carrieluvsgreg

I realize that by living in Florida I am extremely fortunate to have so many ship/port choices. I personally look at shorter cruises and longer cruises as completely different things. We live 20 min from the Port of Jax. Our choices here are very limited... we have one ship and it is Fantasy class (that will never change unless they move the port to the other side of the bridge...) Up until recently the itinerary choices were just 4 or 5 day Bahamas. Of course, being a seasoned Caribbean cruiser, the Bahamas are our LEAST favorite place to go... But- when we can sail for peanuts on special deals.... I will take my least favorite itinerary every.single.day. That said- I don't see that as a vacation- like a mini getaway. Our vacation cruises have all been at least 6 days typically involve travel to at least Port Canaveral and are usually on a larger class of ship. When a ship runs 7-day itineraries, that leaves no time for her to run shorter runs unless they flip between 4 day/5 day then back to 7... Maybe moving the Dream to Galveston offers that option of travel with the other ships still covering the longer trips.

I also realize that many that live more centralized in the US have travel time involved with just getting to the port. These shorter cruises also give those folks who don't wish to pay additionally for airfare the option of driving to the port before and after their trip. When they restrict the shorter itineraries to the fantasy class ship that means these folks never get to experience the larger classes. So, overall- I think it is a win. Galveston is lucky to be getting the Dream- still my favorite ship!

Which itinerary appeals to you most? Eastern and Western trips are very different, in my opinion. If you take the Bahamas out of the picture (often included on an Eastern itinerary), the other islands are much different than the west being that they are less concerned overall with the cruise traffic- no one is up in your bubble wanting to sell you goods or braid your hair... But on those western ports you can barter, get cheap beach massages and see some pretty neat ruins. If you've traveled to both and genuinely don't have a preference- I would still probably choose the Vista. I know there still seem to be plenty of people harping on what they don't like- but I honestly remember when the Dream was first introduced- she had a short fan base too. She was the first of the class and was famed for the sewer gas smell! Lovely, right? You never hear anything about that anymore... They didn't do her refit until 2015, so what happened to the naysayers before then?

The Dream does happen to be my favorite ship in the fleet- we were fortunate enough to sail on her in late 2009- and two additional times since. I say that because I was aware of the "sewage smell" when i booked for the first time, but I still took a chance. Boy and I glad I did! I would have missed out on what has since become my fave! So- I'd say, give Vista a try.

Thats interesting..... I have cruised on the Breeze and out of 12 past cruises on Carnival....that was my #1 cruise and favorite ship. Didn't realize the Dream and Breeze differed that much (internally) being same class of ship

The overall layout is the same- with slight changes. For me- those changes "seemed" to make me feel more closed in. I know the ships are the same class/size- that was really my point. Something about it just didn't set well with me. I do love the Mezul (sp?) mud room in the spa of the Dream that the Breeze doesn't have.

I personally like both ships. The Dream is my favorite- but I really have enjoyed both ships.

The devil is in the details. When large public spaces like the Havana are cordoned off - the size/passenger ratio is effectively very different for those in and out.

I also think things like an 8 story Atrium and two story dining room create the impression of more space even though filling in that airspace with floor space would actually be better with respect to crowded on paper. When I step in to these towering areas, I think “this ship has space to burn” and I feel less crowded.

 

 

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Couldn't agree more- Although actual space is important- the appearance of actual space is paramount. They do this all of the time when building new houses. It was once the norm to build every room with an 8' ceiling- that was all of the headroom most any person needed. Then they found out that if they vaulted those ceilings- bam- it gives the appearance of more space! (It does give more volume- not more floor space). Which is why HGTV is making millions developing shows that renovate living spaces by opening them up- square footage isn't changed at all- but people are lining up to do it!

We have yet to sail the Vista, but have booked the Horizon in April- mainly because Europe is on my bucket list and the price was right. Perhaps I will be disappointed in the ship. I am not sure. I can say that I was disappointed with the changes they made between the Dream and the Breeze. I love the Dream, the Breeze seemed closed in to me. It was not enough of an issue to impact my overall experience- just that if those two ships were sitting side by side, going to the same location, I'd get on the Dream every single time.

The card will get you on the ship. The book will get you home if something were to happen.

Exactly-

For the most part, the whole purpose of getting a passport for a closed loop cruise is "what if". You are not yet required to have it at all. So to go to the added expense of purchasing the card only for boarding purposes when it doesn't help you in the event of an emergency seems futile to me.

"Couldn't the entrance to the Horizons Dining Room on Deck 3 for YTD have been better planned so that people wouldn't have to go to a little desk on Deck 5 to check in before going down to the MDR to be seated? "

 

 

 

 

This might be one of the dumbest things Carnival has ever done. It makes absolutely no sense. You go to a restaurant, go to the hostess, and then you are seated, not rocket science. Anyone make any logic to this, Bueller?

I'm just spitballing here... as I have yet to sail Vista. Could the thought process be that they wanted to eliminate the line at the MDR door? Or maybe they do still line up after they check in... I'm not sure. I have read about this "feature" and wondered, "what were they thinking?"

Maybe it was an afterthought...

"Oh, crap- where shall we stick this?" :')

I think a lot of the feedback relates to ship size whether passengers realize it or not. Most Carnival passengers have been used to ships that have 2k+ passengers, but the trend has been to ships that have a higher concentration of passengers (note I didn't say larger ships). Carnival's newer ships are approaching 4k passenger capacity. IMHO, that larger size ship offers a very different passenger experience than the mid-sized ships most Carnival passengers are used to. While those 4k passenger ships offer much greater profitability prospect for Carnival, the passenger experience is very different. I think it's reasonable many passengers may not care for the newer, higher capacity ships, but some others may. Some people are just more comfortable than others in a high density environment.

Your post made me think.... and caused me to do a little research to find out just how they do stack up compared by class...

On cruise deck plans website I was able to see the space ratio for all classes of Carnival ships. Meaning the square feet available per person on a capacity sailing.

The Destiny Class (Sunshine) has the smallest ratio at 27

The Vista comes in next with 28

The Dream class is tied with the Fantasy class at 29

Then comes the Splendor, Triumph and Conquest classes at 31 each

The largest is the Spirit Class at 34.

In my 14 cruises across the line I have yet to sail on the Sunshine (the smallest ratio) or the Spirit class (the largest)

I am sure that has somewhat impacted my opinions up until now. (As does when I have cruised and whether or not the ship was at capacity.)

That said- I was completely shocked that the Fantasy and Dream class have the same ratio! I have seen numerous people site how they are so much less crowded.... interesting...

I have also seen posts about how people don't like the layout of the Spirit class ships... odd since they have the most space.

One thing to be noted, this takes into account all public space across the entire ship- so with 4000 passengers all trying to navigate Lido at lunchtime would certainly seem more challenging on Vista than Fantasy with half that amount. I just thought it was good info to make us think...

Here is the invitation. For some reason I can't upload it as a picture.

After viewing the file I think the intent of the invitation is to invite the Diamond and Platinum members of the cabin to the Diamond and Platinum reunion party... However, I do know that "extras" have been coming to these parties regularly since the change (and before.. remember how it was a big joke when they would have you clap for all the ships you have been on and then the CD would say- how many of you are onboard for your first time?)

I do like that they have streamlined the party as it had really gotten out of control- too crowded to enjoy, you were lucky if the drinks and apps came around once...

I know how frustrating it must be for those Gold card members who were allowed to attend and now are not... I would be disappointed too. For that reason- I would like for them to adhere to the rules they have set into place. That makes it the most fair across the board.

But if I get to my next reunion and find a Gold, Red or Blue card in my vicinity - it won't phase me in the least.

Sometimes I think people nowadays like to complain. I know it’s pretty much always been that people will write to complain and rarely to rave. Understanding that there are legitimate issues. None of us are perfect and that includes CCL. but choosing to take a cruise on the largest class of ship, perhaps during the busiest time of the year, spending most of your time in the most busy areas and then complaining that it’s crowded seems rather ignorant to me.... I mean- “whadja expect, Sparky?”

We have yet to sail on vista but do have a cabin reserved on Horizon for April. I wouldn’t call us typically Caribbean cruisers as we spend very little time sun worshipping. We’ve been on both the Dream and Breeze and never felt overly crowded. I’m excited about the Horizon and all she has to offer. That said- we haven’t avoided the Vista purposefully, just haven’t cruised for two years. If the price were right and we had the time- I wouldn’t hesitate. [emoji5]

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They also offer the "low price guarantee"

Meaning they will refund or give OBC if you find the same excursion at a lower price.

I just usually prefer to go with the "less crowded" option. :)

Belize City is a dangerous place. I never do Carnival excursions ,but in Belize you should ! Otherwise stay on the ship.

Tendering, if non Platinum or Diamond you will be required to meet in a selected area on the ship, there you will receive a tender ticket for debarkation.The Port area is safe enough, encased with fencing. Shopping here for items are fair market prices .

I tend to disagree... I booked one of our all time favorite excursions with a private company in Belize. The resort was called Jaguar Paw. The excursion was a zip lining and cave tubing excursion that included lunch. The sent a private driver to pick us up at the Hilton which was near to the port. We walked from the port to the Hilton without any issue. The excursion was just my family of 4 and our private ride was in a SUV with A/C. Our driver was a very pleasant young man that knew the area well and made our drive to the resort educational. We zip lined first, then did the cave tubing and after we changed we had a wonderful Belizian lunch. The price for all of this was $89/pp. This was several years ago as it was our daughter's 16th birthday cruise and she is now 24... but I remember that the best comparable price I could get through the cruise line was $129/pp.

Like I said- 14 cruises under our belt and this one had one of the very best excursions ever!

The Dream is my favorite ship in the fleet and I have sailed on the Breeze. (We are booked on the Horizon for April, so we shall see if the Dream will still hold the crown after that...)

We love one particular feature of the Dream that they did not have on the Breeze. We always book Cloud 9 Spa staterooms when the ship offers them. The Dream was the first ship that we had done this on and we learned of a Mazul (sp?) Mud Room that you could book for a private time for two people. The spa specialist comes in long enough to explain the products you have available to use, then leaves you for an hour. There are three rooms total, one is the application room that also has storage for your clothes, regular showers and the cart with the muds and other products. The middle room is a huge rainforest shower area and the final room is a wet steam room that allows the mud to "work".

We loved the experience and were so looking forward to doing it on the Breeze... unfortunately it was not available on that ship...

Would Sangria be included in this?

Since this can be sold at stores that sell only beer and wine and not liquor, I would think this would be a yes. And since it is made from wine and fruit juice, it seems to fit the criteria- but I have not tried it myself.

I am glad that we do have these programs in place for the protection of passengers. However, I also think we tend to overreact to some of the data received. (not that they are too strict- just that we underestimate how difficult it would be to control certain aspects of the areas inspected...)

For example- in my own kitchen at home I get a random housefly that gets in through our back door. When I see it, I grab the swatter and kill it as soon as possible. If I had a health inspector in my home at that time, I would be charged with the presence of a fly... Does that mean that my kitchen is filthy and I'm incapable of preparing healthy meals for my family? Now carrying that model back to the ship scenario- several of the ships have open restaurants on the aft area or promenade part and now Serenity areas- Flies live outside... granted they are few and far between while at sea- but the inspections are done in port...

Safety at sea (as well as at home) should be of utmost concern- I am just saying that we should take those results (violations) with a little more understanding of the overall picture. Is the company putting their customers at risk? That is a question that only you can answer.

I think it is helpful to remember that Carnival has a different target audience than Princess. In many ways, it really isn't comparing apples to apples. I am not saying that there aren't those individuals who can sail both lines and enjoy both- but you should probably go into it with the mindset that it is designed to be a different experience. Carnival is a family friendly "fun" ship. They have sea days full of poolside activities, party music, trivia games offered multiple times each day. I am not suggesting that they don't have quiet and more reserved areas of the ship- the Serenity areas are enjoyed by many. The ships that offer Cloud 9 Spa facilities have wonderful quiet zones that allow for relaxation away from the crowds. Just remember, they will draw a different crowd. Often you will find loud, outgoing folks who really know how to let their hair down. Shorter trips often get "tagged" booze cruises, although we live 20 minutes from the Port of Jax and have been on several and not felt that way at all...

Sailing out of Charleston your port options are limited- you will visit my least favorite part of the Caribbean, unless you move up to the 8 day sailing. But I would also take any day at sea over a day at home. Being on that class of ship also limits your amenities; but on the upside you also limit your crowd! Our first cruise was on a Fantasy class ship and was 7-days. Since then we have decided that we really prefer a larger class for that many days.

All things considered- only you know what things are important to you and your family when traveling. Whether or not you will enjoy Carnival will depend upon those things alone.

That's not accurate. Princess does have nice obc for veterans, especially on longer cruises. But Carnival has discounted military fares from time to time, especially around Veterans Day and other "patriotic" holidays. To qualify for military you just need a DD214. We've benefited from Military fares a number of times and husband did not retire (spend 20 years) in the service. Also, at certain times of the year you can share the military rate with 2 other cabins. We've done this as well.

 

~Denise

Although this is true, we have only had two occasions in 15 sailings that the military rate actually proved to be less than the past guest rate... which is frustrating. It would be nice if the military program was just a discount over and above whatever our lowest quoted price was. Even if it was only 2%, that would still be a savings.

Hey all- we are taking our first European cruise next April and am finding that this will be a VERY big and busy trip for us. We are well seasoned throughout most of the Caribbean but are finding out quick that Europe can be jammed packed with tons of things to see and do making the trip somewhat exhausting. (I'm not complaining- I'm going to EUROPE and super excited!)

Back to my question- I do see that there are tons of things to do and see away from Marseille that admittedly look wonderful- but since I will still be reeling from three very busy days in Italy, would you say that there is plenty to do/see in the port town that would be a fund day and we wouldn't feel like we regretted staying in the port town rather than venturing out? This could likely be a "once in a lifetime trip". I am not saying that we won't ever go back... but I don't expect it to be anytime soon.

Any suggestions on neat things that you have experienced/restaurants that are on your "don't miss" list or any other helpful advice would be greatly appreciated.

We are sailing on the Dream Thanksgiving week. This is a cruise with a lot of "firsts" for us: first time booking Early Saver rates, first time sailing during a major holiday, and first time booking some (not all) of our excursions outside of the cruise line.

 

In Key West, my wife wanted me to book parasailing for us and our 2 kids. Carnival had it for something like $89pp, but I booked it through, apparently, the same vendor for $52. I'm pretty sure it's the same vendor based on the logo on the parachute in the Carnival photo.

 

In Freeport, there seem to be few "good" excursions, and they all seem to go to the same beach -- you just get different amenities based on the price you choose to pay and what color wristband you have. I found Resort For a Day dot com, and, for about the same price, we're going to enjoy the Wyndham's all-inclusive hospitality. We're just responsible for our own transportation from and to the ship -- so we'll have to keep an eye on the time.

 

In Nassau, I did book the dolphin encounter, but, fortunately, Carnival is having a sale on that particular excursion. We went to Balmoral Island this past June while on an NCL cruise, and I have to say it is less than impressive.

 

So, how do you do your excursions? Ever run into any problems going the DIY route? The only previous DIY experience we have is taking a cab to and from a beach.

We only booked excursions through the ship on our very first cruise. We did not know any better and others had us scared about going off and missing the boat. Since then we have only done private excursions and 14 cruises later our private tours have ALWAYS been better than the first two we did with the ship.

On our first trip we booked a snorkeling tour with the ship at Grand Cayman, we walked from the dock about 35 feet, got into a pontoon and went right back out in a small "lagoon" area between the shore and the ship...:(

We have since taken several snorkeling excursions (Grand Cayman and elsewhere) and it has been fantastic! Stingray City being one of our most favorite.

Our private tours have always proven to be cheaper, smaller and more willing to make extra/unscheduled stops to better our experience.

One thing I do try to do- pre arrange those tours, be able to see reviews on other sites and make contact with them before leaving home.

We have not had a a bad on our own experience yet!

I still don’t understand what you mean by “splitting the booking”.

We booked the cruise with me and my daughter in one cabin and my husband and my son in the other. We have done that for years when they sailed with us when they were younger, but for entirely different reasons. We were instructed by our PVP that the only way to ensure that they would be permitted to board with us was to split our booking because one person in each cabin could board with a platinum or diamond guest.

Hmmm......there seems to be a lot of different versions of P/D/FTTF Priority disembarkation!:confused: It seems each ship (meaning Staff) "may" interpret it differently?

 

The Elation 2 weeks ago, disembarkation was a mess..... Priority meant nothing, only self assist debarked early........ It was 9:30am (S/A started at 7:30am), before we were cleared to debark and pick up our Zone1 luggage? What's up with that!!!:p

Perhaps it varies by debarkation rather than by ship. Maybe there was a hold up with security getting the luggage or baggage claim area cleared to receive guests and they wanted to speed along the process. I know when we did a relo cruise on the Dream our experience was less than stellar... Platinum/Diamonds were told that they could debark and claim our luggage- but after we walked off of the ship, got into a very warm long hallway we found the garage style doors that would lead into the baggage claim area were still closed. We then waited 30-45 minutes in a hot hallway when we could have just stayed on the ship... ugh! We were never offered an explanation only that they were not ready. We are not sure how the ship did not get that memo.

But I think "ideally" platinums and diamond luggage is supposed to be handled first, when it is ready, they are given the signal to debark. Then during "self-assist" they are working on the zones to try to get ahead.

We don't live in a perfect world... mistakes happen...

Hi, first time cruise coming up at Christmas on the Carnival Vista. I have reviewed the dining options so I see that there are some restaurants we can purchase extra to dine at or choose to go with the included dining room and a few other places. We have an 'open' dining time of 6-9pm or something like that...I assume that means we don't have the assigned seating and wait staff like someone had told me is the norm on ships? Also, is the extra charge for some dining places worth it for a family? (Or maybe we can go for the steakhouse while the kids go get pizza?)

 

And are the midnight dessert buffets talked about during my 1980's youth still a thing?

 

Just trying to wrap my head around the dining experience...I am a total newbie!

Although you do not have an assigned dining time, table or crew- if you choose, you can request to be sat in the same team's section each night if you really like them. And- carnival did away with the midnight buffets several years ago.

Minors are an exception to the boarding rule and they will be allowed to check in with the parents that are Priority. Also if there is one Platinum member in each cabin, then the cabin mate also gets to board with them.

 

The old credit card trick of booking multiple cabins using the Platinum member’s card doesn’t work anymore, however.

That’s what I meant about splitting the booking.... neither of them were minors when we did this. One was 18 and the other 21.

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I politely disagree.... AS I stated above...I just did what the OP asked :cool:

 

Diamond , Platinum ,FTTF then self assist.:D

Agreed- diamond and platinum get the all clear first. They do not have to be self assist. This is how we have debarked as well.

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When we traveled with our kids we wanted to ensure they boarded with us- we are platinum and they are not. We simply split the booking and it fixed everything. They boarded priority with us and were able to do priority debarkation at tender ports too. Interestingly enough they even gave them the platinum gift. I think that was a mistake, and doesn’t always happen tho.

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