on the tender in Belize. Outdoor Carnival crew members were allowed to go mask less if they wanted to, some did and others didn’t. Overall, the crew was fantastic, the majority got back in the ship because it was they only chance for them to get a vaccine and many’s families were not working at all because of lockdown, so this was the only way to make money. We really tipped generously for our dining room team and room steward. Room steward, Gunter, cried when I gave him the money. I wanted to hug the guy but they weren’t allowed to do any hugging. Overall, it was a fantastic experience.
> 
> I know I didn’t do a real review of the cruise because it honestly just felt like any other cruise, so if anyone has a question let me know, I’d be more than happy to answer anything.



This is great info, thank you! Did you do the new "e-muster" drill? How did you like it?


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> This is great info, thank you! Did you do the new "e-muster" drill? How did you like it?


Funny you should ask . It actually was great, we reported to Limelight Lounge and waited a couple minutes to see if anyone else would be joining us. They try to do it to a group of at least 10 people if possible. They scanned our cards and we sat down. They went through the proper way to put on the life vest and it’s features, talked about what to do if we had to evacuate the ship and sent us on our merry way. Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy!  Of course, before we set sail they were trying to get the people, who couldn’t take 5 minutes out of their busy life, to go to guest services to get it taken care of. Eventually, we did set sail and life was good. I found out later they put a block on the people’s Sail and Sign cards who didn’t do muster, that way it could get done. How did I find out you ask?????  We went to the opening show after dinner and I ordered a Cranberry Juice and Tonic, the server came back to me and said he wasn’t able to get my order and that I needed to go to guest services. They told me my wife and I were 2 of the people that didn’t do muster!  I assured them we had because we were with our kids and they did it, which they were checked off as doing it, just not us. When they told me that we hadn’t, I remembered the lady checking us in was having problems with her computer and the way my wife was holding her card. She finally got my wife’s card to scan and it showed her picture on the screen with a green square around it, she looked at me and said you’re John?, I showed my card and she clicked on the picture. I think she was supposed to click on my pic so it would get the green square as being checked in, but she clicked Brenda’s picture again and removed the square. It really wasn’t a big deal, but I felt pretty stupid even though it wasn’t my fault


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

As I wrote the previous post it, it reminded me about debarkation morning. Cruising with a passport has gotten way easier, at least on Carnival and at the Galveston port. Carnival is now using facial recognition software and so is customs. After we picked up our luggage and went to leave the terminal, they separated us into two lines, those with passports and those without. The passport line was moving super fast despite there being more people. When we got to the front they had about 10 iPads set up on stands and an agent directing us to them one at a time. We stepped up, it scanned our face making sure it matched to our passports, gave us a green light and we were on our way. It was awesome! No more waiting at the booth for them to look at everything and ask us questions. It seriously was less than 10 seconds to do, I loved it!!!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> As I wrote the previous post it, it reminded me about debarkation morning. Cruising with a passport has gotten way easier, at least on Carnival and at the Galveston port. Carnival is now using facial recognition software and so is customs. After we picked up our luggage and went to leave the terminal, they separated us into two lines, those with passports and those without. The passport line was moving super fast despite there being more people. When we got to the front they had about 10 iPads set up on stands and an agent directing us to them one at a time. We stepped up, it scanned our face making sure it matched to our passports, gave us a green light and we were on our way. It was awesome! No more waiting at the booth for them to look at everything and ask us questions. It seriously was less than 10 seconds to do, I loved it!!!



I have experienced this before. Super quick and easy.


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## serene56

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I believe so, although I think the Spirit Class ships have a few balconies that connect to window and maybe even inside cabins.


balcony connect to an inside cabin    check out like area 5108/5106   there is only two sets on each deck starting with deck 5, 6 and 7      these tend to go quickly   and hold only 4 people total in both cabins


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## Club Disney Chandler

serene56 said:


> balcony connect to an inside cabin    check out like area 5108/5106   there is only two sets on each deck starting with deck 5, 6 and 7      these tend to go quickly   and hold only 4 people total in both cabins


Thank you, I thought there were some, I think that’s a great idea for a ship.  I really want to try one of the Spirit Class ships, I don’t know why but they just seem really amazing to me.


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## Trvlnomad

Glad to discover this thread. Planning first Carnival cruise on Mardi Gras. Will need to read through For some tips. Went with a balcony cabin for now - waiting on some reviews on the Havana area.


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## Club Disney Chandler

Trvlnomad said:


> Glad to discover this thread. Planning first Carnival cruise on Mardi Gras. Will need to read through For some tips. Went with a balcony cabin for now - waiting on some reviews on the Havana area.


Which sailing are you on? I can hardly wait to hear some reviews!


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## mevelandry

Have you guys seen some of John Heald’s new videos (« walkies ») about the Mardi Gras? The ships looks spectacular!


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## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Have you guys seen some of John Heald’s new videos (« walkies ») about the Mardi Gras? The ships looks spectacular!


Yes!!! Watched them this morning, can hardly wait to go on.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Yes!!! Watched them this morning, can hardly wait to go on.



We have just watched the one with the Lido and the infinity pool on Deck 16... Can’t wait for this winter!

My husband and I really have a feeling that Mardi Gras will change Carnival guests experience and may have an impact on older ships at some point. (À la Fun 2.0 that was added to older ships).


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> We have just watched the one with the Lido and the infinity pool on Deck 16... Can’t wait for this winter!
> 
> My husband and I really have a feeling that Mardi Gras will change Carnival guests experience and may have an impact on older ships at some point. (À la Fun 2.0 that was added to older ships).


I think they’re moving further to the family cruising segment, and have a feeling it’s going to upset some of the Carnival diehards. Mardi Gras definitely does not feel like a Carnival ship. I think it’s awesome and can hardly wait to hear about your experience.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I think they’re moving further to the family cruising segment, and have a feeling it’s going to upset some of the Carnival diehards. Mardi Gras definitely does not feel like a Carnival ship. I think it’s awesome and can hardly wait to hear about your experience.



I already thought they stepped up their game with the Vista class but Mardi Gras and Celebration are going to be game changers.

Never thought I would say this but I strongly believe that DCL (who keep raising their prices, pricing out their most loyal guests) has some serious competition now.

A 7 nights in a Cloud 9 Spa cabin has cost us (on Mardi Gras) what it would have cost us for a 3 nights on Disney Cruise Line...


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I already thought they stepped up their game with the Vista class but Mardi Gras and Celebration are going to be game changers.
> 
> Never thought I would say this but I stringly believe that DCL (who keep raising their prices, pricing out their most loyal guests) has some serious competition now.
> 
> A 7 nights in a Cloud 9 Spa cabin has cost is (on Mardi Gras) what it would have cost us for a 3 nights on Disney Cruise Line...


I agree, that’s why we ended up canceling our Wish cruise and adding a second week on Mardi Gras. I was pretty disappointed in Wish, I felt like DCL didn’t really bring anything new to the experience. Some changes in decor and an upgraded water slide, but that’s about it. I honestly don’t think we’ll do another Disney cruise, unless I eventually sell my restaurant and can take a Christmas cruise finally!  I love Disney at Christmas time and desperately want to be on a ship on Christmas Eve and Day.
I keep watching more of John Heald’s videos and am getting more and more excited about Mardi Gras!  Wow, she’s gorgeous!

I feel like I’ve gotten to know everyone on this thread really well, would you guys be interested in a Disboards Alum Carnival cruise together? We’re booked for 6/17/23, 8 night Southern Caribbean on Carnival Celebration if anyone wants to join us!


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Have you guys seen some of John Heald’s new videos (« walkies ») about the Mardi Gras? The ships looks spectacular!



I watched a bit last night - honestly the ship looks beautiful. He's roaming around doing videos of some of the different cabin categories this morning, but haven't had a change to watch yet! Very excited for this class of ship, but we haven't even sailed on the Vista or Horizon yet. I'm thinking next year we might have to double up on cruises...you know, to make up for 2020.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I agree, that’s why we ended up canceling our Wish cruise and adding a second week on Mardi Gras. I was pretty disappointed in Wish, I felt like DCL didn’t really bring anything new to the experience. Some changes in decor and an upgraded water slide, but that’s about it. I honestly don’t think we’ll do another Disney cruise, unless I eventually sell my restaurant and can take a Christmas cruise finally!  I love Disney at Christmas time and desperately want to be on a ship on Christmas Eve and Day.
> I keep watching more of John Heald’s videos and am getting more and more excited about Mardi Gras!  Wow, she’s gorgeous!
> 
> I feel like I’ve gotten to know everyone on this thread really well, would you guys be interested in a Disboards Alum Carnival cruise together? We’re booked for 6/17/23, 8 night Southern Caribbean on Carnival Celebration if anyone wants to join us!



End of June is usually one of the busiest time for us at the office... Otherwise, I would have loved it! Especially with a Southern Caribbean (We have never done that itinerary... It's on my bucket list!)


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I watched a bit last night - honestly the ship looks beautiful. He's roaming around doing videos of some of the different cabin categories this morning, but haven't had a change to watch yet! Very excited for this class of ship, but we haven't even sailed on the Vista or Horizon yet. I'm thinking next year we might have to double up on cruises...you know, to make up for 2020.



If you look at my signature you already know that I think doubling up on cruises to make up for 2020 is an excellent strategy.  

I am the biggest fan of the Vista Class but I have a feeling that once we have tried the XL class, we'll have a hard time going back to anything else that Vista & XL.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I feel like I’ve gotten to know everyone on this thread really well, would you guys be interested in a Disboards Alum Carnival cruise together? We’re booked for 6/17/23, 8 night Southern Caribbean on Carnival Celebration if anyone wants to join us!



A meetup cruise would be so fun! I wish we could book that far out, but we can only usually go out a year or so, max. But if anyone is up for a January/February sailing, let me know. DH & I are always dying to get out of here in the winter.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> A meetup cruise would be so fun! I wish we could book that far out, but we can only usually go out a year or so, max. But if anyone is up for a January/February sailing, let me know. DH & I are always dying to get out of here in the winter.


I wish we could go during those months, that’s the busiest time of the year for my restaurant and the time of year that we don’t want to leave Arizona


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## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I wish we could go during those months, that’s the busiest time of the year for my restaurant and the time of year that we don’t want to leave Arizona



Crazy how different it can be in different parts of the world… Here in Montreal, because Jan-Feb the coldest of our winter (and right after Christmas so people spend less) it is considered low season and many restaurants close their doors for a month and reopen for Valentine’s Day.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Crazy how different it can be in different parts of the world… Here in Montreal, because Jan-Feb the coldest of our winter (and right after Christmas so people spend less) it is considered low season and many restaurants close their doors for a month and reopen for Valentine’s Day.



Agree! We're in upstate NY and ready to get the heck outta here in January, February, and even early March. Or we're open to September/October, especially if we're going to WDW - cooler temps & kids are in school. Low season works well for us. Might be in trouble if we ever decide to have children


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Crazy how different it can be in different parts of the world… Here in Montreal, because Jan-Feb the coldest of our winter (and right after Christmas so people spend less) it is considered low season and many restaurants close their doors for a month and reopen for Valentine’s Day.


Our business level quadruples during that time compared to our slower months. All the “snowbirds” from cold areas of the US and Canada, (we really missed you all this year), “flock” to us, to enjoy our sunshine and warm temps.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

John Heald announced that Cucina Italian would be included, no up charge, for both lunch and dinner on Mardi Gras. Also, a bunch of the specialty restaurants will be serving an included breakfast. They’re really trying to get people spread out all over the ship instead of everyone eating at the Lido buffet.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> John Heald announced that Cucina Italian would be included, no up charge, for both lunch and dinner on Mardi Gras. Also, a bunch of the specialty restaurants will be serving an included breakfast. They’re really trying to get people spread out all over the ship instead of everyone eating at the Lido buffet.



It looks like the BBQ place will be offering a complementary dinner each night as well. Really liking these expanded offerings!


----------



## mevelandry

Did I understand correctly: no reservations are needed?


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Did I understand correctly: no reservations are needed?



From what I understand, the BBQ place is no reservations needed. Chibang & Cucina you can book reservations via the HUB app if you have YTD. If you have assigned dining, you have to go to the restaurant once you board. I don't know if it's only for day-of seating or you can book days in advance.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> From what I understand, the BBQ place is no reservations needed. Chibang & Cucina you can book reservations via the HUB app if you have YTD. If you have assigned dining, you have to go to the restaurant once you board. I don't know if it's only for day-of seating or you can book days in advance.


Ok well... I don't have YTD yet but I can fix that.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> Ok well... I don't have YTD yet but I can fix that.


YTB is the best, we love it. If you find a team you like you can request them on following nights. If they have tables available, they’ll put you in their section.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> YTB is the best, we love it. If you find a team you like you can request them on following nights. If they have tables available, they’ll put you in their section.



We have tried YTD (just my husband and I) before but I didn’t know you could request the same team if you liked them. Good to know.

During our family cruises, we got hooked to having the same team (probably because we had a good experience)... But this new concept with Mardi Gras I love and I wish it was on all cruises.

I changed our booking to YTD last night.


----------



## hdrolfe

I always look at the port hours to decide on YTD or set, I think my next cruises on Carnival are all YTD, I do like their new process where you can check in with the app instead of standing in line, and yes, we had it for one cruise and were able to request the same team, which was great. I also like their set up for before the cruise, you can easily change things like your dining time or how you want your room set up (I travel with my son, separate those beds please!). RCL is a PITA, have to email people about dining times. Now I just have to wait for them to sort out the "are you really vaccinated?" stuff for mixed vaccines and I'll be able to get excited! Before December for RCL and April/May-ish for Carnival, we cruise Carnival Magic to Bermuda in August next year. I had to push our Mardi Gras to December 2023... which is sooooo far away. I may need to figure out how to get on that ship sooner. The videos John Heald has been posting just look so nice.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

I’m so disappointed in the Port Canaveral Webcam, they aren’t showing Mardi Gras, just the Disney Fantasy. I’d do anything to be on Mardi Gras today!


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’m so disappointed in the Port Canaveral Webcam, they aren’t showing Mardi Gras, just the Disney Fantasy. I’d do anything to be on Mardi Gras today!



I think they were showing Mardi Gras about an hour ago. I've seen footage.  

By the way, apparently Grand Turk is being removed from Mardi Gras' itineraries right now because the dock can't handle it. Some have seen GT changed for Nassau and are not happy.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> I’m so disappointed in the Port Canaveral Webcam, they aren’t showing Mardi Gras, just the Disney Fantasy. I’d do anything to be on Mardi Gras today!



I think they were showing Mardi Gras about an hour ago. I've seen footage.  

By the way, apparently Grand Turk is being removed from Mardi Gras' itineraries right now because the dock can't handle it. Some have seen GT changed for Nassau and are not happy.


----------



## hdrolfe

The videos of Mardi Gras are so nice, what a lovely ship! Looks like the Bolt is $15 a ride? Not sure if I read that right, if anyone knows/sees please let me know. I won't be on her until 2023 at this rate but I want to be prepared  We have to ride it at least once!


----------



## abdgeek

hdrolfe said:


> The videos of Mardi Gras are so nice, what a lovely ship! Looks like the Bolt is $15 a ride? Not sure if I read that right, if anyone knows/sees please let me know. I won't be on her until 2023 at this rate but I want to be prepared  We have to ride it at least once!



You read it correctly.  I just happened to be googling the ride yesterday and watching some videos.  I was surprised to see that they were charging $15 pp for the ride.  You go around two times.  I don’t remember paying extra on DCL for their Aqua coaster.  I hope this is not a sign of things to come.

Bolt


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> The videos of Mardi Gras are so nice, what a lovely ship! Looks like the Bolt is $15 a ride? Not sure if I read that right, if anyone knows/sees please let me know. I won't be on her until 2023 at this rate but I want to be prepared  We have to ride it at least once!



Yes, 15$. I personally feel like it's a bit overpriced for what it is... But once I'm there... Who knows.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Yes, 15$. I personally feel like it's a bit overpriced for what it is... But once I'm there... Who knows.



I imagine we'll ride it once to say we've done it. Perhaps the price/cost will limit riders? Though there are probably a lot of people with big on board credit accounts from cancelled cruises who may not care.


----------



## bcwife76

I'm super jealous of those getting to board the Mardi Gras today, we were supposed to be on her this past March  Watched some of the boarding videos, looks like such an amazing ship! Hoping to try again for 2023 since we already have trips booked for 2022 (that better happen or I'll punch someone!)


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Would love to sail Mardi Gras. Will not pay that exorbitant fee for a small coaster.


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## Club Disney Chandler

Can hardly wait to board her next year, we’ve got $1200 in onboard credit so will definitely be doing Bolt and specialty dining. You can tell they’re really trying to spread people out all over the ship, food venues are everywhere. We were all talking today wishing we were on her, if my wife wasn’t already back teaching, we would’ve been.


----------



## hdrolfe

The number of food venues serving breakfast is crazy! Even Guys and the Chicken place. Sounds like a lot of choices for meals. Better pack stretchy pants


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> The number of food venues serving breakfast is crazy! Even Guys and the Chicken place. Sounds like a lot of choices for meals. Better pack stretchy pants



We tend to go back to the dining room more often when we like our servers… YTD will make us feel less guilty. I think we won’t spend as much time in the dining room or the buffet. Lol


----------



## jujubiee4

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Can hardly wait to board her next year, we’ve got $1200 in onboard credit so will definitely be doing Bolt and specialty dining. You can tell they’re really trying to spread people out all over the ship, food venues are everywhere. We were all talking today wishing we were on her, if my wife wasn’t already back teaching, we would’ve been.


I just saw a video of the ship on you tube. Sure does look gorgeous. When do you sail?


----------



## mevelandry

O.k. W-O-W … She’s the most beautiful ship I have ever seen.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

jujubiee4 said:


> I just saw a video of the ship on you tube. Sure does look gorgeous. When do you sail?


We’ve got a B2B booked for 6/18 and 6/25.  That’s one of the many things I like about Carnival vs DCL, we can do longer cruises and more of them on Carnival. We have 2 connecting extended length balcony cabins for 14 nights on Mardi Gras and it’s $4000 less than what we paid for our 9 night Disney Fantasy cruise in 2 inside cabins.


----------



## bcwife76

mevelandry said:


> O.k. W-O-W … She’s the most beautiful ship I have ever seen.


Right?! You can see why this was supposed to be our first non DCL cruise. Sigh. Crossing my fingers for 2023. We've got to get to Europe first, this cruise has been pushed back so many times so my husband refuses to book another cruise until we can finally get our Europe one in.


----------



## sethschroeder

mevelandry said:


> O.k. W-O-W … She’s the most beautiful ship I have ever seen.



Can you get everything included for a price if you are willing to pay? Or is there always extras required?

Like example saw the chicken place, saw the rollercoaster, saw the bars. Are you able to add on packages and what not to have it all included?


----------



## hdrolfe

sethschroeder said:


> Can you get everything included for a price if you are willing to pay? Or is there always extras required?
> 
> Like example saw the chicken place, saw the rollercoaster, saw the bars. Are you able to add on packages and what not to have it all included?



The chicken place is included. You can buy Cheers, the drink package. You can also book and pay for any of the pay dining places in advance. The bolt I think you would have to do on board. You can buy OBC in advance, they call it something else, but it is nonrefundable so probably not the best idea. I usually take some cash to put on my account if I don't want to use a credit card.


----------



## mevelandry

sethschroeder said:


> Can you get everything included for a price if you are willing to pay? Or is there always extras required?
> 
> Like example saw the chicken place, saw the rollercoaster, saw the bars. Are you able to add on packages and what not to have it all included?



As @hdrolfe mentioned, a lot of it is included on Mardi Gras and almost everything else (non-included specialty dining, some activities, excursions, drinks, gratuity, internet package, etc.) can be booked and prepaid, this way you have almost nothing to pay for when you get there.


----------



## belle032

Have to say, I wasn't thrilled about the name, but the Mardi Gras looks awesome. I know by the time we sail on her, there will probably be an entire new class of ship come out. But we'll get there! And I hate to say it, but I'm way more enthusiastic about this ship than the Wish. Don't get me wrong, the Wish looks stunning and I love me some Disney theming, but I just think the Mardi Gras looks so new and different from other CCL ships, whereas the Wish didn't really offer many unique things to get excited about.



sethschroeder said:


> Can you get everything included for a price if you are willing to pay? Or is there always extras required?
> 
> Like example saw the chicken place, saw the rollercoaster, saw the bars. Are you able to add on packages and what not to have it all included?



You can purchase some specialty dining and different levels of beverage packages either before you sail or onboard (beverage packages are cheaper if you pre-purchase!). Onboard activities, like the Bolt coaster, would probably be onboard only. But I always hear the "nickel & diming" argument about cruise lines outside of Disney and it's really just you pay for what you're interested in. You can honestly pay your cruise fare and not spend another dollar if you don't want to. And still have a great experience. Also, I've never been through any kind of hard sell to buy anything while on the ship.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Have to say, I wasn't thrilled about the name, but the Mardi Gras looks awesome. I know by the time we sail on her, there will probably be an entire new class of ship come out. But we'll get there! And I hate to say it, but I'm way more enthusiastic about this ship than the Wish. Don't get me wrong, the Wish looks stunning and I love me some Disney theming, but I just think the Mardi Gras looks so new and different from other CCL ships, whereas the Wish didn't really offer many unique things to get excited about.



I can relate. As we were watching the video my husband and I were telling each other that: if we end up enjoying Mardi Gras as much as we think we will... There is no way we'll go back to Disney after that. 

I hear people say that Mardi Gras is more expensive than other ships but honestly, it wasn't that much more expensive than any other long cruise we have done (+ we were going to pay for specialty dining anyway). 

Also, if everything goes well, I should be sailing on Oasis in November...

I have this feeling that I will get hooked to Oasis (RCCL) and XL (Carnival). 

I know it's a little bit like comparing apples to oranges but for me, Oasis and Mardi Gras sound superior to the Disney Dream, which is my favorite DCL ship. For me, it was already beaten by the Vista Class.


----------



## Jennyonecoin

I wonder how long the Mardi Gras won’t be able to dock in grand Turk? We are supposed to dock there on our spring break cruise in April.

also, Bolt at $15 per ride? With three boys who all will want to ride multiple times, I’ll go broke! Yikes!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

mevelandry said:


> I can relate. As we were watching the video my husband and I were telling each other that: if we end up enjoying Mardi Gras as much as we think we will... There is no way we'll go back to Disney after that.
> 
> I hear people say that Mardi Gras is more expensive than other ships but honestly, it wasn't that much more expensive than any other long cruise we have done (+ we were going to pay for specialty dining anyway).
> 
> Also, if everything goes well, I should be sailing on Oasis in November...
> 
> I have this feeling that I will get hooked to Oasis (RCCL) and XL (Carnival).
> 
> I know it's a little bit like comparing apples to oranges but for me, Oasis and Mardi Gras sound superior to the Disney Dream, which is my favorite DCL ship. For me, it was already beaten by the Vista Class.


Mardi Gras/Celebration is still way less expensive than DCL. We are booked on MG for a B2B eastern and western Caribbean (14 nights), June 2022.  4 adults in 2 connecting extended balconies, same cabin for both cruises, total for both cruises is $12,000. We are also booked on Celebration for an 8 night Southern Caribbean June 2023, 4 adults, wife and I are in an Ocean Suite, kids are in connecting standard balcony, total for both cabins is a little over $8000. We just canceled our 4 night Bahamian on Wish for June 2022. 4 adults in 1 deluxe family veranda was $7500. I seriously don’t think we’ll be back on DCL ever again.


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Mardi Gras/Celebration is still way less expensive than DCL. We are booked on MG for a B2B eastern and western Caribbean (14 nights), June 2022.  4 adults in 2 connecting extended balconies, same cabin for both cruises, total for both cruises is $12,000. We are also booked on Celebration for an 8 night Southern Caribbean June 2023, 4 adults, wife and I are in an Ocean Suite, kids are in connecting standard balcony, total for both cabins is a little over $8000. We just canceled our 4 night Bahamian on Wish for June 2022. 4 adults in 1 deluxe family veranda was $7500. I seriously don’t think we’ll be back on DCL ever again.



The price comparison between Celebration and Wish is … insane. Sorry, I don’t find any other words for it.


----------



## mevelandry

I forgot to mention something. Another game changer for Carnival (on Mardi Gras and on other ships eventually) will be the Excel cabins/Loft 19. They are opening the doors to a whole new market.


----------



## belle032

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Mardi Gras/Celebration is still way less expensive than DCL. We are booked on MG for a B2B eastern and western Caribbean (14 nights), June 2022.  4 adults in 2 connecting extended balconies, same cabin for both cruises, total for both cruises is $12,000. We are also booked on Celebration for an 8 night Southern Caribbean June 2023, 4 adults, wife and I are in an Ocean Suite, kids are in connecting standard balcony, total for both cabins is a little over $8000. We just canceled our 4 night Bahamian on Wish for June 2022. 4 adults in 1 deluxe family veranda was $7500. I seriously don’t think we’ll be back on DCL ever again.



Wow. And that's pretty much the defining reason why DH & I can't justify DCL for a "standard" Caribbean/Bahamas cruise. The only way I think we would sign on for one again would be if we happened to have a child at that perfect Disney age where it might be worth it for the sentimental value. Even then, we'd probably still settle for WDW.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> Wow. And that's pretty much the defining reason why DH & I can't justify DCL for a "standard" Caribbean/Bahamas cruise. The only way I think we would sign on for one again would be if we happened to have a child at that perfect Disney age where it might be worth it for the sentimental value. Even then, we'd probably still settle for WDW.


It’s really funny, when we first started cruising it was on DCL and I was one of the people that swore I’d never cruise anyone else, especially Carnival!!!!  Then one day back in early 2015, I stumbled across Vista Mediterranean cruises being offered for summer 2016. I thought the ship looked really amazing and did a little more research. Once I figured out we could do an 8 day cruise for $800/person, in 2 connecting insides, and it would only be her 3rd sailing I thought why not?  We really wanted to go to the Mediterranean and figured at this price why not, how bad could it be?  I’m so happy we did!!!!

 Our kids were 15 and 16 at the time so it’s not like they’re really into characters and they actually like to do more adult type things. The big thing we realized about Carnival vs DCL is, DCL is great at entertaining us, we play a very passive role in the entertainment. Carnival provides us the opportunity to participate in the entertainment and we have a lot more fun, it’s really non-stop laughter for us. The kids are 20 and 21 right now and we went to the adult comedy shows on Vista last month, I thought they were gonna die, that had so much fun, it was great to see them laughing their butts off after the last 6 months of crap!

I guess we are officially Carnies!!


----------



## AquaDame

I also love the look of the outside areas of Mardi Gras... I just cant get over the inside portion that reminds me of a mall/airport though. The skinny walkways with chairs and railings butted up next to them and endless eateries all in a row feel like a long layover or food court when watching the videos. Maybe when you're actually there it doesn't feel that way at all? I _want_ to try another line, but I was burned twice by RCCL's small and older ships and am still having doubts. It's one of the reasons we went with a small live aboard yacht for the Galapagos rather than Celebrity's or National Geographic (the smaller number of passengers in general was a large part of that too).


----------



## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> It’s really funny, when we first started cruising it was on DCL and I was one of the people that swore I’d never cruise anyone else, especially Carnival!!!!  Then one day back in early 2015, I stumbled across Vista Mediterranean cruises being offered for summer 2016. I thought the ship looked really amazing and did a little more research. Once I figured out we could do an 8 day cruise for $800/person, in 2 connecting insides, and it would only be her 3rd sailing I thought why not?  We really wanted to go to the Mediterranean and figured at this price why not, how bad could it be?  I’m so happy we did!!!!
> 
> Our kids were 15 and 16 at the time so it’s not like they’re really into characters and they actually like to do more adult type things. The big thing we realized about Carnival vs DCL is, DCL is great at entertaining us, we play a very passive role in the entertainment. Carnival provides us the opportunity to participate in the entertainment and we have a lot more fun, it’s really non-stop laughter for us. The kids are 20 and 21 right now and we went to the adult comedy shows on Vista last month, I thought they were gonna die, that had so much fun, it was great to see them laughing their butts off after the last 6 months of crap!
> 
> I guess we are officially Carnies!!



"Carnies", I like it.


----------



## mevelandry

AquaDame said:


> I also love the look of the outside areas of Mardi Gras... I just cant get over the inside portion that reminds me of a mall/airport though. The skinny walkways with chairs and railings butted up next to them and endless eateries all in a row feel like a long layover or food court when watching the videos. Maybe when you're actually there it doesn't feel that way at all? I _want_ to try another line, but I was burned twice by RCCL's small and older ships and am still having doubts. It's one of the reasons we went with a small live aboard yacht for the Galapagos rather than Celebrity's or National Geographic (the smaller number of passengers in general was a large part of that too).



Didn't think there was more than 3 eateries next to each other...?  I haven't seen the deck plan but I thought Guy's, Pig & Anchor, Cucina and Chibang! were all located at a certain distance from one another (different locations on the ship). 

When you say "Skinny walkways with chairs and railways", I don't know what you are refering to. Do you have a screenshot or a video showing it?


----------



## AquaDame

mevelandry said:


> Didn't think there was more than 3 eateries next to each other...?  I haven't seen the deck plan but I thought Guy's, Pig & Anchor, Cucina and Chibang! were all located at a certain distance from one another (different locations on the ship).
> 
> When you say "Skinny walkways with chairs and railways", I don't know what you are refering to. Do you have a screenshot or a video showing it?



Yes - it was from the video you'd posed above. At 5:15 by Java Blue and again between 6 & 6:30ish where Emerills' and some other lounges are. Carnival Kitchen is walled off so it seems like it would be quieter in there. Then that person goes up a level into Alchemy bar which seems to go on and on (maybe its through different bars?) and looks down on Emerills' again which makes it look even tighter from above.




mevelandry said:


> O.k. W-O-W … She’s the most beautiful ship I have ever seen.


----------



## mevelandry

AquaDame said:


> Yes - it was from the video you'd posed above. At 5:15 by Java Blue and again between 6 & 6:30ish where Emerills' and some other lounges are. Carnival Kitchen is walled off so it seems like it would be quieter in there. Then that person goes up a level into Alchemy bar which seems to go on and on (maybe its through different bars?) and looks down on Emerills' again which makes it look even tighter from above.



5:15/6:30 for me is just« open », like a terrace. The look down on Emeril a mezzazine. Some parts seem to be somewhat inspired by Time Out Market (Glorified food courts but… fun regardless).

It may feel different when there are actually people there.


----------



## belle032

Just got an email from CCL with new testing/masking requirements:

_Please carefully review the information below regarding new, temporary testing requirements:_

_Effective with cruises departing on Saturday, August 14, 2021, we will require ALL fully vaccinated guests to produce a negative viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) taken within 3 days of their embarkation on all Carnival Cruise Line sailings. Guests who are unvaccinated will continue to follow the requirements already communicated (and as detailed below). _
_Fully vaccinated guests will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test along with proof of full vaccination upon arrival in the terminal and can then proceed on board. Please note that testing in the terminal will not be available for vaccinated guests so it’s critical that you have your negative test results with you upon your arrival.  We will not be able to accommodate guests without proof of a negative test.  Please check our Have Fun. Be Safe.  protocols at Carnival.com for further details on testing requirements.    _
_Guests who are not fully vaccinated are still required to show the negative results of a PCR test taken between 72 and 24 hours prior to the sailing date, and will be tested again in the terminal prior to boarding the ship and again within 24 hours of debarkation (for itineraries five days or longer).  Unvaccinated guests approved for an exemption will continue to be charged US$150, per person, for testing, reporting and health safety screenings, and also must provide proof of travel insurance if departing from the states of Florida or Texas. _
_Children under two are exempt from testing requirements._
_ 
In addition to testing requirements, we are also making adjustments to our onboard mask policy effective with cruises beginning this Saturday, August 7, 2021, as follows:_

_First, we strongly encourage all guests to wear face masks when indoors, particularly guests who are unvaccinated including children under the age of 12 who should wear masks in public areas, except when eating or drinking._
_All guests age 2 and older will be required to wear face masks in elevators and in designated indoor entertainment areas, all retail shops, and in the casino, except when eating or drinking._
_Guests will be required to wear face masks prior to being seated in our main dining rooms and in the Lido Buffet area and occasionally in other designated areas where larger number of guests may congregate.  _
_As a reminder, masks are required during embark and debark in the terminal, and masks should also be worn during the debarkation process on board._


I felt something like this was coming. Bummed about the masks, but we plan on sailing regardless. Fingers crossed the "temporary" part will kick in and we won't have to worry about it. But doubtful. The only trouble we might have is trying to get tested in Seattle because we're leaving for the trip more than 3 days prior. And ughhhh if we test positive for some reason....I can't even think about it.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Just got an email from CCL with new testing/masking requirements:
> 
> _Please carefully review the information below regarding new, temporary testing requirements:_
> 
> _Effective with cruises departing on Saturday, August 14, 2021, we will require ALL fully vaccinated guests to produce a negative viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) taken within 3 days of their embarkation on all Carnival Cruise Line sailings. Guests who are unvaccinated will continue to follow the requirements already communicated (and as detailed below). _
> _Fully vaccinated guests will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test along with proof of full vaccination upon arrival in the terminal and can then proceed on board. Please note that testing in the terminal will not be available for vaccinated guests so it’s critical that you have your negative test results with you upon your arrival.  We will not be able to accommodate guests without proof of a negative test.  Please check our Have Fun. Be Safe.  protocols at Carnival.com for further details on testing requirements.    _
> _Guests who are not fully vaccinated are still required to show the negative results of a PCR test taken between 72 and 24 hours prior to the sailing date, and will be tested again in the terminal prior to boarding the ship and again within 24 hours of debarkation (for itineraries five days or longer).  Unvaccinated guests approved for an exemption will continue to be charged US$150, per person, for testing, reporting and health safety screenings, and also must provide proof of travel insurance if departing from the states of Florida or Texas. _
> _Children under two are exempt from testing requirements._
> _
> In addition to testing requirements, we are also making adjustments to our onboard mask policy effective with cruises beginning this Saturday, August 7, 2021, as follows:_
> 
> _First, we strongly encourage all guests to wear face masks when indoors, particularly guests who are unvaccinated including children under the age of 12 who should wear masks in public areas, except when eating or drinking._
> _All guests age 2 and older will be required to wear face masks in elevators and in designated indoor entertainment areas, all retail shops, and in the casino, except when eating or drinking._
> _Guests will be required to wear face masks prior to being seated in our main dining rooms and in the Lido Buffet area and occasionally in other designated areas where larger number of guests may congregate.  _
> _As a reminder, masks are required during embark and debark in the terminal, and masks should also be worn during the debarkation process on board._
> 
> 
> I felt something like this was coming. Bummed about the masks, but we plan on sailing regardless. Fingers crossed the "temporary" part will kick in and we won't have to worry about it. But doubtful. The only trouble we might have is trying to get tested in Seattle because we're leaving for the trip more than 3 days prior. And ughhhh if we test positive for some reason....I can't even think about it.



I just saw that... 

The idea of testing positive adds to the stress. 

Thanks, Delta. *Sigh*


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Cruising is definitely not the vacation for me anytime soon.  In fact, my family is going back to our pre-vaxxed behavior; masked up and no indoor dining.  I really, really hope that by next summer we can finally be free of this and take my kid's postponed grad trip without the hassles and headaches and tests and masks.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Cruising is definitely not the vacation for me anytime soon.  In fact, my family is going back to our pre-vaxxed behavior; masked up and no indoor dining.  I really, really hope that by next summer we can finally be free of this and take my kid's postponed grad trip without the hassles and headaches and tests and masks.



Things are still under control here in Quebec but cases have been (slowly) starting to get higher in the last week. Don't think we can avoid the fourth wave. I'm slowly getting to the point of acceptance that if we want to cruise, we'll have to wear masks and pay money to get tested before the cruise.


----------



## sethschroeder

Saw pretty enough on the recent videos to probably never step foot on one of their ships.

Others can do what they wish though.


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## belle032

sethschroeder said:


> Saw pretty enough on the recent videos to probably never step foot on one of their ships.
> 
> Others can do what they wish though.



Can I ask what this is in reference to?


----------



## sethschroeder

belle032 said:


> Can I ask what this is in reference to?



The videos from the recent cruises to go out. 

Very open, packed, and zero concerns about distancing or anything.


----------



## belle032

sethschroeder said:


> The videos from the recent cruises to go out.
> 
> Very open, packed, and zero concerns about distancing or anything.



Alrighty! Enjoy whatever ship you decide to cruise on then.


----------



## sethschroeder

belle032 said:


> Alrighty! Enjoy whatever ship you decide to cruise on then.



You asked I answered.


----------



## belle032

sethschroeder said:


> You asked I answered.



Didn’t mean to come across rude! I know not every cruise line is for every cruiser. Doesn’t bother me a bit. I was just genuinely confused what your original post was in reference too. Happy cruising!


----------



## sethschroeder

belle032 said:


> Didn’t mean to come across rude! I know not every cruise line is for every cruiser. Doesn’t bother me a bit. I was just genuinely confused what your original post was in reference too. Happy cruising!



It's all good certain people on this site have me on edge sorry, it had nothing to do with your response. 

Carnival ships look great and I can see why others are drawn to it.


----------



## mevelandry

sethschroeder said:


> The videos from the recent cruises to go out.
> 
> Very open, packed, and zero concerns about distancing or anything.



Link?


----------



## sethschroeder

mevelandry said:


> Link?



Kyle Pallo vlogs and I think it was the sea day vlog. It's absolutely packed in the normal pool area.

To add ship looks amazing though.


----------



## mevelandry

sethschroeder said:


> Kyle Pallo vlogs and I think it was the sea day vlog. It's absolutely packed in the normal pool area.
> 
> To add ship looks amazing though.



(I went to watch the video. Thanks for the precision.)

Packed? Which cruise line have you sailed on that was less packed than that *on a sea day*? (Never seen this before on DCL, RCCL or CCL.)


----------



## mevelandry

Here is my Canadian rant: boy was I naive when I thought that travelling would get easier with time and the vaccine.

I just had to cancel our ladie's trip on Oasis of The Seas that was supposed to happen in November because as of now (and with no way to find out what the future will bring), we would have had to pay about 500$+ each just for private COVID testing (one to get out of Canada and another one to come back). Our cruise was too short for RCCL to provide testing on board making things even more complicated for us… Even though all of us are fully vaxxed. 

Tomorrow was the paid in full date so we had to make a decision... 

As of now, I still have our MSC cruise booked for October and praying we can make this one work...


----------



## sethschroeder

mevelandry said:


> (I went to watch the video. Thanks for the precision.)
> 
> Packed? Which cruise line have you sailed on that was less packed than that *on a sea day*? (Never seen this before on DCL, RCCL or CCL.)



Easy Disney

You can watch various vlogs and see how well it's spaced.

Kyle even commented to such on his post cruise recap vlog.

Wasnt Carnival cruising with like 70% capacity vs DCL which is around 25-35%? It showed.


----------



## mevelandry

sethschroeder said:


> Easy Disney
> 
> You can watch various vlogs and see how well it's spaced.
> 
> Kyle even commented to such on his post cruise recap vlog.
> 
> Wasnt Carnival cruising with like 70% capacity vs DCL which is around 25-35%? It showed.



I have been on three Disney cruises and the main pools were always jammed packed. Way worse than CCL/RCCL. 

Of course, cruising at super low capacity vs low capacity will make a difference… but this situation is not normal.


----------



## sethschroeder

mevelandry said:


> I have been on three Disney cruises and the main pools were always jammed packed. Way worse than CCL/RCCL.
> 
> Of course, cruising at super low capacity vs low capacity will make a difference… but this situation is not normal.



You have been on 3 cruises this month? I talking specifically right now. I would expect the current time to be the peak of health and safety concern so if they are lax now I am not expecting much later so it impacts what I will do long term. 

Same with Universal vs Disney when they first started reopening and Universal being a little to cavalier again imo.


----------



## mevelandry

sethschroeder said:


> You have been on 3 cruises this month? I talking specifically right now. I would expect the current time to be the peak of health and safety concern so if they are lax now I am not expecting much later so it impacts what I will do long term.
> 
> Same with Universal vs Disney when they first started reopening and Universal being a little to cavalier again imo.



Not this month, no. I thought you were speaking « in general » not in covid times.


----------



## sethschroeder

mevelandry said:


> Not this month, no. I thought you were speaking « in general » not in covid times.



Oh sorry ya was just talking about now. 

I will say I was a little overzealous when I first responded as it just shocked me after watching so many DCL videos.


----------



## belle032

sethschroeder said:


> Oh sorry ya was just talking about now.
> 
> I will say I was a little overzealous when I first responded as it just shocked me after watching so many DCL videos.



I think a lot of it has to do with client base and vaccination protocols. CCL, RCCL & NCL are sailing 95%-100% vaxed which may allow them to bring on a larger number of passengers for one sailing. I know CCL is enforcing indoor masking again, but not as much social distancing.  

DCL has no vaccine requirement, so they choose to enforce stricter social distancing and reserving all activities, including pool time.

Not saying either one is right or wrong, it just might account for some of those differences.


----------



## sethschroeder

belle032 said:


> I think a lot of it has to do with client base and vaccination protocols. CCL, RCCL & NCL are sailing 95%-100% vaxed which may allow them to bring on a larger number of passengers for one sailing. I know CCL is enforcing indoor masking again, but not as much social distancing.
> 
> DCL has no vaccine requirement, so they choose to enforce stricter social distancing and reserving all activities, including pool time.
> 
> Not saying either one is right or wrong, it just might account for some of those differences.



I know others on this board feel differently and that if everyone is vaccinated then that's all it takes. I just personally have felt differently and that in terms of cruise ships social distancing, limited capacity, and testing is the important part while in the grand scheme of society vaccination is important.

Like I said though I was a little over zealous when I first posted as it likely wasn't as bad as I perceived it and if you wanted to avoid crowds you likely could.


----------



## mevelandry

sethschroeder said:


> I know others on this board feel differently and that if everyone is vaccinated then that's all it takes. I just personally have felt differently and that in terms of cruise ships social distancing, limited capacity, and testing is the important part while in the grand scheme of society vaccination is important.
> 
> Like I said though I was a little over zealous when I first posted as it likely wasn't as bad as I perceived it and if you wanted to avoid crowds you likely could.



I'd personally like them to have both. Lower capacity/better social distancing and the vaccines requirement. 

I'd love an almost empty ship.


----------



## sethschroeder

mevelandry said:


> I'd love an almost empty ship.



Unfortunately so few cruise lines seem to be doing this. This comes from Disney being "over priced" in the end because they can more easily turn a profit or at least not lose as much money.

I know RCL had their CEO say 30-50% capacity. Is there word on any other cruise lines that are below 50% for US sailings at all?


----------



## mevelandry

Ok, I’m definitely having a rough week. 

Just found out that travel insurance in Canada… Not only do they currently refuse to cover us for trips to the USA… But they also refuse to cover cruises.

This means we have to cancel our October cruise as well (with MSC). Not even sure if I’m gonna get a credit with them because we are long past the paid in full date... Currently on the phone with them waiting to talk to an agent and see what my options are, if there is any.TBD.


----------



## mevelandry

mevelandry said:


> Ok, I’m definitely having a rough week.
> 
> Just found out that travel insurance in Canada… Not only do they currently refuse to cover us for trips to the USA… But they also refuse to cover cruises.
> 
> This means we have to cancel our October cruise as well (with MSC). Not even sure if I’m gonna get a credit with them because we are long past the paid in full date... Currently on the phone with them waiting to talk to an agent and see what my options are, if there is any.TBD.



UPDATE: They let me change my dates/ship/port of departure without any problems. We chose to try the brand new MSC SEASHORE in October 2022. Hopefully, that one will happen!


----------



## bcwife76

Right before we left for the Dominican, I had a 7 night Mardi Gras cruise on hold for March 2023. I turned it over twice and was about to pay the deposit when DH said NO. Sigh. Eventhough it's a refundable deposit he doesn't want to put another dime down on any cruise until the vaccine stuff is sorted out (we are both AZ/Moderna mixed and so far, only our 13yr old is fully vaxxed, with Pfizer). We keep moving our DCL money forward (without contributing any more) and he's annoyed enough so......sigh.


----------



## mevelandry

bcwife76 said:


> Right before we left for the Dominican, I had a 7 night Mardi Gras cruise on hold for March 2023. I turned it over twice and was about to pay the deposit when DH said NO. Sigh. Eventhough it's a refundable deposit he doesn't want to put another dime down on any cruise until the vaccine stuff is sorted out (we are both AZ/Moderna mixed and so far, only our 13yr old is fully vaxxed, with Pfizer). We keep moving our DCL money forward (without contributing any more) and he's annoyed enough so......sigh.



Yeah, my husband and I recently came to the same conclusion. Right now, the only thing I'm doing is changing dates and moving moneys already paid (that cruise lines won't refund)... 

I don't know about you but I can't even get excited about a cruise anymore because I'm so used to be disappointed after 18 months. 

If travel restrictions get relaxed later this Fall, we may book a last minute cruise (lowest rates I've ever seen on Carnival) but until then, we'll keep our money.


----------



## hdrolfe

I'm anxious about my March break cruises on RCL because of the mixed vaccine stuff, I'm not even sure when I can move them to since I have so many others already booked. I also have an MSC booked late Jan but just need to call and cancel that one, even if I lose the deposit it was $49 CAD so not a big deal. After March is August 2022 on Carnival. Those are the only ones I have concerns about. I assume by 2023 everything will be good. 

For the March break, since they are out of Port Canaveral, and I have flights already booked (it's expensive to fly that time of year, I booked early), I may shift to Disney/Universal I guess. I mean I can move the flights but I just want to go on a trip. Some place warm in winter. I really do want to cruise again though, although I am also hopeful things will be back to more "normal" before we go anywhere.


----------



## belle032

We have nothing booked past our cruise next month. Normally, I'd be jumping on the lower January-March rates to the Caribbean! Or some other trip would be in the works to get us out of here in the winter. Luckily, we have Alaska to focus on right now, but it feels really strange to not have anything past that to look forward too. Traveling is really important to DH and I (and I have a very hard time in the winters) so hopefully we can get *something* on the books in the near future. 

If all else fails, I'll take myself to WDW for a few days.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I feel for everyone.  I am in the same boat (want to be ON a boat!).  Although I am in the middle of selling my house and relocating for work so all my vacation time for the rest of the year will be moving and then coming back to visit family for the holidays.  We have our British Isles next July and I can't even work up any excitement.  Will be be able to travel internationally?  Will all mask and other restrictions be lifted so we feel like we are on vacation?


----------



## belle032

Officially completed Online Check in this morning! And bonus: I must be hitting Platinum this cruise because I was able to check in 2 days early!

The only real negative is I'm having a heck of a time finding a place to get a rapid covid test. Espectially because we are flying out a few days early to attend a wedding in another state and we can't get tested before we go as it's outside the 3 day window. Plenty of places for a "normal" test that take 1-3 days for results, but I can't handle that stress of possibly not getting results before embarkation day. A lot of people on our FB group are buying the accepted home covid test and I think we're going to have to go the same route. It's money I wasn't planning on spending, but I think it's our best bet. 

It's still a funny feeling, like I'm very excited we're getting ready to go, but I'm almost hesitant to be TOO excited because I feel like it could be taken away at any time. I can guarantee you waiting for those covid test results will be the most stressful period of time I've had in a longggggggg while. I know everything is out of our hands now so really just crossing fingers at this point!


----------



## mevelandry

I should have been on the Sunrise as we are speaking... Unfortunately, life (covid) has chosen otherwise.

While it's not going to be the same as going on a cruise, in a few days we're going to Niagara Falls.

My in-laws have never been there before so it will be fun to do the short cruise in the falls with them, etc.

To me, NF comes in 3rd place right after Universal and WDW so I'm pretty excited and I could not get there soon enough.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> I should have been on the Sunrise as we are speaking... Unfortunately, life (covid) has chosen otherwise.
> 
> While it's not going to be the same as going on a cruise, in a few days we're going to Niagara Falls.
> 
> My in-laws have never been there before so it will be fun to do the short cruise in the falls with them, etc.
> 
> To me, NF comes in 3rd place right after Universal and WDW so I'm pretty excited and I could not get there soon enough.



I'm sorry you had to cancel, but happy you get to take a small getaway! I was hoping to get to NF when my mom came to visit, but since Canada was still closed to us (and the NY side is pretty yuck), we didn't make the drive. I hope you have a great time!


----------



## belle032

Just got an email from DCL announcing 25% off rates on Verandah Category with restrictions for upcoming 3-4 night sailings. Must pay in full upon booking. Took a look just to get an idea of cost.

Cheapest one is 3 Nights on the Dream (Halloween on the High Seas)-Guaranteed Verandah (can't choose stateroom)-2 Adults: $1524.22.

DH & I paid $1889.32 for our 8 Day Alaska sailing in an extended balcony, with gratuities and $100 OBC included. I know we got an amazing casino rate (thanks DH!) and we're on a smaller ship, but we're literally paying only $350 more for our cruise!

I really would like to try DCL again and I know if we had kids we might feel differently, but this is pretty much why we just can't justify the cost right now.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I'm sorry you had to cancel, but happy you get to take a small getaway! I was hoping to get to NF when my mom came to visit, but since Canada was still closed to us (and the NY side is pretty yuck), we didn't make the drive. I hope you have a great time!



Thank you!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Just got an email from DCL announcing 25% off rates on Verandah Category with restrictions for upcoming 3-4 night sailings. Must pay in full upon booking. Took a look just to get an idea of cost.
> 
> Cheapest one is 3 Nights on the Dream (Halloween on the High Seas)-Guaranteed Verandah (can't choose stateroom)-2 Adults: $1524.22.
> 
> DH & I paid $1889.32 for our 8 Day Alaska sailing in an extended balcony, with gratuities and $100 OBC included. I know we got an amazing casino rate (thanks DH!) and we're on a smaller ship, but we're literally paying only $350 more for our cruise!
> 
> I really would like to try DCL again and I know if we had kids we might feel differently, but this is pretty much why we just can't justify the cost right now.



It’s a good price… for DCL (the type of prices we used to pay in 2015).


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> It’s a good price… for DCL (the type of prices we used to pay in 2015).



Agreed. I don't see any type of sale prices often. We can't justify that cost, but I hope some families can take advantage!


----------



## mevelandry

Came back from Niagara Falls earlier this week. Had a lovely trip... But I wanna go on a cruise more than ever, now.

Still trying to find a solution for the insurance coverage and mandatory testing.

Does anyone know if Carnival's insurance covers for COVID? I'd be ready to pay the extra charge.

UPDATE: They don't cover Quebecers. Boooooohhhhh

Any news about testing on site/on board?


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Came back from Niagara Falls earlier this week. Had a lovely trip... But I wanna go on a cruise more than ever, now.
> 
> Still trying to find a solution for the insurance coverage and mandatory testing.
> 
> Does anyone know if Carnival's insurance covers for COVID? I'd be ready to pay the extra charge.
> 
> UPDATE: They don't cover Quebecers. Boooooohhhhh
> 
> Any news about testing on site/on board?



We fly out tomorrow for the 1st part of our trip (going to a wedding first) and fly to Seattle on Sunday. We actually sail on Tuesday, 9/14, so we have to test anytime between Sunday-Tuesday. I have *heard* that Carnival has set up rapid testing facilities at the Seattle terminal at the cost of $150 pp. And I think you can go the day before to test. It's not ideal, but it's cheaper than what the Seattle airport is charging and at least it's an option as a last resort. Rapid tests are becoming increasingly hard to come by.

DH & I bought the home testing kits (telehealth monitored) that both CCL & RCCL accept. It seems like many people in our FB group have done the same. We're going to test tonight just to know how it works and if we happen to test positive, we'll be absolutely devastated, but at least we know before we go. If we're in the clear, we'll test first thing Sunday before our flight. Knowing me and my anxiety level about this, I'll probably be wide awake testing at 12:01AM on Sunday. I just got an email this morning and it says they will accept a "lab health record, digital certificate or healthcare record" for test results. Our results are delivered to an app, but I believe they can be emailed and printed, so I plan to have both. 

Hopefully, I can provide more accurate updates in a few weeks!


----------



## hdrolfe

@mevelandry glad you had a good time in Niagara Falls, we enjoyed a few days in Toronto in early August and agree it just made me want to cruise more. I have mixed vaccines so that's still an issue for us. Kiddo gets his second shot Saturday and he'll be ready to travel  But I have to figure out how to do it, get another shot or something (Ontario isn't offering them for travel). Any way! We have B2B (sort of) in March and hope everything is sorted by then. Including not needing a test to return to Canada if vaccinated, perhaps a test at the airport? But who knows what will happen. I have my fingers crossed, and don't have to pay in full until December so hopefully by then things will be in better shape. Or at least enough to make a decision, I have Disney booked as a backup in case we can't cruise. I mean it will be a nice vacation any way, but a cruise is what I want to do!

Those home testing kits look interesting but aren't available in Canada yet. And the testing to return home is still the issue, on site/on board don't appear to be available or an option that would work for Canada. Some airports have them but even those can't be guaranteed in time. The Walgreens tests and such, can be booked but may not be back in time. It's all a lot of hoops for sure. I hope the rules change by then. At least we don't have to quarantine on return.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> @mevelandry glad you had a good time in Niagara Falls, we enjoyed a few days in Toronto in early August and agree it just made me want to cruise more. I have mixed vaccines so that's still an issue for us. Kiddo gets his second shot Saturday and he'll be ready to travel  But I have to figure out how to do it, get another shot or something (Ontario isn't offering them for travel). Any way! We have B2B (sort of) in March and hope everything is sorted by then. Including not needing a test to return to Canada if vaccinated, perhaps a test at the airport? But who knows what will happen. I have my fingers crossed, and don't have to pay in full until December so hopefully by then things will be in better shape. Or at least enough to make a decision, I have Disney booked as a backup in case we can't cruise. I mean it will be a nice vacation any way, but a cruise is what I want to do!
> 
> Those home testing kits look interesting but aren't available in Canada yet. And the testing to return home is still the issue, on site/on board don't appear to be available or an option that would work for Canada. Some airports have them but even those can't be guaranteed in time. The Walgreens tests and such, can be booked but may not be back in time. It's all a lot of hoops for sure. I hope the rules change by then. At least we don't have to quarantine on return.



So far, all my research led me to this: As long as Travel Advisories for cruises are at Level 4, no insurance company will cover us.

And all the testing requirements for Canada make things even more complicated.

But yeah, as you said, at least quarantine isn't mandatory anymore.

Update: I have finally found one company that would cover cruises. If things don't get better until January, we will most likely pick that one.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> We fly out tomorrow for the 1st part of our trip (going to a wedding first) and fly to Seattle on Sunday. We actually sail on Tuesday, 9/14, so we have to test anytime between Sunday-Tuesday. I have *heard* that Carnival has set up rapid testing facilities at the Seattle terminal at the cost of $150 pp. And I think you can go the day before to test. It's not ideal, but it's cheaper than what the Seattle airport is charging and at least it's an option as a last resort. Rapid tests are becoming increasingly hard to come by.
> 
> DH & I bought the home testing kits (telehealth monitored) that both CCL & RCCL accept. It seems like many people in our FB group have done the same. We're going to test tonight just to know how it works and if we happen to test positive, we'll be absolutely devastated, but at least we know before we go. If we're in the clear, we'll test first thing Sunday before our flight. Knowing me and my anxiety level about this, I'll probably be wide awake testing at 12:01AM on Sunday. I just got an email this morning and it says they will accept a "lab health record, digital certificate or healthcare record" for test results. Our results are delivered to an app, but I believe they can be emailed and printed, so I plan to have both.
> 
> Hopefully, I can provide more accurate updates in a few weeks!



I hope everything will be okay and you can cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> We fly out tomorrow for the 1st part of our trip (going to a wedding first) and fly to Seattle on Sunday. We actually sail on Tuesday, 9/14, so we have to test anytime between Sunday-Tuesday. I have *heard* that Carnival has set up rapid testing facilities at the Seattle terminal at the cost of $150 pp. And I think you can go the day before to test. It's not ideal, but it's cheaper than what the Seattle airport is charging and at least it's an option as a last resort. Rapid tests are becoming increasingly hard to come by.
> 
> DH & I bought the home testing kits (telehealth monitored) that both CCL & RCCL accept. It seems like many people in our FB group have done the same. We're going to test tonight just to know how it works and if we happen to test positive, we'll be absolutely devastated, but at least we know before we go. If we're in the clear, we'll test first thing Sunday before our flight. Knowing me and my anxiety level about this, I'll probably be wide awake testing at 12:01AM on Sunday. I just got an email this morning and it says they will accept a "lab health record, digital certificate or healthcare record" for test results. Our results are delivered to an app, but I believe they can be emailed and printed, so I plan to have both.
> 
> Hopefully, I can provide more accurate updates in a few weeks!



Thinking of you today. Hope everything went well with testing!


----------



## belle032

We are home from Alaska! We had an absolutely amazing time-such an overall different feeling than anything in the Caribbean. DH thinks it might be the best trip he's ever taken.

I will try to make a longer post with some more details about covid testing/embarkation, the ship, ports, etc. but please feel free to ask any questions and I can try to answer the best I can!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> We are home from Alaska! We had an absolutely amazing time-such an overall different feeling than anything in the Caribbean. DH thinks it might be the best trip he's ever taken.
> 
> I will try to make a longer post with some more details about covid testing/embarkation, the ship, ports, etc. but please feel free to ask any questions and I can try to answer the best I can!



Welcome back! Can't wait to know more about your experience!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

Welcome back!  So happy you had a great time!  Alaska is definitely amazing


----------



## belle032

Jet lag is real y'all! We didn't realize that Alaska is a 4 hour time difference (1 hour change on the ship) and it's crazy how much it throws you off. OK just some quick notes:

We learned from multiple sources that the ship was sailing at just under 70% capacity. I believe she holds around 2500 and had 1700 sailing. It was definitely an older crowd as well!

-COVID testing: DH & I used the accepted home test through the emed.com website. Zero problems. Very easy to use and results were delivered instantly. I had our digital copies and printed off hard copies just in case. It states digital is accepted, but I had hard copies of everything! Would use these tests again and recommend to anyone else looking to cruise. 

-Embarkation: Took longer than normal, but nothing crazy. They were very strict about arrival windows. We had an 11-11:30AM window and were actually a bit late, but we saw others being held back in line until their windows opened. Porters will still very much available for luggage. We lined up outside where ALL of our documents were looked at the first time, then we joined a line inside where everything was looked at (and scanned/highlighted/whatever) again. Then you were sent upstairs through security and joined the "regular" check in line, where photos were taken. There was still a photo op (masks could be removed) and you boarded the ship!

-Muster: This change was amazing and really well done. As soon as you set foot on the ship, they IMMEDIATELY sent you to your muster station. We did not even get into the atrium before going to our station (it just happened to be close by). It took all of 2 minutes for the crew member to demonstrate the life jacket and then we were sent on our way.

-Masks: Masks were required walking into/out of dinner and the buffet, in the main theater, shops, elevators, and comedy theater. Everywhere else were signs encouraging masks, but I was really amazed at how many people wore them everywhere inside. You truly very rarely saw anyone walking around inside without one. From what I could see in our ports, masks were required in shops and restaurants.

-Activities: Everything seemed back to normal for the most part! I didn't notice anything missing. Performers and comedians did not wear masks. The trivia crew members didn't either, but they kept a wide area around them clear of guests.

The Miracle was laid out differently than any Carnival ship I've been on. Not in a bad way necessarily, just different!

Noticeable things:  The Serenity deck was lovely and I wish it was set up this way on other ships. It was large, tons of seating, big bar, and had it's own pool and hot tub. 
There were 3 decent sized pools and hot tubs on the ship - Serenity deck, and 2 more pool areas back to back in the middle of Lido. One pool was closed in/covered, and the most forward one was entirely open. It was a pretty nice set up overall.
The steakhouse was on deck 10, directly under the funnel. So the lower part of the funnel was glass and opened up to the sky. The effect was really beautiful.
The ship is "literature" themed, which I loved. I just don't think some of the spaces were well utilized. There was a Gatsby's Garden promenade which was lovely, but so tucked away at the front of the ship with nothing around it, it was wasted. 
The Alchemy Bar area (my fave!) was very large and had tons of seating. It was very well utilized every night!
Why are there still huge art galleries? I want to meet the people buying enough art to justify this space.

The casino location was a big negative for me. It took up the entire width of the deck so you had to walk directly though it to get to the main theater, the sports bar, Redfrog pub, coffee shop, etc. To bypass it, you'd have to go up a floor, cross over, and come back down. Luckily, the smoke smells didn't seem to permeate through other spaces, but it wasn't the greatest set up. And there was no more using the casino as just smoking area. You had to be actively playing. You couldn't even sit at the bar. So that was a small relief. Fortunately, I don't think many ships are like that anymore and for good reason.
Also, I was amazed by how busy the casino was at all times. I think the older crowd had a lot to do with it for sure. That place was packed 24 hours a day. DH & I were incredulous when we saw people literally sitting at slot machines 30+ minutes before leaving port, just waiting for them to turn on.

Ports: All of them were incredible. The day spent sailing through the fjord to Dawes Glacier was beyond beautiful. Alaska has a different type of beauty-it just feels wild and rugged and unforgiving. I don't think people just end up living in Alaska. It's a location you have to want to be. And definitely a place to see if you can.

Overall, a wonderful time. In terms of ships though, I told DH I am definitely ready to try a newer and larger ship. I'm thinking Horizon or Mardi Gras, and Southern Caribbean. Although, that Iceland cruise in 2022 is looking pretty fabulous as well!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Jet lag is real y'all! We didn't realize that Alaska is a 4 hour time difference (1 hour change on the ship) and it's crazy how much it throws you off. OK just some quick notes:
> 
> We learned from multiple sources that the ship was sailing at just under 70% capacity. I believe she holds around 2500 and had 1700 sailing. It was definitely an older crowd as well!
> 
> -COVID testing: DH & I used the accepted home test through the emed.com website. Zero problems. Very easy to use and results were delivered instantly. I had our digital copies and printed off hard copies just in case. It states digital is accepted, but I had hard copies of everything! Would use these tests again and recommend to anyone else looking to cruise.
> 
> -Embarkation: Took longer than normal, but nothing crazy. They were very strict about arrival windows. We had an 11-11:30AM window and were actually a bit late, but we saw others being held back in line until their windows opened. Porters will still very much available for luggage. We lined up outside where ALL of our documents were looked at the first time, then we joined a line inside where everything was looked at (and scanned/highlighted/whatever) again. Then you were sent upstairs through security and joined the "regular" check in line, where photos were taken. There was still a photo op (masks could be removed) and you boarded the ship!
> 
> -Muster: This change was amazing and really well done. As soon as you set foot on the ship, they IMMEDIATELY sent you to your muster station. We did not even get into the atrium before going to our station (it just happened to be close by). It took all of 2 minutes for the crew member to demonstrate the life jacket and then we were sent on our way.
> 
> -Masks: Masks were required walking into/out of dinner and the buffet, in the main theater, shops, elevators, and comedy theater. Everywhere else were signs encouraging masks, but I was really amazed at how many people wore them everywhere inside. You truly very rarely saw anyone walking around inside without one. From what I could see in our ports, masks were required in shops and restaurants.
> 
> -Activities: Everything seemed back to normal for the most part! I didn't notice anything missing. Performers and comedians did not wear masks. The trivia crew members didn't either, but they kept a wide area around them clear of guests.
> 
> The Miracle was laid out differently than any Carnival ship I've been on. Not in a bad way necessarily, just different!
> 
> Noticeable things:  The Serenity deck was lovely and I wish it was set up this way on other ships. It was large, tons of seating, big bar, and had it's own pool and hot tub.
> There were 3 decent sized pools and hot tubs on the ship - Serenity deck, and 2 more pool areas back to back in the middle of Lido. One pool was closed in/covered, and the most forward one was entirely open. It was a pretty nice set up overall.
> The steakhouse was on deck 10, directly under the funnel. So the lower part of the funnel was glass and opened up to the sky. The effect was really beautiful.
> The ship is "literature" themed, which I loved. I just don't think some of the spaces were well utilized. There was a Gatsby's Garden promenade which was lovely, but so tucked away at the front of the ship with nothing around it, it was wasted.
> The Alchemy Bar area (my fave!) was very large and had tons of seating. It was very well utilized every night!
> Why are there still huge art galleries? I want to meet the people buying enough art to justify this space.
> 
> The casino location was a big negative for me. It took up the entire width of the deck so you had to walk directly though it to get to the main theater, the sports bar, Redfrog pub, coffee shop, etc. To bypass it, you'd have to go up a floor, cross over, and come back down. Luckily, the smoke smells didn't seem to permeate through other spaces, but it wasn't the greatest set up. And there was no more using the casino as just smoking area. You had to be actively playing. You couldn't even sit at the bar. So that was a small relief. Fortunately, I don't think many ships are like that anymore and for good reason.
> Also, I was amazed by how busy the casino was at all times. I think the older crowd had a lot to do with it for sure. That place was packed 24 hours a day. DH & I were incredulous when we saw people literally sitting at slot machines 30+ minutes before leaving port, just waiting for them to turn on.
> 
> Ports: All of them were incredible. The day spent sailing through the fjord to Dawes Glacier was beyond beautiful. Alaska has a different type of beauty-it just feels wild and rugged and unforgiving. I don't think people just end up living in Alaska. It's a location you have to want to be. And definitely a place to see if you can.
> 
> Overall, a wonderful time. In terms of ships though, I told DH I am definitely ready to try a newer and larger ship. I'm thinking Horizon or Mardi Gras, and Southern Caribbean. Although, that Iceland cruise in 2022 is looking pretty fabulous as well!



Thank you for your review. How did it feel to be back on a ship after all this time?


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Thank you for your review. How did it feel to be back on a ship after all this time?



It truly felt amazing. Everyone, from the guests to the crew members, seemed upbeat, positive, and just thankful to be back on a ship. So many guests that we talked to had another 2, 3, 4 5+ cruises already booked, some even had that many for just the remainder of this year! (So jealous!) 

In terms of safety & health, I honestly felt completely at ease as well. Crew members were constantly cleaning EVERYTHING. Guests themselves were great at wearing masks (although I would like to compare to a warmer weather cruise), the vast majority of guests were vaxxed (actually I think ours was 100%), hand sanitizer everywhere, etc. I'm very sure it was a safer location than our local Walmart or mall or grocery store.

Would not hesitate to cruise again!


----------



## belle032

Got an email from CCL with some AMAZING offers. As in cruises starting at $25 for the rest of 2021. Looks like Christmas cruises are topping out at $200. Pretty sure they're casino offers, which is funny because I don't think I've ever spent more than $10 in any ship casino, but I'm not going to argue.  

We're limited on dates now due to using up most of our vacation time for the year, but I would love to cruise over Thanksgiving or Christmas. It would be a hard sell for DH though. It's extremely hard for him to break with tradition. And lord knows I would never hear the end of it from my MIL. 

Don't think I'm ready to cruise solo (though I would absolutely hit WDW by myself!), but these offers are making it tough to say no!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Got an email from CCL with some AMAZING offers. As in cruises starting at $25 for the rest of 2021. Looks like Christmas cruises are topping out at $200. Pretty sure they're casino offers, which is funny because I don't think I've ever spent more than $10 in any ship casino, but I'm not going to argue.
> 
> We're limited on dates now due to using up most of our vacation time for the year, but I would love to cruise over Thanksgiving or Christmas. It would be a hard sell for DH though. It's extremely hard for him to break with tradition. And lord knows I would never hear the end of it from my MIL.
> 
> Don't think I'm ready to cruise solo (though I would absolutely hit WDW by myself!), but these offers are making it tough to say no!



Wow. If it wasn’t for the expensive mandatory COVID testing and lack of insurance coverage…At those prices I would vacation once a month for the rest of the year. LOL


----------



## hdrolfe

I see Carnival has posted their directions for cruises to the end of February, still needing testing 2 days prior and vaccinations (no mixed for Canadians). My Carnival cruise is in August, I hope the testing requirements will be gone by then, for cruising and flying...


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Wow. If it wasn’t for the expensive mandatory COVID testing and lack of insurance coverage…At those prices I would vacation once a month for the rest of the year. LOL



Right? If we lived near a cruise port we'd be cruising every weekend!



hdrolfe said:


> I see Carnival has posted their directions for cruises to the end of February, still needing testing 2 days prior and vaccinations (no mixed for Canadians). My Carnival cruise is in August, I hope the testing requirements will be gone by then, for cruising and flying...



Ugh I was hoping they would drop the 2 day testing requirements by then. If we don't take advantage of these 2021 offers (which looks like we won't), DH mentioned he'd like to cruise with a few other couples in February. I don't know if some are vaxxed, which itself is a problem, but the testing makes it even trickier for a larger group. And since I'm always the planner of everything, it's just another thing to stress over.


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> Ugh I was hoping they would drop the 2 day testing requirements by then. If we don't take advantage of these 2021 offers (which looks like we won't), DH mentioned he'd like to cruise with a few other couples in February. I don't know if some are vaxxed, which itself is a problem, but the testing makes it even trickier for a larger group. And since I'm always the planner of everything, it's just another thing to stress over.



the testing a PITA for sure. I mean we have to test to fly to the US, but it's the antigen test we can use, which is not as invasive, and we need it 3 days before we fly, we also tend to fly day before a cruise, so when do we get the test for cruising? I think we can get one the day before we fly, but it will cost significantly more in order to get it fast to use for flying and cruising... makes my head spin. Never mind the test we then need to fly home again at the end (72 hours before we fly home... so we have to stay an extra day or 3?) Hoops...


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> the testing a PITA for sure. I mean we have to test to fly to the US, but it's the antigen test we can use, which is not as invasive, and we need it 3 days before we fly, we also tend to fly day before a cruise, so when do we get the test for cruising? I think we can get one the day before we fly, but it will cost significantly more in order to get it fast to use for flying and cruising... makes my head spin. Never mind the test we then need to fly home again at the end (72 hours before we fly home... so we have to stay an extra day or 3?) Hoops...



THIS.

At this point, we all agreed to pay whatever extra we need to pay... just to simplify things and get the one with the results in 1 hour. Otherwise, it would be soooo stressful.

Praying for Canada to relax the measures a bit. Since Air Canada (and other Airlines) will require everyone that flies to be vaccinated, maybe they could let go of the mandatory testing before flying back? 

Other than that, I wish Carnival would accept mixed vaccines. I love that our cruise will most likely be fully vaccinated, I just hope the 2nd/3rd dose criterias will fit whatever is available to us in Canada.


----------



## mevelandry

It looks like the last week has brought us some good news like Grand Turk welcoming cruise ships again in December (this one makes my family very happy)…

… and the USA welcoming fully vaccinated foreigners (and mixed vaccines!)… without COVID test (now, if only Canada would do the same, this would simplify our return home) …

I wonder if testing will still be mandatory before boarding the ships?  I kinda wish they would remove them completely when you are vaccinated.

Update: I asked John Heald today and it looks like mandatory testing is there to stay (at least for a while). At least we know and we can plan accordingly.


----------



## hdrolfe

I am very happy about the mixed vaccine news, hopefully the cruise lines will all update their rules for that sooner than later. We go to Disney in 9 days and I was planning on a second Pfizer but if I don't need it that would be nice. We don't cruise until March and it is on Royal, which is ok since they currently offer pcr test for travel if needed. Carnival is in August, hopefully by then we won't need it, but we will be cruising from New York and staying a few days post cruise so can work something out if necessary. I am just so happy that travel is becoming more possible for us again.

Now to work on kiddos flight anxiety, it was getting better but no trips for over two years and we are back to him being worried and getting sick. Hopefully not causing any problems on the flights.


----------



## belle032

Oh my lord. Just saw on Instagram that RCCL dropped an Ultimate World Cruise for December 2023-2024. It’s 274 nights and you visit over 150 destinations.

What a dream!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Oh my lord. Just saw on Instagram that RCCL dropped an Ultimate World Cruise for December 2023-2024. It’s 274 nights and you visit over 150 destinations.
> 
> What a dream!



I saw that. DH and I keep saying that we’ll book that one to celebrate retirement… Which leaves us 25-30 years to save the money. Lol


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> I saw that. DH and I keep saying that we’ll book that one to celebrate retirement… Which leaves us 25-30 years to save the money. Lol



Considering I scrolled down a little further and saw it started at $61K per person for an interior....we'll need just as long!


----------



## mevelandry

Mixed vaccines accepted by Carnival starting October 24, 2021!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Mixed vaccines accepted by Carnival starting October 24, 2021!



Was just coming to say this! 

So far only DCL & NCL (and I think MSC but they are behind on a lot of vaccine related stuff) still to put out anything about accepting mixed doses (so RCL, Celebrity, HAL, Princess, Carnival have all said it's good to go). 

I am so happy about this.


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

All I know is, June cannot get here soon enough! I want to be back on a ship so dang bad, bring on Mardi Gras!!!


----------



## mevelandry

As time goes by, it looks more and more like we’ll do everything we need to do in order to go on our Mardi Gras cruise this winter. (Paying the big price for tests, pay extra for travel insurance with COVID coverage, if we have to.) Enough is enough! We desperately want to cruise!

I have started to get more information about Mardi Gras. While my in-laws are fans of the dining room and used to prefer the first seating, we have decided to switch to Anytime dining for more flexibility… And as time goes by, I am collecting more info about all the dining options, it becomes more and more obvious that we’ll spend most of our time eating anywhere else than the dining room this time.

I have FOMO right now and I have a check list of restaurants, bars and activities for the ship.

While I’ve never been much of a drinker... (I usually have my 2 drinks per day personal limit), the bars on Mardi Gras look so much fun that I have now made a list of bars and drinks that I want to try.

This should be a busy vacation.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> As time goes by, it looks more and more like we’ll do everything we need to do in order to go on our Mardi Gras cruise this winter. (Paying the big price for tests, pay extra for travel insurance with COVID coverage, if we have to.) Enough is enough! We desperately want to cruise!
> 
> I have started to get more information about Mardi Gras. While my in-laws are fans of the dining room and used to prefer the first seating, we have decided to switch to Anytime dining for more flexibility… And as time goes by, I am collecting more info about all the dining options, it becomes more and more obvious that we’ll spend most of our time eating anywhere else than the dining room this time.
> 
> I have FOMO right now and I have a check list of restaurants, bars and activities for the ship.
> 
> While I’ve never been much of a drinker... (I usually have my 2 drinks per day personal limit), the bars on Mardi Gras look so much fun that I have now made a list of bars and drinks that I want to try.
> 
> This should be a busy vacation.



glad you are deciding to go. We are excited for our RCL cruises in March, our Mardi Gras cruise got moved to Dec 2023 (and turned into a B2B), and we have Horizon in April 2023. Carnival Magic in August to Bermuda, and I am hoping by then testing won't be an issue. We are prepared for it for March though, it wasn't too bad for our Disney trip, but we are in Ontario and the antigen tests are available here at a few places for $20 or less. The PCR to return home was free which was nice too.


----------



## DCLMP

belle032 said:


> Considering I scrolled down a little further and saw it started at $61K per person for an interior....we'll need just as long!


About the same price as one week concierge on DCL


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> glad you are deciding to go. We are excited for our RCL cruises in March, our Mardi Gras cruise got moved to Dec 2023 (and turned into a B2B), and we have Horizon in April 2023. Carnival Magic in August to Bermuda, and I am hoping by then testing won't be an issue. We are prepared for it for March though, it wasn't too bad for our Disney trip, but we are in Ontario and the antigen tests are available here at a few places for $20 or less. The PCR to return home was free which was nice too.



Now that we have found insurance than should be able to cover us for Covid, cruises and quarantine, as long as we test negative the day of our flight, we're definitely going!

Antigen tests for 20$ sounds like a dream. We still have to pay 200$ for ours at the airport. As long as Carnival requests 48 hours or less, we can't risk it and have to settle for the expensive one with fast results.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Now that we have found insurance than should be able to cover us for Covid, cruises and quarantine, as long as we test negative the day of our flight, we're definitely going!
> 
> Antigen tests for 20$ sounds like a dream. We still have to pay 200$ for ours at the airport. As long as Carnival requests 48 hours or less, we can't risk it and have to settle for the expensive one with fast results.



It's too bad you weren't closer to the Ontario border, we went to Costco and had results in 15 minutes while we waited. My only concern for next cruise is we'd have to get it done Saturday and they didn't seem to have appointments then. We'll see.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Now that we have found insurance than should be able to cover us for Covid, cruises and quarantine, as long as we test negative the day of our flight, we're definitely going!
> 
> Antigen tests for 20$ sounds like a dream. We still have to pay 200$ for ours at the airport. As long as Carnival requests 48 hours or less, we can't risk it and have to settle for the expensive one with fast results.



Have you looked into the home test that Carnival accepts? We paid $150 for 6 tests from EMed.com. They are 100% worth it for traveling.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Have you looked into the home test that Carnival accepts? We paid $150 for 6 tests from EMed.com. They are 100% worth it for traveling.



Air Canada has a partnership for a similiar concept (it’s very recent). What prevents us from using them is… anxiety I guess. The delay to get a replacement (if for some reason the test doesn’t function properly) would make us miss our cruise.

Plus, my in laws are very anxious people, it’s already a big event for them to stop at a clinic prior to the trip and having someone administer the tests … We simply can’t imagine them having to manipulate the tests themselves during a videoconference. (Saying they are not comfortable with technology is an understatement).

If it was just my husband and I, we’d most likely try it, especially on the way back home. Maybe in October if it is still mandatory (but I hope not!)


----------



## belle032

Y'all. I did something crazy and booked the Mardi Gras for THIS SATURDAY! We sail November 20-27! I booked under a casino rate (again-no idea how I got these rates) that was just too good to pass up. I'm usually such a planner, so this last minute trip is totally different for me!

It won't be DH and I, but instead it will be me, my mom and 2 brothers. The first time just the 4 of us have traveled together since my Dad passed 3 years ago. So it will definitely be a different vacation, but I'm looking forward to these new memories!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Y'all. I did something crazy and booked the Mardi Gras for THIS SATURDAY! We sail November 20-27! I booked under a casino rate (again-no idea how I got these rates) that was just too good to pass up. I'm usually such a planner, so this last minute trip is totally different for me!
> 
> It won't be DH and I, but instead it will be me, my mom and 2 brothers. The first time just the 4 of us have traveled together since my Dad passed 3 years ago. So it will definitely be a different vacation, but I'm looking forward to these new memories!



That is fantastic. So happy for you!  

You'll have a great time. 

What is your itinerary?


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> That is fantastic. So happy for you!
> 
> You'll have a great time.
> 
> What is your itinerary?



San Juan, Amber Cove, Nassau and 3 days at sea. From what I can tell in the FB group I joined last minute, it was Grand Turk instead of Nassau, but got changed. So not the itinerary I would choose necessarily, but I won't complain. We'll probably just walk around San Juan, not sure what to do in Amber Cove (I think we've been before, but honestly don't remember it) and stay on the ship in Nassau. This trip is definitely more about checking out the ship. I hope I can give a decent review when I get back!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> San Juan, Amber Cove, Nassau and 3 days at sea. From what I can tell in the FB group I joined last minute, it was Grand Turk instead of Nassau, but got changed. So not the itinerary I would choose necessarily, but I won't complain. We'll probably just walk around San Juan, not sure what to do in Amber Cove (I think we've been before, but honestly don't remember it) and stay on the ship in Nassau. This trip is definitely more about checking out the ship. I hope I can give a decent review when I get back!


 Can't wait.


----------



## mevelandry

Interesting news for international travellers. It looks like Carnival is currently working on a solution to test passengers on board (guests who need to present a negative test in order to get back to their country --ex: Canadians)... 

This makes me very happy. The idea of having to rush to the airport on disembarkation morning in order to get tested and pay the big price to get results fast is very stressful for us and we'd love it if Carnival could offer testing on board.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Interesting news for international travellers. It looks like Carnival is currently working on a solution to test passengers on board (guests who need to present a negative test in order to get back to their country --ex: Canadians)...
> 
> This makes me very happy. The idea of having to rush to the airport on disembarkation morning in order to get tested and pay the big price to get results fast is very stressful for us and we'd love it if Carnival could offer testing on board.


They are one of the only ones not doing it yet, but I think they have more Canadian cruisers than the other lines so probably would be more work for them. If I was going on Carnival I would plan to stay an extra night post cruise to get tested after debark.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> They are one of the only ones not doing it yet, but I think they have more Canadian cruisers than the other lines so probably would be more work for them. If I was going on Carnival I would plan to stay an extra night post cruise to get tested after debark.



Unfortunately, we have already booked our flights to return home the same day of disembarkation.


----------



## YesMickey

belle032 said:


> Y'all. I did something crazy and booked the Mardi Gras for THIS SATURDAY! We sail November 20-27! I booked under a casino rate (again-no idea how I got these rates) that was just too good to pass up. I'm usually such a planner, so this last minute trip is totally different for me!
> 
> It won't be DH and I, but instead it will be me, my mom and 2 brothers. The first time just the 4 of us have traveled together since my Dad passed 3 years ago. So it will definitely be a different vacation, but I'm looking forward to these new memories!


We are booked on the Mardi Gras for next October. Went on the Glory this past October with three stops in the Bahamas. The ship was less than half full. You will have a great time as the shows, dining room and pools will not be packed. Wife and I are going leaving with my parents for a Thanksgiving cruise. Can't wait. For my family Carnival was a no brainer over DCL. Always half the price and the kids loved the Club Carnival and the waterslides etc. and the adults got to be adults.


----------



## belle032

YesMickey said:


> We are booked on the Mardi Gras for next October. Went on the Glory this past October with three stops in the Bahamas. The ship was less than half full. You will have a great time as the shows, dining room and pools will not be packed. Wife and I are going leaving with my parents for a Thanksgiving cruise. Can't wait. For my family Carnival was a no brainer over DCL. Always half the price and the kids loved the Club Carnival and the waterslides etc. and the adults got to be adults.



The Glory was actually my DH's first cruise back in 2015 (I think?). We really liked the layout of that class of ships! But it was one of those things where I thought "he's either going to love this or hate this!" Luckily, he absolutely loved it and it's been our vacation of choice ever since, besides WDW here and there. 

We've sailed on DCL twice and yes, for us, Carnival offers more of what we want in a vacation. Although we aren't opposed to giving others a try!


----------



## Club Disney Chandler

belle032 said:


> San Juan, Amber Cove, Nassau and 3 days at sea. From what I can tell in the FB group I joined last minute, it was Grand Turk instead of Nassau, but got changed. So not the itinerary I would choose necessarily, but I won't complain. We'll probably just walk around San Juan, not sure what to do in Amber Cove (I think we've been before, but honestly don't remember it) and stay on the ship in Nassau. This trip is definitely more about checking out the ship. I hope I can give a decent review when I get back!


Holy cow!!!! I’m so excited for you! Gonna be awesome! We can hardly wait for Mardi Gras next June. I’ll be looking at the PC webcams to watch your sailaway. Have an amazing time.


----------



## mevelandry

Shoot! With all the buzz around the new Omicron variant (and countries closing their borders), I'm scared that we are going to miss the boat again!

I regret not rebooking Mardi Gras earlier this fall just because we didn't wanna pay expensive prices for the tests (and switch GT for Nassau)...

Hope we get to the bottom of that one really fast.


----------



## belle032

We're back from the Mardi Gras! Had a really great time-just experienced it differently than I would with DH (not a bad thing!)

The ship is truly beautiful and truly unlike any other Carnival ship I've been on. Main decks inside were 6, 7, 8 and main decks outside were 16, 17, 18. I believed we sailed at around 70% capacity.

- Loved the colors of the rooms and hallways. They were subtle blues and whites. Very beachy and gave a much more upscale feeling.

- The showers has glass doors! And a bar at the bottom to shave your legs!! 

- We had a Cove Balcony & an Interior room, both on Deck 5 Aft. Nice location. I chose the interior room on the deck plan when booking because it had a square shape and I was intrigued (not long &  narrow like normal. There were a few of these on 5)-turned out to be a really good decision! The room seemed incredibly spacious and I would definitely seek one of these rooms out in the future.

-The Lido buffet area reminded me of Cabanas on DCL. Just like the staterooms-beachy & upscale feeling, laid out nicely.

-Finally a pool on the Serenity Deck!! And the hottubs were huge! The entire space as a whole was wonderful. It's large, has a convenient bar and salad bar (open on sea days), has those circular lounges, full bed loungers and plenty of chairs. Spent a lot of time here.

-There were nice pools off the back of Deck 8 and 16, but lots of kids and the space wasn't huge. If you're looking for adult space, go to Serenity.

-This is crazy to say, but we did not eat dinner in the dining room AT ALL. Had breakfast here twice. The menus were the same as in Alaska, so didn't miss much. But, we did the specialty restaurants. We did Chibang twice (including on Thanksgiving), Guy's Smokehouse twice, Cucina once and Bonsai sushi/Emeril's once.

-I love the Alchemy Bar, but the Fortune Teller bar realllllyyyy gave it a run for the money. My brother & I had the Cheers package so I made an appearance pretty much every night. Bartenders were great as well!

-The one real negative I have is the lack of an atrium and the layout of the Center Stage. I missed some sort of central hub and really didn't like the layout of the stage and seating area. There wasn't a lot of seating-you had to show up an hour+ ahead of time to get a good seat. I can't imagine the ship at full capacity. The shows themselves were wonderful (LOVED Voodoo Moon!) and they involved a lot of aerial performers, HOWEVER, this worked against the theater seating configuration. Anyone on the bottom floor could not see anything above stage level because it was directly under the balcony. Just a strange set up. You also had the candy store, coffee shop, and main walkway directly behind you, so be ready for noise from that.


Seeing another really good deal for the last week of February so there is a good chance DH & I will book it. My SIL and her family and my in-laws booked an AirBnB in Davenport (no plans for theme parks/beaches/activities. Literally just rented a house with a pool in a Florida subdivision. Not my idea of a vacation by any stretch) and we're being guilt tripped that we aren't coming. Sooooo the cruise will overlap enough where we could do that and then show up at the house for like 2 days. Win-win.

But if anyone has any specific questions, feel free to ask and I can try to answer the best I can!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> We're back from the Mardi Gras! Had a really great time-just experienced it differently than I would with DH (not a bad thing!)
> 
> The ship is truly beautiful and truly unlike any other Carnival ship I've been on. Main decks inside were 6, 7, 8 and main decks outside were 16, 17, 18. I believed we sailed at around 70% capacity.
> 
> - Loved the colors of the rooms and hallways. They were subtle blues and whites. Very beachy and gave a much more upscale feeling.
> 
> - The showers has glass doors! And a bar at the bottom to shave your legs!!
> 
> - We had a Cove Balcony & an Interior room, both on Deck 5 Aft. Nice location. I chose the interior room on the deck plan when booking because it had a square shape and I was intrigued (not long &  narrow like normal. There were a few of these on 5)-turned out to be a really good decision! The room seemed incredibly spacious and I would definitely seek one of these rooms out in the future.
> 
> -The Lido buffet area reminded me of Cabanas on DCL. Just like the staterooms-beachy & upscale feeling, laid out nicely.
> 
> -Finally a pool on the Serenity Deck!! And the hottubs were huge! The entire space as a whole was wonderful. It's large, has a convenient bar and salad bar (open on sea days), has those circular lounges, full bed loungers and plenty of chairs. Spent a lot of time here.
> 
> -There were nice pools off the back of Deck 8 and 16, but lots of kids and the space wasn't huge. If you're looking for adult space, go to Serenity.
> 
> -This is crazy to say, but we did not eat dinner in the dining room AT ALL. Had breakfast here twice. The menus were the same as in Alaska, so didn't miss much. But, we did the specialty restaurants. We did Chibang twice (including on Thanksgiving), Guy's Smokehouse twice, Cucina once and Bonsai sushi/Emeril's once.
> 
> -I love the Alchemy Bar, but the Fortune Teller bar realllllyyyy gave it a run for the money. My brother & I had the Cheers package so I made an appearance pretty much every night. Bartenders were great as well!
> 
> -The one real negative I have is the lack of an atrium and the layout of the Center Stage. I missed some sort of central hub and really didn't like the layout of the stage and seating area. There wasn't a lot of seating-you had to show up an hour+ ahead of time to get a good seat. I can't imagine the ship at full capacity. The shows themselves were wonderful (LOVED Voodoo Moon!) and they involved a lot of aerial performers, HOWEVER, this worked against the theater seating configuration. Anyone on the bottom floor could not see anything above stage level because it was directly under the balcony. Just a strange set up. You also had the candy store, coffee shop, and main walkway directly behind you, so be ready for noise from that.
> 
> 
> Seeing another really good deal for the last week of February so there is a good chance DH & I will book it. My SIL and her family and my in-laws booked an AirBnB in Davenport (no plans for theme parks/beaches/activities. Literally just rented a house with a pool in a Florida subdivision. Not my idea of a vacation by any stretch) and we're being guilt tripped that we aren't coming. Sooooo the cruise will overlap enough where we could do that and then show up at the house for like 2 days. Win-win.
> 
> But if anyone has any specific questions, feel free to ask and I can try to answer the best I can!



Ok so from what I understand, the atrium also serves as a theater? That's strange. Thanks for the heads up regarding the limited seating. We'll know that we have to arrive earlier.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Ok so from what I understand, the atrium also serves as a theater? That's strange. Thanks for the heads up regarding the limited seating. We'll know that we have to arrive earlier.



Correct. It's called Center Stage and it serves as a type of atrium and the main theater. It's technically 3 stories, but pretty limited seating overall. So yes, get there early. 

There is another Mardi Gras Theater similar to other ships' main theaters, but it wasn't used for the big stage productions. It held smaller shows, like Love & Marriage, a magic show, Family Feud shows, etc.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Correct. It's called Center Stage and it serves as a type of atrium and the main theater. It's technically 3 stories, but pretty limited seating overall. So yes, get there early.
> 
> There is another Mardi Gras Theater similar to other ships' main theaters, but it wasn't used for the big stage productions. It held smaller shows, like Love & Marriage, a magic show, Family Feud shows, etc.


Oh. Good to know!


----------



## belle032

Booked Mardi Gras again for February 26-March 5. San Juan, Amber Cove & Grand Turk.

That didn't take long!


----------



## hdrolfe

Realizing I was supposed to be on Mardi Gras this week, but with all the uncertainty still in the summer I moved it... Kind of wish I was on the ship. This week has been crazy, and I could use a cruise lol... k


----------



## Ol Goof

What were the mask mandates on your cruise?  Popcorn allowed in movies or shows?  Ty!


----------



## tidefan

Ol Goof said:


> What were the mask mandates on your cruise?  Popcorn allowed in movies or shows?  Ty!


We will be on the Mardi Gras mid-March.

Funny about masks.  We did the Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady (awesome, BTW.  Highly recommend) a couple weeks ago and masks were not required onboard.  I had thought they were on all lines, but Virgin did not require them, though staff wore them.


----------



## sethschroeder

tidefan said:


> We will be on the Mardi Gras mid-March.
> 
> Funny about masks.  We did the Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady (awesome, BTW.  Highly recommend) a couple weeks ago and masks were not required onboard.  I had thought they were on all lines, but Virgin did not require them, though staff wore them.



Ncl doesn't require them but everyone on the ship has to be vaccinated no exceptions from my understanding.

Crew still had to wear them.


----------



## belle032

Ol Goof said:


> What were the mask mandates on your cruise?  Popcorn allowed in movies or shows?  Ty!



Masks were pretty enforced in the theater and comedy lounge. It seemed like most people wore them in and out of the restaurants as well. There were signs about wearing them in the Lido buffet area, but many people didn't and it didn't seem enforced. All other areas, masks were recommended, but not enforced. Crew wore them at all times. And they honestly never really seemed to be a hassle! I know Carnival allows a 5% vax exception, so I figure that's why the masks are still used in some (crowded) areas.



tidefan said:


> We will be on the Mardi Gras mid-March.
> 
> Funny about masks.  We did the Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady (awesome, BTW.  Highly recommend) a couple weeks ago and masks were not required onboard.  I had thought they were on all lines, but Virgin did not require them, though staff wore them.



I would LOVE a review on that ship and your trip! My mom sailed on the Celebrity Edge in October and they didn't wear masks either. Ship was 100% vaxxed.



sethschroeder said:


> Ncl doesn't require them but everyone on the ship has to be vaccinated no exceptions from my understanding.
> 
> Crew still had to wear them.



I think you're right - although, I just saw the news article about the outbreak on the Breakaway. I hope everyone is OK, and I really hope it doesn't affect cruising!


----------



## Sykes

tidefan said:


> Funny about masks.  We did the Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady (awesome, BTW.  Highly recommend) a couple weeks ago and masks were not required onboard.  I had thought they were on all lines, but Virgin did not require them, though staff wore them.


It's about 50/50. Celebrity, Virgin, NCL, and some of the other lines that cater mostly to adults (I think mostly those that originally sailed under the 95% vaccinated rules from the CSO) aren't requiring masks. Those with more kids are requiring masks.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Booked Mardi Gras again for February 26-March 5. San Juan, Amber Cove & Grand Turk.
> 
> That didn't take long!



Nice!  MG must have left a good impression on you for you to book it again so soon after your last cruise! 

If everything goes well, you should do the same itinerary at the end of January (***fingers crossed***).


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Nice!  MG must have left a good impression on you for you to book it again so soon after your last cruise!
> 
> If everything goes well, you should do the same itinerary at the end of January (***fingers crossed***).



I definitely want DH to experience it, it's unlike every other CCL ship we've sailed. And that week is the last one that we got a great casino promotion for-we booked an Interior for $120 per person. Prices skyrocket the following week. I think a lot of these amazing promos end as cruising slowly returns to "normal" and it's Spring Break season. So we jumped on it while we had the chance!

We honestly thought about going to WDW instead, but there is no way I'm paying those full price room rates right now. If they haven't released a promotion for February yet, don't think they will. So I decided to not hold out.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I definitely want DH to experience it, it's unlike every other CCL ship we've sailed. And that week is the last one that we got a great casino promotion for-we booked an Interior for $120 per person. Prices skyrocket the following week. I think a lot of these amazing promos end as cruising slowly returns to "normal" and it's Spring Break season. So we jumped on it while we had the chance!
> 
> We honestly thought about going to WDW instead, but there is no way I'm paying those full price room rates right now. If they haven't released a promotion for February yet, don't think they will. So I decided to not hold out.



Amazing price!


----------



## tidefan

belle032 said:


> I would LOVE a review on that ship and your trip! My mom sailed on the Celebrity Edge in October and they didn't wear masks either. Ship was 100% vaxxed.


Virgin Voyages was amazing, quite honestly.  We can't wait to sail with them again.  BTW, not only is the ship fully vaxxed, but there is a test done at the terminal (No extra charge for this) by Virgin.  

I'll do a big review sometime, but I have to say that Virgin has really upped the cruise game in terms of innovations.  The food was amazing.  Also, I miss that hammock from our balcony every day...


----------



## trvlgirlmq

We have cancelled our British Isles cruise. There are too many variables at play and we just didn’t want to play the waiting game again. 

We are now booked on Vista (3rd time) from Galveston. First time from this port and we will take a day at the end to tour NASA. My DS is an aerospace engineer major and would love to work for them or Space-X.  My son’s GF has never been on a cruise so I think she will have a good time.

All 3 ports are new to the kids and 2 are new to me and grandma. I am looking forward to some relaxing on the beach. Moving, training a new team and building a house has been exhausting!


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> We have cancelled our British Isles cruise. There are too many variables at play and we just didn’t want to play the waiting game again.
> 
> We are now booked on Vista (3rd time) from Galveston. First time from this port and we will take a day at the end to tour NASA. My DS is an aerospace engineer major and would love to work for them or Space-X.  My son’s GF has never been on a cruise so I think she will have a good time.
> 
> All 3 ports are new to the kids and 2 are new to me and grandma. I am looking forward to some relaxing on the beach. Moving, training a new team and building a house has been exhausting!



I can't blame you cancelling. Too much uncertainty right now! 

Sounds like the Vista is much deserved! Which ports are you going to?


----------



## trvlgirlmq

belle032 said:


> I can't blame you cancelling. Too much uncertainty right now!
> 
> Sounds like the Vista is much deserved! Which ports are you going to?


We are going to Mahogany Bay & Belize (new to all) and Cozumel (new to kids).


----------



## mevelandry

Apparently, Canada is about to forbid non-essential travel again. I have very little to no hope that things will change back until the end of January when we are (were?) due to cruise on Mardi Gras.

We’ll be waiting until mid-January to make a decision but I have a very bad feeling about this and feel like we might have to change dates again. I’m so bummed, I wanna cry.

We now deeply regret not travelling during the short window we had this fall.

Lesson learned...

My husband says that we’ll put all pieces in place to make sure we can do a last minute cruise as soon as travelling reopens again for us. Next time, we’re not gonna wait.

Update: The travel advisories is now back up. According to several reports, it will be up until Jan 12. That's awfully close to our sail date. Let's just say I won't get my hopes up and will start looking for my options early January if things don't get better.


----------



## kaseyC

belle032 said:


> We're back from the Mardi Gras! Had a really great time-just experienced it differently than I would with DH (not a bad thing!)
> 
> The ship is truly beautiful and truly unlike any other Carnival ship I've been on. Main decks inside were 6, 7, 8 and main decks outside were 16, 17, 18. I believed we sailed at around 70% capacity.
> 
> - Loved the colors of the rooms and hallways. They were subtle blues and whites. Very beachy and gave a much more upscale feeling.
> 
> - The showers has glass doors! And a bar at the bottom to shave your legs!!
> 
> - We had a Cove Balcony & an Interior room, both on Deck 5 Aft. Nice location. I chose the interior room on the deck plan when booking because it had a square shape and I was intrigued (not long &  narrow like normal. There were a few of these on 5)-turned out to be a really good decision! The room seemed incredibly spacious and I would definitely seek one of these rooms out in the future.
> 
> -The Lido buffet area reminded me of Cabanas on DCL. Just like the staterooms-beachy & upscale feeling, laid out nicely.
> 
> -Finally a pool on the Serenity Deck!! And the hottubs were huge! The entire space as a whole was wonderful. It's large, has a convenient bar and salad bar (open on sea days), has those circular lounges, full bed loungers and plenty of chairs. Spent a lot of time here.
> 
> -There were nice pools off the back of Deck 8 and 16, but lots of kids and the space wasn't huge. If you're looking for adult space, go to Serenity.
> 
> -This is crazy to say, but we did not eat dinner in the dining room AT ALL. Had breakfast here twice. The menus were the same as in Alaska, so didn't miss much. But, we did the specialty restaurants. We did Chibang twice (including on Thanksgiving), Guy's Smokehouse twice, Cucina once and Bonsai sushi/Emeril's once.
> 
> -I love the Alchemy Bar, but the Fortune Teller bar realllllyyyy gave it a run for the money. My brother & I had the Cheers package so I made an appearance pretty much every night. Bartenders were great as well!
> 
> -The one real negative I have is the lack of an atrium and the layout of the Center Stage. I missed some sort of central hub and really didn't like the layout of the stage and seating area. There wasn't a lot of seating-you had to show up an hour+ ahead of time to get a good seat. I can't imagine the ship at full capacity. The shows themselves were wonderful (LOVED Voodoo Moon!) and they involved a lot of aerial performers, HOWEVER, this worked against the theater seating configuration. Anyone on the bottom floor could not see anything above stage level because it was directly under the balcony. Just a strange set up. You also had the candy store, coffee shop, and main walkway directly behind you, so be ready for noise from that.
> 
> 
> Seeing another really good deal for the last week of February so there is a good chance DH & I will book it. My SIL and her family and my in-laws booked an AirBnB in Davenport (no plans for theme parks/beaches/activities. Literally just rented a house with a pool in a Florida subdivision. Not my idea of a vacation by any stretch) and we're being guilt tripped that we aren't coming. Sooooo the cruise will overlap enough where we could do that and then show up at the house for like 2 days. Win-win.
> 
> But if anyone has any specific questions, feel free to ask and I can try to answer the best I can!


 Thanks for sharing your review of the  Mardi Gras.  I'm sailing with my daughters in January.


----------



## belle032

kaseyC said:


> Thanks for sharing your review of the  Mardi Gras.  I'm sailing with my daughters in January.



I hope you have a wonderful time! I look forward to others sailing on her to get different perspectives.


----------



## mevelandry

Received this earlier.


----------



## mevelandry

Personal update: we are patiently waiting (and hoping) that Carnival will soon let people sailing in the end of January postpone their cruise. I let our PVP know of our intentions. 

Things aren’t looking great right now as we are most likely going back under full lockdown here in Quebec (Canada). 

Hoping to be able to postpone to April 2022. Not the itinerary I hoped for (was looking forward visiting San Juan)... However, Mahogany Bay looks like heaven and was on my list. 

*Fingers crossed*


----------



## mevelandry

Update: We have been able to postpone our cruise to April 2022 without any problems.

Now looking forward all your tips and advices regarding Mahogany Bay.  

P.s.: We´ll remain at the port since we are travelling with the in-laws.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Our new sailing also goes to Mahogany Bay. We have never been. We did book an outside excursion to a sloth and monkey place and it includes snorkeling and a beach stop. The kids are super excited about the sloths.


----------



## mevelandry

Jennyonecoin said:


> View attachment 588558



Can you see the ship wreck from the Flying Chairs?


----------



## mevelandry

Ok, I’m suuuuuuper excited now. I have been able to book a cabana on the beach in Mahogany Bay!!!


----------



## belle032

I don't think we'll have issues with overall cancellations, but waiting to see if our February cruise will be affected by any port changes. Saw John Heald announced a few! San Juan & Grand Turk could still be iffy.


----------



## mevelandry

Just received an email…


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Just received an email…
> 
> View attachment 640951View attachment 640952



Got that too - already posted in our cruise group on FB. I think the VeriFLY app will be awesome if it works well. To have all of that uploaded and ready to go before we even get on our flight would be great. Hopefully, we get to use it for our upcoming cruise so I can report back!


----------



## hdrolfe

I got that too, 9 times for some reason (I do have 5 cruises booked?) I was kind of prepared for that any way, but still hoping things change before our 2023 cruises at least...


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Got that too - already posted in our cruise group on FB. I think the VeriFLY app will be awesome if it works well. To have all of that uploaded and ready to go before we even get on our flight would be great. Hopefully, we get to use it for our upcoming cruise so I can report back!



Agreed. I love the idea of being able to set up everything before we leave.


----------



## mevelandry

According to some reports, Carnival Sensation and Ecstasy are retiring? (Sensation right away and Ecstasy in October).

All I can say after sailing on the Sensation in 2018 is that it is a smart decision. There is no way the Sensation could keep up with the new generation of Carnival ships like Vista and XL Class.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> According to some reports, Carnival Sensation and Ecstasy are retiring? (Sensation right away and Ecstasy in October).
> 
> All I can say after sailing on the Sensation in 2018 is that it is a smart decision. There is no way the Sensation could keep up with the new generation of Carnival ships like Vista and XL Class.



I think I saw John Heald mention the impending retirement/sale of them on a video-didn't watch it, but saw the comments! Sensation was the first cruise ship I ever sailed on, and I remember being in awe of how massive it was! But it's time for them to enjoy their retirement. Even the Conquest class ships are starting to seem small and a little dated with all of the new ships being introduced.


----------



## lklgoodman

We are thinking about an Alaska cruise on NCL.  I'm hoping someone on here has cruised NCL.  We cruised to Alaska on Disney in 2014, but thought we'd try another line since we don't care about the characters anymore. We are gold on DCL, but have never sailed any other line, so my head is spinning trying to figure stuff out. On NCL, when it's time to book excursions is it done the same as Disney and based on how many cruises you've done.  If it is, I'm worried we won't get the excursions we'd like.  Do we have to buy a drinks package or can we buy drinks as we want them?  None of us drink soda and I'm the only one who drinks alcoholic drinks, and even then I would only get 1 drink of wine per day at the most.  What about tea and coffee?  Are they extra? The club level says you get to book on board entertainment and dining.  Does that mean we have to book the evening shows beforehand?  We can't just show up for Kinky Boots to see it like at Disney shows?  Are the dining bookings just for the speciality restaurants? Like you have to do for Palo/Remy.  My dd will be either 14 or 15 yrs old depending on if we go before or after her June bday, can she eat at any of the speciality restaurants or are they all adult only?  Sorry for all the questions, but I'm having trouble finding info on their website.  Thanks for any help anyone has.  We're looking at June 2023, so have time. They have some really good deals right now. So I'd like to get something booked.


----------



## hdrolfe

lklgoodman said:


> We are thinking about an Alaska cruise on NCL.  I'm hoping someone on here has cruised NCL.  We cruised to Alaska on Disney in 2014, but thought we'd try another line since we don't care about the characters anymore. We are gold on DCL, but have never sailed any other line, so my head is spinning trying to figure stuff out. On NCL, when it's time to book excursions is it done the same as Disney and based on how many cruises you've done.  If it is, I'm worried we won't get the excursions we'd like.  Do we have to buy a drinks package or can we buy drinks as we want them?  None of us drink soda and I'm the only one who drinks alcoholic drinks, and even then I would only get 1 drink of wine per day at the most.  What about tea and coffee?  Are they extra? The club level says you get to book on board entertainment and dining.  Does that mean we have to book the evening shows beforehand?  We can't just show up for Kinky Boots to see it like at Disney shows?  Are the dining bookings just for the speciality restaurants? Like you have to do for Palo/Remy.  My dd will be either 14 or 15 yrs old depending on if we go before or after her June bday, can she eat at any of the speciality restaurants or are they all adult only?  Sorry for all the questions, but I'm having trouble finding info on their website.  Thanks for any help anyone has.  We're looking at June 2023, so have time. They have some really good deals right now. So I'd like to get something booked.



I can't answer everything, I've booked but never made it on an NCL cruise. Did a lot of research and have friends who have cruised on them. I'm not familiar with DCL booking excursions. For NCL, once you book the cruise, you can book excursions, provided they are available. For 2023 they might not be ready to book yet, but they'll open up to everyone at the same time. Tea and coffee are included, the regular stuff, not fancy espresso drinks. You can buy what you like in terms of alcohol, you don't need to get a package. But NCL often has deals where it's included. You would pay for the gratuities on the package. Your daughter can eat wherever, there are no adult only dining options on NCL. Specialty will come at a cost, but again, they often have a deal where you can get it free (or just for gratuities). 

Not sure about the shows, I have yet to go on a cruise where they need to be booked (but know on some of the bigger ships it's common to have to do so). If they do need to be booked you can usually do so after you book the cruise, but again it might not be until closer to the sailing date. https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/cruise-faq/when-can-i-book-dining-entertainment


----------



## lklgoodman

hdrolfe said:


> I can't answer everything, I've booked but never made it on an NCL cruise. Did a lot of research and have friends who have cruised on them. I'm not familiar with DCL booking excursions. For NCL, once you book the cruise, you can book excursions, provided they are available. For 2023 they might not be ready to book yet, but they'll open up to everyone at the same time. Tea and coffee are included, the regular stuff, not fancy espresso drinks. You can buy what you like in terms of alcohol, you don't need to get a package. But NCL often has deals where it's included. You would pay for the gratuities on the package. Your daughter can eat wherever, there are no adult only dining options on NCL. Specialty will come at a cost, but again, they often have a deal where you can get it free (or just for gratuities).
> 
> Not sure about the shows, I have yet to go on a cruise where they need to be booked (but know on some of the bigger ships it's common to have to do so). If they do need to be booked you can usually do so after you book the cruise, but again it might not be until closer to the sailing date. https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/cruise-faq/when-can-i-book-dining-entertainment



Thank you for the info, that helps a lot.  I've watched quite a few youtube videos.  I'm about 99% sure we are going to book the NCL Alaska cruise for 2023. I need to figure out which cabin to book.  I was set on a club balcony, but then saw a video of a family OV that is on deck 9, forward and it is HUGE and available.  We usually get OV middle deck 2 on DCL because I get seasick.  Deck 9 forward would make me worried I'd be sick all the time, but that cabin was MASSIVE! I'm actually more excited for a NCL than I am for our Fantasy cruise next month.


----------



## hdrolfe

lklgoodman said:


> Thank you for the info, that helps a lot.  I've watched quite a few youtube videos.  I'm about 99% sure we are going to book the NCL Alaska cruise for 2023. I need to figure out which cabin to book.  I was set on a club balcony, but then saw a video of a family OV that is on deck 9, forward and it is HUGE and available.  We usually get OV middle deck 2 on DCL because I get seasick.  Deck 9 forward would make me worried I'd be sick all the time, but that cabin was MASSIVE! I'm actually more excited for a NCL than I am for our Fantasy cruise next month.



If you get seasick, I'd avoid a forward cabin, mid ship would be better. The club cabins (I'm assuming NCL Bliss) are almost as big as those family OV's, plus add on the balcony space. I'm prone to seasickness myself, I use seabands and take meclizine when it gets bad. I find being right at the front or back of the ship I notice it more. But then too, the size of the ship makes a difference. NCL Bliss is bigger than the biggest DCL ship, even Wish. Bigger the ship, less noticeable the motion. The Club balcony also comes with some extra perks, like being able to book entertainment earlier and a bottle of sparling wine I believe?


----------



## belle032

lklgoodman said:


> Thank you for the info, that helps a lot.  I've watched quite a few youtube videos.  I'm about 99% sure we are going to book the NCL Alaska cruise for 2023. I need to figure out which cabin to book.  I was set on a club balcony, but then saw a video of a family OV that is on deck 9, forward and it is HUGE and available.  We usually get OV middle deck 2 on DCL because I get seasick.  Deck 9 forward would make me worried I'd be sick all the time, but that cabin was MASSIVE! I'm actually more excited for a NCL than I am for our Fantasy cruise next month.



Sorry I can't provide firsthand information - we were originally booked NCL for Alaska last year before it was cancelled and we booked another line. I was excited to try it, but hopefully we will in the future! However, my mom did sail on the Bliss for her Alaskan cruise and loved it. I believe the ship was really built for Alaska so it's a great choice. Apparently, the Observation Deck is absolutely amazing, the ship itself is quite beautiful, lots of food and drink options, etc. 

In terms of drink packages, like @hdrolfe said, NCL tends to run their promotion of having them "included" meaning you just pay gratuities, but they aren't required and you can remove them from your booking. I don't think your DD will have any issue going to any restaurant, specialty dining will probably just require a reservation. Drinks should really be the same as on DCL, except for soda, so I wouldn't be too concerned about that!

If we do Alaska again, it will definitely be on NCL. Sounds like you're doing your research and will have a wonderful time. Alaska is just like nothing we've ever experienced before so enjoy every minute!


----------



## lklgoodman

belle032 said:


> Sorry I can't provide firsthand information - we were originally booked NCL for Alaska last year before it was cancelled and we booked another line. I was excited to try it, but hopefully we will in the future! However, my mom did sail on the Bliss for her Alaskan cruise and loved it. I believe the ship was really built for Alaska so it's a great choice. Apparently, the Observation Deck is absolutely amazing, the ship itself is quite beautiful, lots of food and drink options, etc.
> 
> In terms of drink packages, like @hdrolfe said, NCL tends to run their promotion of having them "included" meaning you just pay gratuities, but they aren't required and you can remove them from your booking. I don't think your DD will have any issue going to any restaurant, specialty dining will probably just require a reservation. Drinks should really be the same as on DCL, except for soda, so I wouldn't be too concerned about that!
> 
> If we do Alaska again, it will definitely be on NCL. Sounds like you're doing your research and will have a wonderful time. Alaska is just like nothing we've ever experienced before so enjoy every minute!



Thanks for the info. So sorry you couldn't go on the one you had booked. Which line did you book on?  I'm hoping we won't have to worry about covid by 2023.  This cruise sails from Seattle, so hopefully that will help if there's still problems traveling between US and Canada. We will be going on the Encore, not the Bliss.  They both go to Alaska.  From what I can tell they are pretty much the same ship or very similar.  The Encore has Kinky Boots as one of the main shows while the Bliss has Jersey Boys.  We'd rather see Kinky boots, so that's why I'm going to book it, lol.  Right now I'm looking at booking the first week of June, doing the family club balcony.  I would LOVE to get a Haven cabin, cause that looks amazing.  We did Alaskan cruise 2014 on Disney. My dd was only 6 yrs old then so we were really limited on our excursions.  She'll be 15 yrs old when we do this one, so I'm looking forward to not being restricted with our choices.


----------



## belle032

lklgoodman said:


> Thanks for the info. So sorry you couldn't go on the one you had booked. Which line did you book on?  I'm hoping we won't have to worry about covid by 2023.  This cruise sails from Seattle, so hopefully that will help if there's still problems traveling between US and Canada. We will be going on the Encore, not the Bliss.  They both go to Alaska.  From what I can tell they are pretty much the same ship or very similar.  The Encore has Kinky Boots as one of the main shows while the Bliss has Jersey Boys.  We'd rather see Kinky boots, so that's why I'm going to book it, lol.  Right now I'm looking at booking the first week of June, doing the family club balcony.  I would LOVE to get a Haven cabin, cause that looks amazing.  We did Alaskan cruise 2014 on Disney. My dd was only 6 yrs old then so we were really limited on our excursions.  She'll be 15 yrs old when we do this one, so I'm looking forward to not being restricted with our choices.



We were actually originally booked on the Encore out of Seattle as well, but it was cancelled. And yes, I think the Encore & Bliss are sister ships so really similar! We ended up booking almost the same itinerary on Carnival after we received a really amazing promotion that I just couldn't say no to. I believe after we booked Carnival, NCL opened up again, but we couldn't really switch back at that point. But the money savings allowed us an extra day in Seattle, a better balcony cabin and more on excursions, so I'm not mad about that!

I think you're correct about your DD and excursions - she should be able to do everything!


----------



## belle032

Officially checked in for our 2/26 cruise!  These next 2 weeks are almost the most stressful though - praying to the cruising gods to please keep us healthy so we can see that negative test result!


----------



## mevelandry

Good morning!

My husband and I started looking for our annual anniversary trip (for 2023)and we wanted to do something different. Since we already have a lot of trips planned for 2022-2023, Europe will not be possible so I started looking and we are very interested in a cruise with a stop in Cabo! (Mexican Riviera)...

We contacted our PVP and we are waiting to hear back...

So the two stops would be Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada on Carnival Miracle.

Any tips and advices about cruising from Long Beach, Carnival Miracle, Cabo and Ensenada would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!


----------



## belle032

We were just on the Miracle for Alaska! It's a smaller and older ship (maybe Conquest class size-ish?), but I remember thinking it would be great for a warmer weather cruise because of the number and location of the pools. I believe the Serenity deck was all the way aft, but did have it's own pool and hot tub. Then there were 2 more on Lido - Mid & forward. The Mid pool had the glass dome over it. Not sure if it was retractable because it was out the entire time.

The interior was the typical older Carnival style, but the layout was easy to navigate. It had the upgrades-Alchemy, Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana, Red Frog Pub, etc.

I will say I was NOT a fan of the casino area. If you look at a ship map, it takes up the entire part of a main floor so you have to go through it to get to the theater, coffee bar, sports bar, etc. And with the smoking, I didn't like having to walk through all the time (you could avoid if you went up/down, crossed, then went back). But again, I think that was typical in the older ships.

Happy to answer any other questions if you think of any!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> We were just on the Miracle for Alaska! It's a smaller and older ship (maybe Conquest class size-ish?), but I remember thinking it would be great for a warmer weather cruise because of the number and location of the pools. I believe the Serenity deck was all the way aft, but did have it's own pool and hot tub. Then there were 2 more on Lido - Mid & forward. The Mid pool had the glass dome over it. Not sure if it was retractable because it was out the entire time.
> 
> The interior was the typical older Carnival style, but the layout was easy to navigate. It had the upgrades-Alchemy, Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana, Red Frog Pub, etc.
> 
> I will say I was NOT a fan of the casino area. If you look at a ship map, it takes up the entire part of a main floor so you have to go through it to get to the theater, coffee bar, sports bar, etc. And with the smoking, I didn't like having to walk through all the time (you could avoid if you went up/down, crossed, then went back). But again, I think that was typical in the older ships.
> 
> Happy to answer any other questions if you think of any!



Thank you! I have just watched a video and you are right, the ship looks very nice for warm weather! Like you said, it seems to have everything we like as well (Guy’s Burger, Red Frog, etc.) so I’m already sold on the ship.


----------



## belle032

So Carnival is testing the Verifly app and our sailing is one of the groups that it can be used for. I think it's just being used for Mardi Gras sailings right now, but I assume it would eventually go fleetwide if it works for them.

Basically it's an app that you upload all your vax & testing documentation to before embarkation. It has: vaccine attestation, upload proof of vax, submit negative COVID test results, and complete health assessment. So everything you do in person on embarkation day.

Everyone under your booking number can be on the same app (so I can have the app for DH & I), which I like. So far it seems very useful, but I don't think I'm at the point where I wouldn't bring hard copies to check in...just in case!


----------



## lklgoodman

belle032 said:


> So Carnival is testing the Verifly app and our sailing is one of the groups that it can be used for. I think it's just being used for Mardi Gras sailings right now, but I assume it would eventually go fleetwide if it works for them.
> 
> Basically it's an app that you upload all your vax & testing documentation to before embarkation. It has: vaccine attestation, upload proof of vax, submit negative COVID test results, and complete health assessment. So everything you do in person on embarkation day.
> 
> Everyone under your booking number can be on the same app (so I can have the app for DH & I), which I like. So far it seems very useful, but I don't think I'm at the point where I wouldn't bring hard copies to check in...just in case!


Thanks for sharing.  We have our info on our My Chart acct but each person has to have their own acct so rather inconvenient having to log on and off to get to each person's info. The app sounds a lot better.


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## tidefan

Carnival is dropping masks except in specific venues on March 1st

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/carnival-cruise-line-ease-mask-mandate-guests-march-1-2022-02-19/


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## trvlgirlmq

tidefan said:


> Carnival is dropping masks except in specific venues on March 1st
> 
> https://www.reuters.com/world/us/carnival-cruise-line-ease-mask-mandate-guests-march-1-2022-02-19/


Looks like they are also allowing rampant unvaccinated kids. Not cool.


----------



## dreynolds1982

I hope Disney follows suit soon. In my opinion (key word) it's time to start easing back on things. We're seeing it in major cities, at the theme parks, etc. Glad to see some cruise lines beginning to follow.


----------



## mevelandry

tidefan said:


> Carnival is dropping masks except in specific venues on March 1st
> 
> https://www.reuters.com/world/us/carnival-cruise-line-ease-mask-mandate-guests-march-1-2022-02-19/



They say it will still be required in certain venues. So vague…

Overall, bad decision, IMO. I’m fairly certain they will live to regret that decision.


----------



## belle032

Bummed. San Juan got changed to Nassau for our sailing next week. Not 100% sure why, I've heard a few different things, but it is what it is. I'm not exactly sure what we'll do there yet-we've never actually been to Atlantis so maybe we'll finally make the trip over just to say we've been.

Still ready for vacation!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Bummed. San Juan got changed to Nassau for our sailing next week. Not 100% sure why, I've heard a few different things, but it is what it is. I'm not exactly sure what we'll do there yet-we've never actually been to Atlantis so maybe we'll finally make the trip over just to say we've been.
> 
> Still ready for vacation!



While we haven’t done the Atlantis aquapark, we visited the resort and it’s lovely.

More recently, Margaritaville opened a new resort close to the port, apparently, there are day passes for it. We put that on our list in case we return to Nassau… if we decide not to do Blue Lagoon again.


----------



## dreynolds1982

mevelandry said:


> They say it will still be required in certain venues. So vague…
> 
> Overall, bad decision, IMO. I’m fairly certain they will live to regret that decision.


I get personal feelings vary wildly about masks so not going to get into all that but I doubt they will regret the decision. Most everywhere is heading that direction, including Disney World. Where I live we haven't had any sort of mask mandate for months and places that had very strict mask mandates had just as bad if not worse numbers during the omicron surge. Even the CDC has acknowledged that the regular cloth mask doesn't do much, esp vs omicron. I don't think it'll be long before Dcl drops their mask requirement as well. 

If there's still a requirement I will absolutely wear a mask no questions asked, and have always happily followed guidelines wherever I've been, but I personally think the time for strict requirements and guidelines may be beginning to pass.


----------



## belle032

dreynolds1982 said:


> I get personal feelings vary wildly about masks so not going to get into all that but I doubt they will regret the decision. Most everywhere is heading that direction, including Disney World. Where I live we haven't had any sort of mask mandate for months and places that had very strict mask mandates had just as bad if not worse numbers during the omicron surge. Even the CDC has acknowledged that the regular cloth mask doesn't do much, esp vs omicron. I don't think it'll be long before Dcl drops their mask requirement as well.
> 
> If there's still a requirement I will absolutely wear a mask no questions asked, and have always happily followed guidelines wherever I've been, but I personally think the time for strict requirements and guidelines may be beginning to pass.



Our sailing will be tricky as we leave 2/26, but we'll be onboard through 3/5. So we're all curious, do masks just become optional halfway through the cruise? Guess we'll find out!

In our case, I'm fine if the mask requirements drop. We're still sailing under the 95% vaxxed rule and like you stated, other places such as WDW have already dropped the requirement. I'm in NY, one of the most stringent states regarding masks, and our mandates have all expired. I wear mine grocery shopping and crowded places, but it's probably only maybe 50% of people wearing masks in any given place anymore.

CCL has opted into the CDC program and I feel cruise lines have really done all they can do to keep passengers safe. Potential guests can decide whether or not they are comfortable with the protocols going forward.


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## hdrolfe

I believe a few cruiselines have opted into the CDC program, RCL is also moving to optional masks for vaccinated. I am not sure if they are including kids under 5 in their vaccination calculations, but even so 95% vaccination should give some sense of security to not catching covid on board. Add in the precruise test, I think it will be as safe, or more so, than other vacations. I mean  Disney and Universal are also lifting mask mandates, and don't have the vaccine requirements.


----------



## mevelandry

dreynolds1982 said:


> I get personal feelings vary wildly about masks so not going to get into all that but I doubt they will regret the decision. Most everywhere is heading that direction, including Disney World. Where I live we haven't had any sort of mask mandate for months and places that had very strict mask mandates had just as bad if not worse numbers during the omicron surge. Even the CDC has acknowledged that the regular cloth mask doesn't do much, esp vs omicron. I don't think it'll be long before Dcl drops their mask requirement as well.
> 
> If there's still a requirement I will absolutely wear a mask no questions asked, and have always happily followed guidelines wherever I've been, but I personally think the time for strict requirements and guidelines may be beginning to pass.



Where I live, our observation was completely the opposite. Very few cases when masks were worn, explosion of cases when removed.

My fear is that cruise ships will end up being under observations or simply turned away at ports because of outbreaks. 

Plus, as Canadians, having to tests in order to get back home complicates things a lot. I’m not as worried for my health (other than hating being sick on vacation to begin with) as much as getting stuck in the USA because of a cruise ship outbreak.


----------



## belle032

Love last minute plan changes to add to the stress of cruising!

We were supposed to fly out tomorrow night, but due to the impending winter storm expected to hit Friday, we are now flying out tonight. Major scrambling to rebook flight, take day off work, make arrangements for the dog, add another night to the hotel... I know it's one of those things that if we didn't change the flight, we would be in trouble and if we did change the flight, nothing would happen. But for peace of mind - we made the choice to get down there.

Positive note - negative COVID tests this morning and officially good to go!  And we get an extra day in Orlando so I might see a Disney Springs day happening....

Send us positive traveling thoughts!


----------



## lklgoodman

belle032 said:


> Love last minute plan changes to add to the stress of cruising!
> 
> We were supposed to fly out tomorrow night, but due to the impending winter storm expected to hit Friday, we are now flying out tonight. Major scrambling to rebook flight, take day off work, make arrangements for the dog, add another night to the hotel... I know it's one of those things that if we didn't change the flight, we would be in trouble and if we did change the flight, nothing would happen. But for peace of mind - we made the choice to get down there.
> 
> Positive note - negative COVID tests this morning and officially good to go!  And we get an extra day in Orlando so I might see a Disney Springs day happening....
> 
> Send us positive traveling thoughts!


Safe travels.  I'm in Ohio, just waiting on the snow and ice coming our way.  Glad you were able to get an earlier flight, definitely a smart move.


----------



## belle032

We're home from my 2nd round on the Mardi Gras! Happy to answer any questions if anyone has any. 

Just some quick thoughts:

Still a beautiful ship, but definitely more people. We heard 5400 passengers and she holds 6500. It absolutely felt more crowded than it did over Thanksgiving. I felt (as did many people we spoke with) that ships are increasing their guest capacity faster than their crew capacity. We especially noticed this in the beginning of the trip. For example, we got pizza late one night and no one was clearing tables (and y'all know how long the lines for pizza can get at night!). Dinner in the dining room on the first formal night and the Italian restaurant took 90 minutes for 2 of us. Drinks at bars took a little longer to get. We rarely saw our stateroom steward after the first day, which was extremely strange to us.
It seemed to get much better towards the middle and end of the cruise and I cannot blame the crew AT ALL. They were constantly hustling, cleaning, serving, etc. No complaints about the crew attitudes or service in the slightest. There just needs to be more of them. One woman we spoke to said "my one complaint is I want to be able to help the crew out more - such as having a location to put dirty dishes or just trash cans to throw away our own trash."

Food overall was wonderful. DH agreed. We ate in the dining room twice (both formal nights) and hit every other restaurant at least once. No complaints about the food. And I think I officially enjoy Big Chicken over Guy's Burgers now!  The fries are amazing - get them! Also, pro tip: Java Blue has AWESOME breakfast sandwiches and lunch items that are complimentary. Take advantage!

Serenity deck and Fortune Teller Bar were still my favorite spaces. Spent a lot of time at both locations. FT bartenders are awesome and very talented.

My one real complaint about the layout of the ship - Center Stage is simply terrible IMO. I mentioned the strange layout on my previous quick review, and this just solidified it. I don't know who designed this space, but for the size and capacity of this ship, it is awful and I hope it can be reexamined on the Celebration and Jubilee. There are 3 main (fantastic!) shows held here during the week and I kid you not, if you want to see the early showing, good luck to you. That place was filled over an hour and a half prior to the 8:30 show, and the ship wasn't even at capacity. We only saw Voodoo Moon because we stood on the highest level off to the side on a walkway. The 10:30 shows fill as well, but you may get a little extra time to show up. The problem with the 10:30 shows is that the conflicted with other late night entertainment that we enjoy, like comedy. So that's my rant! I can share some photos, but I really need someone else to sail and see if I'm way off base about this!!

Overall, we still had a great cruise. DH was a little skeptical over the lack of atrium (I knew he would be - creature of habit!), and we both agreed that our next cruise will be on the Horizon to the Southern Caribbean, possibly next Jan/Feb. If anyone sees any deals going on, let me know because we'll book early. So much uncertainty with fuel prices and how that will affect travel right now.

Can't wait to start seeing y'alls reviews again!


----------



## mevelandry

Not Carnival related but I just booked a new cruise for 2023.

I have learned that Allure of the Seas would now be doing 3 and 4 nights from PC (with stops in Nassau and Coco Cay)… I was super disappointed to lose the 2021 cruise on Oasis OTS I had booked with friends... And my husband was super jealous.

Now, we’ll get to try an Oasis class ship together.  I booked a 4 nights for November 2023.


----------



## belle032

I've tentatively started researching an Iceland cruise for 2023. Right now, I'm leaning towards Norwegian & Celebrity for an 11-12 day sailing. Both have some great itineraries. Feels crazy to look that far ahead, but then we can get an idea of budget and needed time off.

I really enjoyed planning out British Isles cruise a few years ago, so this will definitely scratch my itch to plan another big trip.


----------



## supergirl04

belle032 said:


> I've tentatively started researching an Iceland cruise for 2023. Right now, I'm leaning towards Norwegian & Celebrity for an 11-12 day sailing. Both have some great itineraries. Feels crazy to look that far ahead, but then we can get an idea of budget and needed time off.
> 
> I really enjoyed planning out British Isles cruise a few years ago, so this will definitely scratch my itch to plan another big trip.


What line did you sail with for the British Isles cruise? Europe is a bucket list item for me.


----------



## belle032

supergirl04 said:


> What line did you sail with for the British Isles cruise? Europe is a bucket list item for me.



We sailed on Disney for that one. It was a 7 day on the Magic. We really wanted to do the BI and try out DCL, so it was a bucket list cruise. The dates worked great for work time off. We had a great time, but if we did Europe again, I would book with another line. Europe was very port intensive, so if you don't NEED characters or Disney theming, I'd recommend doing your research and seeing what else is out there!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

I would love to branch out from Carnival but the cost of other lines is prohibitive since we (I mostly) pay for 5 and we need 2 cabins.

Today we put on hold the 12 day Barcelona to Dover for May 2023. We booked 1 premium balcony and 1 inside at an all in cost including gratuities of $5600. No way we could get an itinerary like that on another line for even close to that price.

Everyone is excited to get back to Europe and we will be exploring mostly new places.


----------



## mevelandry

Good morning, guys!

I’ll try here again because I couldn’t get a clear answer on the FB group I went to.

For January 2023, we are going to stop in Cozumel. We’ve been to cozumel many times.

This time, we want to remain in the *Puerta Maya* cruise terminal.

Main criterias: No excursion. No cab/transportation. Only things that are walking distance from the ship.

Do you have any suggestions/recommendations other than having lunch or dinner at Pancho’s Backyard? (Which we plan to do). 

We are looking for things to visit/great spots to take pictures/fun places to shop/fun drinks/great spots to hang out (with great ocean view).

Thanks in advance!


----------



## brewcrew

mevelandry said:


> Not Carnival related but I just booked a new cruise for 2023.
> 
> I have learned that Allure of the Seas would now be doing 3 and 4 nights from PC (with stops in Nassau and Coco Cay)… I was super disappointed to lose the 2021 cruise on Oasis OTS I had booked with friends... And my husband was super jealous.
> 
> Now, we’ll get to try an Oasis class ship together.  I booked a 4 nights for November 2023.


That is great news!!!  My husband would love to do a 3-4 day in that class of ship.  Have fun!


----------



## mevelandry

brewcrew said:


> That is great news!!!  My husband would love to do a 3-4 day in that class of ship.  Have fun!



Thank you! Can’t wait!!!


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Good morning, guys!
> 
> I’ll try here again because I couldn’t get a clear answer on the FB group I went to.
> 
> For January 2023, we are going to stop in Cozumel. We’ve been to cozumel many times.
> 
> This time, we want to remain in the *Puerta Maya* cruise terminal.
> 
> Main criterias: No excursion. No cab/transportation. Only things that are walking distance from the ship.
> 
> Do you have any suggestions/recommendations other than having lunch or dinner at Pancho’s Backyard? (Which we plan to do).
> 
> We are looking for things to visit/great spots to take pictures/fun places to shop/fun drinks/great spots to hang out (with great ocean view).
> 
> Thanks in advance!



You are on Carnival? You would be walking distance from oh man.. there's a resort, it's AI you can buy a day pass for it, there are two actually. We did it just walking up. I didn't pay for the all inclusive and it was like $20 for each and came with 1 drink I think? 

https://www.resortforaday.com/el-cid-la-ceiba-beach/


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Good morning, guys!
> 
> I’ll try here again because I couldn’t get a clear answer on the FB group I went to.
> 
> For January 2023, we are going to stop in Cozumel. We’ve been to cozumel many times.
> 
> This time, we want to remain in the *Puerta Maya* cruise terminal.
> 
> Main criterias: No excursion. No cab/transportation. Only things that are walking distance from the ship.
> 
> Do you have any suggestions/recommendations other than having lunch or dinner at Pancho’s Backyard? (Which we plan to do).
> 
> We are looking for things to visit/great spots to take pictures/fun places to shop/fun drinks/great spots to hang out (with great ocean view).
> 
> Thanks in advance!



I honestly can't help with that one! We've really only been to Mr. Sanchos & Chankanaab in Cozumel. Hopefully someone else has some suggestions!


----------



## belle032

trvlgirlmq said:


> I would love to branch out from Carnival but the cost of other lines is prohibitive since we (I mostly) pay for 5 and we need 2 cabins.
> 
> Today we put on hold the 12 day Barcelona to Dover for May 2023. We booked 1 premium balcony and 1 inside at an all in cost including gratuities of $5600. No way we could get an itinerary like that on another line for even close to that price.
> 
> Everyone is excited to get back to Europe and we will be exploring mostly new places.



I'm seeing the price differences too while doing Iceland research. NCL & Celebrity are coming out to be a bit more expensive overall, but there are trade offs. They're offering brand new ships (NCL Prima looks stunning!), a more inclusive experience and an overnight in Reykjavik. This is what I'm coming up with:

NCL Prima - 11 Days - Oceanview - Beverage Package/Dining/Wifi/Shore Excursion Credit: *$6144.64*
Celebrity Apex - 12 Days - Oceanview - Premium Beverage Package/Wifi/Gratuties/Shore Excursion Credit: *$7309.86*
Carnival Pride - 12 Days - Balcony - Gratuities - $100OBC - Beverage Package - *$5829.76 (This is based on the beverage package being $52 pp per day + 18% gratuity)*

As of right now, I'm leaning fully towards NCL. God only knows what DCL would be if they sailed itineraries like that! Our Alaskan cruise was a few thousand less on Carnival so we jumped on it. These differences probably aren't enough to get us there. And being 1.5 years away gives us plenty of time to budget.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

We got a really great deal by booking under the 50% off birthday code. If prices were always that close I would go for another line. I looked at NCL 9 night cruise and 1 cabin was more than our total! Unless it’s just my mom and I we will probably be with Carnival until the kids have jobs and can pay their own way!


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> You are on Carnival? You would be walking distance from oh man.. there's a resort, it's AI you can buy a day pass for it, there are two actually. We did it just walking up. I didn't pay for the all inclusive and it was like $20 for each and came with 1 drink I think?
> 
> https://www.resortforaday.com/el-cid-la-ceiba-beach/





hdrolfe said:


> You are on Carnival? You would be walking distance from oh man.. there's a resort, it's AI you can buy a day pass for it, there are two actually. We did it just walking up. I didn't pay for the all inclusive and it was like $20 for each and came with 1 drink I think?
> 
> https://www.resortforaday.com/el-cid-la-ceiba-beach/



Oh interesting! I will look it up! Thank you!


----------



## hdrolfe

I am thinking of travelling after Christmas this year, the school break goes to January 8th so we have a nice week after the 31st to actually travel. I am thinking of going to Universal for a few days and then a cruise. Narrowed it down to Carnival Magic 8 night to Aruba, Bonaire & Amber Cove or Carnival Mardi Gras 7 night to San Juan, Amber Cove & Grand Turk. We have been on the Magic before, it was a nice ship, great cruise. But we do have Horizon Booked for April 2023 to Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao so two of those would be the same in close timing. We also have Mardi Gras booked B2B in December 2023 so would be doing the same cruise again a year later. I'm pretty sure no matter what we do, we'll have fun. 

Thoughts? Which would you choose? Mardi Gras, though a day shorter, would actually cost a bit more. Is the newer ship worth it?


----------



## CampbellzSoup

I use to ONLY sail carnival I first started cruising in 2013…I sailed on the conquest, glory, liberty, ect.  The last few times I noticed more than a few rowdy personnel on board I just didn’t care for it then…I go between royal Carribean and Norwegian I lean more towards Norwegian to be honest.


----------



## tidefan

Just got back from Mardi Gras.  We really, really enjoyed the ship.  I will say that the first couple of days, we had really rough weather and you could feel the 5,800 people on the ship because no one was able to use the outside areas.  I will say that got much better as the week went on and the weather improved.  I will agree with a lot of what the poster above said about the ship.  The food was great (we actually never ate in the MDR) and I agree, I think I like Big Chicken even more than Guy's (which is still great!).  I will also say that if you get a chance, you need to try Emeril's Bistro.  It is extra charge, but extremely reasonable (a large bowl of red beans and rice was $3).  

One thing I will disagree with the prior poster was that we really enjoyed Center Stage.  The shows there were all great, especially the circus themed show with songs from Greatest Showman and Pippen (BTW, one of the singers in that show is by far the best vocalist I have ever heard on a cruise ship) and Voodoo Moon.  Also, we really enjoyed the Flying Scotsman as our CD.  He is right up there with Jaime Dee as our favorite!


----------



## mevelandry

CampbellzSoup said:


> I use to ONLY sail carnival I first started cruising in 2013…I sailed on the conquest, glory, liberty, ect.  The last few times I noticed more than a few rowdy personnel on board I just didn’t care for it then…I go between royal Carribean and Norwegian I lean more towards Norwegian to be honest.


What do you mean by rowdy personnel?


----------



## belle032

tidefan said:


> Just got back from Mardi Gras.  We really, really enjoyed the ship.  I will say that the first couple of days, we had really rough weather and you could feel the 5,800 people on the ship because no one was able to use the outside areas.  I will say that got much better as the week went on and the weather improved.  I will agree with a lot of what the poster above said about the ship.  The food was great (we actually never ate in the MDR) and I agree, I think I like Big Chicken even more than Guy's (which is still great!).  I will also say that if you get a chance, you need to try Emeril's Bistro.  It is extra charge, but extremely reasonable (a large bowl of red beans and rice was $3).
> 
> One thing I will disagree with the prior poster was that we really enjoyed Center Stage.  The shows there were all great, especially the circus themed show with songs from Greatest Showman and Pippen (BTW, one of the singers in that show is by far the best vocalist I have ever heard on a cruise ship) and Voodoo Moon.  Also, we really enjoyed the Flying Scotsman as our CD.  He is right up there with Jaime Dee as our favorite!



Im so glad you had a wonderful time and you had a good experience with Center Stage! I will 100% agree, the actual shows are fantastic. We loved Voodoo Moon and the quality of the performers were definitely steps above those we’d ever seen before. However, I still am not a fan of the layout of the space. I think the design could be so much better!

But I could definitely go for a Big Chicken sandwich right about now!!


----------



## tidefan

belle032 said:


> Im so glad you had a wonderful time and you had a good experience with Center Stage! I will 100% agree, the actual shows are fantastic. We loved Voodoo Moon and the quality of the performers were definitely steps above those we’d ever seen before. However, I still am not a fan of the layout of the space. I think the design could be so much better!
> 
> But I could definitely go for a Big Chicken sandwich right about now!!


Yes, I could go for some Big Chicken as well.  Man, was that good.

I will ask, because I am not sure when you sailed, were they doing two shows a night in Center Stage on your sailing?  They were on ours and it really helped space things out.


----------



## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> I am thinking of travelling after Christmas this year, the school break goes to January 8th so we have a nice week after the 31st to actually travel. I am thinking of going to Universal for a few days and then a cruise. Narrowed it down to Carnival Magic 8 night to Aruba, Bonaire & Amber Cove or Carnival Mardi Gras 7 night to San Juan, Amber Cove & Grand Turk. We have been on the Magic before, it was a nice ship, great cruise. But we do have Horizon Booked for April 2023 to Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao so two of those would be the same in close timing. We also have Mardi Gras booked B2B in December 2023 so would be doing the same cruise again a year later. I'm pretty sure no matter what we do, we'll have fun.
> 
> Thoughts? Which would you choose? Mardi Gras, though a day shorter, would actually cost a bit more. Is the newer ship worth it?



Honestly that’s a tough one! That Southern Caribbean itinerary is on our list, and I've only heard good things about it, so I might lean that way. Plus the extra day is always a plus!


----------



## belle032

tidefan said:


> Yes, I could go for some Big Chicken as well.  Man, was that good.
> 
> I will ask, because I am not sure when you sailed, were they doing two shows a night in Center Stage on your sailing?  They were on ours and it really helped space things out.



Yes-there was an 8:30 and a 10:30, which helped. The problem was that you had to get there so early to get a seat, it turned into 2+ hour affair. And we weren't even at capacity. We couldn't usually get to the 8:30 because of dinner and seating was full by 7PM. The 10:30 was a little better, but it interfered with the evening activities we like to do and you still had to be there at least an hour early. I think there just needs to be more (and better located) seating  overall to accommodate the sheer number of passengers on the ship. 

The bottom level (Deck 6 with the coffee shop and bar) had the space and the seats, but the problem is the majority of it is directly underneath the balcony of Deck 7. So you could have a view of what's going on straight ahead, but couldn't see the aerial performers at all. 

So I have no issues with the shows and performers themselves, they were wonderful, it's just the space itself I wasn't a fan of! Which is fine-we still had a great time and I still think she's a beautiful ship!


----------



## tidefan

belle032 said:


> Yes-there was an 8:30 and a 10:30, which helped. The problem was that you had to get there so early to get a seat, it turned into 2+ hour affair. And we weren't even at capacity. We couldn't usually get to the 8:30 because of dinner and seating was full by 7PM. The 10:30 was a little better, but it interfered with the evening activities we like to do and you still had to be there at least an hour early. I think there just needs to be more (and better located) seating  overall to accommodate the sheer number of passengers on the ship.
> 
> The bottom level (Deck 6 with the coffee shop and bar) had the space and the seats, but the problem is the majority of it is directly underneath the balcony of Deck 7. So you could have a view of what's going on straight ahead, but couldn't see the aerial performers at all.
> 
> So I have no issues with the shows and performers themselves, they were wonderful, it's just the space itself I wasn't a fan of! Which is fine-we still had a great time and I still think she's a beautiful ship!


We were at 5800 on our sailing and we were able to get seats for all the shows about 30 minutes ahead of time out in the front area on Deck 6.  Maybe we were just lucky.  There was only 2 of us though, so there was usually a place fir us to squeeze in.

The one girl that is the main singer on the Center Stage shows was really good.


----------



## mevelandry

For the first time in two years, it really looks like we may actually make it on board a cruise ship (Mardi Gras on top of it all). Only 24 days to go. Praying that we'll remain healthy until then and test negative.


----------



## mevelandry

New Miami Themed section on board the brand new Carnival Celebration!  

Source: John Heald on Facebook!


----------



## Monykalyn

Got back Sunday from Carnival Panorama-Mexican Riviera. GREAT cruise-heard close to 4000k passengers so close to capacity. Some lines but moved fast, seems crew were fully staffed. Able to find chairs by either pool or Serenity even at prime times.  Embarkation a breeze with Verifly-never had to pull out paper documents. Disembarkation was delayed though due to winds and fog at Long Beach.
JiJi's was outstanding.
Alchemy bar though, is always my favorite!! You know it's a good cruise when you get hugs from the bartenders on the last night LOL. Met some new friends here too (as in exchanged numbers to keep in touch). 
Big ship, lots to do. Sky ride is so fun!! as are the water slides, did mini golf a few times, husband and son had ping pong or foosball competition every night.
Lots of quiet areas to chill too if desired.
First time on Vista class ship-was afraid it would be too big but it was great.


----------



## belle032

Monykalyn said:


> Got back Sunday from Carnival Panorama-Mexican Riviera. GREAT cruise-heard close to 4000k passengers so close to capacity. Some lines but moved fast, seems crew were fully staffed. Able to find chairs by either pool or Serenity even at prime times.  Embarkation a breeze with Verifly-never had to pull out paper documents. Disembarkation was delayed though due to winds and fog at Long Beach.
> JiJi's was outstanding.
> Alchemy bar though, is always my favorite!! You know it's a good cruise when you get hugs from the bartenders on the last night LOL. Met some new friends here too (as in exchanged numbers to keep in touch).
> Big ship, lots to do. Sky ride is so fun!! as are the water slides, did mini golf a few times, husband and son had ping pong or foosball competition every night.
> Lots of quiet areas to chill too if desired.
> First time on Vista class ship-was afraid it would be too big but it was great.


 
Glad you had a wonderful time! I've heard really great things about that class of ships, so for our next Caribbean sailing we will definitely be booking the Horizon!


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> New Miami Themed section on board the brand new Carnival Celebration!  View attachment 656791
> 
> Source: John Heald on Facebook!




I could be completely wrong, but I think that's the same space on the Mardi Gras! On MG, it's just Italian themed. Either way - it's pretty!


----------



## tidefan

mevelandry said:


> New Miami Themed section on board the brand new Carnival Celebration!  View attachment 656791
> 
> Source: John Heald on Facebook!


From having just been on Mardi Gras, this looks like it is the La Piazza area on Mardi Gras where the Panini and Pizza counters are.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I could be completely wrong, but I think that's the same space on the Mardi Gras! On MG, it's just Italian themed. Either way - it's pretty!



Sure looks like it. Love the theme. Celebration is definitely on my list. Do we know which port it will sail from? I missed that info.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Sure looks like it. Love the theme. Celebration is definitely on my list. Do we know which port it will sail from? I missed that info.



I believe Celebration will sail from Miami and Jubilee will sail from Galveston. Makes sense if MG sails from Port Canaveral! I'm sure that's all subject to change. I wonder if they'll ever have one on the west coast? Like the Panorama?


----------



## carlamouse

tidefan said:


> From having just been on Mardi Gras, this looks like it is the La Piazza area on Mardi Gras where the Panini and Pizza counters are.


It is the same area as La Piazza on the Mardi Gras.  If you'll notice, on the Celebration the pizza counter is called "Miami Slice".


----------



## robinb

Monykalyn said:


> Got back Sunday from Carnival Panorama-Mexican Riviera. GREAT cruise-heard close to 4000k passengers so close to capacity.


I am thinking about taking a cruise in May and Carnival's senior fares are almost too good to pass up.  BUT, I sailed on the NCL Gem in September and it was only about 50% full and I was pretty spoiled by how few people were on board.  Ugh.  I think I might just pay more for a cruise with fewer people.  You never know when that'll happen again.


----------



## beckicnm

belle032 said:


> I'm seeing the price differences too while doing Iceland research. NCL & Celebrity are coming out to be a bit more expensive overall, but there are trade offs. They're offering brand new ships (NCL Prima looks stunning!), a more inclusive experience and an overnight in Reykjavik. This is what I'm coming up with:
> 
> NCL Prima - 11 Days - Oceanview - Beverage Package/Dining/Wifi/Shore Excursion Credit: *$6144.64*
> Celebrity Apex - 12 Days - Oceanview - Premium Beverage Package/Wifi/Gratuties/Shore Excursion Credit: *$7309.86*
> Carnival Pride - 12 Days - Balcony - Gratuities - $100OBC - Beverage Package - *$5829.76 (This is based on the beverage package being $52 pp per day + 18% gratuity)*
> 
> As of right now, I'm leaning fully towards NCL. God only knows what DCL would be if they sailed itineraries like that! Our Alaskan cruise was a few thousand less on Carnival so we jumped on it. These differences probably aren't enough to get us there. And being 1.5 years away gives us plenty of time to budget.



Kevin, John and Tracey did a show on Apex on the Dreams Unlimited show. It's pre-pandemic, but that ship hasn't changed much.


----------



## mevelandry

robinb said:


> I am thinking about taking a cruise in May and Carnival's senior fares are almost too good to pass up.  BUT, I sailed on the NCL Gem in September and it was only about 50% full and I was pretty spoiled by how few people were on board.  Ugh.  I think I might just pay more for a cruise with fewer people.  You never know when that'll happen again.


Aren’t all lines back at full capacity right now?

It’s weird how reviews can be so different from one person to another. Some say it felt crowded, others say it wasn’t. Maybe it depends on where we like to hang out?

I like to avoid crowds so I plan to go for the spaces that tend to be more quiet.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Aren’t all lines back at full capacity right now?
> 
> It’s weird how reviews can be so different from one person to another. Some say it felt crowded, others say it wasn’t. Maybe it depends on where we like to hang out?
> 
> I like to avoid crowds so I plan to go for the spaces that tend to be more quiet.



Oh yes, overall I think ships are filling right back up. Some might be slower to fill up, (DCL maybe?), but if there isn't a capacity requirement, you can bet they're booking every cabin they can. Prices seem to be trending back to "normal" too, especially as we go into Spring Break & summertime. Cruise lines have a year of profits to make up, people are wanting to cruise again and are paying for it. I think the 30-50% capacity days are over. It was nice while it lasted though!

Same thing with WDW. I SO regret not being able to take a trip down right when they opened back up and it was a ghost town. Would have loved to experience that. Unfortunately, New York wasn't having that.


----------



## robinb

mevelandry said:


> Aren’t all lines back at full capacity right now?
> 
> It’s weird how reviews can be so different from one person to another. Some say it felt crowded, others say it wasn’t. Maybe it depends on where we like to hang out?
> 
> I like to avoid crowds so I plan to go for the spaces that tend to be more quiet.


No.  I read on another site and people ask about capacity nearly every week. Princess, Celebrity, RCCL and NCL are all running under capacity. I think about 60%. I’m not sure about DCL since it’s not on my radar … I refuse to pay those prices. Carnival and MSC seem to be running much higher. I don’t have anything against Carnival but I’m willing to pay a bit more for a ship that’s not jam packed.


----------



## robinb

belle032 said:


> Same thing with WDW. I SO regret not being able to take a trip down right when they opened back up and it was a ghost town. Would have loved to experience that. Unfortunately, New York wasn't having that.


Me too!  I have a friend who went a couple of times and he said it was amazing.  I went in May 2021 and I loved it with no FP and no Genie. It was great!


----------



## mevelandry

I have completed our check-in. 

Here in Quebec we are currently/already getting hit super hard with a sixth wave of COVID but this time we have decided to try to travel regardless. We'll be as careful as possible.

Still under mask mandate here and I'm working and taking public transportation every day with a KN-95 practically grafted to my face in hopes that we will all test negative for our pre-cruise antigen test. The fact that tests are still mandatory to travel and board a ship is 0-50% reassuring...  and 100% stressful. 

The simple idea of possibly being able to board a ship after over 2 years brings tears to my eyes. 

What an emotional journey! 

If it all works out well in the end, you will definitely hear from me... as I will need to scream YAY from the top of my lungs.


----------



## tidefan

mevelandry said:


> I have completed our check-in.
> 
> Here in Quebec we are currently/already getting hit super hard with a sixth wave of COVID but this time we have decided to try to travel regardless. We'll be as careful as possible.
> 
> Still under mask mandate here and I'm working and taking public transportation every day with a KN-95 practically grafted to my face in hopes that we will all test negative for our pre-cruise antigen test. The fact that tests are still mandatory to travel and board a ship is 0-50% reassuring...  and 100% stressful.
> 
> The simple idea of possibly being able to board a ship after over 2 years brings tears to my eyes.
> 
> What an emotional journey!
> 
> If it all works out well in the end, you will definitely hear from me... as I will need to scream YAY from the top of my lungs.


If it makes you feel better, here in Alabama (next to FL), our hospital, for the first time in 2 years reported "5 or fewer" COVID cases at the hospital, which is the minimum they report.  It's been that way for 6 straight days.  I believe Florida is similar right now, may be a good time to get down South...


----------



## mevelandry

tidefan said:


> If it makes you feel better, here in Alabama (next to FL), our hospital, for the first time in 2 years reported "5 or fewer" COVID cases at the hospital, which is the minimum they report.  It's been that way for 6 straight days.  I believe Florida is similar right now, may be a good time to get down South...


Wow, this is great news! 

And at least we don’t need to test before coming back home. That’s what made us keep our booking this time. 

Now the real challenge for us is to « not catch it BEFORE our trip »... *Fingers crossed*


----------



## mevelandry

Important update


----------



## mevelandry

Dear friends,

My family and I tested negative and we made it on board Mardi Gras yesterday.

That ship is absolutely AMAZING. A little too crowded for my taste but we are currently taking notes of when it gets quieter and we are having a blast so far.


----------



## lklgoodman

mevelandry said:


> Dear friends,
> 
> My family and I tested negative and we made it on board Mardi Gras yesterday.
> 
> That ship is absolutely AMAZING. A little too crowded for my taste but we are currently taking notes of when it gets quieter and we are having a blast so far.View attachment 662959


Glad you made it onboard!! I nearly cried when we tested negative last month and made it onto the Fantasy.  Now over 400 days until our NCL cruise.  Hope you have a great trip.  We saw the Mardi Gras at one of the ports during our cruise.  It looked like a really fun ship and not as gigantic as some RCC ships.


----------



## tidefan

mevelandry said:


> Dear friends,
> 
> My family and I tested negative and we made it on board Mardi Gras yesterday.
> 
> That ship is absolutely AMAZING. A little too crowded for my taste but we are currently taking notes of when it gets quieter and we are having a blast so far.View attachment 662959


Awesome!  Yeah, our Day 1 seemed crowded as well, but I think that is because most weren't outside.  After a day or so and people spread out, it will be way better in that regard!  Make sure to order the Arancini at Cucina!  Have a great trip!


----------



## mevelandry

Thank you! We are currently on Day 5 of our cruise. 

I still find the ship a little bit too crowded. There are some hit or miss but overall, we are having a great time and Mahogany Bay was like heaven. 

I realize that most things I like we already have on a Vista class ship... So I am looking forward going back to those. However, adding Big Chicken on them would be a great touch. 

It's so good to be back on board a ship.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Thank you! We are currently on Day 5 of our cruise.
> 
> I still find the ship a little bit too crowded. There are some hit or miss but overall, we are having a great time and Mahogany Bay was like heaven.
> 
> I realize that most things I like we already have on a Vista class ship... So I am looking forward going back to those. However, adding Big Chicken on them would be a great touch.
> 
> It's so good to be back on board a ship.


So happy to hear you're having a great time! Really is a beautiful ship, but yes, I imagine crowded. I think sailing the MG and feeling a little crowded made me not want to try the mega-ships of RCCL and instead go down a step to the Vista Class.

Isn't Chicken Guy fantastic? Agreed - just being back on a ship was heaven!


----------



## Minniemoomoo

Greetings from Nashville. So we are looking at going on the Horizon. We just returned from the Mardi Gras and it was way too crowded and the kids clubs were backed up 25-30 people deep just to check in a child or get them out. The children that I was with, only went once and were not interested in returning. I have never been with children on a Disney Cruise that said that. EVER. So, I am looking for some help with making a good decision. I do appreciate it. The children are ages 8 and 11.


----------



## mevelandry

Hello! Sorry for now coming back to make a review right away:

The day after disembarkation (thankfully we were back home then), we found out we all had COVID. 

During our cruise, out of safety and courtesy toward the staff, we imposed to ourselves the same measures that we have in Quebec where masks are still mandatory indoors… But very little passengers were wearing them. Most of the time, we were the only family in the room (which of course offers less protection).

Or maybe we got infected in the shuttle to the airport where there were a lot of people coughing non-stop behind us? Hard to tell.

By the end of the cruise, it was obvious that a lot of people were sick and did not disclose their symptoms to the cruise line.

I’ll be back with my review in a few days when we feel better.


----------



## mevelandry

Minniemoomoo said:


> Greetings from Nashville. So we are looking at going on the Horizon. We just returned from the Mardi Gras and it was way too crowded and the kids clubs were backed up 25-30 people deep just to check in a child or get them out. The children that I was with, only went once and were not interested in returning. I have never been with children on a Disney Cruise that said that. EVER. So, I am looking for some help with making a good decision. I do appreciate it. The children are ages 8 and 11.


We don’t have kids so I can’t give info about that but the crowds on Vista Class ships are not even close to what we experienced on Mardi Gras… IMO, it can only be better.


----------



## hdrolfe

Minniemoomoo said:


> Greetings from Nashville. So we are looking at going on the Horizon. We just returned from the Mardi Gras and it was way too crowded and the kids clubs were backed up 25-30 people deep just to check in a child or get them out. The children that I was with, only went once and were not interested in returning. I have never been with children on a Disney Cruise that said that. EVER. So, I am looking for some help with making a good decision. I do appreciate it. The children are ages 8 and 11.



I can't comment on current kids club crowding but I know my son loved the Carnival kids club (pre covid). He preferred it to the Royal Caribbean club. With Carnival they had specific activities at a set time, whereas with Royal it was a group of possible activities for a block of time, so it could be any of those activities they end up doing. My son likes to know what's happening so the possibility of it not being what he expected wasn't fun for him. At the times we went, it wasn't really an issue doing drop off or pick up unless you were there right at the end of the night when everyone was picking up. What time of year are you looking at? If it is a typical school break, there will likely be more kids (and so it will be busier). I believe at those ages you may be able to opt to have them sign themselves out, if you trust them to do so at a specific time to meet you.


----------



## babyruth

Hey all, asking here since I don't see a thread for DCL vs RCC. Is the Royal kids club the most comparable to Disney? We have never been on a RCC cruise but looking at the prices, oh my! we just may have to try them. I have a stateroom on the Wish for February break on hold but I'm thinking about trying Royal instead. Also if anyone has food allergy experiences on other cruise lines to share I'd love to hear about it.


----------



## hdrolfe

babyruth said:


> Hey all, asking here since I don't see a thread for DCL vs RCC. Is the Royal kids club the most comparable to Disney? We have never been on a RCC cruise but looking at the prices, oh my! we just may have to try them. I have a stateroom on the Wish for February break on hold but I'm thinking about trying Royal instead. Also if anyone has food allergy experiences on other cruise lines to share I'd love to hear about it.



There is a section of the forums for Royal Caribbean cruises, you may have more luck there. 
I am not sure how Disney kids club is organized. On RCL the kids club is broken down into age groups. Here is a sample of how it's broken down. You can see there is a morning, afternoon and evening session. You can see they do lunch/dinner with the kids but I have never done that.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> Hello! Sorry for now coming back to make a review right away:
> 
> The day after disembarkation (thankfully we were back home then), we found out we all had COVID.
> 
> During our cruise, out of safety and courtesy toward the staff, we imposed to ourselves the same measures that we have in Quebec where masks are still mandatory indoors… But very little passengers were wearing them. Most of the time, we were the only family in the room (which of course offers less protection).
> 
> Or maybe we got infected in the shuttle to the airport where there were a lot of people coughing non-stop behind us? Hard to tell.
> 
> By the end of the cruise, it was obvious that a lot of people were sick and did not disclose their symptoms to the cruise line.
> 
> I’ll be back with my review in a few days when we feel better.



I tested positive 2 weeks ago and ended up with bad cold symptoms for a few days. Escaped unscathed for 2 years, including traveling, WDW, and multiple cruises, and I end up with COVID just going about my normal life.  On top of that, it's allergy season. Everywhere we go people are sneezing and coughing. Who knows anymore. You just do what you can.

I hope you and your family feel better soon and had a great time otherwise!


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I tested positive 2 weeks ago and ended up with bad cold symptoms for a few days. Escaped unscathed for 2 years, including traveling, WDW, and multiple cruises, and I end up with COVID just going about my normal life.  On top of that, it's allergy season. Everywhere we go people are sneezing and coughing. Who knows anymore. You just do what you can.
> 
> I hope you and your family feel better soon and had a great time otherwise!


Thank you! Same here... We managed to avoid it until last week. 

So far we've had flu like symptoms for the last 3 days. Hopefully this will end soon.


----------



## mevelandry

babyruth said:


> Hey all, asking here since I don't see a thread for DCL vs RCC. Is the Royal kids club the most comparable to Disney? We have never been on a RCC cruise but looking at the prices, oh my! we just may have to try them. I have a stateroom on the Wish for February break on hold but I'm thinking about trying Royal instead. Also if anyone has food allergy experiences on other cruise lines to share I'd love to hear about it.


There is a RCCL section underneath the DCL one. I remember reading a few comparisons over there. 

My husband is allergic to coconut so they always make sure to let him know what he should not order. Had great experience on all cruise lines regarding allergies.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

@mevelandry : So sorry you left your vacation with an unwanted souvenir. I hope you and your family have a mild case and can get back to “normal” soon. Looking forward to your review.

We leave for our Vista cruise a week from tomorrow. I am thoroughly worried about flying now that no one is masking.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> @mevelandry : So sorry you left your vacation with an unwanted souvenir. I hope you and your family have a mild case and can get back to “normal” soon. Looking forward to your review.
> 
> We leave for our Vista cruise a week from tomorrow. I am thoroughly worried about flying now that no one is masking.


Thank you. It looks like we have mild symptoms but they are very unpleasant (and weird). Good thing we can work from home and sleep on breaks. 

My advice would be to wear a mask in crowded indoor areas, get private shuttles if you can and eat outdoor whenever you can.

We felt we were taking reasonable precautions but we got it regardless. In insight, I wish we would have eaten outdoor more often and booked a private shuttle… Maybe that would have prevented it… 

*****

That being said, I can’t wait to be back on a ship. We still have 3 other cruises booked in the next 9 months and I’m looking forward to it.


----------



## tidefan

mevelandry said:


> Thank you. It looks like we have mild symptoms but they are very unpleasant (and weird). Good thing we can work from home and sleep on breaks.
> 
> My advice would be to wear a mask in crowded indoor areas, get private shuttles if you can and eat outdoor whenever you can.
> 
> We felt we were taking reasonable precautions but we got it regardless. In insight, I wish we would have eaten outdoor more often and booked a private shuttle… Maybe that would have prevented it…
> 
> *****
> 
> That being said, I can’t wait to be back on a ship. We still have 3 other cruises booked in the next 9 months and I’m looking forward to it.


On the plus side, having had Covid last August...  There is this feeling of freedom for the first 3-4 months after you recover and know you have some immunity/antibodies.  Enjoy that time!


----------



## mevelandry

tidefan said:


> On the plus side, having had Covid last August...  There is this feeling of freedom for the first 3-4 months after you recover and know you have some immunity/antibodies.  Enjoy that time!



My husband and I were saying exactly that. Hopefully, we’ll catch a little break for a few weeks.


----------



## tidefan

mevelandry said:


> My husband and I were saying exactly that. Hopefully, we’ll catch a little break for a few weeks.


And you won't have to test for a cruise in the next 3 months...


----------



## mevelandry

tidefan said:


> And you won't have to test for a cruise in the next 3 months...


I wonder if cruise lines will still ask for tests at the end of July. Things can change so quickly.


----------



## mevelandry

Alright, here is my Carnival Mardi review… 

PROS
-Absolutely beautiful. No contest, when it comes to design, Carnival is definitely going in the right direction with the XL class. 

-There is a lot to do on the ship. With all the excursions, we didn’t have the time to do everything, even with 7 nights. 

-Big Chicken is a wonderful addition and should be added to every Carnival ship. 

-There is a pool in Serenity.

-Verandahs are most spacious. 

-Wonderful decor and layout in the cabins. They say cabins are smaller but we didn’t feel it. The bathrooms are tiny but they found a way to make bigger showers and there was a lot of room for our personnal items.

-We only went to one show, Celestial Strings. It was absolutely beautiful and the choice of songs clearly targeted people between 30 and 50. 

-Food in the specialty restaurants was wonderful. My family loved Chibang and didn’t care for Teppanyaki. I didn’t care for Chibang but loved Teppanyaki. 

-I’m not much of a drinking but being a fan of mixology I can enjoy a good cocktail and Mardi Gras did not disappoint. Every bar offered signature drinks and it was amazing. However, the prices went up recently and we regretted not getting the drink package. 

-My family and I were among the minority wearing masks in all indoor places except for eating actively, everyone was  respectful of our choice. Coming from a place where mask mandate is still in full force, I was a little worried but nothing happened. 


CONS
-Too crowded. Sea days with bad weather were a nightmare. Felt like being at the mall on Boxing Day but without the fights. 

-20 min+ wait for pizza and burgers (on the last port day, I have 35 guests before me in the line for Guy’s burger).

-When you chose to eat in the dining room, it means having to spend a minimum of 90 minutes there. 

-Why did they change the buns and the fries from Guy’s Burger? It was awful. 


This is not related to Mardi Gras but Mahogany Bay is heaven and I will post about it specifically later. 

Guests on the ship looked happy. Elevator conversations. We encountered one person that was obviously drunk but he was simply in a good mood, polite and funny. Other than that, it was all quiet and classy, nothing to report.


----------



## mevelandry

CARNIVAL MARDI GRAS SHIP AND FOOD PICTURES


----------



## mevelandry




----------



## mevelandry




----------



## Minniemoomoo

I would agree with everything that you said. I told my family it was like being at The Magic Kingdom on a parade night on a ship.
Seriously, the lines were terribly long. Waiting for food at the MDR took forever. The staff was very friendly, and they did their best to make you smile. We prefer the smaller ships. It was nice to see it once. And the food at ChiBang was simply divine. Voted favorite among all 9 of us.


----------



## mevelandry

Minniemoomoo said:


> I would agree with everything that you said. I told my family it was like being at The Magic Kingdom on a parade night on a ship.
> Seriously, the lines were terribly long. Waiting for food at the MDR took forever. The staff was very friendly, and they did their best to make you smile. We prefer the smaller ships. It was nice to see it once. And the food at ChiBang was simply divine. Voted favorite among all 9 of us.


Did you try the Chicken Spring Rolls at Chibang? They were sooo good. And I would pay 20$ for a jar of their Rose Mojito Gelato.


----------



## belle032

I think I also have to second just about everything you said! Big Chicken is awesome - more than once I found myself grabbing a salad/deli sandwich/whatever for lunch, but trekking back to Big Chicken to snag the delicious fries! 

I really enjoyed the extra included dining. We only ate in the dining room once or twice because of all the extra options. I liked Chibang over Cucina, but I can see it's total personal preference.

Can they PLEASE add a pool to every Serenity Deck space going forward? Heck, send the ships back into drydock and add them to older ships! Why it took them this long is crazy to me.

Love the overall decor and theming. The Fortune Teller Bar was one of my favorite spaces on any ship I've been on. And the Brass Magnolia bar is just gorgeous. I think we lucked out a bit with slightly lower crowds and great weather, but I can absolutely see a mass crowding issue on a rainy day at full capacity. We did see it during the shows (which I know I mentioned extensively! LOL)

Also agree about the other guests - everyone honestly seemed so darn friendly. I don't think there was a single time we didn't have a conversation in the elevator. Maybe something to do with being able to travel again? But it was really nice!

Sounds like you had a great time overall!


----------



## lklgoodman

This is nuts!!  I decided to see what an Alaska cruise for 2023 on DCL would cost.  We have an Alaska cruise booked on NCL for June 2023.  We will be in a family club balcony which has a bigger bathroom and more perks than a regular balcony.  Will get free internet package, 4 free speciality dinners, $400 excursion credits, and drink package. Also found out they lowered the price of the cruise last week.  I called and they lowered our fare to the new price. So our balance is $600 less.  DCL has never done that.  Do Carnival and RCL?  So our NCL cruise is just over 6k.  Guess how much it would be on DCL? Same ports and date for the smaller verandah with NO perks is over $12k!!!  I knew DCL would cost more, but to be double!!!  Ridiculous!  If I were to add on all the perks we're getting on NCL, it would be another 1k. An inside cabin on DCL was even more than our NCL fare!


----------



## tidefan

lklgoodman said:


> This is nuts!!  I decided to see what an Alaska cruise for 2023 on DCL would cost.  We have an Alaska cruise booked on NCL for June 2023.  We will be in a family club balcony which has a bigger bathroom and more perks than a regular balcony.  Will get free internet package, 4 free speciality dinners, $400 excursion credits, and drink package. Also found out they lowered the price of the cruise last week.  I called and they lowered our fare to the new price. So our balance is $600 less.  DCL has never done that.  Do Carnival and RCL?  So our NCL cruise is just over 6k.  Guess how much it would be on DCL? Same ports and date for the smaller verandah with NO perks is over $12k!!!  I knew DCL would cost more, but to be double!!!  Ridiculous!  If I were to add on all the perks we're getting on NCL, it would be another 1k. An inside cabin on DCL was even more than our NCL fare!


DW and I are doing a 7-night Alaska this summer on Princess (in an inside, granted) with a specialty meal (Crown Grill), all gratuities, drink package, and wifi included for $2,500.  We also have $420 OBC.


----------



## lklgoodman

tidefan said:


> DW and I are doing a 7-night Alaska this summer on Princess (in an inside, granted) with a specialty meal (Crown Grill), all gratuities, drink package, and wifi included for $2,500.  We also have $420 OBC.


Wow, that's a great price!!  Our's would be less, if we weren't taking our dd, that wouldn't go over to well with her though.  I admit, I'm looking forward to when she's on her own and dh and I can take some adult only cruiseslines like Viking.


----------



## tidefan

lklgoodman said:


> Wow, that's a great price!!  Our's would be less, if we weren't taking our dd, that wouldn't go over to well with her though.  I admit, I'm looking forward to when she's on her own and dh and I can take some adult only cruiseslines like Viking.


Viking looks amazing.  That is definitely on our list too.  We did try Virgin this past November and loved it, so y'all may want to try that too.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I think I also have to second just about everything you said! Big Chicken is awesome - more than once I found myself grabbing a salad/deli sandwich/whatever for lunch, but trekking back to Big Chicken to snag the delicious fries!
> 
> I really enjoyed the extra included dining. We only ate in the dining room once or twice because of all the extra options. I liked Chibang over Cucina, but I can see it's total personal preference.
> 
> Can they PLEASE add a pool to every Serenity Deck space going forward? Heck, send the ships back into drydock and add them to older ships! Why it took them this long is crazy to me.
> 
> Love the overall decor and theming. The Fortune Teller Bar was one of my favorite spaces on any ship I've been on. And the Brass Magnolia bar is just gorgeous. I think we lucked out a bit with slightly lower crowds and great weather, but I can absolutely see a mass crowding issue on a rainy day at full capacity. We did see it during the shows (which I know I mentioned extensively! LOL)
> 
> Also agree about the other guests - everyone honestly seemed so darn friendly. I don't think there was a single time we didn't have a conversation in the elevator. Maybe something to do with being able to travel again? But it was really nice!
> 
> Sounds like you had a great time overall!


I absolutely did. I feel alive again!


----------



## mevelandry

lklgoodman said:


> This is nuts!!  I decided to see what an Alaska cruise for 2023 on DCL would cost.  We have an Alaska cruise booked on NCL for June 2023.  We will be in a family club balcony which has a bigger bathroom and more perks than a regular balcony.  Will get free internet package, 4 free speciality dinners, $400 excursion credits, and drink package. Also found out they lowered the price of the cruise last week.  I called and they lowered our fare to the new price. So our balance is $600 less.  DCL has never done that.  Do Carnival and RCL?  So our NCL cruise is just over 6k.  Guess how much it would be on DCL? Same ports and date for the smaller verandah with NO perks is over $12k!!!  I knew DCL would cost more, but to be double!!!  Ridiculous!  If I were to add on all the perks we're getting on NCL, it would be another 1k. An inside cabin on DCL was even more than our NCL fare!



Great deal... But I'm not that surprised. DCL prices have been nuts recently. Trying the Vista and XL class on top of RCCL has just reenforced my idea that DCL overcharges for everything.


----------



## belle032

lklgoodman said:


> This is nuts!!  I decided to see what an Alaska cruise for 2023 on DCL would cost.  We have an Alaska cruise booked on NCL for June 2023.  We will be in a family club balcony which has a bigger bathroom and more perks than a regular balcony.  Will get free internet package, 4 free speciality dinners, $400 excursion credits, and drink package. Also found out they lowered the price of the cruise last week.  I called and they lowered our fare to the new price. So our balance is $600 less.  DCL has never done that.  Do Carnival and RCL?  So our NCL cruise is just over 6k.  Guess how much it would be on DCL? Same ports and date for the smaller verandah with NO perks is over $12k!!!  I knew DCL would cost more, but to be double!!!  Ridiculous!  If I were to add on all the perks we're getting on NCL, it would be another 1k. An inside cabin on DCL was even more than our NCL fare!



That's amazing! I wish we would have kept with NCL for Alaska 2 years ago, but with multiple pandemic-related cancellations and then a "cannot pass this up" offer from Carnival, we ended up going with Carnival in the end.

I am heavily leaning towards booking the NCL Prima for Iceland in Aug/Sept 2023. The price is good and with all the extras included, it's almost a done deal. I believe we're looking at $6K-$7K for an 11 night in an Oceanview. I cannot imagine what the cost would be on DCL. Also priced out Celebrity & Carnival - all pretty similar in pricing, but I really like the itinerary, dates, and the thought of a brand new ship.

NCL knows I've been looking though. I've had at least 5 calls with voicemails from their "cruise planners." Just had one earlier today. Not necessary NCL - I'll book when I'm ready. And I'm a control freak so I'll be booking on my own, thank you!


----------



## darnheather

mevelandry said:


> I wonder if cruise lines will still ask for tests at the end of July. Things can change so quickly.


Until other countries ease restriction there will be testing. Covid is now with us forever so I don't think the testing will end any time soon.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Sitting at the airport waiting on our 2 hour delayed departure. Our connection is delayed already also. It’s going to be a long night.  Can’t wait to get back on a ship on Saturday though!


----------



## lklgoodman

belle032 said:


> That's amazing! I wish we would have kept with NCL for Alaska 2 years ago, but with multiple pandemic-related cancellations and then a "cannot pass this up" offer from Carnival, we ended up going with Carnival in the end.
> 
> I am heavily leaning towards booking the NCL Prima for Iceland in Aug/Sept 2023. The price is good and with all the extras included, it's almost a done deal. I believe we're looking at $6K-$7K for an 11 night in an Oceanview. I cannot imagine what the cost would be on DCL. Also priced out Celebrity & Carnival - all pretty similar in pricing, but I really like the itinerary, dates, and the thought of a brand new ship.
> 
> NCL knows I've been looking though. I've had at least 5 calls with voicemails from their "cruise planners." Just had one earlier today. Not necessary NCL - I'll book when I'm ready. And I'm a control freak so I'll be booking on my own, thank you!


Prima looks really nice.  I showed my dd the waterslides on it that go off the side of the ship.  She would love it. I'd be too scared to do them.


----------



## lklgoodman

trvlgirlmq said:


> Sitting at the airport waiting on our 2 hour delayed departure. Our connection is delayed already also. It’s going to be a long night.  Can’t wait to get back on a ship on Saturday though!


Oh no!  At least your connection is delayed, so hopefully you'll make it.  We were at MCO last month when storms caused delays/cancellations everywhere.  Hope your flights go well and you have a great cruise.


----------



## mevelandry

darnheather said:


> Until other countries ease restriction there will be testing. Covid is now with us forever so I don't think the testing will end any time soon.


Makes sense.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Sitting at the airport waiting on our 2 hour delayed departure. Our connection is delayed already also. It’s going to be a long night.  Can’t wait to get back on a ship on Saturday though!


Hope it will go by fast! Good luck!


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Still waiting! Not making any connection but going to ride it out to get to Texas tonight. Did digital check in at the hotel and the kids will Uber since their flight is on time.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> Still waiting! Not making any connection but going to ride it out to get to Texas tonight. Did digital check in at the hotel and the kids will Uber since their flight is on time.


I hope everything went well after that.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

mevelandry said:


> I hope everything went well after that.


I wish! Oh boy, it was not fun getting there. Or home. The airlines are a mess. The cruise was pretty good. You can see the cutbacks in staffing. I feel so bad for how hard everyone is working with little help. Vista is still having propulsion issues and it cut our port times. We also got caught in some last minute road work that caused the ship to not leave until 8 pm due to so many people missing. 

I spent time with my family, got some sun and had a few drinks so it wasn’t all bad. My mom and I are booked on. 5 night to the Bahamas in September. Hope the jellyfish stay away this time.


----------



## orangecuse

Hello! 

Has anyone booked a Carnival Journeys cruise and can you share your experience? We just booked the Greenland cruise for next year and are so excited! We are experienced cruisers (have one for October in fact) but we have not done anything from the Journeys series


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> I wish! Oh boy, it was not fun getting there. Or home. The airlines are a mess. The cruise was pretty good. You can see the cutbacks in staffing. I feel so bad for how hard everyone is working with little help. Vista is still having propulsion issues and it cut our port times. We also got caught in some last minute road work that caused the ship to not leave until 8 pm due to so many people missing.
> 
> I spent time with my family, got some sun and had a few drinks so it wasn’t all bad. My mom and I are booked on. 5 night to the Bahamas in September. Hope the jellyfish stay away this time.


Ah. Jellyfish. They are the reason I now swim completely covered up. Lol


----------



## mevelandry

So… Does anyone have plans this summer?

We do but on Royal (going to Bermuda, first time sailing from NYC). MSC Seashore this fall and Carnival Horizon early winter. Should be fun.


----------



## John VN

mevelandry said:


> So… Does anyone have plans this summer?
> 
> We do but on Royal (going to Bermuda, first time sailing from NYC). MSC Seashore this fall and Carnival Horizon early winter. Should be fun.



ON MSC DIVINA right now at OCEAN CAY!!! Just walked 2.02 miles on deck and in hallways and going to AUREA SPA for an hour of exercise bike riding then breakfast at private YC *Le Muse Restaurant.*

YOU SHOULD ENJOY SEASHORE  I've spoken to some passengers and they said it was great and similar to Seaside.  We now sail out of PC not Miami so no Seashore for us but have been on Seaside and very happy. ABSOLUTELY LOVE YACHT CLUB and it is stratosphere level compared to DCL Concierge.  Back sailing Meraviglia in November and next April and should be booking a couple more this cruise.

Have our 49th Anniversary Thursday and will do Butcher's Cut since Diamond is FREE otherwise we just dine YC's own private restaurant. The YC LOUNGE is also stratosphere compared to others. 

*ENJOY!!!!*


----------



## lklgoodman

I wish we were going on a cruise.  Instead we're going to Nebraska to see family.


----------



## belle032

mevelandry said:


> So… Does anyone have plans this summer?
> 
> We do but on Royal (going to Bermuda, first time sailing from NYC). MSC Seashore this fall and Carnival Horizon early winter. Should be fun.



No cruises booked for this year as of right now! Still very much planning for Iceland in August 2023. Still very much leaning towards the NCL Prima. I wish I could see flight pricing out that far, because if it's anything like what I'm seeing for this August/September.....ugh!

We have a wedding to go to in June, but other than that we don't plan for many vacations in the summer. Mainly because our weather is actually wonderful and we're content being home! Winter is another story. January/February are prime cruising time for us.

Our September is pretty much booked though between weddings, family reunion, husband taking a fishing trip with his dad and brother, husband going on a hunting trip, etc. I wanted to try to sneak in a short WDW trip for MNSSHP (probably solo), but I don't know if I can realistically get it to work. 

There is a slight chance I could end up booking a cruise with my mom over Thanksgiving - we scored such a great deal last year during that week. But, I'm pretty convinced those amazing "Covid deals" are over as people cruise again.


----------



## mevelandry

John VN said:


> ON MSC DIVINA right now at OCEAN CAY!!! Just walked 2.02 miles on deck and in hallways and going to AUREA SPA for an hour of exercise bike riding then breakfast at private YC *Le Muse Restaurant.*
> 
> YOU SHOULD ENJOY SEASHORE  I've spoken to some passengers and they said it was great and similar to Seaside.  We now sail out of PC not Miami so no Seashore for us but have been on Seaside and very happy. ABSOLUTELY LOVE YACHT CLUB and it is stratosphere level compared to DCL Concierge.  Back sailing Meraviglia in November and next April and should be booking a couple more this cruise.
> 
> Have our 49th Anniversary Thursday and will do Butcher's Cut since Diamond is FREE otherwise we just dine YC's own private restaurant. The YC LOUNGE is also stratosphere compared to others.
> 
> *ENJOY!!!!*


Ouhhhhhh sounds amazing. How do you like Ocean Cay?


----------



## John VN

mevelandry said:


> Ouhhhhhh sounds amazing. How do you like Ocean Cay?


Ocean Cay is *a laid back experience* not for those seeking action.  If you want to *CHILL* = wonderful, if you want *ACTION* = elsewhere.  I walked most of the road work and some beach and got in 3.72 additional miles.


----------



## mevelandry

John VN said:


> Ocean Cay is *a laid back experience* not for those seeking action.  If you want to *CHILL* = wonderful, if you want *ACTION* = elsewhere.  I walked most of the road work and some beach and got in 3.72 additional miles.



My ideal day on the beach is walking on the beach, go swimming/snorkeling and have a cocktail.  Sounds like a perfect match!


----------



## John VN

mevelandry said:


> My ideal day on the beach is walking on the beach, go swimming/snorkeling and have a cocktail.  Sounds like a perfect match!



*cocktail x 2 = more better-ahhhh *


----------



## mevelandry

Another family cruise booked ! This time for February 2024. 4 nights cruise to Grand Turk on Carnival Sunrise. (Add a pre-cruise stay in FLL for a 5 nights trip). 

My FIL and MIL are not getting any younger (and they are not in super great shape either) so we decided that starting in 2024 we will go for shorter and « easier« itineraries when we travel with them. They have never seen Grand Turk and everything my DH and I like (Margaritaville Pool and Jack’s Shack) is super close to the port.

We got 2 L-Shaped cabins for a good price and everyone is thrilled with the extended balconies.


----------



## belle032

First world problem decisions!

We either wanted to do a WDW trip, a cruise or a combination of the 2 in February. January/February are miserable here in the winter, so we always try to plan a trip for then. After some research today, I figure we can realistically only do one or the other due to using the majority of our vacation time for Iceland next Fall. I could maybe make something work if we went over President's Day weekend (we have that Monday off), but flights and prices are ridiculous. Plus we would have to sail out of Pt. Canaveral if we did both and I'm not super thrilled with any of the choices.

WDW released their 2023 package pricing and it's not terrible for early February (we stay Value). We'd probably stay 5-6 nights or so. But I'm super disappointed that the dining plan doesn't seem to be returning. Not a deal breaker, but a bummer. But it would be our first trip back since everything went back to "normal." And Guardians looks amazing!

Or we do an 8 day Southern Caribbean sailing on the Horizon, which we've been wanting to try to compare to the Mardi Gras. Unfortunately, not seeing Curacao as a port on any sailing, but it does go to Aruba & Bonaire. Pretty sure it would be cheaper overall, even with the beverage package.

I guess there's no real point to this post DH is pretty useless when it comes to planning, so just talking things out in my head!


----------



## tidefan

belle032 said:


> First world problem decisions!
> 
> We either wanted to do a WDW trip, a cruise or a combination of the 2 in February. January/February are miserable here in the winter, so we always try to plan a trip for then. After some research today, I figure we can realistically only do one or the other due to using the majority of our vacation time for Iceland next Fall. I could maybe make something work if we went over President's Day weekend (we have that Monday off), but flights and prices are ridiculous. Plus we would have to sail out of Pt. Canaveral if we did both and I'm not super thrilled with any of the choices.
> 
> WDW released their 2023 package pricing and it's not terrible for early February (we stay Value). We'd probably stay 5-6 nights or so. But I'm super disappointed that the dining plan doesn't seem to be returning. Not a deal breaker, but a bummer. But it would be our first trip back since everything went back to "normal." And Guardians looks amazing!
> 
> Or we do an 8 day Southern Caribbean sailing on the Horizon, which we've been wanting to try to compare to the Mardi Gras. Unfortunately, not seeing Curacao as a port on any sailing, but it does go to Aruba & Bonaire. Pretty sure it would be cheaper overall, even with the beverage package.
> 
> I guess there's no real point to this post DH is pretty useless when it comes to planning, so just talking things out in my head!


I believe Sky Princess does a Curacao itinerary.  Not CCL, but at least in the same corporate family (and Princess is great!)...


----------



## hdrolfe

belle032 said:


> First world problem decisions!
> 
> We either wanted to do a WDW trip, a cruise or a combination of the 2 in February. January/February are miserable here in the winter, so we always try to plan a trip for then. After some research today, I figure we can realistically only do one or the other due to using the majority of our vacation time for Iceland next Fall. I could maybe make something work if we went over President's Day weekend (we have that Monday off), but flights and prices are ridiculous. Plus we would have to sail out of Pt. Canaveral if we did both and I'm not super thrilled with any of the choices.
> 
> WDW released their 2023 package pricing and it's not terrible for early February (we stay Value). We'd probably stay 5-6 nights or so. But I'm super disappointed that the dining plan doesn't seem to be returning. Not a deal breaker, but a bummer. But it would be our first trip back since everything went back to "normal." And Guardians looks amazing!
> 
> Or we do an 8 day Southern Caribbean sailing on the Horizon, which we've been wanting to try to compare to the Mardi Gras. Unfortunately, not seeing Curacao as a port on any sailing, but it does go to Aruba & Bonaire. Pretty sure it would be cheaper overall, even with the beverage package.
> 
> I guess there's no real point to this post DH is pretty useless when it comes to planning, so just talking things out in my head!



we are going on Horizon in April 2023 to ABC (all three ports) so they do go to Curacao sometimes, perhaps just not when you are looking at? March 4th & 18th are an 8-night which does go to Curacao as well. Carnival Magic has some nice-ish itineraries out of Port Canaveral in Jan/Feb next year, but no Curacao. They have an Eastern or Southern 8-night, and likely cheaper than Horizon. We enjoyed the ship (and the bonus of it being out of PC so it's easy to add on Disney). Mardi Gras does look like an awesome ship but it's itineraries aren't the best really. Though I'm still booked on it for a B2B


----------



## belle032

hdrolfe said:


> we are going on Horizon in April 2023 to ABC (all three ports) so they do go to Curacao sometimes, perhaps just not when you are looking at? March 4th & 18th are an 8-night which does go to Curacao as well. Carnival Magic has some nice-ish itineraries out of Port Canaveral in Jan/Feb next year, but no Curacao. They have an Eastern or Southern 8-night, and likely cheaper than Horizon. We enjoyed the ship (and the bonus of it being out of PC so it's easy to add on Disney). Mardi Gras does look like an awesome ship but it's itineraries aren't the best really. Though I'm still booked on it for a B2B



Darn, maybe it's just not an option for February! I looked at the Magic sailings too out of PC, but we actually got married on that ship and wanted to try Horizon! I wish it went out of PC instead of Miami, but oh well.

I've already sailed on the MG twice, so we were looking for something different. The Celebration looks similar - the itineraries aren't the best. You'll have a fabulous time on the MG! She's gorgeous!


----------



## mevelandry

*RANT*

What the hell is this? 

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/loc...ruise-ship-sparks-emergency-response/3752985/

These guests are giving Carnival a bad name. 

I hope those directly involved will be banned from the cruise line forever.


----------



## AquaDame

mevelandry said:


> *RANT*
> 
> What the hell is this?
> 
> https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/loc...ruise-ship-sparks-emergency-response/3752985/
> 
> These guests are giving Carnival a bad name.
> 
> I hope those directly involved will be banned from the cruise line forever.


Agreed... fights easily become brawls and ships don't have the security to hold 60 people back! 

Folks are acting crazy all over, its not just the cruise ships and I hope everyone knows that. My brother lives in huge tourist area (just outside Amsterdam) and he said the level of insanity from visiting folks is at an all time low. Barriers are being ignored, fights are breaking out, folks are falling into canals, its nuts.


----------



## belle032

Ugh that is terrible. I 100% agree it just gives CCL a bad name and reinforces the stereotype! It could happen anywhere, let alone any cruise line.

Bad behavior is at an all time high. Take a look at WDW, at airlines, and just look at Hawai'i asking tourists to stop coming. Be better people!


----------



## lklgoodman

I feel bad for the employees who had to deal with that. I can't imagine how scary and horrible that was to see happening and trying to stop it. Really bad that so many people would get involved.  If I'm ever in a place and a fight starts, I'll be running in the opposite direction!


----------



## DCLMP

Meh. These days every brawl or fight goes viral. The only thing that's changed is cameras everywhere.


----------



## Intr3pid

Well, this is in line with Carnival's reputation. 

Cheap prices have to show somewhere.  Almost zero security.  Bars open into the wee hours of the morning on debarkation day so they can keep selling drinks.  Crowd that's treating the cruise like another nighclub down the street.  Not exactly rocket science.


----------



## jeffporfirio

Lines up with Carnival's reputation of a "party cruise line", but as mentioned, the behavior is everywhere in the US ; planes, airports, malls, etc.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

Methinks some people have never been on a Carnival cruise. Just troll yourselves out of here.


----------



## DCLMP

jeffporfirio said:


> Lines up with Carnival's reputation of a "party cruise line", but as mentioned, the behavior is everywhere in the US ; planes, airports, malls, etc.


Anybody that’s ever spent time in bars or night clubs after midnight has seen a few fights or brawls break out. That why they have the 300 pound bouncers at the door. This isn’t some Carnival or “2022“phenomenon. Why in the world Carnival keeps their bars open so late is beyond me….we’ll money of course, but they. are just asking for trouble.


----------



## belle032

I think "so late" has very different meanings to different people? The majority of bars close between 6PM and midnight.

The exception is probably the casino bar and of course, the one nightclub on board. I've cruised CCL many times and never really bothered with it. It's not my scene and we much prefer the adult comedy and late night music.

Frustrating how a few people can ruin a good time. Hope the security and crew were OK during all of it! Oh well, still happy to sail CCL in the future.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> Ugh that is terrible. I 100% agree it just gives CCL a bad name and reinforces the stereotype! It could happen anywhere, let alone any cruise line.
> 
> Bad behavior is at an all time high. Take a look at WDW, at airlines, and just look at Hawai'i asking tourists to stop coming. Be better people!


I haven’t heard about Hawaii… but I agree. People are going nuts these days… Everywhere.


----------



## mevelandry

Ok, I’ve started seeing pictures and videos of the brawl and based on what I have seen, it was only… maybe… 10-12 people involved and about half of them were security guards or people trying to stop people from fighting?

Nothing I haven’t witnessed on land before.


----------



## mevelandry

jeffporfirio said:


> Lines up with Carnival's reputation of a "party cruise line", but as mentioned, the behavior is everywhere in the US ; planes, airports, malls, etc.


I have found a lot of videos of fights on NCL ships, so it’s definitely not just Carnival.


----------



## NoodlesMom

We just got off the Carnival Breeze Saturday and will be boarding the Disney Dream Monday.  I plan on doing a trip report with both sailings but I will tell you that the Carnival Cruise was a hot mess!  This was our 4th Carnival cruise and the Dream will be our 10th Disney Cruise (yay!).  This last Carnival Cruise was the worst.  There were multiple fights in the teen club and one in the nightclub.  Lines were ridiculously long for everything.  One day I had chocolate cake for lunch to avoid standing in line for an hour.  My grown kids enjoyed the party atmosphere and my MIL enjoyed the casino but it will be a long time before we try that again.  There was absolutely nothing for my almost 3 year old and the build a bear workshop was trash.  I could have just bought the bear in a shop.


----------



## belle032

NoodlesMom said:


> We just got off the Carnival Breeze Saturday and will be boarding the Disney Dream Monday.  I plan on doing a trip report with both sailings but I will tell you that the Carnival Cruise was a hot mess!  This was our 4th Carnival cruise and the Dream will be our 10th Disney Cruise (yay!).  This last Carnival Cruise was the worst.  There were multiple fights in the teen club and one in the nightclub.  Lines were ridiculously long for everything.  One day I had chocolate cake for lunch to avoid standing in line for an hour.  My grown kids enjoyed the party atmosphere and my MIL enjoyed the casino but it will be a long time before we try that again.  There was absolutely nothing for my almost 3 year old and the build a bear workshop was trash.  I could have just bought the bear in a shop.



So sorry you didn't have a good time - I've always heard positive things about the Breeze. Does that go out of Galveston? Not that it matters, I've just never sailed out of that port! Seems like "lines" are just about everywhere at this point. It's been made very public that staffing is a huge issue. I wish they would have kept ship capacities lower until the staff levels were more under control. 

Unfortunately, they are only offering youth programs to kids ages 5 and over due to vax requirements, so hopefully that will change in the future. I imagine it's a little tough to be cruising with young kids right now.

Looking at other threads on this forum, it seems like all cruise lines aren't back to pre-pandemic levels of service and YMMV. We've had wonderful times on both of our previous CCL cruises in the last year, but understand that even during a "normal" time, people experience different things. Hope your DCL is great!


----------



## belle032

I've been reading through the threads on the Wish and am more and more solidified in my feelings that we won't be missing much by not booking that ship anytime soon ( or ever). And that we are absolutely not the target audience here. I feel that this ship is especially geared towards families with young children - and maybe just children in general.

Some of the lounges definitely look cool, no complaints with those. I would love to check out that Hyperspace Lounge! I'm still pretty "meh" on the atrium. There's just something that's not doing it for me. The other 4 ships are lovely, don't know what I'm missing with this one.

But huge deal breaker for us - take a look at the Quiet Cove on the Disney Wish and the Serenity Deck on the CCL Mardi Gras. Which one would you rather spend time on? I cannot believe they didn't allow for more space for adults to get away.


----------



## lklgoodman

belle032 said:


> I've been reading through the threads on the Wish and am more and more solidified in my feelings that we won't be missing much by not booking that ship anytime soon ( or ever). And that we are absolutely not the target audience here. I feel that this ship is especially geared towards families with young children - and maybe just children in general.
> 
> Some of the lounges definitely look cool, no complaints with those. I would love to check out that Hyperspace Lounge! I'm still pretty "meh" on the atrium. There's just something that's not doing it for me. The other 4 ships are lovely, don't know what I'm missing with this one.
> 
> But huge deal breaker for us - take a look at the Quiet Cove on the Disney Wish and the Serenity Deck on the CCL Mardi Gras. Which one would you rather spend time on? I cannot believe they didn't allow for more space for adults to get away.


There's something about all the princess themes in the cabins that I don't care for.  Not sure what it is because I've always loved all the different princess movies.  I like the colors in the cabins, but I don't know, something about it is just a turn off to me.  I've always felt the cabins in the other 4 ships need to be refreshed or something. The sofas and curtains look so worn and just so yuck. I would like the Frozen restaurant, but don't care for Marvel or Star Wars, so having anything related to either is a big turn off. Makes me more excited for our NCL cruise.


----------



## mlayton14

Intr3pid said:


> Well, this is in line with Carnival's reputation.
> 
> Cheap prices have to show somewhere.  Almost zero security.  Bars open into the wee hours of the morning on debarkation day so they can keep selling drinks.  Crowd that's treating the cruise like another nighclub down the street.  Not exactly rocket science.



I agree. Even if you say 10% more riff-raff on a Carnival cruise  (the twenty something let’s go get wasted and stick our chest out crowd) vs More expensive lines , that’s a way better chance of things going south. And the fact that they are keeping bars open to serve these fools , it’s easy to see the booze cruise reputation that exists for Carnival.


----------



## IAMOZBY

I would never go on a Carnival cruise even if it was free. This behavior is not everywhere, Wailea had no such behavior.


----------



## trvlgirlmq

What is up with the Carnival trashing lately? This thread is for people who WANT to try Carnival and those of us who ENJOY it to give pointers. You could never pay me enough to go on an overpriced Disney cruise with a bunch of snooty jerks.


----------



## mevelandry

belle032 said:


> I've been reading through the threads on the Wish and am more and more solidified in my feelings that we won't be missing much by not booking that ship anytime soon ( or ever). And that we are absolutely not the target audience here. I feel that this ship is especially geared towards families with young children - and maybe just children in general.
> 
> Some of the lounges definitely look cool, no complaints with those. I would love to check out that Hyperspace Lounge! I'm still pretty "meh" on the atrium. There's just something that's not doing it for me. The other 4 ships are lovely, don't know what I'm missing with this one.
> 
> But huge deal breaker for us - take a look at the Quiet Cove on the Disney Wish and the Serenity Deck on the CCL Mardi Gras. Which one would you rather spend time on? I cannot believe they didn't allow for more space for adults to get away.


I finally saw some videos of the atrium and I thought it looked even worse than the pictures. It gives me this fake theme park vibe. The older ships were absolutely gorgeous, I don't know why they decided to take another direction. If I go back on a DCL ship, it will be on Dream or Fantasy.


----------



## mevelandry

IAMOZBY said:


> I would never go on a Carnival cruise even if it was free. This behavior is not everywhere, Wailea had no such behavior.


Ok, thanks for your contribution.


----------



## mevelandry

trvlgirlmq said:


> What is up with the Carnival trashing lately? This thread is for people who WANT to try Carnival and those of us who ENJOY it to give pointers. You could never pay me enough to go on an overpriced Disney cruise with a bunch of snooty jerks.


I would compare that to what I experience by living in Montreal vs the rest of my family that lives in more rural areas. They think Montreal is a dangerous **** hole because they watch the news and hear about all sorts of crime.

Now about the people talking trash about Carnival...

They (want to) believe the bad reviews instead of the good reviews.

And I believe that ego might be involved too. They don't want to be seen as "classless/WalMart people" (that's how they like to describe people sailing on Carnival)... So they won't even try it because if they end up enjoying themselves, it will mean that they are "classless" too.


----------



## brentm77

trvlgirlmq said:


> What is up with the Carnival trashing lately? This thread is for people who WANT to try Carnival and those of us who ENJOY it to give pointers. You could never pay me enough to go on an overpriced Disney cruise with a bunch of snooty jerks.


I mean, the title says "comparison thread," not "Carnival support group." I personally want to hear all opinions. 

While I don't have any issue with those defending Carnival, and not finding value in DCL, your calling DCL cruisers "snooty jerks," in a DCL board no less, doesn't exactly help the reputation of those sailing Carnival.  If anything, my experience with DCL cruisers is that they are surprisingly down to earth, friendly, and caring people. Just look at the community here as one example, which is pretty unique.


----------



## dwg

brentm77 said:


> I mean, the title says "comparison thread," not "Carnival support group." I personally want to hear all opinions.
> 
> While I don't have any issue with those defending Carnival, and not finding value in DCL, your calling DCL cruisers "snooty jerks," in a DCL board no less, doesn't exactly help the reputation of those sailing Carnival. In my experience, though there are always a few bad eggs, most of the people sailing DCL are actually very nice and very helpful. Just look at the community here as one example, which is pretty unique.


I agree.  At 309 pages this thread has gotten out of hand as far as trying to read through the posts and is not always about comparing Carnival and DCL.  That is why I would like to see a separate section of threads for Carnival just like Royal Caribbean where posts can be about Carnival comments, questions, etc. that have nothing to do with comparing to DCL.


----------



## DCLMP

dwg said:


> I agree.  At 309 pages this thread has gotten out of hand as far as trying to read through the posts and is not always about comparing Carnival and DCL.  That is why I would like to see a separate section of threads for Carnival just like Royal Caribbean where posts can be about Carnival comments, questions, etc. that have nothing to do with comparing to DCL.


It has gotten a bit silly, hasn't it.


----------



## IAMOZBY

mevelandry said:


> I would compare that to what I experience by living in Montreal vs the rest of family that lives in more rural areas. They think Montreal is a dangerous **** hole because they watch the news and hear about all sorts of crime.
> 
> Now about the people talking trash about Carnival...
> 
> They (want to) believe the bad reviews instead of the good reviews.
> 
> And I believe that ego might be involved too. They don't want to be seen as "classless/WalMart people" (that's how they like to describe people sailing on Carnival)... So they won't even try it because if they end up enjoying themselves, it will mean that they are "classless" too.


I mean the bad reviews speak for themselves. Carnival and Disney cater to two different groups of people. I’ve also never flown Spirit because of ‘bad reviews’. You don’t always have to try something to know it’s not for you.


----------



## mevelandry

brentm77 said:


> I mean, the title says "comparison thread," not "Carnival support group." I personally want to hear all opinions.
> 
> While I don't have any issue with those defending Carnival, and not finding value in DCL, your calling DCL cruisers "snooty jerks," in a DCL board no less, doesn't exactly help the reputation of those sailing Carnival.  If anything, my experience with DCL cruisers is that they are surprisingly down to earth, friendly, and caring people. Just look at the community here as one example, which is pretty unique.


Personnally, I’m all for comparisons. For what it’s worth, I’m fine with bad reviews as well… As long as they are first hand experience and not just « Carnival sucks, you’ll never see me on their ships. » …

I won’t put all DCL cruisers in the same boat as I have encountered a lot of good ones and some bad ones. I have also encountered one that I didn’t like on my last cruise on Mardi Gras.


----------



## mevelandry

dwg said:


> I agree.  At 309 pages this thread has gotten out of hand as far as trying to read through the posts and is not always about comparing Carnival and DCL.  That is why I would like to see a separate section of threads for Carnival just like Royal Caribbean where posts can be about Carnival comments, questions, etc. that have nothing to do with comparing to DCL.


We have made requested about that at some point in the past but after discussions with the mods, they decided —and we have agreed— that this one would remain and that no separate section would be created. It was also decided that other cruise lines (like NCL, MSC or else) could be discussed here as well.


----------



## mevelandry

DCLMP said:


> It has gotten a bit silly, hasn't it.


The good news is that nobody is forced to read/comment on that thread if they don’t enjoy it.


----------



## DCLMP

It’s interesting that someone who would never sail on DCL and sees Disney cruisers as entitled jerks would post on a Disney cruise line thread. There are carnival cruise boards…no? 
This thread needs to get back on track.


----------



## mevelandry

IAMOZBY said:


> I mean the bad reviews speak for themselves. Carnival and Disney cater to two different groups of people. I’ve also never flown Spirit because of ‘bad reviews’. You don’t always have to try something to know it’s not for you.


What about the great reviews?

There are a bunch of us here that sail on (and enjoy) all cruise lines. What « group » are we in?


----------



## DCLMP

mevelandry said:


> The good news is that nobody is forced to read/comment on that thread if they don’t enjoy it.


It used to be enjoyable.


----------



## mevelandry

DCLMP said:


> It used to be enjoyable.


Any suggestions?

I thought it was pretty fun and quiet recently with all the Mardi Gras/Celebration/Jubilee news.

It turned sour in the last hours.


----------



## mevelandry

brentm77 said:


> I mean, the title says "comparison thread," not "Carnival support group." I personally want to hear all opinions.
> 
> *While I don't have any issue with those defending Carnival, and not finding value in DCL, your calling DCL cruisers "snooty jerks," in a DCL board no less, doesn't exactly help the reputation of those sailing Carnival*.  If anything, my experience with DCL cruisers is that they are surprisingly down to earth, friendly, and caring people. Just look at the community here as one example, which is pretty unique.


Just wanted to add something: it may sound like I am repeating myself but … One person doesn’t make a whole group. 

Also, there are snooty jerks among ALL groups and these people will act like it’s some sort of competition. I don’t get it and I find that annoying, to be honest. I don‘t know if it’s a social media thing but it seems to be present mostly online... 

To be honest, I haven’t found yet the right way to react to that kind of « keyboard wars ».


----------



## thor369

Ok, so we have never done a cruise before and not sure if we will like it, but kids are young (5 and 7) and thinking of doing a cruise. I am not sure if this is the right thread, but is RC better than Carnival and is Disney better than RC? 
We want a short 5 days I guess cruise and want lots of activities for the kids, which should we choose.

TIA


----------



## mevelandry

thor369 said:


> Ok, so we have never done a cruise before and not sure if we will like it, but kids are young (5 and 7) and thinking of doing a cruise. I am not sure if this is the right thread, but is RC better than Carnival and is Disney better than RC?
> We want a short 5 days I guess cruise and want lots of activities for the kids, which should we choose.
> 
> TIA


Hi! I don’t necessarily believe in « better ». All cruise lines have similarities and differences (and price differences as DCL can sometimes charge 2-3 times the price of the other for a similar itinerary!)

I guess it depends on your budget and what your kids like (do they like characters or do they prefer activities?) Did you have an itinerary in mind? Where did you want to leave from? 

(For a family, I would go towards RCCL or Disney … That being said, IMO, the brand new Carnival ships offer a much better experience for kids than they used to.)


----------



## abdgeek

thor369 said:


> Ok, so we have never done a cruise before and not sure if we will like it, but kids are young (5 and 7) and thinking of doing a cruise. I am not sure if this is the right thread, but is RC better than Carnival and is Disney better than RC?
> We want a short 5 days I guess cruise and want lots of activities for the kids, which should we choose.
> 
> TIA


I agree with @mevelandry, which cruise line is better is very subjective.  I’ve sailed all three and much prefer DCL, but they are costly. Most people will choose a cruise based on the cost and the itinerary.  Since you have kids, you will definitely want to make sure there are kids activities for them and enough adult things for you to do.  if you’re not sure you will enjoy cruising, you may not want to spend a lot on your first cruise.

I don’t have kids, but I have family that does.  So far, they’ve cruised Carnival & RCCL with their kids (6 & 18).  They plan to take a DCL cruise next.  They said the youngest really enjoyed the kids club and spent most of his time there.  If you plan on your kids staying with you during the entire cruise and not putting them in the kids club, it may not matter which cruise line you choose.  You can play with them at the pool or up on the sports deck.  Except for DCL, IMO, the newer ships have more to do( rock climbing, bumper cars, ice skating, etc).  You just have to find the ship that has the itinerary and the activities you want.  Good luck.


----------



## DCLMP

thor369 said:


> Ok, so we have never done a cruise before and not sure if we will like it, but kids are young (5 and 7) and thinking of doing a cruise. I am not sure if this is the right thread, but is RC better than Carnival and is Disney better than RC?
> We want a short 5 days I guess cruise and want lots of activities for the kids, which should we choose.
> 
> TIA


I’ve cruised Disney, Royal and Carnival. Disney in opinion is by far the best when it comes to service. With kids your age Id go with DCL. They will not be disappointed.


----------



## hdrolfe

thor369 said:


> Ok, so we have never done a cruise before and not sure if we will like it, but kids are young (5 and 7) and thinking of doing a cruise. I am not sure if this is the right thread, but is RC better than Carnival and is Disney better than RC?
> We want a short 5 days I guess cruise and want lots of activities for the kids, which should we choose.
> 
> TIA



We haven't cruised Disney but have cruised Carnival and RCL. My son, at 5, 6, 7, 8 & 12 (bit of a gap due to covid, we were supposed to go at 9 & 11) has preferred Carnival. He prefers their ships and kids club, and the 24 hour ice cream. Their kids club was prepandemic though, I am not sure if it still runs the same as it did. He also prefers their food. Though he did like some aspects of RCL on Oasis, including the El Loco Fresh place, and he loved going to the waterpark (it costs extra) at Coco Cay. 

I'd suggest Carnival Mardi Gras, Horizon or Dream class or RCL Oasis or Freedom class (I believe Wonder and Independence sail from Port Canaveral if that's where you are looking to sail from). Oasis is BIG but has a lot for kids, we prefer the smaller sized ships. A 5-night cruise isn't super long, you are probably looking at limited options for ports. Coco Cay is amazing, the waterpark is super fun but there are also nice beach areas that don't cost extra. 

There are a lot of ships in both lines, so you really want to narrow down where you want to sail from, how many days/nights and if you have any ports in mind that you'd like to check out. And at those ports, what type of activities do you want to do.


----------



## DCLMP

mevelandry said:


> Any suggestions?
> 
> I thought it was pretty fun and quiet recently with all the Mardi Gras/Celebration/Jubilee news.
> 
> It turned sour in the last hours.


For starters people need to stop interpreting other peoples opinions as personal attacks.


----------



## mevelandry

DCLMP said:


> For starters people need to stop interpreting other peoples opinions as personal attacks.


Fair. 

It would also help if people didn’t phrase their opinions like personal attacks:

Example: Calling Carnival guests…  « trash », « WalMart People », « different group of people », «lower class of people », « that demography » (just to name a few). 

Along the same line of « why talk trash about DCL guests on a DCL Forum : a lot of (good) people/participants of this thread are sailing on Carnival. Of course, it will ruffle feathers. We are humans. 

I think we could all be a little more careful.


----------



## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> We haven't cruised Disney but have cruised Carnival and RCL. My son, at 5, 6, 7, 8 & 12 (bit of a gap due to covid, we were supposed to go at 9 & 11) has preferred Carnival. He prefers their ships and kids club, and the 24 hour ice cream. Their kids club was prepandemic though, I am not sure if it still runs the same as it did. He also prefers their food. Though he did like some aspects of RCL on Oasis, including the El Loco Fresh place, and he loved going to the waterpark (it costs extra) at Coco Cay.
> 
> I'd suggest Carnival Mardi Gras, Horizon or Dream class or RCL Oasis or Freedom class (I believe Wonder and Independence sail from Port Canaveral if that's where you are looking to sail from). Oasis is BIG but has a lot for kids, we prefer the smaller sized ships. A 5-night cruise isn't super long, you are probably looking at limited options for ports. Coco Cay is amazing, the waterpark is super fun but there are also nice beach areas that don't cost extra.
> 
> There are a lot of ships in both lines, so you really want to narrow down where you want to sail from, how many days/nights and if you have any ports in mind that you'd like to check out. And at those ports, what type of activities do you want to do.


Oh. THIS. + 1 on Royal Caribbean‘s CocoCay. The waterpark was great. A little overpriced but it was soooo much fun and the rest of the island too. And the food was the best I’ve had on any private islands.


----------



## DCLMP

mevelandry said:


> Fair.
> 
> It would also help if people didn’t phrase their opinions like personal attacks:
> 
> Example: Calling Carnival guests…  « trash », « WalMart People », « different group of people », «lower class of people », « that demography » (just to name a few).
> 
> Along the same line of « why talk trash about DCL guests on a DCL Forum : a lot of (good) people/participants of this thread are sailing on Carnival. Of course, it will ruffle feathers. We are humans.
> 
> I think we could all be a little more careful.


I did not see one post calling Carnival guests any of the things you stated. A few people stated they would never sail Carnival because of its reputation as a party cruise.. nothing more than that.


----------



## mevelandry

DCLMP said:


> I did not see one post calling Carnival guests any of the things you stated. A few people stated they would never sail Carnival because of its reputation as a party cruise.. nothing more than that.


Then, you haven’t been there since the beginning of this thread and/or you came to read after the mods cleaned it up (and they had to do it a few times. I flagged some comments as well). 

And it wasn’t just on this thread, on some other threads as well.


----------



## mevelandry

FIRST POST UPDATE:

- I have added a note remembering that this thread is a place to exchange informations, make comparisons between ships and cruise lines and to chat… It is NOT meant to be a battle/war between DCL and Carnival cruise line (although reviews and comparisons are welcome), and especially not between cruisers.

- I have added some details about private islands.

- I have added pictures of Mahogany Bay.

- I have removed reviews about ships that have been retired.

- I have removed the Roll Call because I couldn’t take good care of it. Unfortunately, I would sometimes forget to add dates and don’t have much time to follow-up…


----------



## mevelandry

Does DCL stop in Costa Maya sometimes?

I’m wondering if I should add Costa Maya in the first post… It’s more a port than a private island but it is kind of exclusive to cruisers like Mahogany Bay… 

I know RCCL and Carnival (among other lines) stop there but I don’t remember seeing it in DCL itineraries.

If they don’t visit, I might add it.


----------



## belle032

Wow I must have missed a bit!

I find it interesting when people who have zero interest in anything regarding this thread feel the need to post negatively on it. With zero contribution. But that's fine, it's a public forum. Ignore and move on.

As to whether this thread has gotten off track, until the Moderators post as such (which I'll respect!), I'm not worried about what others think. I've found this thread to be immensely helpful, friendly, and open. Critical & constructive reviews are welcome. No cruise line or ship is perfect, so experiences will always vary and I like to hear the awesome, good, bad, and ugly. I don't need a paid influencer to give me a glowing ship review 



thor369 said:


> Ok, so we have never done a cruise before and not sure if we will like it, but kids are young (5 and 7) and thinking of doing a cruise. I am not sure if this is the right thread, but is RC better than Carnival and is Disney better than RC?
> We want a short 5 days I guess cruise and want lots of activities for the kids, which should we choose.
> 
> TIA



Hi there! I think you need to take a look at budget and what activities your kids (and family) will enjoy. They seem to be a good age for DCL, but be prepared for the increased costs. If your family wants the characters, the Disney theming, the shows, then definitely look into DCL.

If you just want a cruise experience with lots of activities, more bells & whistles, and maybe a lower cost, I'd possibly look into the Oasis class on RCL or the Vista/Horizon/Mardi Gras on Carnival. Just an FYI, larger and newer ships tend to sail 6-8 day itineraries - just from me looking into them! I think DCL may be different in that aspect.

You'll probably find more detailed RCL information down on those boards, but if you want any specific Carnival information, we can try to help here! 

As for service, I've sailed multiple lines, and I've truly experienced amazing service on each and every one. 

I've said it many other times, you really have to figure out what works best for your family, because everyone vacations differently. And sometimes that's just trial & error!


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## DCLMP

mevelandry said:


> Then, you haven’t been there since the beginning of this thread and/or you came to read after the mods cleaned it up (and they had to do it a few times. I flagged some comments as well).
> 
> And it wasn’t just on this thread, on some other threads as well.


Well, you did post a story that kind of confirmed how people feel about Carnival….so there’s that. You can’t post a video like that without getting negative reactions. 
I would cruise on one of Carnivals new ships, but I would never take a cheap cruise on an older Carnival ship. I’ve see too many bad reviews and too many videos that have turned me off.


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## lklgoodman

thor369 said:


> Ok, so we have never done a cruise before and not sure if we will like it, but kids are young (5 and 7) and thinking of doing a cruise. I am not sure if this is the right thread, but is RC better than Carnival and is Disney better than RC?
> We want a short 5 days I guess cruise and want lots of activities for the kids, which should we choose.
> 
> TIA


We've only sailed with DCL so far.  My dd was really into the characters when she was your kid's ages so she loved going to the kid's club.  We're doing a NCL cruise next summer.  My dd is a teen now, so we want to try a line that has more activities.  DCL is good for little kids, especially if you like all things Disney.  If you look into other lines that have things like rock climbing walls or race cars, you may find your kid's are too young to do most of those activities.  Most activities have a weight or height requirement to do them. You can look at each line's website to see what the requirements are for the different activities. The Aquaduck and Aquadunk have height requirements that are posted on the DCL site.  My dd was able to go on the Aquaduck when she was 8 yrs old(she's short for her age).  Disney has other slides for younger kids.


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## CamColt

This thread has deteriorated and is no longer serving it's original purpose, therefore I am going to close it. 

If anyone has a specific Carnival question feel free to ask that and hopefully someone with experience will be able to answer that for you, without personal attacks and insults.


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