FlaTransplant

Your 20 cruises with Carnival, are they all on the same ship? I have sailed on Carnival a bit. Different ships, more so on the newer ships have different shows, focused around the ship and theme. The bigger ships also have more than one stage where shows are put in. They need that to accommodate the larger number of passengers on board. Mardi Gras has the best shows in my opinion. In particular the Voodoo show. Taken the ship 5 times and have seen different quality performers each time. The Celebration shows were good, but not as good. Only took that ship once, and the performers seemed rather green (aka not that good). Cruised Vista when it was first launched (2016) out of Barcelona. The shows were awesome. Cruised Vista in November of 2023 out of Port Canaveral, shows were not good. Seemed a lot of staff were at the end of the tour or just starting it, perhaps the performers were doing the same. I will get another chance in October. The bulk of my cruises have been on the Paradise. 4 Day cruises out of Tampa are ideal for me. A day and a half off from work is a nice little escape from the grind. Been on the ship 10 times and the shows have been the same for years. I haven't taken the ship since it got out of drydock this past fall. I hope the shows have been refreshed, but not counting on it. I will find out in a few weeks when back on board. My wife and I still go to the shows. There are always a singer or two that shines brightly, but often some of the performers are not so good and has us laughing. We make jokes among ourselves, but acknowledge it is hard work. However, there is one show that we have seen on multiple ships where the performers all sit in a line of barstools. There is no dancing or movement, just singing. We find that kind of show boring and skip it. There are lots of other things to do on the ship besides the production shows. The comedians are often pretty good, although very crowded. The bigger ships have comedians at two locations at the same time, and that helps thin the crowds out a little. I particularly like the outdoor theater on some of the boats. Vista has a great option. You can sit up by the water works. More comfortable chairs up there. Shame they are no longer giving away free popcorn. They are charging for it because people were taking it and making a mess with it (throwing it around). I guess if you are paying 3 bucks for a small bag of popcorn, you might use it as intended. The class of people cruising has changed in the past few decades and not necessarily for the better. There are so many rude and obnoxious people on board. You will find more on shorter cruises, maybe because they are more affordable. We have seen so many inappropriately dress people at the pools. Ever see a wildebeest stuffed in a thong? That is an entirely different kind of show. Scary and comedy at the same time. They should have the Carnival photographers circling and taking picture to pick up at the Portrait Studios. A different class of people can also make the newlywed show more entering. The newlyweds on on cruise, married the day before the cruise departed. He was in his mid 70s, she was in her young 20s. Their answers were interesting to say the least. They met at a fine gentlemen's establishment and it was love at first sight. He fell for her looks, she fell for his wallet. Those were their comments... Anyway... I am not going to stop cruising on Carnival. I am plenty entertained, plenty to see on board. ____________________ I have sailed 28 Carnival cruises, have 5 booked for 2024 and 2 booked for 2025. I swear l will reach diamond before I die. But I anticipate Carnival will come up with a new status level the cruise before I can reach it.