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Presbycruiser

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    Just Back from a cruise on the Carnival Triumph ...a review

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    John, Thanks for the info. I just booked this cruise (our first) for April. My question is about coffee. I read about specialty coffee but is there a coffee maker in the room? I don't see it listed under the Cheers package. Is it free? Only at dinner? Or how does that work? Thanks for the insightful post.

     

     

    Hi RetiredNavy,

     

    No coffee maker in rooms, unfortunately (at least not in our room class).

     

    Specialty coffee is available only a la carte. There is a coffee shop on deck 4 or 5. Some of the coffee can be ordered in the dining room (such as espresso or cappuccino.).

     

    There is also the standard included coffee which is OK. I thought it was better than what was offered on the Gem.

    Just Back from a cruise on the Carnival Triumph ...a review

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    I just got back from a 5-night cruise on the Triumph out of NOLA. This was my first time on Carnival, and my third cruise overall in my life, so I am far from being an expert. My previous two cruises were on Norwegian, including a 2015 trip on the Gem out of NYC.

     

    This was the first time I traveled with my three children, ages 7, 9, and 11. My son and I shared on interior cabin, while my daughters shared another interior cabin with their grandmother. We were on Deck 2. The cabins were nice enough, although the three passenger cabin featured a fold-down bed with a thin and uncomfortable mattress. The other beds were better, of course. Still, I seemed not to sleep as well as on the Gem. Not sure if that was because of the beds or because this trip was a little more stressful with the kids and grandma underfoot (she needed some help getting around).

     

    The en-suite bathrooms were larger on the Triumph than on the Gem, so that's a point for Carnival (and it was nice to use the commode without my knees touching the wall). On the other hand, the shower only had a curtain as opposed to a glass door, and the water pressure was not nearly as strong as on the Gem. Maybe that counts as a draw?

     

    We had a nice cabin steward who did the usual stuff with the towel animals with the bed turndowns at night. We also were given the option of having the room made up in the morning, the evening, or at both times.

     

    I was pleasantly surprised by the condition and appearance of MOST of the public areas on the Triumph. You get your first impression of a ship in the atrium, and the Triumph's was much more impressive than the Gem's. It resembled the atrium of a nice hotel, with glass elevators rising up to deck eleven (the lobby was on deck three). The Gem's lobby/atrium is only two stories ... nicely decorated but not much of a "wow" factor.

     

    The various bars and lounges around the ship were nicely decorated and maintained from what I could tell. They were, as expected, much more on the flashy/glitzy side than elegant/refined, but quite nicely done for what they were. I was pleasantly surprised to find a small but nicely appointed library that WAS elegant, done up in dark paneling, with portraits of Washington and Lincoln. Similarly, the Oxford Lounge looked like a gentleman's club in the UK, with dark walls and several portraits of British monarchs on the walls. These two spaces added a surprising touch of gentility to the Triumph.

     

    Unfortunately, I found both main dining rooms to be an incredible disappointment. While they carried the names "London" and "Paris," they were decorated exactly the same, and were dreary and worn looking. The windows were dirty and at least one had visible cracks in it. They had less character than our local McDonald's, and fell far short of the MDRs on the Gem. Triumph needs to gut the MDRs and start over. Surprisingly, the Triumph's buffet area was far better in appearance, with bright colors and several statues of mermaids to add some atmosphere.

     

    Whatever the condition of the MDRs, I thought the food was consistently very good, although the offerings were not quite as diverse as on the Gem. Two dishes I really enjoy but do not eat often at home are duck and lamb, and in my opinion, they were better than the same dishes I ate on the Gem (and I had the duck in Le Bistro on the Gem!). Anyway, everything I tried, from appetizers to salads to main courses to desserts was great.

     

    While the buffet area looked nice, and I liked the extra "free" options of a burger joint, Mexican place, deli and pizza place ... and there was a Chinese station as well ... the place was poorly organized. On sea days, the buffet could be very crowded and lines moved slowly. And because several of the options were out on deck, you had to stand in line in sometimes uncomfortable conditions, such as heat or wind.

     

    Service was generally good. Everyone from the bartenders to waitstaff to our steward was helpful and well-meaning. Sometimes the dining room staff was a little forgetful, and it was sometimes difficult to get a customized order (example: my daughter only wanted two pancakes for breakfast, but she was brought the usual stack of four. The result was wasted food.). OTOH, I enjoyed the dining room entertainment, a hallmark of Carnival.

     

    I did not see too many shows, but the magic show in the Rome Lounge, their main theater, was a lot of fun and well produced.

     

    The children's program was well done, with great staffing. My youngest daughter really enjoyed it. And it's included in your fare!

     

    Overall, I found the ship to be well run, with good staff, food and entertainment. It's not a luxurious or refined experience by any means, but if you want most of the basics to be well done, the Triumph is a good choice.

     

    If anyone has any questions just ask. I did not cover everything I experienced.

    Brief Remarks on my Gem Cruise

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    Thanks for the review! We are sailing on GEM on the 13th. Which excursions did you go on?

     

    I did the city tour of San Juan which was good ... we had a very personable young lady as our guide.

     

    On St. Thomas, I did the Coral World Ocean Park (?) which was a great place to be near nature. The animals were interesting, especially a very well trained sea lion! We were next to a beach we could use if we wanted to.

     

    As for Phillipsburg/St. Maarten, I was signed up for the Maho Beach Transfer, which takes you to the beach right next to the airport. The planes, including some big ones, land almost on top of the beach for a very dramatic experience. I wasn't feeling well that morning so did not go, but others who went said it was great!

     

    I did not sign up for any excursions on Tortola.

    Brief Remarks on my Gem Cruise

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted · Edited by Presbycruiser

    Just off the Gem from a 10 day cruise that visited San Juan and the Virgin Islands. This is not a detailed review but just a few remarks (I am happy to answer any questions people might have):

     

    Overall, I had a very positive experience. My cabin, way down on deck 4, had a porthole. It was small (or it would be for two people) but the cabin was quiet, the bed was comfortable, and the bathroom, especially the shower, was fine. Had a wonderful cabin steward who kept the place spotless.

     

    Food was also very good overall. I did buy a 3 meal specialty package and enjoyed it (chose Teppanyaki, Moderno and Le Bistro), but the food in the main dining rooms was good enough that I do not feel you "need" to eat in the specialty restaurants to have a really good meal. I especially liked the "All Time Favorite" striploin steak, a good-sized hunk of meat that was perfectly prepared to order. The worst meal was probably the Thanksgiving Turkey.

     

    The buffet had a good variety of food and usually was of good quality (lots and lots of "ethnic" food such as Indian, Chinese, Latin American), although the atmosphere was "meh." Still, one could eat at the Great Outdoors weather permitting.

     

    The buffalo wings at O'Sheehan's were great!

     

    Desserts were variable. Some of them were bland, as other reviewers have mentioned. But some, especially the chocolate based ones, were very good.

     

    Edit: one criticism of the food that I agree with is about the quality of the coffee. It tasted lousy. I drink Maxwell House at home so I am hardly a coffee snob but the ship's coffee was pretty bad.

     

    The service overall was excellent. The crew members seemed happy and genuinely wanted to please us. They went to the trouble of remembering your name and greeting you individually. I really liked Drew, the cruise director. He was busy as heck but always found time to chat individually.

     

    My fellow cruisers were a friendly and unpretentious bunch. They, and the crew, gave the cruise an excellent atmosphere.

     

    Entertainment was fine although I did not go to all the shows. But they had a 70's style revue including performing some of the sit com songs of the era like All in the Family and the Brady Bunch. I loved it!

     

    There were many activities on board although many of them cost money and others seemed geared to encourage you to spend money on something or other. That gave some of the activities a Ferengi vibe.

     

    The ship itself was wonderful. I liked the renovations to many public areas including the Atrium, Spinnaker Lounge and Bliss Ultra Lounge. The overall effect is to give the ship a slightly more upscale and understated feel. And the Gem feels like a real ship, not a floating resort. There were plenty of places to walk around and breathe in the ocean air ... Deck 7 has a promenade deck that extends the entire length around the ship, and there is plenty of space up on Deck 12 (pool deck) and 13 (Sun deck).

     

    Pools did look a bit small for the number of passengers.

     

    The casino was an unattractive and smoky area, same as most ships. The atmosphere more akin to Wal-Mart when the Social Security checks come in than to the elegant casinos featured in James Bond movies.

     

    I enjoyed the shore excursions I went on and there were tons of options although many were very expensive.

     

    Overall, I am really glad I made this trip!

    How to cancel dinner reservations online

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    Hello

     

    Can anyone help with cancelling dinner reservations on the NCL website?

     

    I need to cancel dinner at a complimentary restaurant and book a paid restaurant but I don't see any cancel button?

     

    Any help would be appreciated

     

    Thanks

     

    I had this same issue.

     

    Unfortunately, my experience was that one cannot cancel reservations via the website. You have to call their customer service number. On the bright side, I found their phone reps helpful and had no trouble making any cancelations and reservations.

     

    And that's another thing I should mention ... I purchased a 3 night specialty dining package and then wanted to reserve some dinners in the specialty restaurants. The website would not let me do so without paying for them, even though I had already purchased the SDP. So I needed to call NCL to reserve those spaces as well. But again, the customer service people were easy to work with.

    Inside to Oceanview Upgrade on the Gem

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    I saw on my TA's website that the price of an oceanview had dropped enough that it was the same as an inside. I called and was able to get a free upgrade as a result. I am now somewhat forward on deck 4 (next to the stairs and elevator, but only with other cabins on top of my new cabin). It's only a porthole, but the tie breaker for me was the space ... the new cabin is 161 square feet compared with 143 in my previous inside.

     

    My TA also said that the ship still looks "wide open" so keep your eyes on further price reductions. If the price drops further, and it may very well do so, another upgrade, at least within the same type of cabin, may be available. This is for the Nov 23 sailing, the one with no solo supplement.

    Europe 2017

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    Hi,

    Did i see it correctly, that in 2017 ncl reduces its fleet from 4 to 1? Instead of epic, jade, star and spirituelle only spirit.

    Or is this info inkompetent?

    Thanks

     

    Gesendet von meinem D5503 mit Tapatalk

     

     

    Gruess Dich!

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