What's Over Hyped and What's Underrated?

[legion3]

I rarely stand in line. I show up around 12:30-1ish, breeze through security, check in, and practically walk right on the ship.

 

At least you admit you rarely stand in line. you need to take scheduling lessons from some of the other posters. ;) practically walk right on, does that mean there might be a wait? :cool:

 

 

I said it might be worth it for tender ports. But almost every port I've been to is not a tender port.

 

 

 

My vacation is usually ending when my cruise is. I make my flight an afternoon one, enjoy a leisurely breakfast at lido, and walk of the ship later. I'm in no hurry to get off. Even if I have an early flight, I just use self assist.

 

Almost all the advantages of FTTF are pointless if you do a good job scheduling, if you ask me. I'd rather spend my $50 on drinks.

 

But its clear you need scheduling lessons as you do sometimes stand in line...unacceptable :D

Edited December 2, 2014 by legion3

[MadManOfBethesda]

Almost all the advantages of FTTF are pointless if you do a good job scheduling, if you ask me.

 

I don't believe that anyone did.

[FSRoberts]

I don't believe that anyone did.

 

Pretty sure OP did when he asked "What's Over Hyped and What's Underrated?"

 

Why can't people hold opinions different than yours?

[Yvonne]

So glad to see somebody else thinking that about balconies. I love balconies, but man some of the people here are nuts about them. On multiple occasions some folks have claimed that they'd rather just not cruise at all if a balcony was not an option. Are you kidding me?!?! They're great, but not a deal breaker.

 

A balcony is generally a deal breaker for ME.

 

Our upcoming cruise on the Paradise we are in an inside cabin. We were invited to go along to celebrate our granddaughter's college graduation, so of course we want to go. I will just "suck it up" and still enjoy the cruise, to be with family, but I will definitely miss my "quiet time" reading for an hour or two in the afternoons on my own balcony. And I will miss having room service breakfast delivered and enjoying it out on the balcony. For short cruises (we've done the Fantasy and RC's Monarch of the Seas) not having a balcony isn't a "deal breaker" but for 7 nights or longer it is, for ME.

 

I really can't come up with anything that I feel is "overrated" or "underrated" as it's different for everyone. What one person thinks is overrated someone else will say that same thing is underrated.

 

I've had the chocolate melting cake once, it was fine but not something I have to have.

 

I do like Guy's Burger's, to be able to put whatever I want on it (mushrooms and caramelized onions especially) is great. Never have gone to the Blue Iguana so can't comment on that.

 

Personally, I think FTTF is a waste and I wouldn't spend the money on it. But others love it.

[legion3]

Pretty sure OP did when he asked "What's Over Hyped and What's Underrated?"

 

Why can't people hold opinions different than yours?

 

 

When you tell someone their opinion or the spending of their $50 is "pointless" it does not facilitate useful communication. Now of course telling someone that they are just to cool for school because they never, ever wait in line is OK. :D

 

FTTF is not pointless as I always seem to stand in line, apparently behind those who don't, and I don't want to spend my $50 on drinks or enjoy a leisurely breakfast at lido, (yuck!) and walk of the ship later or take my time or fly to Cleveland...darn it all these opinions are just plain wrong! ;)

 

Overrated: Opinions!

[cruizinisthebest]

I don't think that many people responding to this thread are demanding that everyone agree with them or that Carnival must change now to meet their personal desires. It should be clear that this thread is asking for individual opinions (which are all equal) as to what is over or underrated. One person thinks Blue Iguana is overrated, another thinks it's underrated. They are both right, as it is both of their opinions, and neither should be offended by the difference. I think that most people here understand this. There could be some that don't, which may have led to a few little arguments here, but I've seen far worse arguing on other threads. This one has been quite tame. Most of the "arguing" is just simply people expanding on why they feel the way they do.

 

What constitutes something being overrated? Too much talk about it on these boards? Personal expectations being too high? Too many people on board the ship with you going crazy for it when you thought it was just okay? Too long of a line when it's not that great? Yes...to any or all or any other reason. It's a personal opinion thread, and whatever you feel makes it over or underrated is a valid reason. Keep the opinions coming.

 

I never defined what kind of thread it was. I simply agreed with the poster I quoted. Thanks.

[pirate4me2]

We found the Chocolate Extravaganza to be overhyped. Guy's Burgers were good, but I was a little disappointed. Also have not been impressed with Blue Iguana's lunch burritos. Playlist Productions are a joke, and Fat Jimmy's C-side BBQ was also highly overrated.

I love Blue Iguana's breakfast burritos, and the wait time there was very, very little, so I think they are underrated.

[mum2bradley]

Am I missing something?

 

Do all the ships have fish & chips? This will be my 5th cruise and I have never seen fish & chips???

[tbbtravels]

 

These comments have been fun and entertaining. Spat my diet soda already!

 

In the spirit of this thread:

 

 

I say most overrated by carnival ,,,,,,,, - the hunt for smuggled booze :D

 

Really - pictures purchased from carnival and bingo as a close 2nd.

 

I say the most underrated by carnival,,,,,,,,,,- the hunt for smuggled booze - cause there sure are a bunch on here claiming how to do it,,,,,,,,getting it on ship and how much they succeeded at it. One of my table mates on my last cruise got on 2 liters of crown in Listerine bottles,,,,,,how could he do that now a days,,,,it's the first thing I see security inspecting,,,,, :rolleyes:

 

Really -

how happy the crew are for the little salary they get. The long hours they have to work. The behind the scenes tour - opened my eyes. I mean the crew pay tips like we do. They don't make up their own bed or clean their own clothes or cook their own food,,,,so they pay tips as well. The off day is a few hours,,,,if they are in a dept that gets that,,,,,,,,Wow that tour opened my eyes.

 

 

 

Edited December 2, 2014 by tbbtravels

[tbbtravels]

Am I missing something?

 

Do all the ships have fish & chips? This will be my 5th cruise and I have never seen fish & chips???

 

 

 

Usually it's on the floor above the buffet. Next time you are at the buffet - look up for the stair case, and look up to see the railing above,,,usually on lido behind the free standing dessert section,,,,,closest buffet to aft pool

 

 

Edited December 2, 2014 by tbbtravels

[crusinpsychRN]

Usually it's on the floor above the buffet. Next time you are at the buffet - look up for the stair case, and look up to see the railing above,,,usually on lido behind the free standing dessert section,,,,,closest buffet to aft pool

 

 

 

On Conquest ships only?

[crusinpsychRN]

Pizza is highly over rated. Almost non existent sauce, paper thin like a wafer, tasteless until you load up on the red pepper.

 

I was handed a menu with Oysters Rockefeller which I look forward to and asked for. The menu was literally snatched out of my hand and replaced with one with the option Ox Tongue. Are you kidding? Everyone agreed it was gross.

[Karen4kc]

First, for anyone kinda new, like me, who wasn't sure, WCMC stands for warm chocolate melting cake. Maybe its lack of experience but every dessert I ordered on my 2 Carnival cruises, WCMC was on par or better then the alternative. I.e. the best dessert in my life was the baked Alaska on a different line some 25 yrs ago - after tasting the Carnival version, I was stealing bites of WCMC from my tablemates!

I've read so many negative reviews on the food, especially the buffets, that I would put it on the underrated category. Not saying its 'lick the plate clean' delicious but not as bad as reviews would suggest. As for WCMC, I'll order one as a back up.

[Honolulu Blue]

Am I missing something?

 

Do all the ships have fish & chips? This will be my 5th cruise and I have never seen fish & chips???

 

According to Carnival's Web site, it's just on the Conquest, Glory, Valor, Liberty, and Freedom. I think that is, as was noted above, the Conquest class of ships.

[tbbtravels]

On Conquest ships only?

 

 

 

Sorry I was speaking of the specialty restaurants,,,,,

elation, fascination, sunshine, freedom, conquest, Breeze and Glory - I saw some specialty restaurants up high above the buffet.

 

the fish n chips - is like the bbq sea side,,,,only certain class ships

Edited December 2, 2014 by tbbtravels

[tbbtravels]

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, One of my table mates on my last cruise got on 2 liters of crown in Listerine bottles,,,,,,how could he do that now a days,,,,it's the first thing I see security inspecting,,,,, :rolleyes:

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

 

 

Oh and on a side note - the ship ran out of crown on day 4 of the 7 day cruise. He was so mad! Went to every bar on the ship.

Guess he should not have been sharing his stash crown early on.

 

[hsolis67]

Guy's burgers ==> overrated, good burger but line way too long

 

Pizza ==> Way Way underrated (I worked at a Pizza Restaurant for over 10 years in my younger years and got sick of eating pizza that I hardly eat it now)

 

But all of this is irrelevant, if you don't like something, don't eat it- eat something else. It's impossible to please everybody. What's much more important to me is what I also think it's underrated that makes a big difference in how you enjoy your vacation....

 

Also way underrated ==> all carnival service employees! Always with a smile, greeting me by name, ready to help out and make me feel like family!

[mpcaruth]

Underrated:

• Pasta bar - great for lunch and rarely busy.
  
• Deli sandwiches: they have REAL mozzarella!!! And, you can special order to suit rather than order what is merely on the menu !!!
  
• Hard served ice cream at the MDR. You can even get a banana split. It's on the kids menu, but you do not have to be a child.
  
• The Camp Carnival family scavenger hunts are a blast and provide fun family memories
  
• Laser Tag. Not sure if they still have this on Sea Days, but we loved playing this as a family.
  
• Hypnotist shows. These are way more entertaining than the typical main theater shows.
  
• Free match play tokens for the casino
  
• Behind the Scenes Tour - If you are curious as to how the ship functions and operates, then this is a must do at least one time.
  

Over hyped:

• WCMC - hot muck!
  
• Karaoke - I cannot make myself listen to strangers singing loudly off key. I sometimes wonder if the entire audience is tone deaf or just extremely polite people.
  
• Waterworks slides - they always hurt my kids' backs, and they only ride them a few times.
  
• BINGO - Does anyone know what the odds of winning are? Much better off placing a bet on the roulette wheel. Instead of paying $20 for a bingo card for a 1 in 200+ chance (depends on number of people playing) of winning $500, put $20 on your favorite number on the roulette table. That is a 1 in 36 chance of winning 35 times the bet, or $700. Better yet, use free match play tokens!
  

AND... I tell myself that these are over-hyped to make me feel better, as I am just too frugal and have never partaken:

• Cheers package
  
• spa packages
  
• Aft balcony
  

[BeachinBeauty]

Just got off the Conquest and found the following to be overrated:

 

WCMC. It was good, but no different than Dominos' lava cake.

 

Guy's. Alright burgers, but not really anything so incredibly out of the ordinary delicious. One day my burger was a little crisp, but things happen and I know I could've gone back and ordered another if I wanted to. I will say, Guy's wins the award for fastest food-in-hand service.

 

Blue Iguana Cantina. DH ate here. I didn't. He was not impressed. Nothing like Moe's or any other build your own burrito places.

 

Pizza Pirate and Ice cream. Pizza was tasty, but a 30 min line round the clock. Not worth it. The ice cream wasn't as good as it could've been. MDR ice cream was better.

 

Cheers package. Wouldve cost us $800, which was more than we paid for one ticket. Our total bill was $700 including gratuities, drinks, Internet and shopping. No way we wouldve consumed $800 in drinks, alone. I do know some people who could've found worth in the package, but they'll probably never cruise because they wouldn't be able to afford to add that expense onto the cost of their tickets (they're heavy drinkers).

 

ETA: Balcony rooms. We paid an extra $3-400 for these cabins and literally spent a grand total of thirty minutes on the balconies in a seven day span of time. We had the last two cabins before the aft wrap cabin, and the balconies are significantly larger than other balcony rooms. But, I will never ever ever stay in the aft of the ship. Ever again. We had rocky seas the entire cruise, and our room seemed to receive the brunt of the turbulence. I got sea sick for the first time in my life. We also heard constant loud banging sounds that rattled the painting above our bed every night (all night long) and morning. Not sure what the source was. But, nonetheless, the oversized balcony is not worth it. Really, I'm not sure we'll ever spring for a balcony again unless we get a good deal on one midship.

Edited December 2, 2014 by BeachinBeauty

[curious_st]

Everyone seems to have the same general list.

 

Overrated: any one who posts that bitter & blanc is overrated...looking at you OP!

anyone who posts tea time as overrated...again OP, we'll have to keep out eye on you...

 

I agree, not worth they hype.

 

now this is what I'm talking about, excellent top notch UNDERRATED post! :cool:

 

 

This is the OP. I think that several desserts are overrated, because I have either had better versions of better desserts or I see an easy way to improve them. They are good, but not great. The bitter & blanc just sort of hit a single note. The vanilla sauce was good, but it would be good on a piece of cardboard. The small amount if chocolate in it bothered me. If they want chocolate in it, they should at least triple the amount and offer both a chocolate sauce and a vanilla sauce. Or, they should eliminate the chocolate and serve it with a mix of vanilla and raspberry sauces. Or, better yet, eliminate the chocolate and serve it with a bourbon caramel sauce.

 

I have a recipe for mocha molten lava cakes that are a thousand times better than the WCMC. Mine are significantly larger than the WCMC, so you still get some baked cake while getting a gooey center. The coffee portion of the mocha cuts the richness of the chocolate, so no ice cream or other sauces are needed. WCMC is good, my mocha lava cakes are out of this world, and I am really not that much of a baker.

 

The Grand Marnier soufflé has such a lovely light texture, but was too light on flavor. I would like to see an orange sauce on the plate to spoon into the soufflé as desired and a garnish of candied orange peek dipped in bittersweet chocolate.

 

Tea Time, in my one experience, was just OK. It would be much nicer if they offered an extra special selection of teas that are not regularly available on the buffet. I have read on CC that sometimes there is a piano player during tea. I think that would have been nice. The macarons and little scone sandwiches were quite good, but the little open faced sandwiches were getting a little soggy. If they toasted the breads, it would help. The fruit tart might have been good, but I have a favorite bakery that makes an out-of-this-world fruit tart, so I have high expectations for those. A special set of ornate floral cups and saucers would be a nice touch. To me, tea time was no more special than any other snack time aboard, no matter how high I held my pinky while drinking the tea.

[evandbob]

IMO, Guy's burgers are WAY over rated. It's a frickken burger, 80/20, worst selection of ground. Wouldn't stand in line for one if more than 5 people are already there waiting.

[BeachinBeauty]

This is the OP. I think that several desserts are overrated, because I have either had better versions of better desserts or I see an easy way to improve them. They are good, but not great. The bitter & blanc just sort of hit a single note. The vanilla sauce was good, but it would be good on a piece of cardboard. The small amount if chocolate in it bothered me. If they want chocolate in it, they should at least triple the amount and offer both a chocolate sauce and a vanilla sauce. Or, they should eliminate the chocolate and serve it with a mix of vanilla and raspberry sauces. Or, better yet, eliminate the chocolate and serve it with a bourbon caramel sauce.

 

I have a recipe for mocha molten lava cakes that are a thousand times better than the WCMC. Mine are significantly larger than the WCMC, so you still get some baked cake while getting a gooey center. The coffee portion of the mocha cuts the richness of the chocolate, so no ice cream or other sauces are needed. WCMC is good, my mocha lava cakes are out of this world, and I am really not that much of a baker.

 

The Grand Marnier soufflé has such a lovely light texture, but was too light on flavor. I would like to see an orange sauce on the plate to spoon into the soufflé as desired and a garnish of candied orange peek dipped in bittersweet chocolate.

 

Tea Time, in my one experience, was just OK. It would be much nicer if they offered an extra special selection of teas that are not regularly available on the buffet. I have read on CC that sometimes there is a piano player during tea. I think that would have been nice. The macarons and little scone sandwiches were quite good, but the little open faced sandwiches were getting a little soggy. If they toasted the breads, it would help. The fruit tart might have been good, but I have a favorite bakery that makes an out-of-this-world fruit tart, so I have high expectations for those. A special set of ornate floral cups and saucers would be a nice touch. To me, tea time was no more special than any other snack time aboard, no matter how high I held my pinky while drinking the tea.

 

I enjoyed my Bitter and Blanc. I hadn't ever had it before. It wasnt the best dessert of my life or anything, but I enjoyed it. Now, I felt the Baked Alaska was a huge dessert bust. But, someone on here mentioned they thought it was fabulous. It's all a matter of opinion, I suppose. I definitely agree with you on tea time. It was almost a complete waste of time. There were so many potential areas for improvement there. The only thing I liked was the vanilla macaroon.

[patrice1]

Pizza is highly over rated. Almost non existent sauce, paper thin like a wafer, tasteless until you load up on the red pepper.

 

See, there you are! Different strokes for different folks - LOVE the thin crust pizzas!;)

[Cruisertommyboy]

This is a great thread. Its been waaay to long since my last Carnival cruise 12/12 to be exact and I realize things change over time and everyone has their own likes and dislikes which can influence under/over hyped.

 

A case in point regarding pizza. While in Nassau on the Breeze I had the pleasure of eating pizza with the ships captain. We had the most enjoyable conversation regarding a staff safety drill that was conducted that morning. He was very passionate about the safety training that the staff goes through. He also made it a point to speak whenever our paths crossed the rest of the cruise. My point is for an Italian to eat the pizza when he has his choice of venue to eat from including the senior staff dining room must be saying something about the pizza

 

About Guys Burgers, on the inaugural of the Breeze out of Venice they were the most disgusting burger I have ever eaten. Six months later I tried them again on the Breeze and they were 100 times better. I placed it on the fact as to where they were getting their beef from.

 

My DW doesn't miss and opportunity to order WCMC and I can take it or leave it. I did learn from the Chefs Table that you can order it with the center having the desired consistency from gooey to firm.

 

BTW I have never been nor do I intent to go to the port talk just to find out that they have a Diamond International there. But obviously people go

 

Just my 2 cents

 

Tom

[Rottweiler Puppy]

The steakhouse on the Liberty is overrated. Its not bad but it isn't as good as I expected.

 

Guys burgers are big time overrated IMHO. Thin dried up patties, any time I tried them.

 

Underrated? Service. I always hear bad stories of service but in my experience, Carnival has always provided excellent service most of the time.