SF Cfan

19 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Btw the 2 carnival ships you mentioned are sister to the 2 I took. Vista class ..horizon, closed in promenade deck and halved the theater and comedy club so it's hard to get in. Comedy club especially. There are many that say if you arent doing Havana club on horizon even they would prefer other ships. Magic that class has the best spa cabin perks. 

 

Carnival Magic is one of the three Dream Class ships.  Dream class proceeded the Vista class.

I can nerd-out on this question ship-wise.  My wife and I have cruised on Magic, Explorer, and Vista (sister of Horizon).

My subjective opinion would lean towards Magic or Explorer.  I just couldn't warm to the Vista (Horizon) even though the cruise was really nice (Mediterranean).  The lack of the soaring atrium lobby on the Vista class is the deal breaker for me.

Explorer unfortunately was denied its planned Royal Amplified upgrade as Covid shut everything down.  Have a look at Navigator of the Seas on Royal's website to see what Explorer is missing (waterslides for one thing).  I would still cruise on Explorer in spite of its age and lack of upgrades.  The public spaces and variety of entertainment offer a nice change from Carnival.  The MDR and Windjammer Buffet (Lido) are similar enough to Carnival.  The pizza and free burgers are much better on Carnival.

Best wishes on whichever cruise you choose.

1 hour ago, Indytraveler83 said:

My suspicion is that they'll try to put us in 4K rooms, which offer big windows, but a glorious view of a lifeboat.  

 

Not sure about you, but we've got a lot of time before our cruise, so if that is what happens, I'll just have to keep my eye out on upgrade offers/rates.

Thank you for posting this.  I had a 4K (or its equivalent) on Holland America (on the Eurodam) several years ago and really liked it for its price-point.  We too were booked in a 4J for the 2023 Miami to Seattle sailing.  I'm disappointed not to have the forward facing window.  However, if we get assigned to a 4K at a gap in the lifeboats I'll consider that a fair swap.

The Windjammer Cafe (Lido Buffet) has defined hours of operation versus the Lido Buffet on Carnival which is open all day.  However, that does not put a damper on grabbing a snack or Pizza (deck 5) between lunch and dinner.  There are multiple casual dining spots usually open elsewhere.

We have sailed on both ships and all 3 of the Dream class, Dream, Magic, and Breeze.  Much prefer the Magic even though it really only boils down to a couple of reasons:

Vista does not have the atrium lobby (the Imax theatre is above the lobby).  This makes the lobby area very closed-in.

The differences in the main theater and comedy club already mentioned in another response.

Are we thinking about booking a cruise on Vista's sister ship the Panorama for a Mexico cruise?  Absolutely yes.

3 hours ago, smplybcause said:

Are you checking bags? That can cause wrinkles. Either if you don't carry them off and they are not taken off the ship enough -or- there are cut off times for checking bags at the airport, So even if you have enough time to make the flight the computers have locked down so they can't check in your bags. 

 

Also don't forget pretty much every airline closes the door at least 15 mins before takeoff. So you'd need to be at your gate before 10:35.

When we returned to FLL from our Allure cruise back in the good old pre COVID days of December 2019, Royal offered the check the bags in on the ship and you'll see them again at your home airport service.  There was a charge for it.  But, it worked as advertised.  Don't know if they are still offering this service.  If they are an they can accommodate the 10:50 flight time that would save you having to reclaim them when departing the ship. 

Barcelona is an easy place to begin or end a cruise.  I don't know what the experience will be like sailing out of Ravenna other than it appears to be closest to Bologna for air connections.  Civitavecchia is a good way from Rome airport or the City of Rome.  The June 6th and 13th sailings will give you access to star sight museums and historical attractions by virtue of calling at Livorno and Civitavecchia.

I would recommend the June 13th sailing because it gives you the opportunity to extend at both ends in Barcelona and Rome.  This offers a nice combination of incredible historical sites and soak-it-in beautiful port towns. 

Even though you may book guided land tours it may be helpful to pick-up a copy of Rick Steves guide book on Mediterranean Cruise Ports.  The book does a good job of describing the logistics of getting from the port to where the actual things are that you want to see.  This may help you maximize your time in each location.

Best wishes on your ultimate selection.

29 minutes ago, Ptroxx said:

Sounds like exactly what I’m looking for.

  Have cold weather gear. so that’s not an issue.  Not to worried about the shops and food.   I’ll find something local.    
I was looking at the 8th cruise as well.   Really looking for a cool relaxing trip.  Thanks  

7 days on the ship with lots of inviting indoor areas and beautiful scenery, I think it would be easy to enjoy one's self.  We'll be on the other side of September 21, less than 12 hours per day of daylight and losing some minutes every day.  I think you have the right outlook.  Just going in with the knowledge that the weather may be gloomy from boarding in Seattle to the cruise itself.  We just don't get the Fall warm and dry weather to the extant that Northern California does.

Found this, which should be helpful even though it is not good news.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/ab/agents/variation-a/articles.cfm?ID=3363

Passenger Z books two cruises that are back-to-back on the same ship. The first is a repositioning from San Diego to Vancouver. The second is a one-way Alaskan cruise from Vancouver to Anchorage. That passenger is essentially being transported from San Diego to Anchorage by way of Vancouver, which is not a distant foreign port since it is in North America. A violation would be triggered. Again, the cruise line is not likely to allow you to knowingly create a violation and would not allow the booking in the first place. If the booking slips through, Passenger Z would likely be denied re-boarding in Vancouver.

We sailed on her 3 years ago, Pacific Coastal.  I would sail on Explorer again tomorrow if I could even with the obvious long-in-the-tooth issues that VirginiaIsForCruisers accurately described above.  We have since cruised on Ovation and Allure.  It's fun to have that perspective.  There is no denying that the resort vacation experience was on a higher level on Ovation or Allure.

However as far as Explorer goes I like the more formal main dining room, the Viking Crown Lounge for a nice view, and the less crowded buffet (realizing that this may be time of year dependent).

On 2/7/2015 at 5:20 PM, brianm27 said:

We were on the 25th sailing of Majesty in October of 1992. I can't remember the order, but we went to Ocho Rios, Cozumel, Grand Caymen and Labadee. We are not sure if there was another port but definitely those four on that sailing.

I also sailed on this itinerary in 1992.  The approximate order of ports was Labadee, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.

This recent comparison on YouTube may provide some useful insights as well.

Are there late night options for a sandwich, pizza or heavy snack?

Yes, Cafe Promenade and Sorrentos on Deck 4

Are we going to miss lots of scheduled shows and events by selecting late dining?

No.

Will the swimming pools be open on cruises to cooler destinations? Are they covered?

The Solarium, Deck 14 Forward is glassed-in and the pool just behind it is covered.

You are in for a treat if you decide to book.  The Anthem class ships are very inviting and as you will discover well suited to all weather cruising (lots of indoor public spaces like Club Two70).

On 4/19/2021 at 4:39 AM, John&LaLa said:

 

+1

Easy access to Schooner and Boardwalk

 

Just avoid 7😉

But I think my next sailing on her is deck 7 aft🤣🤣

+1 for deck 6 and Boardwalk access

And similar logistics / time getting to and from the airport to the cruise terminals in both Seattle and San Francisco.  The extra 3 days at sea would make a really nice difference.  I think we all experience that great "vacation" feeling on days 5 & 6 of the cruise.  Then the cold-hearted cruise line kicks us off of the ship on the 8th morning.  Wouldn't 2 or 3 more days be nice?  Yes they would!

On 3/24/2021 at 10:55 AM, Sea Dog said:

We loved Coco Cay and did not pay for a thing. There is lot's to do without spending any money. 

+1

2 hours ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

Well, that sure looks like it is docked on her starboard side...

Yes, the starboard side in this instance was facing southeast with more of a view to the island.

On 3/9/2021 at 8:04 AM, cellfree said:

Because I have no idea where ships dock in Bermuda when they stay overnight, is it a good idea to choose a Cove Balcony (have always wanted to try one) or is it better to be on a higher deck? What would the view be like from a Cove Balcony on the Magic while docked in Bermuda? 

The Dream docked in Bermuda.

20 minutes ago, Blizzard54 said:

The Ovation gets under the Lyons Gate Bridge because the stacks are retractable.  As I recall that was necessary to get it from the shipyard to the open ocean.  I believe the Navigator is the same as the Explorer that can not get under the Lyons Gate.

Things were more fun in the pre-social distancing days.  I can attest that the Ovation sails under the Lyons Gate sans stacks.  This was the 1st time she did it.

My first cruise ever was on the Viking Serenade, the 4 day (Mon-Fri) Baja Cruise.  Loved it, glad to see RC coming back to San Pedro.

On 2/27/2021 at 9:16 PM, firefly333 said:

Carnival lunch time is my favorite and buffet is always open where you can sit and talk. Sounds dumb but I hate to be locked out of the buffet on rcl until 630 dinner. I dont want to eat, just sit and read maybe get a drink of lemonade. Carnival I like this, though I'm sure I'm alone.

 

Not dumb, keeping the Lido buffet open is really nice when you want to play board games with your family in the late afternoon on a sea day.  I don't begrudge RCL for shutting the food down.  I just wish they would keep the space open.

6 hours ago, NewKansasKruiser said:

Anyone have any tips on it or things they do different?  

We've cruised twice with John.

First time was in 2011, 12 day Mediterranean cruise out of Barcelona on the brand new Magic.  John was the Cruise Director.

Second time was in in 2015, 11 day Journeys cruise out of New Orleans to Bermuda ending in San Juan with calls in between.  That cruise was on the Dream and John was John plus whoever the Dream's CD was at the time.

Some impressions may have been ship, crew or itinerary related.  But, 2 cruises with different itineraries and 4 years apart, John was a common element both times.

The captain's receptions were more substantial, 'not phoned in' comes to mind as being different from the usual Carnival event.  The captain and the crew were in no hurry to leave and made a point of talking to individual passengers.  I don't know that this was a direct effect of John's presence.  Nonetheless it made an impression on me.

John was very approachable and visible.

John seemed to give more attention to what type and where the cruises were sailing.  By this I mean his comments were nuanced during events like the sail away party or welcome show in the main theater.  This was very noticeable when we did a second Mediterranean cruise in 2016 on the Vista.  Everything was very standard Carnival generic on that cruise.  That's not a terrible thing.  It just wasn't the 2011 Magic cruise with John's savvy dialog.

There are many CD's with good comic timing.  John is another level above on the Love & Marriage show and any else he touches for that matter.

John is chatty over the ship's public address in a good way including more thoughtful anecdotal information about upcoming ports or events on ship.  Some will bristle or remind me that the better CD's do this too.  I think John's years of experience make him seem more relaxed in his expertise than some.  Your upcoming cruise may be a little different depending on what role the actual CD plays.

The final thing that comes to mind in terms of being different was the food in the main dining room.  This observation is probably shaky ground because we have both time and circumstances to consider.  But, it was awesome on both 2011 Mediterranean and 2015 Journeys.  Full disclosure, the 2015 Journeys cruise included a traditional everything and the kitchen sink midnight buffet and wonderful food in the MDR.  Of course wouldn't you know that the food on the 2016 Vista Mediterranean cruise, sans John was just good, not great.  Not sure how much of a John factor was in play, probably more of a change in budget than anything else. 

I haven't given you as many things not to miss as I would have liked.  But, I hope this gives you some sense of the overall experience sailing with John.  Please let us know when you get back next year what the experience was like.

We really enjoyed the 4J on Magic.

My wife and I have cruised on all 3 of the Dream class ships and the Vista including Mediterranean cruises on both Magic in 2011 and Vista in 2016.  We did not care for the Vista compared to any of the other classes of ships that we have sailed on with Carnival.  The lack of the soaring atrium lobby along with the unstructured main performance theater seating and more casual main dining room come to mind as negatives for us.  It wasn't a bad experience by any means just not as good.

I'm encouraged by the deck plans for Mardi Gras.  I see elements of Royal's Ovation of the Seas, which we have also sailed on.   This appears to be a major focus on impactful public spaces, something that was lacking on Vista.  The Mardi Gras Grand Central Atrium looks similar to the Club Two70 on Ovation.  This is obviously a major jump up in size for a Carnival ship.   

I can speak from experience on both Carnival and Royal, when you are enjoying a 10+ day cruise during the normal school year one can expect the Lido buffet to be free of crowds, lines, or major back-ups.  This is not the case for 7 day cruises when is school is out.  We can speculate at this point how that is all going to play out on Mardi Gras.  In any event I would like to sail on her when cruising finally comes back as a thing to do.

We sailed on her last year on December 15th.  I still have the email confirmation from booking the shows on November 15th.  I can't say how much earlier the shows were visible in the online cruise planner or if higher-ups in the Crown & Anchor rankings get an earlier crack at it (we're Platinum).  Everything was wide open when I reserved for 4 30 days out.

Magic inaugural cruise out of Barcelona, May 2011 (second overall sailing for the Magic).  Favorite cruise ever to this day.

On 12/9/2019 at 2:29 PM, Rogueperson said:

Final Thoughts on the Allure of the Sea.

 

Here is where i break down my review of my cruise and my last thought.

 

...

 

I hope you've enjoyed my in depth live thread of the Allure of the Seas.  Another first.  I have NO cruises booked at this moment in time.😚  The one that we almost book, we would have gotten no perks whatsoever.  Apparently, the Bermuda cruises are exempt from their specials.  Still, we WILL book that soon, probably in the next month, but it isn't until 2021.  So probably no live threads from me until then.

 

 

Thanks for the detailed review, pictures, and observations.  We are sailing on Allure soon.  Your posts could not have come at a better time.