SkyPiglet

1 hour ago, Tiger0613 said:

I was just in that cabin on the 12/30/19 sailing.  It is a twin bed and an upper pullman.  It does not have a sofa bed.  It is a regular couch.

 

I love the upper/lower portholes with upper pullmans instead of sofa beds.  You can line everything up along one wall or put the bed along the wall and the couch perpendicular to the bed under the window to have alot of open floor space.

 

There is a really good YouTube video of this cabin.  It is about 6 minutes 51 seconds long.  The video was uploaded 4/2/17. The couch has been fixed....

Thanks for the posting video, it shows the room pretty well, and that room looks good enough for me! It will be kind of an adventure with the portholes bunk beds anyway 🙂

Either way, I will have an awesome time! Thanks everyone for your input!

5 hours ago, audcc77 said:

Huh?  Are you saying that the price the upsell fairy offered is MORE than what you would have paid by upselling to yourself?

 

 

Yes, that is correct, at least it was last night when I posted. Now it is no longer the case.

Thanks!

For the record, I just did a mock booking for the room offered as an upgrade. Total cost of what we have paid so far, plus the upgrade $175, is about $65 MORE expensive than just booking the room in the first place. Slick!

I am not too worried about sleeping on the sofa-bed, or even an upper. Since it is a lower deck, my "room time" will be limited anyway, I was just curious to make sure I wasn't missing out on something super big. But being roomier is somewhat tempting.

Currently booked on Carnival Valor for a 5 day Western Caribbean cruise of of New Orleans in May. Room is 1212, which is a classified as an upper lower with portholes. It has a twin and a and a sofa bed. I know it is a rock-bottom pricing type of room, which is fine. I have normally  booked higher deck interiors, and one balcony for comparison so I not familiar with these types of rooms. I am travelling with my mother in this case, so there is no need for a convertible king bed. I have an offer to upgrade to an Ocean View stateroom with two twins, and a sofa, 1441 for the "exclusive" price of $174.

For the price, it strikes me as a "going rate" upgrade and nothing too special to offer  and I will most likely pass, but I wanted to make sure that I am not throwing away an amazing deal. Anything special about the ocean view compared to the upper/lower besides a pair of twins that become a king and a bigger window?

Thanks!

I really enjoyed the drinks made by Brian on the Breeze, and of course Maria and Savio on Dream. Maria was really good at crafting a customized drink, I cannot remember the ingredients, but I remember the name of one she made us, Coco Loco Maria. The Alchemy Bar alone got my money's worth on Cheers 🙂

To everyone who has replied.... thank you all for the advice! A few points that were brought up...

Dining: I am definitely a MDR diner as opposed to Lido. I enjoy the food and experience a bit more. Back at home, I do occasionally go out to dine alone, so I am not too worried about that. I was just wondering if it might be different on the ship. I hadn't really thought about asking to share a table with others for YTD though, so I will definitely give that a try. Not having to worry about deciding when/where to eat with someone else really opens up possibilities too.

Ports:  I am more excited about my port time than in the past, since I can plan my activities out for myself, and not worry about the cost for two people, or negotiating with the other person about what to do.

Pre-Cruise Groups: I took your advice and joined the Facebook group for my sailing. There isn't a roll-call here yet... maybe I should start one.

Activities: This is my biggest worry. I am planning on doing the production shows, comedy club and Maybe hit up the piano bar. There will likely be other random activities going on. If I keep myself busy, this shouldn't be a problem.

Cheers: Going back and forth on this one. In past cruises, it has certainly been worth it for me, and with just me to pay for, it does make sense. I will probably just buy a $250 giftcard and wait till closer to sailing to use it, or apply it to my account on board if I don't get Cheers. 

All in all, I think I just need to keep myself busy, and dive into on-board activities. Like any cruise, attitude makes or breaks the experience, so I will go in with enthusiasm, and see how it goes! I know I only have until February, but it seems so far away!

CoW mAn, thanks for the video, that is very helpful!

MLJS, thanks for posting your detailed review, especially all the food and drink menus! Going under the Sunshine Bridge looks exciting, I will have to make sure I don't miss that! 

Naxer, slightly off topic, but what part of Michigan are you from? I am in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area.

I have booked a five day cruise in the near future on the Carnival Paradise out of Tampa, and  I am a bit nervous. I have cruised seven times with Carnival and certainly know my way around, but I have always cruised with my then wife. Long story short, after many life changes in the past year, I need an escape, and booked a cruise, by myself, just me 🙂 I managed to find one that fit my schedule and budget on Carnival Paradise out of Tampa in February. Though excited as always, I am a bit nervous. If anyone has experience on solo cruises, or any cruise on Paradise, I would love your input.

1) I have never cruised by myself. For anyone who cruises solo, can you tell me what it's like and what to expect? Pros and cons? I am a bit of an introvert by nature, but the idea of setting my own schedule and activity choices is appealing.

2) I always do YTD (your time dining) due to the flexibility. Will this be awkward without a dining partner, or is the crew pretty responsive with the same level of service?

3) Carnival Paradise. I know Paradise is one of the smallest ships. I am more used the the larger ships (Breeze and Dream are my favorites). I have heard that the smaller ships are amazing, but at the same time, I know that they do not have as many activities. I know I will certainly miss the movies on the main deck. Is there anyone who knows the smaller ships that can make some recommendations?

4) Beverages. Since I am solo, Cheers is a lot more cost effective. On the other hand, Paradise has no Alchemy Bar (my favorite) and I believe there is no steakhouse bar either, so I will probably just do beverages a la carte. Under Cheers, I normally do 6-10 drinks per day. Without Cheers, it will be less. I plan on just getting a Carnival giftcard to settle my SnS account, for slightly less than Cheers (about $250) and see where it takes me. Thoughts?

5) Ports. In Grand Cayman, I am snorkeling on my own. It is walking distance from the dock. From Cozumel, I booked a Carnival excursion to Tulum. Any other suggestions to maximize my port time?

6) Sings and Solo's events. Has anyone attended these before? I am wondering if they are effective at all to meet people to hang out with during the cruise. I am NOT looking for the singles/hook-up scenes, but it might be nice to have some folks to hang out with on the cruise. As an introvert, I have no expectations, but would like know know what it's like.

Anyways, as I said, I a bit nervous about doing the whole thing on my own, but I am looking forward to it as an experience. That being said, any input/thoughts/suggestions/advice that is offered would be appreciated 🙂

Thank you much!

I cannot speak quality or value of the cake, as I have never had it but I have not read too many positive reviews of it. I think the other treats and pastries are pretty good, but it depends on what you like. I really think those gift packages are more geared towards people outside of the trip surprising cruisers with gifts, etc.

Wine or champagne probably won't be the highest quality, but it can certainly be very enjoyable, depending on how picky you are. I posted to JH's page on facebook and he had champagne and strawberries delivered to our room. It wasn't super fancy, but we enjoyed that a lot.

My mother-in-law once gifted us the pastry tray once and we very much enjoyed it. I would say it was worth it, but those fruit tarts were phenomenal!

As for the decorations, the price seems pretty steep for some paper hanging decorations, you might be better off going to a Party City store to pick up some decorations and magnets to hang them. You will get more bang for your buck and make it more custom to what would be meaningful to you and your husband. Then if you do order some sweets or wine or something, when you specify the time for delivery, just make sure he is out of the room, and then sneak off for five minutes to decorate the room before he sees it 🙂 

15 hours ago, coevan said:

Antigua is St. Johns, St, John is one of our favorite islands and easy to get to on your own. Not only a U.S territory most phone services are local calling with 4G or LITE. 

Easy to see where the confusing comes from,  since the port city in Antigua has nearly the same name.  

There is also a town called St. John in Michigan, but I doubt that causes any issues :)

On 11/16/2018 at 8:48 PM, coevan said:

Do people really book a cruise for one specific restaurant? I hear the same thing about Guys. If anyone really thinks this is a good burger, you need to stop eating fast food. Now sailing without a Steakhouse, might be a little disappointing. We thought the Seafood Shack was a great culinary addition. 

We would book based on itinerary, but don't commit to it since it can be changed per cruise contract. Cost of transportation to home port is important as we live in Michigan, driving is not a viable option with limited vacation days at work. At the end of the day, travel cost is about the same.

Amenities on the ships DO vary. We would typically book the Dream class ships for the multiple dining and bar options. Tandoor was frequently the tie breaker. It will not be anymore...

As for the Nickle and Dime Trend...

• On our first cruise, there was a free (included) sushi stand on the Lido buffet... now Bonsai is on more ships, at an upcharge. There was also a fancy and fun midnight chocolate buffet (we have not seen one since then).
• On our third cruise, we ate at Fish and Chips (free) once or twice. We also tried the Steak House for the first time (WORTH IT).
• On our fifth cruise, Fish and Chips on Conquest was replaced by a weird (free) BBQ joint. (Seafood Shack opened LITERALLY on Conquest's next cruise).
• On our sixth cruise, we tried dinner at Cucina del Capitano at an up-charge. We found to be comparable to Olive Garden both in the up-charge price and quality. Not quite worth it.
• On our seventh cruise, the Taste Bar was replaced by a revenue producing, no frills beverage bar. Some crew told us the Tandoor would be going away and replaced by Seafood Shack (fee based). I inquired to JH about it, and was assured Tandoor would remain. CCL has since changed its mind. Also, room service had cut back on its hours, and up-charged for hot food during the night.

This is a clear trend of eliminating included options for the sake of paid options that generate additional revenue. Ten years down the road, will the only free (included) options be the MDR and Lido Buffet?

Though disappointing to lose Tandoor, I understand that it was not the most popular. CCL needs to appeal to demand. On the other side, the removal of an included option to replace with a pay option changes my expectation of what I am paying for with my cruise fare. I know Carnival pretty well, but now I wonder what I can expect in the future. If I book a future cruise, will other restaurants I enjoy (Blue Iguana, Pizzeria del Capitano, and/or Guy's Burgers) become up-charge restaurants? That type of uncertainty and sudden change makes it a little bit difficult to commit to future cruises.

I know, I know... old thread....

...but John Heald did post today on FaceBook that the Dream and Breeze have opened Seafood Shack. I posted to his page and inquired about Tandoor since he had mentioned that in an earlier post it would remain. Tandoor is gone now, I guess management changed their minds. I am posting this so my posts here will not misinform anybody.

His exact quote, following my question about Tandoor remaining or not...

"Thats correct and at the time of answering that was the right answer but since then a decision has been made to replace them I am afraid. I hope you get to enjoy the Seafood Shack and dont forget there is Indian food available from the dining room menu. cheers mate. " JH

I was on the Dream in August. I brought my stainless steel straw. The only times I even wanted one was with frozen drinks, and those pretty much came with a plastic straw still. Non-frozen were served (mostly) straw-free. I never asked for one because I am on that band-wagon, but you will be given one if you ask.

A poster in another thread states it will be removed from the Dream in October 2018:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=56797166&postcount=30

I heard this rumor too, from a crew member. I posted to John Heald's facebook and asked about it, and he replied that they are keeping Tandoor. I hope his information is accurate. I guess we will find out for sure around October

His exact response....

We are keeping the Tandoors mate on the ships that have them :) cheers and I really do hope you had a great time. cheers

The ship will likely have an "Afternoon Tea" in the aft dining room in the early afternoon. The sweets and snacks are awesome, and it is free, unless you want fancier tea (covered under Cheers fwiw).

It was on the Dream in November, right around the corner from the sushi place next to the Alchemy in Ocean Plaza.

Sadly, it was empty on Dream in August. It had been converted to a basic bar.

Don't worry about it and have a great time. In all of my cruises (7), the first was balcony, the rest were interior staterooms. No complaints at all! :)

I have cruised a lot but have never purchased the cruise insurance. Is the Carnival insurance worth it? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciate. :)

 

 

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Last year for our Breeze cruise, we purchased insurance through Carnival for the first time, and were glad we did. Hurricane Harvey wrecked havoc on our travel plans (We disembarked in New Orleans a day after we were supposed to disembark in Galveston). We ended up making a claim under "Trip Interruption" and got our transportation, hotel (couldn't get a flight until the next day), and meals covered in New Orleans. Our airline changed our flight free-of-charge due to our flight out of Houston being cancelled. The cost of the insurance was less than the benefits we received, so in our circumstance it WAS worth it. Beyond the costs/benefits, during the chaos of "not knowing" what was going to happen due to the hurricane, we had a lot more peace of mind.

This year, we purchased insurance for our Dream cruise through Nationwide. We did not need it at all, so the only benefit was peace of mind, which is really the point anyway.:)

Oh no, I hope not. We sail on 10/28. I would be so disappointed if it's gone by the time we get there.

For what it's worth, I just posted to J. Heald's Facebook about the issue, and he has already replied back that they are keeping Tandoor on the ship's that have them.

I wonder if maybe the old Taste Bar is being replaced by Seafood Shack. It was a bar setup just last week on Dream as the Taste Bar itself is already gone. Perhaps the locations are being shuffled around and the rumors resulted from that.

I know this is an old thread but I was running a search on this topic and it popped up....

...anyway, I just got off the Dream and Tandoor was very much still there.

However, I was told by some of the crew that in October 2018, Tandoor would be replaced by Seafood Shack. That would be a total bummer :(

Do they still have formal nights on Carnival Magic or any Carnival ship for that matter? How formal is it? Suit and tie? Tux? Can we get away with just collared shirt and long pants for guys. Ladies a long skirt?

Collared shirt and long pants are well within the elegant night dress code, and Carnival seems to lean "less picky" than more so, so you will be fine. You will likely see some people dressed up a bit more, and a few dressed up a bit less. I typically wear a black button-down shirt and khakis. For packing reasons, my footwear consists of sneakers. My wife usually wears a summer dress or cocktail dress on elegant nights.

When we were on the Breeze last year (first time with Cheers), my wife and I were give two large (maybe a bit over a liter each) unopened bottles of bottled water the first night, and upon request on other nights. We drank the regular table water with dinner, but kept the large bottles for re-hydration in ports.

Thanks Skypiglet! I am kind of picky about my ginger beer. It is such a waste when it is flat or not gingergy and if they just use ginger ale ( like some bars do) then it is down right WRONG! lol. I might have to bring my own Ginger beer if that is the case. At least now I know to bring a copper mug! Thanks for the tip! I can't believe they don't use copper mugs in even the Alchemy Bar. Crazy, a seasoned Mule drinker knows it DOES effect the taste! ;)

Agreed Scubamommy, A good ginger beer is nothing even close to the best gingerale. I live in Michigan, and we have a really good, potently strong gingerale called Vernors. It is not easily available in any other states, does wonders if you feel ill, but... it would be terrible in a Mule. Like you said, you need good ginger beer.

I have not had a mule on board yet, so I cannot speak to what they use, but I would be surprised if Alchemy wasn't using a halfway decent gingerbeer. On the other hand, you could bring some on board for your soda allowance and see what Alchemy can do with it...

As far as copper mugs are concerned, I agree. When I first heard of it, I thought it was the stupidest thing I had ever heard. When I tried it, the smell of the copper definitely completed the flavor. It's bizarre!

Well done, but one thing that seems to be missing from everyone's calculators. The amount of people in your cabin over 21. Because they all have to pay. The people most likely to be on the fence about this is the "mixed drink" couple where one drinks and knows it's worth it for him or her, but the other doesn't drink much or at all.

One suggestion is that a page/tab/sheet could be added, and the Cheers price on that page could be multiplied by the number of cruisers. Then the cruisers could fill it out between them, to compare the costs that way.

 

LATEST UPDATE (2018-07-29) ATTACHED.

 

THANK YOU, SKYPIGLET!!!

 

The Standard Bar Menu could really use some work. Anyone?

 

Also, it doesn't look to me like the Library Bar really has anything besides the enomatic wine dispensers. Anyone?

 

Anyone have an updated list of wines by the glass?

Anytime, DW and I leave on Dream this weekend, and are totally planning to make use of the steakhouse bar. We have already bought Cheers and I have been craving a good Negroni for ages! :D

As far as the enomatic wine dispensers in the Library bar are concerned, I was under the impression that those were not covered by Cheers anyway... I could be wrong and I know they are not widely used, but someone can correct me if I am wrong about that.

Also, for the record, Sake at Bonsai is NOT covered, at least it wasn't on Breeze. Though the small bottles are frequently consumed by one person, it was treated like bottles of wine. I don't think it was on your list, but it is a good FYI in case it comes up.

Thanks again for the work you put into this, it is a very useful resource!

Steakhouse Bar Menu, continued...

Cordials

Aperol $6.50, Campari $6.50, Chambord$6.95, Disaronno Amaretto$6.95, Drambule$6.95, Frangelico$6.50, Grand Marnier $7.50, Irish Cream$6.95, Kahlua$6.50, Villa Massa Limoncello$6.95, Patron XO Cafe$6.95, Sambuca$6.50, Tia Maria$6.50

WHEW... I can truly appreciate how much work it is to create, or even transcribe a list like the one you gave. These are the 2018 Steakhouse bar prices for Breeze. Thanks for the spreadsheet, and now here is the steakhouse information... if you wanted it :)