lazydayz

Op, great discussion. I agree with your conclusions. This has made me think my next straying experience will be VV or MSC newer ships. Nothing written made me rethink NCL or HAL. We get such great benefits from Royal and deals from Carnival, it is difficult to not book with them.

We did extended balconies on our two Mardi Gras sailings and loved the rooms. Only complaint was the tiny bathroom. It didn’t bother me at all but my husband, who is tall, did feel crowded in there. But the larger shower was great.

In some dining venues, they deferred to my husband and asked him what I would like. Very insulting. I have a voice, and book, plan and pay for our cruises. In over 70 cruises, that was the only one where I wished it was shorter and was thrilled to get off the ship. We did not have that issue on our two Eurodam cruises. But I told my husband we were taking a break from HAL and haven’t felt the urge to even look at their cruises. Too many other choices out there.

We did the Liberty last weekend and only complaints were about a 20 minute wait for Guy’s Burgers and an hour wait for pizza. Tried to have it delivered instead but the service was not available. So I am hoping with the addition of more staff, service and food options will improve. Other than that, great cruise with good service.

We have tried one Celebrity cruise, three HAL cruises and about thirty cruises on each of Carnival and Royal. For our family, Carnival wins. Just so laid back and casual. For hubby and me, we choose either Royal or Carnival. Really depends on the best value for places we want to go. We did Carnival for the Panama Canal, and have Carnival booked for Greenland/Canada and the Hawaiian islands. And three Caribbean cruises booked, one with Royal and two with Carnival. While we enjoyed the food on HAL, we found them somewhat discriminatory to women and younger people. Celebrity to us was just an upgraded Royal cruise. Both Celebrity and HAL were a little bit boring after dinner. But if any cruise line offered us a great value and unique experience, we would probably give it a try. Just haven’t found anything that is worth spending three to four times what we usually pay. Our next splurge cruise will likely be a music cruise.

O for 2 for me. Oh well.

My advice is NOT to change the room assignments. Just get extra keys from Guest Services (all should go together) and leave everything alone. That way you will get all of your benefits, and hey, your friends might get some free chocolate delights.

Well, taxi from Fisherman's Village, the last stop on the tram loop before it heads back to the ship. I didn't go to the beach at Resort World, but talked to several on the tram who did. Their general response was that "it's a beach" and some felt kind of ripped off to pay $40 pp to use the beach and pool. However, for people who prefer a resort over a local beach, I am sure it is lovely.

Not sure but ours is already booked for the Sept. 17th Mardi Gras cruise. I think we booked it back in May.

We had a great time at Radio Beach. I posted a review and am happy to answer (or try to answer, LOL) any questions.

We had a blast there. We rented paddleboards for an hour and gave it the old college try.

We have walked to the beach but to be on the safe side, take a shared taxi to Atlantis and you can go to the beach that is near there. In Nassau, the rate is much better if you are willing to share the ride. Most of the taxis are vans, so unless you ask for one for yourself, you will likely be in a group.

Pretty sure you will love it. It is a big change from Nassau.

I just debarked the Carnival Liberty yesterday, and as we were leaving the parking garage at 9:13 in the morning, there were at least 20 people walking through the garage to board the ship. That is crazy - all of the passengers were not even off the ship at that point. So please, whatever you do, let the debarking cruisers get out of the parking garage before you show up! It will make it a lot easier to find a parking space and you won't have to wait as long to check in and eventually board. We have found it pretty easy to board in the noon time slot, and with cabins being available at 1:30, this still leaves plenty of time to have that first lunch before checking out your room.

Same, but with early dining, you can only check in after a certain time. With My Time dining (if that is the name of it on Carnival), you can check in at any time.

I like to walk but no way I would try it. Sid, a popular live reviewer here on cc, walked to Joe’s Conch Shack and he was pretty tired. I would say at least another mile after that. And remember it is hot.

We loved Bimini. Took the tram from the ship but had to ride it around while it made a full loop then dropped us off at Fishermen's Village (looked easy enough to walk from the port, but was glad to ride the tram back to the ship). This is where you can get a cab. Hint: stand on the side of the road opposite of where the tram drops you off to catch a taxi. Our first taxi driver was Howey, and he did a great job. We requested he come back for us at 3:00. We were back downtown a few minutes early so I called him, and his colleague Jamal picked us up a couple of minutes later. Transportation was great - no issues. We were dropped off in "downtown", then took a short walkway to the beach. OMG, it is stunningly beautiful. The water is a clear, light blue and very calm. The water temperature was perfect. And you could see the ship in the background. The amenities were not the greatest, and it was confusing at first. Went to Conch Fu, around noon - they were sold out of conch and fish fillets, and were told it would take 30 to 35 minutes to get our food. Two granddaughters had the Buffalo Wings and loved them. Other grand had a shrimp wrap, which was ok. The fries were delicious. For drinks, you have to go to a different place just steps behind or below Conch Fu. We elected to get ours from the bar nearest the beach. Beer was $5-7 (can't remember exactly), soda and water were $2. One grand got a fresh coconut for $5. All in all the prices were fair and food and drinks were good. We ate our lunch at a picnic table in the sand. When ordering food, there were lots of flies. Once we made our way to the sand, there were no more flies. By 11:30, all of the beach chairs were sold out, but as people were leaving, they gave theirs to us. There was a lady at the beach offering massages - $20 for twenty minutes. She had a full massage table and it was protected from the sun. Our day for the five of us cost $60 for taxis ($5 per person each way, and we added a $5 tip each way), $45 for lunch (really just three lunches and an extra order of fries), drinks $45, so a total of $150, versus paying $40 per person or $200 for the five of us to use the pool and beach (includes chairs) at Resort World. And we felt like our $$ were going to locals. Next time we are in Bimini, we will return to Radio Beach, with the knowledge that a little bit of hassle was worth it for a perfect beach.

We loved our aft extended balcony on deck 8. Great view overlooking the Havana area and of course, the wake. We did not have an issue with soot or noise. If there was a lack of privacy, it didn't bother me at all.

I tried once, and it was an experience. Never did it again, as you get better product from the bar.

Carnival is known for its comedy shows. Try to catch one on your cruise. Among my favorite dishes are the French Toast at Brunch and the Dessert soufflé. Also check out Guy’s Burgers. The deli is also good. Hope you have a great cruise.

It seems like most of the upgrade offers are to those in interior and oceanview cabins. We usually book balconies and rarely receive an upgrade offer from Carnival.

You might be referring to the Havana Cabanas, which are not private at all. Our aft, extended Havana balcony was very private.

That may be, but it sounds like the TA may be charging a fee as well.