Sensenigr

Hopefully, you got some good responses.

 

I am guessing your real question is comparing Carnival to NCL, or Princess.

 

If you post again, you might want to be more specific in your title to get more responses.

Yes, you are correct....I definitely should have been more specific in my title; however, I think I got enough responses to get an idea :-)

My recent experience on the GEM was the CD and ACD were emphasized but the cruise staff beyond that where barely noticeable beyond calling Bingo.

Thanks for the opinion. I appreciate everyone's response.

There are not nearly as many activities on NCL as on Carnival ships. On Carnival ships you have several activities happening at the same to choose from and not so much on NCL Epic. NCL definitely does not have a loud, fast vibe IMO.

We are used to many activities going on at the same time on Carnival; however, maybe this will be a change of pace and telling us to "slow down a bit".

I think it depends on the ship. I've been on some NCL cruises where it seem the CD was everywhere all the time and others where they did not seem to be around as much.

Personally I enjoy it when they aren't over bearing and trying to make a big deal of everything.

Thank you for your opinion.

Definitely not in my experience on the Epic last year. Was on there for 3 weeks and could not tell you who the CD was. I personally can't stand the emphasis that is placed on Carnivals CD. I really did not find Princess CD's to be over emphasized like Carnivals, at least not the ones we had. (18 cruises with Carnival and 8 with Princess)

Yeah, some people love it and some people do not. (I personally love it. You personally do not) :)

Sounds like NCL may not, at least based on your experience.

Hello:

I will be taking my first NCL cruise in March of 2019. Prior to that, I have always cruised Carnival and Princess.

Does NCL place as much emphasis on the "Activities Staff" and "Cruise Director" as Carnival does?

Just wondering what to expect in that department.

I appreciate your input.

Awesome review. We are celebrating many milestones in 2018 on this itinerary! You have only whetted my appetite! Can you give any insight on the chef table menu? Also was the ziplining through Carnival as well? Thanks!

The Ziplining excursion was done through Carnival.

As far as the Chef's Table, YUM! I imagine it could possibly change from time to time; however, some of the dishes we had included (but not limited to)

Spring Pea Matcha Soup

Pork Belly & Shrimp

Slow cooked crispy Lamb

Olive Oil poached Seabass

Veal with crushed green apple

....And so much more!

Just loved your thorough review and that all was up to way better than ok...thanks so much!!

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed the review.

Thank you for the great information - we have the same itinerary in August. Do you happen to recall what night they served lobster in the mdr?

 

I want to make a steakhouse reservation but I will be in serious trouble with my son if I happen to pick lobster night. Thank you!

For us Lobster night was the first formal night, which was the second night of our eight night cruise.

Excellent review. My family and I were on the same cruise. The Vista does not deserve the negativity its been receiving. Wonderful ship and fantastic crew working it.

I'm very glad you had an equally great time!

Thoroughly enjoyed your review! Thank you for posting. December 2nd, Vista, here we come!

You have less than 10 months!

Thank you for your west coast perspective review.

 

I've noticed a difference in style and approach to east coast reviews.

 

We're from NorCal cruising the Vista in Nov '17 and July '18, both 8-day cruises.

 

Your review has some great pointers and insight. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

You are welcome and I wish you two awesome upcoming cruises!

Fellow couple from SoCal here going on the Vista in a couple months! Quick question - did you attend the FOD meetings? This is my first cruise with Carnival. I know it's hit and miss mostly, but wanted to know what your experience was. The BF and I went on NCL a few weeks ago and met such a great group of people.

 

Maybe we'll see you on a future cruise ;)

They technically had one every night we were on the cruise -- at the same time and in the same location. We only attended the first evening; however, it wasn't dedicated and not very organized. From what I could tell, there were probably about 4 or 5 couples there; however, we only ended up talking to one couple. It truly is hit or miss.

Hope to see you on a future cruise. We are from Pasadena!

I enjoyed your review so much that I immediately went to search out pricing for the Vista for later this year. Thank you for such a thorough, fun review!

Yay! I hope you enjoy the anticipation once you book.

Hi Ryan:

 

Thank you for your awesome review! I will be on this ship, along with 20 of my closest family and friends, doing the same itinerary in October. I will be taking notes from your review. Some of us are interested in Zip lining.

 

Questions for you. Were you Zipping from tree to tree? How long did you Zip line from start to finish, not including the time you waited in line.

 

Did the Zip line company take a picture of you or allow you to take pictures. If they took pictures, how much were they and were they nice pictures? Thank you.

 

 

Nae

There were a total of 12 Ziplines on this course. Many times you landed on a platform and you started the next line on the same platform. Other times you had to walk to the next platform. I would say it took about 1 hour from the start of the first zip line to the end. The only line we waited in was for the first line, and the staff made it move very quickly from that point forward.

The Zipline did take pictures and they were relatively good. They were reasonable and were only $10 each. The tour description states that there are no cameras allowed; however, once we arrived we learned that pictures and video were allowed. I would recommend a GoPro if you have one; however, we did not.

Thanks for the great review. So much great information. My Conquest cruise had originally planned to go to La Romana, and you did the exact excursion I had researched. They changed the port and I am so bummed.

Just another reason to take another cruise in the future. Lol.

Thank you for your review. We are sailing on the Vista March 5. Your review was very informative and helpful.

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Was the Chef's Table menu the same on the Vista as it was for your cruise on the Breeze? Just wondering how often they change these menus. Thanks for the great report!

I believe it is totally up to a team of chef's on each ship. I can tell you that the menu on the Breeze was 100% different from the menu we had on the Vista. I was happy to see this!

Thank you for your very informative review. We are boarding Vista Saturday, and have "almost" the same itinerary (Bonaire instead of Curacao), so your review couldn't have been more timely. I'm glad to hear you had a great trip. :)

I'm already jealous!! Have a great trip!

Hi Ryan! We are goin to the same ports asu did this April[emoji4] do u recommend the ziplining for 12yrs old?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I don't have any children; however, I bet you they would have an awesome time! I think the minimum age is 8, and I did see several people I thought were 10 and higher -- absolutely loving it!

Exceptional report, thanks!

Thank You Bob!

We're booked in cabin 2314 in July. Was there a lifeboat overhead? We love cove balconies!

Exciting! The countdown is on! There is a lifeboat overhead (as with most cove balconies); however, I think maybe about 4 cabins to the right (about 2304) there is an opening.

Thanks for the review, very informative.

Thank You! I hope you enjoyed your recent cruise on the Breeze!

What a great review! Thanks for all of the information.

Thanks for reading the review!

Thank you for the comprehensive review!

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

I certainly did. Thanks for reading.