OPINIONS NEEDED: Carnival fans who have tried "upgraded" lines. . . what is the advantage and is it worth it?

[KmomChicago]

On 7/3/2022 at 6:50 PM, AQW said:

We have very similar cruising tastes! Carnival's product is a perfect fit for me. I don't want to dress up; I don't want five-star, white-glove dinner service; I don't care if the ships are aging or décor is dated; I like tons of trivia and silly deck parties and bargain cruises. I haven't even sailed Carnival's bigger/fancier ships; other than one cruise on Splendor and one on Freedom I've sailed nothing but Spirit class and Fantasy class for my 29 Carnival cruises. Put me in my beloved bowling alley balcony on a Spirit class ship and I'm a happy gal. 

 

I tried RCL once and Disney once early in my cruising career and have stuck with Carnival exclusively for the past 12 years or so. The only two things that would get me on another line would be an itinerary I *really* want to do that I can't get on Carnival, or if somebody else is paying (I'll be doing NCL to Alaska next summer on someone else's dime, but I'd never book that myself and it doesn't appeal to me any more than Carnival). 

 

@AQW if you are still out there, your NCL Alaska cruise is now getting closer and I would like details.

 

I am just starting the planning process for an Alaska cruise for May 2024, and my party wants to do a one way itinerary with days on our own in Alaska for 3-4 nights before or after the cruise, preferably before so we can wear ourselves out and then relax on the ship.

 

The one-way itineraries really limit your ship/line options and eliminates Carnival entirely, which is perfectly fine. 

 

Being me, Kmom, the ultimate overthinker, I'm all over the place on what to choose, but anyway both NCL and RCI have a couple of ships doing this route. Other options will be Princess, HAL, Celebrity, and the prices are not much different among them. This could be that chance to branch out as NCL is the only line I have sailed. However as they are all smaller ships, around 100k tons or less, I don’t know if it will be very representative of the current situation for any of those.

Edited January 30, 2023 by KmomChicago

[KmomChicago]

On 7/3/2022 at 6:36 PM, ilovesparky13 said:

Don’t dismiss taking a Carnival ship to Alaska. I just took one in May and it was PERFECT. Great activities, they had a naturalist onboard, covered pool deck, and wonderful entertainment. 
 

Anyone who says that Alaska is JUST about the ports is lying. You spend more time on the ship than on land, so you want a ship and a cruise line that you are going to enjoy. 

Hello @ilovesparky13. A few months have passed and we’re looking at a one way Alaska cruise next spring/summer 2024 and Carnival only does the round trip. Our party plans to do Alaska just this once so the itinerary is taking precedence over the ship choice. I certainly would have kept them on the short list. 

[KmomChicago]

On 7/3/2022 at 7:03 PM, mz-s said:

Ask me after Halloween

So what happened on Halloween?

[KmomChicago]

On 7/3/2022 at 6:56 PM, LuvCruiSun said:

We’re almost Diamond on Carnival, but going to check out Princess in January since they’re going to start sailing out of San Diego where we live. The cruise goes to Loreto and La Paz which will be new ports for us. Really excited for this!

How did you enjoy Princess?

[trummy]

I got off the Celebrity Reflection yesterday. I don't plan on going on Celebrity again. I do have a Carnival Cruise scheduled for this August.

 

Celebrity costs 3 to 4 times more than Carnival. I did not find Celebrity to be worth it. The shows were better on Celebrity. The food is better on Carnival, especially in the MDR. I missed a piano bar and the fun vibe Carnival has. Carnival has more nightly activities and a dedicated venue for dancing. 

 

Though I am 61 years old myself, I found the clientele on Celebrity to be a bit "old" for me. I also found there to be a bit of entitlement among a good portion of Celebrity cruisers, although I did find some very nice people as well. 

 

To me it's a lot about the vibe. I find Carnival to be more relaxed and the people to be more friendly. This is after 12 Carnival cruises, a couple on Norwegian and this one on Celebrity.

[mz-s]

1 minute ago, KmomChicago said:

So what happened on Halloween?

 

I went on a Disney cruise. I didn't write a full review but the long and the short of it is this. If you like Disney you will love a Disney cruise and the extra cost is justified at every turn of the ship. Everything is a cut above - from the prime rib served in the dining room for lunch on embarkation day and crab legs on the buffet every day, to the fireworks at sea (the only cruise line that does it) on pirate's night. The shows are amazing. It's just a totally different experience than Carnival. The only thing in common is they are both cruises.

 

If you don't like Disney you will appreciate the experience but you can get an equivalent cruise experience elsewhere without the Disney touches everywhere I think, likely on Celebrity or maybe Princess.

 

I am going to call my TA to book another Disney cruise probably this week for later this year, and I have no CCL cruises in the pipeline right now, so I guess that says something.

 

All cruise lines are more expensive than Carnival. Carnival seems to be in a race to the bottom, racing with themselves for some reason. So you have to put price out of your mind to some extent when you look beyond CCL. But you get what you pay for. Disney is a nonsmoking ship (except for one or two remote outdoor areas and they might allow cigar smoking in one of their posh lounges at night as well, not sure) with no casino subsidy so that explains a lot of the extra cost. Plus of course, Disney plays in its own sandbox when it comes to pricing. I loved not constantly smelling smoke on the ship - forgot what that was like sailing Carnival.

 

If I ever sail Carnival again, it's likely because I'm on a free cruise offer from the Casino.

 

We all want different things from our vacations. To me, Carnival is no longer a special vacation. Part of that may be me just burnt out of Carnival after having sailed on them 4x over the past year. I might be back. But right now, Carnival isn't aligning with what I want out of a vacation.

[KmomChicago]

On 7/4/2022 at 8:09 AM, havanadaydreaming said:

We are primarily carnival cruisers, based on bang for the buck.  Closely followed by NCL and then MSC. 

 

NCL - strong entertainment options, broadway shows in theatre.  Most packages come with specialty dining and drink packages included.  Food a half step better. More options in buffet.  But no guys/blue iguana a minus.  

 

MSC - good entertainment, based on non speaking (musical, dance, cirque-ish) acts. LOTS of pizza options on buffet.  Slooooooooow MDR, expect 90-120 mins.  

 

Cabins the same on all lines. Staff, too - all have been delightful. 

 

Some of the 'Murica folks sailing on msc got visible peeved when captains announcements were in 4 diff languages.  I dunno i kinda dug it.  Felt like vaca! MSC matches rewards level for guests of other cruise lines. 

 

Carnival wins on sheer number of departure ports, itineraries, onboard activities, and cost.  

Any idea about evening entertainment on NCL older snd smaller ships?  Because no B or B+ ships going to Alaska one way for NCL. They are definitely in the running.

[KmomChicago]

On 7/4/2022 at 9:32 AM, edspec said:

We've cruised DCL, HAL, MSC, NCL, RCL, Princess, and Carnival.  I like them all for different things.

I will say that DH and I absolutely loved our MSC cruise.  Great variety of food, a beautiful two bedroom suite for a reasonable price, good entertainment, and the pizza was wonderful.  I could eat pizza every meal so that was a biggie for me.  Tried Princess earlier this year and while I'll definitely sail with them again I hated their pizza.  No flavor dough, sweet sauce, bad toppings.  

Speaking of Princess enjoyed the many quiet areas to sit, lower volume music, and daily activities.  The medallion is genius, and one of the reasons I was so taken with them.  At this time you can use the medallion to order drink and food options to your room free of charge, unlike other lines where you have to pay for drinks delivered to your room even w/ a drink package, and room service generally has a fee.  They also have good itineraries. 

DS loves RCL Oasis class, so when a ship is the destination that is our choice.

NCL I like for itineraries, the solo cabins, great specialty restaurants, and entertainment, at least on the newer ships.  I'm sailing on the Sun in September and interested to see what entertainment is like on an older, smaller ship.

Carnival...with Panorama driving distance it is an easy choice for us.  We enjoy the comedy club and the included food options, as well as specialty choices.  It is a relaxing cruise which is sometimes exactly what I'm looking for.

I'm 60 and the hassles of travel have definitely impacted my recent choices. DH and I want to book a Viking cruise, so see that happening soon.  Neither of us has any interest in paying the high cost of ship w/in a ship...with a price tag that large we can sail a higher end line.  

So how was that smaller NCL entertainment (and everything else) experience?

[KmomChicago]

On 7/4/2022 at 9:56 AM, MsTabbyKats said:

We're platinum on Carnival and NCL; gold on MSC.

We live in Manhattan, NYC...and only cruise out of NYC.

Money isn't an issue..but value is!

 

We are "buffet people" and nobody tops NCL.  I call dining in any venue on a cruise ship "pretend pretentious".  NCL also has excellent entertainment.

 

MSC...I live on the pizza.  The rest of the food...meh.  The entertainment is great and I love the international flavor.  And the ships are gorgeous!

 

Carnival is strictly for convenience and value.  Food...except for the cakes in the lunchtime buffet I never found anything to "put on weight" over.  Entertainment also leaves a lot to be desired.

 

I care about "the value" because the better value I get on the cruise.....the more I'll waste in the casino and buying overpriced jewelry.

 

With all the above being said, like @KmomChicagoI'd like to know why I should spend a lot more for "the same product".  

Do you find food and entertainment as good on NCL small ships as new ones?

[KmomChicago]

On 7/4/2022 at 10:29 AM, firefly333 said:

I started with princess, and did 3 on her. Princess left the Galveston  market so I branched out to carnival and got tired of their food and alternated with rcl. I've done 3 on ncl, also celebrity and big red boat .. trying to remember.

 

You mention value and cost. With carnival bringing in jubilee as their 7 day cruise, they went higher than rcl. I can book allure and harmony for less. While I will book jubilee not now at current prices. 4 of the 5 on allure and harmony are lower than I can book jubilee, and 3 of those are inside city park balconys. My boardwalk costs a bit more but within $50. 

 

When I'm on carnival I miss free offee in diamond club, 5 vouchers a day for drinks and my free wifi. Just being honest carnival is more expensive unless I book shorter cruises which i wasnt very satisfied with. I booked carnival dream 14 days because it's out of Galveston and goes to new ports ... same reason as radiance 10 day next January. Group rates start at $1100 (10 days) vs jubilee where I dont have access to cheaper rates and starts at $1098. 

 

I did enjoy NVL and the food. I'd do ncl again and will.

 

Princess and celebrity fine but nothing special. I dont like celebrity went to all inclusive and feel like I'm paying tips and drinks etc for 2. 

just noticed the upcoming friends of bella cruise. Is that a John and LaLa thing? I’ve been away from the RCI boards a while.

[LuvCruiSun]

42 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

How did you enjoy Princess?

We had to cancel due to lack of my husbands vacation availability. We were actually supposed to go last week 😞 

[MsTabbyKats]

37 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

Do you find food and entertainment as good on NCL small ships as new ones?

If the Gem is a small ship, the food was just as good (buffet) as the large ships.  I think the entertainment was as good....I don't remember disliking it.  I like singing/dancing....not comedians and not jugglers.

[Amyracecar]

It's a shame if Carnival are only doing round trips now, when we sailed on the Carnival Legend it was Seattle to Vancouver via the usual Alaska stops, and while that isn't extra time in Alaska compared to the ones with the train trips etc, we loved Vancouver so much it didn't matter. It was one of the best cruises we've ever done, and hopefully similar itineraries will return one day for us. 

 

We're not particularly loyal to any brand, but Carnival remains our favourite that we've sailed on the most. We're in the rif-raff category too, but do like to dress up a little so the different options but fewer rules on Carnival always worked for us. I don't drink so I'm not a 'party-cruiser', and find it irritating that some people suggest people only want Carnival for a booze cruise. I don't, and I still love them. My favourites are the older ships, spirit and conquest class. Itinerary always comes first though. 

 

Opinions on others: 

 

Celebrity: Our favourite of the others we've tried. They're elegant ships, and the entertainment is some of the best we've had anywhere. (not just the shows but the games and other things in the evenings). The staff were lovely, would definitley go with them again if we got a good deal. I'd pay a bit more to sail with them than most others. 

 

Princess: The one we did was really not our cup of tea. It probably didn't help they were trying to court the asian market at the time, trying to attract more Japanese customers, but it felt like the regular entertainment was non-existant as a result of some changes. I'm sure it's not like that on other sailings so probably not the best example, but we were bored with not much to do all week. Often there was only one or two things to do on an evening, so if you didn't like that you were left to your own devices. 

 

NCL: It's been a long time so they might have changed. We were on Norgegian Gem, which is quite a feast for the eyes inside if you like colourful decor! The food choices were unusual for us as we were more used to fixed dining back then. Enjoyed it, but didn't make us want to return. I'd like to try again as it was over a decade ago. 

 

P&O UK: Eurgh. The most beige ship i've ever been on. Some facilities were nice, but the entertainment was average and the food sub-par unless in the pay-for restaurants. The newer ships should be amazing, but doesn't feel like it's quite working for the volume of customers yet, for example the pub-quizzes/trivia were in a rather small L Shaped bar, but attended by huge numbers so it was a fight for space. (we British people like a quiz!) Will not be returning to them. Maybe worth a try if you want to try something with more traditional British flavour. 

 

We've also been on Ocean Village and Thomson, but neither of those exist any more and they're not really a tier-above anyway so not really relevant! 

 

[KmomChicago]

3 minutes ago, Amyracecar said:

It's a shame if Carnival are only doing round trips now, when we sailed on the Carnival Legend it was Seattle to Vancouver via the usual Alaska stops, and while that isn't extra time in Alaska compared to the ones with the train trips etc, we loved Vancouver so much it didn't matter. It was one of the best cruises we've ever done, and hopefully similar itineraries will return one day for us. 

 

We're not particularly loyal to any brand, but Carnival remains our favourite that we've sailed on the most. We're in the rif-raff category too, but do like to dress up a little so the different options but fewer rules on Carnival always worked for us. I don't drink so I'm not a 'party-cruiser', and find it irritating that some people suggest people only want Carnival for a booze cruise. I don't, and I still love them. My favourites are the older ships, spirit and conquest class. Itinerary always comes first though. 

 

Opinions on others: 

 

Celebrity: Our favourite of the others we've tried. They're elegant ships, and the entertainment is some of the best we've had anywhere. (not just the shows but the games and other things in the evenings). The staff were lovely, would definitley go with them again if we got a good deal. I'd pay a bit more to sail with them than most others. 

 

Princess: The one we did was really not our cup of tea. It probably didn't help they were trying to court the asian market at the time, trying to attract more Japanese customers, but it felt like the regular entertainment was non-existant as a result of some changes. I'm sure it's not like that on other sailings so probably not the best example, but we were bored with not much to do all week. Often there was only one or two things to do on an evening, so if you didn't like that you were left to your own devices. 

 

NCL: It's been a long time so they might have changed. We were on Norgegian Gem, which is quite a feast for the eyes inside if you like colourful decor! The food choices were unusual for us as we were more used to fixed dining back then. Enjoyed it, but didn't make us want to return. I'd like to try again as it was over a decade ago. 

 

P&O UK: Eurgh. The most beige ship i've ever been on. Some facilities were nice, but the entertainment was average and the food sub-par unless in the pay-for restaurants. The newer ships should be amazing, but doesn't feel like it's quite working for the volume of customers yet, for example the pub-quizzes/trivia were in a rather small L Shaped bar, but attended by huge numbers so it was a fight for space. (we British people like a quiz!) Will not be returning to them. Maybe worth a try if you want to try something with more traditional British flavour. 

 

We've also been on Ocean Village and Thomson, but neither of those exist any more and they're not really a tier-above anyway so not really relevant! 

 

Very helpful! There is one Celebrity ship doing the route we want. I’m considering Seattle to Vancouver round trip because we want to begin or end up near Anchorage but obviously I’m not exactly correct there. I do like the idea of trying something different in any case but want to enjoy it.

[talkorpi]

Been on exclusively Carnival cruises but recently booked Princess out of Galveston.  The stars just kind of aligned - the one week that I had open vacation time, coupled with the right price.  Not going for the itinerary (I am getting so tired of the same 3/4 ports that are the only standard offerings out of Galveston) but I have always wanted to try Princess.  Really looking forward to it and seeing the comparisons.  I have always felt like I am more of Princess' target market, but I always picked Carnival for the price.  However, Carnival out of Galveston has looked crazy expensive lately, and this Princess cruise was actually a little cheaper, even with Princess Plus.

[KmomChicago]

1 hour ago, mz-s said:

 

I went on a Disney cruise. I didn't write a full review but the long and the short of it is this. If you like Disney you will love a Disney cruise and the extra cost is justified at every turn of the ship. Everything is a cut above - from the prime rib served in the dining room for lunch on embarkation day and crab legs on the buffet every day, to the fireworks at sea (the only cruise line that does it) on pirate's night. The shows are amazing. It's just a totally different experience than Carnival. The only thing in common is they are both cruises.

 

If you don't like Disney you will appreciate the experience but you can get an equivalent cruise experience elsewhere without the Disney touches everywhere I think, likely on Celebrity or maybe Princess.

 

I am going to call my TA to book another Disney cruise probably this week for later this year, and I have no CCL cruises in the pipeline right now, so I guess that says something.

 

All cruise lines are more expensive than Carnival. Carnival seems to be in a race to the bottom, racing with themselves for some reason. So you have to put price out of your mind to some extent when you look beyond CCL. But you get what you pay for. Disney is a nonsmoking ship (except for one or two remote outdoor areas and they might allow cigar smoking in one of their posh lounges at night as well, not sure) with no casino subsidy so that explains a lot of the extra cost. Plus of course, Disney plays in its own sandbox when it comes to pricing. I loved not constantly smelling smoke on the ship - forgot what that was like sailing Carnival.

 

If I ever sail Carnival again, it's likely because I'm on a free cruise offer from the Casino.

 

We all want different things from our vacations. To me, Carnival is no longer a special vacation. Part of that may be me just burnt out of Carnival after having sailed on them 4x over the past year. I might be back. But right now, Carnival isn't aligning with what I want out of a vacation.

 

I agree with just about everything here. Having sailed Disney (as a cast member, well over 20 years ago), I do realize it's very nice. And the shows aboard were nothing like anywhere else at sea. And the food was excellent. On the other hand, I was a disneyphile for much of my life but have now worked most of that out of my system, and my family is ambivalent about it.

 

As for Carnival, I think 4x in a year was definitely max capacity for me as well.  On top of that, for Alaska, they are not actually usually the cheapest or even close to being the cheapest, plus they don't do the one ways at all that we want. I am good to try something else.

[mz-s]

3 minutes ago, jsglow said:

So NOW we get it.  Your opinion is well documented in nearly every Carnival thread.  In this post you've finally fully admitted exactly what we already knew. I've quoted you directly; your words, not anyone's interpretation of them. Hopefully newer cruisers coming here for Carnival information/guidance will give them the proper weight they deserve. Thanks!

 

 

I give my opinions, nowhere do I ever claim that they are gospel. This website is cruise critic, if you want lemmings blindly pledging their allegiance then read JH’s page. 

[KmomChicago]

10 minutes ago, talkorpi said:

Been on exclusively Carnival cruises but recently booked Princess out of Galveston.  The stars just kind of aligned - the one week that I had open vacation time, coupled with the right price.  Not going for the itinerary (I am getting so tired of the same 3/4 ports that are the only standard offerings out of Galveston) but I have always wanted to try Princess.  Really looking forward to it and seeing the comparisons.  I have always felt like I am more of Princess' target market, but I always picked Carnival for the price.  However, Carnival out of Galveston has looked crazy expensive lately, and this Princess cruise was actually a little cheaper, even with Princess Plus.

Sounds wonderful, please let us know the scoop after you sail!

[mz-s]

1 minute ago, KmomChicago said:

 

I agree with just about everything here. Having sailed Disney (as a cast member, well over 20 years ago), I do realize it's very nice. And the shows aboard were nothing like anywhere else at sea. And the food was excellent. On the other hand, I was a disneyphile for much of my life but have now worked most of that out of my system, and my family is ambivalent about it.

 

As for Carnival, I think 4x in a year was definitely max capacity for me as well.  On top of that, for Alaska, they are not actually usually the cheapest or even close to being the cheapest, plus they don't do the one ways at all that we want. I am good to try something else.

My TA says Carnival is their last choice for Alaska, mostly due to their limited itineraries. I am planning an Alaska cruise for next year. Haven’t decided the line yet. Disney is too expensive so maybe Celebrity or Princess. 

[pcrum]

1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:

Very helpful! There is one Celebrity ship doing the route we want. I’m considering Seattle to Vancouver round trip because we want to begin or end up near Anchorage but obviously I’m not exactly correct there. I do like the idea of trying something different in any case but want to enjoy it.

Not sure which Celebrity ship you are looking at, but we just tried Celebrity for the first time in December.  We did the Summit out of Miami for 4 nights.  I believe the Summit also goes to Alaska.  I would not hesitate to sail that ship again, even though it is one of the older ones.  It has been completely redone and we loved everything about it.  The solarium is free and has a huge whirlpool.  This is comparable to the whirlpool in the thermal area on NCL that you pay extra for.  I'd sail Summit again just for that Solarium area, which would be great on an Alaskan cruise, because it is enclosed.  I believe all Millennium class ships have this area.  

[KmomChicago]

5 minutes ago, pcrum said:

Not sure which Celebrity ship you are looking at, but we just tried Celebrity for the first time in December.  We did the Summit out of Miami for 4 nights.  I believe the Summit also goes to Alaska.  I would not hesitate to sail that ship again, even though it is one of the older ones.  It has been completely redone and we loved everything about it.  The solarium is free and has a huge whirlpool.  This is comparable to the whirlpool in the thermal area on NCL that you pay extra for.  I'd sail Summit again just for that Solarium area, which would be great on an Alaskan cruise, because it is enclosed.  I believe all Millennium class ships have this area.  

It is the Summit and it does look like one of the better overall values for our upcoming plans. My only other Celebrity cruise was Millennium when she was in her first or second year of service, a stunning ship. 

 

Thanks for the input, much appreciated. 

[pcrum]

Just now, KmomChicago said:

It is the Summit and it does look like one of the better overall values for our upcoming plans. My only other Celebrity cruise was Millennium when she was in her first or second year of service, a stunning ship. 

 

Thanks for the input, much appreciated. 

We sailed 12/27/22-12/31/22.  We booked with the gratuities, wifi, and premium beverage package included.  We were also given $100/person onboard credit.  We did a concierge balcony as it was my 60th birthday cruise.  We were invited to the helipad to watch the sail-away from Miami since we were concierge class.  We felt it was great value with the all included price (I don't see that the premium beverage package is included on new sailings--we booked in April, 2022).  If you go to the Celebrity boards, you will see that starting on Jan. 1, they made some cutbacks.  Apparently the room is only serviced once a day now and some menu items have changed (we had prime rib in the MDR for the first night and that does not seem to be on the menu after Jan. 1).  I would still sail Celebrity again and have been looking for another cruise on either Summit or Constellation.  That solarium was just pure relaxation.  

[firefly333]

2 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

just noticed the upcoming friends of bella cruise. Is that a John and LaLa thing? I’ve been away from the RCI boards a while.

Yes exactly!  John has a Bella thread in the float away lounge we talked on all during covid and someone said we ought to meet. Its Laura's birthday this week and supposedly wasnt as expensive as out of cape Canaveral but wasnt cheap. Most who booked early grabbed the "29" cabins in central park as best value for a pricey cruise. Prices started over $2300, but we got a decent price drop. I haven't meet either face to face and I'm not going to impress. I broke my right wrist and it had to be set twice. The next day my mom had a stroke and then passed. Funeral was last friday. I'm the only trustee or I'd be on a cruise. I'm booked for the ten day radiance OTS leaving today from Galveston.  Was doing to finally see the locks. Obviously I will be a no show for my 10 day cruise leaving today.

 

But yep anyone can come join for the cruise in honor of Bella. We cant promote on rcl threads. But references are on this thread. I only have meet a few so far since planning days.

 

This is what a double wide 29 balcony looks like. Same cheap price but the balcony is twice as long. I'm across the park from john. Has 2 loungers, 2 uprights and a table. Sometimes cheaper than a regular inside. 

 

[KmomChicago]

1 minute ago, firefly333 said:

Yes exactly!  John has a Bella thread in the float away lounge we talked on all during covid and someone said we ought to meet. Its Laura's birthday this week and supposedly wasnt as expensive as out of cape Canaveral but wasnt cheap. Most who booked early grabbed the "29" cabins in central park as best value for a pricey cruise. Prices started over $2300, but we got a decent price drop. I haven't meet either face to face and I'm not going to impress. I broke my right wrist and it had to be set twice. The next day my mom had a stroke and then passed. Funeral was last friday. I'm the only trustee or I'd be on a cruise. I'm booked for the ten day radiance OTS leaving today from Galveston.  Was doing to finally see the locks. Obviously I will be a no show for my 10 day cruise leaving today.

 

But yep anyone can come join for the cruise in honor of Bella. We cant promote on rcl threads. But references are on this thread. I only have meet a few so far since planning days.

 

This is what a double wide 29 balcony looks like. Same cheap price but the balcony is twice as long. I'm across the park from john. Has 2 loungers, 2 uprights and a table. Sometimes cheaper than a regular inside. 

 

Have a great time and send my regards to the cruising contingent as this is something I would love to join but alas can not.  On our only Oasis class cruise, Oasis itself as it happened (the best cruise we ever took overall), Central Park was our favorite area and we envy your position. I shall be with you in spirit and will look for the live threads.

This Alaska 2024  I'm starting to look at is the only pending cruise on my radar though I have two Las Vegas trips this spring. 

There is one RCI ship in the running for it, Radiance of the Seas, which might win since it has the cheapest balcony rooms.  However Royal Princess is the largest and newest of the ships we are considering. There are only 7 doing the run we want, when we want, the other 5 being Celebrity Summit, Norwegian Jewel, HAL Noordam, Sapphire and Grand Princess.

[Eli_6]

On 7/10/2022 at 9:32 AM, MMastell said:

I am not one who likes formal dinners or formal dress but likes good, well prepared food.  I also like to see parts of the world other than the Caribbean even though I love getting away for a Caribbean cruise to just relax.  I'm not a party person but love a good drink and a fun night in the casino.  My wife and I do mostly our own excursions on shore, either private or on our own. I have never had a cruise excursion I thought was wonderful.

 

You just described how my family and I like to travel exactly to a T.  The only thing for us that keeps us with Carnival is our kids are still young that the kid's club and slides are a must. I think my kids would be devastated if we got on a cruise ship and they didn't have slides.  We also really enjoy the Carnival comedy club.