BTromboneFrack

OH, it's GREAT. All the juices have a chance to mingle, and being out on the balcony with the sea air........ Just -- WOW.

I always do the ribeye, but I am comfortably full about half way through it, so I take it back to the room, wrap it in foil, and put it in the fridge. To keep the fridge a bit colder, we put the ice bucket with ice in the fridge. That ribeye at 2:30 in the morning on our balcony is amazing!!!

Sorry, I would disagree with some of the previous posts. I am sure there are differences between the lines, but many people who have been on all the different cruise lines still love Carnival for what it is. It won't really be quiet, although you'll be able to find quiet areas and relatively quiet things to do. Carnival almost always has something going on. It is busy late into the evening, even on Journey's cruises, which are generally an older crowd. It is more informal than some of the lines you mentioned, and the staff is VERY friendly. They smile and say hi whenever they see you. If you want good food, the MDR is fine. It probably won't be Cunard level, but we think it is still good. If you want great food, go to the steakhouse!! We've been told it is as good as any food on ANY ship. The decor on the Miracle are typical old school Carnival. Bright colors, over the top decorations, wild lighting, and something around every panel and every door. I've said it before -- If you have A.D.D., it is a great place for you, because there is something going on in every corner of the ship. Comedy acts are supposed to be some of the best at sea, but get there early. They fill up fast. There are plenty of complimentary restaurants on the ship and a few that are upcharge. Guys Burgers has excellent burgers with lots of toppings. The Seaday brunches are excellent. The Miracle is one of Carnival's ships that are least crowded with respect to its size. One of the best things we like about Carnival is that you see ALL types of people.... honeymooners, families, older couples, college kids, reunion parties, large groups, young, old, and singles. We meet people from all over the country, and most of them know that Carnival means fun. So relax and take it for what it is. Your trip will be what you make it. The ocean is still the ocean.

They are certainly great ships. We've been on the Celebration for two cruises and the Mardi Gras for four. I think the entertainment is the best Carnival has to offer. However, I really enjoy the other ships too. I guess, for me, it's more about being on the ocean than anything else.

We're on the Horizon in two weeks. Room 8470 Premium Vista Aft Wrap (Havana) for a b2b!!!! The first cruise will be our milestone cruise (25), our first Havana experience, and we're celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary on our second cruise. Wish we could stay through Christmas, but the deals weren't there. Never been on Horizon before, but we sailed the Vista last year. Love doing the b2b cruises. SO RELAXING!!! It's nice to check things out and find out what we really want to do during the first week and hit all the highlights the second week. No need to rush on anything. If we can't do it today, we'll do it next week!!

We've always been able to order our entree, two appetizers, and two sides without problems. The only variation between ships that we've noticed is that on the first night, a free bottle of wine was given to us for dinner, AND we were still able to to buy a bottle at half price. Most have been this way, but on a couple of our cruises, they've told us one or the other, not both.

The offers we are getting are not anywhere NEAR the offers we've gotten over the past three years. Have to put our cruising on hold for awhile until they come up with some better deals.

Ahhhh... But the ocean is the ocean...... the warm sun still sets in the west over the sea's horizon. Nobody can snob that away.

Ahhh.... tough to say. Maybe it was our first cruise, New Year's Eve just after 1989 rang in. The live band on the Festivale was playing and the cruise director was radioing to the bridge - who was connected to Greenwich Time in England as we did the countdown. Or maybe it was having our boys with us on the Paradise years ago, and our waiter having the time of his life teasing them at dinner. How about the thunderstorm I watched race across the Cozumel Channel as we were docked one afternoon? Then there was the time in Nassau watching the ships come in from the serenity deck of the Ecstasy. Last Christmas, on the Celebration - the Christmas show that the center stage band and singers did was simply SPECTACULAR. The Center stage band and singers were the best we've ever heard on ANY Carnival ship. Or just simply any night on our balcony, as we listen to the hiss of the ocean beneath us while we watch the moonlight dance on the waves. Far off ships lit up like Christmas trees, and a warm breeze kissing our face as we remember another wonderful day. Simply heaven.

We have been on both the Mardi Gras (January 2022) and the Celebration (December 2023). When we were on the Mardi Gras, it wasn't full because of COVID restrictions. It was VERY nice. When we were on the Celebration, it was full, but still didn't seem crowded. The second week (Christmas), when we were on the Celebration it was REALLY full, but still we only thought it seemed crowded a couple of times. Those times were the formal dinner on Christmas and the SeaDay brunch on Christmas. We even found places on the Serenity Deck in the afternoon on sea days. I think Carnival has done a good job in engineering the flow of people through the ship. We never felt more crowded than any other Carnival ship.

We just did our first b2b last December on the Celebration. I think you can only bring 2 bottles with you on the first cruise, but you CAN leave the ship at the end of the first cruise, go to the parking lot (or drive to a store if you want to) and then come back on the ship. Just ask at guest services how this works. I would imagine every ship will probably have their own instructions.

We've never done that, but our anniversary is in December and we've done a lot of cruises over that time. The Steakhouse and Rudy's Seagrill have always gone out of their way to make our night special. If you get with them early, I would be surprised if they didn't accommodate your request.

I love the internet (HUB) on the ship. I love the Steakhouse. I love Guy's Burgers I love a multitude of restaurants on the ship I love the fact we can book our own cruise online I love that the ships are much more accessible for mobility limited people. I love the fact that there are TV's in every room. I love the fact that cruise prices are actually CHEAPER than cruises 34 years ago. I love not having my toilet and shower in the same cubby hole. I love having a multitude of ships to choose from, rather than just 4 Carnival ships in 1988. I love having lots of ports to choose from. I love that the entertainment is better than it was 34 years ago--and it keeps getting better. I love the fact that I can taking cooking classes on board some of the ships. I love the fact that Carnival keeps putting out a great product, even after all of these years.

Yes, these are things we miss. Here is a list of some of the things that we are very thankful for (based on our first cruise on the Festivale - 1988: - TV's in every room - bigger rooms - more balcony rooms - a toilet that isn't in the shower - this happened on our first cruise - shipwide internet - more than one or two restaurants on the ship - more than one pool on a ship - stabilizers - atriums and great ship designs - more ports - more ship choices - better entertainment (although the live big bands were always nice back in the day. The closest we come to that today is the Center Stage Bands and Singers on the Mardi Gras and Celebration) - water parks - Serenity Deck - IMAX theaters - roller coasters - prices that are actually cheaper than they were 35 years ago.

Many years ago, I watched a couple try to get to the ship just as it was departing. They missed the ship by only about 30 seconds. The ship had pulled out and was about 10 feet from the dock, but kept going. We then saw the couple get on a pilot boat and then get on our ship as we turned out to sea. I do believe this was Cozumel - 1988 on the Holiday.

We were on the Glory last spring. Our balcony door did not shut all the way and we were not aware that it had not shut. In the late afternoon, we noticed our air conditioner wasn't working. The room was getting warmer. We called maintenance and they sent someone up right away. After checking everything he could with the system, he noticed the balcony door was not closed all the way. He told us the air conditioning turns off when the door is open for too long. If they don't have this feature, condensation builds up in the room due to the moisture in the outside air and the cold air in the room. In the past they had water damage in some of the rooms due to this problem, so they have put a master switch on air conditioners that shuts it off when the outside door is open.

We just got off of our first Journey's cruise and enjoyed it. It was a bit different than our other Carnival cruises. The clientele was considerably older - only 70 kids on the entire ship. I called it the "Geezer Cruise" and the "Boomer Barge" and that is OK because I'm one of them. The "throwback" 80's music show in the atrium was a real trip. These 70 and 80 year olds can really get up and party when they hear their old tunes!!! There was a lot of dancing int he bars. Lots of jokes from comedians about the age of the group ("It's nice to see everyone out tonight with their hair and their teeth looking so nice"). Captain's Gala dinner was REALLY good. Lots of "throwback" 80's games on the lido deck. They had some speakers come in. One guy was a stunt actor in Hollywood. Magicians, ventriloquists and solo singers filled in the nights when playlist productions didn't have a show. A bit different, but still a great cruise.

We were on the Mardi Gras last January for eight days. We were on the Celebration this past December for 16 days. We are booked for the Mardi Gras for three weeks this coming September. Both ships are marvelous. The entertainment on both was the best I've ever seen on Carnival. In fact, Sophie, the lead female singer on the Celebration's Center Stage Band was maybe the best singer I've EVER heard - anywhere, and I'm a retired music teacher. The stage production of "Voodoo Moon" on the Mardi Gras is truly spectacular. Both ships are so much alike you really can't go wrong. Many people have been worried about how crowded they would be, but we were at maximum capacity on the Celebration at Christmas and I didn't find myself feeling any more crowded than most any other Carnival ship. The layout is designed very well. You are right -- there are a LOT of restaurants that are complimentary, mostly because they are trying to spread the crowds around at mealtimes. However, make sure you try Rudi's Seagrill and/or the Steakhouse --Simply fabulous meals. The rooms on both seem a bit smaller and the bathrooms in the standard room is small, but again, well designed, so it is very usable. (We are large people). The Casino is large and it is split into smoking/non smoking. Carnival has really hit a home run with these ships. We still have not seen or done everything on these ships.

It is probably not a problem on the Excel class ships because they are run by LPG and the pollution is greatly reduced with ships using that fuel source. We have been on a LOT of aft facing cabins on Conquest class ships and the Vista and have never notice a problem with soot or bad smells from the funnel. We were on the Celebration this past December, were docked next to another ship and the wind happened to be blowing our direction from that ship's funnel. It wasn't bad but it was noticeable.

We just did a bak to back on the Celebration. It was also our first b2b, so we double checked everything to make sure we didn't want to make a mistake. It's really very easy. Make sure your PVP has your two cruises "linked" so the ship knows you are b2b. We also checked at guest services after we got on the first cruise just to make sure and everything looked good. If you are not switching rooms, you don't have to pack up anything at the end of the first cruise. If you ARE switching rooms, you have to put everything in your suitcases and leave them in your room in the morning. We made sure our room steward knew what was going on and we put the new luggage tags on them just to make sure they weren't taken off the ship. Your room steward will move your stuff to the new room (we helped her by taking a couple of suitcases to the new room as we got out of our room). On the morning of the last day of your first cruise, bring your passport and your boarding pass with you and go to the place where the ship instructs all b2b cruisers to go. That is where they gave us our new sail and sign cards. We had pastries, coffee and orange juice in our waiting area, which was one of the dining rooms. After a bit of a wait, you will be escorted off the ship. Have your passport, boarding pass and your new card with you. You will be checked off the ship, you will go down to customs, check in/out with them and then get back on the ship. (customs only took our picture, verified our identity and sent us on our way). You're back on board before the big crowds get on, so enjoy the empty ship for an hour or so.

OK, we are also sailing out of Charleston next week and our boarding passes do not have "priority" on them either, but I am pretty sure it is because this is a "JOURNEYS" cruise. There are so many people on the ship who are platinum and diamond that Carnival can't do priority boarding, from what I have read in other posts. Anybody heard about this before?

We leave soon for our first b2b. (Celebration). I've already checked in for the first leg of the ship and will be checking in online tonight for the 2nd leg. When I check in, does it matter what time we pick for arrival? We have to switch rooms between the first week and 2nd week. Do we print out our new luggage tags and put them on our luggage in the room at the end of the first leg of the trip? Any suggestions on how to get the money off of our accounts on the first cruise and put them on the 2nd? Anything else? I'm sure we'll figure it all out. I've heard Carnival make it really easy, but I'm just thinking through potential problems. Thanks for any suggestions.

ABSOLUTELY!! We've been on about 20 cruises, most to the Caribbean. We've seen a lot on the islands, but the best view on everyone of these places is on an upper deck overlooking the harbor. Watching the boats, the birds, the waves, and the people on board are simply ---peaceful. Now that my wife uses a walker, many of the excursions are off limits, but sitting in the hot tub (often times empty) on the serenity deck while you sip a cool drink as the ships come in and leave for the day is one of the things I look forward to the most.

We're paying $5700 for a premium vista balcony room on the Sunshine for a 10 day Journey's cruise in January. Before I retired as a teacher, we could only cruise on Christmas, Spring, or summer break. We paid $3600 for a premium Vista 8 day cruise on the Conquest several years back because of this. Now, however, we can go whenever we want, and we're saving a bunch of money.

We are able to book as soon as we reserve the cruise with a downpayment.