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csm5986142

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Everything posted by csm5986142

  1. We've only booked one Balcony Guarantee, and we got a cove balcony under the dining room (absolutely loved it!) and now I'm hooked - it's my favorite. I'd been on over 30 cruises at that point, and felt like I'd been missing out having never tried one.😄
  2. Add me to the list of people who love Mardi Gras (actually I love all the Excel class ships - we've done Mardi Gras twice, Celebration twice, and Jubilee once). Yes, there are more people on board, but these ships were with built with that in mind. Embarkation day (before people can get into their cabins) is a bit crazy, but after that, I think the crowd spreads out fairly well.
  3. I agree! Even with Hawaii, Alaska, and Panama Canal where people say balconies are a must, I was fine in an interior. When we do have a balcony, I don't to stay on it when watching the scenery. I'd rather be on one of the upper (or back) decks where I can go back and forth depending on which side is interesting. We have done the Alaska itenerary many times (usually in an interior since the price was exactly double for a balcony). We spent very little time in the room, and both the Spirit and Luminosa have an excess of really nice interior and exterior common space, and never feel crowded. Of course I'll always take a balcony if it's close in price to an interior, but never for double the price - I'd rather take another cruise! 🙂 In regard to Spirit vs Luminosa, we were on Luminosa in August and Spirit in September. I can see why people (especially if traveling with kids) prefer Spirit, but Luminosa has its positive aspects too. Both are are great ships and Alaska is such an amazing itenerary.
  4. On Celebration a few months ago we went to Pig & Anchor for embarkation lunch and it was so nice and quiet - we only saw about 5 other couples there.
  5. Another vote for Mardi Gras - love it. We have been on almost every Carnival ship and Vista is one of my least favorite. We sailed prior to Vista's drydock and it was in bad shape (hopefully improved now). Our cruise was last summer and I posted pictures here of mold on the ceiling and rusted ceiling tiles. The air conditioning didn't work at all in some areas and not consistently in others. There was pipe in the wall that leaked periodically our entire cruise, and the carpet outside our stateroom (and many others down the hall) would get saturated. They used a carpet cleaner to suck up the water and constantly had industrial fans in the hallway trying to get it to dry. It smelled damp and musty the entire time.
  6. I think it really cuts down on extra crowding from people jumping in at the last minute. Though I agree, at busy times overcrowding can occur as described above, so nothing is perfect. But we quickly got used to, and now prefer, the smart elevators.
  7. Sorry, no suggestions, but would you please come back and let us know how it goes? I considered using Fly to Fun for Europe but ultimately decided I'm too much of a control freak when it comes to flights (but I'd love to know for future).
  8. Oh that is unfortunate - we love Victoria. It's such a beautiful place and easy to walk everywhere. Last summer Luminosa had a long day in Victoria. Since we've been there before, we didn't do a planned excursion, we just walked into town. We walked past the Parliament Building and the Empress Hotel - both are beautiful. We found a mall downtown that had lots of little shops - did a bit of shopping before heading back to the ship. The entire journey was almost exactly 5 miles total, so lots to do within walking distance of the port.
  9. We were on Luminosa in August and Spirit in September (both departing from Seattle) but different itineraries. We really enjoyed both ships and I think it comes down to personal preferences. Both are a nice size and layout, never really felt crowded. No long lines for anything. They are older ships but both were clean and well maintained. On Luminosa we enjoyed the on-demand movies in our room, but that was not an option on Spirit. Spirit seems to have a lot more for kids (water slides/water park, etc.). Luminosa doesn't have the slides/water park or even a mini golf course (well I guess they have a putting green or something but much smaller than Carnival's typical mini golf). Both had the pool with retractable roof. Aside from the kids club and the pools, it didn't seem like there was much for kids to do on Luminosa. We liked the food a little better on Spirit, but that might have just been due to timing and that specific cruise. I've heard the spas are different on each, but I'm not a spa person, so I don't know for sure. According to the website Luminosa has Cloud 9 and Spirit has Spa Carnival (from what I've read Luminosa has Thermal Suite and Hydrotherapy pool but I did not see those listed on Spirit (but again, not personal experience, so I could be wrong). I liked the walking/running track better on Luminosa. I thought it was bigger/better located. Luminosa offered a Steakhouse Brunch for $25 per person, so we expected the same on Spirit but never saw it on the schedule (though I've heard others have experienced it so maybe just not on our itenerary). When booking our trips, I was a bit concerned about Luminosa because the reviews I had read were not good. Several mentioned plumbing issues, but we had none (aside from a slow draining shower). The weather in Alaska is so unpredictable - we were there the first full week of August and it was extremely warm and sunny (everybody wore shorts and tank tops or t-shirts). The following week I heard they had terrible rainy weather (so much so that there was flooding and canceled excursions).
  10. I agree - of all the Spirit class ships, I think they've done a great job keeping it clean and well maintained. We were on Spirit for the Panama Canal transit when she moved to AL and it was such a great trip (so nice and relaxing). We have been on Spirit multiple times and it has never felt crowded to me either. Enjoying your review and loving the pictures of the big waves!
  11. I was going to say the same thing. I try to avoid the crowds and I really like the Excel class ships. Being the middle of July, there will be a lot of families/kids/teens but I find it pretty easy to avoid the places they are likely to hang out (serenity deck was usually calm/quiet). Recently on embarkation day, for lunch we went Pig & Anchor. While the crowds up on Lido were kind of crazy, there were only about 10 other people in Pig & Anchor and no line at all. Of course this will vary depending on passengers, but the Excel ships do a pretty good job of spreading people out with multiple options at the same time. Same for breakfast - Pig & Anchor was typically a calm quiet breakfast venue (almost like people didn't realize it was open). Just check your app to see what is open/available. I agree, the first day is the worst (when nobody can get into their cabins) but I was still able to find some quiet deck space outside (usually on deck 8 - it seemed like people hadn't discovered it yet and congregated on the familiar upper decks. I think the Excel class ships have a lot more interior common space (especially on 7 and 8). Recently on Jubilee for New Years Eve, the ship was extremely full, but my family was always able to find a quiet table inside somewhere on deck 7 to work or play games. The Excel class ships were built for a lot of passengers so I feel like they handle the crowds much better than the smaller ships that Carnival renovated to add more passenger cabins (reducing common space). I love the deck space on Radiance but if the weather is bad, you won't be able to find a place to sit inside except your cabin. Have a great trip!
  12. Thanks to OP for posting about this cruise! After reading about it here we (actually several family members) booked it, and are really looking forward it. We have been on all the Excel class ships and just love them. In our experience 7 days is not enough time to do everything we want onboard, so this is going to be great.
  13. I think it depends on if ship or the ports are more important to you. I have been on all the ships you mentioned. In general, the excel class ships are awesome (and we loved Jubilee) but the Galveston port is a pain (drink package doesn't start until second day, long drive from airport to port, etc) so I'd eliminate that one. Legend is the smallest/oldest ship on your list, but we'd still book it for a great itenerary. It has a nice layout and doesn't feel crowded. But if food options are important to you, it won't compare to Mardi Gras/Celebration. I like your itenerary on Horizon, and I like the ship. It would be my second favorite on your list. Celebration - my favorite on your list (for ship, not necessarily itenerary, but we've done about 35 cruises, and have been there/done that for most itineraries).
  14. I think it really depends on conditions. One evening it was raining lightly and between that, wind direction, and the soot, several decks on the back of the ship looked like someone had poured chocolate syrup all over the place. They immediately closed the track and some nearby decks because it was so slippery.
  15. Cove balconies are my favorite class of balcony, but I won't book one under the galley. I've heard too many stories about noise all night long and I'm a light sleeper.
  16. And if I can add - will Carnival ever return to Vancouver B.C. as a departure port?
  17. The long (and expensive at times) flight from LAX keeps me from booking that itenerary. We talk about trying a repositioning cruise that goes there someday, but I won't do that many hours on a plane roundtrip. So I agree, maybe a lower priced cruise as an incentive to offset that.
  18. I totally agree - I think Dream class feels the most crowded, with lines for everything. We have been on completely sold out sailings on Excel class ships (spring break and New Years Eve) and feel they are well equipped to handle the increased passengers.
  19. I just found I'd saved a PDF of our old boarding pass - we were in 8260.
  20. In our case, our daughter slept on the couch. If I remember correctly, the couch was by the balcony door and there was no pullman option.
  21. Yes, we had 3 people in a Havana Cabana and 2 more family members in an inside cabin across the hall. It was perfect - more than enough room for all 5 of us to hang on the patio (and deck chairs just in front of our patio). It was so calm, quiet, and relaxing - we rarely saw anyone else (on a sold out spring break cruise). If they weren't so much more expensive than a regular balcony, I'd book a Havana Cabana every time!
  22. We loved out cruise on Miracle our of San Francisco, it's one of my favorite departure ports - so much to do in close proximity (you can walk everywhere if you want). I also like the fact that you can use SFO or OAK airports if you have to fly to/from port. It worked out better for us to fly into OAK and out of SFO (you never know ... check all options). She is an older ship, and if decor is important to you, very gaudy (but as long as a ship is clean and well maintained, decor doesn't bother me). The ship has a nice layout that doesn't feel crowded - we didn't experience long lines for everything like we have on some other ships. We don't have any food allergies in our family, but I've heard Carnival has an excellent program called Menu Mate (more info under the link below). https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/special-needs/dietary-needs You didn't mention if you've cruised to Alaska before, but if not, that is a whole other discussion (great unique itenerary if you are used to the tropical cruises). Carnival has a great kids club program - it's been a few years since we've used it but my kids really enjoyed it in the past, along with the waterworks and water slides. Miracle should have Seuss at Sea for the kids too. It all depends on what experience you are looking for, but for the size ships that sail the Alaska itenerary, I think Miracle is good option.
  23. Same for us (on Miracle) - we didn't experience exactly what you did but the vibrations during the night (for no apparent reason, not coming into port or anything) were brutal. It not only woke me up but gave me a headache. Between that and all the soot on our balcony, we don't care for aft balconies.
  24. We have done several repositioning cruises w/Carnival (they are our favorite)! The ones we have done have been on Spirit class ships, which we really like. They are smaller with not as much to do, but they have a great layout and never feel crowded. In our experience, it's a much older crowd than we usually see on Carnival (last year we did 16 days through the Panama Canal and there were less than 20 kids on ship). I didn't feel the same party vibe I usually do on a Carnival ship (in fact it was the most empty I've ever seen the bars). People seemed to be there more for the itenerary/experience. I thought the shows and comedians were great (comedians rotated on/off the ship throughout the journey). There were also experts on board who held presentations. Our ship offered a lot of activities (there was a frequent painting class that was really popular). I've also done the Panama Canal on a HAL ship and it was very similar (the crowed was probably a bit younger on Carnival but not much!).
  25. Agreed! I also don't consider a higher deck an upgrade but Carnival tries to sell it as if it is. I've seen upgrades offered where passengers would go from a cabin sandwiched between cabin decks to a room right under Lido (that would be a huge downgrade to me but I'm a light sleeper). I love NCLs process for selling upgrades (a bidding process) - I wish Carnival would switch to something like that.
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