TheCriuseDirector

Can't wait to read more about this! Hopefully a Canada/New England Cruise is in the making for my cruise itineraries because NYC is pretty close to where I live and it would be nice to do something different than what is "normal" thoughts for cruises. Subscribed!

Hello! Welcome to the Carnival Birgade, glad to have you here.

1)Yes, you can wear shorts on casual nights as long as they are kind of nice (khakis).

2) I think that they put a sticker on your card if you get bottomless bubbles and that is how they determine it, but i believe they still serve them in glasses.

3)Orange Juice is complimentary as well as coffee, tea, milk, and some other things.

Welcome Back! The Vista seems amazing and I know you'll have a good time!:D

I have eagerly been waiting for this for quite sometime! I ca't wait to see all of the details and fun things and amazing things (and not-so-amazing things), because Baltimore is the closest port to where I live and would like to see if it reaches your standards.

Does the Breeze offer a free bottle of wine the 1st night in the steakhouse? Thanks

Yes, just like all the other steakhouses in the fleet, go early and you shall be rewarded. :D

That was almost the exact same thing that I did for my first cruise, but it was on the Fascination rather than the Elation! I'd say to get to the port around 10:20 so that way you will be early to board. JAXPORT is a very organized port but lines can get long if you go at peak hours (12-1), so I'd say get there early and enjoy exploring the ship when almost everybody else is waiting in line! And also, go to the buffet right when you walk on because it will soon get full and it will take a bit of waiting to get food. Finally, pack your swimsuit in your carry-on or wear it under your clothes so that you can jump right in and enjoy an almost empty pool (a rare scene)

I would say that, if YOU want to take the cruise, you should. If your BF doesn't want to go, you can bring someone else along and change the name of the traveling companion. OR (if it would be easier) leave him at home and take it yourself! You'll get to see a different side of cruising (traveling alone) and you won't have that constant negative voice saying "this is wrong, so is this, this is better on RCI, etc." BUT if you don't want to take it just because of a bad experience with booking, fine. Then I would say cancel it. But if YOU, livinginyellow, want to take this cruise but your BF doesn't want to, there's other ways to take it without having that negative voice.

Gambee, Thank you so much for giving us insight into what it's like on a cruise line not many know about. The review was just as good as all the others! And I know that you are booked and ready for the Carnival Victory this year, but do you have any other cruises in mind? Or even already booked? I love your reviews and am wondering when I'll (And everyone else who enjoys them) will get a brand new one!

With Care,

~TheCriuseDirector

Finally Caught Up! I'm loving this review so much! Thank you! You have inspired me to go all out review style on my (95% Sure I'm doing) cruise in February! Looking forward to see the rest! :)

I would say to go with the Elation 5-night because you'll have the "worst" of Carnival and it can only get "better" from there.

I would pick the Sunshine because there is a lot more to do onboard. The Dream is great if you want to be on a bigger ship but it fails to compare to the Sunshine in the amenities portion. Even though the Sunshine might seem crowded at some times (Comedy Shows, Lido Parties, etc.) If you get there early or avoid them all together, it should be fine.

Might I ask what the Itineraries are?

*Ok, so before I start, I am going to say that this has NOTHING to do about the VIFP Party.*

So, without further adieu, let's get started!

We all know that Carnival has many parties and dances and contests and fun stuff like that aboard the ship to entertain guests, but I was wondering what other events/parties could they add to make it more fun? I had a few ideas in mind, and am wondering what you guys think about them and if you have any other ideas.

~First, they could have a GIANT water balloon fight for everybody who cruises during the summer (all sailings from June-August).

Good Part: Usually summer is filled with these things so why not plan one for a sea day when you can't splash your friends in the ocean?

Down Side:Some people will probably end up taking it too seriously and going rage, throwing them like 90MPH fastballs in a baseball game

~Next, they could have a Themed Party. When they send out the email saying that you've booked the cruise, they will tell you what theme of party it will be (It could be Black and White, Luau, Mascarade, Anything)

Good Part: Lot's of fun and it will be relatively easy to plan

Down Side: Possibly low attendance because people wouldn't have the appropriate attire.

Thank you for reading, and if you have constructive criticism and other ideas, feel free to share!

As Always,

~TheCriuseDirector

If you are looking to find out what ships will be in each port on your Itinerary, then i recommend CruiseCal.com You click the top link "Itinereary Lookup" and choose your ship and itinerary.

So guys,

My family and I are planning on skipping a cruise this summer, going on a road trip instead, but going on a cruise in February; which where I live is the absolute WORST month of the year (-40 C/F sometimes). So I'm all up for this idea. Especially because the prices are A LOT cheaper than in the summer.

BUT I am a bit concerned as to how cold/warm it will be in various destinations. We took a cruise over Christmas/Holiday Season in 2012 to the Bahamas and the water and air was a little chilly for our tastes, but we made do with it. So I'm asking all y'all who've cruised in Feb to let me know how it was for you.

The cruise that we are trying to take is in my description and I'm wondering what your take is on cruising to those places in the cold winter months.

Thanks in Advance

~TheCriuseDirector

I would say that the Scenic Oceanview is TOTALLY worth the extra price becaue they are some of the most sought after staterooms on any ship!

As you can see, it is a very large window and you can see where you are going!

I have made a list of all the ships and which waterslides they have on them. Hope this helps! ~TheCriuseDirector

Sunshine: Twister, Speedway Splashdown, Tipping Bucket

Breeze & Magic: Twister, Drainpipe, & Tipping Bucket

Dream: Twister, Drainpipe, Racer

Splendor, Freedom, Liberty, Valor, Glory, Conquest, Triumph, Victory: Twister <No WaterWorks>

Miracle: Twister <No WaterWorks>

Legend, Pride, Spirit: Green Thunder, Twister, Tipping Bucket

Fantasy, Ecstasy, Sensation, Fascination, Imagination, Inspiration: Twister, Racer

Elation, Paradise: Twister <No WaterWorks>

I think Carnival has a good teen program, IMHO, much better than RCCL/Norwegian/Princess.

I am a bit biased, but I would choose the Carnival Glory because it tends to do 4-ports on a 7-day cruise which is AWESOME. I don't think that the other ships do that, im positive that NCL Epic and Allure don't do that so... I would go with the Glory

[Q] Personally, I think ALL the cruise lines should eliminate their loyalty programs entirely. All they do is create class systems and generate animosity and ill will between people. Just my opinion. [/Q]

I kind of agree with that statement because it does create a class type of system, with some thinking they are superior. But loyalty programs are great because it shows that the company appreciates you staying with them for a long time.

I think that there should be a different color of card for every cruise you go on and It would go from a very light pink to an almost black purple. If you reach 100 or something cruises, your card stays solid black (because that would be AWESOME) and if it's your first cruise, it's pure white. And on your sailings where you are solid black, you get benefits because you've cruised with them 100 or something times.

I tend to always agree with them, the more people turned off by carnival means the more chances we have to get a GREAT stateroom!

Carnival will let you bring on 1 bottle of wine/ champagne per adult.

Since you are on a Fantasy-Class ship, there wont be as many upgrades as there would be on a bigger ship, i.e. Pride/Breeze/Glory.

The adults only area is free and is in prime location at the aft of the ship

There are no specialty restaurants on Fantasy-Classes of ships, so there shouldn't be any payments for food (Unless you get it at the coffee shop)

Go on expecting the cruise to be terrible, then find all the good parts about it, it makes the cruise more enjoyable

I think that it all depends on what events you go to. Some of the parties they have there can be drunks but for the most part, at least on my 2 cruises (both short), there is almost nobody who is "expressively drunk."

I would go Liberty all the way!

On the Dream, it goes to ports that are more visited ports, so if you miss them, it wont be difficult to find another cruise with those ports. While the Liberty goes to ports such as Barbados (Not that uncommon), Trinidad & Tobago, and Grenada. There's only a few cruises I've seen in the 4 years I've been searching that go to any of those places, PLUS you get to go to one of your favorite islands, Aruba!

I think that the Liberty is a much better "bang-for-your-buck" even though it's more expensive.

Athough there's a good chance you can, my guess is that they aren't allowed to serve you drinks from an already drunken from glass, even if it's yours. Mainly due to the sanity of the ship

Any 4k between lifeboats is a favorite.

 

I'm curious original poster, what is a criuse director?

A "Criuse Director" Is naive me trying to spell cruise but failed. I got that nickname because I do all the planning! lol I thought the name would be perfect for this but it got misspelled so...

There are no "Cruise Formal" Nights on any cruises, but there was one "Cruise Elegant" Night on my 5-day on the Fascination. So, wear your best for one night, get four nights casual.

*They took out Cruise Formal Nights because it was too fancy for them, so now they call them Cruise Elegant Nights