ChuckF

I actually closed down a casino on a Celebrity ship shortly after midnight. They're all smoke-free when no one is playing.

I was on the same cruise as well, and we never saw all of the complaints posted on FB. Like you said though, we weren't on Lido or teen club area at night. Did have some kids in the room next to us, and did have some slamming doors as we were trying to sleep in on San Juan day. But, other than that, a really good experience. Food in MDR was better than anticipated. And both my wife and I walked out of the casino on the positive side of the ledger after all was said and done. For the live music buffs, the Rockband and the Drawbridge Duo were phenomenal.

One cruise they had brought in a Stevie Wonder impersonator for entertainment. He did a show one night, with the theatre about half full. The next day they made a big deal about Stevie Wonder performing in the Atrium. The CD introduced him as "Carnival's own Stevie Wonder". While all the other guests were going gaga saying "I can't believe Stevie Wonder's on my cruise", I made eye contact with the CD and pointed to him like "busted". Had a great laugh over that one. But, I don't think I'll ever forget the first time I stepped into the atrium on embarkation of my very first cruise on the old Carnival Celebration.

Hope to arrive in Cocoa Beach in time for dinner tonight, and looking forward to that first Guy's Burger tomorrow.

See you on board.

All I know is that I booked a private golf excursion in Cabo last March based on the itinerary information, only to find out the day before we got to Cabo that they were 2 hours ahead of ship time. I could not reschedule my tee time because the course had a tournament, yada, yada, yada. So, if you're doing something on your own, note that the rest of the world is not concerned with your ship's time.

Due to limited seating in the trivia venue, my wife and I often offer chairs at our table to other passengers. Inviting them to play along with us is a great way to meet people on the cruise. One cruise, we met two other couples that we would routinely join up with for trivia. We never won, but it made our cruise a lot more enjoyable.

Based on the menu at the link above, it shows elegant nights as Night 2 and Night 5.

Try this site: https://profcruise.com/carnival-menus-2023/ They have menus for a variety of cruise durations.

In Barbados several years ago, went on a non-ship tour to the Mount Gay Rum factory for a tour, lunch and rum-tasting. Pretty interesting with good food and a variety of rums, including their top of the line.

Sorry to hear about your son's illness, but glad that the situation was handled and you enjoyed the rest of the cruise. Getting on the Magic in about 2 weeks. Good to hear everything else was good.

Looking at a European cruise on Norwegian, and wondering about their airline offer. When they book your airline travel to Europe, do they use reputable carriers? Just a little curious. Looking at Houston to Athens. Thanks.

On our last cruise, we had to talk to steakhouse management to get any insight into our Chef's Table scheduling. Don't be surprised if Guest Services sends you to the steakhouse as they seem responsible for scheduling guests to the Chef's Table.

We did Chef's table on a recent Journey's cruise, and discovered that the assignments are managed by the steakhouse. So, it might be a good idea to drop by the steakhouse and talk to the manager. They can probably tell you which night you are assigned.

Going on Magic in a few weeks. What if you don't play slots? Do they give you chips, or a voucher to redeem for chips at a table?

My experience on this class of ship (albeit limited) has been that the SkyBox Sports Bar on Deck 2 is almost always empty. Would like to see them get rid of this and either expand the Red Frog Pub or add a specialty dining option. Don't want to see them get rid of the Red Frog Pub as that is the only venue for a band to play. Or, at least the only venue where I've seen it offered.

Great to hear. Getting on Magic in April.

I think they also have some different sea day activities. We took our first Journeys cruise this past October and they had ballroom dancing instructors holding 2 classes per sea day. It was a lot of fun.

We did the Panama Canal excursion out of Colon, and actually think it was more insightful going through the locks on a smaller vessel than going through on a cruise ship. And with the guides, more informative. But it is definitely a "been there, done that" sort of experience.

Absolutely verify the Daylight Savings Time. I missed out on a golf game in Cabo last March because of a 2 hour time difference. Fortunately I recognized the issue the day before so I was able to call and cancel without penalty. Guest Services staff on the Miracle were very helpful.

Not sure when the Vista is going into dry-dock, but I would not get on Vista until they fix their propulsion issues.

The Ocean Plaza is a very roomy, open area used for daytime trivia (and other) games and at night live music fills the air. Especially when the rock band is playing. It's right next to the Alchemy Bar, so it's easy to get really good drinks. We love the bands and enjoy the dance floor tremendously. It's been a while since I've been on the conquest style ships so not real sure how it compares. But in my memory, the musical venues on those ships was never as lively as an Ocean Plaza.

With limited staff, the crew has less time to go on shore during port days. Last cruise we asked steward and wait staff if they needed anything while we were out at Cozumel. They all wanted Doritos. Go figure.

If you've never been on a Dream class ship, the Ocean Plaza is a happening spot day and night.

Love them all. Had cherry on our Journey's cruise back in October.