YubaSutter

Denim shorts are fine in the MDR on Carnival on non-elegant nights.

I have never understood the point of racing onto the ship as soon as possible, even if that means standing in line for an hour or more. For what? One more buffet meal just like all of the ones you're going to have for the duration of the cruise?

 

I do understand wanting to squeeze every bit out of your investment but to make yourself miserable in order to do so seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face, as my grandmother used to say. I'd rather enjoy a leisurely lunch somewhere near the port and arrive after 2 PM when there's no line and I can go directly to my cabin rather than hang around in the public areas standing watch over my carry on bags.

I concur.

I say you could, didn't say I did. It is an expression.

Then how would you know it would crack?

I thought the MDR Indian food was good but not great. Definitely try the suggestion of a lunch buffet at an Indian restaurant sometime. I do love ve Indian food.

I eat at one of 5 Indian lunch buffets every Thursday. Also, my next door neighbor and the family across the street are East Indians.

We have been lucky to have a balcony that faces the port in Cozumel on all of our stops there. We love to sit on the balcony with our drinks at sail away and watch for pier runners. We've seen them on 2 of 5 stops in Cozumel.

Please remember they are ships not boats.

 

Also there are different categories based on size.

 

I really would not get to caught up in the rating from CC.

 

Keith

There was the Love Boat and the Big Red Boat, both cruise ships.

The Indian food on carnival is not very good. I am glad I live in a city with 6000 East Indian residents. We have several Indian restaurants that serve authentic Indian cuisine. Carnival doesn't even have goat curry, saag paneer, alu mater, biriyani, or tikka. Carnival generally has tandoori chicken, butter chicken, and horrible naan bread.

We've done it at this port with someone in a wheelchair. Once you enter the building, there will be a staff member who will direct you to an accessible check in agent. They will help you all the way to the boat.

First, it wasn't nasty. It would take much longer to search your contacts for the emergency number than to just dial 000.

People can't remember 000?

My FIL has these things he calls hearing aids. He said they work great.

Sounds like what I had on NCL. You could bounce the biscuits off of the wall and they wouldn't even crack.:eek:

You bounced the biscuits off a wall?

We didn't get FTTF. In Belize we got our tender tickets 10 minutes before the first tender left. We were tender #2. We were 5 minutes behind the first FTTF tender.

One thing that can happen if you don't declare everything is you can be denied a Global Entry card in the future. When a friend applied last year, he was denied because he brought an apple from Mexico back to the US. The apple incident happened 10 years prior.

If you are talking "cruise" - and I'm not real confident you are- I have to disagree. I have zero doubt I would enjoy a cruise on an Oasis of the Seas size ship less than a cruise on a Conquest size ship. I've seen lots of folks comment here, on CC, that you feel cut off from the ocean on those ships. I'd hate that. The thing I dislike about Dream class ships is how the promenade deck juts out beyond the perimeter of the balconies. I made the mistake of booking a balcony on an upper deck on the Dream and was very disappointed that when I looked down from my balcony, all I could see was deck and other cruisers. On the Breeze, I booked a cove balcony, and liked it much better. For me, cove balconies are the saving grace of Dream class ships.

I had the opposite experience on the Dream. I was on deck 6. It was an awesome cabin. There were people walking on the deck just below us. I would take that cabin over a cove any day. And if I had a choice, it's a mega cruise ship rather than a small one.

OP, there were no cutbacks? Wow, I want to sail on the Sunshine.

 

The steward twice a day in your cabin is a test on 3 ships and the Sunshine is not one of them maybe so that is why you did not see that?

 

But I must ask:

 

You received chocolates on your pillow every night?

You had a live orchestra with the shows?

You had a live band that played instead of just a guitar player or a duo?

You had Professional Fly on Entertainers instead of live interactive entertainment provided by the customers on board (Hasbro, trivia, karaoke, etc)

I am assuming you were not on a 5 night cruise and you had lobster but if you were on a 5 night cruise...no lobster

You had steel drums or a band that played by the lido deck instead of a DJ playing piped in music?

There was a production show in the Main Theater every night?

There was a farewell party with free drinks?

You received a free drink voucher?

There was a captains cocktail party with free drinks?

You had the room service menu where every thing was included and you did not have to pay for certain items on the menu?

You had lamb chops, not lamb shank in the mdr?

There was no mark up of $20 for items on the menu in the mdr that use to be included?

You had free expresso and cappucino's in the mdr after dinner?

You had breakfast in the mdr every day? (I do not consider brunch as breakfast when it is not served until 8:30)

You had 16 dancers and 2 to 4 main singers with the live production shows?

The past guest party was for "all" past guests?

 

WOW, wish I was on your cruise. That must be awesome that Carnival is doing all of these things again!!!

 

Seriously though, OP, how can you state there are no cutbacks?

Bazinga.

Are you looking for something to travel with or use at home?

 

An Aeropress is nice because it can be easily packed!

 

A Bodum French Press is an inexpensive option. We also have a stainless steel french press that stays hotter than the glass Bodum French Press.

 

For Cruising, I bring a Melitta pour over. I cannot handle bad coffee, so I bring my own ground coffee and baggies to dispose of grounds.

We bring a pour over as well. Works great and no breakage.

I've never sailed on anything smaller than Conquest class ships, nor larger than Dream class. Well, once, my inaugural cruise, and it was... just okay (RC Majesty of the Seas), but I wasn't sold on cruising until my second cruise, which was on the Valor :). I really have no interest in sailing on anything bigger than the Dream Class. I would, however, like to hear from those of you who believe good cruises come in small packages:cool:. Tell me what I've missed out on, and why I should consider a cruise on a smaller ship. I especially would like to hear from those of you who have sailed both the Conquest class ships and the smaller/older ones... Imagination, Ecstacy, etc... and can compare the two. Also, those of you who believe bigger is better, and huge is best, feel free to chime in with your two cents. You probably won't sell me on cruising on a floating mega mall:rolleyes:, but take your best shot:D.

 

Thanks.:)

Bigger is always better, except if it's your wife or cellmate.

I'm an intermediate dancer but a cruising novice. Are there any lines or ships that, because of their facilities or activities, are favored by those who dance?

 

Charlie

SLO, CA

Carnival has all of the dances. The Dougie, Tootsie Roll, Harlem Shake, Whip/Nae Nae, etc.

It seems the FAQ for bottomless bubbles was rewritten' date=' and it seems virgin cocktails are now excited. Is this true?[/quote']

 

How can you tell if a virgin drink is excited?

Kind of a dumb system they have cause there's lots of couples where only one drinks cocktails so they don't buy the pkg

 

Wish Carnival would include a separate option 🍹🍹😜

It would be dumb only if Cheers was the only way to buy drinks. You can always purchase drinks the traditional way.

Right after we eat on elegant nights, I change back into shorts, tank top, and sandals for the rest of the evening.

Due to the great exchange rate, we are skipping our usual winter cruise. We are spending a week in Whistler instead.

I will suggest Shark Ray Alley and Caye Caulker in Belize.