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Tell Me About Your Oldest Carnival Cruise


48traveler
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Our first cruise was on the Fantasy in 2004. A group in our neighborhood had arranged a cruise for 4 couples. One had to drop out and we were asked if we would like to take their place. We said yes. It was a 4 day to Nassau and Freeport.

 

We are now looking forward (hopefully) to our 50th and 51st Carnival cruise on the Radiance in November.   🙂

 

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14 hours ago, mbglib said:

My husband and I taught at a very small school where we were required to help students raise funds for a senior trip from the time they were ninth graders until they were seniors. In 1992, we took this group on their and our first cruise. The flights was even the first flight most of us had ever taken. The Carnival Celebration seemed like a huge ship. I remember the hot dog and hamburger little walk-through area on the Lido (no buffet then), horse racing in the theater, skeet-shooting on the back of the ship (although we didn't participate), bingo, the shows, and the good food in the dining room. We did dress up on formal nights. A server asked us one night how we were all related and I told him that they were all our own children, so he said, “No TV?”

 

One more memory is that the girls in our group were sad that we were on the second deck as the Riveria deck was the one that all the stores would post as having won a prize. I doubted the cabin numbers even existed that were posted, but it was their way to get the passengers to look in the jewelry cases.

 

One final thing, we flew in on the day the cruise began and out the day it ended. I shutter to think of the problems we would have had with all those teenagers if this had gone wrong.

 

I don't have any pictures of the ship, but the first one I posted is of us in 1992 and the other one on our November 2019 Carnival Breeze cruise. We haven't changed a bit, 🙂 but cruising surely has and no chaperoning high school kids on our last 25 cruises. 🙂

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Wife and I took our wedding trip on the Celebration in 2004  One stop was in Mexico , I think Calais? You do not hear much of it anymore but the water was gorgeous

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First cruise, 12/16/1987.  My husband had won 'rewards' in an Employee Suggestion contest.  Got a few little things, but his team had a BIG idea.  When I saw that you could use points to book a cruise, I got him to promise a cruise if the BIG ONE won.  It did!

 

1987.  The morning we left home in suburban Chicago, it was -20.  Limo to airport.  Holiday from Miami to Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios.

 

Thoughts.   Sheet shooting.  No 'optional' dining.  Free room service.  Topless deck under the funnel.

 

Now have about 25 cruises.

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Other pictures from the Mardi Gras...most of these posted in other threads over the years...

 

The Beer Drinking Contest...

BeerContest.jpg.dead42da6c90b52f0d782d4bd9047db5.jpg

 

Deck Area...

MGSwimmingPool.jpg.f8a47c8e3b770a0b8c2900ecf2ec8932.jpg

 

Men's Nightgown Contest...

MensNightgownContest.jpg.053e2b906a2e1ac1ff4d6c5367bc0623.jpg

 

Dining Room...

DiningRoom.jpg.d2dedcbcae479801b030288a13e16679.jpg

 

Skeet Shooting...

SkeetShooting.jpg.a44fbb2a89282077587dcb3bd764f853.jpg

 

Some of the public lounges...

lounge.jpg.9bf77a35a991fef615b5e41b55492b9a.jpg

Lounge2.jpg.a37c331d2f853dc93efcc490ae8f5e6d.jpg

 

Mardi Gras at Ocho  Rios...

MGOchoRios.jpg.b224f0b7acee33278ff49cef32babe76.jpg

 

Mardi Gras at Cozumel...

MardiGras2.thumb.jpg.3c8ee97c716505998bb6cca0efe66e2b.jpg

 

MardiGras3-1.thumb.jpg.44d9dfdde9afb67ae17b924942c863ad.jpg

 

A picture of our small and very messy inside stateroom...

InsideCabin.jpg.93816ddcca166b0304aca69f6dc6349a.jpg

 

Lastly a picture of our stateroom after the Room Steward has done his evening turndown service.  Back in the day, it wasn't unusual (or creepy?) for the steward to pull out a nightgown for my wife to wear to bed.  Typically, he would fashion the nightgown into some artistic creation...a guess a forerunner of the towel animals...and leave it with a flower....and strangely enough, a deck of cards 🙂

Nightgown.jpg.da1c102d465d2fb8ae9b6f6381b475c1.jpg

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9 minutes ago, N7786W Flyer said:

Typically, he would fashion the nightgown into some artistic creation...a guess a forerunner of the towel animals...and leave it with a flower....and strangely enough, a deck of cards 🙂

 

Strip poker?

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Our first Carnival cruise was in 1996 on the Fascination. At the time, that ship was the largest cruise ship!! We had a Grand Suite and friends of ours had an ocean view down the hall. We had a great time and they spent a lot of time in our suite because it was so large and we had a bar. We stopped at Grenada and were tendered into the dock. Walked around and could smell all the wonderful spices that women were selling on the dock. Downtown we went to get a beer in a veterinary supply store. Weird.

 

When we returned to our cabin, the four of us sat out on our deck having cocktails and there were young Grenadian men in small boats down below us. We started throwing quarters from my stash from the casino the night before. The guys would dive for them until they were chased away by some Carnival crew members.

 

The only negative thing about the cruise was our very surly and snarky head waiter. We reported him to the maitre'd and well, the waiter got worse. Finally got a different waiter for the rest of the cruise. Have never had that experience since in all of our 55 cruises.

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Our first cruise was on the Ecstasy in 2006.  5 day cruise to Cozumel and Progresso.  We thought the ship was so big and 5 days was a long time.  Our second cruise wasn't until 2010.  All total we have been on 15 cruises with 2 scheduled this fall, including our first cruise over 7 days.  12 day cruise to the Virgin Islands.  Can't wait.

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23 hours ago, Thebosn1 said:

Love the pictures, really cool.  First cruise was on the Valor when it was still brand new.  I fell in love with the experience immediately.  My first wife did not.  My current wife loves cruising hahaha. 

Guess you posted for a wife. Need a wife who loves cruising or do not bother to reply.😉

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I was in the NAVY and my boss kept on me to take a cruise. I would always look at him with a smirk. Really a cruise?

Diesel fuel smell and all. He informed me it is nothing like it. I was a workaholic and he said take the weekend and go with your wife. I insist. Okay. So we did. We both got hooked on cruising. 1992. Right now. The withdrawal is killing us. We MUST start cruising again. Usually 4-6 a year. The cancellations are terrible.

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5 hours ago, N7786W Flyer said:

Other pictures from the Mardi Gras...most of these posted in other threads over the years...

 

The Beer Drinking Contest...

BeerContest.jpg.dead42da6c90b52f0d782d4bd9047db5.jpg

 

Deck Area...

MGSwimmingPool.jpg.f8a47c8e3b770a0b8c2900ecf2ec8932.jpg

 

Men's Nightgown Contest...

MensNightgownContest.jpg.053e2b906a2e1ac1ff4d6c5367bc0623.jpg

 

Dining Room...

DiningRoom.jpg.d2dedcbcae479801b030288a13e16679.jpg

 

Skeet Shooting...

SkeetShooting.jpg.a44fbb2a89282077587dcb3bd764f853.jpg

 

Some of the public lounges...

lounge.jpg.9bf77a35a991fef615b5e41b55492b9a.jpg

Lounge2.jpg.a37c331d2f853dc93efcc490ae8f5e6d.jpg

 

Mardi Gras at Ocho  Rios...

MGOchoRios.jpg.b224f0b7acee33278ff49cef32babe76.jpg

 

Mardi Gras at Cozumel...

MardiGras2.thumb.jpg.3c8ee97c716505998bb6cca0efe66e2b.jpg

 

MardiGras3-1.thumb.jpg.44d9dfdde9afb67ae17b924942c863ad.jpg

 

A picture of our small and very messy inside stateroom...

InsideCabin.jpg.93816ddcca166b0304aca69f6dc6349a.jpg

 

Lastly a picture of our stateroom after the Room Steward has done his evening turndown service.  Back in the day, it wasn't unusual (or creepy?) for the steward to pull out a nightgown for my wife to wear to bed.  Typically, he would fashion the nightgown into some artistic creation...a guess a forerunner of the towel animals...and leave it with a flower....and strangely enough, a deck of cards 🙂

Nightgown.jpg.da1c102d465d2fb8ae9b6f6381b475c1.jpg

To me this was when cruise ships looked like a cruise ship should  The streamlined shape and all

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Our first cruise was in 2004 for my sister's 50th birthday on the Paradise. We loved that it was a fully no smoking ship. She wanted to take a trip and I agreed to go anywhere. So she springs  a cruise on me. No way!!!!But, she reminded me that I had promised. I had these visions of sinking in the dark, cold water, teeming with sharks. Once we got on the ship, I was hooked!! We have been sailing together ever since. I think that first cabin was an inside on Riviera deck. My bed was apparently above something mechanical, but boy did we sleep well. Now it is 4-J's and balconies.  Our next cruise is this coming April 2021.

 

 

 

 

 

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35 minutes ago, canlin1 said:

Our first cruise was in 2004 for my sister's 50th birthday on the Paradise. We loved that it was a fully no smoking ship. She wanted to take a trip and I agreed to go anywhere. So she springs  a cruise on me. No way!!!!But, she reminded me that I had promised. I had these visions of sinking in the dark, cold water, teeming with sharks. Once we got on the ship, I was hooked!! We have been sailing together ever since. I think that first cabin was an inside on Riviera deck. My bed was apparently above something mechanical, but boy did we sleep well. Now it is 4-J's and balconies.  Our next cruise is this coming April 2021.


I miss the days of Paradise being smoke free. Too bad it wasn’t very successful. 

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The Mardi Gras had 2 cabins with a double bed, both inside near the bow. All the rest had twin beds bolted to the floor. We had to walk up a slight incline to get to our cabin, Number 110.

Mardigras1986B.jpg

Edited by JoeMo
Bad grammer
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Lord, I have you all beat. 1978 Carnivale. My high school senior trip at the tender age of 17. 60 students. 4 to a cabin with bunk beds. If I remember correctly the shower was the entire bathroom lol. We road overnight on a chartered bus to Miami from Charleston, stopped at a Burger King then on to the ship.

 

One of my girlfriends befriended a bartender so we all got free drinks, back when you paid cash...and no ID needed. I ended up meeting the ship’s engineer and went dancing every night, back when the crew co-mingled with the guests. (It was innocent- at least on my part). Actually he was a perfect gentleman but he did introduce me to Amaretto. We didn’t know anything about shore excursions so we just walked around each port. St. Maarten, St. Thomas, San Juan. We dressed formally every night for dinner. My friends and I didn’t like the crowded pool area so we sunbathed on a little deck we found up top near the bridge. I never slept in the room but in a chaise on deck every night.

 

It was a blast. I got sea sick badly that first day and after that was fine, got land sick when we got back. Didn’t cruise again until I was married years later, then not for 20 years but that love for cruising has never died...

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Hold on Medtech2 - I sailed on Marti Gras in June 1976 - I was 17 years old and I was with my parents and another family.  It was my second cruise - the first being on the Flavia the year before.   We had a great time as it was myself and a girlfriend my age and we met 2 college guys and our parents let us go the the beach in Magen’s Bay via cab with them.  It was the most beautiful beach I had ever seen.  We went to St. Thomas, San Juan & Nassau.  Cruising was a totally different experience back then.  I was my only Carnival cruise and I have taken 25+ since those days.  

I enjoyed seeing the pictures - I still have some from that cruise.  

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1986 Carnivale  Me, my hubby of one year, my sister & brother.  4 in a cabin and you could sh*t, shower and shave all at the same time in the "bathroom".  We were lucky enough to have a port hole.  I remember paying cash at the bar.  Beer drinking, pillow fighting, male nightgown contest.  Free rum punch welcome party, captain's cocktail party, dressing up on formal night.  We met so many fun people, including someone a few years older than us , who went to the same small H.S. we did.  I remember standing on deck singing our school's fight song!  Been hooked since.   I just passed my 25th Carnival cruise and am creeping up on Diamond status.

1977196_10203563883565702_2101040687_n.jpg

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On 5/14/2020 at 10:05 PM, Halfmoonfan said:

Festivale 1983 out of MIA

 

We sailed 1983  in late July on the Festivale out of Miami. This was our family's 2nd cruise, the first being the Mardi Gras in 1982. After this I was hooked as a 14 year old on cruising. I remember watching my dad do the skeet shooting. Good memories. 

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in 1979 we cruised Carnival's  Mardi Gras-Carnivale - Festivale all in the same year and LOVED it ..there were about a dozen of us, who worked together , all young & single without a care in the world 

 

my only regret is I lost track of our group and wished i had kept the photos so I could receive past ViFP cruise credits

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52 minutes ago, hattack said:

in 1979 we cruised Carnival's  Mardi Gras-Carnivale - Festivale all in the same year and LOVED it ..there were about a dozen of us, who worked together , all young & single without a care in the world 

 

my only regret is I lost track of our group and wished i had kept the photos so I could receive past ViFP cruise credits

I actually got Carnival to give me credit for the 1985 cruise  because of the photos. That was like 20 years after the cruise that I got the credit

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2 hours ago, 48traveler said:

I actually got Carnival to give me credit for the 1985 cruise  because of the photos. That was like 20 years after the cruise that I got the credit

Same with us, sent the picture of us from 1984 and got the credit 

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