huneemooners

Just got off Sunshine today and although we enjoyed most of the food, we did notice a difference in the quality and selection with the new American Table menu. We preferred the menus and food that we had on the Pride last year!

We sailed out of Charleston on 5/26 and had no issues aside from the strange routing through the parking lot and then back out onto the street when we arrived. Other than that, embarking and debarking was very smooth and getting through the port was really easy!

My husband and I were on the Carnival Sunshine over the weekend in Nassau. We were in port with 5 other ships, including the Norwegian Sky. We watched 2 runners (a young couple) who missed getting back on the Sky before she departed. The woman sat down in the middle of the docking area and had a break down. Last I saw them, they were headed for the tug boats. Was checking the boards today to see if there was any mention if they ever got back to the ship. I can't even imagine! That's why we always plan to get back to the ship early!

Aft extended balcony is our cabin of choice! We LOVE it! Wouldn't cruise any other way.

I was wondering about this FTTF buzz when planning our first Carnival cruise that we went on this past April. I figured I would see how it went before deciding if FTTF was worth the extra $$ for our next cruise based on our experience with the first. My conclusion - - we would not pay the extra money for FTTF. Here is what our experience was - my comments are in red.

Here's what it includes:

(Note: VIFP Club Diamond & Platinum members do not need to purchase this package as these and other benefits are included as part of your VIFP Club status.)

Priority Check-in (We checked in around 11am and boarded the ship the same time as the first groups, which I assume includes these FTTF folks. Security lines moved quickly and by the time we were through they hadn't even started the boarding process yet. We were on the ship, had a table to eat lunch at on the Lido deck along with all the FTTF people anyway.)

Bypass lines and have exclusive security screening lanes for initial embarkation at onset of cruise.

Guaranteed Stateroom (We boarded the ship, headed straight to the Lido deck for a hamburger, enjoyed a couple alcoholic beverages and by the time we were finished the rooms were ready. I would not pay the $ just to be able to drop my carry ons off in the cabin.)

Your stateroom will be ready as soon as you board, so you can relax or freshen up for the fun you're about to have.

Express Luggage (Any items I needed on the beginning of day 1 were in my carry on bag. Didn't matter to me what time our bags arrived, as long as they arrived! If I recall, all our bags were delivered prior to going to dinner that evening.)

Your luggage will be expedited to your stateroom so you can unpack and get settled in for a great vacation!

Guest Services (Had to go to guest services a couple times. At its longest, there were 2 people in front of us. No big deal.)

You'll have a dedicated phone number and line at Guest Services so you can quickly have your questions answered.

Dining Reservations (We used Your Time Dining and loved it. Didn't wait for a table our entire cruise.)

Priority Main Dining Room and Specialty Restaurant reservations (excluding Your Time Dining).

Priority Tender Boarding (We tendered at one port. Got our number in the morning and had no issues getting off the ship at a reasonable time.)

We hope you take advantage of Carnival's Excursions. If you choose to explore the destination on your own, you will have the option to choose a priority tender from the ship to shore.

Debarkation (We use self-debarkation so we were some of the first off the ship anyways.)

We're always sad to see you go. But when your cruise is over, you may choose an early or late debarkation time upon arrival to your homeport.

On our cruise in April, the muster drill was no where near 45 minutes.

We were just on Carnival Pride last week and the food in the MDR was fabulous! So great that we ate there every day! Both the food and dining room service were the best we have experienced so far (although it's only out of 2 cruises at this point). Hoping to do some more comparing in the very near future! :D

We were just on Pride last week and had a fabulous cruise! We were in 4230 - an aft cabin on the Main deck. The only time we heard noise in our cabin was one night when we turned in early. We could hear the 2 songs that were played in the Normandie dining room during the late seating of dinner. Other than that no noise problems at all. There is a lot of vibration in the aft cabins especially when the ship is in high gear to get home to Baltimore. It did not bother us too much but if you are sensitive to it or are a light sleeper you may not want to book an aft cabin. We LOVE aft cabins and will take the view anytime even with the vibrations!

April 5th on the Pride! Can't wait!! :D:D

Subscribing! We will be sailing on the Pride in April! Can't wait!!

When we were on the Summit in June the concierge canapes were olives, a small amount of chips and hummus and I think some type of melon. Although I am not 100% sure on the melon. They were just okay and not really enough for 2 people. Just enough to make you really hungry! :)

Self-debarkation is the way to go if you are able to carry all of your luggage off the ship. We just got back from being on the Summit last week. We pulled into Port Liberty at 7am, were off the ship by 7:30 and in our car on the way home by 7:46! No lines and completely organized! We were amazed at how simple and well orchestrated the whole process was. If you can do it, I would highly recommend it!

We are just off Summit as of yesterday....boo! It was our first cruise (Deck 7 Aft) so we weren't quite sure what the whole drill was like so we went early. Plenty of seats in the Rendezvous Lounge IF you get there early. There were a lot of folks standing who waited until the exact drill time to show up. My advice......go get a drink to take along and head to the lounge early and secure a seat!

This doesn't sound like an issue with Celebrity as this scenario could happen on any cruise line. The terms and conditions that they provided and you agreed to are very clear.

We area taking our first cruise for our honeymoon on the Summit in June! Looking forward to reading your updates!