RoperDK

Perhaps it is an urban myth, but I find my swollen ankles are not a problem when I drink bottled water instead of ship water.  I still drink ship water during meals, but other than that it is bottled water. I haven't changed my food or alcohol choices, so that isn't a variable.  I do drink a lot of water and I think the ship's water still contains more sodium than bottled.  So, I fall on the bottled water side and I love that I don't have cankles anymore.      

ABC is a clear winner for us.  Salt mines, flamingos, desert landscapes, amazing snorkeling, cool night life, tons of history.  So much more than another beach stop.  Amber Cove, Grand Turk, and Nassau are common.  Carnival goes there time after time.  Yawn.  The ABC itineraries are harder to find.  The only negative may be that there are more sea days.  That's a plus for us.  We love sea days.  

We were on a 4 day Mariner cruise a week ago.  Full spring break mode.  There were 2 dedicated crew members serving cones non-stop outside of Windjammer.  The lines moved quickly.  The crew were like a well-oiled machine.  I doubt that the kids and adults could have served themselves that quickly.  A big plus was there wasn't a big mess left behind.    

We will be D+ soon.  We enjoy lunch at specialty restaurants.  I assume that you can use the benefit for lunches, too?  

Doing a B2B on Royal next month.  Was going to prepay to park at the terminal, but I didn't see any way to add the next cruise.  Valet was sold out, also.  How does it work?  

We are thinking of using the trade in value on an already booked cruise. If you use the trade in value of $500, will they just reduce the current booking price or will they have to reprice to the current value?  What about an instant cruise certificate?  Hoping that you can just reduce the booked cost because repricing wouldn't help at all.

13 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

The normal lot for that is the whale lot which is a wide open surface lot right by the river walk mall. I would recommend Fulton Parking Garage instead. Security is going to be better and they have a free shuttle to/from the port. The absolute cheapest cruise parking is their rooftop parking. But indoor isn’t that much more. Make sure you switch the drop down from hotel to cruise parking and you’ll see the indoor and rooftop options.

 

https://www.neworleansparking.com

 

What you may want to consider is booking Hilton Garden inn as well. Book one day of hotel parking for that. Then book your cruise parking. HGI is right by Fulton. Park, walk across the street to your hotel, Then walk back across the street the next morning to take your shuttle to the port. 

 

 

Thanks for the valuable info.  If we did spend the night in Biloxi and head over in the morning, can we drop our luggage at the ship (Brilliance) and then proceed to the Fulton Garage?  I know this is a Carnival thread, but this will be the first time we sail with Royal out of NOLA and I can't get a good feel for where everything is.  Also, when have we cruised with Carnival in the past, we just parked at the port.  Is port parking for Carnival not a good option anymore? Thanks so much for your help!

We are searching for a way to safely park our car for a Brilliance cruise in January.  We usually stay overnight in Biloxi and then park at the port, but I am getting nervous about secure parking.  We are Diamond with Hilton, so a free room night is easy for us.  Don't know about timely shuttles though.  I sometimes have a gimpy knee so hauling luggage and walking is iffy.  Looking forward to your input.  

We are looking at doing some longer cruises, either B2B or Journeys.  We are Platinum and closing in on Diamond.  We've been cruising on Royal recently, but their higher prices are sending us back to Carnival.  I know that Journey cruises are top heavy and that we should expect some of our benefits to be reduced.  What are the good and bad points about going on one of these cruises? 

We don't consistently use the MDR.  We do Coastal Kitchen, specialty dining, and an occasional My Time MDR experience for the most part.  Other than that, we snack or visit Windjammer.  We are downsizing ships because of the crazy prices right now.  We are also later diners with 7:30 being the perfect time for us.  We just got off Mariner and had late dining at 8.  It was a great experience!  Our wait team was attentive and remembered our preferences, just like the "good old days".  Our My Time dining experiences before had been hectic and disjointed.  On my next cruise, we have MTD reserved at 7:30 each night. Should we switch to late?  We don't have a lot of MDR experience, so we don't know what the "normal" experience is. Thanks!   

Can you combine a future cruise booking with your annual prime free cruise benefit? 

Is it good? I love rack of lamb, but sometimes lamb can be iffy.

7 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

 

We certainly got value with the package which we purchased on sale. Clearly ate too much as I gained 5 pounds.

 

 Enjoy your cruise

I've always avoided the UDP because of the quantity of food.  On Oasis class, we rely mostly on Coastal Kitchen with an occasional specialty dining meal.  We cruise in suites mostly.  We are now cruising on older ships without Coastal Kitchen and I was wondering about the value of the UDP.  I know you don't have to order a ton of food, but it would be tempting for us.  What are your strategies or do you just go for it and not worry about the quantity of food? 

On 3/15/2024 at 4:03 AM, sparks1093 said:

They absolutely do. Go to any other cruise line forum on this site and within the first page or two you'll find at least one post where the OP reports a negative experience and numerous posts defending the cruise line. Never underestimate the power of loyalty. 

I'm talking about the Royal and Carnival back and forth.  You are correct that every cruise line has its defenders.  However, if I post about Princess or Celebrity on this or Royal's board, the level of responses won't be as ferocious.  I've never seen that back and forth on the Princess or Celebrity boards, either.     

18 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

The oddity is loyal royals complaining that Carnival isn't more like Royal. Stick with Royal if that is what you like, and leave Carnival alone.

That's funny, I don't think many Royal loyals think that much about Carnival.  They are loyal to Royal, just like others are loyal to Carnival.  Those that have tried both are free to compare and discuss and decide what line they prefer.  I don't get upset when someone criticizes either line.  That's their opinion according to their experiences. I will admit that it does irk me when people defend their preferred cruise line at all costs.  I've never experienced anything in my life that was perfect.         

As an avid Carnival AND Royal cruiser, I am always surprised about the way each line's loyal cruisers circle the wagons.  No one does that about other cruise lines.  Perhaps it's because the two lines are more alike than different.  I enjoy both cruise lines.  Each has positives and negatives. Royal does have great loyalty and suite benefits, however their prices are crazy right now.  Carnival has better pricing and, to me, a more fun atmosphere.  Food is in flux right now.  I used to prefer Royal, but Carnival is trending higher. There are so many variables... old ships, new ships, different ports of embarkation, and cruise length.  It's truly hard to get an apples to apples comparison.        

Are Ultras more crowded than Premiers?  I received the email, too.  Premiers are pretty crowded and sometimes I wonder if it's worth the frustration, lol.

I mostly see positive reviews, also.  Mardi Gras is a beautiful ship.  I've been on her twice.  I have decided that Excel class isn't for me, but I think I'm in the minority.

44 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

I very much doubt that RCI arms their security officers.  Most cruise lines do not.  Bahamas does not recommend that ships flying their flag carry arms.  How far out of port were you when this happened?  Because it was most likely USCG Sea Marshals, who have regularly boarded cruise ships since 9/11, and carry long guns.

This was on a Carnival ship. We were sailing out of either Miami or Port Canaveral.  I can't remember the exact date, but it was several years post 9/11.  It was still during the time when marine police boats kept civilian watercraft away from the ships while the ships were docked.  We were of course escorted by marine police out of the channel at the port as usual.  It was shortly after the escort left us that we were approached by the boat.  It looked like a pleasure craft with a handful of friendly, waving people onboard. They were probably either drunk or unaware of the requirement to stay at a distance. They were not heeding the ship's horns and were coming at us at full speed. It definitely caught my attention and I wondered what in the world these people were thinking.  Our cabin was forward so I could see the bridge wing clearly.  There were bridge crew with binoculars outside at first and then the long guns appeared.  The pleasure craft must have seen them and veered off instantly.  Interesting that the ships are not normally armed.  I assumed that they had weapons onboard for security.  I respect your knowledge, so I must have witnessed Coast Guard Marshalls instead of crew.  It is definitely something I vividly remember and I haven't seen anything like it since.            

This is timely.  I have just started seeing the guarantee cabin offers.  We usually upgrade to a suite.  How does that work?  Can you apply the guarantee cost to the upgrade or are you just out of luck about upgrading?  

I will probably regret this, but I hope that cruisers know that the ship is armed.  I have actually witnessed this from my balcony.  We were cruising out of Florida (post 9/11).  A small boat approached us and despite ship horn warnings, kept coming. Security appeared outside of the bridge with long guns.  The small boat abruptly turned away and we went on our merry way.  If I hadn't been on my balcony, I would have never known.  I feel quite secure while onboard.  I doubt that Royal would dock a ship at Labadee if they felt that there was a security issue.  That would be horrible press.  I actually would worry more about venturing out on my own at the Dominican Republic since they share the same island as Haiti.           

I was hoping for some feedback on Vista since it returned from drydock, but I haven't heard anything.  I know it had some mediocre reviews before and was wondering if the changes made the experience better.  I have been on every class of ship except Vista class.  My favorite class is Spirit class and my least favorite is Excel class.  I did enjoy Dream class.  I like eating at specialty restaurants and I am a frequent casino patron.  I'm not a fan of wall-to-wall crowds (who is?), but I understand that the buffet at lunch and elevators at peak times get busy. I love ABC itineraries and the Vista does several of them.  Any opinions on if I will like Vista and whether people are enjoying themselves onboard after drydock?     

I am interested in knowing how the Signature restaurant menu differs from the Reserve restaurant and/or the MDR. Thanks for helping us out! 

19 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

Does the mini-suite in the photos look narrower than the current mini's on the other Princess ships or is it just the orientation of the photos???

The mini suites on the Sun are narrower than on other Princess ships.  All of the balcony cabins are, too.  The interlocking design causes that along with fitting more cabins in the space available on a deck.    

25 minutes ago, NEGeekymama said:

 

I don't think that's a typical standard mini-suite? The pictures and videos I've seen so far show that the closet/desk area is between the bed and the sofa, allowing a little more separation between the two areas. 

The bed and closet/desk area alternate. Either bed by the bath or closet/desk by the bath.  The bed has to alternate because of the interlocking cabin design.