KmomChicago

Okay so I have never eaten at Chops (have only been on two RCI cruises) and have eaten at the Carnival steak house just once. Is there never linen / tablecloths at any of the Chops locations? Do people whine and moan endlessly about the lack over here on these boards (they did have a tablecloth when I ate at the Carnival steak house, but they do not have them in the MDR and this fact alone has permanently ruined cruising for some people who are unable to let them go.

Sorry what was not worth $90? I am already having trouble keeping up apparently.

Still just sitting there and it’s nearly 9 locally?

Sorry and I didn’t intend to imply that everyone should like this ship or any bigger ship. I’m asking solely for MYSELF who’s following this review because I personally do like bigger ships, and specifically Oasis is my favorite ship I ever sailed.

Ooh that is an interesting fact indeed. So that is likely one way to save a bit of $$, those kids or 3/4 guests half off or whatever. Thanks!

@Ourusualbeach to be sure I understand - you are posting here on this thread for both the preview and inaugural? I don’t want to miss if there is a separate post. And if you have explained previously or if this is too nosy I apologize, by what means did you get invited to the final preview / shakedown cruise? What I really want to know is how much better Icon class is than Oasis class. It obviously is bigger, but not drastically bigger. And some of that extra tonnage is to provide more bedrooms for passengers and crew, so how many more / how much larger are the public spaces and features and amenities than Oasis? Chris Wong (yes he is Royal Caribbean Dude here on CC but posts infrequently) has said it’s the best cruise ship in the world and it should be. I expect that. So how wide is that margin when RCI is competing only with itself? I patiently await your assessment.

Thanks for this info. @harryfat1 please note my information is outdated. We were in Baltimore in December 2021 so they were probably enforcing times due to Covid protocols. As @Rubyfisch has reported, this is no longer the case. I will say also before the pandemic we never had an issue with anyone at any port enforcing arrival times. I don’t even remember if they had arrival times before the pandemic. 🤔 😂

I think the food quality is comparable overall; the more food venues available included in the fare, the better overall for me, which gives Carnival an edge on older ships because they always have at minimum, MDR, buffet, Guys Burger, Blue Iguana, Deli, and pizza. Oddly on a lot of RCI ships they have only MDR, buffet, and Promenade or Park cafe. However I felt the variety and quality at the buffet was outstanding and ate almost every meal there on Adventure of the Seas. Oasis of the Seas was the best cruise food I ever had and Mardi Gras close second because they both had so many interesting and scrumptious included options.

I like Japanese cars, it looks like it’s in beautiful condition, nice auto.

There is no universe in which Kmom and company take 25 cruises with the same cruise brand in a single lifetime. I will be surprised if I take 25 total across all lines before my travel days are over. This one coming up in May is roughly number 15, haven’t checked the tally lately.

I agree! I was, through an odd twist of luck, on the 2nd commercial/revenue sailing of Carnival Mardi Gras. It was actually a great experience, partly because the ship was about 2/3 full and it was staffed with Carnival’s top drawer crew being at the beginning of Covid resumption. At the ports, locals were extremely grateful to welcome back the cruise passengers after over a year of nothing. However, some of the shows weren’t ready or even being rehearsed / tested onboard yet, and there were other details and features not yet in place, and so we still don’t exactly know what a normal Carnival Excel class cruise is like. I wouldn’t particularly avoid an inaugural if the cards fell that way but also wouldn’t ever consider going out of my way or pay a dime extra to get on one. Super excited to follow this through!!

The first meal I get after every cruise is physically painful as I am always gobsmacked that they require me to HAND THEM MONEY in exchange for it!

I assume with scanning the cards they are radioing that we’re down to x hundred passengers, or whatever number, it’s thinned out enough to sweep out the rest of the vermin.

Right, if you don’t have to get off fast because of your travel plans, I see little point in rushing around to wait in lines. As long as there’s another passenger around, I figure there’s no hurry, the movement is still in progress. Once my immediate space is deserted I will move to one nearer the exit, where there’s almost guaranteed to still be a (now much shorter) line.

Ha! Wouldn’t risk that. But it helps FLL is famously very close physically to Port Everglades, yes. Still too many worrisome variables to go awry.

Hey everyone. I never thought this was a tip to share but this is what I bring to attach the cruise luggage tags:

Hmm I never thought about if there was a practical reason for the giant name. At Nassau or Cozumel with a buncha ships docked concurrently maybe this is partly for dummy passengers to find their way.

This is a good point. Not all ports enforce but some do. Baltimore does. I only sailed there once on Carnival but they share the one terminal with Royal and they run a tight ship, so to speak. It was a Christmas cruise and it was quite cold outside and they didn’t care one bit. Parking is right there and people were going back to sit in their cars and wait; if they’d been dropped off they stood out in the cold. Period, end of story.

Do not cross that threshold! It’s a portal to a horrible dimension you don’t want to enter!

We need a crybaby emoji for leaving the ship photos.

More children probably, especially more children than Princess, but it’s still largely seasonal with kids around in high numbers during school breaks and lesser but a handful the rest of the time. The non-children on Carnival (and Royal Caribbean) are very much an all ages range. Especially during off season, retirees have more opportunities to travel than working folks and are often able to take advantage of great discounts or casino comps. In addition, it takes time to move up the loyalty tier which means it follows that some of the highest levels got there simply by the passage of time. Seriously everyone feels very welcome and at home at any age on Carnival, and if you like the vibe, there’s something for everyone. My mom’s final cruise was at age 78, on Carnival Legend, her only Christmas cruise, and her only cruise in the best suite available on a ship. All those younger years she had to watch the budget, she wanted to go out in comfort. She had never tried Carnival, enjoyed playing trivia all week with our charming (and very cute of course) young Mexican fun crew trivia host. Enjoyed seeing one crazy looking Farcus ship that she’d read about for years. There are plenty of scooters and walkers and canes, but there are always a lot of very active seniors keeping up with the nightly activities right along with the honeymooners and working parents. I would have assumed the distribution is similar on NCL but have not sailed with them.

Good morning. This is your cruise director. We have so enjoyed hosting you this week. We hope you book another cruise on your phone while sitting in the terminal waiting for your flight today. But right now? This minute? We gotta system, people, and you need to take your crap and GO! Yes that means YOU!

I literally feel my blood vessels constricting, my brow furrowing, my lips pursing. Best are the voyages that sometimes happen where we are actually not personally in a hurry and we’re trynna game how to be the last trespassers being physically kicked off. We have breakfast in the MDR 5 minutes before they close the door, grab a seat on deck or some nice quiet location, and watch everyone else move along.

It’s a beautiful morning! Have a great travel day!

Wow thanks, she’s absolutely beautiful!