Ruggled

We are also from NC & will be going on the Oasis but not till 4/15/18(too long)

We will be driving down also I was woundering if you took I 95 down all the way or did you get on 295 & go around Jacksonville.

P.S have a great time

For the record, check Google Maps or Waze. Most of the time for us anyway, taking 295 saves time and aggravation, but its well worth it to do a traffic check on the way down and before you enter Jacksonville just to make sure. (From a NC girl now living in SC who drives down to PC and Orlando pretty regularly). ;)

In Carnival's defense, most analysts do see a lot of upward potential. Its below the median forecast right now and in fact gained 2% today. I bought quite a few shares after the Concordia disaster, sold off the profit and keep a few hundred shares just for the onboard credit...and darn if that stock STILL isn't making me money! I consider the shareholder shipboard credit just one more dividend. :D:D

http://money.cnn.com/quote/forecast/forecast.html?symb=CCL

We've sailed on several of these offers--in fact 2 of our 3 cruises last year were "free" We typically consider it "advance paying" for the next cruise through the casino. That said, when we cruised at Christmas, my 19 year old son and I received the letters...DH did not.

Now granted, we sail enough that many of the casino supervisors, hosts and dealers know both us and our son--but for the life of me, I'm still surprised he received a free cruise. I know what kind of bank roll my kid had and I know he played $10 Black Jack and occasionally craps when the table was hot --no slots. The only thing I can figure in his case is he played every single night/morning until they shut down the casino and somehow managed to earn enough points at the tables being able to slow-play his losses.

In any event, we are headed out next week to take advantage of those two "free" cruises for Spring Break...so here we go again! :D

Not bad at all. We had this cabin last July on the Fantasy.

The Atrium lobby doesn't stay "up" as late as other areas on the ship--but there will be an entertainer out there in the evenings. Plus the bar doesn't open early. And, at least on the Fantasy, when it was time to get off the ship the line passed right by our door to step out and off which was very convenient.

I was nervous about the location as well but didn't find it bad at all!

Weighing in, having been on both, Sunshine last week and Breeze this past May, I would choose the Breeze by far. True, it is further away if you are driving. If you are flying into Miami, its a short cab ride from the airport vs. the drive from MCO to Port Canaveral.

Yes, Sunshine has the 2.0 upgrades and I am more than happy to rave about Guy's Burgers and the Alchemy Bar, but to me the flow of the ship is not nearly as good, and if you gamble at all and don't smoke be aware that the casino has very poor air circulation--non-smoking slot machines, tables and the non-smoking side of the bar are pretty much laughable, especially now that Carnival has restricted smoking on the balconies and smokers are looking for places to light up. (I don't blame them, but the casino was really bad and I've been on A LOT of Carnival ships--I ended up with a "smoker's cough" by day 2 of the cruise).

We didn't experience "the smell" though spoke to some people that did. It also seemed there were things that just stayed broken all week--as if there were maintenance issues they couldn't get to. And though rare for us, we had a bad experience with service and food quality in the dining room most nights.

Don't get me wrong--I love Carnival and we didn't have a bad time, but if I had the choice of either, I'd choose the Breeze every time all other things being equal.

Same happened to us last year. Touristy shops were open like Senor Frogs, but forts were closed. We just walked around, checked out a few open shops that are, unfortunately, in every single port, and spent the rest of the time at Senor Frogs.

I guess I'm one of those people that will give you more cons.

Pros are they are usually cheaper. They are lower down if you are worried more about motion. They do seem a little deeper than regular balcony cabins. It is very novel to be that close to the water.

Cons: Biggest two for me...not being able to see out unless I stood up, and the fact that the balcony pretty much stayed wet all the time just from the mist kicked up by the wake of the ship. Perhaps this was partially related to me being more forward and mid-ship and aft would have been less "misty".

I prefer aft balconies to the cove, but if the option is that or an oceanview for only a little bit more, I still do like to have a balcony.

On our first ever Carnival cruise we met several couples we are still friends with. Most recently we met up in Knoxville and spent the weekend riding our motorcycles together. We'll see each other again at Panama City Beach in September and we've been on several other cruises with them.

On another cruise (with one of those couples actually) we met a couple from Ohio (we live in NC). He was interviewing for a job in Raleigh a few weeks later and my husband met him and showed him around. Ultimately they moved down to NC and we live 15 minutes from each other. When I take my next cruise in 2 days, their oldest boy (who's wedding we will be attending later this month) and his fiance are house and pug sitting. Our son has become great friends with their 4 boys.

I agree fully with the OP. :D

I've been on both ships, and just recently left Breeze less than a month ago. Carnival did a great job of learning from their mistakes (or rather perhaps misdesigns) on Dream and incorporated them into Breeze. I love the ship and all of its unique spaces, many of which I didn't even get to enjoy. They did a phenomenal job of flow on the Breeze as far as incorporating outdoor and indoor space.

The waterpark is far and away better on Breeze. Dream has the slides, but not the extra waterworks areas. Past that, they just did a better job, in my humble opinion, of managing the space. Had I never been on Breeze, I'd tell you Dream is great (and I've sailed her twice) but I was very, very impressed with the Breeze layout.

I am an aft balcony fan. I've done the cove balconies---meh--they are cool but your balcony stays wet all the time from the mist and its just not that great past the novelty of being closer to the sea. The L shaped cabins have a skinny balcony even though it is longer...there is nothing like stretching out on the aft and watching the wake go by. Also, aft balconies are nicer on sea days because they aren't so windy. Also, it is super-convenient to head right up into the Lido to grab food/ice cream/pizza, etc.

Obviously just my 2 cents and experience, but since you asked. :D

Spirit Class ships have an aft balcony suite that is two rooms. The issue there may be that I am not sure if they sleep 4. I know that the sofa in the "living" area sleeps one, but I'm not sure if it could accommodate 4.

They are beautiful aft wrap suites and our favorite rooms on Carnival's ships.

The Dream Class ships have a "family" stateroom, which is oceanview but it is still one room, just larger, and it has the split bath familiar to those that sail with Disney with two baths (only one toilet), but allows more than one person access to showering facilities at the same time.

They do now have new flat screens after their drydock earlier this year, so it might have changed.

I'll know in a month.

Pineapple Chipotle Martini from the martini bar or the Chipotle margarita from the Blue Iguana. Nom Nom!!

I skimmed all the answers and didn't see the one I'm going to give as a possibility but want to chime in based on recent experience.

We are Platinum cruisers and I have always ignored those emails...just like I did when we boarded the Liberty in December. HOWEVER....check to see if the ship that you are coming back in on went to Belize. Per the folks at the port and on the ship, they have to do a full customs inspection with interviews and fingerprints of non-US visitors if the ship goes to Belize.

Now, I don't know if that is fact, I'm just repeating what the port workers and Carnival staff told me. If this IS the case, you may find showing up at 10:45 like we did means you are sitting around until they started boarding the ship well after 12:00.

Like I said I usually ignore the warning, but you might want to check and see if the ship you are boarding did the Western with a Belize stop.

The aft oceanview room is large, but be aware of where you are in relationship to the anchor and to the wenches they use when docking We were rattled out of bed every morning when we ported because we were way too close to those things (Granted, this was on the Victory and not the Liberty but I'd assume similar sounds!).

I'd suggest the aft balcony...get higher up above those wenches! But.if you have never had a balcony, beware...its tough to go back!

One more though on aft balconies. Lots of people like deck 7 because you have decks above and below you. I'm here to tell you that if you handle a bit of chair scraping (and I mean dining chair, not deck chair) in the mornings, go for 8450 or 8457 AFT. These two balconies are larger than their counterpart aft balconies by nearly half. If you look at a pic of the rear of the Conquest class ships, you will see the difference.

Other than the potential sound of the chairs in the mornings, this is a quiet room as it is under the Aft adult pool. And the balcony is simply fantastic. Also, close to the Lido (one flight up).

Here is a post with pics from another thread.

We were on the Liberty last month, cabin 8450. This balcony and the one on 8457 are about 50% larger than the other aft balconies on this deck.

 

 

Also a "potentially" little known fact on the Sail and Sign card. When you use it in a slot machine to add money to your player bank, you will not pay a transaction fee. It will show up as "entertainment" on your bill. This is the "free" way to get money without paying an ATM fee or a percentage fee which you'd pay if you did the same thing at the tables.

Hi! Those are great balconies! I have 8450 on the Liberty in less than two weeks and have had that same room on the Freedom.

There is most certainly room for one or two chaise lounges plus a chair. There SHOULD be at lest one there and if not, you should ask for one. There is more than ample space to lay out. I actually like these balconies better than the aft wrap on Conquest class ships for the price. There is plenty of room as much of the space in the aft is more narrow and curves around the side of the ship.

YOU WILL LOVE IT!!! Have fun! Remember there are only two of these rooms on the ship with the extra wide aft balcony and you've got one of them!

Love love love LOVE the Pineapple-Chipotle martini. So good I actually order the Monin syrup they use to make it by the case now. Just enough heat to really take your time and enjoy. Hands down my most fave martini ever.

Close second is the Fresh Italian--made with Aperol, which is used in Italy as an aperitif. Fantastic fresh tasting drink..often ordered post dinner in the casino. :o

Followed by the "on deck" favorite the Mango Tango--big girl slushies! Nom Nom!

Thank you so much! we are SOOOO excited!! We had regular ocean view mid ship last time, and really wanted a balcony this time. I'm hoping that the aft won't bother as much as the mid-ship movement did. But I will be prepared either way - with bonine and nausea bands!! Only 201 more days!!!:p

You guys will have a blast and you will love 8450. Just last year I was in that cabin right about now. However, in two weeks, I'll be in 7298 on the Pride...the only cabin in the fleet I love better than 8450 on a Conquest class ship. :D

I don't find the motion all that different anywhere on the ship unless you get down really low. You guys will just LOVE this cabin..and the convenience factor is fantastic.

Hello All,

 

just wondering if anyone had balcony and room pictures of 8450 on the Liberty? We're cruising this October and have this room booked. It's our first ever balcony and we'd really like to see what's in store for us!

8450 on the Conquest class ships is actually not like any other aft cabin. You've picked a good one! They are my favorite best-kept secret though sometimes hard to book if you only have two people.

Because of the layout of the ship, cabins 8450 and 8457 are actually half again as wide as the other direct aft cabins. Check it out in this link, which is aft of the Conquest (same ship class). The discussion is about wall partitions, but the picture of the aft balcony is exactly what you need to see.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1326387

The top left balcony is 8450. From the pictures you can see that there is extra space on this balcony compared to the other aft balconies. It is also the reason there are only 6 aft balconies vs. 8 aft balconies on Empress below. Congrats!

If you can't get an aft wrap...these are the next best thing, and with only two on the ship...you done good! :D

Would you recommend this tour for some in our group who tend to have motion sickness?

Quite honestly....no, I wouldn't. Not unless they could be assured of sitting int he front seat.

We had a passenger in our van lose their cookies sitting way in the back when we took this tour 2 years ago. I'm sure it was the combination of the free flowing beverages, great food, windy, hilly roads, and the heat...but it was not pretty.

If you have anyone who is particularly prone to motion sickness...be warned. If they can handle taking the shotgun seat up front, that might be the best choice for them...of course then you get a birds eye view of the thrill of driving a vehicle in St. Lucia!!!!:eek:

Because gamblers lose a lot of money and make a lot of money for the casino/cruise ship. You're getting something for the money you spend on shopping. ;)

 

Just like in Vegas, you get "free" drinks while playing, but you don't get them while shopping. When you think about it, those "free" drinks are really the most expensive drinks I've ever had.

Makes me think about the fact that we DO get free drinks...when shopping for jewelry in the ports........DH always says THOSE are the most expensive free drinks he has during the cruise. ;)

Depends on your daughter..very likely they won't let her "move up" anyway.

Generally they are pretty "stringent" about this...however, my son at 14 had managed to worm his way into both clubs. He's the king of sucking up to a counselor.

Honestly, based on my experience and my kid only, he didn't spend as much time "in" the club except to meet up with his friends to hang out elsewhere.

I LOVE this thread!!!! I am going to upgrade myself to an aft or aft wrap from a regular balcony! I already had this planned, but this thread just gets me more excited! DH doesn't even know that we have any type of balcony! He is going to be surprised!!!!!!:D

I am wodering which deck would be the best on the Miracle? Is this ship going to be the same as the Dream?

Not sure if you are looking at the wraps or the regular aft.

I really liked deck 7 on the Spirit class ships. The further down you go, the more of an overhang you'll have. When you get down to deck 4, the aft is completely covered.

7 is between two decks, so very quiet. I like the deck uncovered so I can sun out on the deck (it can get hot if you are going in the summer though).

Great pics but some aft or aft-wraps seem to have a 'roof' above and some don't. Could one sleep on a Liberty or Glory aft balcony and not get rained on? Thks. for any comments.

Depends on location. The lower the deck, the more cover the aft balcony has (wrap or regular). The lowest aft balcony you can get on the ship will pretty much be fully covered..no rain (or sun).

The higher you go, the more exposed you are.

Looks great, but I like to see where I'm going, not where I've been. LOL

LOL! Thought I don't disagree, you don't much see where you are going from the side either..unless you stick your head out and look forward. The aft wrap in particular has both a side view and an aft view...the best of both worlds perhaps.