Bulldogsoc

We are on the Magic over Xmas as well.  Will be fun!

 

The Kings Cross Point A hotel was a good value and I recommend.  They gave us breakfast as well although I am pretty sure my booking price did not include it.  King’s Cross and St. Pancras area is a great location.  Our hotel was less than a ten minute walk to the stations.  You can get anywhere from there… We had planned to take the Eurostar to Paris for the Day (what the hell eh!) but on the 10th there were no morning trains.  Those go out of Pancras, which is also the station you take to get to Dover or the airports.

 

We did NOT stay at the Point A on the way out as we really only planned to sleep there and it was about $400 for the night of June 30th so we two guys opted for a cheap option… OMG and it was cheap!!!  We stayed at the County Hotel for $170 for the night. Let’s just say that while the bedding was clean, I would not allow anyone other than my teenage son and I to stay there for a night.  I did not mind the bathrooms down the hall (which were clean and looked after) but they only had internet in the lobby; no AC; very loud street noise with window open; peeling paint and plaster; a 30-40 year old tv; a sink in the room that was similar to those in the dressing room of a hockey rink in 1976; and of course that dirty sock that someone left on the moulding above the door (no door knobs… handle and lock only).  It was a good learning experience for my son who has not experienced such a spot before!

 

You get what you pay for!  Clearly!

Having just navigated the London/Dover experience, I highly recommend it.  If you are mobile and like to walk, it about a 40 minute walk downhill from the Dover Priority Train station to the cruise terminal.  Nice views.  We walked both ways as we were not in a rush.  If you are taking the trail from London, it is just some much easier to have small carry on or backpack.  Enjoy.  Those Northern European Capitals make for a great cruise!  

May last three cruises I have just brought a small back pack.  We don’t dress for formal nights and I have packing down to a minimum.  I like going through airports with no checked bags and I like to be able to go to the room and unpack on arrival. It makes getting off the ship first thing easy and of course there is the waiting on your bag issue.  My sixteen year old son and I did the 9 day Norwegian Fjords cruise out of Dover this month and we only brought smaller back packs.  It worked fine.  We did a load of laundry half way through.  There are tons of YouTube videos on packing light and compact and lots of tips.  It is fund to lay your stuff out on a spar bed a week before and start pairing it down.  We found that there was lots of items we never wore or needed so our Magic Cruise at Xmas this year will be similar.  

 

Lost luggage is a pain!

Carnival Pride - July 1st - 10th, 2022

Norwegian Fjords Cruise

 

My sixteen year old son and I caught an overnight flight from Toronto to Gatwick on Air Transat.  The flight was on time and was uneventful.  We packed light with only small carry on backpacks so we were off the plane and through passport control and on the shuttle/tram to the south terminal where you can catch trains to London.  The trains we took between Gatwick and London were run by the Thames line.  I have no idea what we paid for them as we used credit cards with a wifi/RFID logo on it and just tap on and tap out at the other end.  One credit card per person (you can’t simply pass it back over the gate to the next person).  It took about an hour for us to get from Gatwick to St. Pancras/Kings Cross stations.  I can’t recall which it got into but they are connected. Once you are in London you can go to a self serve machine in most stations and buy an Oyster Card which is good for the underground, buses and even a ferry/boat.  You can put money on it and you can get it refunded at a machine up to ten pounds plus the $5 pounds for the card.  The card will top out at a maximum amount and won’t debit any more.  It is something under ten pounds for the day. I will have to wait for my credit card statements to see if it worked the same way with the top on tap out credit cards I used on the tubes in London.

 

We were in the City of London by 10am and made our way on foot to Buckingham Palace to catch the changing of the guard which was at 11am.  We got there around 11:25 but it was still going.  We should have taken the tubes but that is that.  We got a good vantage point near the barracks where they march back into.  It is only three times a week so we were fortunate to see this.  We then stopped at a pub for a drink on the sidewalks and then made our way down to the river to see Big Ben, the London Eye and walked along the Thames. We walked by Canada House and took some photos and stopped at another pub for a pint and a coke.  In pubs you just go to the bar, order and pay for your tab right there.  Cash or credit.  We made our way back to the total dive we booked for the night near Kings Cross.  It had clean sheets and wifi in the lobby and that was about it!  I certainly would not have booked this if the Girls were along with us. It was teaching opportunity for my son to see what things cost and what you get!!  It will also be an endless serious of jokes for the rest of our lives whenever we are in another hotel room as long as we live!  I was the butt of many belly laughs throughout the cruise. The loose man hole covers out front that went thunk thunk all night with passing traffic.  The fact that there was a fire/ambulance station just down the road with sirens all night.  Someone left a dirty sock on moulding above the door.  The forty year old TV.  The peeling paint.  The 1970’s acid trip carpet in the hallways.  The fact that there were no door knobs, just a pull and a lock.  LOL!  The hotel on the return was very good!

 

London has this great chain called M&S Simply Food which is a like a grocery store devoted to grab and go stuff from sandwiches, cheese, meats, fruit, beer, etc. all in individual packages.  Reasonable prices and located all over.  There was one down from our hotel.  We had a nap for a few hours that afternoon and then went out again to see Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station, etc.  We experienced the JAMMED tubes at rush hour in downtown London.  That was funny!  The trains on the London Tubes are smaller in all respects to the trains we have on the TTC in Toronto (but they have infinitely more of them!!!).  I love how the UK’s pubs spill onto the sidewalk with the after work crowd having a few pints at the end of the day.  Clearly some pubs are more popular than others.  Anyway, we headed back to the budget abode for the night as Cruise Day was Friday (Canada Day).  

 

Day 1 Cruise Day from Dover

 

I let Jack sleep in a little and I headed to St. Pancras station a few blocks a way to scout out where we had to go and to buy some return tickets for the high speed train to Dover Priority. I headed back and we collected our stuff and headed out.   Tons of transit employees to answer questions and direct you, which is a good thing as we were on the wrong side of the departure tacks for our train to Dover.  The train only had four stops and took a little over an hour but the train was actually two trains connected for the first two stops and then it separated so we had to make sure we were in the front six cars going to Dover.  I could see making this mistake!  On the positive side, trains run at least once or twice an hours.  It was a bea]\utifully sunny day.  We arrived in Dover to the cute little station and then we made our way downtown he hill to the port.  It was about a mile plus walk with most of that being walking down the port/dock. We appeared to be the only passengers on foot.  It was Canada Day so we were decked out in red and white and had red maple leaf Mardi Gras beads on and handed out Canada Flag pins to the transit and terminal workers (apparently collecting these is a bid thing in the UK as this was mentioned by several).  We had an 11:30 boarding time but we basically walked right on as soon as we arrived.  I think we were on board before 10:30.  Did our 30 second safety drill and then to our cabin with our cards waiting for us.  Met our Stewart and unpacked and changed into some bathing shorts.  No issue.  Steward said to take our time, he only needed to vacuum the floor. They always have the hall doors closed until 1 pm with a sign saying it was closed but I have never had an issue dropping bags off and getting our SnS cards on any cruise, but this was the first time the steward told us to have a shower if we wanted!

 

The Pride is over 20 years old but well maintained in my view.  Some wear and tear in spots but perfectly fine in my eye. You will see rust around the edges on you balcony and all of the wood decks and railings need to be sanded and refinished but otherwise it was in fine shape as far as I was concerned.  My cabin cabinetry and furniture was not marred or scratch up that I could tell.  Everting worked and was ship shape.  If you did not lock the balcony door the wind would whistle but if you did it was very quiet.  It was a full ship but we rarely encountered a line of any consequence (coffee bar or main dining room the first two nights).  Otherwise, zero lines.  Staff seemed plentiful and friendly.  

 

The first day was sunny and in the high teens or low twenties, so in England that is down right tropical.  We took full advantage and did the two water slides, swam in both pools and enjoyed the hot tubs.  Guy’s. Burgers, the buffet, Blueiguana, pizza place, sandwich/deli, etc were in full swing and just as good as all my prior Carnival experiences.  We had a great first day.  I got my gold status pin at Pixels.  

 

The first two nights took about 45-60 minutes to get a table which did not matter to us but here is a PRO TIP… just go up to reception and tell them you would like a window table and that you will wait whatever to get one.  We discovered this day three and then ended up doing it each night and never waited more than ten minute for a primo table with a sea view for the rest of the cruise at dinner.  We did wait a half hour for a shared window table on the last sea day brunch but they only had the one level of the Normandy open that day so it was SLOW!!!!  

 

We saw what I assume with a British Submarine cruising on the surface for about an hour the first evening.  That was a treat. While I packed light, I did buy a compact 25x10 Monocular for the trip and it was Fun.  I like all things naval.  I really wish I had been able to take my more powerful optics but I was not packing a suitcase so, home they stayed.

 

Great a first day.  I got the full value of the of Cheers that day.  I put some Monster, Gatorade and water in the mini fridge for the middle of the night and take with us on shore the next day and subsequent days.  

 

We had a starboard extended balcony (5119) which was just forward of the forward elevator bank.  If I was cruising her again, I would pick a cabin further Aft as we spent more time at the Aft part of the ship on two and nine, but I really have no issue with the forward cabin.  Fore one, the elevator is less busy and it is very close to the coffee bar which we used very very frequently for coffee, water, and donuts and other drinks.

 

On our first day the ship was moored in Dover with the port side facing the terminal.

 

Day 2 - First Sea Day

 

Our first sea day was a sunny and warm affair with the Serenity area pretty much full. You would need to get up early to score one of the clam shells at the back. The Serenity Bar has a blender and serves frozen cocktails.  The sea day brunch goes until noon but it was a long wait to both get a table and to get food.  If I was to do it again, I would probably skip it and just enjoy the other venues.  Unless you are craving a fillet with some eggs or something special that is tradition for you, I did not see the investment in time worth it.

 

We had a chill day moving about the ship.  We took in some comedy shows in the Butterfly lounge which is a great venue and seemed to be twice the size of the comedy venues on the Mardi Gras when we were on her in April of this year.  It has a nice set up and the best waiter service I have ever experienced on any ship for a show.  Lots of room.  We played some shuffle board and table soccer in the pub and generally just chilled.  We got the premium internet and shared it with each of us kicking the other off which became a running joke.  We got to know the ship and it’s layout.  I really liked the deck 3 with the ability to walk completely around the ship (almost at least).  There is no outside deck forward of the forward elevator bank.  This was the crew smoking area and the crew would gather in this area whenever we were in port to get cell or internet signals. If you did not have a balcony cabin, this was a great spot to watch the mooring and cast off.  We had no pier runners on this cruise but we did have a couple that did not make it back at one port.  I never found out if they joined us later or what the story was.

 

A good first Sea Day.

 

Day 3 - Bergen

 

It was raining and foggy in Bergen the morning we arrived. We had planned to take 

The Funicular up to the look off but because it was shrouded in fog and raining we decided to just walk around the harbour and the back streets and then shop for the all important Fridge Magnet which we collect.  The old town centre with the historic old trading warehouses is about a 15 minute walk from the ship.  Pretty place.   

 

On this day the starboard side faced the gangway and overlooked the ferry terminal next door.  When we came into the harbour, the crew make the ship do a 180 before using the thrusters to slide sideways to the dock.

 

It was a Sunday in Bergen so it was very very very quiet.  If I was to do it again and it was not raining, I would have researched how to rent the electric scooters found everywhere.  If it had not been raining I could likely have used my roaming data and whatever app necessary to rent them.  But cobbled streets and an unfamiliar machine coupled with the rain made the decision an easy one.

 

Back on ship we enjoyed the hot tub in the spa and spent the day relaxing.  The weather improved.  We brought a deflated basketball and a needle adaptor and gave it to our Stewart who found some to inflate it.  They have basketballs up on deck ten but they are more like dodgeballs now as there is no more grip on them.  Jack could go up and shoot hoops whenever he wanted and we then just deflated the thing on the last night.  It doesn’t take up much space.

 

Day 4 - Alesund

 

This was a very pretty cruise into city.  Sunny and warm day and the cruise in was quite stunning but as we would find out it was just the introduction to the Norway fjords grandeur.  In Alesund we planned to walk up the 418 steps to to the top of Mt. Aksla, which I think the majority of the able bodied cruisers did.  Very fun and worth the effort.  We packed some drinks and I enjoyed a beer at the top.  You can also take a taxi or bus to the top.  Go early because it gets crowded by the late morning going both up and down.  Buy the afternoon the weather rolled in and you did not the as nice a view.  We started off counting steps but soon realized we did not half do because every sixty or so steps they have a metal plate in the steps telling you have many you have conquered thus far!

 

We wondered around the town and got the necessary fridge magnet and then returned to enjoy the afternoon on the ship. After lunch we went back out and went to the Fisheries Museum which is about a ten or fifteen minute walk from the ship.  It was basically empty.  The displaces are in Norwegian but they will give you a binder that translates the various exhibits into English.  It is quite extensive and you could easily spend an hour or more going through and looking a reading everting.  We found it interesting.  It is in an old dock side warehouse over several floors.  There were a few interactive displaces and lots of old photographs and machinery showing the making of fish oil, processing fish and the storing of same.  There is also an extensive display of barrel making.  It was pretty cheap as I recall.  Less than ten dollars to get in, I just cannot remember the exact amount.  If you are not on an excursion, it is a pleasant walk.  There is also an antique shop right there.

 

One great feature of the Pride is that fact that there are two pools mid-ships with a retractible roof over the pool furthest forward.  They shut it on day two and we enjoyed that warn retreat for the rest of the cruise.  They had the dive in movies in there and it was really nice.  Beautiful cruise out of the port.  The weather picked up but we had a lovely cozy sea side table for a yummy dinner that night.  We took in some comedy and a late night hot tub dip.  We found the food very good but for a few items.  The buffet coffee is not drinkable for anyone who is a coffee snob and I have to say even the speciality coffee brews on this cruise were not the greatest but that is really nit picking!!! I still drank several a day.  If i needed a coffee before they opened at 7am (at the buffet outlet or the main cafe on 2 aft) then i would do half hot chocolate and half swill coffee for my 6 ish walk around the decks to take in the early morning scenery as we approached the various ports.  On the Mardis Gras in April the Cafe opened much earlier.  If I were to do it again, I would probably go for a tea that early rather than drink the coffee machine stuff 🤢

 

By this point we are sufficiently north that the sun is not setting and it is bright around the clock.  That was fun.

 

The gangway was on the Port side in Alesund.

 

Day 5 - Molde

 

Molde was a very pretty cruise into the port.  You literally dock directly in the centre of town. It is not more than a 50 meter walk to the Main Street.  Our plan was to hike the Varden trail which takes you up above the town to a lookout. It is a crushed gravel trail the whole way. There are signs right from the town square that direct you.  This is clearly a well used public space.  There are lots of pic nic spots along the way.  You walk by an outdoor museum with farm animals and old (what I assume are) traditional houses.  There are stops along the way with provided firewood, fire pits and BBQ’s for you to use.  There is even a kindling spitting device with hammer at one point near the bottom of the hill.  It is moderately strenuous hike that takes about 70 minutes from the port to the top, where there is a restaurant and look off.  They say that on a clear day you can see the peaks of 220 mountains.  We had good weather that morning and got some amazing photos.  It clouded over that afternoon and like Alesund, if we had waited we would have been SOL with respect to views/photos in the afternoon.  I highly recommend this is you are is reasonable shape.  This was part of our lead up to our plan to hike the Puplit Rock on our last top on Day 7.  

 

We did some shopping in town but had to look far and wide to get a fridge magnet with Molde on it.  We found what appeared to be the only one in the back corner of the local book shop.  Very pretty town.  Everything is tidy and orderly like the whole country.  

 

One couple was AWAL when we left Molde.  We waited 45 minutes and we watch the staff looking up and down the street looking out for them.  You could see the local representative getting briefed and it looked like they gave he something… I wonder if it was something from their room.  I always take my passport when I get off but I wonder if in these situations if they open the safe to leave their documents with the local rep.  Anyway, I never heard what happened to them.  If it had been in Bergen they could have just taken a ferry to meet us at Alesund but Olden would likely require a plane.

 

The ship docked with the gangway on the port side in Molde.

 

Day 6 - Olden

 

This was a spectacular cruise into this dead end fjord.  There is not much in Olden but there is a little tour operator when you get off the ship.  We rented two bicycles there and did about 20km of cycling.  There is not much there.  There is a Co-Op grocery and dry goods store and some other souvenir stores within about a 15-20 min walk from the ship.  Our bikes were the bargain of the trip at only $20 Canadian (for both).  They were not in the best of condition but they had fenders that kept the water at bay and worked fine for our purpose.  Many people asked us where we found them.  You go to the restaurant upstairs from the tour booking line and  pay at the bar and then just go down and pick one you want and head out.  There is nobody checking anything in or out.  Just on the honour system.  We got some great pictures of the Pride in the fjord with the mountains and waterfalls framing the picture making the ship look like a toy.  Lovely.

 

The gangway was on the starboard side in Olden.

 

Day 7 - Skjolden

 

This was a spectacular cruise down the fjord.  We entered around 1 am and with the sun not setting you could watch all night if you wanted to.  Leaving that evening was amazing as the sun was out and it was a beautiful a day as you could hope for.  The front part of the ship on nine and ten was full that afternoon.

 

In Skjolden our plan was to rent Ebikes.  We were the first off the ship and got to the tour operator by 8am but they were all booked.  Lesson learned…book ahead.  We were however able to rent some brand new and well equipped hydrid bikes that were well geared and easy to use.  They were about $30 each for three hours and while not the bargain from Olden, they were in much better shape and were much easier on the hills.  I saw tunnels on the shoreside road on the southern side of the fjord coming into Skjolden and when I inquired about these with the gentleman at the bike rental, he said he would get us some lights and I am glad he did.  One of the tunnels must have been close to a kilometre long.  Pitch black.  We had a great ride.  We went down about 8km before turning back.  We got some great pics.  The road is not busy at all but is basically one and a half lanes of paved surface.  On the way out we stopped at one of the hundreds of waterfalls/streams and put some beer and water into it. The stream to kept them cold until the return trip.  That worked well.  We also packed some Aluminum foil, parchment paper and zip log bags to put some cold sandwiches in for our various outings.  It also worked well to have a pic nic snack.  I love cold fried chicken so yesterday’s lunch proved to be a lovely snack out of a zip lock bag the next delay, having chilled overnight in the fridge (which is one of the only fridges on an older ship (inside a cabinet) that has ever getting things good and cold for me).  These small villages don’t have much in the way of places to buy food and drink, especially if you are self touring like we were and off the beaten path.  We drove around the north side of the fjord to get some good picks of the Pride being dwarfed by the cliffs again.  Just before the first tunnel on the north shore road of the fjord there is a hiking trail head that claims you can go up to a look off.  I did not know it was there in advance, and if I had I would have planned to hike it.  Next time.  There is not much in Skjolden.  There is a visitor centre with a little museum and another Co-Op.  That is about it. The store and visitor’s centre is about a 15-20 minute walk from the pier.  It is the smallest pier I have ever seen an 85k plus ship dock at.  It made for some creative and interesting mooring line(s) placement.  If I was to do it again, I would have booked ebikes and then rode the down the north side of the fjord to the town that is about 10 km further down.  The north shore road has less hills than the south but is busier.  With ebikes it would not be very strenuous.

 

In Skjolden, the ship was moored with the gangway on the starboard side facing the sheep farm above the pier.  The ship did a 180 after we were away from the pier.  I really enjoyed Skjolden!

 

Day 8 - Stavanger

 

So this was the big day of the trip.  Our goal was to hike the Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen) which is a bucket list hike.  It is this huge flat rock that juts out over a fjord about 600 meters below.  It is spectacular.  I think I read that some 300k people hike it each year.  Just doing some back of a napkin calculations… if we assume only a handful of people hike it in the November to April time frame with all that snow (I cannot imagine doing that and I make the freak into our winter cabin up north to ice fish and am no stranger to deep snow!) that means that north of 1600 people head out there each day in the spring, summer and fall….and that is about how many were on the trail that day in my estimation.

 

So our ship was scheduled to be in Stavanger between 9 am and 5:30pm. Carnival did not offer a hiking tour and I could not find a private company or at least one that would respond to my inquiry.  Carnival did offer some boat tours that would take you by boat to the fjord below the Pulpit by the waterfall but no hiking tours.  As the trail head is 41 km away, renting a car was the only option.  Reading about the hike on the web I was lead to believe it was between 3.5-4 hours round trip from the trail head.   So a half hour to get the rental… 45 minutes out.  4 hours of hiking and an hour to get back totalled… seven hours or so.  This was not exactly in my normal comfort zone but it was a now or never thing. I booked an electric with hertz from their downtown office which was a 15 minute walk from the pier.   The ship arrived early and we were one of the first people off (another couple ahead of us also renting a car).  We were office the ship by 8:50am and at the rental on on the road by 9:10am.  FYI, you take the longest (and deepest I think) under sea tunnel in the word to get from Stavanger to the mainland area.  It was a quick and scenic drive.  The cars have a transponder so the toll is just billed to your rental.  The tunnel is really deep…like almost a thousand feet!  Just go on YouTube.

 

You get to the trail head which has a resort, gift shops, etc.  There is lots of tiered parking.  You pay on the way out…. Use the self served credit car machine to get your exit ticket.  The hike is free but the parking is not exactly cheap at about $25-30 euros.

 

We were on the trail by ten am.  It is said to be a moderate hike.  I am in my fifties and my lungs were burning for the first KM.  The path starts as crushed gravel but then gives way to shield rock and then paved with rough stones the whole way… it is like playing a game of Tetris with you feet.  The rocks are slick at times.  It is not for the faint of heart.  We brought a backpack, polar fleece and gore Tex jackets.  We should have worn shorts and t shirt and brought the jackets in the pack…. It was a sweaty hike.  We had light hiking shoes (no boots) and it worked fine.  If you have bad ankles then wear boots but you must have a good grip.  There will be lots of skids…. Anyway, we did the round trip in 3.5 hours including stops for pics along the way and a beer and sandwich and pics on the rock itself.  People line up to take turns posing for friends off in the distance.  It can be crowded on the trial at times and sometimes you want to pass others.  If at all possible, go early, the trail can get very very busy by mid-day.  It was a spectacular adventure.  Definitely will be a picture in the yearly Xmas card!  The gift shop does not take paper money as is the case in much of Norway.  We got back to the car and made our way back.  Only one wrong turn.  The car had a navigation system but we could not find the hertz in the search engine so we made do with our google map on our phone and my son navigating.  I should have printed out some maps before leaving. Anyway, we were back at the Hertz office my 3:30 or so.  Nice having the electric and not having to fill up before returning.  It was a very exhilarating day.  We did not explore Stavanger.  We spent the last of our Kroner that I bought at bank in Toronto before leaving and we got back on the ship for a well deserved hot tub soak and nap.  We did the sushi place and some pizza later and skipped the dining room for the first time.  I think Jack took in a Dive In movie and it was early to bed that night.

 

Day 9 - Sea Day

 

This was a lazy day.  We got an extra hour with the clock rolling back but I did not realized this until mid morning. Jack go to sleep in for once.  We did sea day brunch which was tasty but be prepared to wait upwards of 45 minutes for your food once you get your table.  We were sharing a table by the window with a woman who literally waited 45 minutes for a parfait, two muffins and eggs.  I thought she was going to lose it!  We had nowhere to be and nothing to do.  We spent the rest of the day doing a whole lot of nothing.  Hot tub.  Ping Pong. Several competitive rounds of mini golf, basketball and enjoying the warm sun.  We had a 9pm booked for the David’s Steakhouse.  We had marvellous seat by the window as the sun went down.  Could not have been a better way to end the cruise. The Caesar,French Onion Soup, jumbo shrimp cocktail, Cowboy Steaks (ribeyes), Mac N Cheese, Mushrooms, fries, and chocolate sphere were two thumbs up.  The steak tartare app was good but the accompanying bone marrow was poorly/under cooked and resembled a raw oyster past it’s prime.  The mashed potato’s were sitting in a ring of oil in the cast iron crocks they served them in but it was not bad.  My son thought it unappealing to the look and so declined.  The Cheese Cake was also dry and flavour lacking, but otherwise it was a cracking meal well worth the price and great service.  FYI… Pro Tip -  you can drink at that steak house bar without a reservation.  They have nice wine and liquor not available elsewhere and there is no bar on the ship with a view from those stools!

 

I had one last drink at Alchemy.. “Twenty is the New Forty” (get it with ice).  The bar tenders were wonderful as were all of the staff all week!  We packed a sandwich for the morning and some Monster and Gatorade for the trail back and left it in our fridge.

 

We packed that afternoon knowing we had to be out of the room by 6:15.     

 

It was a sunny morning as we pulled into Dover around 5am as promised.  We only had backpacks and were still full from David’s Steakhouse the night before (finished at 10:30pm) so we skipped breakfast and headed straight for the exit and were off and in the parking lot but 6:15am.  Our train to St. Pancras (which is where I am writing this now) was not until 7:49am so we decided to walk to the stations which took us about 45 minutes.  Lots of passengers from our ship and others I did not recognize at the station but I think we were the only ones to have done the walk.

 

We had bought return tickets so we were good to go.  You need to keep your stubs as they will come around the train and check.  The nice staff at the platform were handing out free water with a smile.  Smart smart smart tourism money well spent there.  I left Dover with nothing but positive things to say (although it was the butt of many jokes from the British Comedians on board).

 

Overall Cruise Thoughts

 

SMASHING! We got our extended balcony cabin for the base fare of $490.00 pp plus port fees and gratuities.  We got something like $250 in cruise credit but I am not sure why that was.  I don’t recall seeing that at the time I booked.  We were also refunded for Taxes, fees and port expenses to the tune of $26.12 x two.  I am also unsure as to what that was about.  Please someone in the know, add a comment.  So that was a pretty dam cheap way to see Norway in comfort I have to say. I had the cheers.  Jack is not a pop drinker but loves their lemonade.  Over the course of the cruise I had a total of 139 beverages including coffees, Monster, water and alcohol, so I got my money’s worth.  I thought that was a spectacular deal!!  Jack got an inexpensive black automatic Invicta that looks remarkably similar to his father’s Submariner so he was pleased.  We got a ship model to add to our collections and a few donuts and room service wings and that was about the extent of our purchases.  I don’t gamble but do enjoy watching people give away their hard earned money in the Casino and Bingo (Boy do they make a fortune on Bingo; but it is obvious how much people enjoy it, which is great).

 

I would sail on the pride again.  I won’t hesitate to go on another Spirit class ship.  I can see why people give up on many of the new things and bling on the new ships for these ships with no lines and lots of space.  If it had a big chicken or maybe one more dining option, it would be perfect in my eye.  Hopefully they will do a retro like they did with the Radiance which I was on in February (really enjoyed that ship also).

 

Our trip back to Gatwick from St. Pancras was quick and easy and the only hiccup with the flight was an hour delayed but Gatwick airport is better than average for seats and shops, etc.

 

A very memorable trip.  The rest of the family is looking forward to our first ever Christmas Cruise.  We a taking an eight day Southern Caribbean itinerary on the Magic out of Canaveral.  See you then Carnival!

 

Mark

Thx for this. Look forward to you stories.  We saw her in Costa Maya and Roatan last week. My son and I will be on her July 1 (Canada Day) out of Dover. Cheers. 

First Formal Night -  Day Two

 

On Day two we took in a PG Comedy show around 4pm in the Limelight Lounge.  We got there about 25 minutes early and got two of the swivel seats at the seat backs at the back.  Good seats and were able to serve serve at the bar.  Saw Jim Brick.  OMG, the Funniest PG show ever.  Great comedian.  Laughed and laughed.  He roasted these teens and their parents.. Oh my it was so good I decided to line up for the 11:15 show later that night.  He ended up roasting those same parents later that night.  As stated by another posters… there was a lot of fun on this cruise and not a lot of parenting shall we say.

 

We dressed up for formal night. Went to the the Italian place.  Had about an hour wait that night but we hung out at 555 and Alchemy (two words… Cucumber Sunrise!!). We also had plenty of time for drinks and stringed music at our favourite bar, the Brass Magnolia.  We had Hurricanes that night before dinner and then Bayou Lemonade (another fav) and Brandy Milk Punch… like Nog on Xmas Eve after dinner.

 

We finally got our call at La Cucina and we were able to sit out on the deck.  Awesome.  It was a warm night but there was lovely sea air.  I had the minestrone soup… it was excellent but if it was just slightly hotter I would have given it an Awesome rating (even a so so soup is good hot and I like hot soup).  Niki had the Nana Meat ball (one big one, it is plural in name only)…. Very very good.  I had a pork chop and a Lobster tail… wonderful.  Both Perfectly cooked.  Love it so much I did not order a second for fear it would not live up to the first (memories are good things).  On formal night you can get the Lobster in any of the other sit down venues so you don’t have to go the the Palms or other auxiliary dining room (name escapes me).  Niki had and Spaghetti Carbonara (excellent).  I had the Fritters and Niki the Tiramisu and both were good.  A cappuccino and all was awesome.  Then back to the Brass Magnolia for a night cap.  We walked around a little and saw everyone getting the last of their best dressed photos.  Niki was done but I decided to wait for a good seat for the 11:15 double feature with both comedians doing adult.  They were funny but I decided that waiting late at night for a seat (it turned out I could have just showed up and got a seat as the theatre was not full at showtime) was not something I would do again in case the show was only sos so.  Again, when you get something good… keep don’t water down that great memory with something so so (like first perfect the lobster).  Late night they do the comedy in the Theatre due to the demand.  

 

So I hauled my tire three piece suited butt back to the cabin as I was done!  End of Day Two.  Great day.  Even better than day one and Day Three was going to be even better.

 

Day Three

 

My morning routine was a little later this day.  I went to Della Rosa for the Americanos and Baileys and some fruit.  I got some chicken strips from Big Chicken that morning for the “foil” as I knew I would want a late night snack that night after Cozumel.

 

When we booked the cruise I reserved two spaces for Mr. Sancho’s for the day in Cozumel.  For those who have not been, you really need to book it before you leave home.  It is only a $5 pp charge to hold our spot and then you pay the reminding $50 or $55 (cannot recall if it is $55 or $60 pp) at the entrance.  If you decide to do something else you are only out a few bucks but this place fills up.  I had been there before.  Great spot.  Can be a party spot at spring break but when we were there it was full but laid back.  Great food.  Wonderful Service.  The taxi driver will ask if you have reservations as they know they are alway full on port days.  You catch the taxis just outside the port shops.  $17 for a taxi (up to 4 people).  There is a taxi sign showing the fixed prices.  We met some people and shared a cab back around 4pm.  Shopping there.  Great day.  We were there by 10:00.  Great time.

 

Back on board we were stuffed from the food at the beach but we managed to find room for Guy’s Burgers.  Yum.  A nap was in order.  Don’t you love a guilt free nap with a Turner Classic Movie on as you doze off… VACTATION!  We took in some live music and did a hot tub soak.  A few more drinks and a soup and salads at the Buffet and we were done!  Tomorrow was Costa Mya.

 

Day Four

 

After a good night’s sleep it was time to dial things up and start with an Irish Coffee and breakfast sandwiches from Java Blue.  Yum.  Caesars at the Red Frog (he remembered us by name from the Comedy club the other day).  

 

We got off early to wonder around the rather lack lustre “mall” that is Costa Maya (The comedian later that night was less complimentary shall we say in his opinion of the port.  A lot of four letter words to describe it!).   

 

Anyway, we walked around and looked at the poor dolphins (they seemed happy with the fish but…. ). I had gone to Maya Chan on a prior excursion and that was pretty chill but I did not like the water there so I likely won’t go back.  They have an awesome staff, drinks, food and little shaded nooks that make you feel like a cast away but the properly is only so wide and the neighbouring properties were not the tidiest when I was there and I did not like the actual water.  I would still recommend the place.  Look it up.  It may be for you.

 

Now to get to Maya Chan you walk out of the port through the gate and then down the road on the right past the taxi stand until you come across a sign that is the meeting place.  If you walk a little further you come to a traffic circle in a very run down area (perfectly safe in day) but in the centre of this traffic circle there is a pyramid.  Not sure if it is old or new but anyway it was hot and we walked that far and then turned around.  I got Niki to do an angled shot so it looked like I had walked through the Jungle to this thing so I could tell everyone that I did the Tomb Raider thing.  

 

Gotta run for now but I promise I will wrap this up tomorrow.

 

Cheers. Mark

 

Sorry… it was crumpled in my bag! 😬.  This was the Day Two Sea Day.  You can get these at various places on the ship including the Java Blue, Bar Della Rosa and Guest Services.  I have a few others.

 

Day Two

 

Well our first Sea Day was a beauty!  Blue sky and warm temperatures.  

 

We are normally early risers even on vacation.  With two big dogs at home there are few days they let us sleep in.  

 

I am always the first up and one great thing about the MG is that the Java Blue on deck six opens at 6 am and at that hour you are in small company.  When I was on the Radiance in early March that Java Blue did not open until seven which is just a little late for my liking. Bar Della Rosa on 8 opens at 7am.  It is an Italian inspired bar I think.  Java Blue forms a line of some significance between 7am and 8am.

 

So my normal routine is to take both our SnS cards down get us some coffee.  Niki’s regular is an Americana and I usually do the same or get a spiked coffee if it is a port day.  The great thing about the Java Blue is that they have so many grab an go items.  In the morning they have self serve cooler bunkers with milk and yogurt and then dishes with plastic covers with a nice snack size service of fresh cut fruit into cubes and the same dishes with covers over granola that you can mix the yogurt into.  The dishes a thick and hold cold to keep the fruit at the A+ temperature if you have a walk back to the room.  There is a another bunker that has self serve pay items like water, soda/pop and Gatorade and Muscle Milk. There is also Monster Energy in another cooler on the other side of the cash. They have bottled organic juice there as well but that is not included in cheers.  There is a large selection of breakfast sandwiches, that you can just go up and ask for and they will heat them up.  So. These items I would get each morning and bring back to the room.  They have coffee cup trays for the asking so you can simply stack those dishes and the tray and it is manageable for one to bring it back for a nice coffee and “first breakfast” on the balcony in our case.  FYI the spoons (for the yogurt)are down by the coffee creams and sugars. At least that is where I found them.  They may be elsewhere and some can pipe up if they know. Before seven there were few lines.  

 

Tip-  Speaking of trays… on sea days you might be up in serenity and be yearning for more than just one of the nice salads.  I read that people complained that they wanted to grab some street eats for two and if you took one of each, times two, that is six… you need a tray.  There are none.  So I had a look at the dollar store and I found a flat one for a buck that fit neatly in a beach bag and that worked great on the trip for taking stuff from kiosks to other venues with ease.  LOL Walk into Serenity at 2pm with a six or eight street eats or something else and people give you some jealous stink eye and wonder where the tray came from.  Worked for us.  Just get a stiff one and not one like at an old Ponderosa Steak house that is warped convex on top or it will slide around and off.

 

FYI… the afore mentioned watermelon martini can be had at the 555 Steakhouse Bar for the cool cash sum of $10.95 if you are not on cheers.

 

So anyway I was at Java Blue at six and back at the room at 6:20 as I had ordered some breakfast juice and such from room service the night before and wanted to be back before..oops… they beat me!  And I was greeted with a curse from my better half as she was woke from a dead sleep.  Sorry Hun.  Oh Well.  We were up.  We had our Americano coffees and juice but I can tell you the Carnival room coffee was terrible.  I do not remember it being that bad!  Seriously I did not think it undrinkable on our other three Carnival cruises but this morning it was.  The pastry and fruit and juice were nice but the coffee was a bad and we just avoided it the rest of the cruise.  

 

I read that there was a better (free) grind and brew machine in the pig and anchor and that is true.  That is a good idea for anyone that is not doing the cheers or doesn’t want to spring for the wait or expense at one of the Cafes.  

 

After our coffee we headed down to the aft starboard hot tubs for a dip as they open by 7:30 ish and are pretty empty that time of day. Beauty.

 

The Red Frog Tiki Bar opens at 7:30 am and they do Bloody Marys.  On the Radiance I asked for Grey Goose or Belvedere in mine but on that ship they had premixed a batch with something else.  Not here.  We had him do one Grey Goose and one Tito’s and then did a taste test.  I prefer the GG but it was not a huge difference.  The Bar Tender knew are names by the next day from our routine.  I think he worked the comedy club bar later in the day as well.

 

Another tip I did not know… On Day Three we found out that they have Clamato mix, at least at the Tiki bar.  So for those looking for a Caesar… there you go.  One more point.. I am not a big fan or their Bloody Mary Mix (too thick… drinks like a meal), so I get them to just use the thinner tomato juice; and I like their Tomato juice!  

 

I read that the Pig and Anchor Bloody Mary has a more fancy garnish but i can’t confirm that because we never made it down there to order one.

 

After a trip to Blue Iguana for some second breakfast we were up in serenity by ten or so.  Lots of selection up there at that hour.  The Serenity Bar opens at 8am (at least on seas days it did).  The Salad bar up there opens at noon.  The call it Fresh creations.  We shared two of those big bowl salads while on the cruise.  Some of the big lounge beds in certain shaded areas are in prime demand and would be staked out early.  We got a day bed by the pool for a few hours that morning but gave it up when we went to lunch that day.  When we came back at two the place was pretty packed but we did find two loungers at the front of the ship.  So even on a super full sailing i think it is fair to say you are likely to find a space.  If you go early you will have your pick.

 

We wanted to do the Bolt to just say we did it and we should have listened to the advice to do it early because you never know about mechanical and weather issues…. Well when it is day two and it is 32’C and the sun is shining you are thinking…. Naaah… it will be fine later.   We missed out as we had high winds the last two days and our two bookings were cancelled. OH Well.  Just saying… I should have listened.  [Maybe we subconsciously wanted to be $30 to the good all along!]

 

We had third breakfast a little later in the morning by getting some tenders from Big Chicken… Yum.  

 

Another tip… Background first… my first job as a 15 year old was a cook at a KFC in a small rural town.  One of the perks for this $4.75 per hour job was all the chicken you wanted.  So cold chicken in tin foil in the fridge has been a staple in my life ever since. I just love cold fried chicken and the pace is always closed when I am hungry for it late at night… pack a few sheets of foil to wrap it up and use in those WONDERFULLY COLD fridges Carnival managed to put on this ship.  Remember those silly cabinets that kept their fridges unable to diapause the heat on the older ships!  I remember the only way we could get them half way cold was to prop the door open with a note and tip for the steward not the close the cabinet.  The radiator needed to cool… anyway, I digress.  If you crave Big Chicken Tenders at all hours, bring some foil and stash some away for after hours in those great fridges they put on this new ship.  

 

Speaking of stateroom attendant, a shout out to Mario who did a fine and fast and invisible service. He made up our room every morning so fast it was done by the time we were back from breakfast.  Amazing.  Thank you.

 

Ok, gotta go for now.  More later about the best or close the best meal we had on elegant night, our list of interesting evening cocktails, and the hilarious Jim Brick comedian PG show.  

 

Cheers… Mark

Wrapping up Day One…

 

Well I should at least finish day one before bed.  

 

Thanks to Cruisemom2 or pointing out that I have some more investigating to do to find the secret sauce that determines the balcony room layouts!  

 

After our drinks at Alchemy we decided to head to the Palms for the first night dinner.  We generally eat around 7pm at home with the kids and later when on vacation.  I really love the new way of booking your table on the HUB App.  I found it really easy and much better than the old way.  We chose anytime dining.  We normally do this anyway but I read that if you do fixed dining you cannot book Chibang or Pig and Anchor during those sittings or at least it is more difficult.  Not sure if that is true but that is what we read.  You request a table on the App and then it tells you when it is ready and gives you a number.  You show up and there is a line of waiters waiting to take you to your assigned table.  Anyway, we were seated quickly.  I had a Caesar Salad, Calamari, sea bass, melting cake, cheese plate and cappuccino.  The Caesar is good.  So is the Calamari.  My bass was rather bland but ok.  The melting cake was like normal, as was the cheese.  My cappuccino never arrived.  My sense is they really don’t like getting these.  On all my cruises where there is no bar close buy I sense that it is a pain for the the staff.  Anyway, the meal was good.  The service was quick and I was quite content and when they ask me how it was I say “great”.  I would be loath to say they forgot my coffee as it is no biggie for me but they make a big deal out of such things and they work hard enough as it is.  Just my take on it.  I cannot recall what Niki had.  I think it was the chicken and the Calamari.  Anyway, we washed it down with some rose Bruit if I recall.  I think we wondered the ship for a bit and took in some live music and decided to call it an early night as it had been a long and hot day for us use to the snow.  

 

I got up around 2:30 am feeling a little parched and went in search of an ice machine and water. I had meant to pick up a gator aid at Java Blue to put in the fridge earlier but never got to that.  The buffet drink machines were being serviced.  I found a juice and water and ice machine near pizza place that was lined with people.  I ordered a pie and took some ice cold juice and water back to the room.  While I was downstairs, I notice that there was land on our port side.  I thought that was very odd as Florida would be on our starboard at that point and we certainly should not be that close to land I thought… sure enough I was told by a fellow passenger that we were going into Ft. Lauderdale to offload a medical case.  I thought to myself… this boat is cursed.  Two incidents in 24 hours.  I wondered to myself if we could make up the time to get to Cozumel for day 3 or not (we did).  I sat on my balcony and ate my pizza and watched us dock in Ft. Lauderdale (or at least that is the port I think we were in… only port between Canaveral and Miami).  We saw a great number of very unhealthy looking humans that first day and we both wondered who it might be?  Maybe that very elderly woman standing on the back of her husband’s scooter didn’t make it up that ramp to the theatre?  Who knows.  I hope they recovered.

 

My closing thoughts for day one.  On this cruise I was gold status.  On my prior cruise a month earlier out of Long Beach I was Red, which gets you some large bottled waters in the room.  My wife was red on this cruise.  There were no large bottled waters left in the room like previously on the Radiance or the Horizon.  However, when we went to the main dining room or the other restaurants they brought one to the table even if you did not ask.  At the Sushi place on the last day, they brought some fancy glass bottle of water and told us it was ours to take as a part of our benefits.  So maybe someone in the know can clarify, are they leaving your free water in the room anymore or do you just ask for it at a venue?  Or does it vary by ship?  Just curious.  We both had cheers so we could get water anywhere anyway.  I learned on my last day that I could have asked for a pin as gold VIFP benefit at the fun shops but only if you go two days before the end of the cruise.  NOT Too upset.  One thing I have lots of is stuff (aka crap) and so my pin will have to wait until July, but more on that later.  I went back to bed after we headed out of the port.

 

We had a great first day.  Tomorrow I get to tell you about our favourite morning routine and maybe give you a few tips that worked well for us for the week that you may or may not have thought of.

 

Time for bed.  Frost advisor tonight!!! Yuck!  At least I am told the ice is off the bay at the cottage up north, which is bright spot.

 

Here are some pics of the Palm on deck 6, the brew house and Bistro 1396 from deck 7.

 

More Tomorrow.  Mark

Day 1 … continued

 

So I should loop back and touch on part of the tile of this post and that is that all the rooms were booked on this sailing of the Mardi Gras.  We were told there were 5890 passengers on board.  I do not know if that is true or not.  I do know that weeks before we left the cruise was sold out.  That is a lot but I can safely say that it really did not feel crazy.  In my opinion they did a lot in setting this ship up to deal with the large numbers.  For example you might show up a Guy’s Burgers or Big Chicken and see a line, but the lines move very quickly.  The pizza and sandwich lines were long at times, but again, they moved quickly and if you came back 30 minutes later, more likely than not there were much fewer people.  There are a ton of bars and aside from the first afternoon, or right in prime time between 7pm-8:30pm some bars like Alchemy were pretty busy.  I can only remember a few times that we could not get a seat at Alchemy.  We would just go elsewhere and then come back.  There was one sea day where the chairs were scarce at Serenity at 2pm but you could still find one.  I have read complaints about the size or lack thereof for some venues like the punchliners and grand central and the theatre but the bottom line is it would be impossible to have a big enough to space for all to see one show or event at the same time.  If you want to have a half decent seat for something in the Grand Central such as Bingo (not our thing), you need to get there AT LEAST 45 minutes in advance.  For premium picks earlier.  For comedy I would get there at least 30 min early to get a seat with ease.  They have bar service so it is a pleasant wait.  We went to a lot of the early comedy shows so you went right into the venue vs. Waiting in line for subsequent shows.   There were no lines for the ropes course or slides.  I could always find a hot tub spot anywhere, but I usually did this in the AM and later at night on the starboard Aft tubs which were only full a few times.  The bottom line was that we were not bothered by the numbers. I was on a four day sailing out of LA on the Carnival Radiance in early March and it was 1/3 full.  With those two extremes one might expect a big difference in the experience.  I can’t say there was a big difference in the experience.  Opinions vary so take that with a grain of salt.  For at $390 base fare I have ZERO complaints of any significance.

 

So back at the cabin we unpacked.  We were in a starboard balcony cabin at the back on deck 10.  The aft side of our balcony boarded the hot tub of one of the corner XL suites.  Our cabin overlooked the two hot tubs and watering hole bar on deck 8. It is very true that Carnival squeezed at least 6 inches off the width of the cabins.  The space between the bed and the wall is pretty narrow.  You will hit your shin/ankle on the bed base and will have to lurch to the side to avoid the TV going by; and if you are of a bigger frame, well you will know. The bathroom is basically the size of my toy hauler trailer bathroom.  It is not very big but everything works and has a place.  I would trade the shower door for a little more space but that is not a big deal and not a deal breaker.  If they can squeeze some more cabins in there and keep the fares low then that is fine.  What did not lack for space was the four full size wardrobes.  With the life vests at the muster there is tons of space.  If you are a balcony room without a Pullman (i.e. a 3 person) I think your bed(s) will be closest to the balcony and if you have a Pullman above a couch then the bed(s) will be closer to the bathroom.  I think that is how it works with respect to the beds being in different positions.

 

I like the room but if I could get another 2 degrees out the AC that would have been perfect.  It was cool but on some hot days like we had in Cozumel, it struggled.  Now, we booked not long ago so we took the rooms that they had and we were not picky.  If I was to give it more thought I would give these tips.  You are going to spend you days on decks 16-18. You are going to spend most of your nights on decks 6-8.  With 5k+ passengers and LOTS of scooters, elevators are in demand at peak times.  So If I was booking I would pick deck 10 aft as there are rooms above and below and you are a quick two flights to deck eight, and we spent more time on 6-8,  Deck 9 has the no cabins below, so that would not be my preference.  If you spend more time on deck 16 then I would pick deck 14 as it is only two flights up and has cabins above and below.  From my observations the aft elevators were the ones less often used.  I personally found the the busiest to the Forward elevators.  I know that does not seem to make sense for them to be busier than the mid elevators, but that is what I observed.

 

So we got back to our cabin after sail away and had a shower and threw on some pants for dinner and off we went to explore before dinner.  I grabbed a Peroni Beer and Niki had one of their Truly brand seltzer drinks at the pig and anchor and we explored the ship.  I like how it is laid out.  I really like that you can pretty much walk from one end to the other starting on 6 and then go up to 7 and 8 and repeat (aside from a little jog you have to do around the Casino on deck 7).  I cannot recall where we parked ourselves for Niki’s watermelon martini.  It might have been the 555 bar.  Anyway.  She enjoyed than and I had my go to Whisky Sour and it was more good people watching.  The 555 Steakhouse bar is a secret I think.  You could always get a seat.  I think people thought it was for those waiting on their table but that was not the case.  They have some higher end liquor and wine that you can only get there.  I had a a Cognac there after my sour.  The only thing I did not like was that the stool seats seemed to slope forward.  It was like you had to rock them back like you were in a tavern to sit level which was not very elegant!  Let me know if you experienced this or if it was just met.  Anyway, the Steak House Bar is a good spot.  Shout out to Daniel working the Bar.

 

Before heading to dinner we visited the Alchemy.  Niki had a Martini Seduction and I had sour concoction of some type with rosemary in it.  I had it on the radiance.  The name escapes me but I will look it up because it is really good.  At the end of the is long tome I will post of list of the drinks we enjoyed the most and where get them.  

 

Ok… I have to get he chicken on for dinner (back to reality !).  More later… Mark

Thanks very much. I was going to ask the same question.  My son and I are travelling light with small backpacks on a 9 day Norway cruise so we will need to use those once or twice.  

My spouse and I recently returned from a seven day sailing on the Mardi Gras from April 16 to 23.  I usually try and return the favour and post a review that hopefully will be helpful for other awaiting their departure date.

 

Background

 

We are in our early fifties.  We live north of Toronto and decided to travel once the PCR Re entry requirements were lifted.  We were on the Horizon on March 15, 2020 and were one of the last ships into Miami when the industry shut down.  We had a wonderful time on the Horizon so were more than happy to book with Carnival again.  We booked directly through Carnival and got an amazing deal that I think only lasted a matter of hours.  At $390 pp plus port fees for a balcony cabin, how could we go wrong?  We couldn’t and didn’t!

 

Pre-Cruise

 

My wife booked us on Air Canada from YYZ to MCO on points so this was shaping up to be very cheap holiday in my book.  We flew in the day before the cruise.  Back in 2020 I took a trip with two friends on a NCL cruise out of Canaveral and we flew in early the morning of the cruise.  While we made it, my buddy from Calgary was delayed and we learned our lesson to avoid the stress.  The airlines are short staffed right now and are very much not back in the groove yet (IMO) so delays are to be expected.  

 

We went to the local Shoppers Drug Mart to get our $40 rapid covid test the night before we left.  The pharmacist did actually touch our nostrils this time with the swab but certainly did not swab as directed (i.e. it would be a miracle if I tested positive regardless).  I think it was kind of like… my twenty year old car needs an emissions test…. “I know a guy!”  Anyway, negative paperwork in hand we returned home and finished packing.  

 

We were flying out a little after lunch.  Check in, security and customs took a little over an hour, which was a big improvement on my early March flight to LA which was almost three hours.  We were able to grab a bite and a few drinks at the Maple Leaf lounge before heading for boarding.  The flight was full and on time.  We arrived in Orlando and thanks to pre-clearance in Toronto, we were able to go straight to our bags and they were there!  I could not believe how fast they were!

 

Our initial plan was to bite the bullet and pay the ransom fee to stay at the MCO terminal airport hotel but once all of the fees and taxes were in, it was more than one of our cruise fares!  So we ended up booking a package deal called Fly Snooze and Cruise with Goport.  It includes a participating hotel and shuttle to and from Canaveral.  When you stay at a hotel, they send the Goport bus to that hotel to pick you up.  I assume it goes to several hotels until it is full and then heads to Canaveral.  We wanted to get the first bus out which is a 10am bus from MCO on level one.  So when we booked we asked if we could simply make our own way back to the airport the morning of the cruise and catch the shuttle from there at 10am instead of waiting to be picked up at 11:15am at our hotel (plus however many other hotels).  They emailed back to say no problem.

 

As long as the hotel is clean and safe (and those generally go together) then we are good if it is just a bed for the night.  We chose La Quinta which was a company that I studied as a business case back in MBA school and knew a little about.  Anyway, they had a shuttle and we called when we had our bags and they were there in about 30min.  The hotel is only about 4 km (if that) from the airport. But Orlando is not a walking city even if you were travelling light and so inclined!  I think a Lyft was about $23 at the time but I had seen it as low at $12.  Anyway, super friendly driver arrives right when there is a downpour of rain and doesn’t blink about getting wet loading the bags.  He pulled the bus door under the overhang to give people some shelter.  Off we went. The Hotel Shuttles picks you up at ground level at station B3 which is the furtherest to your left if you exit terminal B on the ground level.  

 

Check in was quick and easy at the La Quinta and I was surprised that they did not require a credit card to check in (even though we were fully paid).  They usually want a security of some type.  This made me concerned as to what I was going to see when the room door opened!  It was fin. We got a fourth floor room with a king bed and it was HUGE.  Nice big bathroom, big closet and cold fridge and microwave.  The AC was on when we arrived and it was cold enough to hang meat!  We had to turn it down. There was a sign in sheet right there on check in so we managed to get two seat for the 9am back to MCO the next morning.  If you want to catch the shuttle to the airport see about booking a soon as you get there.  It was full by the time we were back from dinner that night.  This place was clearly popular with cruisers.

 

La Quinta is in a cluster of about two dozen hotels and restaurants just north of MCO.  There are many restaurants within walking distance.  There is a convenience store about a ten minute walk.  We grabbed some beer and soda and then grabbed a quick bite at TJI Fridays.  Great service.  $2 Draft.  Nice salsa and chips and burgers were done just right (we cannot get burgers done any other way in Canada except well done!).  Back at the hotel we hung out by the pool and enjoyed the 80 degree evening with some cool beverages and their outdoor hot tub all to ourselves.  

 

The next morning they had an included breakfast which was very nice.  We ate by the pool.  Surprisingly good coffee I might add.  Then off on the shuttle and back to MCO.  Two thumbs up to La Quinta.  For $200 for both the hotel and return Goport Canaveral plus the free airport shuttle, that was a very good deal in my opinion.  It was not the ritz but the room was huge, clean and it was super quiet.  La Quinta builds all of their buildings with extra soundproofing which was why it was the choice for travelling mid market business types back in the day (or so said the business case I read over twenty years ago!)

 

The hotel shuttle driver dropped us off at the airport and we made our way to the Goport reception desk on level one in terminal A (the two terminals are connected to each other and you can walk from one to the other with ease).  They checked us in.  Gave use neon luggage takes with “3” on them to signify we were going to the Mardi Gras terminal.  They told us to take a seat inside and not to leave as they would announce when we would be loading.  This was about 9:30am.  It was at this point that our phones and many around us started ringing from Carnival saying we would be delayed by an hour due to them being late getting into port.  According to the news a gentleman jumped of the ship on the last night and after some time searching the Coast Guard released  the Mardi Gras to return to port.  I don’t think he was found or at least I could not find a story to say that.

 

The drive to Canaveral was less than an hour.  The bus was full.  The Driver did a bit of comedy and tour guiding.  It was fun.  We first dropped those going on another cruise at a different terminal next to Disney and then off to ours.  Goport keeps you on the bus until all the luggage is off which is smart as it made things easy.  We were at the terminal entrance by 11:15am.  Our registration time was set for 11:30 but they sent us right in.  We could not get VeriFLY to download our vaccination documents so we just used our paper which was fine.  There was a slight hic up in that despite doing our covid declaration on line before hand and letting us print our boarding passes, the Carnival web site kept saying on line that we had not done so; so at check in there was some issue on this that required them to go back and forth with a manager for a few minutes but it obviously worked out.  

 

We then sat down for about ten minutes in their huge terminal until we were called.  We were on board at 11:40.

 

Day 1

 

So we are on board.  

 

We entered onto deck six beside the stage in grand central.  We made our way to our muster station.  Which is printed on your boarding papers.  Ours is F7 which is the Palms Restaurant.  We were there for maybe 4 minutes.  The gentleman showing us how to put on the life vest spoke very little English and seemed satisfied that we had done this before.  So we were off. On my previous cruise I have been able to go directly to my room to retrieve the envelope with out SnS Cards but this was the first time they were not there until appointed time of 1:30.  We did deposited our back packs in our rooms and headed to the Lido deck(14).  We grabbed some beef shawarma and salad at the market buffet and two cruiser cocktails at the tides bar aft at 14 and then headed to the Red Frog Tiki Bar.   I had this notion of snagging a table on level two at the rail overlooking the pool for the sail away party, knowing we would have to park ourselves there for a few hours as it would be valuable real estate.  Low and behold there was a free table and we parked ourselves there!  They had table service so, with our cruisers done we ordered  a Rum Jumper and a Scorpion.  Not sure what was in the Scorpion but it was strong!!!

 

We alternated letting the other go explore a little and then come back as we waited for the sail way party.  During this time we tried the three daily offering from the Street Eats.  This day one included loaded fries (ok), Pork Bun (ok) and Kabob (one of the best tasting items on the cruise in our collective opinions).  There is lots of middle eastern food in Toronto and I love it.  These Kabobs were juicy and perfectly spiced.  A home run. 

 

As I had to finish her Scorpion, Niki ordered Red Frog Caribbean Wheat beer which was very nice.

It was very fun people watching including all of the groups in group outfits and some in Fat Tuesday parade garb.  At 1:30 we were able to get our SnS cards.  And we took some turns wandering around for a bit while the other held the real estate.  By 2:30 it was getting very crowded and by 3pm it was a big party.  We sampled the Carnival Golden Anniversary Beers and they were also very flavourful.  We had to get another round of those kabobs from Sizzle as well.   By 4:30 our cruise director hopped up on the pool deck and the sail away party was in full swing with not a empty piece of deck space to be seen anywhere. It was the biggest sail away I had ever seen.  It was a hot day and we enjoyed our shaded second floor balcony table that afternoon to have some table service and watch the festivities.  It was a good afternoon.  Then it was off the cabin to freshen up.   More to come.  I got to light the BBQ for dinner….  Mark

We were in a cabin just above you a month ago and we had no issues.  We faced away from the pier/land in LA and Ensenada and while anchored in Catalina.  

I will try those, but Aplmac and Jetsfan are almost certainly correct. I have been on other ships in the past where the Casnio bar (no gaming) was open and empty on embarkation day and easy to get a dink with no line. Thx again. 

For those who have been on the MG (especially if during a high capacity sailing)… Any suggestions on any out of the way bars or at least lesser travelled bars where one would shortest wait time(s) to get drinks on embarkation day between those peak hours around sail away?  

 

THX Mark

Was on her in early March on that same itinerary.  Beautiful!  Wonderful ship with Reno.  We were very fortunate that it was only 1/3 capacity.  I agree with the recommendation about getting on the early tenders to Catalina.  Those tenders were slow for some reason.  ?? Maybe the crew were short handed or out of practice?  They seemed to wait a long time at the ship despite there being plenty of people in line to so as to make them able to leave full.  The multiple tenders got backed up waiting for the two exits to fill the other boats before docking.  In Ensenada we got off early but the town was really not open until noon, so I would wait if you are just walking around.  We went back tot he ship and went back out after lunch.  Great time.  Enjoy.

1 hour ago, Woody14 said:

You get a print out of all the drinks you consumed?

The printout does not list the specific drink but it listed all of the transaction times at each venue over our stay up til they printed my account that they leave on your door the last night. I.e. two Bloody Mary at the red frog at 09:32.  

 

I had a short getaway with a buddy for four days on the Radiance.  We drink.  I bought the Cheers for $439.60 ($54.95 per day x 2) for the four day cruise.  I kept a list on my phone of everything we ate and drank over the four days.  I might have missed a few items on my list. When I looked at our printout and compared it to my notes, we had a total of 111 beverages over the four days, of which 104 were alcoholic, including spiked coffees.  Looking at what we drank I would say $9.75 would have been the average for the alcohol and $5 for the non-alcoholic ones.  That is a $1,014 for the alcoholic drinks and $35 for the non. 

 

We got our money’s worth!

 

Thank you so much.  My teenage son and I are going to be there the first week of July and really want to do it.  It will have to be a DIY as there is no hike offering on the Carnival Pride and a tour group will be too long.  We are in port between 9am and 6pm.  Scotishclover… is that enough time if we leave first thing?  We are both fit and outdoors people from Northern Ontario, Canada.  Many thanks.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! 
 

Marsha wins. Hands down folks. Nobody could beat that!?  
I 

How about a night in Vancouver with dinner and a Yuk Yuks show with a modest hotel.... “Survey Says?!”

 

thanks Marsha. That is some serious value! 
 

The Radiance post refit is amazing 👍👍. Enjoy

Wow those are also some sweet scores as well. Congrats!  Feels goods!
 

It is 8.5 hours for me to get to Baltimore and bit more for Manhattan. But when you consider I am an hour from Pearson in Toronto, 2-3 hours in the airport, plus the flight and the transfers on the other side... the comfy seats in my one ton with no masks, taking shoes and belt off, etc, etc seems pretty good to me if you grab a hotel just short of the last stretch. I would cruise very often if I lived down south!  A big benefit for those lucky folks!  I hope to do a north east departure\road trip in the next year. 
 

Cheers!
 

Mark

 

We sailed out of NYC on our first cruise in January of 2018 and it was an amazing experience.  Both leaving and coming back in on the morning of your last day.  We did not drive though. Think of it this way… with HST you are well into thirty something a day to park at Toronto Pearson airport if you flew! 

 

Baltimore is another great option as it is only $15 per day and if you are a fan of the spirt class ship, it is a real bargain.

 

Enjoy!

After being cooped up in the great white north for two years and with the easing of re-entry testing and masking regulations, I decide to get back on the water. I go on-line to see what was on offer.  Well for those of you (in Canada at least) who may recall an old IKEA TV commercial with a lady in heals shuffling across the parking lots with bags in both arms yelling to her partner in the vehicle to, “START THE CAR. START THE CAR!” as she tries to get away with what she considers “Theft” with the prices being so low.   …I had that moment scrambling to retrieve my credit card on three recent bookings!

 

1. Four day cruise out of Long Beach on the fairly recently renovated Radiance in a SUITE for $150.00 plus fees pp.  (for the insides and views it was just cost of the port fees and the balconies were only $40+). Great cruise!  Amazing value. Only 1/3 full.

 

2. Seven day balcony cabin on the M.G. For $390.00. pp plus fees for around Easter. My wife and I can put up with a few lines if need be for that kind of coin if the ship ends up sailing full.
 

3. And probably the biggest vacation value I will likely ever see is the Nine day sailing of the Norwegian Fjords on July 1st on the Carnival Pride with my teenage son in a balcony cabin for the grand sum of $430.00 plus fees each!  Unreal.  The price literally tripled a minute after I booked it.  If you have ever been to Norway you will know how far $500 will get you with respect to food, lodging and some entertainment.

 

Thank you Carnival!

 

Cheers

 

Mark