ramref

Just now, Jamman54 said:

Hey Rich! How's that for timing. Were Janice and Charley with you? Patti got a couple of pictures of the Enchanted Princess sailing under the VNB. 

It was only Kathy and I. It was something Kathy found about 2 months ago.

It ended up being less expensive with the packages offered by Princess.

Hey Jeff,

i”ll be along for the ride.

While you were getting on in Manhattan, we were in Brooklyn getting on the Enchanted Princess.

looking forward to your review and Patti’s photos.

3 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

Hey Rich, glad that you dropped in!  Do you have Havana cabins? Give our best to the rest of the gang! 

No they were sold out we ended up with inside spa cabins.

I will keep looking to see if something opens up

Hi Jeff,

Looking forward to your review and Patti’s photo as we will be doing a back to back the end of September and beginning of October.

Rich

On 2/23/2024 at 6:51 PM, Jamman54 said:

Our final thoughts and ramblings. 

 

Patti and I don’t normally like sailing in January. Patti and I don’t normally like sailing from Miami. Patti and I don’t normally like sailing for “only” seven days. But when our friends Jim & Pat told us about the Tribe cruise, we jumped right on it, even though it was “only” seven days, from Miami, in January.

 

This was a chance to meet a whole bunch of people that we had been “talking” to for years here on Cruise Critic, and this experience did not disappoint. In fact, the only disappointment was that the cruise ended much too soon. We want to say that it was an honor and a pleasure to meet and cruise with each and every one of you. We would cruise with any one of you again in the future. So thank you Pam, Ellen, Vic & Donna, Amy, Heather & Peter, Lorraine & Roger, Beverly, Karen & Gerald, Megan & Brian, Sid, and Jim & Pat, for making this cruise so special!

 

You may have noticed that I used their real names. That’s because these are real people. We sometimes forget that there are real people posting behind the screen names they use. If you have been following this thread you should be able to match the real names to the screen names, but in the end, these are all just great real people.

 

Patti and I have our own personal Hall of Fame of prolific Cruise Critic Reviewers that we have had the honor and pleasure to have met and cruised with. This cruise provided us with two more inductees. This is our updated list, somewhat in the order of appearance: jimbo5544, Mitsugirly, Saint Greg, willdra, MeganGC1983, & sid_9169. If that looks like a who’s who of prolific reviewers, that’s because it is. There are quite a few more out there that we would love to meet and sail with.

 

Now, as for the Celebration, we did give our final thoughts after our first cruise on her last April, but I’ll re-hash some of our points. Patti and I really enjoyed our time on the Celebration, but the Excel Class is still not our favorite. We still enjoy the Spirit Class, and the Vista Class if having a Havana cabin, better. Everyone has their favorites, right?

 

As like the first time that we cruised on the Celebration, we never ate in the MDR except for the Diamond Lunch. There are just so many dining options there is no need too. There were a couple of days where we just wanted a quick meal up at the Marketplace. We had no problem finding something that we liked, and most of what was on the dining room menu that day, was available here.

 

Once again we have to say that even with over 6,000 passengers on board we really didn’t run into many crowding issues, other than embarkation day where everyone heads to the Lido Deck. Yes, you had to line up for the 18+ comedy shows at the Punchliner, but the PG comedy shows at the Limelight Lounge were no problem. It was almost impossible to get a seat at the Alchemy Bar. In fact, I don’t remember having a drink there the whole cruise! We didn’t have any problems getting a seat at Latitudes or Golden Jubilee.

 

 If you want a good seat at the Grand Spectrum Theater, get there a half hour early. Now the Center Stage is a different animal. There aren’t many seats on any deck that give you a clear view of any show. If you want one of those, get there an hour early. Patti being hearing impaired likes to sit as close as possible, so you’ll find us down on the floor amongst the props and set pieces. It’s pretty cool to sit down there, but even down there you can’t see everything. With the huge video screens, you feel like you’re “inside” the show, and during some of the shows the cast will interact with you. Pretty cool. Just one thing to know that if you sit down there, you can’t leave once the show starts. Well, you can, but there is a procedure that the crew will explain to you before the show.

 

We enjoyed our ports of call. Our Pool Cabana in Amber Cove, Patti walking around Old San Juan while I utilized the Cheers Program, and our day at Coki Beach in St. Thomas were all very enjoyable.

 

We love the cabins on this class of ships, even if the bathrooms are a little smaller. On all four of our XL cruises, we have had extended balconies on the “hump”. I believe that these are the only balconies on the ship, other than the cove balconies, that you can look down directly to the water. We will have the same cabin that we had on this cruise (11358), when we sail on the Jubilee next year. 

 

As far as embarkation and debarkation went, it was as almost perfect as it could possibly be. I would highly recommend that you get passports if you haven’t already. Though not needed to travel on these cruises, getting through customs is a breeze if you have one. Step up to the facial recognition and you’re out of there. If not, you’ll have to wait in what could be a lengthy line to see an agent. It’s your choice. 

 

Patti and I are not crazy about sailing from Miami anymore. For us, Port Canaveral is much easier, since most of the time we drive to Florida, and can save about eight hours of driving by cruising from there. I also know that it’s much easier to fly to Miami to board a ship, than it is to fly to Orlando for PC departures. Whatever works best for you. 

 

My mind has gone blank, so if you have any questions at all we’ll be more than happy to answer them for you. If I think of anything else, I’ll be sure to post it.

 

And now here are our future cruise plans. On April 14th 2024, we will be back in Port Canaveral for B2B cruises on the Carnival Vista to the Eastern and Southern Caribbean. We have the same Havana inside cabin booked for both legs. Two weeks of the “Havana Experience”. Sweet! Based on our experience with Cheers on the Celebration, we will be purchasing Cheers once again!

 

Then on August 31^st  2024, we will be boarding The Carnival Venezia from our homeport of New York, on B2B cruises to Bermuda and Canada. It just so happens that Lee Mason will be boarding the ship the same day as us, to take over as Cruise Director. It should be fun.

 

2025 will be a special year for cruising for us. To start off, we will be making a mega road trip that will take us to New Orleans and Galveston, two ports we haven’t sailed from, on two ships we haven’t sailed on. On March 31^st, 2025 we will be boarding the Carnival Valor in New Orleans for B2B 5 day cruises to the Western Caribbean. Upon return we will head over to Galveston where on the next day, April 12^th, 2025 we will board the Carnival Jubilee on a 7 day cruise to the Western Caribbean. That should be some adventure!

 

Then in September we will be flying out to Seattle, where on September 26^th, 2025 we will be boarding the Carnival Spirit for a 15 day cruise to Hawaii. It will be great to go there once again! Will any of you be sailing with us? If not, we’ll be bringing the cruise to you! 

 

Before I end this, I have to thank my beautiful wife Patti. I couldn’t do these adventures, these reviews, or live life without her. She is my best friend, my rock, and a heck of a photographer! 

 

Speaking of photography, the photos you see on these reviews are only a small portion of all the photos Patti takes during our cruises. If you would like to see the whole package, there is a link in my signature for our Cruise and Vacation albums. Feel free to check them out if you are so inclined. 

 

So, until next time, may you have blue skies and calm seas!!!

Hey Jeff,

Looking  forward to your review and Patti’s photos.

Wish we were on the cruise with you everyone as it looked like a great cruise.

Happy New Year to you and Patti!!

Thanks Jeff for the fantastic review and Patti for great photos.

It was a pleasure meeting both of you and spending time during the 21 days.

We look forward to seeing you again on the cruise to Hawaii.

9 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Have a great cruise! Please tell Zora at the Amari Bar that Jeff and Patti said hello! 😎

 

Hey Jeff,

We are at the Fairfield inn in North Bergen.

Taking the 9:00am shuttle to the port.

I’ll say hello to Zora for you.

Hey Jeff,

It’s finally official. We are booked for the Hawaii cruise on the Spirit!

2 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

 

 

This is a very legitimate question, and this is our opinion. For us, the lack of a pool is a deal breaker, and we would not book a Terrazza cabin. The area is beautiful, which you will see in the next soggy segment. 

     
     I just stayed in a Terrazza cabin and agree the area does not justify the price.

     I was offered an upgrade from a standard balcony for $148 and it was worth it       
     for that price.

2 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

 

Hey Rich! It was a pleasure to meet and hang out with you guys on the Venezia. Please feel free to post your insights, experiences, and observations as the review progresses. Did you book the Spirit Hawaii cruise yet? 😀

 

 

I think you made a great choice! We are booked for a B2B on the Venezia again next year. 😎

3 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

 

Hey Rich! It was a pleasure to meet and hang out with you guys on the Venezia. Please feel free to post your insights, experiences, and observations as the review progresses. Did you book the Spirit Hawaii cruise yet? 😀

 

 

I think you made a great choice! We are booked for a B2B on the Venezia again next year. 😎

     I called the diamond desk yesterday and i have to wait for

       the last cruise to post to be diamond in their system.       

Hi Jeff,

It looks like you have been busy over the last couple of days.

It was great meeting you and Patti and look forward to you review.

19 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Hey CJ!!! You're going to have an awesome time! CC friends that we met that were on with us for 21 days, will be getting back on the 28th with you guys. We're soooooooo jealous! 

Hey Jamman54!! There are still Terrazza rooms left for you to join us!

Enjoyed our 21 day adventure together.

47 minutes ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

But did you receive an email and/or phone call yesterday when they said.  Please do not proceed to the cruise terminal until you have received our final update?

Yes we received both an email and phone call

4 minutes ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

I got that text but NO email or recorded voice message this time.  Hopefully, people that got the phone call and/or email that said "Please do not proceed to the cruise terminal until you have received our final update" get the update.

I didn’t receive an email or phone call either

1 hour ago, Haljo1935 said:

Please keep us posted - those of us already on for B2B are not hearing anything. Safe travels, whatever it may be.

Just received update, embarkation will operate as planned

On 5/4/2023 at 10:29 AM, Jamman54 said:

We just booked this cruise so we'll also be doing the 21 day B2B. Can't wait!!! 😀

We just booked this one last week and will be with you on the B2B.

We will be turning diamond on the second leg.

16 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Thanks! Still $400 for our two week cruise. 

I emailed the port parking and was told $45 per day and no more maximum.

With AARP gift cards you can purchase 5 gift cards per month.

They have $100 and $500 cards for both Carnival and Celebrity.

The OP has children who may not be vaccinated

We'll be cruising out of Manhattan next month on the Horizon. The earliest embarkation time offered was 1 - 1:30pm. Our hotel shuttles cruise passengers at 9 and 10am on embarkation day. Any chance we will be able to board before our allotted time?

Thank you.

We cruised on the Horizon in June. When you enter to check in, there will be two lines, one for on time and one for early/late.

We always go to the steakhouse the first night. You can purchase wines at half price. On our last cruse our group purchased 6 bottles per couple. We had it brought to the MDR every evening. Some also took bottles to the room.

Cost was about $120 for 6 bottles

What makes them "incredible"?

 

I just don't get it. It's a hot tub you have to pay for and a stone lounge chair (?)

CLOUD 9 SPA: THALASSOTHERAPY POOL

On a Carnival cruise, the vast and beautiful sea is all around you. You can do all the looking you want from the ship, but sorry — no touching allowed. (We’re sure you’ll understand.) That’s what the thalassotherapy pool at the onboard Cloud 9 Spa is for! Get your sea-water fix and soak completely in it, easily absorbing all the relaxing, rejuvenating benefits of the trace elements and vitamins you’ll find in nature. Oh, and here’s one thing you’ll only find in our special pool: water jets that massage and invigorate. Mother Nature’s great, but she can’t do that.

MJS transportation is also an excellent shuttle service used them twice

FLL to Miami($15pp) New Mercedes Vans

Marriott Biscayne Bay also has a good gov rate. (just need ID)

Taxi to Port is about $10-$15

They call your cell phone as soon as you land and have you call back as soon as you pick up your luggage. They give you the place to meet outside for pickup. Also contact you the morning you get back to port.