SmudgeCat

I am so enjoying your review!!! We have stuck with smaller ships, but your review is making me want to try the Vista and her amazing staff!!!! Thank you!

We were given a letter the last evening, explaining where to meet and at what time the morning of Debarkation after the 1st cruise. Met there with the other family of 4 that were doing B2B. Waited for a Ship's officer to escort the group off the ship, through customs and back onto the ship. Received new Sail & Sign cards as soon as we were back on board.

We've only done one B2B (next one in 25 days, woooohooooo), but this is exactly what happened for us as well. We did get recognized by the crew as another poster mentioned too. The turnover day ended up being one of our favorites- it was so much fun running around the ship after we came back from customs while it was still almost completely empty. :)

This time we are switching cabins, but specifically chose our cabins (interior for the first 5-day leg, balcony for the second 8-day leg) so that we could have the same steward/ cabin service team. Last time we stayed in the same cabin and it was so easy!

When you are doing a B2B, you can also bring on 2 bottles of 750ml wine per 21+ passenger (1 per leg) when you board the for the first leg; they will hold the second bottle and return it to you on the final night. Another tip if you like in-cabin cocktails: you can purchase a bottle from duty free on the the first leg (or at one of the ports), pick it up on the "last night" and enjoy it during the second leg of the cruise.

Happy cruising!!!!!! :cool::hearteyes:

Love seeing everyone's posts! My reasons are like so many others. :). We always choose a fixed seating due to my husband's allergy to strawberries (easy allergy to deal with except that it's used in so many garnishes); it's easier for us not to explain every night to a new waitstaff (or to have to request the same waitstaff), plus I love having a waitstaff that anticipates us by bringing coffee after the entree without my asking, or the bar server having a drink ready for hubby. :). Usually we choose late seating so that we don't have to rush back from port, and we love taking photos (the sillier the better) before dinner. It just works for us. :). (We did do early seating on our most recent cruise with RC because my nieces were with us. I wouldn't mind doing it again but definitely preferred late.)

One of the things I love about cruising is there is something for everyone! YTD/ ATD for those who love that flexibility, Early seating for those who enjoy that, and Late seating for those who prefer that.

Basil Drop Martini when the Alchemy Bar opens. :). Or possibly a mojito if I can't wait till then, lol.

I am allergic to strawberries...

DH has an anaphylactic reaction to strawberries, and Carnival has been great; as Drose716 notes, in general that's an easy "avoidance" allergy. The biggest issue for him generally is usually when they are used as a garnish and the juice runs, or if they are used in a "mixed berry" sauce. The MDR waitstaff is usually amazing about making sure he gets dishes plated without the garnish (and not just remove the garnish from the plate). On our last couple of cruises on Carnival, without us even asking they have let him pre-order his dessert for the next night in order to make sure he can get what he wants, or notify him if an appetizer is usually garnished with a strawberry. We never expected that level of service, and it meant a lot to him that they would take such trouble.

46 days! :D:D. B2B on the Ecstasy, Platinum at Last!! :cool::cool::cool:

We do $3-$5/ bag depending on the weight and size of our bags. :). My husband is a bartender so we're all about "tip karma." :D:D:D

Subscribing for our December cruise on Adventure of the Seas. :D

Congrats!!! Just had Price Protection results myself last night- so happy. Submitted last night for $100 ($50pp) on our post-Thanksgiving cruise on Conquest, and actually got $200- there was an additional qualifying element that I didn't catch. Up to $250 OBC now, and we are thrilled!

I love that this thread has been running for almost three years! That "almost there" feeling never gets old! 43 days till we get to board Carnival Conquest, and 71 til I get to try my first RCI cruise on Adventure of the Seas. Wheeee!!!!

Thank you so much for the review and all the information! We're on her at the end of Nov for the 8 day- so excited! Your pics of all the menus and price lists were much appreciated.

18 days (15 til we start vacation)!!!! We have already waited 862 days though, so this is nothing! We booked in July 2013 for a late Nov/ Dec cruise on the Valor, but had to rebook in summer 2014 for this year due to family obligations. We are SO READY!

 

The Tervis tumblers. They are 16oz. I'd love it if they had the 24oz.

Thank you so much!!!!

Still love, love, love your review!! I have a silly question about the Tervis tumblers; are they the 16oz or 24oz size? Thank you so much for spending so much time and putting so much thought (and thoughtfulness) into each of your posts, whether sharing your adventure or responding to a query. :-). It's very much appreciated!

Pghsteelerfan, thank you so very much for writing this fantastic review!! I'm thoroughly enjoying following your adventures as we prepare to take our cruise on the Liberty in early December. Your pictures and commentary are just fantastic. We live in Charlotte but are driving to Richmond (almost went with IAD/ DCA) in order to catch our flights to San Juan via JFK. The flights out of Charlotte (both direct and with stops) to SJU cost more than twice as much per person as they did going from Richmond. I really love all of the details and photos that you're including!! Thank you!!!

Does anyone know if Martini is classed as wine?

The Martini brand sparkling wines are fine to bring on; the vermouth/ fortified wines I'm not sure about at all. Hoping another poster can answer as I am curious too. :)

Thank you so much for sharing your adventures! Looking forward to the rest of St. Kitts and St. Maarten as we dream about our upcoming trip in December. :)

Thanks for starting this thread, Travelcruizin! And thank you to all the folks who are posting their reviews! We are so, so excited to get on this ship and experience the ports in December!!! :D :D

Finally getting to do my Double Digit Dance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :p:D:p:D

:D Thank you so much, Beach_Gal and NCTribeFan!!!

Did the steakhouse on the first night the past two cruises from there..

Hi NCTribeFan! May I ask what time you had your steakhouse reservation? I love the idea of going on that first evening. I'm wondering if 7pm is pushing it to make muster drill or if it would be fine, or if 6:30/ 6:45pm would be better?

Thank you for your recommendation! :D

Kind regards,

SmudgeCat

-Charlotte, NC

DH and I just cruised Fantasy last December as a 5-day and 7-day B2B (12 awesome nights!) and loved her. We also cruised her sister Imagination in 2010 for a 4-day. Miracle (Spirit-class) is also close to my heart since my husband proposed to me on her, but my first ship Destiny was my least favorite- too big and overwhelming for me, at least at the time (we're sailing Liberty in 2015). DH and I like the medium and smaller class ships as I feel less crowded on them.

I truly did not see any substantial difference in the cabins between Miracle and Fantasy- they were both clean and well-maintained. That being said, I probably don't cruise often enough to catch differences :p. We prefer balconies (and also prefer being either forward or aft) but actually had our first inside cabin on Fantasy- V8- for both legs of the B2B. We loved that location as it was steps away from the forward deck over the bridge. We felt like we had our own giant balcony as there were rarely people on that deck. We did have a porthole on the Imagination and we loved that option too. We're trying Ocean View next month just to hit all the options, LOL.

The staff of the Fantasy was the best I had experienced in my limited cruising history. DH and I love good food (we don't equate good with expensive- we won't turn our nose up at a James Beard splurge or at a greasy spoon, LOL), and we found our meals to be consistent and tasty- the soups especially tended to be outstanding as were the vegetarian Indian dishes (neither of us are vegetarians).

We would gladly sail another 7-day on her, especially if she ports regularly at Little Stirrup Cay in 2015-2016 as the crew thought she might start doing.

I hope that helps a little!

The agents at the port temrinal in Charleston last December were the friendliest I have ever encountered. I was just in a shoe/ boot after having foot surgery, and they pulled me (and DH) out of line without me even asking for help (I wasn't even planning to ask). They had me take the lower entrance where the crew boards. I bet anything they will let you both board via that entrance, and if they don't say anything then I wouldn't hesitate to ask. They were truly so friendly and ready to help anyone who looked like they might need it. My Dad, who is going with us this coming December on the Fantasy, has neuropathy (can't feel his feet at all), and he is planning to contact Special Needs and ask to board on the lower deck to avoid the ramp too.

DH and I haven't tried Your Time dining yet, but we do like to meet new people at dinner. In fact, last December we ended up at a table of 8 and had the best time sharing stories about our day with each other even though we didn't hang out as a group any other time. We ended up all being Facebook friends and love to stay in contact, which DH and I have never done with anyone else that we've met on a cruise.

That being said, we choose fixed time for two main reasons: 1) DH is severely allergic to strawberries, so having the same waitstaff every night really makes that so much easier for us since they know from the first night to make sure his plates aren't garnished with the strawberries (especially desserts). 2) DH and I are opposites- he is quite the extrovert and spends his entire day meeting new people and talking to them, whereas I'm very much an introvert (not to be confused with shy- I'm definitely not shy :D) and like to spend my day chilling out on deck with a book. Meeting new people every day is relaxing for him but- in all honesty- is stressful for me. Having a fixed seating is easier for us since I really do like getting to know new people over time, and DH gets to make friends too. :p We're thinking about doing YTD on our 2015 cruise, though; I look forward to trying it one day.

45 and 404! I need to find something else to fit in between those two numbers... :D

Updated information. I just got off the Fantasy on Thursday. We docked between 6-6:30am and folks were getting off around 7:15 or so. We drove and arrived at the port around 10:30, our luggage was collected and we waited about 10 minutes before they started parking the cars. We were on the ship by 11:45 am. I don't know if each sailing is like this but that was my experience.

Thank you for posting this! Just the info I was searching for today. :) And thanks to Past for asking the question. :)