bigfig63

Prior to the cruise, let your credit card company know you will be on the cruise so they don't block you out if they see a foreign purchase. On the same call ask if they can raise the limit a bit.

If you want to be frugal on the cruise all you will be on the hook for is tips. On the Conquest a few weeks ago the tips did not hit the card till day 5. Carry on wine and soda for beverages.

You can always pay cash on your to account during cruise to keep charges off the card.

I am booked on the Harmony for Nov. 5th 3 day sailing and was going to book another cabin. Nothing shows up for Harmony on Nov 5. Can any TA shed light if it is sold out?

Booked for the inaugural Port Everglades 3 night in Nov. I noticed in the highlights about a 90's theme. Are they dropping the 70's party? That has always been a hit on Royal for me.

Wow interesting comments. I just came off the Conquest a week ago. Prior to that have been on 4 Rccl cruises. Both products comparable but I would give the nod to Carnival. Never thought I would say that. There was more variety in things to do, crew was fine, the ship was in decent shape, no worse then the Rccl ships that we docked next to. I think the cruise lines are putting the cash into the new monster ships

The main difference I noticed was avg age Rccl is 40 to 70, avg age carnival 30 to 60.

I wouldn't hesitate to take either one. IMHO.

 

I would say/tell those cruising on the Conquest in the near future, TO NOT BE WORRIED... DO NOT BE NERVOUS... DO NOT BE CONCERNED... After 29 cruises on Carnival, this was one of our best.....

Just coming off the 2/6 cruise and I 2nd that. Don't worry, just have some fun. I honestly don't see how you couldn't. Wear comfortable shoes on embark/disembark and you WILL see the next sunrise.

I was on cruise and a couple of comments. Had 6452, port aft wrap balcony. Had a great cruise. My only complaint was breakfast didn't open till 0730 most days as I am usually up at 5am. Not bad for complaints but since I am on vaca, not much will bother me. Couple of bullet points

Embark-arrived at 1230, did not get on till 140. Carnival blamed it on border patrol. I could handle the wait but my 85 yo father that was supposed to go but couldn't at last minute would of been a real concern. Muster lasted about 30 minutes and once again could of been tough for dad. Cramped quarters on deck and hot. Headcount was taken to verify participation.

Disembark-a breeze for me. Had lido bfast at 0600, did carry off. Called early flights at 645, was at my gate by 0730. Could of taken the 0800 flight to Dtw if I paid the change fee. Had to wait about 10 minutes for taxi as port did not let thru yet.

Casino-video poker odds were the pits. Somehow they do not allow for perfect play as some of the hands had multiple combos which turn into a 50/50. Never saw that b4. One word of caution. You must use your sail and sign and you can load the machine from your acct. Easy to over spend.

Also, I hate smoke more then most. The casino did smell but it was tolerable. Detroit casinos are much worse.

Dining and food -lots of options so no one should complain. My time dining good. Table for 8, NP. Nothing outstanding but good variety. Try the popcorn soufflé, you will be surprised.

Ship- showing some age but so were the Rccl ships. I think the cruise lines are putting there cash into the big ships as that is the future.

Staff-all very friendly and approachable. The morning young guy at blue iguana was always asking how cruise was.

Finally I am normally on Rccl but after this cruise give Carnival the edge on being a better product. There was always something going on and a lot overlapped and I had to choose one or the other. Rccl average age 40 to 70, Carnival prolly 30 to 60.

As a side note on the formal nights almost all in Renoir deck 3 were dressed nicely. Very nice to see. Also the string trio, the brass trio and Fannypax were awesome performers.

We just got off the Conquest and were in 6452, aft wrap port side. We were on the 8th deck of the Liberty Aft wrap port side two years ago.

 

First -- the Conquest ... There was no sofa, but never missed it. The window is next to the bed and the other window is on the other side of the door. The wrap has some deck on the back, diagonal, and not much on the side, but it was easy to see the front of the ship at the end of the wrap. I thought it was a bit wider than the Liberty's 8th deck, especially the part of the deck that directly faced the back. No noise from the bar below. Closer to the ocean, but didn't really notice that too much.

 

The Liberty had the bed across the room from the windows, but the windows were more spaced out in the room. The balcony on the 8th deck might have been a little bit longer overall, due to the 8 feet or so on the side, but it did not have as much space facing the back. Still, it was very easy to see in all directions. It was right under the Lido deck, but we never heard a sound from that floor. I think there was a sofa in this room.

 

We loved both rooms. Don't know much about the 7th deck, but I'm willing to try one out at a discount if Carnival would like to sponsor my review!!!

Hi, I have that same cabin Feb 6th. With no sofa, is there a comfortable chair(s) or just the desk chair. How many and what kind of chairs were on the balcony? Thanks for the info. Also it will be me and my dad in the cabin. With the odd shape of the room do you know how they split the beds?

Cruising on the Divina next week and I have a few questions. We are in a regular balcony room are there robes in the cabins. Also are the safes operated with a passcode or a card. We have the premium drink package can anyone tell me what the mini fridge contains? One last question for those of you who gamble, can you get money using your card. We do that on Princess and they charge a small fee. Thanks for all the help!

Cruised on the March 15 sailing

Robes - our balcony cabin did not have them but my sisters cabin 5 rooms down did. hit or miss I think.

Safes - make your own passcode

Mini fridge - did not really notice, bought vouchers.

Casino - very easy to get cash. If you go to the teller they can do a advance but there is a fee. If you play the machines you can get direct credit on your seapass card at the machine with no fee. Very easy as your enter a passcode and press how much you want. It adds the credits to the machine. Not sure how the tables work but prolly similar.

Also, they have two free slot tourneys on the sea days. Make sure you sign up early as the spots go quick. They have 8 double diamonds machines in a separate room and 8 people at a time play against the machine to get a high score. It is not times and they load the machine with 300 credits.Then the 8 finalists through the days compete in a final round. winner gets $200 in slot play, 2nd is $100, 3rd is $50. I won 2nd place in the 1st tourney. During qualifying they play a round every 10 minutes and there are about 18 qualifying rounds. High scores were 6-7000.

Our group was on that cruise and the one activity we did see was on one of the sea days the players held a pitching competition on the pool deck for all ages and gender. They had a blowup "panel" with a square hole that represented the strike zone. They gave you three balls and you had to try and make the strikes. Each age group was moved further back. The winner of each group won a little prize.

Other then that cannot comment on other activities if offered.

Just came off the MSC Divina and at our stop in San Juan I thought I was going to witness the same thing. If OSHA was on site they would have shut the operation down. The dock workers were trying to get the two aft mooring lines over a catwalk to the next pier over. In the process, they looped the lines over the bow of their rowboat and tried in vain to pull them the 60 feet to the mooring using the outboard motor. Boat would not budge and almost swamped the boat a few times trying. They kept at it and after about 15 minutes finally succeeded. Neither boats man had a life jacket and it was a comedy of errors. I felt bad for the workers as they were trying their hardest but just did not have the right equipment.

FYI - Feb 15th sailing, taxi from Miami pier to FLL Delta was $72, $80 with tip. Driver had a minvan so could have taken 4 with bags but prolly not 5 unless traveling light.

I was on the same cruise in "steerage" lol, and can add a few comments.

First off, the crew was great and they tried hard so a big kudos to them. Many did not know understand conversational English so that was a minor hurdle. But a good morning or good evening, how are you, worked fine.

The shows were very good and theatre was impressive.

To everyone who is "worried", "apprehensive", "confused" about whether to book a cruise on the Divina, snap out of it. It is not a tightrope walk over an alligator pit. It is a cruise vacation. You WILL have fun.

 

Totally agree

 

EMBARKATION – FIRST IMPRESSIONS

 

A bit unorganized as we came by bus as a group. Dropped bags with porter and there was not good signs to indicate the entrance to the terminal. Some entrances were for baggage and workers, others for the YC. No biggie unless you end up going the wrong way. Check in was a breeze but the room was much smaller then I was used to so it seemed at bit more crowded.

 

 

We have cruised many times before and this time was the first time I felt like the ceilings were very low.

 

I noticed the same too and I think it was due to the dark paneling and dark marble.

 

SHIP DESIGN -

For new cruisers, I don't imagine it will be a problem. For those who are used to other ships, oh boy. It is impossible to get from one end of the ship to another on many floors, especially THE MAIN FLOOR, deck 6. SOME elevators go to every floor, others don't go all the way up.

 

I agree on the elevators. Our cabin was at the aft elevators and in order to get to the MDR you have to go to the mid elevators to get to deck 5. And to get to deck 15 Formula F! and video arcade and lounge you go to 14 and take the stairs.

Also one thing that was lacking was public restrooms. On other ships there seemed to be restrooms both end of the pool and buffets and general areas as well as by the Gym. We looked hard and could not find them. There were two by the theatre but that was something different.

VENUES -

There are many areas on the ship with different themes. They are laid out one after another. There are no big expansive rooms other than the theater and the atrium.

 

Agree

 

PHOTOGRAPHS-

If the website “Awkward Family Photos” could only get the pictures from this ship! The photography was horrible. Just because someone has a good expensive camera, it does not make them a photographer.

 

Agree. The photog in the MDR was even a bit pushy and was definetly not a pro. He was too obvious. Better photogs blend in and don't try to rearrange the dining room trying to get a crappy picture.

 

ST THOMAS-

Megans Bay is always nice. Take the private (bus) taxi and your own snorkel gear and you will have a nice day. No glass bottles.

 

FORMAL NIGHTS –

 

Everyone looked good. Can do without the "Baked Alaska". That tradition can go away.

 

SAN JUAN –

Be aware that if you get off the ship in the morning you will NOT be able to board again until after 1pm. That would have been a good thing to mention in the daily newsletter. It was not.

 

They did make announcements the night before. It was because Holland America was docking at that time and for safety could not have people on the dock.

Go to La Ocho or Escampion Beach. $8 by taxi nice public beach. You can walk back to ship if you want and visit the Fort. Prolly an hours walk though.

.

 

COFFEE –

Very flavorful but strong. Try adding hot milk and water. Needed 4 creamers to cut it down. Better then RCCL's though.

 

GREAT STIRRUP CAY-

My favorite stop of all. The weather was absolutely picture perfect. The water color looked like a fake blue because it was so amazing. The island is reached by tender. Unfortunately, because of this, if the weather is poor, the tenders do not operate and you will miss this stop. The two prior cruises had to miss it due to terrible weather according to one of the crew. That would be such a shame. The tenders each fit up to 495 people. No need to rush for the first one.

 

They do have you wait in the theater with a ticket till your group is called. My brother and SIL had to wait about an hour at peak time..

 

MAIN POOL –

You couldn’t pay me enough to get me to swim in the main pool. It is a nice open space, many loungers – all taken first thing in the morning. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a line the length of the pool deck the first day of people waiting TO CHECK OUT TOWELS. Where on earth do they think everyone is going to go with these bright orange towels?

 

The towel situation was a joke. You have to check them out and sometimes they write your name on a list, other times they put it in computer. When coming back from tours they collect them at the gang plank and tell you not to worry about getting charged the $50. So you never know if you are going to get dinged or not. Just do away with checking them out. With airline luggage restrictions no one needs the excess weight in their bags.

 

 

BUFFET

If the only thing you will eat are hamburgers/fries and omelets made to order, pick another cruise line. They have hamburgers and fries already set out (my son said they were fine but nothing to write home about).

 

At one point I was expecting to see Ronald McDonald. They wrap the burgers (like fast food) and have the hot dogs and cardboard sleeves and the fried are in cardboard (bowls). In addition to wasting paper this looks tacky. Like here you go you bourgeois passengers, this is the limit of your taste buds.

GYM/SPA

Very nice area with great treatment rooms and a long spa menu that has more than what is shown online. I did not utilize the spa, but my husband went to the sauna and steam room (free for YC). He said they were great.

 

Did not have stationary bikes other then for spinning

 

CASINO –

We have always enjoyed a good casino. This one was larger than some of the ships we’ve been on. Table games started at $5 a hand with “happy hour” some nights with minimums of only $3 a hand. The usual suspects – black jack, poker, craps, roulette, slots. The slots were virtually all penny slots. Big turn off for me. On the second sea day ALL the slots were out of order for the entire day and night. People were not happy and neither was the casino. They were losing a bundle. It was said to be a firmware problem and had to be fixed when we got to St. Thomas. Once we left St. Thomas, they were working again.

 

Best part of the ship. They have a free slot tourney on sea days. I won 2nd place, $100 credit. Be sure to sign up early. Also the hot seat is fun. I won that for $20 credit. The video poker seemed to be a little loose-er then other ships..

 

DRINKS –

 

Did not like the fact you could not go to most bars and order. The bartender would make your order but have to have a server ring you up.

 

In the “why didn’t you just tell me” category: There were no limes on the ship. Limes are expensive so MSC and evidently RCCL as well, did not get their supply of limes. I can understand, but what I can not understand is when I order a mojito, please don’t bring me one that has substituted lemons for the limes. JUST TELL ME you have no limes and I’ll choose another drink.

 

Yup, had Corona and lemon!. When in Rome! But then saw limes after San Juan.

 

OVERALL SERVICE –

I really need to end this review or I could go on and on with the tiniest details. Overall the service teams in both the YC and the rest of the ship DID THEIR BEST. They all had a smile, a hello, a “how can I help you” attitude. I did not encounter any grumpy employees at all. They really did their best. Unfortunately, management has done them a great disservice in not training them for the best customer service. Everything was just a bit lacking, but still adequate.

 

Totally Agree. And hats off to the male coffee server in the buffet. He was always there with his cart with a hot cup of coffee in the am.

 

All in all, I would sail MSC again – No. Vacation dollars and time are too valuable to me. The ship felt more like a passenger ferry then a cruise ship. MSC needs to make the steerage passengers feel like a king and be able to do it on a shoestring budget.

Remember – There’s a hat for every head. And most importantly…Your opinion of me is none of my business.

My coworker, who has booked the Nov. 6th cruise on the Victory out of Miami this year, received notice that their cruise is being cancelled due to the ship being chartered for that week. They booked 10 cabins and already paid airfare Detroit to Miami.

Has anyone else heard anything about this? They are being offered to rebook out of Tampa but the non refundable airfare was purchased already.

They were offered a $25 per room credit.

Usually not a big deal but to change airfare is going to cost much more then $25. Anyone heard similar or had similar experience?

I find that hard to believe, that service alone was worth double the price.

Sorry but that is how I feel. Just came off the 3/15 and have some thoughts on the cruise but I don't feel it would be fair to MSC to post a review since they are trying to develop the market.

Just like Spirit Airlines, which I will pay other carriers more to not fly them, low price is not always a selling point.

A cruise is what you make of it and if I am on vacation and the sun is shining then mission accomplished.

 

I've asked some who've said other cruise company's had better service, 'was the better service on the other line worth double the Divina price, :D

Yes.

Just got off the ship Saturday and I have nothing but positives for the Jewel. Everything was top notch, staff was great, room was great, ship was clean, food was good.

Only thing I would like to see changed is for it to go totally non smoking. But that is a personal preference.

We were on the same bus? bc John (I think?) brought us to La Playa and said the rest of the group was already there, and handed us off to Sexy. When it was time to leave Orient, us late comers were told to board the bus last bc the original people needed to sit in their seats first. We were the Asian couple with tattoos in our mid 30s. I had on sunglasses all the time and with bangs and bf has a ponytail but with the sides of his head shaved. He has both his lower sleeves tattooed. I can't imagine Sexy doing more than one tour per day? Esp if we were on the same sailing.

 

Just chiming in, I was on this cruise as well and that is kinda funny about your experience with Bernards. I signed up for the tour as well and was at the statue at 0900 (I think). I was the only one there and the Bernards rep said to hang out for a bit as the other groups are running late. I checked back with him after about 15 minutes and from my reservation he knew I was only really interested in Maho Beach. So to my delight, rather then wait for the group, he put me aboard one of the taxi;s going to Maho and I was able to spend the whole day there (yay me). He said to meet at the nightclub by Maho at 2pm. I figured yea right, I will be on my own getting back. Sure enough at 2pm he came walking up, asked if I wanted to stay and see the Air France inbound (which is the highlight at Maho) and after it landed I boarded the bus for the ride back to the souvenoir shop and the ship. Attached are some pics I took at Maho. For me that was one of the best days ever.

320 days, jewel out of san juan!

Just did the tour a week ago on my own. You can find online admission coupons for $39.

I would suggest doing the tour on your own as there is alot to see and you can pick and choose how long at each.

The Saturn V portion is in the restricted area and that is all the tour bus will have access to behind the fence. You will go by the VAB and at crawler platform and see the fireing building from the bus.

Don't spend too much time in the rocket garden as you can catch that on the way out. But do walk down the gantry arm to the Apollo capsule.

Must do:

Shuttle Launch experience/ride

IMAX Hubble 3d

Saturn V museum ( the mission control replica show is amazing)

Meet an Astonaut. (they talk on stage for about 30 minutes)

Food and beverage are a bit pricey but the museum is totally self funded, no taxpayer $$

You can alos get imports (to the USA). I had my filled with Coronna and Dos XX. in 12 oz glass bottles. The 1st 8 were $38 ish and the refill was same price but you received 9 beers. They had a few imports avail but not sure which. They included a plastic tumbler with limes in ours.

On Allure, I ordered mine from the deck waiters. You have a choice of U.S domestic 16 oz Alum bottles or imports in 12 oz glass. 8 Coronna's $38 ish + fees. The 16 oz bottles were $45 ish.

They gave me a cup of limes for my Coronna's as well.

On the Allure a couple weeks ago at the Falmouth stop, the security to get back on the ship was as bad as the TSA at airports. Workers were about as cordial as TSA as well.

After handing over my rum to the ships peeps for safe keeping I left the bldg and realized they never returned my Cruise Card. Turned around and tried to go back in the bldg and you would of thought I was a breaking into Fort Knox. Luckily the folks at the booze table brought it over.

As a side note, the ships duty free proved to be a better value then any of the ports. Compared Bacardi and Johnny Walker and ship was cheaper by a few scheckels.

When I was on Allure 2 weeks ago, I can't say for sure, but I think Cameron, from Modern Family may have been aboard. If it wasn't him it was his double.

A little off topic but the muster drill on the Epic was a refreshing change over my previous cruises. Our muster station was in the Second City Lounge and you did not bring/wear the life jackets. Kinda nice since afterward you don't have to beeline back to the cabin to get rid of it.

Not sure if that is the industry trend but I like it.

Just chiming in. I got my B.S. after high school and did ok then but not 4.0 work. Prolly could of missed a week but the make work would be a pain and it wouldn't be 4.0 work.

Fast forward 20 years and I am back at school. I passed up a free family cruise last year, felt guilty going on the Epic this year, and did not enjoy myself. I am at a 4.0 gpa and to miss a week that gpa would be in jeopardy as you do miss out on topics that build on others. If she is in any of the sciences it could be bad. With what I know now, I would pass on the cruises, focus on studies and focus on maintaining my grades.

Competition for good jobs is too stiff nowadays and if you are paying the money for school and you can edge out the other guy with a GPA advantage....hold off on the cruise. Take a summer vacation.