KatieKatie17

26 minutes ago, SmoothFlying said:

I maybe wrong, but my wife and I were on the Mardi Gras Sept 11-18 and I 'think' I heard her say that the new MG had a no smoking casino (She's a reformed smoker, been smoke free for 5 years while I have NEVER smoked but I don't go to the casino either) Maybe someone who's been on the new MG can verify this about the NS casino ? 

 

Mac

MG has a smoking casino and a non smoking casino. Kind of like cut in half but no crossover between the two. It is very nice for non smokers because even though I don’t gamble you pass through the casino to reach the theater on the ship. It’s nice to be able to do so without a haze of smoke. 

10 hours ago, Dadams2763 said:

.. we booked an ocean suite for mg and it was almost half the width of rc suites. We find the food on rc far superior as well, excluding specialty restaurants.. Rudi’s and steakhouse were great. I’d give harmony a try then you can compare.. we’re booked on her 1/23-30.

Entertainment was great on mg but the variety of shows on rc are better in our opinion.

 

100% agree! We were in an Ocean Suite on our MG cruise and it was super narrow.  I can't imagine that a standard balcony room could be any more narrow, although the sitting area is nicely appointed.  We also enjoyed Rudi's, the Steakhouse, and Chibang a great deal. 

For the record we flip flopped. I remembered my BFF is having a milestone bday party on the 15th and I had booked Harmony on 1/16 which would have led to a miserable process trying to get to PC.  The following week's itinerary didn't appeal to us at all, particularly in Jan, so Royal was kind enough to let us cancel penalty free since it was within 24 hours and we're booked on MG again.  I guess I'm going to have to experience the Oasis class on a future cruise. 

7 hours ago, soremekun said:

I'm looking forward to sailing the Mardi Gras in 2022 and 2023.  I have sailed on Harmony and absolutely loved it.  Best ship I have sailed on and am looking forward to my cruises on a couple of other Oasis class ships.

Thanks for the perspective on Harmony.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the MG, it's a stunning ship with well thought out details, and Carnival certainly brings the fun with that one.

7 hours ago, mafig said:

I just read a review of Mardi Gras where the person said that even though the ship was sailing at 40% it still felt crowded.

Last week the ship sailed at a little over 65% of max capacity and more than 80% of double occupancy capacity with 4300 guests.  The ship felt lively, not crowded, IMO. We had anytime dining and for the venues we did not have reservations for we typically waited under 2 minutes after checking in on the app for a table at any venue we visited.  There was always ample space at shows and events.  The capacity was perfection for me.  We met a couple while docked in the Bahamas who said the Celebrity Apex was around 25% capacity and it felt like a ghost ship.  That's not what I'm looking for on a cruise.  

6 hours ago, matj2000 said:

There is nothing wrong with either ship. 

 

My suggestion is try Harmony only because you have done the Mardi Gras.

 

Your  issue is:  This is the wrong place to ask because you get a one-sided response.

 

You got die hard loyalist who demonize anyone that even dare compare Carnival to Royal

I don't disagree and it will likely come to that as the deciding factor.  Also agree about one-sided responses, in some cases, so I posted this in both forums and planned to figure out what the real answer was someplace in the middle:-)

5 hours ago, zekekelso said:

As an RCI person, it’s my obligation to mock Carnival. But my one time sailing on them was hella fun, and those commercials with Kathy Lee were great. Does Carnival still use those?

 

My recommendation would be to sail both, so you can mock both. 

Love your loyalty and your ultimate recommendation LOL!  I think Carnival has moved on to leveraging Shaq as their Chief Fun Officer.  He was actually on the MG last week before sail away for the naming ceremony, along with Miss Universe (ship's Godmother and she sailed the full cruise), and several others.  I don't know how fun he is but the Chicken Shaq named in his honor is startlingly good!  It would have a real following on land.  

Thank you all for your feedback.  I did book the Harmony so hopefully I will also be of some use to someone next year debating the same question. 

8 hours ago, GTO-Girl said:

We have sailed on the Harmony four times.  We love that class of ship!  We are going to sail Mardi Gras on the 27th of this month so will be able to give an opinion then.

 

Right now if you are vaccinated there are many places on the ship you can enter and not have to wear your masks.  Also the shows keep vaccinated separated from the non-vaxed so no mask there also.

 

Royal is our preferred cruise line so I don’t believe you would be disappointed at all if you try it….

Thank you! That is really helpful to know.  I don't think you will be disappointed with the MG, we absolutely loved it!  I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the comparison. 

8 hours ago, Cruisesfun65 said:

I have cruised on both and truly enjoyed both. However, I have to admit that I found Harmony OTS easier to navigate. 

It took me far more time to familiarize myself with the ship while on the Oasis class we had it down pat in 2 days.

Good to know!  I'm leaning towards the Harmony because it's hard to imagine going back to the same ship in a couple of months, although it is very tempting.  Thanks!

Hi, we just returned from a wonderful cruise on Carnival’s MG last week. We loved the ship and it’s crew. We are planning a trip mid January and comparing the MG to HOTS. We’re married in our mid 40s and no kids will be traveling with us. We loved the beauty of MG, the dining options, comedy shows, and again the dedication of the crew. We have very limited experience on RC (BOTS a few years ago) and extensive experience with Carnival for looking for some perspective.  IF you have been on both ships, which one would you choose to repeat for your next cruise and why? 

Hi, we just returned from a wonderful cruise on MG last week. We loved the ship and it’s crew. We are planning a trip mid January and comparing the MG to HOTS. We’re married in our mid 40s and no kids will be traveling with us. We loved the beauty of MG, the dining options, comedy shows, and again the dedication of the crew. We have very limited experience on RC.  If you have been on both ships, which one would you choose to repeat for your next cruise and why? 

@Elaine5715I did just now but I suspect they have access to and leverage far more data than they would ever casually disclose.  I don’t doubt that what they described is a component but I highly doubt it’s the extent of the analytics and data they use. Most companies want insight into the full potential of their customers not just what they’ve experienced so they can target them in a way that will maximize their spend. Particularly right now I would suspect there is a ton of big data for sale to marketers on specific consumer behavior across the spectrum of their relevant experiences. 

Hi, I received an email titled “Your Free Room Has Arrived” yesterday and the day before that received an email titled “Cruises from $25”. I ultimately booked a 7 day Eastern Caribbean on the Mardi Gras in a cove balcony for $135 pp.  I am gold with Carnival. Here’s all the data points that I believe could be relevant. 

I have only cruised 5 times with Carnival. This may be key however... When I booked these cruises I booked 3 cabins and paid for a minimum of 6 adults and 4 kids. At least that was the case for 4 out of 5 of these cruises. 
 

Contrary to popular opinion about these offers, I never gamble. I believe I vaguely remember trying a slot machine or two once on our first cruise in 2011, but definitely not since then. I don’t understand the appeal. I even resent having to walk through the casino on most ships to get where I’m going because I hate the smoke. 
 

Prior to the start of the pandemic I was booked on the Breeze 3/28/2020 (3 cabins) and it was canceled and I did not rebook. I was also booked on the Mardi Gras (1 balcony cabin) originally I think the 10/17/21 sailing and ultimately canceled without rebooking before final payment deadline. 
 

I have never bought Cheers. I have utilized spa services, specialty dining, and purchase excursions for our full party. 
 

My best guess is I am receiving these offers because they want to make sure I haven’t written off cruising forever. They are clearly losing money on this broad initiative so IMO this is less about cruising full in this unusual time and more of a marketing effort to bring customers back that they want to retain and aren’t giving them buying signals while they are not cruising full. I am Gold with Delta and lifetime Platinum with Marriott. Since the pandemic I have taken 6 land based domestic and international vacations and was seriously questioning whether we would go back to cruising. At the risk of sounding paranoid it would not shock me one bit if there is also an info sharing component with airlines or hotels through data aggregators to figure out who has travel “spend” versus who’s spending it with Carnival amongst past cruisers.

Disregard my post it was in error. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wesh.com/amp/article/norwegian-passenger-coronavirus/31790655

Hi, I originally booked 3 cabins through a travel agent for a cruise that was canceled due to the temporary suspension of operations.  I took the refund for the 2nd and 3rd cabins and the FCC for the cabin (let's call that booking #1) that my husband and I were booked to stay in with 2 minor children.

I have some questions that I'm curious about and would appreciate any thoughts or feedback on this.

1) Am I required to re-book with the same travel agent when I use the FCC for booking #1 or can I book with Carnival directly and utilize this FCC?

2) Will the FCC be allocated proportionally to each traveler booked in the room?  

3) Will the on-board credit, in this case $600 for the canceled cruise booking #1, be allocated per capita to each of the 4 individuals in the room, myself, my husband, and the two children or just to me as the primary traveler, or just the adults in the cabin?  My husband and I may re-book without the children.   

It was fantastic on my 10/29 cruise. I was amazed. 

Thanks for the review. My husband and I are on Brilliance next month and I’ve been eagerly awaiting reviews since she returned to Tampa last week. We are cruising the same itinerary. What did you decide to do in Key West and would you recommend it?

Great suggestion... I left behind a pair of diamond earrings on a ship last year.

Looking forward to your review. I've recently considered this ship/itinerary for next year but worry it will be too many sea days for me. Ideally I would like at least one more stop similar to the routes on the Horizon and Conquest but I'm not sold on either of those ships. I think I've resigned myself to just taking a land based trip to Aruba instead, but then I won't be able to get to Curacao easily. Oh well, first world issues. Thanks for sharing your experience!

Very similar ships, except Breeze has the IMAX experience and Magic has the Guy's Pig and Anchor. I enjoyed both ships with the win going to the Breeze. Having said that, because they are so similar I would likely go with the ship with best itinerary. A ferry from St. Thomas to St. Johns will lead you to beautiful uncrowded beaches.

Loved your review. I personally felt the content was just the right amount to keep me engaged and eager for more. We are strongly considering this ship with a port intense southern itinerary in January and your review was very helpful! Many thanks!

Thanks so much for allowing us to share in your memories. I enjoyed your review. It was well written, the pictures were beautiful, your family seems delightful, and I appreciate that you were able to share your experiences and perspective in a fair and balanced manner. This was helpful to me and I am sure it will be for many others who consider the Sunshine in their vacation plans.

All the best!:champagne-toast:

Thanks for your review! We loved the Breeze and we're looking forward to her return to FL. Did you have special clothing requirements for the behind the scenes tour? For other lines, I've heard pants and closed toe shoes. What was the most memorable aspect of the tour for you? What would you say was the biggest surprise?

Really enjoying the format of your review. It is very helpful as trying to make a decision betweens these lines and ships can be challenging to say the least. It's a great problem to have, but I for one appreciate help with solving it! Many thanks!

Loving this already!

This is great, thanks!

Great review! Thanks so much for sharing your experience.

Thanks for the pics and insight. This was so helpful, particularly for those of us who will be new to RCCL.

RCI pushes its own credit card, and many people use this for booking their cruises and on-board purchases, which results in points that can be used for future OBC or free cruises. You earn double points for every dollar spent with RCI, so I think this is their route to rewarding you for spending more money with them [emoji6]

 

 

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Yes, that's a whole other area for consideration. My head would explode trying to figure out if I would be better off using the RCI card, or simply using one of my travel reward cards that would allow me to erase the travel purchase with points, which is actually what I've done for the recent cruises I've taken.