sgttami

Fine for me. No desire to cruise them again. Had a good time but once was enough!

It was nice to sail for the first(and only) time on MSC and use my Diamond Plus status from RCL to get some good perks.

None of my DOU casino offers have included a companion whether it's DOU in casino or everywhere on board. OK for me since most of my cruises are solo anyway.

Probably not. I've never cruised where elegant night is the night before going home.

Wow! Love sea days.

I'd go back on Explorer in a minute.

Yes. Didn't realize they were talking about overnight. (LOL)

It never was. Is this new?

The casino will be open!

My first Carnival cruise on Splendor from NY in Feb. 2014 there was a blizzard and my sister and I were on board by 9:30am. I was very glad I never paid for FTTF. We each had a regular balcony cabin and no special perks for boarding. There were a lot of people who never made the cruise due to the weather. Most of my NY Carnival cruises were early boarding but that was the earliest ever!

Following: Just realized that it's 18 years ago this week that I sailed on Serenade to Alaska from Vancouver. My favorite cruise ever. Love the Radiance class ships It was the last cruise of the season to Alaska and I came home with some great bargains (that I still have) ENJOY!

Favorites: My first cruise in 1992 was on Monarch of the Seas so that will always have a special feeling since it introduced me to the world of cruising. Song of America in 1995 was a favorite too since it was small and we could dock in Hamilton in Bermuda. Serenade of the Seas and the Radiance class are all time favorites because they are the perfect size for me. I'll probably never sail on a newer ship because they are too big for me and I have no interest in all the "stuff" they offer. All my RCL cruises were good!

I have a lot of casino offers (Elite's and Ultra's) and I'm having no trouble resisting these days. Video slots have taken over all the ships and I hate them so much that I refuse to play them even with FREE play. The removal of the casino bars is another negative for me since that was a prime hang out, especially on sea days. My cruising has always involved gambling and drinking. so unless I can find new ways to entertain myself, I'm having no problem resisting my offers these days (LOL).

Me too!

I'm enjoying your journey. Nice pics! Smooth sailing for the ride home!

I haven't sailed on RCL since 2007 but back in 2004 I booked a Balcony Guarantee and ended up with an Owner's Suite. A nice surprise! Looking into sailing on RCL again soon but doubt I'd get that lucky again. (LOL)

I only sailed MSC once (Divina in 2017) and I can't say I had a bad time but didn't have a desire to go on another. The ship was beautiful but I found it to be very dressy all the time. Casual night was more like elegant night! Food was hit or miss and MDR took forever. Crew were OK but not as friendly as Carnival's. I did like that they honored your highest status on another line and was able to use my RCL Diamond+ but that's about it. I prefer the Carnival Comfort and unless I get an offer I can't refuse, I doubt I'd sail MSC again.

I only like the old reel slots. Can't even find them anymore. Looks like Venezia has all video slots. Actually thought of canceling the cruise because of it. I always spent a good amount of time in the casino but refuse to play those stupid, loud machines. Makes me feel like I'm 12 at the boardwalk arcade!😝

For Winter/ without flying: I keep saying I'm going to try other lines but when I can sail in a balcony for 21 days on Venezia in February (from NY) for less $$ than a week on RCL(NJ) or MSC and NCL(NY), it's hard to look beyond the Whale Tail and the casino offers😀 Actually, once on NCL was enough for me so I probably wouldn't go again even if it were FREE.

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Any time spent in Bermuda is a plus. I've gone there via cruises and land trips for close to 50 years. Last time on a cruise was Pride from Baltimore in 2018 and we were there for 2 nights. I'd cruise to Bermuda anytime!

Just to add: I have cruised RCL and Carnival equally (15 each) and they were always with friends/family. My sister and I did the first Carnival together and other than that time, all my Carnival's have been solo. I knew after that first one that I would have no problem going alone because everyone on Carnival was super friendly and easy to talk to. It was just more FUN! I also like that I meet a lot of repeat cruisers, especially when going from Baltimore. There's a couple that cruise every month and I saw them on every Pride cruise I was on. They come right over and start chatting. Sometimes just hanging out and meeting new people is all the fun I need. Enjoy!

If I'd been to all the ports before, it would be CHEERS! The excursions might be a bit different but if it were a familiar port (multiple times there), chances are I've seen it in a prior jaunt! ( One excursion had a different description but was identical to one I had done 2 years before) Chefs table is nice too but I could live without doing it again. Whatever you decide, ENJOY! CHEERS!

It's all gonna change in the near future! When I became DIAMOND on RCL you needed 10 cruises. Then they changed it to amount of days and Diamond Plus is 175. Top Tier of Pinnacle is 700. That's a long stretch to be at the TOP! I will dangle between Plus and Pinnacle till the end of time (LOL) I'm at 127 days on Carnival and my guess is they will raise Diamond above the current 200 and I'll continue to dangle before I ever reach the "new" top!. The old perks were better anyway so I'll just cruise merrily along and not stress about status. A free bag of laundry or a $2 gift of some sort isn't a really big deal!

You never really know where your'e gonna go! (LOL) I once booked a balcony guarantee and got an Owners Suite. My sister booked one and got an obstructed view! It's a chance you take !