broadwaybaby123

With the exception of Luminae, Blu, and The Retreat, you should be fine. Those areas are dependent on the types of cabins you're staying in (mainly suites).

I can't wait for my Hawaii cruise! Never been to any of the stops, but I heard they're all beautiful!

It depends on what you're looking for. I didn't like the Pride but my taste may not be the same as yours.

Some shows you do, such as "Spectra's Cabaret" on Anthem. This is not a new concept so I'm confused as to why some passengers are surprised by this. Royal isn't the only line that does this either....Norwegian does this and you have to reserve the shows 3 months out. Regardless though, once you get onboard, more showings open up on the Royal app. You can also go to the Box Office to reserve shows or wait in the standby line.

I don't know about Carnival, but I know on Royal that you can't drop off your carry-on until all the rooms are fully open at 1PM. You must carry it with you.

There's a mocktail package you can look into. It's basically alcoholic drinks minus the alcohol (for example Virgin Martinis, Virgin Pina Coladas, etc.) That's what I'm getting on my next cruise as I don't drink either.

I've been on ships larger than the Mardi Gras and Celebration (the largest ship I've been on is Oasis Of The Seas, currently ranking as the 4th largest cruise ship in the world at 226,838 tonnes vs the Mardi Gras (14th largest cruise ship at 181,808 tonnes) and Celebration (12th largest at 183,521 tonnes). I honestly never felt crowded on Oasis. There were virtually no lines and if there was a line, we didn't have to wait long (with the exception of seeing "CATS").

It's everyone's first time on the ship since she hasn't sailed since she was rebranded.

Same here, I do my reviews on both here and YouTube. That said, I do find the people that post their reviews quite helpful when I'm looking to book a ship. I also post them on YouTube so that people can see what I experienced first hand. For me, I love to see pictures and videos of a ship before booking it as well as reading about them.

Me too!

This may sound weird, but do you have any pictures you could share? I'm heading out on Solstice next year.

I can't answer some of the questions, as I haven't been on a lot of Carnival cruises, but I've been on 30+ cruises across the industry. I would drive in the day before, if possible. Anything can happen on Embarkation Day and you want to have that extra cushion of time in case there's delays. When you book hotels, ask if they offer a "Stay And Cruise" package. Those that do often offer free parking for the duration of the cruise, free breakfast, and free shuttle to and from the port. For shoes, I would pack sneakers, sandals/flip flops/Crocs, evening shoes (to go with evening dresses), and water socks. 2 bathing suits is a MUST. Enough shirts for the duration of the cruise (as well as unmentionables), about 5-7 shorts, hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, toiletries, meds, and brush. If you have glasses, pack 2 pairs as you might lose one. For tours, just a small backpack would do. If you plan on hitting the beach, a beach bag would be helpful. You should be fine with the snacks, provided you bring a doctor's note or proof of your diabetes.

I had a balcony on the Boardwalk near the Aqua Theater on Oasis. I can't tell you how many times we heard the song "Talk To Me" with the doors and windows closed. It didn't matter what time of day it was, we would hear that music up to 10PM.

I'm kind of in a different situation than others within my niche (cruise YouTuber here). I work with seniors, some of which love to travel but can't for medical or financial reasons. That's why I started my channel in the first place: to take these exotic places to them. My folks enjoy the likes of Rick Steves or Samantha Brown but they get more out of it when someone they know is hosting the video. I do respect the fact that others may not want to be shown on camera, and I try to respect that as much as possible. If I don't have your permission, that picture won't be in the video. When I take the actual video (I do mixed media), I try to limit the clips to under a minute. If you want to be a part of it, fine, I'll let you do a shoutout to friends and family back home. For any in my niche that I run into, I'm giving you permission now to include me, and yes I will even pose for the camera if you want me to. I also try not to be one of those people that literally has to take pictures of every single thing that they do, like "here's a picture of the food I'm about to eat *takes picture of dish* and here's a picture of me eating it *takes picture* and here is my finished plate *takes another picture*, etc." That's my biggest pet peeve! I usually go for the interesting or colorful shots. One of my favorites from my last trip (which was on Anthem Of The Seas) was when I was in the covered pool and the North Star passed directly over us. I grabbed my camera, took a shot, and came out with the coolest picture! It happened to be directly over the sun, so we were totally eclipsed by it! I'm also very careful with the thumbnails I create. I try to make ones that accurately reflect what the video is about. For example, I was working on one for this week last night. I'm doing a comparison video of Quantum class ships and Oasis class ships on Royal. Since I've been on both Anthem (Quantum class) and Oasis (Oasis class), I have pictures of both ships docked in port. I took a picture of each and put (as a working title) "Quantum Class VS Oasis Class: Which is better?". On one side of the thumbnail is a picture of Anthem, while the other side has a picture of Oasis, since those are the ships featured. I'll do the same with the Summit, as I'll be doing a comparison video of what it was like pre-remodel (which was my first time on the ship) and post-remodel (which will be my second time on the ship in October). I'm not going to put a picture of Anthem or Oasis in the thumbnail, as neither one is the focus of the video.

I'm not sure when your last Carnival cruise was, but this rule has been in place for a while. Last time I was on Carnival was 5 years ago and it took me 5 min to find the answer on the website before we left. I checked again this year when we booked the Venezia for next year and it's still on the website.

I know this is for Royal but it may still apply since they're owned by the same company. I just got off Anthem Of The Seas, they sent us a notification about it when it was time for us to fill it out in our app. That came about a day in advance and takes about 3 min.

I would think so. Sean McDonald played with the Nashua Ukestra (my group), right across from me! I was in the front row, second from the left. The theater is STUNNING! We were all gobsmacked backstage! Attached is the ribbon cutting! PXL_20230401_150300253.TS~3.mp4

I just performed at the GRAND OPENING of a new theater in town with my Ukulele group! One of the anchors from NH Chronicle joined us (unbeknownst to us), and Mayor Donchess cut the ribbon!

I'm a Content Creator too and will gladly pose for the camera if I'm ever on a cruise with you. I'll be on the Summit in October, Venezia in April, and Solstice in October 2024.

I actually AM one of those creators! While it's likely that I'll have a camera nearby, I always ask permission to take pictures before they even make it to the cutting room floor. If you tell me "no", I will gladly not take that shot. Yes I have videos to do, but you also have the rite to privacy. And no, I'm not the kind that will take videos of everything. I usually film the sail away and maybe 1 or 2 other events, but other than that, it's still shots. I think I got maybe 5 video clips last time.

I was there years ago and I don't remember the beach being particularly rocky.

I can see banning the phones, but teams no. I can offer a slightly different take. I'm an Activity Director for Retirement Living. I always allow teams, as I find it promotes engagement. It's as much of a social activity as it is intellectual. It's enrichment, not school. When I compete in the trivia contests on a cruise, I often get accused of cheating, since I'm generally on the younger side of the age group and often beat people twice my age. I do not cheat! Many times I come up with my own trivia for work and happen to stumble on that answer. I do not use my phone to look up the answers at all. Case in point: I was on a Carnival cruise years ago playing "Name That Tune: Crooners". I managed to get a perfect score, and often would know the answer before the clip ended. The Activity Assistant actually stood up for me when I was accused of cheating, saying that she watched me every single time, and not once did I cheat. I just happened to hear those songs every single day at work, I had no clue they would be part of the trivia. I do, however, have an issue with those who legitimately cheat. I don't feel like it's fair to allow folks to use their phone. It defeats the purpose of why folks are there: to socialize and learn something. If you're there for the prize, you're there for the wrong reasons.

Nobody really knows yet, as the ship hasn't finished her remodel yet.

I'm about to go on my 4th Carnival cruise and am kind of in the same boat. My experiences have been a bit uneven for various reasons. Hated it the first and third times, loved the second. It's been several years since my third Carnival cruise, I'm hoping they've improved over time.