LIVE- The World's Longest Trip Report (Luminosa 4/13 - 5/4)

[EngIceDave]

Since Hawaii, the weather has certainly turned much cooler.

Like a whole different feel outside....

 

 

 

 

[pnwredhead]

39 minutes ago, EngIceDave said:

Some menus

 

 

Lobster Roll price increased by $6 in the last 2 months?!? That is not ok! Thanks for the heads up.... I now have to decide if it is really worth it next month. At least I can get upset at home and not on the ship.

[EngIceDave]

51 minutes ago, pnwredhead said:

I now have to decide if it is really worth it next month.

 

You're going to cancel a cruise because the optional cash price of the lobster roll increased?

 

OK

[EngIceDave]

We've sailed about 7400nm

 

[EngIceDave]

Getting close to the end and I think I can pretty much give what I call a fair assessment of the cruise itself and the Carnival Luminosa.

 

As for the cruise, this is the longest one for us. Our longest in the past has been 10 days. Biggest issue in the cruise length is the number of days between stops. It feels like it's been 4-5 days between each stop. Just a LOT of days at sea back to back. The ports of call were all beautiful and our tours were awesome. Wish we'd planned something for Moorea in hindsight, but lesson learned. 

I honestly do not think we will do such a cruise again. 14 days maybe, depending on itinerary. 

 

As for the ship. Let's be honest, it's small and sure there are minor issues here and there, but none are the end of the world. The food is "ok," its not great, but it's fine. Breakfast menu has gotten monotonous. It has literally been the same thing almost every day. Still no bananas. If you're not into pool/sunning, trivia or hanging out in a bar, there's not much to do. This ship is a "chill" ship, not an "activities" ship. You just chill, nap, eat, sun, drink, gamble, nap and chill some more. Nothing wrong with it. I think anyone complaining would be people who expected more, such as a mega ship more, with multi choice of everything. That's not what Luminosa is. This is pretty much "old school" cruising from not too long ago. There's no show in the sky. No one flying or diving of high platforms. Shows are straight stage shows. Singers are standard lounge acts. Casino is small, and is busy. There is no non-smoking area in the casino, but smells never bothered me unless sitting next to me. No craps, supposed to be installed soon. 

 

I'd look at the ship like this...it's really just 4 decks, everything else is cabins.

Deck 2 is theatre at front, then an open dance area used for trivia and has TV's for VERY limited sports, then casino, CS and atrium bar at center and MDR aft.

Deck 3 is theatre at front, a small comedy lounge, then the Java Cafe and candy shop, then shopping to midship and Pixels pictures takes up both sides. Alchemy is tucked in on one side.

Deck 9 is Lido, pool and spa

Deck 10 is rest of spa and mostly open decks

 

Thats it!

 

It's an older ship in the way older ships were before the mega monster ships. It's not dirty and doesn't look unkept. I see people cleaning and painting constantly. Sure, it has occasional mechanical issues like toilets being messed up, but from what I have seen, everything gets resolved quickly and with a smile. 

 

If you must be entertained every minute of the day, you probably won't like the Carnival Luminosa.

If you like to just relax, hang out in a bar, get a tan and maybe swim, you'll love it. Of the ships I have been on, it's the most "adult" feeling because it lacks waterslides, roller coasters and such.

 

Luminosa is the relaxer's cruise ship.

[b8nkr]

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this awesome review! It’s been a lot of fun reading this for the past 2 weeks. Safe travels home.

[EngIceDave]

Thanks.

 

I'll still be around until I fly home, just thought I'd sum up my thoughts on the ship while on it and also allowing for any Q&A, while I can still get answers.

[KmomChicago]

3 hours ago, EngIceDave said:

 

You're going to cancel a cruise because the optional cash price of the lobster roll increased?

 

OK

I think he means he’ll stew in advance and opt out of the sandwich once onboard. 
 

I think we’re headed towards a lobster shortage worldwide so I expect prices to soar and availability on cruise ships to plummet to the horror of many.

[Destiny0315]

[KmomChicago]

43 minutes ago, EngIceDave said:

Thanks.

 

I'll still be around until I fly home, just thought I'd sum up my thoughts on the ship while on it and also allowing for any Q&A, while I can still get answers.

Very fair assessment of the ship itself, the vibe onboard, the overall quality and experience, and the reality of repositioning cruises with long itineraries and vast amounts of sea days.

 

 I still don’t get a complainy feeling from your review but it sounds like perhaps too much of a good thing at some point and I get it. My 7 night cruise on Carnival Legend  was a fine vacation and lovely experience - no complaints - but also, long enough. Didn’t leave anything undone, feel no need to seek out that ship again, and would have become both homesick and a bit bored on a B2B. A know your limits sort of situation, because somewhere you may hit diminishing returns. 

[pe4all]

Great review. Loved sailing with you!  Safe travels home.

[lesters]

5 hours ago, EngIceDave said:

 

Luminosa is the relaxer's cruise ship.

Hooray!  This said all I needed to hear 😝

 

Thank you for all the info. It’s been very helpful ahead of our Alaskan sailing next month! 
 

Relaxation is absolutely what I am looking for and this sounds perfect 

[pnwredhead]

11 hours ago, EngIceDave said:

 

You're going to cancel a cruise because the optional cash price of the lobster roll increased?

 

OK

No way! I just need to decide if it is worth buying the Lobster Roll. 😊

[Oakman58]

9 hours ago, EngIceDave said:

Getting close to the end and I think I can pretty much give what I call a fair assessment of the cruise itself and the Carnival Luminosa.

 

As for the cruise, this is the longest one for us. Our longest in the past has been 10 days. Biggest issue in the cruise length is the number of days between stops. It feels like it's been 4-5 days between each stop. Just a LOT of days at sea back to back. The ports of call were all beautiful and our tours were awesome. Wish we'd planned something for Moorea in hindsight, but lesson learned. 

I honestly do not think we will do such a cruise again. 14 days maybe, depending on itinerary. 

 

As for the ship. Let's be honest, it's small and sure there are minor issues here and there, but none are the end of the world. The food is "ok," its not great, but it's fine. Breakfast menu has gotten monotonous. It has literally been the same thing almost every day. Still no bananas. If you're not into pool/sunning, trivia or hanging out in a bar, there's not much to do. This ship is a "chill" ship, not an "activities" ship. You just chill, nap, eat, sun, drink, gamble, nap and chill some more. Nothing wrong with it. I think anyone complaining would be people who expected more, such as a mega ship more, with multi choice of everything. That's not what Luminosa is. This is pretty much "old school" cruising from not too long ago. There's no show in the sky. No one flying or diving of high platforms. Shows are straight stage shows. Singers are standard lounge acts. Casino is small, and is busy. There is no non-smoking area in the casino, but smells never bothered me unless sitting next to me. No craps, supposed to be installed soon. 

 

I'd look at the ship like this...it's really just 4 decks, everything else is cabins.

Deck 2 is theatre at front, then an open dance area used for trivia and has TV's for VERY limited sports, then casino, CS and atrium bar at center and MDR aft.

Deck 3 is theatre at front, a small comedy lounge, then the Java Cafe and candy shop, then shopping to midship and Pixels pictures takes up both sides. Alchemy is tucked in on one side.

Deck 9 is Lido, pool and spa

Deck 10 is rest of spa and mostly open decks

 

Thats it!

 

It's an older ship in the way older ships were before the mega monster ships. It's not dirty and doesn't look unkept. I see people cleaning and painting constantly. Sure, it has occasional mechanical issues like toilets being messed up, but from what I have seen, everything gets resolved quickly and with a smile. 

 

If you must be entertained every minute of the day, you probably won't like the Carnival Luminosa.

If you like to just relax, hang out in a bar, get a tan and maybe swim, you'll love it. Of the ships I have been on, it's the most "adult" feeling because it lacks waterslides, roller coasters and such.

 

Luminosa is the relaxer's cruise ship.

 

On a cruise with so many sea days, having a great cruise director that plans many daily activities to engage the passengers is a must.  Great cruise directors don't seem to exist anymore.

[EngIceDave]

Thanks all.

 

Still a day or so to go, then a day in Seattle to be a tourist

 

The ship is getting colder and colder, its like you can feel the steel getting colder around you. Very odd feeling, at least to me.

[scoobysnacks70]

On 4/12/2023 at 7:53 PM, EngIceDave said:

Wife made new friends 
 

I would have made friends too!  😍🤪

[EngIceDave]

BTW, realized I haven't mentioned much on the ship's stability.

 

For a ship of this size (smaller than Mega), it is quite stable. Slight rocking, as I type this, it's like a mild shake from side to side, she doesn't really roll from side to side.

 

Feel occasional porpoising in higher seas. Can really see it in the pool, go surfing in it, but don't feel it so much under feet.

 

We are deck 8 midship

 

As for deck 8, directly below lido, then the question is, "what about noise?"

I hear a chair drag on occasion, it's not that bad. Not like there's loud music and dancing overhead. Late night, I might hear something roll by on wheels, like a food cart. 

We are directly below "chopsticks" the Chinese buffet area.

 

 

[KmomChicago]

3 hours ago, scoobysnacks70 said:

I would have made friends too!  😍🤪

Strapping young bucks.

[Cruisin4aBruisin73]

I feel like this is a pretty fair assessment of the pros and cons of a ship with very few reviews. I don't really understand the folks saying you complained, but to each their own. 

 

It's interesting when you look at the balance of "sea life" and who you are trying to have entertained in your group vs. who is going to go with the flow and be a napper all week.

 

I must say that while this itinerary looked amazing on paper, it didn't seem as "breathtaking" as I had assumed it would be, especially Hawaii.  I loved the stuff you did on the Fijian/South Pacific Islands, though.  I also appreciated the history lessons about crossing the equator on Naval vessels, and loved the old pictures.  That was really neat.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to include us on this journey.  I think you and your wife are really cute and I enjoyed your writing style.

[EngIceDave]

Dear ships log;

 

The crew grows weary as we continue though colder waters and the cold takes over the ship. They seek land, warmth and a banana. I have considered using the vanity stool to build a fire on my balcony for warmth. Today shall be for disembarkation preparation. The crew leader is scheduled to debrief the rest of the crew around midday on this process. Yesterday evening, mail arrived with our freight tags, saving us the need to battle for a low number. Through the grace of God, we received a low #7 signaling a quick departure for my team.

 

 

[kwokpot]

41 minutes ago, Cruisin4aBruisin73 said:

I must say that while this itinerary looked amazing on paper, it didn't seem as "breathtaking" as I had assumed it would be, especially Hawaii.  I loved the stuff you did on the Fijian/South Pacific Islands, though.  I also appreciated the history lessons about crossing the equator on Naval vessels, and loved the old pictures.  That was really neat.

We did a reverse cruise in Oct. 2018 on Royal from Seattle making two stops in Hawaii, Honolulu and Maui, then proceeding to Fiji,Vanuatu,New Caledonia, and ending in Sydney. It was an enjoyable cruise and we actually enjoyed the Hawaii stops the most (besides Sydney) since we had great weather in both Maui and Honolulu.Was it our best cruise? No, for that part of the word our cruise from and around New Zealand to Sydney was much more fascinating. Also a Hawaii cruise with more Hawaiian Islands stops was again more memorable. 

[EngIceDave]

Fog is so thick, the ship is blowing the horn every few minutes.

 

My cabin (deck 8, starboard) is COLD AF

Good thing I remembered they keep bedding in the couch thing, pulled out an extra comforter. Mentioned to my room steward and he apologized, saying they are ALL cold.

 

 

[tomo0862]

Wrong thread - doh!

Edited May 3, 2023 by tomo0862
Wrong thread

[EngIceDave]

FYI, the wifi last two days has been incredibly slow and spotty. I can barely get anything to upload. No idea if it's because the wifi is still basing out of Sydney, AUS or what. Maybe a little too much and too far to bounce of a satellite from here.

 

I assume it'll swap to us based wifi after we stop.

 

The texas hold 'em table is gone in preparation of the craps table installation.

[EngIceDave]

TV news is still Aussie Sky News and BBC headline