PunkinsDad

I wonder if we will ever look back at Conquest-class and think that those ships were small :rolleyes:

I hope not. We loved Jubillee and Holiday. We've been on Fantasy, Spirit, Conquest and Dream-class ships. My personal favorite is the Spirit-class (Carnival Legend). IMHO they are just the perfect size.

I've been in ports with the RC Oasis-class ships, and while they are impressive and beautiful (in thier own way), I have absolutely no desire to sail on one. Besides the higher cost, that's just too much ship. One of the things I love about cruising is that I simply LOVE to be on the open seas, the ocean is a huge part of the enjoyment-factor for me. I want to feel like I'm on a ship. I can't help but think (and I admit, I haven't tried) that on a ship that large, I'd feel less connected to the ocean. I felt a little bit the same on the Dream.

Although I am not exactly a Carnival fan; I have to say that your post was very emotional, well written, and stated so many of the reasons why I love cruising and why the people in this country cannot be scared away by some, as you so well put it, evil people....thanks for writing this, I enjoyed reading it!!!

Thank you so much for the kind words. It truly was a wonderful cruise! I neglected to mention that what empty cabins there were on the ship were filled in Cozumel with U.S. Citizens who were stranded there by the ban on air-travel. Those poor folks were very glad to be going home!!

Oh nooooooooooooooo! Darn it. We'll be on the BC7 and quite possibly will do Elation again before then.

Love the Elation and your review. She's the go-to ship for us when we need a short "cruise-fix" since we are so close to NO.

We'll be on BC7 with you too!! We've always wanted to do a BC, but the timing has never worked out for us until now. Can't wait to finally meet you as well!

We may very well wind up on Elation again between our 3/24/2013 Glory cruise and BC7. 10 months between cruises is way too long!! :D We have taken a cruise on Elation in November 2 years in a row now.

Jubilee was the ship that started it all for us. My DW and I took our first cruise on her, the date, September 13, 2001. That's right ladies and gentlemen, only 2 days after the 9/11 attacks.

My wife had received the cruise as a hiring bonus (those were the days!!!) from the University of Louisville Hospital. (We lived in our native Kentucky at that time). For one one reason or another (the biggest being the birth of our DD) we had postponed the cruise a few times, but the time came when we had to either take the cruise, or lose it. So we booked for 9/13/2001 on the Jubilee out of Tampa.

We were all set, kids going to grandparents, vacation time scheduled, airfare paid for, bags packed. We were going to fly in a day early and spend the day in Clearwater before boarding our ship.

On the 11th, I was in my office, pretending to work. Actually I was daydreaming about the upcoming vacation. My DW was preparing by getting a manicure and running last minute errands. She was in the nail salon, when the news broke about the first plane striking the World Trade Center. She immediately called me to tell me what had happened. I went to the office next door where there was a TV, just in time to see the second plane strike the other tower. I knew immediately that this was no accident.

I called DW back and told her to take the car, and have the oil changed, tires rotated and the belts and hoses checked. I was certain even at that point that flying to Tampa was not going to be an option.

Many friends and family expressed alarm and concern that we were still going on our cruise, given what had happened. I understood their fears, but told them all that I was not about to change my plans just because some sick, evil people were trying to make me afraid. That’s what they wanted, I felt that to change my plans would be another small victory for them.

So we set off, in the car, for Tampa. A mere 14 hours away. At this point, no one at Carnival could confirm for certain if the ship would actually sail as scheduled. We called every hour.

Needless to say, the ship did sail as scheduled. I was told by one of the crew (cruise director??) that even with the restrictions on airline travel, over 90% of those who were booked on that cruise actually showed up. The couple behind us in line at check-in had driven from New Jersey, and arrived in Tampa at 9:00 that morning.

The cruise itself was very good; we had a wonderful time, even though we missed our scheduled stop in Key West due to a Tropical Storm in the Gulf. (Our first and only missed port……so far). I was a bit concerned that the stress and worry about the tragic events that had just taken place would make the mood onboard a somber one, but that was far from the case. It did my heart good to see everyone enjoying themselves.

That cruise started our addiction, but our family vacations for the next several years consisted mainly of trips to WDW, which we also love. In 2004 we moved to the Alabama Gulf Coast, and in 2007 we started cruising again, that cruise was on Jubilee’s sister ship, the Holiday. We were joined by my MIL and FIL and we’ve been cruising as a group ever since.

My FIL and I will become Platnium cruisers on our next sailing, 3/24 Carnival Glory from Miami. DW and MIL have taken a couple of "girls cruises" and reached Platnium a few cruises ago.

Carnival has changed a lot since 2001, some changes good, some not so good, but the ting that keeps bringing us back (besides the fact that we just love being on the ocean and seeing new places) is the wonderful Carnival staff and crew. We have met so many wonderful crewmembers over the years, and have made many great memories.

Just cruise and enjoy your sobriety!! I've been on 2 cruises in recovery and they have been the best ones yet!! So nice to actually remember everything, not to worry about my bar tab, or smuggling my booze on-board.

I'm very lucky, being around alcohol and those drinking it does not bother me in the least. I honestly do not miss it, and never crave it. Sometimes our new-found sobriety can make others in our party uncomfortable about drinking around us. My DW and MIL are not alcoholics, an on our first cruise after I started living sober they were reluctant to enjoy a drink, fearing that it would be uncomfortable for me. It took a lot of convincing, but I finally got them over that.

The Bill W. meeting on the ship are probably not what you are used to in your home group. They are not as formal (no reading "How It Works" and all that), at least in my experience, but it's really great to meet others that are recovering and hear their experiences. Sometimes the times they are scheduled for are not the best, but I always make at least 2 or 3 on a 7-day cruise.

Paul, That ship you were talking about is called a Ro-Ro (Roll On-Roll Off). They are fairly common now, All Automobile carriers are of this type, and the Military Sealift Command (Part of the Navy) maintains several to transport combat vehicles overseas.

In fact there is a whole group of them at Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean that is kept, fully loaded with the equipment for a heavy mechanized brigade, ready to sail at 48 hour's notice. If you've sailed out of New Orleans, there are 2 of them just downriver from the cruise terminal.

Getting back to sailaway.

 

We sailed out of the rain after turning in the basin and heading down the channel. By time time we got back to the area where we had been docked for boarding the rain was all behind us.

 

Miami is my favorite port for sailaway and the skies cooperated by clearing up and enabling me to get out on our deck to get pics. I think I get pics of this house on Star Island on just about every cruise;

 

 

 

 

I heard someone on a balcony near us talking about this ship. He said it is designed as a drive on carrier for container trucks and is quicker to load than traditional crane loading. He also elaborated that it resulted in quicker shipping times due to no wait for loading and the truckers liked it because they could pull right on, unhook then stop on the way out and pick up an outgoing load. I don't know if he was a trucker or what, but he did seem to know a lot about it. He also mentioned the designer came up with the idea and had one built and now is worth mega $$. Who knows. To me it was an interesting looking vessel;

 

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I guess I might have seen this 'light?' or whatever it is before, but I have to wonder if it's art or does it serve a purpose? Or did someone just assemble it poorly?

 

 

 

 

Karen and I ate some delicious rolls at this steakhouse on our 20th anniversary cruise (2009);

 

 

 

 

 

Looking North along South Beach the weather wasn't nearly as pleasant as it was for our day there;

 

 

 

 

Our pre and post cruise hotel, The Savoy; behind the patio terrace and between the two higher buildings;

 

Great review Paul!! Your kiddos have grown so much just since 2010!! Hope we get the chance to sail with your family again soon!!

4 times Legend-love the itinerary and Spirit class ships

3 times Elation-closest port

2 times Fascination- love the ship and a 5 day cruise

2 times Holiday- we also loved this ship

2 times Celebration-were not a lot of ships to choose from

We loved the Holiday too. Best crew ever!!

Our family group has sailed on Legend twice. We love the ship and the itinerary.

My DW and MIL have been on the Elation 3 times. It used sail out of Mobile and we live less than 20 min from the port, so it was very easy for them.

Generally speaking it's a combination of factors.

Itinerary is most important. We love seeing new places.

Schedule, we travel with at least 5 people, so we have to find one that works for all.

Ship, We liked the Conquest, but personally I thought the Dream was too big for us.

Departure port. My MIL and FIL fly in from KY, so that's less of an issue for them. But the rest of us prefer to drive. Don't have to worry about over-packing that way. :D Lucky for us there are a lot of ports within reasonable driving distance. This year we are sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale, the longest drive yet. When we compare the cost of driving vs. the cost of flying (and all the hassle involved) it's a no-brainer for us. More money to spend on the cruise!! :)

Do you have a contact for Sonny Liston on St.Thomas?

http://sunnylistonfuntours.com/

I think we fall somewhere in the middle as far as cruise $$ are concerned.

Where we splurge:

We usually book a Balcony or Suite. why?? We like it. I'm not anti-social but I really love the solitude of sitting out on the balcony and reading, or just watching the ocean go by. It's worth it to us. When we can, we get a small suite, the extra space is very nice to have. Our upcoming 5-day Thanksgiving cruise will be my first in an inside cabin.....to be honest, I'm a little bit nervous about it. Unlike a lot of people I DO spend a lot of time in my cabin (well....on the balcony actually....)

Excursions: If it sounds interesting we do it. We do tend to book a lot of independant tours however. But only after careful research. Some of the independant operators are really outstanding, Cabe-tubing.com in Belieze, Victor Bodden in Roatan, and Sonny Liston in St. Thomas for example.

Specialty Resturant: Once a cruise. Great food, and service and a more "private" dining experience than the MDR. My DW and I usually go, but on our Legend cruise in April 2011 my DD (12) and I went for a father-daughter date. It was really nice. She's been a steak-lover since she got enough teeth to chew it, and the look on her face when she took her first bite of that thick, tender Fillet (medium-rare of course) was PRICELESS!!

Soda cards for the kids. DW and I just drink lemonade and tea, and I bring those little Crystal Light drink packets.

Where we save:

We book early....usually close to a year in advance. Departure port and itenerary are important factors to us.

We always drive to the departure port. Living on the AL Gulf Cost puts several ports within easy driving distance. With a family of 4, it's a huge money-saver. This also allows us more freedom in packing, eliminating the whole laundry thing.

Pre-Cruise hotel: I don't need to stay at an expensive hotel for just one night. Just a safe comfortable place to catch some sleep. We always drive in the day before, mainly to keep my stress-level down pre-cruise. :D We look for one that has a park and cruise option. This makes the hotel stay almost pay for itself.

Drinks: In the past, I was a huge booze smuggler. Now that I no longer drink alcohol, that's one less thing to worry about. DW isn't a big drinker, one or 2 per cruise, sometimes not at all.

Spa: We're just not "spa people" :) I'm sure some really love it, but it's just not our thing. DW and DD usually get their nails done before we leave home.

Trinkets: 'Fridge magnets and cheap t-shirts. I also usually buy a hat or 2.

Casino: Again, not as big draw for us. If we want to gamble, we have plenty of Casinos close to home. (we don't go to them either)

Connectivity: No cell-phone, no Internet. I'm in the IT field, the LAST thing I want to do on my vacation is be online or have people call me on my phone. My iPhone goes into "Airplane Mode" shortly after departure and I just use it for music.

We also always pre-pay our gratuities before sailing. Doesn't save money really, but it's one less thing to deal with on vacation.

We take a common-sense approach to spending while on any vacation. We know what's important to us, and spend the bulk of our $$ on those things.

Carnival Legend, April 2009, docked in Cozumel getting ready to leave port. I'm standing on my balcony watching a big ferry load and unload trucks and industrial equipment (Yes, I am a ship nerd, I love that sort of thing). I hear a loud group on their balcony about 2 decks below me. Being the curious sort, I lean over the rail to see what all the fuss is about. There below me is a 40-ish bleached blonde, topless (with obvious surgical enhanced.......assets) whooping and hollering and showing of for the tenders coming back to the dock from various excursions. Probably not drunk, but judging from the smell of the smoke coming up from that balcony she and her party were not smoking regular cigarettes. :)

With catlike reflexes, I immediately went next door to fetch.......my FIL. Didn't want him to miss the show!!!

By the time it was over, DW and MIL were both watching.

Very funny stuff. We laughed every time we saw her for the rest of the cruise. FIL still talks about it.

Can't believe the size of that cheese cake! Everything looks yummy. The lamb and prime rib were also huge portions.

I had that cheesecake in the steakhouse on the Dream on our last cruise. It is indeed HUGE.....and it tastes even better than it looks!!

We booked with Victor Bodden when wen were on Legend last April and also had Tex as our guide. What a great Guy!!! The thing that struck me most about Roatan was how proud they are of their island (they should be, it is absolutely beautiful) and how genuinely friendly everyone was. They really seemed to appreciate that we were there.

We had a number of special requests, and Tex arranged for us to do everything we wanted.

We'd asked in advance to visit a school. I've worked in K-12 education in the past and still work in an education related field. I thought it might be eye-opening for our DS and DD to see what schools were like in other, less developed parts of the world. It was a great experience, but I have to say that it backfired a little. The school itself was about what you would expect, primitive compared to what we are used to here in the U.S. But.....it is RIGHT ON THE BEACH!!! We were taken to meet a kindergarten class, and the children were all so adorable in their uniforms. WE brought some Mardi Gras beads for the kids (We are from Mobile AL.....Mardi Gras is a big deal here) and the kids loved them. We also brought a large package of basic school supplies to give to the staff.

My DW is a Registered Nurse and was interested in seeing a hospital or clinic. Tex took us to a medical clinic that is run by a retired American nurse who moved to Roatan ~15 years ago. HE introduced her to the staff, and in nothing flat they were showing her all around and "talking shop". I think this may have been her favorite part of the trip.

Then we went to Victor's house to see the monkeys (very cute) and the kids wen't zip-lining.

Tex took us to a great local place for lunch and then just drove us all around the island, telling us about the local culture and history.

Definitely our favorite excursion ever.

If I ever win the lottery........I am moving to Roatan.

Our extended family (4 of us + MIL and FIL) shared 2 Cat-11 suites on the Legend last April. One aft-wrap (8268) and one immediately forward on the port side (8266). The suites and the balconies were awesome!!!! So much room. We had the divider opened, so we all enjoyed one HUGE balcony all week.

Well worth the extra cost IMHO. Even though we were directly beneath the Lido deck, we didn't have any problems with noise, nor did we see any of the "soot" that so many talk about.

Considered another aft-wrap for our upcoming Carnival Dream cruise, but they don't appear to be as large as those on the Legend, so we opted for 2 regular Cat-11 balcony suites.

It looks very nice, but IMHO Roatan is best experienced by getting away from the pier and exploring the island and meeting the people.

We were there this past April and loved it!! Can't wait to go back!!

We have only tried it once, on Conquest 2 years ago, but it was amazing. I defiantly thought it was worth the extra cost.

Is it a "must do"......no. But for a special occasion, it's a wonderful treat.

We just got off the Legend today. We booked with Victor about a month prior to our cruise. Our guide/driver was Tex and I can't say enough good things about him!! It was a truly wonderful day. Roatan is so beautiful, the people are so open and friendly!!

At our request, Tex took us to a school (so the kids could see how school is in other parts of the world), a medical clinic (my DW is an RN) and gave us a great driving tour of the island. Tex has lived on Roatan all his life and gave us a lot of great insight into the island and it's people.

We also went to Victor's house, played with the Monkeys and the kiddos went ziplining.

We all agreed that this was our favorite cruise port of all time. In fact, I'd very much like to spend an entire "land vacation" on the island.

Book with Victor, you will not regret it.

Thanks to everyone on this thread for all the excellent information. Our extended family (Myself, my DW, DD and DS + my MIL and FIL) will be in Roatan on April 11th on the Carnival Legend.

This will be the third Caribbean cruise for our little group and we were looking for something a little different. My wonderful MIL (Mary......are you listening.... :) ) expressed interest in a tour that would show us the real human and cultural side of one of our ports....not just what you see from the "usual" tours.

In particular, we want our children (DD 9 and DS 15) to visit the school. I think it might be educational for them to see how other children of the world live and learn. At the very least, I hope it will give them an appreciation for the life they enjoy at home.

I'm by far the most extensively traveled member of our family. I've been all over to world, to wonderful luxurious places and to heartbreakingly poor and depressing places. I try to impress on our children just how blessed they are to be growing up in the United States, but I think that seeing the reaility of a 3rd world school, and how truly happy the children are to be able to attend and learn (I've never failed to see a school in a country like Honduras where the children were not thrilled to be able to attend a school) that perhaps it will make an impression on them.

We have heard so much about the natural beauty of Roatan.......I can hardly wait to see it!!

 

 

Can you explain the difference in

roll pitch and yaw?

 

side to side, up and down or round and round?:D

 

DH and I both love the motion of the ocean and have never been seasick.

 

I'm getting a little worried this time--I booked the cabins--extended balconies all the way forward on deck 5. I'm afraid our cruise buds will get sick and blame me :eek:

 

thanks!

No problem...

Roll: Side to side as you face the bow (or stern). Like the floor (deck) is tilting beneath your feet.

Pitch: Up and down, rising and falling vertically. Think of a fast elevator.

Yaw: A little harder......lateral (as apposed to rotational) side-to side movement. Caused as the end of the ship (fore or aft) moves from side to side. Generally speaking, yaw is only really felt (on large vessels) in very heavy sea conditions.

While the lower decks may have a lower magnitude in the amount of movement felt, shouldn't the overall effect feel pretty similar because both the upper and lower decks will undergo the exact same angular velocity/frequency? I am really not sure one way or the other and I could be convinced either way but I am a math nerd and would love to see someone break out the calculations.

I'm FAR from a math nerd, but as a 10 year US Navy vet (Destroyers) I can confirm from actual experience, and lots of it, that the effects of heavy seas, particularly roll, are definitely less pronounced the lower in the ship you are.

When a ship is moving in heavy seas, she moves in all 3 axises. Roll, Pitch and Yaw.

For some reason, Roll seems to have the greatest effect on our inner ear and is usually the greatest contributor to motion sickness. Thankfully, I've never experienced motion sickness, I appear to be immune, but I've seen LOTS of others struggle with it.

Roll effects are definitely less pronounced on the lower decks. Pitch and Yaw effects depend on how far forward (toward the pointy end for you 'lubbers) or how far aft you are. In both cases, the effects are reduced the closer to the center of the ship you are.

Trust me on this. I've sailed in some of the nastiest seas you are likely to find. The North Atlantic in January, Hurricane Andrew......you get the idea. 60'+ waves.......fun fun fun.

Modern cruise ships, particularly the larger ones, are remarkably stable. Part of that is just sheer size, part is the design of the underwater hull, part is the stabilizer systems that they have.

That said, if you are a person who easily becomes motion sick.......book low in the ship and as close to the center as you can.

Me.......if the seas get rough, you will find me as far forward and as high up as I can get.......enjoying the "motion of the ocean" and the sheer power and majesty that is the sea. :)

We were caught up in the July 13th customs check. It was a pain to be sure, but all in all it didn't detract from our overall experience. We were already in the terminal, having gotten there early, so we just had to wait in the pre-boarding area after completing check-in. But a lot of people, including my MIL and FIL had to wait outside until boarding began.

I honestly found embarkation, even with the delay, less painful than debarkation. A note to the Galveston cruise terminal folks.....PLEASE, PLEASE, put some more bathrooms in the debarkation area!!!! :o

Soot? As in like soot from a fireplace?:confused:

From the funnels (engine exhaust), also can come from incenerators if they burn trash and other solid waste, not sure if CCL does this or not.

I know a lot of the new ships, like QM2, are "green" and do not use incenerators, but I'm betting that a lot of the older ships do.