BTromboneFrack

What do you mean, "linked?" I asked that if our accounts would carry over from one cruise to the next one and they told me they would not. All accounts would be closed at the end of the first cruise, and we would start from scratch at the beginning of the second one.

I've had the pink foamy oysters at the steakhouse several times and have always enjoyed them. The MDR has had fried oysters as an appetizer on one evening on all of our cruises. I've always ordered two servings because they were excellent.

When you say "linking," what exactly do you mean? I was told that any onboard credit I had would be treated as if I was leaving the ship, and I would have a clean slate at the beginning of the second cruise. Essentially, they would treat our accounts as two separate cruises.

I guess we like the Conquest class probably because we have been on them more than the others. The wrap around balconies are wonderful at the back of the ship. It's tough, because every ship class offers something unique. However, we''ll be sailing on the Celebration in the next couple of months. We will then be able to compare it to our Mardi Gras trip last January, which was truly spectacular. When we went on the Mardi Gras, it was only at 75 to 80% capacity. I am curious to see how the lines are with a full ship. We LOVED the Miracle, which we went on in August. It was nice to see the wild colors and EVERY corner of the ship having some kind of ornament or painting. Carnival should never get rid of that style of decoration. The other thing is that we have not gone on the Sunshine yet, which I've heard is a favorite of a lot of people on these posts. That is set for January.

We were on the Mardi Gras in January. The meals in the MDR were very good. Service was excellent. Of course, they weren't the quality of the Steakhouse or Rudi's but every time I kept thinking I NEVER get this many options for a meal at home, and if we don't like something, we can ALWAYS get something else. I have noticed that portion sizes have come down int he last 20 years, but that's OK, because even now, I am amazed by the amount of waste from passengers at the end of the meals. So, I just order more of what I like - shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, oysters, and on formal night I order one beef entree and one lobster entree for surf and turf. My wife mentioned she liked surf and turf at one of meals where they weren't offering it, so she ordered the beef for dinner. Our waiter brought her a plate of sautéed shrimp to accompany the meal, even though we didn't even ask for it. Our experience is that the Carnival employees always go the extra mile.

We stayed in a forward facing extended balcony in January. We LOVE balconies, so we're a bit picky. This one really wasn't that bad. We were on deck 9 and it was pretty big. We could look out over the front of the ship. I like looking down at water, so this was a bit different. It didn't have the great views that you have when you can see through the front panel, but we enjoyed being able to get outside when we wanted. Nice young chair to take naps in. Still got some great pictures and sunsets. Occasionally we could hear some talking from the crew recreation area at the bow, but it wasn't distracting at all. I was worried that my wife, who uses a walker, would have trouble walking a lot to get anywhere, but it wasn't a problem for her at all. Just plan ahead an extra five minutes. The Mardi Gras is a WONDERFUL ship!!! It really is a game changer type design. GREAT entertainment. 22 restaurant venues. Well designed for traffic flow. We're staying on the 14th deck of the Celebration this December overlooking the front again. Maybe we'll get even better views being up a bit higher. This will be a back to back, and the second.week, we move to a regular balcony near the back of the ship, so we'll be able to compare the two and see what we like better.

We've been on 16 Carnival Cruises and have never seen this.

We were just on the Miracle for an Alaskan cruise and LOVED the ship. It was refreshing to see the wild decors. Every corner was filled with something to look at. I hope Carnival always keeps a few of these ships around because it is a heritage they have. I really think there are many of us who really like it.

We went to Alaska in August on the Miracle. First of all, be ready for the traffic in that part of town when two cruise ships are loading. We stayed near the airport the night before, took a taxi to the cruise port and when we got within half a mile of the port, the traffic virtually stopped. It took us a half an hour to go a half a mile, and then we had to get out of the taxi early because the driver didn't want to drive into the mess of traffic in front of the Miracle. Supposedly, the Princess ship that was also in port took the usual Carnival dock. That moved the Carnival dock to the next one down. I remember telling my wife that it looked like the Carnival staff set the boarding procedures up at 3 in the morning and we were making do with what they put together. Luckily for us, my wife needs assistance getting on the ship (she uses a walker)l. That helped a little bit in avoiding the lines, but the big problem was we didn't make our 10:30 AM boarding time because of the traffic. We were told to go to the end of the line because we missed our time, but all of the people in line were GREAT and told us to go ahead of them because our time was first. The lines went on FOREVER out on the sidewalk. An hour after we boarded (about 1:00 PM) the lines STILL were very long and we could see them from the ship. It's not Carnival's fault. It's just that car access to the port is extremely crowded and Princess got the one dock that was set up for cruising. My suggestions are to get there early, try to find a porter that will take your bags (they seemed to be hard to find), and be patient. It was evident that all of the Carnival employees were not on the same page because the dock actually WAS set up the night before.

We have cruised on Disney and Carnival. Now that Disney's prices have gone through the roof, we have been sticking to Carnival and have NEVER been disappointed. Carnival has a wide mixture of people on board and we like that. It's fun to meet a newlywed couple on their first cruise. It's GREAT to see the children so excited about the pools and the water slides. It's fun to meet empty nesters like us who have been cruising a long time, and college age kids are always fun to have around. The thing that keeps amazing us is the friendliness of of the staff - and I mean ALL of the staff. It doesn't matter if they are cleaning the ship at 2 in the morning, or wearing a white uniform on formal night, the Carnival staff is always saying hi with a smile. If you don't like something, make sure you tell them, and they will make it right. I have found the food to be very good, but the Steakhouse is consistently one of the finest restaurants we have ever eaten at - anywhere. I am sure there will be some differences between Celebrity/Holland American/Princess and Carnival, but we like the variety of people and the laid back, fun atmosphere. Go enjoy yourself, and don't worry about those who keep saying this is the "Walmart" of cruises. There are a lot of really wealthy, classy people who are just fun to be with on these ships too. Oh, and the Glory? We have been on it twice and loved it both times. Out of NewOrleans, you will have a 8 hour cruise out down the Mississippi to the gulf. That is a special treat on this cruise.

We just had this happen to us. We were on the Vista in early May and were planning one week in Galveston before going to NOLA for a b2b on the Glory. However, we got COVID at the end of the Vista cruise. We got tested three days before our 1st Glory cruise, but tested positive, so we had to cancel that cruise and we isolated for a second week in Galveston. We then got tested again but got a "Certificate of Recovery" from the same doctor the next week. It cannot be handwritten. Has to be printed and signed by the doctor. It cannot be a "check off" type document. It has to be accompanied by the first POSITIVE COVID test you had and that has to be at least 10 days prior to your cruise - and I think not more than 90 days. We put the certificate of recovery with each of our positive test results from the week prior with our boarding pass. When we got to NOLA for our last cruise of the month, we were escorted to the Carnival doctor at the terminal, and after about half an hour, we were able to get on the ship. THE FOLLOWING IS A REASON TO HAVE THIS CERTIFICATE OF RECOVERY. When we were on that last cruise, my wife got dehydrated and we had to debark the ship in Cozumel for a 5 day hospital stay. Because the US had a rule about being tested negative for all people entering the country, we wouldn't have been able to get into the US without the certificate. Now back in the US, my wife had to go to the hospital and therapy again this past week. She wouldn't have been able to get to the in patient therapy - except that WE HAD THE CERTIFICATE OF RECOVERY. Get it. You can use it for multiple circumstances.

We did one several years ago and LOVED it. Aruba and Curacao were great. We did the ostrich farm tour on Curacao and it was really neat.

We just went through this in the month of May. Caught COVID at the end of our Vista cruise in Galveston. We had planned to stay in Galveston for the week and then travel to NOLA for a b2b on the Glory. However, after staying with some friends after our Vista trip, we were informed they had COVID. We probably gave it to them. So on Thursday, May 12, we tested for our first of two Glory cruises, but, alas, we tested positive. We holed up in Galveston for another week. Then, on May 19th, we tested again. My wife tested positive. Mine was negative, but the doctor said we were both recovered and not contagious anymore. He wrote us a certificate of recovery. We presented BOTH the certificate of recovery and the positive test results (from May 12) to Carnival when we boarded on May 22. After a half hour in a separate room and Carnival going through all of our paperwork, we were allowed to board. I should mention, however, IT IS A GOOD THING TO GET THE CERTIFICATE OF RECOVERY WHETHER CARNIVAL NEEDS IT OR NOT. My wife needed medical attention in Cozumel, and we had to debark from the Glory (NOT COVID related)). When we were done at the hospital, my wife was still testing positive. IF WE DIDN'T HAVE OUR CERTIFICATE OF RECOVERY, WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO FLY BACK TO THE U.S. Get the certificate. It's easy and worth it.

We've done it once and loved it. The actual food was more of a collection of tastes than a cake or some other traditional desserts. We thought they were wonderful and will do it again someday.

It's a great way to give your family a wonderful vacation.

We just had to cancel the first leg of our b2b because of positive COVID tests. I immediately called Carnival and they sent me to the Casino department because that is the promo we used. The Casino department originally told us that we would lose our money because it was too close to departure time, but when I mentioned that their website says we would get a full FCC, the lady said she would check. She came back and told us that we would won't lose any money and we would get the full FCC. However, when I went to our email, Carnival had written and told us that $448 was credited to our credit card account and we would lose the rest due to the lateness of the cancellation. I have written Carnival twice I the last two days. No response yet, but I think we will get our full amount back. I may have to jump hoops, but I will do it.

We were on this cruise and loved it. Embarkation took forever, but when 3000 plus people are disembarking while 3000 plus people are getting on the ship, it is going to take awhile. Nobody wanted this, especially the Carnival personnel, but as long as people understand that EVERYONE was doing their best, then its easy to be a bit more patient. I mean, come on, we're all going on a cruise where we are pampered all week long. So what if I had to wait in line for a longer time at the very beginning? We loved the food in the MDR. The service was great. Our waiter even heard my wife mention she liked surf and turf on a day they were serving tenderloin, and then, out of the blue they came over with a second plate of sautéed shrimp -- and she didn't even ask for it. Our room steward did a fine job. The ship was full, but we only got bottlenecked one time on the first day after our muster drill (aft dining, 3rd floor). yes, we did come in a few hours late on our last day, but we also got to sleep in a bit longer. It's all how you look at things. Overall a great cruise.