ROwens

The Miracle definitely needs hotel maintenance. We were on this ship  in October from LA to Hawaii and back and not only was the cabin "run down," but we also dealt with plumbing issues throughout the two week cruise.  I love this ship, the staff is great, and we have been on it many times, but Carnival has not taken care of it as they should. We have one more cruise booked on the Miracle for Alaska in July and if there has not been a big improvement in cabins and plumbing, I will not want to sail on the Miracle again. It seems as if whoever is making decisions at Carnival does not realize that it is of utmost importance for all businesses to keep their property in good condition and good repair. If they don't, their business will gradually go elsewhere.  This applies to department stores, grocery stores, big box stores, hotels, restaurants, etc., and definitely to cruise ships.  

R. Owens

17 minutes ago, Birdie And Sue said:

You all do realize that at some point sooner or later all cruise on all cruise lines will be 100% smoke free, right?  I'm not saying it is gong to be any time soon, but it absolutely will happen at some point.  What was tried in the past is of no concern or relevance at all.  The fact is society in general is slowly but surely moving towards being smoke free.  Cruise ships will be at that point sometime down the road.

Birdie and Sue, I do hope that you are correct that at some point all cruise lines will be 100% smoke free. We were on the JOY a couple of weeks ago and the smoking area was glassed in, and it was so nice not to have smokers in the main part of the casino. However, we did notice that the smoking area had a larger portion of the more popular machines.  For example, there were five "Buffalo" machines in the smoking area and only one Buffalo machine in the non-smoking area.  And, I never saw all five of those machines in the smoking area being used at the same time, while it was very difficult to ever find the Buffalo machine available in the non-smoking section. 

Rowens

To: SuperCrewBear

Thank you so very much for posting the pictures of the dock at Icy Strait Point.

Rosemary

Thanks for the answer on the water bottle question. I will take a reusable one and hopefully it can be used.

We just got off the Dawn on Friday and I saw several people carrying reusable water bottles in a side pocket of their back pack during embarkation.

I also figured out why NCL charges so much for a case of water. The bottles are larger than the bottles on Carnival and also there are more bottles in one of their cases. My suggestion to NCL would be to choose a smaller size bottle and to sell packages of perhaps 8 at a much more reasonable price. That way, everybody would be happy. We saw one case being delivered to a room a couple of doors down from us. There is no way that two normal people could drink that much water. So, smaller bottles, fewer bottles in a case, and a much lower price would equal happier passengers and there would not be all of this negativity on line about NCL and it's water prices! There are people who will actually take their business to another cruise line because of something like this.

We did the Old Towne Railway Tour in St. George three years ago. It was located in the old Town Square area where they do the dunking reenactments. We took the first tour of the day and I believe that was at 1:00 p.m. It was about an hour in length and was very good. It took you "up close and personal" to a number of places and you did not have to get out and walk. The price was reasonable, although I can't remember exactly what it was. There was an office in the Town Square area where you bought your ticket.

I was glad to hear that there is now one of these tours in Hamilton as I would love to take that tour.

Rosemary

Either better ventilation in the Casino area or 2 separate Smoking/Non-smoking Casinos. More whirlpool tubs.

I certainly agree with your suggestion about better ventilation in the Casino area or two separate casinos! Or actually, just don't build anymore of these huge monster ships. Stay with small to medium ships. There are just too many people on the large ships and we avoid them if at all possible.

I like the regular grill better than Guy's as well. However, it seems that the vast majority of people prefer Guy's, and the regular grills are being replaced with it. :(

I, too, like the regular grill better than Guy's. And, the fact that you can't find chicken tenders anywhere just blows my mind. We are Diamond and take several cruises a year, but are seriously considering moving all of our business to another cruise line.

Rosemary

The senior sous chef who oversaw the Chef's Table told us that Valor is getting the American Table in September.

Thanks for that information. I guess I will mark the Valor off my list also! But, then I am beginning to think that all of the Carnival ships will be going to the American Table menus soon, so will I have to just mark Carnival off my list completely?

Our next door neighbor and his wife and children were on the Fantasy last week and although he didn't know about the tablecloth controversy, he thought it was odd that there were no tablecloths for the evening meals.

My daughter was thrilled when she found out the Valor still had the old menus and tablecloths. They are leaving on that ship tomorrow for a Bahamas cruise.

Rosemary

My daughter and I were on the same sailing.

 

No..they haven't adopted the American table menus

Yes..they still have the tablecloths at all dinner seating

Thank you so much for this information. My daughter and her family will be sailing on the 5-day cruise on the Valor that leaves on Thursday, May 26. She will be happy to know this.

Rosemary

Have they adopted the new American Table Menus on the Valor? We were on this ship in January and they had not at that time. Also, do they still use tablecloths for the evening meals? They did in January. We were on the Carnival Magic a couple of weeks ago and they have the new American Table Menus in the main dining rooms and they do not use tablecloths except on the two "Elegant" nights. I'm not real fond of the new menus and I definitely prefer a tablecloth and appropriate silverware for the evening meal. That is one thing that makes cruising special, in my opinion.

Thanks in advance for your answer.

Rosemary

I would choose the Conquest for the following reasons:

1. The ports - not too many Carnival ships cruise to Bonaire and La Ramona.

2. The Conquest holds 2980 passengers while the Magic holds 3690. So, if the ships are full and you go on the Magic you will have 710 more passengers to embark, debark and get off and on in the various ports. Also, you will have 710 more passengers trying to find a place to eat lunch on sea days.

I finally figured out how to get on the roll call thing, thank you!

We booked our whale watching cruise with Harv and Marv! I'm really excited! Now I'm trying to figure out what else to do that would be a bit cheaper for our other ports....

Here are a few ideas for things to do in Alaska that are not quite so pricey.

Juneau

Mendenhall Glacier -- Get a bus ticket at the information center near where the cruise ships are docked. I believe these are about $10 per person each way and then there is a small fee to get into the Visitor's Center which has displays and films. (If you have a National Park Pass, be sure and take it with you as it will get you into the Visitor's Center free.) Or there are some tours through the ship that combine Mendenhall with some other attraction. We did the Fish Hatchery and Mendenhall one time and enjoyed learning all about salmon in Alaska.

Mt. Roberts Tramway -- You can buy tickets at the base of the mountain or on the ship. The tickets are about $30 per person and there are great views from the top, as well as hiking trails, a restaurant, free movie, etc. and your ticket is good all day if you want to go back down and then return later.

Skagway

National Park Service gives free guided walking tours throughout the day -- about every two hours. Inquire at the Park information center.

An excursion in the Yellow Touring Cars is also fun and you will get lots of information and history about Skagway.

We have been to Alaska several times and every time we have gone, a local man, Steve Hites, has come onto our ship and entertained with Alaskan stories, songs and music. We were there last year on the Jewel in May and he performed at 3:30 p.m. in the Spinnaker Lounge, Deck 13, Forward. There is no charge for his show. He was dressed in a Train Conductor's suit and is called Alaska's Singing Conductor. Check your Freestyle Daily on the Skagway Day.

Ketchikan

There is a lot to see and do here. In the past, we have done a Harbor Tour on a boat, a City Tour, a Duck Tour, and have gone to see the Lumberjack Show. We have also gone over to Creek Street, which is interesting. There is also a National Park Headquarters here which has a lot of exhibits and information. If you have the National Park pass, it's free to get into, but if you don't, I believe it was $10 to get in and go through all of the exhibits. There is also is a free bus that does a tour of the city. The Visitor's Center could give you information on that. In addition, Ketchikan has a lot of places to shop for those Alaskan souvenirs.

Victoria

The first time we were in Victoria, we did a tour through the ship called Victoria Highlights. It was a very nice and informative tour. The last time we were there, we just took the shuttle bus from the pier to the downtown area and then walked around and went through that famous hotel that is there (sorry, can't remember the name). We also walked around the waterfront and had lunch at an Irish Pub. The cost for the shuttle bus was $10 per person, round trip.

I know you will enjoy your cruise. We went on our first cruise to Alaska in 1994 and have gone back several times since then and have another Alaskan cruise coming up on the Jewel in September of this year.

Rosemary

It is a bone-in rib eye steak with the whole rib bone still attached. It looks like a big tomahawk when you hold it up by the bone. If I remember correctly, the one on the Jewel was 29oz. It's a nice piece of meat if you're a steak lover. Very flavorful.

Our son ordered the Tomahawk Chop when we were on the Spirit in March and he thought it was great. It is huge!

We were on the Jewel from May 7-16, a 9-day Alaskan cruise. During this time, we did not hear any announcements, or see any signage posted, or read any notifications in the dailies about not taking food from the restaurants back to your room. However, when we got home and I started reading on CC about this new policy, I assumed that the good officers of the Jewel in their wisdom had decided not to implement a change like this mid-cruise.

In fact, on the last morning of the cruise, we were planning to walk off and take our luggage with us because we wanted to get to the airport early. My husband was dressed and ready to go to the Buffet for breakfast. I was not ready so I suggested that he go on up and eat. He asked if I wanted him to bring me something back to the room. I said, "Yes, you could bring me a couple of croissants and a slice of cheese." He brought these items back, and no one said anything to him as he left the Buffet.

When we originally heard about the $7.95 room service charge, my thinking was that this amount was a little excessive, but in our 69 cruises, we have not used room service more than two or three times -- and that was when we had grandchildren with us -- so I wasn't overly concerned from a personal standpoint. However, I do know that some people think that being able to order room service is one of the most fabulous parts of cruising, so I was sure that this policy would not be met with favor.

I also think that NCL has gone overboard with this "no food taken back to the room" policy. We've never made it a daily habit to bring food back to the room, but a few times, one of us hasn't been feeling well and the other would go up and get food and bring it back, or if we are in a hurry to get away on the last morning, DH, who can always get dressed faster than I can, will generally go up and eat and then bring something back for me to eat. I also think about people who are diabetic. If their sugar level drops, they need food ASAP and a traveling companion can usually get to the Buffet and get something for them to eat much faster than you can get it from room service.

We are Platinum on NCL and have always enjoyed sailing with this cruise line, so my hope is that the "powers that be" will take a closer look at these latest food policies and make some adjustments in order to retain their loyal customer base.

Why not try a Western Caribbean Cruise out of Tampa? We have been on this itinerary several times, and the weather and the water in January are generally very nice.

We will be doing a Western Caribbean in January, 2015 on the Carnival Pride. The port stops are Cozumel, Belize, Roatan and Grand Cayman.

We are also doing this in a couple of weeks on the NCL Sun. Port stops on that cruise are Cozumel, Belize, Roatan and Costa Maya.

Rosemary :)